Ramana Maharshi attributed unique value to this lucid exposition of supreme Truth, the Ribhu Gita, and often referred to it in his talks with devotees and seekers. He is reported to have said that if one repeatedly read Chapter 26 [the Heart] of the Ribhu Gita one could pass spontaneously into samadhi, or the natural state of Self-realisation.

ABIDING AS ' THAT ' ITSELF

RIBHU :

1. I shall tell you now about being wholly 'That' itself. This is rare to come by, even for yogis. This is the secret of all the Vedas, of all the scriptures. This is rare to come by, indeed.

2. That which is the supreme Reality [Brahman], the Self of all, of the nature of existence-consciousness-bliss, the Self of all, the supreme Self - ever abide as That itself.

3. "All this" is of the nature of the Self, which is without beginning or end and which is insuperable. This is neither action nor inaction. Ever abide as That itself.

4. That in which there is no fear of duality, in which non-duality awakens, in which peacefulness and non-peacefulness both do not exist - ever be That itself.

5. That in which there is nothing of volition in which misapprehension does not exist, in which, likewise, there is no thinking - ever abide as That itself.

6. That in which there is nothing in Reality, in which having any conviction is a delusion, in which the entire world does not exist - ever abide as That itself.

7. That in which existence or non-existence and delusions due to misapprehensions of the mind, and even the word 'misapprehension', do not exist - ever abide as That itself.

8. That in which there is no pleasure, in which there is no imagination that I am the body, and in which all volition has been relinquished - ever abide as That itself.


9. That in which a conditional state inclusive of Reality does not exist, in which defects are not present, and in which there is no fear of the pairs of opposites - ever abide as That itself.

10. That in which the actions of speech and body and the eon itself have ended in dissolution, and in which the manifest universe is yet unborn - ever abide as That itself.

11. That in which there is no manifestation of delusion, in which there is not the least activity of illusion, in which there is nothing seen or unseen - ever abide as That itself.

12. That in which there is no wise man or wisdom, in which there are no such things as one's own side and an opposing side, and in which there are no defects or non-defects - ever abide as That itself.

13. That in which there is no differentiation, such as being Vishnu [all-pervading], in which the Creator [Brahma] does not exist, and in which there is no differentiation as Shankara [beneficent One] - ever abide as That itself.

14. That in which there is no differentiation as truth and non-truth, in which there is no such state as understanding, and in which there is no such idea as 'individual self' - ever abide as That itself.

15. That in which there is no meditation on Shankara, in which there is no supreme abode, and in which there is no state of comprehension - ever abide as That itself.

16. That in which there is no microcosm or macrocosm, in which there is no imagining of happiness, and in which the manifest world is a fallacy - ever abide as That itself.

17. That in which there is no conception of a body, in which there is no jubilance, and in which there is no 'awareness' of thought - ever abide as That itself.

18. That in which there is no intellect or empirical knowledge, in which there is no Self in the sheath of mind, and in which there is no conception of desire - ever abide as That itself.

19. That in which there is no liberation or repose, in which there is no bondage or separation, and in which there is no permanent knowledge - ever abide as That itself.

20. That in which there is no conception of time, in which there is no conditional state of sorrow, and in which there is no conception of the body - ever abide as That itself.

21. That in which there is no dispassion of the individual self, in which there is no misunderstanding of the scriptures, and in which I, being the Self, am myself - ever abide as That itself.

22. That in which there is no self liberation, in which there is no liberation from the body, and in which there is no activity by volition - ever abide as That itself.

23. That in which there is no conception of beings, in which there is no existence of anything separate, and in which there is no differentiation as the individual self either - ever abide as That itself.

24. That in which Reality is a state of bliss, in which joy is a state of bliss, and in which the quality of bliss is eternal - ever abide as That itself.

25. That in which there is no manifestation of things, in which there is no victory or defeat, and in which there is no utterance of statements - ever abide as That itself.

26. That in which there is no branch of inquiry into the Self, in which there is no urge for listening to, reading or studying the supreme Truth and in which there is no "great bliss" - ever abide as That itself.

27. That in which there is no classification such as the same group or different groups and in which no internal difference arises - ever abide as That itself.

28. That in which there is neither the terror of hell nor the treasures of heaven and in which there is no world of Brahma - ever abide as That itself.

29. That in which there is no union with Vishnu, in which there is no Mount Kailash, in which there is no sphere of the egg of the cosmos - ever abide as That itself.

30. That in which there is no praise, in which censure exits not, and in which there is not the mistake of regarding them as on a par either - ever abide as That itself.

31. That in which there is no conditional state of the mind, in which there is no misapprehension, and in which there is no experience or suffering - ever abide as That itself.

32. That in which there is no fear of sin, nothing of the five great sins, and in which there is no defect of attachment - ever abide as That itself.

33. That in which the triad of afflictions does not exist, in which there are never the three states of the individual self, and in which the universe is known to be a delusion - ever abide as That itself.

34. That in which knowledge has not arisen, in which there is no error of conceiving of the world, and in which there is no manifestation of activity - ever abide as That itself.

35. That in which there is no domain of the mind, in which, indeed, there is the greatest happiness, and in which exists the permanent abode - ever abide as That itself.

36. That in which the cause of all is peace, in which all is happiness, and having reached where-from none reverts once - ever abide as That itself.

37. By knowing which all is renounced, by knowing which nothing else remains, and by knowing which there is nothing else to be known - ever abide as That itself.

38. That in which no defect has arisen, that which is the place that is changeless, and in which, indeed, the individual self is destroyed - ever abide as That itself.

39. That in which, indeed, the Self is ever satisfied, in which, indeed, there is changeless bliss, and in which, indeed, there is changeless peace - ever abide as That itself.

40. That in which, indeed, there is all comfort, in which, indeed, there is the definition of the real, and in which, indeed, there is certainty of existence - ever abide as That itself.

41. That in which I am not, and in which you are not, in which you yourself are not, indeed, yourself, and in which, indeed, there is certain peace - ever abide as That itself.

42. That in which, indeed, you are joyful, in which, indeed, happiness is attained, and in which there is no fear of sorrow - ever abide as That itself.

43. That in which there is the fullness of consciousness, in which there is an ocean of bliss, and in which, indeed, there is the direct presence of the Supreme - ever abide as That itself.

44. That in which, indeed, one himself is, indeed, That itself, and in which there is no difference between oneself and one's Self - ever abide as That itself.

45. That in which, indeed, there is supreme bliss, in which oneself is the supreme happiness, and in which, indeed, there is the understanding of differencelessness - ever abide as That itself.

46. That in which there is not even an atom, in which the is no blemish of the mind, in which there is nothing like "I do" or "I give" - ever abide as That itself.

47. That in which thought is dead, in which one's body and mind are dead, and wherein memory finally dissolves - ever abide as That itself.

48. That in which, indeed, 'I' is surely dead, in which desire meets its dissolution, and in which, indeed, supreme bliss is - ever abide as That itself.

49. That in which the trinity of gods have their dissolution, in which the bodies and such perish, and in which there are no interactions - ever abide as That itself.

50. Immersed wherein there is no fatigue, immersed wherein one does not see, and immersed wherein there is no life and such things - ever abide as That itself.

51. Immersed wherein nothing shines, wherein wakefulness does not exist, and wherein, indeed, delusion meets its death - ever abide as That itself.

52. That in which, indeed, time finds its death, in which yoga finds its dissolution, and in which the company of Truth [satsang] ceases to be - ever abide as That itself.

53. That in which, indeed, Brahman-nature exists, wherein, indeed, there is only bliss, and wherein, indeed, there is the supreme bliss - ever abide as That itself.

54. That in which the universe never exists, in which the manifest world does not exist, and in which there are no inner faculties - ever abide as That itself.

55. That in which, indeed, there is only joy, in which it itself is entirely only bliss, and in which, indeed, it itself is supreme bliss - ever abide as That itself.

56. That in which there is only the consciousness of existence, in which consciousness alone is all there is, and in which shines the fullness of bliss - ever abide as That itself.

57. That in which there is the direct presence of the supreme Reality, in which one is oneself the Supreme, and in which serenity is the supreme goal - ever abide as That itself.

58. That in which lies the direct meaning of the undivided, in which exists the very goal, and in which destruction and such exist not - ever abide as That itself.

59. That in which, evidently, there is only oneself, in which, evidently, only oneself prevails, and in which exists, evidently, the great Self - ever abide as That itself.

60. Wherein the supreme Truth evidently is, wherein is, evidently, the great, and wherein true knowledge evidently exists - ever abide as That itself.

61. Wherein the transcendence of qualities evidently is, wherein blemishlessness evidently is, and wherein eternal purity evidently is - ever abide as That itself.

62. Wherein the great Self itself is present, wherein the joys of joys is present, and wherein, indeed, wisdom and true knowledge are present - ever abide as That itself.

63. That in which, indeed, oneself is the Light, in which oneself, indeed, is the non-dual, and in which, indeed, there is supreme bliss - ever abide as That itself.

64. Thus the conviction of becoming That itself has been proclaimed. Be thus always - ever, ever. I am Reality, existence-consciousness-bliss. I am undivided and ever joyful.

65. I am Reality alone, which is true knowledge. I am the supreme peace. I am consciousness. I am devoid of thought. I am not 'I'. I abide as He Himself.

66. I am That. I am consciousness. I am He. I am spotless. I am the highest. I am the highest. I am the Supreme. Thus, casting aside everything, be happy.

67. All this is the remnant of thoughts, the muddying of purity. Thus, renouncing all and forgetting everything, like mere dead wood.

68. Leaving aside the body like a corpse, being ever like a piece of wood or iron, and renouncing even remembrance, firmly abide only in Reality as the goal.

69. Whoever hears this explanation even once, even though he be connected with great sins, shall, casting off all, reach the Supreme.

70. Though, in parts, they deal with meditation [upasana] on You, do not the Vedas proclaim You as the unattached, as especially connected to the vessel of the Heart of all, existing as the Self, and of the nature of the undivided?