Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

(37) MOKSHA WITH THE BODY

Prev Next 20th February, 1946
About a week back, a newcomer to the Ashram asked
Bhagavan, “Is it possible to attain moksha (deliverance) while
still in this body?” Bhagavan said, “What is moksha? Who
attains it? Unless there is bondage, how can there be moksha?
Who has that bondage?” “Me,” said the questioner. “Who
really are you? How did you get the bondage? And why? If
you first know that, then we can think of attaining moksha
while in this body,” said Bhagavan. Unable to ask any further
questions, he kept quiet and after a while went away.

After he left, Bhagavan looked at all the rest of us with
kindness in his eyes and said, “Many people ask the same
question. They want to attain moksha in this body. There is a
sangham (society). Not only now, but even in olden days many
people not only taught their disciples but also wrote books
to the effect that there were kaya kalpa vratas (rejuvenation),
and such things, and that this body could be made as strong
as an adamant, so as to become imperishable. After saying
all that, doing ever so many things and writing about them
at length, they died in course of time. When the Guru himself
who talked and preached of rejuvenation passed away, what
about his disciples? We do not know what will happen the
next moment to a thing that we see now. Peace cannot be
attained unless through Self-enquiry one realises that one is
not the body and, with vairagya (absence of worldly desires
and passions), one ceases to care about it. Moksha is after all
the attainment of shanti (perfect peace). If therefore peace
cannot be attained so long as the body is identified with the
Self, any attempt to keep the body for ever as it is, increases
the bondage instead of decreasing it. It is all an illusion,”
said Bhagavan.