Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

Vijnana is also called mind or chittam. When that vritti is
antarmukham (turned inward) it has to be called ‘buddhi’ or
‘aham’. All these put together are known as ‘antahkaranam’.

Aham is achalam (steady; immovable). But with the aid of
this antahkarana the panchabhutas (the five elements) came
into existence. These elements individually and collectively
multiplied and the body with its various limbs came into
existence. Discarding the present creation, which has come
into existence with the support of antahkarana, when the mind
becomes antarmukham, vritti janya jnanam (awareness of the
Self generated by action) appears. That means, you will know
the source of action (vritti). That source, or origin, is called
‘aham sphurana’, or the Self. However, it is only by the mind
that that is to be known. That is why it is called mano vritti
jnanam. That means it is the mind which is ‘suddha satvam’
(suddha = pure; satvam = the first and the best of the three
gunas which are supposed to constitute the external world).

It is that which manifests itself in innumerable ways and it is
that which remains still, all by itself. You may call it by
whatever name you like; any name,” said Bhagavan.

A person who had recently arrived and who had been
closely following the conversation, enquired of Bhagavan,
“Swami, is it a fact that a Jnani will not have any prarabhdha
except that of pareccha?” “Yes, it is the same thing. The
prarabhdhas, ‘iccha (desires), anichha (no desires) and pareccha
(desires of other people)’ will be common to Jnanis and
ajnanis. Experience also is the same. The difference, however,
is that for the Jnani, there will be no feeling that he is doing
anything and so there will be no bondage, while the ajnani
feels that he is doing everything and so there will be bondage.

Mind alone is the cause of bondage and release. The
saying,“mana eva manusyanam karanam bandhamokshayoh,”
mn @v mnu:ya[a< kar[< bNxmae]yae>
from the Upanishads (‘Mind alone is the cause of bondage
and release’) asserts that mind is the cause of everything.

For that mind, desires are the form. If the root cause of
desire is discovered, there won’t be any bondage. That root
is the Self. If one knows one’s Self, whatever desires may
come or go, they will not worry one,” said Bhagavan.