6 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 6 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 2 0 3 Description of Ātma vichāra on the Basis of Bibliographical Research The whole process ofĀtma vichāra – simple as it may seem to be – needs a good understanding of the relevant model of human structure involved in the sādhana (practice). Understanding of the human structure in Advaita Vedānta is literary fixed in theUpanisads , specifically in the Sarva Upanisad (1921, 624, verses 11–13), where appear references to koshas , tattvas , and prānas . Ramana Maharshi refers to the koshas in Venkataramiah (1968, 234): “ ‘Annamāya kosha’ is the gross body sheath. The senses with the prāna and the karmendriyas form the ‘prānāmāya kosha’. The senses with the mind form the ‘manomāya kosha’ . They are the jñānendriyas. The mind is formed of thoughts only. ‘Idam’ [Note: this] is the object and ‘aham’ [Note: ‘I’] is the subject; the two together form the ‘vijñānamāya kosha’ . ” The available accounts of the process ofĀtma vichāra (Maharshi 1966, 2010; Venkataramiah 1968; Narasimha 1968; Osborn 1971; Ganapati Muni 1977, 2016; Shankaranarayanan 1978; Rao 2010; Ramamohan 2016; Godman 2015, 2018; Timčák 2018) all indicate analogous sādhana patterns . In the Sri Ramana Gita (2016, 15, 2:2), the essence ofĀtma vichāra is described by Ramana Maharshi as follows: “ In the interior of the Heart-cave (hrdaya) Brahman alone shines in the form of the Ātman with direct immediacy as I–I (aham–aham). Enter into the cavity of heart (hrt) with questing mind or by diving deep within or through control of breath and abide in the Ātman. ” Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni, one of the eminent followers of Ramana Maharshi, who collected the dialogues for the Sri Ramana Gita , gave seemingly another type of instruction: “ Find out wherefrom this Ego ‘I’ springs forth and merges at its source; that is ‘tapas’ [Note: meaning austerity, practice]. Find out wherefrom the sound of the ‘mantra’ in ‘japa’ [Note: the repetition of amantram ] rises up and merges there; that is ‘tapas’ ” (Shankaranarayanan 1978, 6). These are versions of the majjana andmargana types ofĀtma vichāra . InĀtma vichāra the so-called spiritual heart is a central con - cept. Usually it is termed as hrt-ayamorhrd-ayam , meaning “Heart–That”, where “That” stands for the Self. Thehrt is considered as “ the centre which sucks in everything ” (Ganapati 2016, 35, 5:5), so if the mind merges there, it results in samādhi . It is considered to be a non-physical center situated in the space of the chest cavity, on its right side. Thus, at the beginning one can only intuitively locate it, but if we do the practice, we will find out which area gives us a perceivable response. As shown above, it is the source of the I–I impulses that give us the awareness of consciousness (Ganapati 2016, 71–75, 9:5–14). It is described as a “cave”, so there is a space . Conceptually it is analogous to the spiritual heart in the “prayer of the heart” as researched in Louchakova (2007, 83– 84). If the attention is merged into this area, then a move - ment of energy in the sushumna nādī can be experienced. Nādīs are channels within the prānāmāya kosha (Woodroffe 1974, 103–115). Sushumna is one of the nādis andconnects mūlādhāra chakra and sahasrāra chakra . Mūlādhāra is an energy cum information center at the lower end of the spine, while sahasrāra is located at the top of the skull (Woodroffe 1974, 116–142). As regards the technique ofĀtma vichāra , Maharshi gives another explanation to a visitor (Venkataramiah 1968, 22–23): Ask yourself the question: The body [Note: annamāya kosha ] and its functions are not ‘I’. Going deeper, the mind [Note: manomāya kosha ] and its functions are not ‘I’ … This analysis leads to the conclusion that the individuality is operative as the cognizer of the existence of thoughts and their sequence. This individuality is the Ego [Note: ahamkāra ] , or as people say ‘I’. ‘Vijñānamāya kosha’ is only the sheath of the ‘I’ and not the ‘I’ itself … ‘I’ must therefore be the unqualified substratum underlying these three states [Note: waking, dream, and dreamless sleep] is transcended. ‘I’ is in brief, beyond the five sheaths. Next, the residuum left over after discarding all that is not-Self is the Self, Sat–Chit–Ānanda, i.e. Being–Consciousness–Bliss. Mudaliar (1968, 242, 370) recorded the following response giving further clarification whether ‘Who am I?’ should be repeated as amantra : ‘Who am I’ is not a ‘mantra’. It means you must find out where in you arises the ‘I–thought’, which is the source of all other thoughts …
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