00:00:00 Program starts
00:11:15 Akshara Mana Malai singing
00:42:10 Introduction
00:46:35 Talk by President of Sri Ramanasram starts
02:25:12 Talk ends
02:28:33 Aarthi of Bhagavan

As part of the centenary celebration and the advent day on September 1, the president, Dr. Venkat S. Ramanan, gave a talk in Modern Senior Secondary School, Nanganallur, Chennai. The link for the function is given below

The function started from the chanting of the akshara mana malai by young children. The chanting was devout and sweetly melodious. This was followed by a very brief felicitation of the President by the nanganallur Ramana satsangh group.

Then the president spoke for nearly one hour on the importance of abiding in the I. The President also emphasized that the beauty of self enquiry is that it can be practiced anywhere and under any situation, quietly and unobtrusively. No external rituals are needed. People around us will not even know that we are practicing self-enquiry. What they will see is the fruit of the practice - efficiency and calmness. The practice can thus be part of any karma we engage in. That is why Bhagavan never encouraged anyone to give up life in the world. He explained that such a giving up would only exchange the thought “I am a householder” for the thought “I am a sanyasin,” whereas what is necessary is to reject the thought “I am the doer” completely and remember only “I-am.” This approach can be done by means of vichara, equally while in the city or in the forest.

This declaration that renunciation of the sense of doership is the only true renunciation, offers the greatest solace to seekers and makes India’s highest philosophy accessible to people from all walks of life. So many have explained Vedanta over the ages but Bhagavan presented the essence in a clearest and succinct manner. He thus brought fresh life to Vedanta and showed that this path is not theoretical, abstract philosophy, but is THE most practical way to lead a harmonious life. He never encouraged anyone to give up performing their duties – discharge of karma in this world. He advised the devotees to give up the ‘I am the doer’ attitude and not to be attached to the results of the action.

The president clarified how the worldly duties can be done without effort while abiding in the Self. He quoted from Yoga Vasistha wherein the sage Vasistha advises Rama to lead an exemplary life while being self-realised.

Based on Yoga Vasistha 5.1820-26, Bhagavan wrote in Ulladu Narpadu Anubhandam verses 25 and 26.

(Vasishtha said to Rama) “O Hero, having enquired into all the states, which are of various kinds, play (your role) in the world always clinging firmly with the mind only to that one which is the supreme state devoid of unreality. O Hero, since you have known that (Self) which exists in the heart as the Reality of all the various appearances; therefore without ever abandoning that outlook, play (your role) in the world as if (you have) desire”.

“O Hero, being one who has seeming mental excitement (or rising) and joy, being one who has seeming mental anxiety and hatred (anger), being one who has seeming effort or initiative but being as one who is (in truth) devoid of (all such) defects, play (your role) in the world. O Hero, being one who has been, released from the many bonds called delusion, being one who is firmly equanimous in all conditions, (yet) outwardly doing actions appropriate to (your) disguise, play (your role) in the world.


All the conditions of life such as youth, old age, health, sickness, wealth, poverty, fame, ill-fame, joy, suffering and so on are based only upon the wrong concept of ‘I am an individual being’. The state of Self-abidance is completely devoid of the unreal feeling ‘I am this body’.

The quest for self-realization, serious mumukshutva, goes hand in hand with performance of bold heroic action in the world. In the practice of dharma, outward action, there is no difference between the seeker and the realized person. He demonstrated this through his own life. In the 54 years that he lived in Tiruvannamalai, he showed how a purna Jnani can lead a normal life in the midst of people without losing sight of who he is in reality - Brahman or the Self. We have read about such jnanis in our puranas and epics. Bhagavan lived like those rishis of yore.


The function concluded with an aarthi to Bhagavan.