The Heart Of The Ribhu Gita

Ramana Maharshi attributed unique value to this lucid

exposition of Supreme Truth. He often referred to it in his talks
with devotees and seekers, and he is reported to have said that
if one repeatedly read Chapter 26 of The Ribhu Gita one could
pass spontaneously into samadhi, or the natural state of Self-
realisation. In The Ribhu Gita, the Sage Ribhu transmits the
teaching which he received from Lord Shiva to his reluctant
disciple Nidagha.

Chapter 26 – Topic of the instruction of 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 Brahman [only Reality], 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

Nonduality awakens, in which peacefulness and
nonpeacefulness both do not exist - ever be That itself.

5. That in which there is nothing of sankalpa [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 Brahman, in which having

any bhava [conditional state, opinion, supposition] is a
delusion, in which the entire world does not exist - ever abide
as That itself.

7. That in which existence or nonexistence 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 sankalpa has
been relinquished - ever abide as That itself.

9. That in which a bhava inclusive of Brahman 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 vidya [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 Brahma [creator] does not
exist, and in which there is no differentiation as Sankara
[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 'jiva' [individual soul, ego] -
ever abide as That itself.

15. That in which there is no meditation on Sankara, 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 bhava 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 jiva [ego], 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 jivanmukti [self liberation], in

which there is no liberation from the body, and in which there
is no activity by sankalpa [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 jiva either - ever abide as That itself.

24. That in which Brahman 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 sravana [listening to, reading and
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 bhava 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 jiva, 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 wherefrom 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 jiva 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'
[literally '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 Satsang [association with
Truth] 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

Brahman, 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 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, jnana [wisdom] and
vijnana [knowledge] are present - ever abide as That itself.

63. That in which, indeed, oneself is the Light, in which

oneself, indeed, is the Nondual, and in which, indeed, there is
Supreme Bliss - ever abide as That itself.

64. Thus the bhava [conviction] of becoming That itself has

been proclaimed. Be thus always - ever, ever. I am Brahman,
Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. I am undivided and ever
joyful.

65. I am Brahman alone, which is 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 Brahman 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 upasana [meditation] 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?