The Song of Ribhu

Translated from the original Tamil by Dr. H. Ramamoorthy and Nome

The Society of Abidance in Truth (SAT) has published the first complete translation into English of the Tamil book The Song of Ribhu. This classic work of Advaita Vedanta (nonduality) has ancient origins, probably dating from the period of the Upanisads. Sri Ramana Marharshi regularly recommended it to spiritual seekers.

The Song of Ribhu is instruction by the sage Ribhu to his disciple Nidagha to assist him in realizing the ultimate Truth. For any spiritual seeker interested in Self-knowledge, it provides a detailed and lyrical description of Self-Realization, Enlightenment, or the Realization of the Absolute.

This translation, in eight-line verse that simulates the Tamil original verses, is the result of several years work by Dr. H. Ramamoorthy, the Indian religious scholar and Nome, a teacher of the Society of Abidance in Truth. They have collaborated in translating several ancient works of Advaita, including previously unavailable works of Sankara and the English translation of the Sanskrit Ribhu Gita, published by SAT in 1995.

The Song of Ribhu and the Ribhu Gita are two distinct works. Although this Tamil Song of Ribhu and the Sanskrit Ribhu Gita are based in the same ancient teachings they are quite different in form. The verses, for example, cannot be directly aligned. The Sanskrit resembles a more spontaneous outpouring of expression of nondual Realization, while the Tamil text not only contains much different content but a more systematic arrangement of the expression of nondual Realization. The serious seeker is therefore well advised to seek benefit from both.

The Tamil work is also warmly recommended by H.H. Sri Chandrasekharendra Sarasvati Swamigal Sankaracharya (Kanchipuram), and Srila Sri Tavatirthu Nachiappa Gnanadesiki Swami (Kovilur Math). This new publication is the translation of this unique text that is so highly recommended by sages and holy persons of India.

Note: The book is also available through Amazon USA, Europe, Japan, and Australia. Below are the links:

US, UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, JP, CA, AU

Chapter Twenty-Six of the Song of Ribhu ॐ Undifferentiated Abidance in the Nondual Nature அத்துவித சொரூபத்தி லபேதநிட்டை யுரைக்கு மத்தியாயம்.

Nidagha! in this explanation,

I shall tell you about being established in the Undivided,

Which has nothing apart from itself, which is full of itself.

May you be in the Bliss of being That itself, as being proclaimed to you.

This teaching is highly secret and rare to come by

In the Veda-s and the scriptures.

Moreover, this is rare to come by for even the gods and yogins

And is dear to their hearts.

Son! it has been said by those who know fully

That being at one with the perfectly full nondual Brahman,

The mass of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, the immutable

The Self of all, the serene,

With the vikalpa-s (imaginations, notions) of the fickle mind ended

And thought dissolved wholly and indistinguishably herein,

Like a solute such as cumin seed dissolved in water,

Is the abidance in That itself.

When inquired into deeply, all the multitude of differences

Will be seen to be never existent.

All is the undivided Supreme Brahman, which is not different from the Self,

And That am I.

By always correctly practicing

In this exalted certitude

And relinquishing all else,

Be in the Bliss of being ever That itself.

That in which all these apparent differences of duality

Cease to exist when inquired into,

In which all cause and effect—

Even a trace thereof—cease to exist,

And in which not a trace of this fear of duality exists

When the mind is merged therein—

Being that itself,

Ever abide in unwavering Bliss.

That in which there is neither a sankalpa (concept, fixed idea) nor vikalpa (imagination, doubt, notion),

In which there is neither peace nor perturbance,

In which there is neither mind nor intellect,

In which there is no confusion or conviction,

In which there is no bhava (conviction, feeling) or absence of bhava (conviction or feeling),

And in which there is no cognition of duality at all—

Being as That itself, without the least fear of duality,

Ever abide in unwavering Bliss.

That in which there is nothing bad or good,

In which there is neither sorrow nor pleasure, In which there is neither silence nor speech,

In which there are no pairs of opposites,

In which there is no distinction of “I” or “body,” (alternative translation: in which there is no notion “the body is myself,”)

And in which there is not the least thing to perceive

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there is no activity of body,

In which there is no activity of speech,

In which there is no activity of the mind,

In which there is no activity of any other kind,

In which there is nothing sinful or meritorious,

And in which there is no trace of desire or its consequences—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there is never any imagination,

In which there is no one who imagines,

In which the universe has not arisen,

In which the universe does not exist,

In which the universe does not get dissolved,

And in which nothing exists at any time—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there is no appearance of maya (illusion),

In which there are no effects of maya (delusion),

In which there is neither knowledge nor ignorance,

In which there is neither Lord (Isvara) nor individual (jiva),

In which there is neither reality nor unreality,

And in which there is not the least appearance of the world—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there are no manifold gods,

In which there is no worship of or service to these,

In which there is no differentiation as the triad of forms (Brahma, Vishnu, Siva),

In which there is no meditation on the triad of forms,

In which there is no form of the Supreme Siva,

And in which there is no meditation on the Supreme Siva—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there is no action suggesting differentiation,

In which there is neither devotion nor knowledge,

In which there is no result to be obtained,

Bereft of which there is no supreme abode (or supreme state),

In which there is nothing of means [for attainment],

In which there is nothing to be attained—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there is nothing of body or senses or life,

In which there is nothing of mind or intellect or thought,

In which there is nothing of ego or ignorance,

In which there is no experiencer of these,

In which there is no macrocosm or microcosm,

And in which there is not a trace of samsara (cycle of birth and death)—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there is no desire and no anger,

In which there is no covetousness and deluded infatuation,

In which there is no arrogance and envious malice,

In which there are no other impurities of the mind,

And in which there is no delusive notion of bondage,

And in which there is no delusive notion of liberation—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there is neither beginning nor end,

In which there is no bottom or middle or top,

In which there is neither shrine nor deity,

In which there is neither charity nor righteous conduct,

In which there is neither time nor space,

And in which there is no object to be perceived—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which the fourfold means for realization of Brahman (sadhana chatushtaya) do not exist,

In which there is neither sadguru (true guru) nor diligent disciple,

In which there is no immutable knowledge,

In which there is no illustrious jnani (knower, sage),

In which there is neither of the two kinds of liberation (jivanmukti, liberation while alive and videhamukti, disembodied liberation),

And in which there is nothing at any time—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there are no scriptures like the Veda-s and such,

In which there is no inquiring individual,

In which there is no confusion and clarification,

In which there is no position to be established,

In which there is no position to be rejected,

In which there is nothing at all except oneself—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there is no disputation,

In which there are no victories or defeats,

In which there is no text or its meaning,

In which there are no words with which to give expression,

In which there is no differentiation of individual (jiva) and the Supreme,

And in which there are no conditionings—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there is no listening (sravana) or connected practices (reflection and profound contemplation),

In which there is no exalted samadhi (state of absorption),

In which there is no differentiation between objects of the same particular group,

In which there is no differentiation between objects belonging to different groups,

In which there is no differentiation as affording pleasure or otherwise,

And in which there are no words or their meanings—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there is no trace of the fear of hell,

In which there is no pleasure of heaven, either,

In which there are no worlds of the Creator (Brahma) or others,

In which there are no fruits to be enjoyed there,

In which there are no other worlds,

And in which there exists no universe—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there are no elements,

In which there is not even a trace of any derivatives of the elements,

In which there is no egoity or sense of possession,

In which there is no trace of the kingdom of the mind,

In which there is no defect of attachment,

And in which there is not the slightest trace of vikalpa (difference, imagination, doubt, notion)—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there is no triad of bodies (gross, subtle, causal),

In which there is no triad of states of existence (waking, dream, and deep sleep),

In which there is no triad of souls (ever free, having attained freedom, bound),

In which there is no triad of afflictions (caused by bodily and mental factors, caused by external factors, caused by supernatural and cosmic factors),

In which there is no pentad of sheaths (physical, vital energy, mental, intellectual, blissful),

And in which there is no experiencer of any of these—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there is no sentient being,

In which there is no power of veiling,

In which there is no array of differences,

In which there is no power of false projection,

In which there is no other power of any other kind,

And in which there is no delusion of a manifest world—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That in which there is nothing of action,

In which there is no performer of action,

In which arises unsurpassed Bliss,

Which is, indeed, the changeless state,

Knowing and realizing which none returns [to mortality or illusion],

And becoming which one is freed from the bondage of worldly existence—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That by realizing which and in the Bliss of which

All other joys appear to be the joys of That,

That after realizing which with very firm certitude as oneself

Nothing else will in the least be something apart,

That by realizing which with very firm certitude as oneself

All kinds of jiva-s (individuals, beings, lives) will attain Liberation—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That which by knowing firmly as oneself

One has no need to know anything else in the least,

By knowing which with full conviction as oneself

All is known forever,

And by knowing which as oneself in complete certitude

All actions are accomplished in their entirety—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That which can be easily attained in an unimpeded manner

By the certitude that I am Brahman,

In which, by quiescence after such certitude,

One completely full, ineffable Bliss will reveal itself,

And by merger of the mind in which

One will be joined with unsurpassed, incomparable contentment—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That by merger of the mind in which

All sorrows will cease to exist in the least,

By merger of the mind in which

Neither you nor I nor anything else will exist,

And by merger of the mind in which

All these differences will disappear—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That by merger of the mind in which

One abides as oneself with no sense of duality,

By merger of the mind in which

Not a trace of anything separate will remain,

And by merger of the mind in which

Incomparable Bliss alone will reveal itself—

Ever abide in Bliss, without a trace of a concept (sankalpa),

In That itself as That itself.

That which is, indeed, of the nature of undifferentiated Existence,

Which is, indeed, of the nature of undifferentiated Consciousness,

Which is, indeed, of the nature of undifferentiated Bliss,

Which is, indeed, of the nature of nonduality,

Which is, indeed, not different from the Self,

And which, indeed, is the undivided Supreme Brahman—

In the firm certitude that “I am That,”

Abide in the Bliss of ever being That itself.

That which, indeed, is “I” and “you,”

Which, indeed, is everyone else,

Which, indeed, is the substratum of all,

Which, indeed, is One without a trace of anything else,

Which, indeed, is utmost purity,

And which, indeed, is the undivided, complete, perfect fullness—

By the conviction that “I am That,”

Be in the Bliss of ever being That itself.

That in which there are no varying modes,

In which there is not the least thing different,

In which all egoity is extinguished,

In which all desires (or imaginings) get destroyed,

In which mind and such perish,

And in which all delusion is destroyed—

By the firm conviction that “I am That,”

Be in the Bliss of ever being That itself.

That in which the body and others can not be discerned,

In which there is no perception of manifestation whatsoever,

In which thought itself is destroyed,

In which merges the individuality (jiva),

In which all imaginings get dissolved,

And in which even certitude disappears—

By the deep conviction that “I am That,”

Be in the Bliss of ever being That itself.

That in which all meditation is merged,

In which all yoga is obliterated,

In which all ignorance is dead,

In which all knowledge is nullified,

In which there are no interactions involved,

And which is the state of Absolute Truth—

By the very firm conviction that “I am That,”

Be in the Bliss of ever being That itself.

Merging in which one attains happiness always,

Merging in which one never experiences sorrow,

Merging in which one perceives nothing,

Merging in which one never takes birth at all,

Merging in which one never experiences a sense of being separate,

Merging in which one abides as the Supreme (Para) itself—

By this deep conviction of “I am That,”

Be in the Bliss of ever being That itself.

That which is verily of the nature of the Supreme Brahman,

Which verily is of the nature of the Supreme Siva,

What verily is of the nature of the immaculate,

What verily is of the nature of the Supreme State,

Which verily is of the nature of the Knowledge of Reality,

And which verily is of the nature of the Supreme Truth—

That, indeed, am I.

By such conviction, be in the Bliss of ever being That itself.

That which is verily of the nature of the pure Absolute,

Which verily is of the nature of a mass of Bliss,

Which verily is of the nature of the subtle Supreme,

Which verily is of the nature of the self-luminous,

Which verily is of the nature of the nondual,

And which verily is of the nature of the meaning of the undifferentiated—

That, indeed, am I.

By such conviction, be in the Bliss of ever being That itself.

That which is verily of the nature of Truth,

Which is verily of the nature of the peaceful Absolute,

Which verily is of the nature of the eternal,

Which verily is of the nature of the attributeless,

Which verily is of the nature of the Self,

Which verily is of the nature of the undivided Absolute—

That, indeed, am I.

By such conviction, be in the Bliss of ever being That itself.

That, indeed, which constitutes the entirety of interactions,

That even the least of which cannot, indeed, be conveyed by “the highest truth,”

Which, indeed, is the Existence-Consciousness-Bliss,

Which, indeed, is ever peaceful,

From which, indeed, there is nothing apart,

And which, indeed, abides self-existent, all by itself,

That, indeed, am I.

By such conviction, be in the Bliss of ever being That itself.

Thus, have I explained to you, Nidagha!

The state of being established as That itself without any duality.

You shall enjoy perpetual Bliss

By attaining this state by the constant,

Continuous, changeless certitude

Of the undifferentiated Absolute.

There are no more miseries of mundane existence at all at any time in the future

For you who are Brahman alone.

Casting aside all impure tendencies (vasana-s)

By the pristine tendency (vasana) left by the practice of

“The Absolute, Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, is all,

And That I ever am,”

And subsequently effacing even that tendency (vasana),

Son! you will be established in the perfect, full absorption

In and as the nondual Supreme Brahman itself

And attain the Liberation of being the undifferentiated, undivided One.

All impure tendencies (vasana-s) are of a state of the mind.

The tendencies (vasana-s) about the pure Absolute are also of a state of the mind.

The Supreme has no such changing tendencies (vasana-s).

Hence, be established in this state,

Without any tendencies (vasana-s) of the mind,

Whether considered pure or considered impure,

Like a motionless piece of stone or wood

And, without any strain, be in Bliss.

Having disassociated from the imaginings of all other thoughts,

By the conviction (bhava) of being the undivided Absolute,

And forgetting even the said conviction (bhava) of being the Absolute,

You yourself abide as the perfectly full Supreme Brahman.

Even if a great sinner in this world

Hears this explanation now proclaimed

And understands it, he shall, rid of all the great sins of his ego,

Abide as the nature of the undivided, undifferentiated Absolute.

The endless Veda-s,

In revealing here and there

The means of meditation for mental purification,

Have indicated only rock-like, motionless merger with and absorption in

The unafflicted mass of Bliss,

The undivided, complete, perfectly full Siva,

As the means for the happy Liberation

Of those who are mentally purified.

Therefore, one can here attain

The undifferentiated Liberation by abiding as just That itself

And with a purified mind arising out of the practice of the meditation

That whatever is known is Siva

And that Siva am I.

Whatever is stated here is the Truth.

Thus, the sage Ribhu explained in full to Nidagha

The abidance in the True State.

It is the undivided form of our Supreme Lord in a state of sublime, joyous dance that says:

By the conviction that I am ever the Reality, which is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss,

And by the state of abiding at one with That, being That itself,

The empty bondage of the world can be cut asunder and pure Liberation attained.