Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi Complete ... - BrahminVoice.org

Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi
17th January, 1937
Talk 328.
A European gentleman began in measured tones and spoke clearly
and slowly: “Why should individuals remain caught up in the affairs
of this world and reap troubles as a result? Should they not be free?
If they are in the spiritual world they will have greater freedom.”
M.: The world is only spiritual. Since you are identifying yourself with
the physical body you speak of this world as being physical and the
other world as spiritual. Whereas, that which is, is only spiritual.
D.: Do the disembodied souls, i.e., the spirits, have a deeper insight
and enjoy greater freedom?
M.: Because you identify yourself with this body, you speak of the
disembodied souls as being spirits. From these limitations you
talk of their limitations and seek to know their capacities. Even
the disembodied souls have subtle bodies, otherwise, you would
not say “disembodied souls”. Disembodiment means “divested of
this gross body”. Inasmuch as you endow them with individuality
they are centred in their subtle bodies. Their limitations will be
according to their own state. Just as you feel the burden of your
limitations they also feel the burden of their limitations. What I
meant by spirit and spiritual world is the absolute spirit and not
relative. If you realise yourself as the spirit you will see that this
world is only spiritual and not physical.
D.: Are their bodies temporary as our bodies are? Do they reincarnate?
M.: These questions arise because you think yourself the body. This
body has birth and death and when this body falls another body
arises which is called reincarnation. But are you the body? If you
find that you are not this body but the spirit, you will be free from
gross or subtle bodies, and then there will be no limitations. Where
is the world, physical or spiritual, in the absence of any limitations?
How will the question of reincarnation arise?
Again, consider it from another point of view: You create a dreambody
for yourself in the dream and act with that dream-body. The
same is falsified in the waking state. At present you think that you
are this body and not the dream-body. In your dream this body is
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