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SHANKAR'S TRANSLATIONS

Shankar's Home Page

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On the Act and Art of Translation

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Sri Sadhu Om Swamigal's writings on Ramana

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upadESa undiyAr
by Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi

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Synopsis of the Story of the futility of the vEdic and other actions to grant Self-Knowledge

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Five Jewels in Praise of the Feet of Sri Ramana

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On the eve of Sri Ramana Jayanti

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Grateful Remembrance of Sri Bhagawan on His Mahasamadhi Day

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New Insights into Self-Enquiry

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The Papadam Song by Sri Bhagawan

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Atma Bodha

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Dakshinamurthy Stotra

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Self-Knowing Song

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  Roll the Papad and See:
a verse on 8-fold Yoga and Self-Enquiry by Sri Bhagawan

or

The Papadam Song, by Sri Bhagawan

Translated by R.K. Shankar

Dear All,   

Have you heard of an Indian food item called 'Papad'? It is a side-dish for our food made of rice or wheat. Recently, in Chennai, the city of my living in South India, a 'jaz' music group sang the song in Tamil 'Appalam Ittup Paaru.'  This song title means 'Roll the Papad and see.' 

In fact, the flour is rolled using a metallic or wooden roller and  made into a round rolled flat flour cake and fried in oil and served as a side-dish along with the main course of food items. This singing by the music group was reported in the English local daily newspaper called 'The Hindu', I think, last month.  The  point is, this song was composed by Sri Bhagawan, linking each step in the preparation of Papad to 8-fold Yoga and  Self-Enquiry  

Yours in Sri Bhagawan
RK Shankar


Papadam Song by Sri Bhagawan

Translated by R.K. Shankar

Try rolling the Urad Dhall or Rice Flour into Papadam, frying and then serving the Papadam - Eating that, exhaust your desire to eat Papadam.

Without longing for the things of the world and wandering in the world, according to the One Language of Silence, not having any other language of even nearly equal greatness, that is the Substance, communicated by the True Teacher (Lord Siva Dakshinamurti) who is Existence-Knowledge-Bliss, without speaking.  

Try rolling the Urad Dhall or Rice Flour into Papadam, frying and then serving the Papadam - Eating that, exhaust your desire to eat Papadam.

Pounding and crushing into powder as 'I am not', in the mortar of Wisdom-Enquiry that is 'Who am I?', the Black Gram Grain, that is the identification as the Self, growing in this field of five sheaths, that are not the Self. 

Try rolling the Urad Dhall or Rice Flour into Papadam, frying and then serving the Papadam - Eating that, exhaust your desire to eat Papadam.

With the the sap of 'pirandai' (a plant) that will be the Satsang (the divine congregation), along with the 'cumin seed' and 'pepper' that become (respectively) 'equanimity' and 'steadfast self-restraint', and with the 'salt' that will be the 'indifference' (1) to all enjoyment of this and all other worlds, and (2) even to all enjoined ceremonial acts, on account of their utter futility in relation to apprehending the Supreme Self), mixing also the 'asafoetida' that is the 'existing good impression',

Try rolling the Urad Dhall or Rice Flour into Papadam, frying and then serving the Papadam - Eating that, exhaust your desire to eat Papadam.

Incessantly pounding upon the stone-mind, unwaveringly with the inwardly facing (iron) pestle as 'I-I', with tiresomeness continually ceasing, and with abiding happiness, with the wooden or stainless steel rolling pin of calmness, on the wooden board of equanimity,

Try rolling the Urad Dhall or Rice Flour into Papadam, frying and then serving the Papadam - Eating that, exhaust your desire to eat Papadam.

In the endless vessel that will be the Symbol of the Supreme Silence, in 'That' ghee of the ParaBrahman (the Supreme Self), welling up from within by the Fire of Gnosis (born of and kept up by Self-Enquiry), frying every day as 'I am That', the Self becoming the self (by the Self emerging from within following upon the ego merging into It), for eating,  

Try rolling the Black Gram Flour into 'Self-stuffed' Papadam, frying and then serving the Papadam, and - eating that (Papadam), exhaust your desire for the things of the world. 

TRANSLATION OF PAPADAM SONG BY SRI BHAGAWAN COMPLETED THUS BY HIS GRACE
R.K. Shankar


Summary of the Key Points of the Papadam Song by Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi

1 We should not wander in the world longing for its
things.

2 The 5 sheaths are the physical, vital, mental,
intellectual and blissful sheaths respectively. These
5 sheaths are not the Self. But, in these 5 sheaths
grows an identification 'I am this.'

3 We must enquire into this identification by raising
the inward wisdom query 'Who am I?'. That will break
and crush our identification with these 5 sheaths as
'I am not'.

4 We must constantly be in divine congregation, wherever
we live and wherever we are.

5 We must develop the attitude of being equal to all
events. And, we must be steadfast in our
self-restraint.

6 We must be indifferent to all enjoyment of this and
also all other worlds like heaven. (Not the Kingdom
of Heaven of the Holy Bible)

7 We must also be indifferent to all scripturally
enjoined ceremonial acts. Because, none of these can
assist us in any way in our apprehending our Real
Self.

8 We must constantly mix our existing good impression
with equanimity of mind and indifference by resorting
constantly to divine congregations.

9 The attitude of being equal to all events is
equanimity. Then, all agitations born of impressions
will subside. And, that calmness of mind we must
develop.

10 . Our weariness must continually cease. And, we must
always abide with enduring happiness.

11 We must incessantly and unwaveringly pound our mind by
inwardly muttering 'I-I'. This we must do with
equanimity, calmness, lack of weariness and happiness.

12 Fire of Wisdom will then begin to burn inside us. And,
that fire will burn up the dross of our ego.

13 Then, in the place of ego, there will arise the Self.
And, the constant agitations of the ego will then be
replaced by the Supreme endless Silence of the Self.

14 Now, we must constantly maintain the attitude 'I am
That'. Thus, the ego will permanently be dissolved in
the Self.

15 And then, even our ordinary life awareness will be
stuffed with the awareness of the Self.

16 And thus, all our worldly desires will be exhausted.

17 This is the substance of the Silent Communication of
Lord Siva as Dakshinamurthi to His 4 disciples, who
were mind-born sons of Brahma, the Hindu God of
Creation.

18 And, Lord Siva is the Existence-Knowledge-Bliss, that
is the Supreme Self.

19 And, no language of words is equal to this One Supreme
language of Silence.

20 Lord Siva teaches this Supreme Silence. And, Satguru
Sri Ramana ever abided in this Silence. We must also
abide in the Supreme Silence of the Self

Yours in Sri Bhagawan
RK Shankar

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