Updesa Saram – Essence of Teachings

Recently, I saw this video of young kids beautifully singing the Updesha Saram (Essence of teachings), which is the summary of Sri Ramana Maharishi’s teachings, and felt the urge to share here.

Just like the sweetness of the song, the teachings are deep and soulful. These kids were guided by Kuldeep Pai, who has been bringing out Spiritual Musical Series.

Here is the Upadesha Saram with Sanskrit, Transliteration and Translation (taken from source below)

In the first 15 verses, Sri Ramana has laid down the path of selfless Karma, Bhakti and Yoga, while the remaining 15 verses (Verses 16 to 30) are devoted to the path of Self-Inquiry

कर्तुराज्ञया प्राप्यते फलम् ।
कर्म किं परं कर्म तज्जडम् ॥ १॥

kartur ājñyayā prāpyate phalaṃ
karma kiṃ paraṃ karma tajjaḍam

By the law/will of the Creator, the fruits of actions are realized.
How is action then supreme? It is not. It is inert

2. कृतिमहोदधौ पतनकारणम् ।
फलमशाश्वतं गतिनिरोधकम् ॥ २॥

kṛti-maho-dadhau patana-kāraṇam
phalama-śaśvataṃ gati-nirodhakam

The results of actions are impermanent and pass away.  Yet, their seeds form an ocean of Karma which becomes a barrier in the progress of a seeker

3. ईश्वरार्पितं नेच्छया कृतम् ।
चित्तशोधकं मुक्तिसाधकम् ॥ ३॥

īśvarārpitaṃ necchayā kṛtam
citta-śodhakaṃ mukti-sādhakam

Work which is performed as an offering to the Almighty, and done without any expectation of the fruits thereof, helps in purification of the mind and thereby leads one to Liberation or Realization.

4. कायवाङ्मनः कार्यमुत्तमम् ।
पूजनं जपश्चिन्तनं क्रमात् ॥ ४॥

kāya-vāṅ-manaḥ kāryam-uttamam
pūjanaṃ japa-ścintanaṃ kramāt

Among the actions performed by the body, voice and mind – puja (ritualistic worship), japa (chanting) and contemplation (inner meditation) – each is superior to the other in an ascending order.

5. जगत ईशधी युक्तसेवनम् ।
अष्टमूर्तिभृद्देवपूजनम् ॥ ५॥

jagata īśadhī yukta sevanaṃ
aśṭa-mūrti bhṛd deva-pūjanam

Ether, fire, air, water, earth, Sun, moon and living beings. Worshipping any of the eight forms, thinking they are all forms of God, is good worship (puja) of God.

6. उत्तमस्तवादुच्चमन्दतः ।
चित्तजं जपध्यानमुत्तमम् ॥ ६॥

uttama-stavād-ucca-mandataḥ
cittajaṃ japa dhyānam uttamam

Singing the Lord’s praises is good, but better than that is loud chanting of japa, while superior to loud chanting is soft japa. However, best of all is silent, mental japa.

7. आज्यधारया स्रोतसा समम् ।
सरलचिन्तनं विरलतः परम् ॥ ७॥

ajya-dhāraya srotasā samam
sarala cintanaṃ viralataḥ param

Like an unbroken flow of oil, or a stream of water,continuous meditation is better than that which is interrupted.

8. भेदभावनात् सोऽहमित्यसौ ।
भावनाऽभिदा पावनी मता ॥ ८॥

bheda-bhāvanāt so’hamityasau
bhavana’bhidā pāvanī matā

Meditation without duality, that is meditating as ‘I am HE’, is superior to meditation which assumes a separation between the Bhakta (devotee) and the
beloved Lord.

9. भावशून्यसद्भावसुस्थितिः ।
भावनाबलाद्भक्तिरुत्तमा ॥ ९॥

bhāva śūnyasad bhāva susthitiḥ
bhāvanā-balād bhaktir-uttamā

A state of void, free from thought, is gradually attained, making abidance in the background state of ‘I AM’ complete. This is supreme devotion.

10. हृत्स्थले मनः स्वस्थता क्रिया ।
भक्तियोगबोधाश्च निश्चितम् ॥ १०॥

hṛtsthale manaḥ svasthatā kriyā
bhakti yoga bodhaśca niścitam

Fixing the mind in the Heart (Source) is true Karma (action), Bhakti (devotion), Yoga (action) and Jnana (knowledge).

11. वायुरोधनाल्लीयते मनः ।
जालपक्षिवद्रोधसाधनम् ॥ ११॥

vayu-rodhanāl līyate manaḥ
jāla-pakṣivat rodha-sādhanam

Through breath-control, the movement of the mind is contained, just as a bird is restrained when caught in a net.

12. चित्तवायवश्चित्क्रियायुताः ।
शाखयोर्द्वयी शक्तिमूलका ॥ १२॥

citta-vāyavaś cit-kriyāyutāḥ
śā khayor-dvayi śakti-mūlakā

The mind and pranas, which carry out various thought processes and actions within the body, emerge from one common source (sakti).

13. लयविनाशने उभयरोधने ।
लयगतं पुनर्भवति नो मृतम् ॥ १३॥

laya vinaśane ubhaya-rodhane
laya-gataṃ punar bhavati no mṛtam

Mind control can be achieved through two modes – either through absorption/abeyance or through complete destruction. In the case of the first mode, the mind emerges again as it is merely absorbed in the void and hence temporarily held in abeyance. In contrast, through the second mode, when the mind is destroyed, it can never emerge again.

14. प्राणबन्धनाल्लीनमानसम् ।
एकचिन्तनान्नाशमेत्यदः ॥ १४॥

prāṇa-bandhanāt līna-mānasam
eka-cintanāt nāśametyadaḥ

When the mind is held in suspension through breath control, it must then be completely destroyed through one-pointed attention to that ONE reality

15. नष्टमानसोत्कृष्टयोगिनः ।
कृत्यमस्ति किं स्वस्थितिं यतः ॥ १५॥

naṣta-manasot-kṛṣṭa yoginaḥ
kṛtyam asti kiṃ svasthitiṃ yataḥ

What action remains for an exalted Yogi whose mind has been completely destroyed and who is ever established in the Self ?

16. दृश्यवारितं चित्तमात्मनः ।
चित्त्वदर्शनं तत्त्वदर्शनम् ॥ १६॥

dṛśya-vāritaṃ citta-mātmanaḥ
citva-darśanaṃ tattva darśanam

When attention is withdrawn from objects and focused exclusively on the Self, Truth is revealed.

17. मानसं तु किं मार्गणे कृते ।
नैव मानसं मार्ग आर्जवात् ॥ १७॥

mānasaṃ tu kiṃ mārgaṇe kṛte
naiva mānasaṃ mārge ārjavāt

When one inquires: “What is the mind?”, he finds out that there is no mind. This is the direct path to Reality.

18. वृत्तयस्त्वहं वृत्तिमाश्रिताः ।
वृत्तयो मनो विद्ध्यहं मनः ॥ १८॥

vṛttayastvahaṃ vṛtti-maśritaḥ
vṛttayo mano viddhayahaṃ manaḥ

Mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts. These thoughts depend upon the I-thought alone. Hence the mind is nothing but this I-thought.

19. अहमयं कुतो भवति चिन्वतः ।
अयि पतत्यहं निजविचारणम् ॥ १९॥

ahamayaṃ kuto bhavati cinvataḥ
ayi patatyahaṃ nijavicāraṇam

Ask the question: “From where does this I-thought arise?” On inquiring deeply, the I-thought will vanish. This is Self-Inquiry.

20. अहमि नाशभाज्यहमहंतया ।
स्फुरति हृत्स्वयं परमपूर्णसत् ॥ २०॥

ahami nāśa-bhā-jyahama-hantaya
sphurati hṛt-svayaṃ parama-pūrṇa-sat

When the I-thought or Ego is destroyed, the real I springs forth on its own in the spiritual Heart and shines as ‘I-I’, in all its fulness.

21. इदमहं पदाऽभिख्यमन्वहम् ।
अहमिलीनकेऽप्यलयसत्तया ॥ २१॥

idamaham padā’bhikhya-manvaham
aham-ilīnake’pyalaya sattyā

And this unbroken continuous ‘I-I’ is the real I, as the I-thought (egoic I) disappears and dissolves in deep sleep.

22. विग्रहेन्द्रियप्राणधीतमः ।
नाहमेकसत्तज्जडं ह्यसत् ॥ २२॥

vigrah-endriya prāṇa-dhītamaḥ
nāhameka-sat tajjaḍam hyasat

This real ‘I-I’ is the only Truth or Reality. Neither the body, nor the senses, nor the vital air (prana), nor breath, nor intellect, nor ignorance may be considered real as they are all gross, inert, insentient and illusory.

23. सत्त्वभासिका चित्क्ववेतरा ।
सत्तया हि चिच्चित्तया ह्यहम् ॥ २३॥

sattva-bhāsika citkva vetarā
sattyā hi cit cittayā hyaham

Is there any other thing apart from Consciousness that illumines existence? Indeed, existence itself is Consciousness and Consciousness is ‘I AM’.

24. ईशजीवयोर्वेषधीभिदा ।
सत्स्वभावतो वस्तु केवलम् ॥ २४॥

īśa-jīvayor veṣa-dhī-bhidā
sat-svabhāvato vastu kevalam

Between the jiva (the individual) and Ishwara (Unity), there is a difference only with respect to the body and the intellect (gross and subtle bodies), but from the standpoint of True Nature, the Absolute Reality alone is.

25. वेषहानतः स्वात्मदर्शनम् ।
ईशदर्शनं स्वात्मरूपतः ॥ २५॥

veṣa-hānataḥ svātma-darśanam
īśa-darśanaṃ svātma-rūpataḥ

When the various conditionings of body-mind and identifications with name and form are shed, the Self is realized. The vision of the Lord as Self is true Self Realization.

26. आत्मसंस्थितिः स्वात्मदर्शनम् ।
आत्मनिर्द्वयादात्मनिष्ठता ॥ २६॥

ātma-saṃsthitiḥ svātma-darśanam
ātma-nirdvayād ātma-niṣṭhatā

Since the Self is non-dual, establishing oneself in the Self alone is the vision of the Self, and that alone is abidance in the Self.

27. ज्ञानवर्जिताऽज्ञानहीनचित् ।
ज्ञानमस्ति किं ज्ञातुमन्तरम् ॥ २७॥

jñāna-varjitā-jñana-hina cit
jñānam-asti kiṃ jñātum-antaram

Consciousness transcends all dualities and is devoid of the thought of knowledge, as well as the thought of ignorance. Is there any knowledge other than Self Awareness itself, to know the Self ?

28. किं स्वरूपमित्यात्मदर्शने ।
अव्ययाऽभवाऽऽपूर्णचित्सुखम् ॥ २८॥

kiṃ svarūpamit-yātma darśane
avyayābhavā” pūrṇa-cit sukham

“What is the nature of ‘Me’ – the Self?” Thus inquiring one realizes the Self as Indestructible, Unborn, Perfect and of the nature of Consciousness and bliss.

29. बन्धमुक्त्यतीतं परं सुखम् ।
विन्दतीह जीवस्तु दैविकः ॥ २९॥

bandha muktyatītaṃ paraṃ sukham
vindatīhajī vastu daivikaḥ

The individual who has realized the Divine State (his own real nature) gains supreme happiness and bliss, beyond bondage and freedom, here, in this very world.

30. अहमपेतकं निजविभानकम् ।
महदिदंतपो रमनवागियम् ॥ ३०॥

aham-apetakaṃ nija-vibhānakam
mahadidaṃ tapo ramaṇa vāgiyam

Self-Inquiry, devoid of ego, is a great penance. Realize this truth articulated by Sri Ramana. Sings Ramana, the Self.

Source:  https://archive.arunachala.org/docs/collected-worm/upadesa-saram/ and ebook by Rajiv Kapur here.