Words of Ramana

[Swami Vishvarupananda]

Harih Om,
Here is an extract from the book "Letters from Sri Ramanasramam".
Bhagavan:
"... All the trouble arises if one thinks one is the body. If one rejects
that thought, then, like the sun, one will shine everywhere and be
all-pervading".
Devotee:
"It is for that, is it not, that Bhagavan says that the best thing to do is
to follow the path of Self-enquiry of 'Who am I'?"
Bhagavan:
"Yes; but in the 'Vasishtam' (Yoga VaasiSTha) it is mentioned that Vashishta
told Rama that
the path of Self-enquiry should not be shown to anyone who is not
sufficiently qualified. In some other books it has been stated that
spiritual practices should be done for several births, or for at least 12
years under a Guru. As people would be scared away if I said that spiritual
practices had to be done for several births, I tell them, 'You have
liberation already within you; you have merely to rid yourselves of exterior
things that have come upon you'. Spiritual practices are for that alone.
Even so, the Ancients have not said all this for nothing. If a person is
told that he is the Godhead, Brahman itself, and that he is already
liberated, he may not do any spiritual practices, thinking that he already
has that which is required and does not want anything more. That is why
these Vedantic matters should not be told to spiritually undeveloped people
(anadhikaris); there is no other reason." And Bhagavan smiled.