If you run towards the sun, your shadow will always come behind you. Those who attend to the people of the world saying, “I am going to elevate the world”, will only get wasted away. So far, no jñāni in the world has learnt from any ashram or monastery.

‘The body is not I; who am I? I am he!’ (dēham nāham, kōham? sōham!) – this is the quintessence of the self-investigation found in the scriptures, to facilitate which they lay down the following four practices (sādhanas): Discrimination (vivēka) between the eternal and the ephemeral Desirelessness (vairāgya) towards enjoyments in this world and

‘What is the source of ego, the place from which it rises?’, the response is ‘From oneself’, rather

Abiding [or being fixed permanently] as oneself is alone uṇmai [the truth, which is sat-bhāva, our real state of being or ‘am’-ness] (Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu Anubandham verse 14)

Hence the novel teachings graciously imparted in different periods by the one supreme reality through various incarnations are only to fulfil the lofty principles of the ancient scriptures and not to contradict them. Jesus Christ meant the same when he said, ‘I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfil them.’ (Matthew 5:17).

Similarly, before you investigate and know who you indeed are, do not unnecessarily make the erroneous assessment of yourself that you are a limited and petty individual soul (jīva).

the teaching of self-attentiveness, arguing that [doing] many karmas [actions], which are done forsaking the path of our Lord [Bhagavan], who said ‘Summā iruppu [just being (without rising as ego to do anything)] alone is sukha-vaṙi [the path of happiness or path to achieve happiness]’,

The revolutionary teachings of Bhagavan Ramana, which steer clear of all the roundabout routes in the scriptures and show the aspirants the direct and easy path, will appear to be a rebuke only in the eyes of these scholars. However, those sincere aspirants who want to have the scriptures’ real benefit will see Bhagavan Ramana’s teachings as the

‘You yourself are creating the world and God. Both God and the world, that arise when you arise as a man and subside when you do not, are impermanent. Hence leaving research on those aside, you should investigate the source (base) in which you subside and live a deathless life. The path to achieving this is discussed in the first part.’