Upadesha Sara | Verse 17 - 18 | Brni. Shubhani Chaitanya

Shubhani-Ji recapped that Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga help prepare the mind by removing impurities and distractions:
Karma Yoga: Removes selfishness and anxiety through Ishwara (dedicating actions to God) and (accepting all results as God’s gift).
Bhakti Yoga: Removes distraction by focusing on the form or name of Bhagavan instead of worldly attractions (through Puja, Japa, and Chintanam).
Ashtanga Yoga: Builds a calm, focused mind through the eight steps: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi.

All these yogas make the mind purified and quiet — but they still assume that the mind is real.
Starting with Verse 17, we shift into Jnana Yoga — and here, the inquiry becomes deeper:
Is the mind even real?
“When one inquires into the nature of the mind, it disappears. This is the direct path.”

Brni. Shubhani- Ji explained:
All the earlier paths accept the mind’s existence and work to purify or control it.
But Jnana Yoga questions the very existence of the mind itself.
She used the classic Vedantic example of the snake and the rope:
In dim light, you mistake a rope for a snake.
Karma Yoga would try to tame the snake.
Bhakti Yoga would try to make the snake dance.
Ashtanga Yoga would try to control the snake’s movements.
Jnana Yoga just turns on the light — and realizes there was no snake.

Similarly, Jnana Yoga asks:
"Is there a mind at all?"
Upon inquiry, we discover there is no real mind, just appearances.
This is why Jnana Yoga is called the direct path:
It does not try to fix the mind — it sees through the illusion of it.

Key Teachings from Verse 17
Problems never end if we stay at the level of the ego. Solve one, another appears. Like a game of whack-a-mole!
The ego is the fundamental problem.
Bhagavan Ramanamaharshi’s method:
Whenever someone said, "I have a problem," he would ask:
"Who is the one having the problem?"
Inquiring into who suffers reveals that the ego is itself an illusion.
Thus, Jnana Yoga is not about managing problems or calming the mind — it’s about questioning the reality of the mind and ego.

Important Note
Brni. Shubhani-Ji emphasized:
Jnana Yoga is very deep.
We can't jump straight into it without preparation.
Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga purify and stabilize the mind enough for deep inquiry.
Only a sattvic, calm mind can sustain real inquiry into the truth of the Self.

Verse 18:
“The mind is only a collection of thoughts. Of all thoughts, the I-thought is the root. Therefore, the mind is the I-thought.”
Breakdown of the Teaching
What is the mind?
Vrittis (thoughts) make up the mind.

What is the key thought?
Aham Vritti — the I-thought.
Without the I-thought, there are no object thoughts.

Example:
"I am seeing the book."
"I am speaking."
"I am sitting."

In every case:
The object (book, speaking, sitting) changes.
The I remains constant.

Thus:
All object thoughts depend on the I-thought.
The mind is nothing but the I-thought.

Shubhani-ji explained that in Vedanta:
Reality = that which exists in all three periods of time: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.

Illusion = that which comes and goes.

Now observe:
In waking: the ego (I-thought) is present.
In dream: the ego is somewhat present.
In deep sleep: the ego completely disappears.

Thus:
The ego is not real.
It appears and disappears, like a dream.

Only pure consciousness (Atma) exists in all three states.
That is our true Self — not the ego.

Illustration: The Story of Mani Mama
To make this vivid,. Shubhani-ji shared the humorous story of Mani Mama, a man who crashed weddings:
He went to the bride's side, bossed them around, claiming he was from the groom’s side.
Then he went to the groom's side, bossed them around, claiming he was from the bride’s side.
Both sides tolerated him, thinking he was connected to the other side!
Then both families found out that he didn’t belong to either side. He was just a wedding crasher.
Moral:
Mani Mama had no real standing, but everyone gave him power because they believed he belonged.
Similarly:
The ego has no real standing.
But because we believe "I am the doer," "I am suffering," "I am incomplete," we give the ego power.
Once questioned, the ego falls away — like catching Mani Mama!

The Path Forward
Self-Inquiry asks:
"Where does this I-thought come from?"
By following the I-thought to its source, the ego dissolves.
Only pure Awareness remains.
This is the direct path that Bhagavan Ramanamaharshi taught:
Not managing or improving the ego, but dissolving it through inquiry.

Final summary:
“The real Self is already free, pure, and whole.
We don't need to fix the mind — we need to realize we are not the mind.”