Hinduism & Sanatana Dharma
All Is One
A Commentary On Sri Vaiyai R. Subramanian’s Ellam Ondre
All Is One presents Ellam Ondre, Sri Vaiyai R. Subramanian’s concise Tamil exposition of Advaita, together with a detailed commentary by Swami Nirmalananda Giri. Frequently recommended by Sri Ramana Maharshi, the source text moves through six closely related subjects—unity, the individual, God, peace, action, and the relation of ego to the Atman.
Its concern is not a vague affirmation that everything is “one.” Ellam Ondre asks what non-duality means for perception, conduct, relationship, spiritual effort, and the way a seeker lives among other beings. Unity is presented as something that must inform action and become established in consciousness, not merely an idea to repeat.
Swami Nirmalananda’s commentary clarifies the text’s shifting levels of meaning and guards against reducing Advaita to an intellectual slogan. He distinguishes the practical unity of life from metaphysical assertions about Brahman, and repeatedly returns the reader to meditation, discrimination, self-observation, and the disciplined work by which non-dual understanding becomes realization.
Along the way he places the teaching in conversation with the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Ramana Maharshi, Anandamayi Ma, Swami Sivananda, and the words of Jesus. These parallels illuminate the text without obscuring its directness or its rootedness in the Advaitic tradition.
Compact in form but demanding in implication, All Is One is for readers who want non-duality to become a way of seeing and living. Its central invitation is to move beyond the language of oneness toward the state of true knowing that is liberation.
A book to live with
Why Read This Book?
Enter the practical Advaita of Ellam Ondre, the concise Tamil text frequently recommended by Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Distinguish lived non-dual realization from vague “oneness” language or intellectual assertion.
Explore unity, God, action, peace, ego, and the Atman through Swami Nirmalananda’s detailed commentary.
See how meditation, discrimination, universal love, and daily conduct prepare consciousness for liberation.
Experience the writing
From the Book
From the Book
Clarity Instead of Clichés
“This is the knowledge above all other: purifier and king of secrets, only made plain to the eye of the mystic. Great is its virtue, its practice easy: thus man is brought to truth eternal” (Bhagavad Gita 9:2).
Ellam Ondre was written in the nineteenth century in Tamil. It became widely known by the frequent recommendation of Sri Ramana Maharshi. (The chapter titles were added by him.) Its great value lies in the fact that it does not just speak of principles of the highest Advaitic philosophy, but also includes practical advice on cultivating and becoming established in the non-dual state of consciousness that is liberation. It offers clarity instead of clichés.
When I sent a copy of it by email to my friends Renaat and Denise Vermier, Renaat immediately replied saying that they needed a commentary on it. So here it is.
Abbot George Burke
(Swami Nirmalananda Giri)
From the BookAdvaita Is a State of Being+
We approach any experience or idea with preconceptions, with a frame of reference that is habitual with us. This small book is about Unity on various levels. It is necessary for us to realize that this first chapter is about the individual and his relationship with the phenomenal world and those living with him in that world. If we begin to read while holding the idea of the absolute unity of Brahman with all that seems to be Its “else” the words will appear to be nonsense. Or we will reduce them to nonsense ourselves by our refusal to look at the words as they are, insisting on bending them into the context of the highest Advaita teaching. But this chapter begins and ends with the practical view of the world and its human inhabitants. That is all.
It is essential to understand that the word “one” can mean more than a single concept. In our simplistic (lazy) way of thinking we assume it means only a number, but one is a quality, a condition, as well. You cannot speak of the Divine Unity as you would of a single egg–this is the continual error Western thinking, and sad to say some in India (perhaps educated in the Western manner) do the same. Always we must remember that Advaita does not mean One. It only means Not Two. So Monism is a profound error, even through in East and West many think it is Advaita. If this sounds like mere word juggling, it is because we do not have the perspective of yogis–the only people who really understand the truth of Advaita which is transcendent and therefore completely beyond the limited intellect of anyone. Ultimately Advaita is a state of being, the state of true vidya, of true knowing, that is itself moksha: total liberation and enlightenment.
From the BookThe Universal Self Awaits You+
By no means can you discover what He will make of you unless you surrender yourself to Him. However much I may speak of it, you cannot understand. It is a matter of experience. Doubtless He will do nothing less than exalt you to His state. Therefore, be not perplexed about your future; directly surrender yourself. You can always turn away if joy does not overtake you from the very instant of surrender. Just as the drinking of milk starts with an agreeable taste and ends with the satisfaction of hunger, so also surrender starts with delight and ends with Perfect Bliss, which lies beyond even pleasure and pain. Therefore your goal, without doubt, is this Universal Self (I-Am-Brahman).
O jivatman, true individual Self, what will be your new name after surrender? There is no name besides yours. The Vedas laud you; the world praises you; the essence of religious teachings is yourself. Then what is your form? All forms are yours. There is no form which is not yours. What is installed in the temples of worship is you; what is described in the Vedas is you; festivities and celebrations are all for you. Now what can be your power? In your presence the world is active; each is what it is, because of you. Briefly said, all things glorify you and bear witness to your being. They are duty bound to do so. You would not have even dreamt that this will be your state. Start at once, be not self-conceited. The Universal Self, the Paramatman, awaits you.
Do you wish to wake up from your dream or continue in it? How long will the dream images last? Be not idle, shake off your sleep, wake up! You are witnessing your own mental images and imagining more and more. It is all in vain. Just find out who it is that sees the visions. Do not delude yourself that you are these that rise and sink in you. Wake up. The instant you wake up you will know that waking is better than this dream. Get up! The Universal Self waits to rejoice at seeing you awake.
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Companion books and approved resources for going further.
