Oblation In The Fire of Knowledge

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Upadesa Saram

The thought caravan is ignited by the thinker. Each one of us is actually thinking thousands of thoughts every day while awake or while dreaming. We assume that living with thoughts is the most natural thing. But the problem in life arises not from the thoughts, which will move on if their movement is not interrupted, if we do not apply a brake to the speeding thoughts. The problem arises because the mind labels some thoughts as 'pleasant'. Repeated attention is therefore sought to be paid to those thoughts by recalling them or staying with them. Similarly the opposite labeling of thoughts as 'unpleasant' would make one eager to escape from them. Does one succeed? Not really.

To be or not to be with a thought is the mental decision of a thinker. He cannot hold on to it. The decision is more often breached than observed. For the thinker and his thoughts are intermingled completely now. One does not have the understanding of the nature of the mind which alone can lead to success in freeing oneself from the unwanted thoughts or hanging on to the wanted thought. The see-saw goes on and on for there can be no end to the tunnel, given the mind's self-perpetuating ways.

What then is the solution? According to Ramana there is only one root and branch solution. It is to offer one's ego as an oblation in the fire of knowledge. Quite scary. If one remembers that according to Ramana the ego and the mind are synonyms, it would be even more so. Before proceeding further one has to understand what 'oblation' means. Those who are familiar with the Vedic rituals know that the food is offered to the Vedic Gods, Indra, Agni, Varuna, Vayu and others in the form of ghee and rice which is poured into or offered into the sacramental fire. In this case the oblation is to the divine current in each one, to the all-pervasive Supreme whose presence is felt as the spiritual heart, once ego-mind is out of the way. The Tamil expression 'Oonadal' or becoming food unto God means loss of the notion of one's separate identity apart from the Self, apart from the Supreme.

What would be the consequence of this offering? Would one become a moron, a mindless idiot lacking in self-confidence and totally devoid of all motivation for action? Quite obviously Ramana could not and does not mean this. This point was raised by Paul Brunton to whom Ramana has explained the position.

P.B.: What is left? Will a man then become unconscious or will he become an idiot?

R: Not so! On the contrary he will attain that consciousness which is immortal, he will become truly wise when he has awakened to his true Self. When it happens, a man has not lost himself; rather he has found himself.

Unless this truth is an experiential reality for the seeker it might appear to be mere quibbling of words. Therefore one has to examine face to face the nature of the ego/mind with which we are functioning which may be called the egocentric mind. The contrast is the Heart based mind. The egocentric mind is a phenomenon of the waking state. It is nascent in deep sleep. The first thought on waking is 'I am-so-and-so'. This is the unsaid first thought without which one does not function. Everything else is related to that. If it is analysed it has two parts, 'I am' and 'This'. The 'This' content of the mind or thoughts, begins with the first thought of identification with the body and its name and form. 'This' keeps changing according to the roles one has to play, at home, in the office and in society.

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