Working Without A Mind

Sri Ramana Maharshi

2-1-1946 Afternoon

Mr. Joshi has submitted what B calls a question paper, and B answers the same.

First about the jnani's doing work, without the mind: "You imagine one cannot do work if the mind is killed. Why do you suppose that it is the mind alone that can make one do work? There may be other causes which can also produce activity. Look at this clock. It is working without a mind. Again suppose we say the jnani has a mind. His mind is very different from the ordinary man's mind. He is like the man who is hearing a story told with his mind all on some distant object. The mind rid of vasanas, though doing work, is not doing work. On the other hand, if the mind is full of vasanas, it is doing work even if the body is not active or moving."

Q: Is soham the same as 'Who am I?'

Aham ("I") alone is common to them. One is soham. The other is koham. They are different. Why should we go on saying soham? One must find out the real "I". In the question, 'Who am I?', by "I" is meant the ego. Trying to trace it and find its source, we see it has no separate existence but merges in the real "I".