Answer by Sri Ramana Maharshi

Answer by Sri Ramana Maharshi

Q: What is the ego-self ? How is it related to the real Self ?
Sri Ramana Maharshi :
The ego-Self appears and disappears and is transitory, whereas the real Self is permanent.
Though you are actually the true Self you wrongly identify the real Self with the ego-self.

Q: How does the mistake come about?
Sri Ramana Maharshi : See if it has come about.

Q: One has to sublimate the ego-self into the true Self.
Sri Ramana Maharshi : The ego-self does not exist at all.

Q: Why does it give us trouble?
Sri Ramana Maharshi : To whom is the trouble ?
The trouble also is imagined.
Trouble and pleasure are only for the ego.

Q: Why is the world so wrapped up in ignorance?
Sri Ramana Maharshi :
Take care of yourself.
Let the world take care of itself.
See your Self.
If you are the body there is the gross world also.
If you are spirit all is spirit alone.

Q: It will hold good for the individual, but what of the rest?
Sri Ramana Maharshi : Do it first and then see if the question arises afterwards.

Q: Is there avidya [ignorance]?
Sri Ramana Maharshi : For whom is it?

Q: For the ego-self.
Sri Ramana Maharshi : Yes, for the ego.
Remove the ego and avidya is gone.
Look for it, the ego vanishes and the real Self alone remains.
The ego professing avidya is not to be seen.
There is no avidya in reality.
All sastras [scriptures] are meant to disprove the existence of avidya.

संकलित!