These questions were asked by Sri Sivaprakasam Pilli about the year of 1902. Sri pilli was a graduate in philosophy. He was employed in the revenue department. During his official visit to the Virupaksha cave Arunachala hill and met the Maharishi Ramana. He asked some questions to Maharishi Ramana. Answers were given by writing as Maharishi Ramana was in Silence that time.
Question no 9; What is the path of self-inquiry for understanding the nature of the mind?
M.R; That which rises as ‘I’ in this body is the mind. If one inquires as to where in this body the thought ‘I’ rises first.,one would discover that it rises in the heart. That is the place of the mind’s origin. Even if one thinks constantly ‘I–I’, one will be led to that place. Of all the thoughts that arises in the mind,the ‘I’ thought is the first. It is after the rise of this of this, that the other thoughts arise. It is after the appearance of the first personal pronoun that the second and third personal pronouns appear; without the first personal pronoun there will not be the second and third.
