Self knowledge

The story of King Janaka was told by Sage Vasishta to Sri Rama as follows:

King Janaka took evening walks everyday in his royal garden, while his retinue stayed outside. One day Janaka, when alone in the garden, happened to hear the conversation of some invisible siddhas. The purport of the conversation is as follows: 

(1) When the knower and the known become one, then the bliss of the Self is experienced. This is known as Self -Knowledge and this is what one should aim at.

(2) To eradicate the vasanas one should contemplate on the Self which bestows light on the seer, seen and the act-of-seeing. One should thus contemplate on the eternal Self which is the centre between the being and non-being. 

(3) That in which this entire universe is established, to which it pertains, out of which it arises, for which it exists, by which it really is, that is the self-existent-reality, the Truth. Let us contemplate on that in the Heart.*

(4) One should contemplate the one eternal Self which reveals itself shining as "I"-"I". Instead of seeking the truth in the heart, the ignorant goes in search of God outside oneself. It is like a man throwing away the valuable Kaustubba gem in hand and going after conch shells. 

(5) The self can be realised only by those who have destroyed completely the hosts of desire. Knowing the absence of happiness in the baneful objects (both in the past and future) yet if one clings on to them one would remain in bondage and is no better than an ass. 

(6) Just as the celestial Indra struck down the mountains with his thunderbolt, let us strike at the senses which raise their hoods as hissing snakes, with our powerful discriminative mind. By this the mind acquires peace, gets equanimity and becomes one with the Blissful Self.

* Invocatory verse to Supplement to Forty Verses. The Sanskrit (original) verse was translated into Tamil by Bhagavan. 

Taken from Moments Remembered:Reminiscences of Bhagavan Ramana by Sri V Ganesan.