Ramana Maharshi

 

"Presupposing the existence of a non-existent thing and then wanting to get salvation for that imaginary 'I', you have to start and try to do so through the above-said four paths of yoga. [1. 'Act without attachment to the fruit thereof', says karma yoga. 

2. 'Do not love any other thing; love God alone', says bhakti yoga.

 3. 'By separating yourself from God, you have degraded yourself into a petty individual soul (jiva); go and unite with Him again', says raja yoga. 

4. 'Know God', says jnana yoga.] When your sadhanas themselves become a means of giving life to the non-existent ego, how can they destroy it? To do any sadhana except Self-enquiry (atmavichara), the existence of the mind (jiva) is indispensable. For, how to perform those sadhanas without the mind? To try to destroy the ego by sadhanas other than Self-enquiry is to be just like a thief turning himself into a policeman to catch the thief who is none but himself. Only Self-enquiry can reveal the truth that the ego (mind or jiva) has no existence whatsoever!