Do You Think You Think? Do You Do What You Do?

     “Find out who it is who has free will or predestination and abide in that state. Then both are transcended. That is the only purpose in discussing these questions. To whom do such questions present themselves? Discover that and be at peace.

     “The only path of karma (action), bhakti (devotion), yoga and jnana (knowledge) is to enquire who it is who has the karma, vibhakti (lack of devotion), viyoga (separation) and ajnana (ignorance). Through this investigation, the ego disappears and the state of abidance in the Self in which none of these negative qualities ever existed, remains as the Truth.
     “As long as a man is the doer he also reaps the fruits of his deeds, but as soon as he realizes the Self through enquiry as to who is the doer, his sense of being the doer falls away and the triple karma (destiny) is ended. This is the state of eternal liberation.”

     Bhagavan said: “We are really Sat-chit-ananda (Being-Knowledge-Bliss) but we imagine that we are bound (by destiny) and have all this suffering.”
     I asked him why we imagine this, why this state of ignorance (ajnana) comes over us.
     Bhagavan said: “Ask yourself to whom this ignorance has come and you will discover that it never came to you and that you always have been Sat-chit-ananda. One goes through all sorts of austerities to become what one already is. All effort is simply to get rid of the mistaken impression that one is limited and bound by the woes of samsara (this life).”


D.: Is there predestination? And if what is destined to happen will happen, is there any use in prayer or effort or should we just remain idle?

This is a concise form of the question which Bhagavan was so often asked, and the reply is typical in that it does not expound theory but prescribes what to do.

B.: There are only two ways in which to conquer destiny or be independent of it. One is to enquire who undergoes this destiny and discover that only the ego is bound by it and not the Self, and that the ego is non-existent. The other way is to kill the ego by completely surrendering to the Lord, by realizing one’s helplessness and saying all the time: “Not I, but Thou, O my Lord,” and giving up all sense of “I” and “mine” and leaving it to the Lord to do what he likes with you. Surrender can never be regarded as complete so long as the devotee wants this or that from the Lord. True surrender is love of God for the sake of love and for nothing else, not even for the sake of salvation. In other words, complete effacement of the ego is necessary to conquer destiny, whether you achieve this effacement through Self-enquiry or through bhakti-marga.
— Ramana Maharshi, The Teachings of Ramana Maharshi, Arthur Osborne (ed.), pp. 68-69.

B.: Now, I will ask you a question. When a man gets into a train, where does he put his luggage?
D.: Either in the compartment or in the luggage van.
B.: He doesn’t carry it on his head or in his lap while on the train?
D.: Only a fool would do so.
B.: It is a thousand times more foolish to bear your own burden once you have undertaken the spiritual quest, whether by the path of knowledge or devotion.
D.: But can I relinquish all my responsibilities, all my commitments?
B.: You remember the temple tower? There are many statues on it, aren’t there? Well, there are four big ones at the base, one at each corner. Have you seen them?
D.: Yes.
B.: Well, I tell you that the huge tower is supported by these four statues.
D.: How is that possible? What does Bhagavan mean?
B.: I mean that to say that is no more foolish than saying that you bear all the cares, burdens and responsibilities of life. The Lord of the universe bears the whole burden. You only imagine that you do. You can hand over all your burdens to Him. Whatever you have to do, you will be made an instrument for doing it at the right time. Do not imagine that you cannot do it unless you have the desire to. It is not desire that gives you the necessary strength. The strength is the Lord’s.
— Ramana Maharshi, Ibid., pp. 85-86.