Knowledge of the Self

Q: Is there knowledge of the Self in the Egoless State?

A:The truth about the Egoless State is conveyed by the Sage by means of negations. "What is called Self-Knowledge is that State in which there can be neither knowledge nor ignorance; for what is commonly regarded as knowledge is not true knowledge;* the Self is Itself true Knowledge, because It shines alone — without any other that could become an object of Its knowledge or a knower of It. Understand that the Self is not a void" (Ulladu Narpadu verse 12). Because the Egoless State is not described to us in positive terms, many people are apt to conclude that it is mere nothingness or utter annihilation; this mistake was committed by many of the professed followers of the ‘Enlightened One’, Gautama Buddha; the Sage here provides against a similar mistake being made by those who might become his disciples, by declaring that it is not a void.

- Sri Ramana Maharishi's answer to the question on the knowledge of the Self-