Behind My Hand

In verse 2 of his Sanskrit work, Sri Ramanaparavidyopanisad (The Teaching of Supreme Science), K. Lakshmana Sarma refers to "the natural state of the real Self" and equates it with right awareness (v. 2). In Talk 17, 24th January, 1935, Ramana Maharshi says that "the ever-present state is the natural state sahaja ."  Sri Sarma further explains that the sahaja or natural state has been described, previously, in Upanishads such as Mandukya, where it is revealed as the firm conviction, in one's core essence, which is beyond knowledge or ignorance and without definable characteristics. In essence, this sahaja state is the absence of mindstuff ( vikalpas ), i.e. the ever-present witness centred in the here and now.

I first came across Ramana Maharshi, in 1968, mentioned in a book called "Teach Yourself Yoga." The author was James Hewitt. I still have the book. It is an excellent introduction to Yoga and continues to surpass other yoga books for beginners. Here is the short passage, from the book, which introduces the teaching of Sri Ramana Maharshi –– ""Pursue the enquiry 'Who am I?' relentlessly," advised an Indian guru, Sri Ramana Maharshi. "Analyse your entire personality. Try to find out where the I-thought begins. Go on with your meditations. Keep turning your attention within. One day the wheel of thought will slow down and an intuition will mysteriously arise. Follow that intuition, let your thinking stop and it will eventually lead you to the goal."" (p. 121) A wonderfully succinct passage. This 1968 edition of Teach Yourself Yoga also contained a rather useful bibliography which led to further research via Paul Brunton's The Quest of t