A Conversation With God

Hari Om. This is my attempt to explain verse #22 “Who am I?” of Upadesha Sara. Knowing this verse is not a prerequisite to read this article. Please let me know your comments. Thank you.

Before I converse with God I need to converse with a rope!

Me: Why do you look like a snake?

Rope: What snake?

The one I see.

What you see is your problem, not mine. Some see a lizard!

You don’t see what I see. I am afraid. You look like a snake.

Correct. I look like a snake but that is not real, it is an illusion. You need to use that flashlight you have to know. Shine it on me.

Oh my God. You are correct. I was imagining, you are a rope!

Good, you got it! Not only you saw a snake that was not real, your fear because you imagined a snake is not real either. Both were your own illusions. I was always a rope. Use that flashlight next time!

God: Did you call me?

Me: Sorry, I was just swearing.

Since I am here, what’s up?

I can’t understand what Ramana is saying in verse 22.

Who? Your friend?

No, sorry I meant Ramana Maharishi that wrote Upadesha Sara.

Oh, that’s Me! What is your question?

He is saying…no, You are saying I don’t exist. How is that?

Who are you?

It is me, you know, Shanker.

That is your name, but who are you?

I am my father’s son. I live in this house. I am married to my wife. I have a son.

Ok, that is all your relations and what you own. But who are you?

I give up! Wait, I know. You made me.

That is clever answer, but I did not make you.

Ok, now I give up. Please tell me.

Brahman or the Self is all that exists, it pervades all objects including you. Your body, your mind, your intellect are all objects.

Am I all that?

Yes. At any moment you are identified with either body or mind or intellect. If you identify with any of them then you are that at that moment. That identification is called ego.

Is that identification false?

Correct.

Then who am I?

You are Brahman, the Self.

I am losing my mind.

Good, you are on the right track!

No, I mean I don’t get it. Can you connect this with the rope example?

Brahman is the rope. Like the snake is projected on the rope your seeming identification of the body or mind or intellect is a projection on Brahman. That seeming identification otherwise called ego is an illusion like the snake projected on the rope. Like you shined the flashlight on the snake to make the illusion disappear to reveal the rope (the truth) you need shine the light of knowledge to drive ignorance to make the apparent illusion of ego disappear and reveal the Truth, which is, Brahman or Self is. Shine the light of Knowledge, Vedanta, to drive your ignorance…you will come to know you are Brahman!

How can I function without identifying with my body, mind or intellect?

Let them be there in you, you don’t have to identify with them. They are in you but you are not them!

Thank God, I got it.

Hey, I am right here.

Sorry, thank you God.

That is more like it.

Wait a minute. If only Brahman exits, who are you?

Good question. Finally it is sinking in! I am the Total mind.

If mind is an object, are you an object too?

Correct.

Who are you?

I don’t exist. I am your illusion too!

(Silence)

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Many pranams to Gurdev, Swami Tejomayananda, Acharya Vivek ji and Ramana Maharishi for blessing me with a sliver of knowledge to write this article. Hari Om. Please respond with your reflection.