When I do not look at her, She lovingly looks and smiles at me - Guru Vācaka Kōvai

Guru Vācaka Kōvai 645. The real intention of the scriptures in saying “Know the truth of thyself”, is nothing but to  make one give up the objective attention, the false knowledge. Why? Because, the truth of oneself ever shines in everyone as ‘I am’, like the sun.

Michael James: Since the truth of oneself is ever shining in everyone as ‘I am’, it is not a thing to be known anew. Therefore, when the scriptures say “Know the truth of thyself”, their real intention is simply to make us turn our attention towards the ever-known ‘I am’, thereby giving up the attention towards second and third person objects, for such objective attention alone is wrong knowledge or ajnana. Thus, the intention of the scriptures is not to make us know anything new, but only to make us give up our wrong knowledge. In other words, if we merely give up our objective attention, that itself will make it clear to us that we ever know Self.

646. Self, the shining of Grace, which does not reveal itself when sought by the mind, which is merely an objective attention [that is, an attention towards second and third persons], will reveal itself when that objective attention [the mind] ceases to function. “When I look at her, the new bride will only look down towards the ground, but when I do not look at her, will lovingly look at me and mildly smile within with joy.”

Michael James: The last two lines of this verse are a quotation of verse 1094 of Tirukkural. The unusual way of comparing Self to the bride and the ego to the bridegroom is to be noted here. When one seeks to know Self as an object through the extroverted mind, It is not revealed. But since the cessation of

extroversion is itself introversion or Selfwardness (ahamukham), Self will automatically shine forth when extroversion ceases. Here readers are warned not to interpret the simile in the following wrong manner: ‘The bride looks at the bridegroom only when he does not look at her. Therefore, Self will reveal itself only when we do not attend to It, that is, only when we attend to the external world’. This is not the meaning which is intended when giving this simile. The correct interpretation should be: ‘Self cannot

be known by mind, but It will automatically shine forth when, and only when, the nature of the mind (namely attending to or knowing only second and third person objects) is destroyed’.

647. Do not look at this, do not look at that. If you simply remain without looking at anything, then by that powerful look at [one’s own] being [that is, by that powerful attention to Self, ‘I am’], you will become the supreme reality which has the outlook of the unlimited space of consciousness [chit-akasa].

648. Except by the Lord’s Grace, which begins to function when one surrenders oneself  completely to His Feet with sincere devotion, it [the reality] cannot be cognized merely by the skill of the mind of the jiva. So subtle is the reality.

http://www.happinessofbeing.com/guru_vachaka_kovai.html

http://prashantaboutindiaa.blogspot.com/2010/04/ramana-maharshi-discusses-about-truth.html

http://www.arunachalasamudra.org/directry.html