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

Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi
power (sakti), life current (prana), etc. Seek your source; the search
takes you to the Heart automatically. The antahkaranas are only
ideas (kalpana) to explain the subtle body (sukshma sarira). The
physical body (sarira) is made up of the elements: earth, air, fire,
water and ether; it is insentient. The Self is pure and self-luminous
and thus self-evident. The relation between the two is sought to
be established by positing a subtle body, composed of the subtle
aspects of the five elements on the one hand, and the reflected
light of the Self on the other. In this way the subtle body which
is synonymous with the mind, is both sentient and insentient, i.e.,
abhasa. Again, by the play of the pure quality (satva guna) on the
elements, their brightness (satva aspect) manifests as the mind
(manas), and the senses (jnanendriyas); by the play of rajas (active
quality), the raja (active) aspect manifests as life (prana) and limbs
(karmendriyas); by the play of dullness (tamas) the tama (dark)
aspect manifests as the gross phenomena of the body, etc.
D.: But the mind is reputed to have these three qualities also.
M.: Yes. There is purity (satva) in satva (in the pure quality); activity
in it (rajas in satva); and dullness also (tamas in satva); and so on,
Suddha satva is quite pure; misra (mixed satva) is a combination
of satva with other qualities. The quality satva implies only its
predominance over the other two qualities.
Later Sri Bhagavan continued: The intricate maze of philosophy
of different schools is said to clarify matters and reveal the Truth.
But in fact they create confusion where no confusion need exist.
To understand anything there must be the Self. The Self is obvious.
Why not remain as the Self? What need to explain the non-self?
Take the Vedanta for instance: They say there are fifteen kinds of prana.
The student is made to commit the names to memory and also their
functions. The air goes up and is called prana; goes down and is called
apana; operates the indriyas and is called something. Why all this?
Why do you classify, give names and enumerate the functions, and so
on? Is it not enough to know that one prana does the whole work?
The antahkarana thinks, desires, wills, reasons, etc., and each
function is attributed to one name such as mind, intellect, etc. Has
anyone seen the pranas or the antahkaranas? Have they any real
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