“Who am I?” is the title given to a set of questions and answers bearing on Self-enquiry.

“Who am I?” is the title given to a set of questions and answers bearing on Self-enquiry.

 As all living beings desire to be happy always, without misery, as in the case of everyone there      is observed supreme love for one’s self, and as happiness alone is the cause for love, in order to gain that happiness which is one’s nature and which is experienced in the state of deep sleep.

where there is no mind, one should know one’s self. For that, the path of knowledge, the inquiry of the form “Who am I?”, is the principal means.

1. Who am I ?

The gross body which is composed of the seven humors (dhatus), I am not; the five cognitive

sense organs, viz. the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell, which apprehend their

respective objects, viz. sound, touch, colour, taste, and odour, I am not; the five cognitive sense organs,

viz. the organs of speech, locomotion, grasping, excretion, and procreation, which have as

their respective functions speaking, moving, grasping, excreting, and enjoying, I am not; the five

vital airs, prana, etc., which perform respectively the five functions of in-breathing, etc., I am not;

even the mind which thinks, I am not; the nescience too, which is endowed only with the residual

impressions of objects, and in which there are no objects and no functioning’s, I am not.

2. If I am none of these, then who am I?

After negating all of the above-mentioned as ‘not this’, ‘not this’, that Awareness which alone remains - that I am.

3. What is the nature of Awareness?

The nature of Awareness is existence-consciousness-bliss.

4. When will the realization of the Self be gained?

When the world which is what-is-seen has been removed, there will be realization of the Self which is the seer.

5. Will there not be realization of the Self even while the world is there (taken as real)?

There will not be.

6. Why?

The seer and the object seen are like the rope and the snake. Just as the knowledge of the rope

which is the substrate will not arise unless the false knowledge of the illusory serpent goes, so the

7.realization of the Self which is the substrate will not be gained unless the belief that the world is real is removed.

8. What is the nature of the mind?

What is called ‘mind’ is a wondrous power residing in the Self. It causes all thoughts to arise.

Apart from thoughts, there is no such thing as mind. Therefore, thought is the nature of mind. Apart

from thoughts, there is no independent entity called the world. In deep sleep there are no thoughts,

and there is no world. In the states of waking and dream, there are thoughts, and there is a world

also. Just as the spider emits the thread (of the web) out of itself and again withdraws it into itself,

likewise the mind projects the world out of itself and again resolves it into itself. When the mind

comes out of the Self, the world appears. Therefore, when the world appears (to be real), the Self

does not appear; and when the Self appears (shines) the world does not appear. When one

persistently inquires into the nature of the mind, the mind will end leaving the Self (as the residue).

What is referred to as the Self is the Atman. The mind always exists only in dependence on

something gross; it cannot stay alone. It is the mind that is called the subtle body or the soul (jiva).

9. What is the path of inquiry for understanding the nature of the mind?

That which rises as ‘I’ in this body is the mind. If one inquires as to where in the body the thought ‘I’ rises first, one would discover that it rises in the heart. That is the place of the mind’s origin.Even if one thinks constantly ‘I’ ‘I’, one will be led to that place. Of all the thoughts that arise in the mind, the ‘I’ thought is the first. It is only after the rise of this that the other thoughts arise. It is after the appearance of the first personal pronoun that the second and third personal pronouns appear; without the first personal pronoun there will not be the second and third.

10. How will the mind become quiescent?

By the inquiry ‘Who am I?’. The thought ‘who am I?’ will destroy all other thoughts, and like the

stick used for stirring the burning pyre, it will itself in the end get destroyed. Then, there will arise Self-realization.

11. What is the means for constantly holding on to the thought ‘Who am I?’

When other thoughts arise, one should not pursue them, but should inquire: ‘To whom do they

arise?’ It does not matter how many thoughts arise. As each thought arises, one should inquire

with diligence, “To whom has this thought arisen?”. The answer that would emerge would be “To

me”. Thereupon if one inquires “Who am I?”, the mind will go back to its source; and the thought that arose will become quiescent. With repeated practice in this manner, the mind will develop the skill to stay in its source. When the mind that is subtle goes out through the brain and the senseorgans,the gross names and forms appear; when it stays in the heart, the names and forms disappear. Not letting the mind go out, but retaining it in the Heart is what is called “inwardness” (antarmukha). Letting the mind go out of the Heart is known as “externalisation” (bahir-mukha). Thus, when the mind stays in the Heart, the ‘I’ which is the source of all thoughts will go, and the Self 10. How will the mind become quiescent?

By the inquiry ‘Who am I?’. The thought ‘who am I?’ will destroy all other thoughts, and like the

stick used for stirring the burning pyre, it will itself in the end get destroyed. Then, there will arise Self-realization.

12. What is the means for constantly holding on to the thought ‘Who am I?’

When other thoughts arise, one should not pursue them, but should inquire: ‘To whom do they

arise?’ It does not matter how many thoughts arise. As each thought arises, one should inquire

with diligence, “To whom has this thought arisen?”. The answer that would emerge would be “To

me”. Thereupon if one inquires “Who am I?”, the mind will go back to its source; and the thought that arose will become quiescent. With repeated practice in this manner, the mind will develop the skill to stay in its source. When the mind that is subtle goes out through the brain and the senseorgans,the gross names and forms appear; when it stays in the heart, the names and forms disappear. Not letting the mind go out, but retaining it in the Heart is what is called “inwardness” (antarmukha).Letting the mind go out of the Heart is known as “externalisation” (bahir-mukha). Thus,when the mind stays in the Heart, the ‘I’ which is the source of all thoughts will go, and the Self

13. What is wisdom-insight (jnana-drsti)?

Remaining quiet is what is called wisdom-insight. To remain quiet is to resolve the mind in the

Self. Telepathy, knowing past, present and future happenings and clairvoyance do not constitute

wisdom-insight.

14. What is the relation between desirelessness and wisdom?

Desirelessness is wisdom. The two are not different; they are the same. Desirelessness is refraining

from turning the mind towards any object. Wisdom means the appearance of no object. In other

words, not seeking what is other than the Self is detachment or desirelessness; not leaving the Self

is wisdom.

15. What is the difference between inquiry and meditation?

Inquiry consists in retaining the mind in the Self. Meditation consists in thinking that one’s self is Brahman, existence-consciousness-bliss.

16. What is release?

Inquiring into the nature of one’s self that is in bondage, and realizing one’s true nature is release.

****SRI RAMANARPANAM****