Ribu Gita

• The Ribu Gita
• *****************

     Preface  

• The Ribhu Gita forms the sixth section of the Sanskrit work known as Siva Rahasya.
• 
  

• It is the teachings of Lord Siva in Mount Kailas to His devotee RIBHU, from whom the Gita derives its
• name.
• The Ribhu Gita was translated into Tamil verse by a Brahmin Vedic scholar of high repute, by name
• Bikshu Sastri who was also an accomplished scholar in Tamil. He translated the work under the name
• of Ulaganatha Swami, and because of his efforts attained renowned fame among the Tamil-devotees
• of Siva.
• The Tamil version is a free translation of the original Sanskrit text, consisting of 1924 verses of
• such scintillating brilliance that Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi re-commended its recital as a
• strong support for spiritual sadhana. He used to say that the recital itself leads to spontaneous
• abidance in the SELF.
• The book presented herewith consists of 122 verses from the original Tamil work, being a free
• translation into English prose, conveying the essence of the original, rather than a mere mechanical
• word for word translation.
• Reading of this English text alone will not be complete unless it is supported by vigorous sadhana
• with the help of a realised teacher, who has obtained firm abidance in Siva-Self by a life of devotion to
• Lord Siva. This aspect is stressed in some of the verses selected.
• It is the earnest hope and prayer of the translator that after reading this English text, devotees all over
• the world would make the pilgrimage to Tiruvannamalai, and complete their sadhana in the immediate
• presence of Lord Arunachala-Siva and Sat-Guru Ramana enshrined in His Samadhi in Sri
• Ramanasramam.
• Prof. N. R. KRISHNAMOORTHI AIYER.
• (Translator)
• Sri Ramanasramam,
• Tiruvannamalai-606 603
• Dated: 15th August, 1984.
• 3
• OM SRI GANESAYA NAMAH
• THE ESSENCE OF RIBHU GITA
• Benedictory verses
• To Siva
• 1. Salutations to the Supreme Lord Siva, the pure Awareness in the sky of consciousness in the
• Heart, by meditation on whom, Ganesa, Guha, Mother – Sakti who is the embodiment of Siva's
• Grace, and myriads of Devas, saints and devotees have attajned their cherished goals. (Chapter 1,
• Verse 1).
• To Nataraja
• 2. From the sky of consciousness of the Heart springs forth the dancer Nataraja with his blissful
• consort, Freedom, to the delectation of his devotees who are thus liberated forever. Unto that Ananda
• Natesa we do render our devout salutations. (Chapter 1, Verse 2)
• To Ardha – Nareeswara
• 3. Unto that Form whose left half is the Mother of all manifestation and whose right half is the Father
• of the same, the jingle of the gems enclosed within the hollow golden anklet of whose foot is the
• source of all scriptures, and whose three eyes (Fire, Sun and Moon) are the illuminants of the
• universe, to that Form be our devout salutations. May that divine Form ever be our protection.
• (Chapter 1, Verse 3)
• To Siva, Sakti, Vinayaka and Shanmukha
• 4. Salutations to Siva, the Lord of the universe of infinite power, to Sat-Chit-Ananda-Sakti, the Mother
• of the universe, to Vinayaka the dispeller of all impediments to freedom, and to Shanmukha, the SatGuru,
• who dispenses to his worthy devotees the divine wisdom of Siva-Self leading to salvation.
• (Chapter 1, Verse 4)
• THE ESSENCE OF RIBHU GITA
• The following verses constitute the teachings of Siva to Ribhu. who in turn transmits those
• teachings to his disciple Nidaga - Rishi. The treatise goes by the name Ribhu Gita.
• 5 The universe was neither born, nor maintained, nor dissolved; this is the plain truth.
• The basic screen of pure Being-Awareness- Stillness devoid of all the moving shadow
• pictures of name and form of the universe is the sole, eternal Existance.
• (Chapter 2 Verse 33)
• 6 Some may argue that this universe of duality (multiple existences) is a factual second reality
• clearly seen by the senses operated by the mind. But then, are the senses anything apart
• from the mind? Can they function without the support of the mind in which they are
• imbedded? What is this mind except a bundle of thoughts? What are thoughts except
• evanescent ripples in the still, limitless ocean of pure Being – Awareness – Self which
• is the sole Existence without a second? (Ch. 2, v. 34)
• 7 The existence of the illusion of silver in the mother of pearl is not a reality apart from the
• reality of the mother of pearl which is the basic reality. The illusion of the universe is based
• on the mind, which again is an illusion base on the still Awareness - Being Self. (Ch. 2,
• v.35)
• 8 In the unitary, undifferentiated still ocean of Existance-Awareness-Self, body, senses, mind,
• intellect and jives (embodied souls) are nothing but evanescent ripples not apart from that
• sole Self. (Ch.4, v.6)
• 9 The universe of name and form, the embodied creatures and their creator, mind, desire,
• Karma (action) and misery and everything other than the Self are merely thought formations
• projected by the power of the Self on its screen – Self. (Ch. 5, v.25)
• 10 The state of firm abidance in that thought-free alert Awareness - Self, constitutes
• integral perfection, yoga, wisdom, Moksha, Sahaja - Samadhi, the state of Siva, and the
• state of Atman - Self, which scriptures proclaim by the title of Brahman. (Ch. 5, v. 26)
• 11 There never was a mind nor any of its countless forms like world, jivas etc. There isn't
• the least doubt that all these are the form of the eternally undifferentiable Supreme
• Brahman Self. This is the Truth. The one who hears this great secret diligently and
• understands completely, abides as Brahman-Self (Ch. 5, v. 28)
• Greatness of Videha Mukta
• 12 With all objective knowledge banished, with no trace of thought or nescience, with all
• the three states of waking, dream and sleep wiped out, with all thought of death and
• birth abolished, and ever established in the spontaneous blissful state of brahman-Self
• the condition of the Videha-Mukta cannot be conceived, and much less expressed in
• words. (Ch. 5, v.39)
• 5
• 13 The continued repetition of “I am self-Brahman" constitutes the sole mantra-japa leading to
• Mukti (Liberation). All other mantra-japas connected with diverse gods should be firmly
• eschewed as they aim at mundane objectives, other than the self. All other mantra-japas
• always entangle one inextricably in the bondage of worldly enjoyments only. (Ch. 6, v. 37)
• Sat-Chit-Ananda-Self-Siva and His worship
• 14 On the eternal and infinite screen of Sat-Chit-Ananda-Self-Siva, by his own power,
• Sakti is projected as the moving shadow picture of the universe in manifestation and
• into that again it is absorbed in dissolution.
• All luminaries like Sun, Moon, Fire, Stars and lightning derive their luminosity as a gracious
• gift from the Sakti in herent in that screen of Self-Siva only. Though bright in themselves, they
• can only obscure and cannot reveal the Siva-Screen that they cover up.
• Out of fear of that Siva, their creator, Devas and Asuras (Spirits of the upper and nether
• worlds) are ever a1ertly engaged in their ordained duties.
• That Siva must be meditated upon and realised to be the Self by making the restless mind to
• stay still and alert after it has been adequately restrainted and completely prevented from the
• pursuit of sense objects, namely, the shadow pictures on the screen of the Self. All shadow
• pictures removed, what remains is pure Awareness, the spotlessly effulgent screen.
• Thus, Siva reveals Himself spontaneously as the sole eternal Sat-Chit-Ananda-Self, the
• very essence of the nature of the worshipper. (Ch. 7, v.35)
• The Jivan-Mukta
• 15 The Jivan-Mukta is a person liberated during his life-time who continues to have
• consciousness of the body and world along with his firm abidance in his Siva-Self. He
• ever abides in the blissful peace of Sat-Chit- Ananda. He is poised rock firm in the conviction
• that he is not the body, and that his being is the sole existence, the sole alert-awareness-bliss
• of Siva-Self Supreme. (Ch. 8, v. 1)
• 16 The Jivan-Mukta has his consciousness completely dissolved beyond recognition in
• his Brahman – Self. Eternally alone in his self, he is ever lost in the enjoyment of the
• bliss of his Brahman – Self. (Ch. 8, v. 25)
• The Videha-Mukta
• 17 The Videha-Mukta* is free from the least trace of thought; he abides all along in his
• effulgent pure-Awareness-Self in intense unbroken bliss, totally oblivious of his body
• and environments, in a state of Maha-Mounam (stillness of body, speech and mind).
• (Ch. 9, v. 1)
• * The term, means, the Disembodied - liberated person. He is the matured liberated adept,
• uJho, while still alive, abides as pure Sat-Chit-Ananda-Self without awareness of body and
• the world around him.
• 6
• 18 He is the pure embodiment of Sat-Chit-Ananda, all pervasive as ether, infinite as the sky, all
• alert with Awareness, spontaneously abiding as the perfect Brahman- Self in a state of still,
• unbroken, peaceful bliss. (Ch. 9, v. 15)
• 19 There is not an atom part from the Self which is the integral undifferentiated perfection
• of whole being Soule, world and Creator are impartible from the Self. The reality of
• these is the reality of the Self only. (Ch. 10, v. 34)
• 20 All ignorance and illusion, all objects inert and living, all beings and non-beings, all the five
• elements, all the diverse worlds, all bodies and the lives that arise in them, not being apart
• from Brahman-Self, are Brahman-Self only. Existance alone is, for even non-existance
• acquiresmeaning only in Existance. Simply put, everything exists always as Brahman-Self
• only. (Ch. 12, v. 2)
• 21 All objective knowledge, all thought forms, all visible objects, all things heard; all questions
• and answers, all the food consumed and all other illusions, not being apart from the Self,
• should be regarded as Brahman-Self only. (Ch. 13, v. 2)
• 22 Therefore one should practise the habit of regarding everything as Brahman-Self only; until all
• thought of things other than the Self is lost. This condition once achieved, one should not give
• room for any thought and should ever abide in Maha-Mounam (peace of total stillness). (Ch.
• 14, v. 38)
• 23 Anything seen as other than Brahman-Self is bound to cause fear and trouble. Therefore, it
• behoves one to stick to the single attitude that everything sensed is Brahman-Self alone. In
• due course even this one thought must be given up in order to abide firmly in the free
• undisturbed blissful state of the sole Brahman-Self. (Ch. 15, v. 5)
• 24 The total discarding of the mind is alone victory, achievement, bliss, yoga, wisdom and
• liberation. The sacrifice of mind is, in fact, the totality of all sacred sacrifices. (Ch. 15, v.
• 7)
• 25 The firm denial of the existence of the mind and the firm belief in the existence of BrahmanSelf
• is the sure way to the conquest of mind leading to the experience of the sole effulgent
• Self. (Ch. 15, v. 11)
• 26 If one gives the slightest room for the thought that the mind exists, pure-Awareness itself will
• vibrate as the ruffled mind which is the parent of all trouble and illusions. Therefore, one
• should ever abide in the conviction that there is no mind, and that the pure AwarenessSelf
• is the sole Existence. This is easy way to conquer the mind with all its vagaries.
• (Ch. 15, v. 12)
• 27 There is no such thing as the troublesome mind, no world of names and forms, not the least
• bit of ego. All these are nothing but the perfect Brahman-Self that I am. In this conviction one
• should abide firmly until one achieves the state of Sleepless-sleep that is alert peace eternal.
• (Ch. 16, v. 7)
• 7
• The True Samadhi
• 28 To hold on to the conviction born of Self-Enquiry that "I am no doubt the Screen - BrahmanSelf,
• and, the world picture thereon, though evanescent, is no doubt I - am self only", and to
• abide still and blissful in that conviction is the acme of all sadhanas like divine worship
• charitable gifts, spiritual austerities, mantra-japa and samadhi as well. (Ch. 16, v. 41)
• 29 The Self alone is the spontaneous self effulgent Awareness; that alone is eternal bliss;
• that alone is Existence everlasting; that alone is all embracing perfection; the sole
• God-head without a rival and the sole primordial stuff of the Universe. In the conviction
• born of this experience, one should ever abide, as the sole I-AM, the Supreme Self. (Ch.
• 17, v. 29)
• Sahaja-Samadhi
• 30 Remaining alertly aware and thought-free with a still mind devoid of differentiation of
• self and non-self even while being engaged in the activities of worldly life is called the
• state of Sahaja Nirvikalpa - Samadhi (the natural state of abidance in the Self when all
• differentiation has ceased). This is called Akhanda-Akara-Vritti, the I of infinite perfection as
• contrasted with the "I am the body" notion of those who have not realised the Self). (Ch. 18, v.
• 40)
• Maturing of Sahaja-Samadhi
• 31 Abidance in Sahaja-Samadhi is the hallmark of Jivan Mukti. With the progressive
• development of this state, the intensity of blissful peace is attained, leading on to the four
• successive stages of perfection in Mukti. Nothing short of this technique of Self-Enquiry will
• be of any avail in destroying the fearsome cycle of birth and deaths. (Ch. 18, v. 41)
• 32 Realised person who abides in the Brahman-Self and has lost all feelings of
• differentiation of self and non-self is the jnani or Mukta-Purusha. Such a jnani is rare to
• find through searching, among millions of people. If one has the lucky opportunity of getting
• his Darshan (personal view and contact) one attains purification from all his sins, and what is
• more, such a person's ego gets well set on the road to its liquidation. (Ch.19, v. 10)
• 33 Darshan of the matured jnani constitutes the acme of purification of baths taken in sacred
• waters, divine worship, mantra-japa, spiritual austerities, charitable acts, and devotional
• worship of Lord Siva-Himself. To find and to gain access to the sacred presence of such a
• jnani is the luckiest of opportunities that one could ever obtain in this world. (Ch. 19, v. 11)
• 34 Worshipful service rendered unto such a jnani-Sat-Guru quickens one's spiritual wisdom to
• attain the bliss of Jivan-Mukti. If continued further, it bestows on the disciple even the status
• of Videha-Mukti. Therefore, if one is keen on being released from bondage into the freedom
• of Mukti, the one infallible means of achieving that aim is the loving and worshipful service of
• the jnani-.Sat-Guru. (Ch. 19, v. 13)
• 35 Firmly established in the Self, undisturbed by the least ripple of thought, still as an effigy of
• stone or wood, dissolved completely in Brahman-Self even as water and milk, with awareness
• devoid of all impurities of thought and drowsiness, standing clear as the pure sky, the
• 8
• grandeur of the jnani's nishta (firm stance in the Self) defies thought and expression. (Ch. 19,
• v. 21)
• The sine-qua-non of Mukti is Siva's grace
• 36 That in which the whole universe is born and into which it is absorbed in dissolution is
• the Siva-Self. Devoted worship of and meditation on that Siva-Self of pure consciousness
• alone will attract Siva's Grace which is indispensable for liberation. (Ch. 19, v. 60)
• 37 Those engaged in the pursuit of knowledge of the Brahman-Self happening to get involved in
• mundane pleasures like sex, should regard such pleasures as merely faint shadows of the
• bliss of the Self. They should never even dream of worldly pleasures. (Ch. 20, v. 45)
• 38 As the Self is Sat, meditative contact with the Self is the true Sat-Sanga (association
• with Sadhus who abide in Being-Self). As Brahman-Self is the highest, association with
• the Self is Mahat-Sanga (highest association). (Ch. 21, v. 28)
• 39 The Sadhaka practising meditation on the Self should always think firmly that all diversities of
• soul, world and creator are the undifferentiated Brahman-Self only. By practice his
• consciousness is freed from thoughts after which he should give up the above thought also
• and abide always in the thought-free state of the Self. (Ch. 21, v: 39)
• 40 Abidance in the state of thought-free alert Awareness is the state of Mukti beyond
• thought and expression. The emergence of thought is the bondage on untold suffering.
• Abidance in the Self is the true non-dual Samadhi, and that alone could lead one to the
• eternal bliss of Mukti. (Ch. 21, v. 41)
• 41 The great illusions: Maya (associated with God Iswara), avidya (associated with individual
• souls), mind and jivas (souls), world and its creator, all names and forms, and all mental
• conceptions are nothing but the Self. One should ever abide in this conviction. (Ch. 22, v.23)
• 42 All worlds and creatures are only thought forms. They are nothing but the mind which
• is a bundle of thoughts, which again are nothing more than ripples in the still ocean of
• Awareness-Self, and certainly nothing apart from that Self. Therefore, one should abide
• in the firm conviction that all objects are only I am Self-Brahman. (Ch. 22, v. 24)
• 43 There are no such things as achieved objectives and the efforts ]eading to them, association
• with the wise or the ignorant, efforts of learning and knowledge acquired, acts of enquiry and
• practice, the learner or the learned, and any goals achieved. What exists is only
• Brahman, the effulgent Awareness - Self. (Ch. 22, v. 10)
• 44 One should be firm in the conviction that there are no charitable acts, sacred waters and
• kshetras (pilgrim centres), no loss or gain and no loser or gainer, no Karma, Bhakti and
• wisdom, and no knower or known. All these thought forms are bound to be dissolved and lost
• in the Brahman-Self which is the sole existence. (Ch. 23, v. 11)
• * (In verses 45 to 50 the word " Bhavana " means faith based on the word of the teacher and
• the scriptures and in the unremitting abidance in the belief thereof.)
• 9
• 45 The Bhavana "I am Brahman-Self" swiftly takes one to Mukti. As the continued reading
• of the texts 'generating that bhavana takes the aspirant unerringly to the goal, he should
• always dwell on the, written words dealing with the Brahman-Self: (Ch. 24, v. 27)
• 46 The illusion that one is the body and that the world is the basic reality has remained soaked
• over a Iong long time and cannot be got rid of by by the casual reading and mere
• understanding of the truth. The basic illusion can be effaced only by a long and
• unremitting practice of the bhavana that all this is “I am Brahman-Self. (Ch. 24, v. 28)
• 47 Everything is a concoction of time, space and energy only and else is the trite talk of people
• who dislike the effort of Sadhana which takes them to the Self. This talk is based on their
• dense ignorance of the Self. Only by persistent practice and experience of Sadhana can one
• arrive at the truth that all concepts of souls, world, and the cause thereof are just evanescent
• shadows on the screen of Siva-Self-Brahman. (Ch. 24, v. 31)
• 48 There is never such a thing as conception of names and forms, no such thing as the
• conceiving mind, no such thing as a person lost in samsara and no such things as the
• world and its creator. Everything that is seen to exist must be realised to be no other
• than the sole, pure Awareness - Being - Brahman-Self. (Ch. 25, v. 8)
• Everything is Sat-Chit-Ananda-Self only
• 49 Whatever is found to exist is Sat (Existence) only. Whatever is pleasurable is Ananda (Bliss)
• only. One should ever abide firmly in the above bed-rock of bhavana of Sat-Chit-Ananda.
• Never for once should one slip, even inadvertently, into the disastrous bhavana that one is the
• body and that the world is real. (Ch. 25, v. 12)
• 50 One should abide in the rock-firm bhavana that “Everything is only Brahman-Self and I
• am that brahman-Self.” By this bhavana all thought movements and nescience will
• disappear, resulting in the eternal abidance in the sole Sat-Chit-Ananda-Self. (Ch. 25, v.14)
• * Verses 51 to 60 herein deal with practice of “Atma-Nishta" or abidance in the Self.
• 51 By abiding in the Self "the wandering mind is reduced to perfect stillness after being
• freed from all nescience and thought currents. It gets lost in the Sat-Chit--Ananda-Self
• in the same way that water is lost when intimately mixed up with milk. This unitary state
• of abidance in the Self is called Atma-Nistha by the wise who have attained perfection. (Ch.
• 26, v. 2)
• “Sahaja-Nishta" or The natural state
• 52 Having realised that the world picture on the screen-Self is evanescent and essentially nonexistent,
• one should ever remain still and blissful in the firm conviction of ever being the sole
• Brahman-Self only. This conviction should be maintained even while functioning as an
• individual in the world of name and form. This matured state of abidance in the Self is called
• Sahaja-Nisftta (the natural state). (Ch. 26, v. 3)
• 10
• 53 In that Self wherein there is no action of body, speech and mind, no virtues or sinful Karma
• (action) and the fruits thereof, in that blissful state of Self one Should remain still, eschewing
• the least trace of thought. (Oh. 26, v. 7)
• 54 In that Self wherein there is neither conceiver nor conception of the world of names and
• forms, one should remain blissfully still, eschewing the least trace of thought. (Ch. 26, v. 8)
• 55 In that Self wherein desire, anger, covetousness, confusion, bigotry and envy are all absent;
• in that Self wherein there is no thought of bondage or release, one should abide blissfully still,
• eschewing the least ripple of thought. (Ch. 26, v. 13)
• 56 Firmly abiding in the Self, one acquires the totality of all knowledge and achieves the
• successful completion of all endeavours duties. In that state one should abide blissful and
• still, eschewing the least ripple of thought. (Ch. 26, v. 25)
• 57 Mind merged completely in the Self, one becomes a lord without rival steeped in bliss beyond
• compare. In that state one should abide still, free from the least trace of thought. (Ch. 26, v.
• 28)
• 58 I am that Self which is integral existence awareness-bliss, the sole impartite Brahman-Self.
• Firm in the conviction born of this experience, one should abide still, free from the least trace
• of thought. (Ch. 26, v. 29)
• 59 In the the conviction that "I am the Self" in which no thought, ego, desire, mind or
• confusion can exist one should abide still, free from trace of thought. (Ch. 26, v.31)
• 60 The firm faith of being the Self is sufficient to dispel all thought and establish one in
• Brahman-Self. In due course of this practice, even the thought involved in that faith
• fades away leading to spontaneous effulgence of the self. If a person hearkens to this
• teaching and practises the faith, even if he is a great sinner, he is washed clean of all his sins
• and is established in Brahman- Self. (Ch. 26, v. 42)
• 61 There is certainly no such thing as mind with its constituents of thought and thought
• forms of objects. In this conviction one should ever abide still and at peace, in the state of
• thought-free alert Awareness-Self which endures after all Sadhanas and its rigours have
• exhausted themselves in Brahman-Self. (Ch. 27, v. 29)
• 62 Having gained the experience that there is no creator, no maya, no duality and that pure
• Awareness-Self alone exists, one should ever remain still and peaceful in that state of Selfhood.
• (Ch. 27, v. 34)
• 63 If a person gives heed to these teachings he would certainly gain the grace of Lord Siva and
• attain the state of Self-hood even though he is immersed in the dense darkness of nescience
• which could not be banished by the glare of million suns. (Ch. 27, v. 43)
• 64 Why waste words? This is the truth in nutshell. Only those who have earned the Grace of
• our Lord Siva by long devotional worship will get the rare opportunity of reading this scriptural
• text which leads to the bliss of peace-everlasting in Brahman-Self. (Ch. 27, v. 4:4:)
• 11
• 65 Only that jnani who teaches "Thou art the thought-free, alertly aware, absolutely still, ever
• blissful, intensely peaceful, unqualified Brahman-Self", is the true Sat-Gum, and others are
• not. (Ch. 28, v. 28)
• 66 Unbroken abidance in the state of alert awareness, unruffled by thoughts, is SelfRealisation.
• That is at once the spotless Jivan-Mukti and the magnificent VidehaMukti.
• This state is easily attainable only for those who have earned the divine Grace of Siva
• by deep devotion to Him, and not for others. What is stated here is the import in a nutshell of
• the message of that charming crest jewel of the Vedas known as the Upanishads. (Ch. 29, v.
• 37)
• 67 Those who give heed to this message and abide in accordance with it will forthwith attain
• Mukti (Liberation). They will not suffer from the least particle of affliction; they will enjoy a bliss
• far greater than the bliss attained from this and all other worlds; they and their environments
• will be filled with the plenitude of auspicious events. Totally free from all trace of fear, they will
• never again enter the cycle of births and deaths. They will become the immutable BrahmanSelf.
• All this we swear is the truth beyond doubt. By our Lord Siva, again and again we swear
• that this is the fundamental truth. (Ch. 29, v. 40)
• 68 That state of still, pure, effulgent awareness is Moksha, the state beyond compare.
• Those who maintain an unbroken abidance in that supreme state will never more be touched
• by suffering or confusion, and will be absolved from all duties. Such duties if any will
• somehow be completed without any volition on their part. They will eternally abide as the sole
• supreme Self. (Ch. 30, v. 31)
• * In all the 13 verses (69-81) of Chapter 32, the term Bhavana is to be understood as faith or
• firm belief in "Aham-Brahmam (I am the Self).
• 69 By the persistent and continued Bhavana* of “I am the Brahman~Self " all thoughts
• and feelings or differentiation of self and non-self will drop off and permanent abidance
• in Brahman-Self will be achieved. This Bhavana is possible only for those with keen
• inquiring mind intent on knowing the self and not for those who are indifferent about Self Knowledge.
• (Ch. 32, v. 18)
• 70 Ignorance and indifference in regard to the enquiry of the truth about one-self is the store
• house of nescience and trouble, blocking the view of the Self, and creating in a split second
• all sorts of illusions and harassments of mental worry. Non-enquiry renders Bhavana
• impossible. (Ch. 32, v. 19)
• 71 In short, non-enquiry will steep one forever in the ocean of samsara (earthly suffering).
• There is no greater enemy for one than non-enquiry. Therefore, this habit must be
• overcome in order to-fix the mind in the Bhavana which leads to abidance in the Self. (Ch.
• 32, v. 20)
• 72 Enquiry should be made this wise: With the kind help of the Sat-Guru one should enquire
• “Who am I, what is this world and what is the reality behind all these?” (Ch. 32, v. 21)
• 73 Staying in the company of Sadhus those engaged in the pursuit and enjoyment of the bliss of
• the Sat-Self) and respectfully questioning the Sat-Guru-Jnani, one should first make clear
• 12
• about the objective to be obtained. This is an important aspect of the enquiry. After thus
• making sure of the objective, one must firmly abide in that objective of Sole Brahman-Self
• until the Self is unmistakably experienced. (Ch. 32, v. 22)
• 74 The conscious introspective concentration of Self-Enquiry ("Who am I?”) kills all
• thoughts and destroys the dense darkness of nescience; it effaces all all worry; it
• illuminates the intellect with the radiance of pure awareness; it wipes out all conceptual
• confusions; it fixes one in Siva-Self; it transforms a host of impending disasters into
• auspicious events; and lastly, it destroys the ego-mind utterly with all its afflictions. (Ch. 32, v.
• 24)
• 75 Only by those strong willed persons who make earnest and persistent Self-Enquiry will
• the turbulent mind be controlled and fixed still in the practice of firm Bhavana. In due
• course all thoughts and nescience will disappear, yielding place to the effulgent AwarenessSelf
• of Mukti. (Ch. 32, v. 26)
• 76 One should relentlessly pursue Self-Enquiry until all conceptual forms of creature, world and
• creator merge and disappear in the pure thought-free, alert Awareness-Self, enabling one to
• abide in that Bhavana of the experience, "l am the Brahman-Self". (Ch. 32, v. 27)
• 77 It is only the mind which appear as world and bondage; there is no world other than
• the mind. On inquiry this mind turns out to be nothing more than a group of ripples
• (thoughts) in the still ocean of pure Awareness-Siva-Self. I am that Siva-Self only and
• there is nothing apart from me. One should ever abide in the conviction born of this
• experience. (Ch. 32, v. 33)
• 78 There is no world apart from the mind. What appears, as the world is only the mind If
• this mind is investigated, it turns out to be nothing more than a bundle of thoughts
• based on the primary thought of “I am the body” called ego – I is enquired into and its
• identity searched, it gets swallowed up without a trace in the pure Awareness-BeingSiva-Self.
• One should maintain this firm Bhavana “I am Self~Siva", until that state of being
• the Siva-Self - becomes the spontaneous experience free from the effort of Bhavana. (Ch.
• 32,- v. 34)
• 79 In me, the pure Awareness-Self, the universe is born, maintained and dissolved as the
• mind. Therefore, there are no mind and thought forms of objects apart from me the Self. In
• this firm experience experience one should ever abide. (Ch. 32, v. 35)
• 80 One should ever abide as pure Siva-Self by the firm experience that there are no thought
• forms of creature, world and creator apart from the mind which is just an array of
• ripples in me the still ocean of pure Awareness-Self and therefore I am the sole BeingSiva-Self
• only. (Ch. 32, v. 36)
• 81 Even as the world, seen in my dream, is not apart from me but only my creation, even
• so, the world of the waking state is only a creation made by me and seen by me in the
• medium of my pure Awareness-Self. In this experience one should firmly abide. (Ch. 32, v.
• 37)
• 13
• 82 The rock firrm conviction of "I am the Self” is the sure mark of firm abidance in the
• Self. Abidance in that conviction under all conditions is, true divine worship, meditation on
• God, incantation of mantras, practice of right conduct in life, contemplation, integral yoga,
• wisdom of the Self and Moksha as well. (Ch. 33, v. 16)
• 83 Whatever appears as Maya, creator, creature, mind, world, names and forms are the
• pure Brahman-Self only and not apart from that Self. (Ch.34,v. 15)
• 84 Steady abidance in the rock-firm conviction born of the experience of "1 am the Self", is the
• greatest Yoga, total dissolution of the mind, true renunciation, true wisdom, and.Jivan-Mukti
• as well. (Ch. 34, v. 46)"
• 85 Whatever names and forms are seen by me in my dream are not anything apart from me.
• Even so, this world seen by me in my waking state is not anything apart from me, the
• Avareness-Self that I am. The wise one should give up all differentiation of Self and non-Self,
• and abide as pure Self only. (Ch. 35, v. 23)
• 86 If this world of the waking state is not evanescent in its nature, whatever is seen in the waking
• state must be seen during sleep also. Since I as pure Self exist alone and always, there is no
• room for thought of non- Self-world. I-Self-Brahman is the sole Existence. (Ch. 35, v. 24)
• 87 No world exists during the absence of mind, and there is no mind apart from my
• awareness. So, mind and world are nothing apart from the Self, and I am ever that sole
• Existence-Awareness-Brahman-Self. The wise one should abolish all thought of differentiation
• of self and non-Self. (Ch. 35, v. 25)
• 88 I see neither mind nor world during my sleep. In my dream there is mind with its creation, the
• dream world. The dream world is falsified in my waking state. But I-Self exist always. Arguing
• thus, one must give up all differentiation of self and non-self, and ever abide firmly as the
• thought-free alert Awareness-Self- Brahman. (Ch. 35, v. 26)
• 89 All diversities of world, mind, maya (confusing power of Brahman), wakefulness, dream,
• sleep, talk of you and me are evanescent, and yet, not apart from the Self. This wise one
• should give up all thought of Self and non-Self and abide as Self only. (Ch. 35, v. 27)
• 90 In dim light the illusion of a serpent is seen in a rope, and this serpent is nothing but
• the rope. Even so all illusion of non-Self exist in the self only. This wise one should give
• up all thought of Self and non-Self and ever abide firmly in the peace of the Self. (Ch. 35, v.
• 28)
• 91 In the wisdom of integral experience, I am the non-dual, transcendental, motionless, peaceful,
• bondage- freedom-notion-free, sky of pure consciousness only. With this experience one
• should reject all differentiation of Self and non-Self and ever abide firmly in the peace of
• Brahman-Self. (Ch. 35, v. 33)
• 92 One should give up all hatha yogic practices like breath control, all religious dogmas and their
• diverse sadhanas and be ever satisfied in simple abidance as the Self only. (Ch. 35, v. 38)
• 14
• 93 Only those who contemplate on Lord Siva-Self, the pure supporting screen of all
• manifestation, gain the pure experience of Sahaja-Nirvikalpa-Samadhi. Apart from this
• devotion to Lord Siva (the Pure-Alert- Awareness-Self) there are no other means leading to
• liberation. (Ch. 35, v. 44)
• 94 The non-dual sole being existing in deep sleep conjures up a world in the dream state. Even
• so, the shadow world conjured up in the waking state is the work of the power, inherent in
• one's own Brahman-Self. Abiding firmly in the experience of pure Brahman-Self, one finds
• that the mind and all its confabulations are lost for ever. (Ch. 36, v. 25)
• 95 One should remain firm in the conviction "I am the Self" and reject all thoughts like "I am this
• body" and "This world is real". If one maintains this habit unremittingly, this false belief will
• drop away even as a flower held in the hand slips away when one falls into deep slumber.
• (Ch. 37, v. 33)
• 96 One is solely responsible for one's own liberation or bondage, since the choice of
• destroying the restless mind or allowing it to roam at large rests with that one only. Therefore,
• one should conquer the restless mind by steady abidance in the pure thought-free AlertAwareness-
• Self only. This steady abidance is Moksha. (Ch. 38, v. 7)
• 97 You are the sole supreme Godhead, the Self. There is nothing apart from you. This, we
• declare to be the ultimate truth after a complete analysis of all the scriptures. By, the holy feet
• of Siva, we swear this to be the truth beyond all doubt. By the feet of the Sat-Guru, we swear
• again that this is the truth declared by the Upanishads. (Ch. 38, v. 9)
• 98 All charitable gifts, all pilgrimages to sacred places, all sorts of mantra-japa and worship of
• diverse gods must be firmly given up in favour of steady practice of the teachings of this book
• (Ribu Gita) only. (Ch. 38, v.24)
• 99 All yogic practices, all philosophic pursuits, all devotional exercises, and all faiths and beliefs
• should be abandoned. One should confine oneself to practice of the teachings of this book
• only. (Ch. 38, v. 25)
• 100 By the sole practice of the teachings of this book, all confusion and ignorance will be
• destroyed. Firm abidance in the Self will be the positive result. With the fusion of the wisdom
• and peaceful bliss in the Self, Mukti will be attained. (Ch. 38, v. 29)
• 101 Only when ~ll sins are washed off by the practice of virtues running through many lives, one
• gets the rare opportunity of securing this treatise and practising its tenets. By the feet of Lord
• Siva we declare that only those whose cycle of births and deaths has come to an end with
• this life will ever get this treatise in their hands and practise its teachings. (Ch. 38, v. 40)
• * Verses 102 to 121 (20 verses) contain the declarations of the disciple Nidaga before his
• teacher Ribhu, expressing the spiritual achievements secured by him by the grace of
• his teacher, and expressions of his gratitude to his teacher, Ribhu.
• 15
• 102 0 My Lord Sat-Guru! By thy grace I have, in a split second, shed all sense of differentiation of
• Self and non-Self; I have attained the certainty that all is Brahman and I am that BrahmanSelf;
• I have become settled in the eternal bliss of Brahman-Self. (Ch. 39, v. 7)
• 103 I am verily the Sat-Chit-Ananda-Brahman-Self. I am the eternal undisturbed peace devoid of
• name and form. I am the flawless integral whole of all existence. Firmly I am settled in my
• sole Brahman-Self. (Ch. 40, v. 10)
• 104 Oh! I have become Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Mahesa, Sadasiva, Parameswara and his
• spouse Parvati, Vinayaka, Subrahmanya, cohorts of Siva's hosts (Siva-Ganas) and devotees
• of Lord Siva, all rolled into one! (Ch. 41, v. 15)
• 105 I am myself all the Devas (Celestials) and Asuras (denizens of the nether-world), Indra the
• Chief of the Devas, the Lord of the eight cardinal directions, the community of sages, the
• swarm of Rakshasas (embodiments of wickedness), and in fact, the denizens of this and all
• other worlds. (Ch. 41, v. 16)
• 106 I have become the five elements, multitudinous worlds scattered in the skies, all existing
• things and their histories, all the Vedas, and all the diversities of name and form. (Ch. 41, v.
• 17)
• 107 At one stroke I have become the bodies, senses, and souls owning them, the mind, intellect,
• intuition, ego, the primal nescience and the restless commotion of spirit, and in short all that is
• seen and known. (Ch. 41, v. 19)
• 108 That gracious person who gives these teachings is no doubt the embodiment of Lord
• Parameswara, His Devi Parvati, Vinayaka and God Shanmukha all rolled into one. (Ch. 42, v.
• 5)
• 109 He is again, Nandikeswara, Dattatreya, Dakshinamurti, and in short, the supreme Lord Siva
• Himself (Ch. 42, v. 6)
• 110 After being duly initiated into these teachings by the Sat-Guru, the disciple must, as long as
• life lasts in him, provide his teacher liberally with money, food, clothing and shelter and loving
• devotion. This is the sine-qua-non for the disciple's Mukti. (Ch. 43, v. 11)
• 111 Further, he should adorn his forehead and body with Vibhuti (sacred ash) in the prescribed
• manner, as this use of Vibhuti alone will entitle him to Lord Siva's Grace which removes all
• impediments to salvation. (Ch.43 v. 12)
• 112 The habitual smearing of the body with Vibhuti is called Pasupatha-Vratham (austerity in
• devotion to Siva). This practice quickens the attainment of Se1f- Knowledge. 0 Lord Sat-Guru!
• By this practice I earned the merit for arriving at thy holy feet which have led me to salvation.
• (Ch. 43, v. 13)
• 113 I am ever the eternal, pure, all knowing, free, unshakable, non-dual, integral Self. This is the
• firm conviction of the experience of the Jivan-Mukta in the Self. (Ch. 43, v. 28)
• 16
• 114 That mature jnani who is lost in the Maha-Mownam (total stillness) of the pure effulgent
• Awareness-Brahman-Self, devoid of the least trace of nescience, totally devoid of all
• consciousness of the body and its three states of waking, dream and sleep, devoid of all
• distinctions of name and form and devoid of any thought of bondage or freedom is a VidehaMukta.
• (Ch. 43. v. 29)
• 115 Thou hast, 0 Lord Sat-Guru, taken me across the boundless ocean of Samsara in the boat of
• Self-knowledge. To me, floundering in the misery of the belief that. "I am the body" thou hast
• taught that "I am the Brahman-Self" and vouchsafed to me the bliss of all embracing
• Awareness-Being. To thee, I render these devout salutations. (Ch. 44, v. 16)
• 1'l6 Salutations to thee, my Lord-Sat.Guru! Thou hast destroyed my illusion that I am the body
• and that the world is apart from me and is real. Thou hast given me the experience of my own
• Brahman-Self. Thou hast destroyed my wrong belief that Karma (action) is the road to
• salvation, and showing that Knowledge alone could make one free. Thou hast given me my
• salvation in the Self. (Ch. 44, v. 17)
• 117 To that divine Grace-embodied, to that Omnipresence beyond compare, to that Siva-Self-SatGuru,
• I render devout salutation. (Ch. 44, v. 18)
• 118 To that Sat-Guru who is the core of my Self, who destroyed my nescience by the gift of
• Awareness-Self, to that embodiment of Self-Knowledge, do I offer these salutations. (Ch. 44,
• v. 19)
• 119 Salutations to the Sat-Guru who is the embodiment of undisturbed peace, qualityless eternal
• purity, all pervasive infinite sky of consciousness and integral perfection (Ch. 44, v. 20)
• * The following verses 120 and 121 contain Ribhu's exhortation to Nidaga.
• 120 In reply to the words of Nidaga, Ribhu replies thus. 0 my son! You are now no doubt firmly
• settled in the bliss of Brahman-Self, having been freed from all illusion and nescience. All the
• same, as abundant pre-caution until you attain Videha-Mukti you must assiduously practise
• continued abidance in the Self. (Ch. 44) v. 22)
• 121 Aspirants of Self-Knowledge will find their success accelerated by practical bodily worship of
• Siva. Living in a Siva-Kshetra (neighbourhood of Siva Temple) they should offer worship to
• Siva-Maha-Lingam, wearing the sacred Vibhuthi and Rudraksham (garland of a specified sort
• of beads), and repeating the litanies of Siva with loving devotion. (Ch. 44, v. 39)
• 122 Benedictory Verses offering salutations to Siva-Self.
• Salutations to Sat-Chit-Ananda-Siva-Self!
• Salutations to that Peace undisturbed, the Self!
• Salutations to that integral Perfection, the Self!
• Salutations to that Effulgent-Awareness, the Self!
• Salutations to that qualityless blemish-free Self!
• Salutations to that indivisible Unity, the Self!
• Salutations to that pure sky of consciousness, the Self!
• Salutations to that supreme integral Existence, the Self! (Ch. 44, v. 51)
• 17
• The Central Teaching of the Ribhu Gita
• (Six Verses selected by Sri Ramana Maharshi)
• The concept "I-am-the-body" is the sentient inner organ, the mind. It is also the illusive bondage to
• identification with birth and death. It is the source of all groundless fears. If there is no trace of it at all
• everything will be found to be the Reality of the Supreme Absolute Being.
• • The concept "I-am-the-body" is the primal ignorance. It is known as the firm knot of the heart.
• It gives rise to the concepts of existence and non-existence. If there is no trace of it at all
• everything will be found to be the Reality of the Supreme Absolute Being.
• • The ego or separate soul is a concept. God, the world, the mind, desires, action, sorrow and
• all other things are all concepts.
• • Abiding without concepts is the undifferentiated state. It is inherence in the Supreme Being. It
• is wisdom. It is Liberation. It is the natural and true state. It is the Reality of the Supreme
• Absolute Being. It is the Supreme Formless God. If there is no concept at all everything will
• be found to be the Reality of the Supreme Absolute Being.
• • The body and the various functions of manifest existence are only concepts. Hearing,
• reasoning and contemplating are concepts. Enquiry into the ultimate nature of one's own
• existence is a concept. All other things are also concepts. Concepts give rise to the world, the
• separate souls, and God. There is nothing whatever except concepts. Everything is in truth
• the Reality of the Supreme Absolute Being.
• • The mind is unreal. It is like a magic show. It is like the son of a barren woman. It is absolutely
• non-existent. Since there is no mind there are no concepts, no Master, no disciple, no world,
• no separate soul. All concepts are really the Reality of the Supreme Absolute Being.
• from The Song of Ribhu: The English Translation of the Tamil Ribhu Gita.
• Translation by Dr. H. Ramamoorthy and Nome. Published by SAT, Society for
• Abidance in Truth, 2000.
• "Advaita Vedanta, or the Teaching of Nonduality, is that which is expounded by Ribhu, Sri Dattatreya
• (the Avadhuta), Sri Ashtavakra, Sri Sankara, Sri Ramana Maharshi, and many other great sages. It
• reveals the utter absence of any differentiation between Atman (the Self) and Brahman. It is the
• revelation of Reality without even a trace of notional superimpositions. The entire Ribhu Gita gives an
• exposition -- a veritable scripture -- of Advaita Vedanta."
• "ATMAN. The Self. The Self is one and universal, different from the body, sensory organs, senses,
• mind, intelligence, inner senses, and such others, remaining only as a witness to the activities of
• these and unsullied by them. The Self is of the nature of Being-Consciousness-Bliss, self-luminous, of
• the nature of Knowledge, needing no other knowledge to know it. The Self is without desire or hatred,
• fear or sorrow, quality or activity, form, change or blemish. It is immaculate, indivisible, all-pervasive,
• and infinite. The Self and Brahman are one."
• "BRAHMAN. A Sanskrit word formed from the root brmh, which means growth, and the suffix man,
• which signifies an absence of limitation (in space or time). Thus, Brahman means that which is
• absolutely the greatest. Brahman, according to the Masters of Advaita, is said to be known through
• Vedic texts, primarily the Upanishads, which are considered a valid means of knowledge, as a direct
• perception.
• "Brahman is the only Reality; it is beyond definition in words, the range of sensory perceptions, and
• the human mind. It is conceived to be boundless Being, ever existent, limitless in space and time,
• immutable, immaculate, devoid of qualities, attributes, name, or form. It is not subject to birth,
• continuation, growth, maturity, decay and dissolution, and has nothing similar to it and nothing
• different from it. It is also described as pure Knowledge.
• 18
• "It is also regarded as both the efficient and material cause of the visible universe, the all-pervading
• spirit of the universe, the essence from which all beings are produced and into which they are
• absorbed. The entire phenomenal world of beings, qualities, actions, all manifestations, and so on, is
• said to be an illusory superimposition on the imperishable substratum, which is Brahman.
• "The Upanishad-s also identify Brahman with the Universal Self. What Brahman, the only Reality, is
• and, more importantly, what Brahman, the only Reality, is not is discussed in the entire text of the Song of Ribhu."
• 
  

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