The works of Ramaṇa Maharṣi

Upadeśa Undiyār

Verse 19

நானென் றெழுமிட மேதென நாடவுண்ணான்றலை சாய்ந்திடு முந்தீபறஞான விசாரமி துந்தீபற

நான் என்று எழும் இடம் ஏது என நாட உள் நான் தலை சாய்ந்திடும் உந்தீபற ஞான விசாரம் இது உந்தீபற

In plain words

Ask it plainly: where does this 'I' come up from? Not what is it. Where from. Then go and look — inward, where the question was asked. And here is the strange thing. You will not defeat it, and you will not need to. Under a steady look it simply hangs its head and goes down, the way a lie does when someone asks a quiet question. That is the whole inquiry. There is nothing after it.

Word for word

On seeking within, 'What is the place from which the I rises?', the 'I' hangs its head and subsides. Fly up, undī! This is the inquiry that is knowledge. Fly up, undī!