Being Awake in the Inner Chamber

There’s a stillness that waits beneath all the noise.
A place inside us untouched by fear, roles, or even thought.

Sri Ramana Maharishi, one of the most revered sages of modern India, points directly to that space in Verse 29 of Ulladhu Narpadu — “Forty Verses on Reality.” It’s not a philosophical concept. It’s a call to direct experience.

In this verse, Ramana says:

“Don’t simply chant ‘I, I’ aloud. Instead, dive deep within. Enquire with attention — Where does this ‘I’ arise from?”

Shut the doors of the senses. Be still.
Be like a corpse — unmoving — but awake… in the inner chamber.

This is not a metaphor. It’s instruction.

We often try to find peace by reaching outward — through rituals, mantras, or visualizations. But Ramana invites us to do something more radical: to simply turn within. Not to imagine the bliss of the Self, but to go to the source of the one who seeks bliss.

He says that the mantra “I” isn’t just a word — it’s a vibration. A pulse of presence. When we pay attention to that inner sense of “I am,” something extraordinary happens. The ego — our separate, reactive identity — starts to dissolve.

That’s when we become truly still.
Not numb. Not asleep. But awake in a way the world can’t shake.

This isn't about suppressing the senses out of fear. It’s about centering in awareness, where thoughts and emotions lose their grip. Imagine walking into a quiet, sunlit room in your heart — that’s the “inner chamber.” And once you’re there, you see clearly: You are not your thoughts. You are not your body. You are the witness.

That’s the power of jnana — wisdom through inquiry.
And the gateway is always the same question: Who is the ‘I’ that is aware right now?

It’s a question, yes — but more than that, it’s a practice.
You return to it again and again, like a boat returning to shore.

So today, maybe even now, pause. Close your eyes.
Set everything down. And gently ask: From where does this ‘I’ arise?

Stay there.

You don’t need to chase light.
You are the light — resting in the chamber of your own being.