Mi Historia

PART ONE

ORIGINAL WORKS

PROSE
1

Self-enquiry

S

elf-enquiry is the first work the Maharshi ever wrote. It
was written about 1901, that is, when he was a young
man of about twenty-two. He was already a Jnani (Sage) in
perfect realization of the Self, in the resplendent bliss of Divine
Knowledge. At that time he was living in Virupaksha Cave on
the hill of Arunachala. Anumber of disciples had already
gathered round him. Although he had not actually taken a
vow of silence, he seldom spoke, and so wrote his replies to
certain questions put to him by Gambhiram Seshayya, one of
the earliest devotees. The latter copied them in his diary. After
his death this diary was obtained from his brother. The
questions and answers were edited by Natanananda and
published withBhagavan’s approval under the name of
Vichara Sangraham, or Self-Enquiry. Subsequently they were
changed into the form of an essay. The original form has been
adopted in the present work.
There is no youthfulness or immaturity in the work. The
Master wrote with the authority of full spiritual knowledge,
just as in his later years. Like all his expositions, verbal as
well as written, thisis concerned with practical questions of
the path to realization of the Self, never with barren theory.
However, it does differ from later expositions in one important

Self-enquiry

4

respect: that is, that it describes not only the path of Selfenquiry but others also; meditation on one’s identity with the
Self and a yogic path based on breath-control. He himself
prescribed onlySelf-enquiry or submission to the Guru. He
would say: “There are two ways: ask yourself ‘Who am I?’ or
submit.”
Why did he include the mention of less direct and more
elaborate methods in this first exposition? The obvious
contingent reason is that the disciple for whom it was written
had been reading books about these various methods and asked
questions about them. Perhaps also, in a widersense, it is
appropriate that there should first be a general exposition of
various methods before the lifelong instruction in that which
he prescribed. Certainly the other methods, although
described, are scarcely recommended.
The breath control that is described is, of course, not mere
physical exercise. It is the spiritual significance of the exercise
that makes it an elaborate science.‘Science’ is indeed the
right word for it, for it is a traditional Indian science of selfpurification. This makes it abstruse for the Western reader
who has no previous grounding in it, especially as, like all
sciences, it has its technical vocabulary which does not permit
adequate translation without lengthy notes. One has to
remember that in writing this exposition the Maharshi knew
that he couldcount on a technical knowledge of the science
in question in the person for whom he wrote. The consolation
for Western readers is to remember that he neither
recommended nor prescribed this path and in his later works
scarcely mentioned it. It is not necessary for them to learn
its technicalities.

Self-enquiry

5

Invocation
Is there any way of adoring the Supreme which is all,except
by abiding firmly as That!
1
Disciple: Master! what is the means to gain the state of
eternal bliss, ever devoid of misery?
Master: Apart from the statement in the Vedas that wherever
there is a body there is misery, this is also the direct experience
of all people; therefore, one should enquire into one’s true
nature which is ever bodiless, and one should remain as such.
This is themeans to gaining that state.
2
D: What is meant by saying that one should enquire into
one’s true nature and understand it?
M: Experiences such as, ‘I went; I came; I was; I did’ come
naturally to everyone. From these experiences, does it not
appear that the consciousness ‘I’ is the subject of those various
acts? Enquiry into the true nature of that consciousness, and
remaining as...