Of all the works of the Sage Ramana Maharshi, ઉપદેશ સારમ્ is considered as the supreme legacy of his teaching.
કર્તુરાજ્ઞયા પ્રાપ્યતે ફલમ્ ।
કર્મ કિં પરં કર્મ તજ્જડમ્ ॥ 1 ॥
By the law/will of the Creator, the fruits of actions are realized.
How is action then supreme? It is not. It is inert/insentient.
કૃતિમહોદધૌ પતનકારણમ્ ।
ફલમશાશ્વતં ગતિનિરોધકમ્ ॥ 2 ॥
The results of actions are impermanent and pass away.
Yet, their seeds form an ocean of Karma which becomes a barrier in the progress of a seeker.
ઈશ્વરાર્પિતં નેચ્છયા કૃતમ્ ।
ચિત્તશોધકં મુક્તિસાધકમ્ ॥ 3 ॥
Work which is performed as an offering to the Almighty, and done without any expectation of the fruits thereof, helps in purification of the mind and thereby leads one to Liberation or Realization.
કાયવાઙ્મનઃ કાર્યમુત્તમમ્ ।
પૂજનં જપશ્ચિંતનં ક્રમાત્ ॥ 4 ॥
Among the actions performed by the body, voice and mind – puja (ritualistic worship), japa (chanting) and contemplation (inner meditation) – each is superior to the other in an ascending order.
જગત ઈશધી યુક્તસેવનમ્ ।
અષ્ટમૂર્તિભૃદ્દેવપૂજનમ્ ॥ 5 ॥
Worshipping any of the eight forms (Ether, fire, air, water, earth,
Sun, moon and living beings), thinking they are all forms of God, is good worship (puja) of God.
ઉત્તમસ્તવાદુચ્ચમંદતઃ ।
ચિત્તજં જપધ્યાનમુત્તમમ્ ॥ 6 ॥
Singing the Lord’s praises is good, but better than that is loud chanting of japa. Better than loud chanting is soft and low-voiced chanting. However, best of all is silent, mental japa or meditation in the mind.
આજ્યધારયા સ્રોતસા સમમ્ ।
સરલચિંતનં વિરલતઃ પરમ્ ॥ 7 ॥
Like an unbroken flow of oil, or a stream of water, continuous meditation is better than that which is interrupted.
ભેદભાવનાત્ સોઽહમિત્યસૌ ।
ભાવનાઽભિદા પાવની મતા ॥ 8 ॥
Meditation without duality, that is meditating as ‘I am
HE’, is superior to meditation which assumes a separation between the Bhakta (devotee) and the beloved Lord.
ભાવશૂન્યસદ્ભાવસુસ્થિતિઃ ।
ભાવનાબલાદ્ભક્તિરુત્તમા ॥ 9 ॥
A state of void, free from thought, is gradually attained,
making abidance in the background state of ‘I AM’ complete. This is supreme devotion.
હૃત્સ્થલે મનઃ સ્વસ્થતા ક્રિયા ।
ભક્તિયોગબોધાશ્ચ નિશ્ચિતમ્ ॥ 10 ॥
Fixing the mind in the Heart (Source) is true Karma (action), Bhakti (devotion), Yoga (action) and Jnana (knowledge).
વાયુરોધનાલ્લીયતે મનઃ ।
જાલપક્ષિવદ્રોધસાધનમ્ ॥ 11 ॥
Through breath-control, the movement of the mind is contained, just as a bird is restrained when caught in a net.
ચિત્તવાયવશ્ચિત્ક્રિયાયુતાઃ ।
શાખયોર્દ્વયી શક્તિમૂલકા ॥ 12 ॥
The mind and pranas (as thought and action), which carry out various thought processes and actions within the body, emerge from one common source, the Supreme.
લયવિનાશને ઉભયરોધને ।
લયગતં પુનર્ભવતિ નો મૃતમ્ ॥ 13 ॥
Mind control can be achieved through two modes – either through absorption/abeyance or through complete destruction. In the case of the first mode, the mind emerges again as it is merely absorbed in the void and hence temporarily held in abeyance. In contrast, through the second mode, when the mind is destroyed, it can never emerge again.
પ્રાણબંધનાલ્લીનમાનસમ્ ।
એકચિંતનાન્નાશમેત્યદઃ ॥ 14 ॥
When the mind is held in suspension through breath control, it must then be completely destroyed through one-pointed attention to that ONE reality.
નષ્ટમાનસોત્કૃષ્ટયોગિનઃ ।
કૃત્યમસ્તિ કિં સ્વસ્થિતિં યતઃ ॥ 15 ॥
What action remains for an exalted Yogi whose mind has been completely destroyed and who is ever established in the Self?
દૃશ્યવારિતં ચિત્તમાત્મનઃ ।
ચિત્ત્વદર્શનં તત્ત્વદર્શનમ્ ॥ 16 ॥
When attention is withdrawn from objects and focused exclusively on the Self, the Truth is revealed.
માનસં તુ કિં માર્ગણે કૃતે ।
નૈવ માનસં માર્ગ આર્જવાત્ ॥ 17 ॥
When one inquires: “What is the mind?”, he finds out that there is no mind. This is the direct path to Reality.
વૃત્તયસ્ત્વહં વૃત્તિમાશ્રિતાઃ ।
વૃત્તયો મનો વિદ્ધ્યહં મનઃ ॥ 18 ॥
Mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts. These thoughts depend upon the 'I' thought alone. Hence the mind is nothing but this 'I' thought.
અહમયં કુતો ભવતિ ચિન્વતઃ ।
અયિ પતત્યહં નિજવિચારણમ્ ॥ 19 ॥
When one turns within and searches
Whence this 'I' thought arises,
The shamed 'I' vanishes –
And wisdom's quest begins.
અહમિ નાશભાજ્યહમહંતયા ।
સ્ફુરતિ હૃત્સ્વયં પરમપૂર્ણસત્ ॥ 20 ॥
Where this 'I' notion faded
Now there as I–I, arises
The One, the very Self,
The Infinite.
ઇદમહં પદાઽભિખ્યમન્વહમ્ ।
અહમિલીનકેઽપ્યલયસત્તયા ॥ 21 ॥
Of the term, 'I', the permanent import
Is That. For even in deep sleep
Where we have no sense of 'I'
We do not cease to be.
વિગ્રહેંદ્રિયપ્રાણધીતમઃ ।
નાહમેકસત્તજ્જડં હ્યસત્ ॥ 22 ॥
Body, senses, mind, breath, sleep –
All insentient and unreal –
Cannot be 'I',
'I' who am the Real.
સત્ત્વભાસિકા ચિત્ક્વવેતરા ।
સત્તયા હિ ચિચ્ચિત્તયા હ્યહમ્ ॥ 23 ॥
For knowing That which is
There is no other knower.
Hence Being is Awareness;
And we all are Awareness.
ઈશજીવયોર્વેષધીભિદા ।
સત્સ્વભાવતો વસ્તુ કેવલમ્ ॥ 24 ॥
In the nature of their being
Creature and creator are in substance one.
They differ only
In adjuncts and awareness.
વેષહાનતઃ સ્વાત્મદર્શનમ્ ।
ઈશદર્શનં સ્વાત્મરૂપતઃ ॥ 25 ॥
Seeing oneself free of all attributes
Is to see the Lord,
For He shines ever as the pure Self.
આત્મસંસ્થિતિઃ સ્વાત્મદર્શનમ્ ।
આત્મનિર્દ્વયાદાત્મનિષ્ઠતા ॥ 26 ॥
To know the Self is but to be the Self,
For it is non-dual.
In such knowledge
One abides as that.
જ્ઞાનવર્જિતાઽજ્ઞાનહીનચિત્ ।
જ્ઞાનમસ્તિ કિં જ્ઞાતુમંતરમ્ ॥ 27 ॥
That is true knowledge which transcends
Both knowledge and ignorance,
For in pure knowledge
Is no object to be known.
કિં સ્વરૂપમિત્યાત્મદર્શને ।
અવ્યયાઽભવાઽઽપૂર્ણચિત્સુખમ્ ॥ 28 ॥
Having known one's nature one abides
As being with no beginning and no end
In unbroken conciousness and bliss.
બંધમુક્ત્યતીતં પરં સુખમ્ ।
વિંદતીહ જીવસ્તુ દૈવિકઃ ॥ 29 ॥
Beyond bondage and release,
Is steadfastness
In service of the Lord.
અહમપેતકં નિજવિભાનકમ્ ।
મહદિદંતપો રમનવાગિયમ્ ॥ 30 ॥
All ego gone,
Living as that alone
Is penance good for growth,
Sings Ramana, the Self.
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