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I omitted to mention earlier that a new feature has been added to the 'Recent Comments' box. Near the top there is an icon of two people. If you click on it, you will see a list of the users who have made the last twenty-five comments. If you then tick the white box to the left of the user's name, the recent comments of that particular user will be featured. You can then open them all with the 'expand all' option, or open them one by one by clicking on the plus sign.
If you want to do a search for older comments, click on the 'next' box and comments 26-50 will display. Click again and 51-75 will appear. And so on. The same search facility is available inside each twenty-five comment block.
5,000 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1401 – 1600 of 5000 Newer› Newest»Dear Devotees,
I have bundled up my posting, for ease of your reading, I am posting my post once again.
David, Apologies for that, if it could be deleted, would be great.
=======================
Dear Friends,
Thanks so much for your replies. They have been helpful.
S,
I am not thinking that Bhagavan knew or knows the answer to my question. But there is this question lingering - "How does one know/realize that he is That"
This conviction or realization they say is acausal as it already is there.
Like how a rope is seen as snake, and with some grace, we hear from a Guru that it is not snake but only rope. How can the Rope be known or realized?
Its the knowlede of the Rope given by a Gurur that helps the one in delusion know the Rope.
In the same way, How do we know a Rope when a Guru graces us with this knowledge? Surely there is a fraction moment of realization about the knowledge of snake as unreal and what it really is - Rope.
How can one possibly know/realize what Rope is? As in to know/realize Rope we should know/realize what Rope is? For it is really knowing /Realizing the knowledge of Rope that ends the delusion.
Ravi,
by knowing, I mean realization itself. How can one know the feeling of "being" exactly they way Bhagavan said? How does one know this "irukkindren unravu" is the same?
When we know that awareness is the very nature of Self, and that no other 'Knowing' is needed to 'know the Self' just the same way as you said, a light is not needed to see another light. Wouldn't it be enough already?
In this regard, there is an intuitive question, having known the knowledge as above, how does one realize that this is it?
Some how some grace should prompt, that "Swayam Prakaasha iti" - "Self illuminating itself"
David,
My inner subtler question is based exactly on it. When we now know that in that state there is the definitive certitude of knowing the Reality and no doubts such as "is that that" or "that state will be like this" etc... will no longer arise.
When we already know this, still why are we in quest? this is my subtler question, for having known this already, something still remains, some incompleteness still remains in everybody. This incompleteness in everybody is perhaps because One is not knowing that "That is This only" to quote the Maha Vaakyas the convictions like - "Aham Brahmaasmi" "I am That" etc...
This feeling of Aham, Bhagavan says is the feeling of 'being' 'irukkindren unarvu'
Paradoxically, this feeling of being is attributeless, like the sun, it does not need another light to see the sun, rather it is useless. IT is Swayam Prakahasham Self Illuminating, the Vedanta says so.
I mean, at least how can one know how free one is from unwanted thoughts?
How does one know that he is unaffected? subtly, there is a "knowing here" If we say, it can be known by the state of our "peace" then how can we know what "peace" is? and Further if we say, "peace" is "remaining in self" or "manonasham" etc... then further how does one know that we are abiding as Self? etc...
But yes, we have read that in that state these questions would not raise. But all this cycle would end, if we know/realize that we are already 'That'
and since there is no use of light to see the Sun, how can we know ourselves as Self illuminating? Swayam Prakaham?
-------------
Devotees, please excuse my language.
"Ramanar Devotee"
The Shadow of Doubt:
continues....
What is it that propels us to walk that narrow and, at time, treacherous path? It is faith. It is belief in the words of the teacher or sacred writings. Right belief is like a sail that carries the ship of our life forward. Without it, no matter how inspirational the words and lessons, they pass through us like a listless, false calm that has no meaning or delight, although it is no-one's fault but our own. Whether we are aware of it or not, we build a heaven or hell wherever we are, right now. We always have a choice no matter how trying the circumstance. Even in abject defeat, we have a choice whether to despondent and blame everyone else, or to see it as an opportunity to grow and never fall into the same trap again.
No one however "bad" is beyond redemption. No one is so great a sinner or idiot that they cannot receive grace or learn a harsh, unforgettable lesson and move on. It is essential that we reach and understand that point where we doubt our own ability to escape the wheel of life and death. This kind of doubt is the beginning of humility and the opportunity to open up to a higher power. We, who are devotees of Sri Ramana, call that Grace, Arunachala.
There are many instances in the history of spirituality in which an aspirant is apparently unfit either by circumstance or personality yet with faith and resolve rises above the wall of blind constraint through the grace of the guru. There are two traditional approaches to the guru epitomized by the concepts of marajarakishoranyaya [cat-baby logic] and markatakishoranyaya [monkey-baby logic]. In one method, the kitten makes no effort when carried by the mother cat, comparable to liberation entirely due to the efforts of the guru or God. In the second, the young monkey makes an effort to cling to its mother, that is, liberation is possible only when human effort prompts the grace of the guru or the Supreme.
contd.,
The Shadow of Doubt:
continues....
The second way is shown in the life of Kabir. Think of the clever, forceful Muslim youth Kabir in cast-
ridden Varanasi, whose burning impulse was to seek a legitimate guru who could deliver him from the wheel of samsara. He laid an artful trap for Swami Ramananda, who walking down the ghat steps to the holy Ganga for his early morning bath, stumbled over the prone body of Kabir and spontaneously uttered Rama, Rama. He had unwittingly given Kabir the key to salvation, the Rama mantra, and like a monkey Kabir tenaciously held on to the Diksha of his guru.
At the other end of the scale, we can see even apparently irredeemable hoping for release. Like a kitten, they have no will of their own and can wait only for the grace of guru to raise them above their predicament. One such example was the Bengali playwright Girish Chandra Ghosh. Eminent but socially despised, he seemed to be an unpromising proposition; he was a drunkard, addicted to visiting houses of ill-repute. However, there was a ray of light that had not been killed by cynicism. He struggled for a remedy despite the turmoil of his misgivings and doubts. He lacked the will power to redeem himself but knew from observation and conviction that it was Sri Ramakrishna who could deliver him from the polluted life he had.
"One night, in a euphoric and drunken mood, I was visiting a house of prostitution with two of my friends. But suddenly, I felt an urge to visit Sri Ramakrishna. My friends and I hired a carriage and drove out to Dakshineswar. It was late at night, and everyone was asleep. The three of us entered Ramakrishna's room, tipsy and reeling. Sri Ramakrishna grasped both my hands and began to sing and dance in ecstasy. The thought flashed through my mind: Here is a man whose love embraces all -- even a wicked man like me, whose own family would condemn me in this state. Surely, this holy man, respected by the righteous, is also the Saviour of the fallen."@
{@ Swami Chetananda, Girish Chandra Ghosh, A Bohemian Devotee of Sri Ramakrishna, Advaita Ashrama, Kolkota. 2009 edition.}
contd.,
Ramanar Devotee,
There is no need to recognize-'This is it' or 'This is what Ramana means'.It is only the mind that requires such 'validations' and there is no certitude in these vaidations.
Self requires no validation as there is nothing else to refer to,to compare with.
When our stomach is full do we require another to tell whether it is full or not?Do we refer to another's statement to validate it?
Swayamprakasam and Grace are one and the same thing.
-----------------------------------
As I asked-Please ask yourself whether your 'question' is Vital for your Sadhana or just a 'hypothetical' one.This is why I had asked-"What is your Question?Do you have one?"
Namaskar.
Ramanar Devotee,
I hear familiar strains of Swami Dayananda saraswati in your 'thoughts'(a few questions +More answers)that you have expressed.
I warmly recommend the reading of Sri Bhagavan's uLLadu nArpadhu-that will set at rest any doubts that you may possibly have.Go through this wonderful verses over and over again.This by itself is sadhana.
Namaskar.
Dear "Ramanar devotee",
The "I am" ness is experiential. No one can validate it or label it. "It is just as it is." Ravi gave the example of full stomach after eating. Some other saint gives a more arresting example. A newly wedded girl comes out of the nuptial room, in the morning. Every one is anxiously waiting, father, mother, elder sister and others. How shall she describe or explain her experience? Even towards her mother, who is the most anxious of all, she will just give a small smile and rush to the bathroom for a nice bath!
Sri Bhagavan said: If felt I had a disease, but it was a "sukamana" vyadhi. Sukam is experiential. "Athuvaanaal athuvaga athuve sollum," said another saint. If you attain That, That alone will tell you 'the experience.' No description or another's certification is required.
****
The Shadow of Doubt:
continues....
Later in life, Girish attempted to speak of the wondrous event. Though a radically changed man, he still retained the vivid sense of humor. He said: "The Master gave shelter to a horrible sinner like me. If I had known that there was such a large dustbin to dump all my sins in, I would have enjoyed
more pleasures in my life. Look at me, I am Sri Ramakkrishn's miracle!" {ibid. p. 467}
Though doubt can be a cancer that eats up our confidence, used aright it is a necessary step in our spiritual growth. In our everyday life, there seems to be nothing but shifting sands that bitterly disappoint or render one insecure. Doubt is a sharp weapon that can clear our path of half-truths and self-deception. It goads us to dig deeper for an unshakeable foundation on which to build self reliance and belief in a higher power. It is a doubt that ends in certainty born of experience. Lord Krishna refer to this doubt when he told Arjuna that a doubting man perishes. [BG,. 4.40].
We all wish for some degree of control over what happens to us, and it is when we realize that we have little or none that we seek some higher authority to protect and guide us. There are stirring examples, in all the spiritual traditions, of sincere seekers who through sheer faith in the right guru attain freedom. What they show is that, however desperate our situation, salvation is never far away if we have the conviction of our faith. If we cannot be true to ourselves, then what is the purpose of our life? It is a betrayal of our noblest ambitions.
contd.,
The Shadow of Doubt:
continues...
We all have experienced that epiphany that surges up in the heart either at the sight or thought of Arunachala or Sri Bhagavan. We know without the least trace of ambiguity that this is what we have been seeking. Once established in this firm belief, we use the weapon of doubt not to slice ourselves in pointless, negative swipes but skillfully to slowly peel away our delusions and false identification.
"Devotee: What is that one thing, knowing which all doubts are solved?
Maharshi: Know the doubter. If the doubter be held, the doubts will not arise. Here the doubter is transcendent. Again when the doubter ceases to exist, there will be no doubts arising. From where will they arise? ALL ARE JNANIS. JIVAN MUKTAS. Only they are not aware of the fact. Doubts must be uprooted. Here the doubter is the mind." [Talks $ 41]
Behind the light of apparent certainty is the shadow of doubt. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Doubt keeps us honest and as we see in the above quote of Sri Bhagavan, it is a necessary
tool to eliminate the debris of the mind, its arrogance, its complacency. We reach the point in discrimination, when we begin to doubt the doubter. Like the ancient adage of using a thorn to remove a thorn, we finally root out the doubter and remain fixed in the light of Pure Awareness. There is no shadow when that light shines, for all is revealed in a sustained self sufficiency. We need nothing, we ask for nothing.
All is as it should be. We remain free in our heart and clear in our mind.
Sri Ramanarpanamastu.
Jivan Mukti Viveka: Vidyaranya:
[From Eng. Tr. of Sri Ramakrishna
Math. Chennai, 2009 edition]
continues....
Sri Rama: "O Sage, [please] tell me,
wherefrom the virtues like friendship etc., arise, when the mind of the yogi gets annihilated with all its forms, with the rise of discrimination?"
Vasishta: "Dissolution of the mind is of two types -- with form and without form. In Jivanmukti, the dissolution is with form and in Videhamukti it is without form. [Laghu Yoga Vasishta, 28.15.16]
That which thinks the qualities of nature to be its own and and thereby gets possessed with pleasure, pain etc., the learned understand to be the mind. O descendent of the Raghu dynasty, [Rama], I have explained the existence of the mind. Presently listen, O best among all enquirers, about the dissolution of it. The learned knew for sure, that the mind of the wise one is dead, in whom the state of pleasure or of pain cannot move from its equanimity, just as the Himalayas cannot be moved by the mere flow of breath. His mind is regarded as dissolved, on whom no change can be brought about by adversity, pitiable circumstance, inspiration, pride, depression, extremely joyous festival and the like. When the mind, the great store-house of all hopes is dissolved, O Raghava, sattva arises
for sure with all its qualities
such as friendship etc., Such a mind of Jivanmukta will certainly be freed from rebirth. This kind of dissolution of mind with form is seen in a Jivanmukta. O descendent of Raghus, the dissolution of the mind without form, as described by me presently, happens in the case of Videhamukti only. There remains no trace of the mind at all. The pure intellect - sattva, although harboring all good qualities, also dissolves in that pure, supreme and holy state called Vidhamukti. The great ones, without a body, having the sky itself as their body, live in that state, which is devoid of rajas and tamas, which is ever in pure knowledge, which is completely free from all misery and which is stronghold of bliss, wherein the apparent mindstuff has disappeared.
The Jivanmukta, are never deluded whether in pleasure or pain, while doing or not doing the usual, natural, purposeful acts. [ibid. 13.26].
Therefore, it is established that the dissolution of the mind with form is the means to Jivanmukti.
[O Raghava, have you understood, what Vasishta had said?].
*****
Friends,
Two incidents from the Life of Girish Ghosh:
1.One morning Girish went to Balaram Basu’s house and found Balaram cleaning rice. Balaram was a rich landlord and had many servants, but nevertheless he was doing this menial work himself. Girish was amazed and asked Balaram the reason for this. Balaram replied: ‘The Master is coming today, and he will have his lunch here. So I am cleaning the rice myself’.
Girish was impressed by Balaram’s devotion, but again it saddened him that he could not also serve the Master in that way. He returned home and, closing the door, thought: ‘Indeed, God comes to the homes of those who have devotion like Balaram. I am a wretched drunkard. There is no one here who can receive the Master properly and feed him’. Girish lay down on his bed. At 1:30 P.M. he heard a knock at his door. Opening it, he found the Master standing there. ‘Girish, I am hungry’, said the Master. ‘Could you give me some food?’ And yet Sri Ramakrishna had finished his meal at Balaram’s house only a little while earlier! As there was no food in his house, Girish asked the Master to wait. He then hurried to a restaurant where he purchased some fried bread and potato curry and brought it back to the Master. This food was coarse and hard to digest - not at all the kind of food usually served to the Master. But Sri Ramakrishna ate it with great joy.
2.On July 28, 1885, Sri Ramakrishna went to the home of Nanda Bose, a wealthy man of Calcutta, to see his collection of pictures of gods and goddesses.(I have posted this earlier in this thread-Ravi) He was very much impressed. He said to Nanda: ‘Though you are a householder, still you have kept your mind on God. Is that a small thing? The man who has renounced the world will pray to him as a matter of course. Is there any credit in that? But blessed indeed is he who, while leading a householder’s life’, prays to God. He is like a man who finds an object after removing a stone weighing twenty maunds’. (A maund is approximately eighty-two pounds.)
On this same occasion, Nanda Bose served sweets to Sri Ramakrishna and then offered him betel-leaf on a tray. But the other guests had already taken some from that tray. It is the custom that something can be offered to God only if no one else has partaken of it beforehand, so the Master would not accept any. Nanda noticed this and questioned him about it. Sri Ramakrishna replied: ‘Before I eat anything I offer it to Cod. It is a notion of mine’. Nanda was a little proud of his knowledge of Vedanta philosophy. Trying to evaluate Sri Ramakrishna’s actions intellectually, he said, ‘But the betel-leaf would have gone to God all the same’. He said further: ‘You are a paramahamsa. Why do you abide by the injunction or prohibition of the scriptures? They are meant for ignorant people’. Sri Ramakrishna smiled and again remarked, ‘It is just a notion of mine’.
Nanda concluded from this that Sri Ramakrishna had not attained the highest non-dualistic state of realization, beyond the pairs of opposites and the law of causation. Girish came to know of this and felt bad. He was convinced that the Master had not revealed his divine nature to Nanda because of the man’s pride of learning. Wanting to test this himself, Girish invited the Master to his house. Without any comment, Girish brought in a tray of betel-leaf, took one himself, and then offered the tray to the Master.
The Master immediately understood Girish’s intent and, with a smile, took a betel-leaf from the tray. Mad with joy, Girish saluted the Master again and again and then disclosed the whole story to others who were present, He who makes the rules can also change them. Girish’s love had set aside all rules of religious observance. Moreover, the great teachers observe scriptural rules in order to set an example for others, and not for their own benefit.
Namaskar.
Friends,
An excerpt from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna,where again it is clear that the actions of Great masters cannot be reduced to cliched formulas(Like what nanda bose concluded)and how they often conform to scriptural injunctions in order to set an example for Humanity :
Master's renunciation
Master:(To the Marwari devotee) "The rules for a sannyasi are extremely hard. He cannot have the
slightest contact with 'woman and gold'. He must not accept money with his own hands,
and he must not even allow it to be left near him.
"Lakshminarayan Marwari, a Vedantist, used to come here very often. One day he saw a
dirty sheet on my bed and said: 'I shall invest ten thousand rupees in your name. The
interest will enable you to pay your expenses.' The moment he uttered these words, I fell
unconscious, as if struck by a stick. Regaining consciousness I said to him: 'If you utter
such words again, you had better not come here. It is impossible for me to touch money. It
is also impossible for me to keep it near me.' He was a very clever fellow. He said: 'Then
you too have the idea of acceptance and rejection. In that case you haven't attained Perfect
Knowledge.' 'My dear sir, I said, 'I haven't yet gone that far.' (All laugh.) Lakshminarayan
then wanted to leave the money with Hriday. I said to him: 'That will not do. If you leave it
with Hriday, then I shall instruct him to spend it as I wish. If he does not comply, I shall be
angry. The very contact of money is bad. No, you can't leave it with Hriday.' Won't an
object kept near a mirror be reflected in it?"
-----------------------------------
Unlike Nanda Bose,Lakshminarayan knew that the Master was beyond all 'rules' and was only trying to serve him by pressing upon him the money with that 'ruse'.
Namaskar.
salutations to all:
Ramanar Devotee:
it is quite understandable if none of the answers given by some here 'truly' satisfies you :-). in fact, no answer can! this is obvious when it comes from those who haven't realised and merely quote others (after all, what else can anyone do?) :-). things like 'direct experience' or 'unmediated knowledge' are just words, nothing more, for those who say it also do not have the slightest clue on what they are saying! now, what about the words of a realised one? can that satisfy? of course, not :-) bhagavAn's realisation doesn't make you or me realised, not an iota, isn't it? the only purpose it serves is that when one either sees or hears or reads (or, if fortunate, lives with) about a realised being, one may get to clearly comprehend that indeed such a thing spoken of in the scriptures from the days of old does indeed 'exist', that's all.
the thing that can be said about self-knowledge is that it is unlikely to be like any knowledge of anything in & of this world; all analogies, examples, references, illustrations etc. etc., will all fall far short and do little to nil justice to what they are alluding to! (for that matter, they cannot). so, how to know it? there simply may be no other way than practising vichAra (or anything what one may prefer) and realising it for oneself what it 'is' :-) hence, please stop worrying, do self-enquiry, and 'know' it for yourself, what else is life otherwise for? :-). in the most beautiful aruNAchala aShTakam (verse 2) of bhagavAn, one finds this - "Who has the power to explain all this in words, when even You (as Dakshinamurti) conveyed this of yore in silence only?" - need one say more? :-)
s/ramanar devotee/Friends,
Verse 2 of Ashtakam is indeed wonderful:
Seeking the source of the thought "Who is the seer?"
I beheld that bereft of the seer
No thought arose that 'I saw'
How could the thought arise that 'I did not see'?
Who can enlighten describing this in words
when even thou ,in days of yore,enlightened(in silence,the four rishis-ravi)without describing(verbal thoughts)
Verily to enlighten(us), your state, without words
Thou standest manifest as The Hill and the sky.
-----------------------------------
Here Sri Bhagavan clearly states that when the thought 'I saw' does not arise ,where is the question of the thought 'I did not see'?So,no room for any doubts to be cleared ,to perceive that 'Self ' is 'Self'.
Namaskar.
To
Sadhu Arunachala's Reminiscences:
{Major Chadwick - Asramam Publication
2008 edition]
Ganapathi Sastry would make dates with Westerners, invite them to visit the Asramam and then go off on some subsequent engagement when they were due, just referring them to me, telling that I would look after them, Of course, he never informed me what he had done and I would be taken completely by surprise when strangers suddenly turned up and asked for me.
This happened in the case of a Dutchman. I forget his name. He was travelling about India with a technical assistant making records of Indian classical music with a van full of instruments. I believe he had a travelling scholarship from Oxford. Anyhow neither of them was much interested in Sri Bhagavan though they did sit in His Presence for a while. What they had really come for was to make a record of the Sama Veda. Now, those who have learnt the Sama Veda are few and more orthdox than other Brahmins. Ganapathi Sastry seems to have promised the Dutchman that he would have no difficulty in finding what he wanted if he came to Tiruvannamalai. However, I could not help them here. After a lot of enquiries they did eventually find two Brahmins who knew the Veda, but they refused to allow a record to be taken. This is only logical. No Veda is supposed to be chanted publicly. The rule is no longer observed in most cases.
At length, after a lot of negotiation the Brahmins said that on one condition alone would they chant for him and that was in the presence of Sri Bhagavan. Full of delight, the Dutchman went to the Asramam Manager and asked his permission, without troubling to consider the consequences the Manager agreed. Then the van was brought as near to the Hall as possible and microphones were set up in the Hall. Sri Bhagavan wanted to know what this was all about. When everything was explained to Him, His only comment was, "Take it away!"
The Dutchman was furious. He had been thwarted when just within the sight of success. He came bitterly complaining to me. Sri Bhagavan did not know how important the work he was doing. In fact, iet was all far more important in his eyes than was Bhagavan Himself. It was useless to try and explain to him that Sri Bhagavan could not be used as an excuse to break some rule. Let the Brahmins give him a record anywhere they liked and Sri Bhagavan would not think of interfering, but for them to say afterwards, "We did it with the permission of Sri Bhagavan", which is what they obviously intended, could not be allowed even for one moment.
******
Dear Devotees,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
S,
Thank you, I am able to see what you have conveyed. It is a wonderful response.
... there is nothing more to add or ask... !
"Ramanar Devotee"
Sadhu Arunachala's Reminiscences:
[Major Chadwick - Asramam Publication:
2008 edition.]
Sri Bhagavan would go for a stroll on the Hill several times during the twenty-four hours and would sometimes tell us that He had seen inside the Hill, a great city with large buildings and streets. It was all very mysterious. There He had seen a big company of Sadhus chanting the Vedas, most of the regular devotees were among the company, He said, and He saw me there. "But that is only a vision", someone in the Hall remarked. "All this is only a vision too," He would reply meaning our world. "That is just as real as this."
We know that a Jnani is beyond time, that past and future are all contained in his present, so it used to intrigue me exactly what the vision of Sadhus really was. Was it something that had happened in the past? I did not feel so, though Sri Bhagavan had said that I had been here before, or was it something to happen in a future incarnation? Who would tell? Sri Bhagavan would give no help. He had many similar stories but never an explanation. "I don't know what it means," He would say.
As I have stated elsewhere, for an Advaitin there is no such thing as re-incarnation. Egos being completely impermanent, what is there to re-incarnate? Sri Bhagavan would deny that anybody is born now, so how could such be re-born?" Search and find out if you are born now." He would instruct us. However, for such as believed in the actuality of the ego, He did concede re-incarnation.
One night in the Hall there was some talk about re-incarnation. Just as Sri Bhagavan was getting up from His couch to go for His evening meal, I, as a joke, said, "But Alan Chadwick has not been born before." "What, what did he say?" asked Sri Bhagavan. "He said that he had never been born before," someone wrongly interpreted. Of course, I had not said that at all. I had meant that whatever form the ego took formerly, it had never had the name and form Alan Chadwick, but had been some entirely different person. But Sri Bhagavan replying to the wrong interpretation, quickly replied, "Oh, yes he had been, for what has brought us all together here again?"
He had never asked us what had brought us to Him, but what had brought us again to Arunachala. He had so completely identified Himself with the Hill. This answer, though caused by a mistake, was very gratifying to me, as Sri Bhagavan admitted the old connection between us. So must I always be with Him until Self Realization, after which there will be no more he and I. I used to say that I must attain Self Realization in this life or Sri Bhagavan would have to be born again so that I might be with Him. So for His own good, He must see that I gain my end in this life. Sri Bhagavan would just smile. Though this was only said as a joke, there was a fundamental truth behind it.
****
Sadhu Arunachala's Reminiscences:
[Major Chadwick - Asramam Publication: 2008 edition:]
Sri Bhagavan was most dainty in His
movements. And to watch Him eat was a pleasure. He always left His leaf so clean that it appeared as if it had not been used. Eating neatly in Indian fashion is an act in itself and at this Sri Bhagavan was past master.
He was always scrupulously clean and His body gave off a faint perfume, though He never used any scented soap. At one time He had used snuff but had given it up before I joined the Asramam. He used to chew betel regularly just after meals and before He went for His stroll on the Hill. He would thoroughly wash out His mouth immediately afterwards. There was never any stain on His lips and He chewed only for a few minutes, and then purely as a digestive.
One morning, Sri Bhagavan was about to to out and was only waiting for the attendant to give Him the betel, which was always placed by His side, when it was time for His walk. For some reason, the attendant did not do it, everybody in the Hall was waiting expectantly but could do nothing about it as the management did not allow anybody to attend on Sri Bhagavan except those who had been specially detailed. Eventually Sri Bhagavan got up and left the Hall without it. From that day on, He never chewed again. He would not cause inconvenience to anybody, even the attendant whose duty it was to look after such things, nor would He be bound by any habit. We were all sad at this mishap, as everybody felt that the betel did help the body to pear its pain. But what did the health of the body matter He would say. "The body itself is worst sickeness."
Sri Bhagavan always radiated tremendous peace, but on those occasions when the crowds were attracted to the Asramam, such as Jayanti, Maha Puja, Maha Deepam and such functions, this increased to an extraordinary degree. The numbers seemed to call up some reserve of hidden force, and it was a great experience to sit with Him at such times. His eyes took on a far-away look and He sat absolutely still as if unconscious of His surroundings, except for an occasional smile of recognition as old devotee prostrated.
Sri Bhagavan never encouraged people who came and started to confess their sins. He would not allow them to continue but shut them up telling them not to dwell on the past but to find out who they were now in the present. The point was not the act but attachment to it that mattered. Dwelling on it in retrospect was the worst thing they could possibly do. This itself was attachment.
****
Sadhu Arunachala's Reminiscences:
[Major Chadwick - Asramam Publication:
2008 edition.]
In March 1939, Somerset Maugham came to the Asramam. Many accounts have been given of his visit and all of them are different. As I was the principal person concerned in looking after him, I have decided to give my own version. He was brought to the Asramam by a friend of mind, Mrs. Austin, wife of the Collector of Madras. The party had first gone to the Dak Bungalow, to take their lunch, but finding it full, had come on to the Asramam. They asked me if I could find somewhere for them where they could have the meal they had brought with them. I arranged for one of the small rooms near by own. As I had already had my meal, at their request, I sat and talked with them while they ate. Somerset Maugham asked innumerable questions about my life and and the Asramam, apologizing for his inquisitiveness.
At the end of the meal, which they had taken on the verandah with Somerset Maugham sitting more or less in the sun, he fainted. Many absurd stories were circulated to account for this. That he had seen Sri Bhagavan and this was a state of Samadhi brought on the by the meeting, and such like. Actually he had not seen Sri Bhagavan at all. It was probably a slight sun-stroke, though he himself said that he had been liable to such black-outs occasionally since birth.
We carried him to my room and laid him on my bed. I then went to Sri Bhagavan and told Him what had happened and asked Him, when He went out for stroll at about 2 o'Clock, to come to my room and see Somerset Maugham who was now unfit to come to the Hall, and Sri Bhagavan agreed.
I met Sri Bhagavan on the way and as we approached my room, Somerset Maugham was just coming out. He said that he now felt better and was on his way to the Hall. I told him to go back into the room and sit down as Sri Bhagavan had come to him there instead. Sri Bhagavan and Somerset Maugham sat opposite to each other for about half-an-hour without uttering a word. At the end of which Somerset Maugham looked nervously across in my direction and said, "Is there any need to say anything?" "No", replied Sri Bhagavan, "Silence is best. Silence is itself conversation." After some further period, Sri Bhagavan turned to me and in His child-like way said, "I think I had better be going, they will be looking for me." As no one in the Asramam knew where He had gone except the attendant who always accompanied Him, this was correct. After Sri Bhagavan returned to the Hall, the rest of the party remained in my room for tea.
contd.,
Sadhu Arunachala's Reminscences:
{Major Chadwick - Asramam Publication:
2008 edition.}
continues.....
After tea, Somerset Maugham, who was
wearing a large pair of boots, wanted to go to the Hall and see where Sri Bhagavan usually lived. I took to the Western window through which he looked for sometime with interest, making mental notes. He says in his indifferent and quite uninspired article "The Saint", published in a series of essays twenty years after the event, that he sat in the Hall in Sri Bhagavan's Presence. But this is untrue, because he could not enter with his boots, he only gazed into the Hall from outside. He has also tacked a certain amount of philosophy onto Sri Bhagavan which Sri Bhagavan would never have uttered in His life. But such is the habit of famous authors, to put their own opinions into the mouths of others.
In his recent article, Somerset Maugham says that because of his fainting fit, which some Indians regarded as a high state of Samadhi, which he denies, he has been sent a mass of literature concerning Maharshi. This may be true, but it is certainly true that he wrote to the Asramam and told them that he was going to write about Sri Bhagavan and asked for as much material as they could send. He pointed out at the time of that, of course, if he wrote anything, it would be a wonderful advertisement for the Asramam and and the Maharshi. As if it were needed!
He talks about Sankara and his philosophy of Advaita, but does not seem to have a very clear idea of what it means. He has jumbled together a number of theories from various schools of thought and then tacked them onto Sankara and Sri Bhagavan. One suspects a Theosophical influence. He says that the two main principles of Sanakra are Brahman and Re-incarnation. This is nonsense as neither of them has anything to do with Advaita and both ar dualistic concepts. Re-incarnation was always dismissed by Sri Bhagavan by asking the counter question - "Find out if you are born now; if you are not even born, how can you be reborn?" Here we have the very core of the matter. For ultimately we shall each find for himself that there is only one "I" which appears as innumerable egos, which are in fact, quite unreal and nothing but passing shadows.
Somerset Maugham says in another place, "When one considers how full the world is of sorrow and suffering, one can hardly refrain from thinking that Brahman might have done better to leave well alone." Really, Mr. Maugham, is this your idea of Advaita? Here again, we must ask ourselves, "For whom is the suffering?" Is the Reality, the eternal "I" behind all appearances, suffering? Or is it only an imaginary "I" that has no actual existence, which is imagining the suffering?
Again, "To Maharshi, he wolrd was a place of suffering and sorrow." What absolute rubbish! Sri Bhagavan always insisted that there was nothing wrong with the world. All the trouble lay with us.
On reading Somerset Maugham, one comes to the conclusion that he has again succeeded as a first class writer of fiction!
concluded.
Sadhu Arunachala's Reminiscences:
[Major Alan Chadwick - Asramam
Publication - 2008 edition:]
One day Sri Bhagavan was telling us that the Tamizh Saint Manikkavachagar's body disappeared in a blaze of light leaving no residue. I asked Him how that had happened and He explained that the body is solidified mind. When in Jnanam, the mind dissolves and consumes itself in a blaze of light, the body is burnt up in process. He gave Saint Nandanar as another example of this. I mentioned that the case in the Bible of Elijah being carried up to Heaven in a chariot of fire, a poetic way of saying the same thing. I asked if Christ's disappearance from the tomb had resembled this in any way, but Sri Bhagavan pointed out that this was entirely different, for Christ's body remained for a time after death, whereas the bodies of others had been immediately and utterly consumed. He explained that the subtle body is composed of light and sound and that the gross body is a concrete form of the same.
***
One often have people saying that Sri Bhagavan wass an Avatar, in this way thinking to add to His glory! But except for the fact that everybody might possibly be called an Avatar, since each of us is God in human body, there was absolutely no ground for saying so. One day a Sannyasin belonging to a well known order, who think that their Guru alone attained Self Realization, challenged Sri Bhagavan in a most aggressive and unmannerly fashion.
Sadhu: "People say that you are an Avatar of Subrahmanya. What do you say about it?"
Sri Bhagavan said nothing.
Sadhu: "If it is a fact, why do you keep silence about it? Why don't you speak about and tell us the truth?"
Sri Bhagavan did not reply.
Sadhu: "Tell us what we want to know."
Sri Bhagavan: [quietly]: "An Avatar is only a partial manifestation of God, whereas a Jnani is God Himself."
Here lies the whole difference between Advaita and other philosophies. In Advaita all is nothing but the Self. There is no room for such special manifestations as Avatars. A person is either Self-realized or is note. There are no degrees.
****
Sadhu Arunachala's Reminiscences:
{Major Alan Chadwick - Asramam Publication - 2008 edition]
On the last night, there were some American reporters and photographers, who were there just out for a scoop.
They were living less than half a mile away. One of them standing outside the house suddenly looked up and saw a very bright star or meteor swing slowly across the sky towards North over the top of the Hill. He called out to the rest of the party who ran out and saw the same phenomenon. Once and all agreed that something had happened to Sri Bhagavan. Even though they were without any special faith in Him, by some intuition they were certain that this must be the case. It happened exactly at the time of the passing, 8.47 pm. on April 14th, 1950. and was seen by many people, all of whom strangely enough, associated it with the same thing. People in Madras, too saw it and some got into their cars immediately and made their
way to the Asramam. This is a fact, which I will not attempt to explain. But must accept it as it happened.
*****
Sadhu Arunachala's Reminiscences:
{Major Alan Chadwick - Asramam
Publication - 2008 edition.}
Sri Bhagavan's reactions to mad people were negative and at times almost disapproving. Where we expected pity we found no such thing. It seemed, by the way Sri Bhagavan spoke of them, that He considered hat it was their own fault, that it was, in fact, just lack of control, that if they really wanted to, they could pull themselves together and act normally. Sri Bhagavan never said any of this, it is only my personal feeling on the subject.
There was one lady who spent some time at the Asramam and thought herself a very great devotee, who entirely shut herself up in a cottage just outside the Asramam gate, tying a cloth across her eyes so that she should not see and be distracted by the wicked world, at the same time observing silence, hoping this way to quiet
the senses. All that Sri Bhagavan said was, "Why does she not come over here and join us like other people? What good is all this going to do? She comes here to be with us and then shuts herself away."
*
Another woman, a Jewess, who had undergone dreadful Nazi persecution in Germany used to strip off all her clothes and appear naked in the public, have hysterical fits, scream, and seem beyond all control. Sri Bhagavan was very cold about her antics and hardly seemed interested. Though He did make some enquiry, when he police took her away, and ask what had become of her, He showed no apparent sympathy with her ravings.
*****
shackled by the “I”
.
Ramanar
I know it is difficult, minds habit is to obsessively intellectualise, conceptualise.
Instead, why not do as Ramana Maharshi tells you.
R.: When other thoughts arise, one should not pursue them, but should inquire: ‘To whom do they
arise?’ It does not matter how many thoughts arise. As each thought arises, one should inquire
with diligence, “To whom has this thought arisen?”. The answer that would emerge would be “To me”. Thereupon if one inquires “Who am I?”, the mind will go back to its source; and the thought that arose will become quiescent. With repeated practice in this manner, the mind will develop the skill to stay in its source.
When the mind that is subtle goes out through the brain and the sense organs, the gross names and forms appear; when it stays in the heart, the names and forms disappear.
Not letting the mind go out, but retaining it in the Heart is what is called “inwardness” (antarmukha). Letting the mind go out of the Heart is known as “externalisation” (bahir-mukha).
Thus, when the mind stays in the Heart, the ‘I’ which is the source of all thoughts will go, and the Self which ever exists will shine.
Miracles Do Happen:
[The Continuing Story - Post Maha
Nirvana Miracles - RMCL Bangalore,
2001 edition.]
The Power of Ramana's Words:
H. Ramalingam.
I happened to stay at Tirumala Hills for nearly 15 days as a supplier of machinery to Lord Balaji's Temple. I was really blessed by God by having an opportunity for His daily darshan.
During that period, I happened to spend a lot of time in front of Lord Balaji praying to Him. From that day onwards, I started feeling something strange in me. Sometime later once I was at Visakapatnam railway station, I was looking for some books to read during the journey back to Madras. At that time, I saw the book by name Be As You Are authored by Mr. David Godman and published by Penguin. More than anything the photograph of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi on the cover attracted me and I bought the book immediately. Then I was a slowly coming into the grip of the Self like a prey in the mouth of tiger as Sri Bhagavan used to say. Later an important Upadesa of Sri Bhagavan which I learnt from "Know Yourself" book edited by A.R. Natarajan at page 101, became my Moolamantra. I started putting into practice the Upadesa during all the walks of of my wife. Especially whenever I happened to travel by car I used to practice the Upadesa. With this preamble let me narrate the miracle whihc happened to me on 19th August, 1995.
13th August 1995, I did some push ups and continued it the whole week to be free from shoulder pain. On the 19th August Saturday, I was to leave for a place near Cuddalore in my car with my driver and three other engineering staff early in the morning. As usual I was silent and practicing Atma Vicharam while travelling. Onward journey was eventless and we reached our destination by 10.30 am. We spent the whole day in our work leaving the driver to rest during that period. Around 5.30 pm. we decided to leave the place so that we could reach Madras for dinner. On the way, we took some refreshments near Mathurantakam and continued our journey. After 7.30 pm. it started raining and we were cautiously driving on the road. Around 8.30 pm. we saw to our right the Vandalur Zoo and we were really happy to know that Madras was only fifteen minutes away. The road towards Madras is one way nowadays but broad enough for two vehicles. To our left there was a bus belonging to CRPF going towards Madras. Some distance ahead of us, there was a public transport bus belonging to the State Transport Corporation standing on the road obstructing the way of the CRPF bus. The driver of CRPF bus could see the transport bus stopping on the road for taking a few passengers. He immediately took a decision to overtake the Transport corporation bus to avoid collision. But he was too late! CRPF bus dashed against the transport bus and its rear side was lifted up and landed with a thud on the road just five feet in front of our car. I shouted to my driver to apply the brakes. That was all everyone could hear before the ghastly accident. Our car went almost inside the CRPF bus and the bumper of the bus was a few millimetres away from our driver's chest. In the front apart from the driver, two of our engineers were siting. At the back only one engineer was sitting by my side and directly behind the driver. Driver did not have consciousness for a moment. Then I called him by his name and shook him to tell him that nothing had happened to anybody and brought him back to consciousness. Meanwhile the engineer who sat next to driver was unable to cry but his whole face was full of blood. He was badly injured by breaking his jaws. The driver suffered injuries in his legs and hands. Another engineer in the front row had a fracture in his hand. The engineer who was sitting beside me had a forehead fracture due to the impact with the front seat. Now you should know what happened to me. NOTHING.
contd.,
Miracles Do Happen:
H. Ramalingam - continues.
Yes. Absolutely nothing. How was it possible? I was pushing hard the front seat and my shoulders withstood all the impact. Did Ramana strengthen my shoulders by push ups for a week to be able to withstand the impact?
Not even a scratch on my body. I was a mere spectator or witness to the accident. Later, unfortunately, the engineer who was sitting by my side, succumbed
to his head injury. All the rest recovered after treatment.
Now what would you call this incident? Is it not a miracle? A great proof for the benefits of Ramana Bhagavan's Atma Vicharam.
I could only think of all those great saints like Prahlada and Tirunavukkarasar and how they were rescued form death as Bhagavan Ramana has done in my case.
Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya.
*****
Miracles Do Happen.
{From The Continuing Story, Post
Maha Nirvana Miracles of Sri Ramana Maharshi. RMCL, Bangalore. 2001 edition:}
My life was ebbing away fast. Even the desire to live ceased. As a last resort doctors advised that I could try staying at a health resort. Accordingly, I went to Mahabaleswar. It was abounding in nature's bounty. A beautiful forest was also nearby. I used to go for walks in the forest. One morning, I overstretched my strength and rested on a rock. Unknowingly I fell sound asleep.
When I awoke the sun was setting. I got frightened. Confident of finding my way, I walked some distance only to find that my confidence was misplaced. I had got right into the middle of the forest. I was surrounded by darkness. My fear gave place to panic. Just then I sighted someone ahead of me. I gathered all my strength and ran up to him. But without waiting for me, he kept walking silently. Having no other go I just followed him. We walked for about half an hour without talking to each other. We stopped in front of a house. Two big dogs were tied there and they started barking at me. A European came out of the house, with a lantern in one hand and an English book on Ramana Maharshi in the other. He was quite surprised to see me. I approached him hesitantly with folded hands. But he greeted me most warmly and took me inside. I noticed that his body was smeared with vibhuti. He offered me hot milk and tow small but tasty mangoes. I must have gone off to sleep soon. When I woke up it was very bright and the new European friend was seated near me. He informed me that I had high fever the previous night. He had been praying the whole night uttering the mantra, "Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya." Suddenly the whole place seemed filled with the physical presence of Bhagavan Ramana. The atmosphere was electrifying. May be it was due to the intensity of the devotion of that European.
contd.,
Miracles Do Happen:
continues...
[This is the narration of Mr. Ratanlal
Joshi, the name which I have not given
in the part 1.]
After hearing my story, he told me:
"I am Arnold Siderling. I am from Poland. There was a malignant growth in my stomach. The doctors gave me a maximum life span of eight months. I had a long cherished desire to have the darshan of Bhagavan Ramana. After the doctors report it was to be then or never. So I left for India on the 21st May 1935. On reaching Bombay, my health was so bad that I felt that I should have a short stay at Mahabaleswar before proceeding to Sri Ramanasramam. One day I visited the Siva temple there. I was looking intently at the linga. Vedic chanting was going on. Lo and behold! In the pace of the Siva Linga, Bhagavan Ramana was standing in all His splendour. I just could not believe my eyes. I must have kept rubbing them over and over again. But He was very much there blessing me, smiling His gracious smile. How can I describe my feelings at that time! Ramana, to visit whom thousands were so eager standing right before my very eyes. Knowing my frail health, he had, out of his unbounded compassion, chosen to come to Mahabaleswar to bless me, a humble devotee of His from a foreign land. Needless to say that by His grace, I was completely cured. I felt no need to go to Sri Ramansramam. He had come to Mahabaleswar to save me. So this indeed must be the place where He wanted to do His work. So thinking, I stayed back here serving the poor and downtrodden forest dwellers. I am now seventy five. You can see for yourself how healthy I am. Amidst this service, my single thought is of Ramana, my saviour of, my all."
The real life miracle narrated by the Polish devotee, who had befriended me, had an immediate and total impact on me. The conviction that it was Ramana who had come as the silent stranger who guided me out of the dark forest to this devotee took firm hold of me. I placed myself completely in the hands of Bhagavan Ramana in the confidence, in the certainty, that He would perform one more miracle by saving me from nearing death. And He did perform the fourth miracle. I got completely cured, that too within a fortnight. I returned home no only in sound health, but fully redeemed to live a life of constant thought of my life giver Sri Bhagavan Ramana.
****
Miracles Do Happen:
{R.S. Subramanian}
When we were school boys, we did not know about Tiruvannamalai or Sri Ramanasramam. I had a classmate named Ramanan. Surprisingly the name itself enchanted me. He was, befitting his name, a quiet and pleasing young boy who was living very near my house. He as my best friend, till his father was transferred to some other town. After starting my professional career, I went to Tiruvannamalai on a pilgrimage along with two colleagues. Though we visited the Arunachleswara Temple, we could not visit the Asramam.
Later, when I could read more and more about Sri Bhagavan, the desire to go to Sri Ramanasramam took hold of me. He had entered my life deeper. However, the desire
remained unfulfilled, as I was moving from city to city according to the requirements of my office work. My innate desire to visit Sri Ramanasramam materialized only after 16 years that too in a strange manner. One day, in 1983, I was very depressed and like a flash Ramanasramam came to my mind. I went there immediately and stayed there for four days. Myf first giripradakshina took place then. Sri Bhagavan saved me from my mental agony and showed me the way.
During the next nine years, again my movement to different cities continued. In 1992, I was living near Bomabay. Due to an infection, my left foot became swollen and the pain was increasing day by day. My doctors advised me to get admitted to a Nursing Home. But he accepted my request to be at home taking bed rest following his instructions. Being in acute pain, I could not move even inside the house. I was lying on the sofa reading a book on Sri Bhagavan. It was mid afternoon, I was in a state of being half awake half asleep. Sri Bhagavan appeared in a vision dream in Padmasana posture and told me, "Come to Arunai, I am going up the Hill." Tiruvannamalai was in His background. I saw Him moving up the Hill as if flying. He came down again and when I was moving on a road which had a forked junction. He corrected my way and again asked me to go to Arunai. I woke up with tears in my eyes. The pain had subsided and the swelling reduced next day.
Again, a few years later, I saw Sri Bhagavan in my dream and He asked me to read Aksharamana Maalai. Not knowing enough Tamizh, I protested saying that I might not understand it. He ignored my protests and repeated His instructions. After a couple of days, I went to Matunga and entered my book shop, Giri Trading Company. I had visited the shop several times earlier. But on that day, as soon as I stepped in, my eyes fell on a book which was on top of the row. It was a collection of Sri Bhagavan's compositions in His own handwriting. With great expectation, I opened the book and looked for Aksharamanamaalai. To my delight, I saw the Tamizh version in Sri Bhagavan's own handwriting and also the English translation. What a surprise and a blessing. I have that book with me now as a treasure.
Sri Bhagavan has taken charge of my life and saved me on two other occasions, when I surrendered to Him. I visited Sri Ramanasramam in April 1996, during Aradhana period with my mother to fulfill His call to me to go to Tiruvannamalai. He continues to protect and guide me with His daily miracles.
******
s/Friends,
"the thing that can be said about self-knowledge is that it is unlikely to be like any knowledge of anything in & of this world; all analogies, examples, references, illustrations etc. etc., will all fall far short and do little to nil justice to what they are alluding to! (for that matter, they cannot). so, how to know it? there simply may be no other way than practising vichAra (or anything what one may prefer) and realising it for oneself what it 'is' :-) "
If Self Knowledge is "unlikely to be like any knowledge of anything in & of this world",what is the 'Nature' of 'effort'(Self enquiry or any other)called for?
Or is Self Knowledge is something that is very intimate and getting overlooked all the time?
-----------------------------------
I wish the views/experience of Sadhaks .
Namaskar.
The Continuing Story:
{Post Nirvana Miracles of Sri Ramana
Maharshi - 2001 edition, RMCL, Bangalore.}
Maddali Balasaraswati:
It was on March 7, 1996, 7 O'Clock
in the evening, my husband, Sri Maddali Subba Rao, visited a cardiologist for a routine check up. My eldest daughter and younger son accompanied him. The doctor examined him and noticed a cardiological flaw and directed that he should be admitted to an intensive care unit. Immediately, my children took him to Sri Devi Nursing Home, where the doctors attended on the patient without delay. They said that the condition of the patient was serious and nothing could be said about his health till 48 hours.
At that time, I was at Nagole with my second daughter. My second son came there to tell me that my husband was admitted to the nursing home for some tests. They took me straight to the nursing home. Seeing my husband lying unconscious in the ICU , I fought in vain to suppress my tears. My children pacified me and sent me home to take rest for the night.
After coming home, I sat before the picture of Sri Ramana Maharshi lamenting, "Bhagavan! My husband had a sudden heart attack and is admitted to the ICU and is in serious condition. Only you can save him."
I do not know how long I was sitting there waiting. I was tired and after sometime I closed my eyes.
In sleep...
I was sitting in a chair in front of the nursing home with my head bent. Then I heard someone calling me, "Bala..!" the voice appeared familiar. It was Sri Bhagavan, who had given me that name. The Maharshi used to call me Bala. Even today, I am known in Sri Ramanasramam, as Bala. There were a few others who called me Bala, but I did not expect them at the nursing home.
Then I opened my eyes, and saw to my surprise a nurse with a bundle of files in her hand. I got frightened and tried to avoid her saying, "I do not know you, who are you?" The nurse replied "Perhaps you do not know me. But I know you very well. Buet why are you sitting here alone?"
I answered "My husband is admitted to the ICU here and is said to be in a serious condition."
Immediately, the nurse said, "Do not fear! I am looking after your husband's file," and went away.
Thereupon, I opened my eyes and found none there.
I then pondered over my dream and arrived at a strong conviction that it is only Sri Bhagavan, who had appeared in my sleep in the guise of a nurse and assured me that I need not be afraid of my husband's condition and that He Himself had been looking after his file. The soothing effusion in His voice and the way of addressing me as Bala, confirmed my above conviction.
It was about 4 O' Clock in the early morning, I telephoned to my son enquiring about my husband's health. He told me that the doctors had said that his health was slowly improving and that there was now no need for any anxiety. This was a reaffirmation to me that he was definitely under Sri Bhagavan's protection. Soon thereafter, I went to the nursing home and was surprised to see my husband in good spirits. He began talking to me. I wondered at the way Sri Bhagavan had appeared as a nurse and blessed me. I related my dream to all my relatives. All of them marveled at it and said that it was all Sri Bhagavan's leela.
Whatever others may say, it was and is my firm belief and conviction that it was only Sri
Bhagavan's abundant grace bestowed on me. I can never forget this
wonderful experience.
With obeisance to the Lotus Feet of Sri Bhagavan.
******
R.Subramanaian,
" I related my dream to all my relatives. All of them marveled at it and said that it was all Sri Bhagavan's leela."
How we capitulate to the fanciful!To think that some nurse seen in a dream who gave assurance as a sign of Sri Bhagavan's Grace and to ignore all the Doctors,nurses and lab attendants who actually did their bit,and the persons who had rushed the patient in time to the Hospital!
mAyA!
Namaskar.
Friends,
Time and again we come across people who narrate their 'miracles' and attribute that to Grace of God or Godman(woman)!This is what Sri Aurobindo says:
"Man demands miracles that he may have faith; he wishes to be dazzled in order that he may see. And this impatience, this ignorance may turn into a great danger and disaster if, in our revolt against the divine leading, we call in another distorting Force more satisfying to our impulses and desires and ask it to guide us and give it the Divine Name."
How we wish to be snug in our cocoon of ignorance!
Namaskar.
R.Subramanian/Friends,
One of my friends narrated an interesting episode from a Tamil comedy movie-Vivek,the comedian plays a character in that movie who finds a lemon dangling under the Front Number plate(This is a practice to ward off evil!) of a lorry parked on the roadside.What a godsend this is ,as it is a hot day!Our comedian pulls out the lemon and nicely helps himself to a 'lemon juice'.Meantime the Driver and the cleaner of that lorry return and the cleaner boy cries out-"Hurrah!The Lemon!It is missing"!!!Vivek tells the cleaner that he has helped himself as it is a hot day and in any case that lemon was only decorating that number plate.
The Cleaner boy says that the Lorry without the lemon is without 'Protection' and they cannot resume their journey without it.
Vivek tells the cleaner-"There are so many moving parts in the old lorry,not to mention the wornout tyres!How is it that one solitary 'Lemon' is the one that makes the lorry roadworthy!"
Lemon!Lemon everywhere!
Many a devotee doth make.
Plain vanilla without a shake
Few,the people who care.
Namaskar.
Namaskar.
Hema and friends, Why worry about how rational we are? Indeed in this day and age science and materialism rule supreme.
Devotee: In the books it is stated that Bhagavan is an ocean of Mercy. Is it a fact?
Bhagavan: Ocean? An ocean (sagara)has a limit, a boundary (or coastline). But the krupa of Bhagavan has no such limit. It is limitless. It knows no bounds.
heyjude,
"But the krupa of Bhagavan has no such limit. It is limitless. It knows no bounds."
Friend,better to be within the bounds of 'rationality' than to run our raft of life on the 'fanciful' krupa that is 'Boundless' and saved 'me' while the less 'fortunate' died or got injured.What is the use of that boundless 'krupa' if it is so 'selective'?Is this not plain self aggrandisement?
Man chooses to paint god in his own image-this has nothing to do with the 'krupa' that Sri Bhagavan is referring to.
Namaskar.
heyjude,
Here is the excerpt from Ramalingam's narrative posted by R.Subramanian 'Miralcles happen'.
" Now you should know what happened to me. NOTHING."
Would Ramalingam write that article had the ones who travelled with him happen to be his wife and children?Most definitely NO;as the others who travelled with him happen to be 'not related',he considers that Sri Bhagavan has 'saved' him.
This is just to clarify the nature of this 'grace' and the 'Devotion';not to pick on Ramalingam.
Sri Bhagavan never gave any room for such things,yet we are so fond of foisting our fancies on his 'Grace'.
Namaskar.
heyjude/Friends,
on a lighter vein,reminded of the quip of the Famous pianist Josef Hoffman:
A musician of more ambition than talent composed an elegy at
the death of composer Edward MacDowell. She played the elegy for the
pianist Josef Hoffman, then asked his opinion. "Well, it's quite
nice," he replied, but don't you think it would be better if ..."
"If what?" asked the composer.
"If ... if you had died and MacDowell had written the elegy?"
Dear Hema,
Why should we first of all question
another man's dream or vision. It is his. Who are we to judge? If that dream or vision gives him satisfaction, and things go in order it is fine for him. Some times it does not go in order, again what can the person do? In case of one Mahalakshmi
Amma, her two male babies brought
to Sri Bhagavan, for anna prasanam
did not survive. They died within
a few days. But the point to be noted is that whether our expectations or dreams or visions
come true or not, one should continue to repose faith in God or Guru.
If everything is Maya, then our minds are also Maya. All debates
and counter answers are Maya. The world itself is seemingly real or seemingly unreal and in both the cases, these are all Maya's sports.
If the person gets satisfaction about the results due to some dreams affirming positive results before hand, he is happy. That is all.
I myself came out of drug addiction [of a milder type]
due to Sri Bhagavan's advice to me in the waking state, not even a dream. What do you say for this?
A person like me with zero will
power to stop the addiction due to some divine advice is itself a miracle. Many devotees even during Sri Bhagavan's time in mortal coil,
had seen Him, as Subrahmanya, Daksinamurty etc., They got immense happiness and their faith grew many times more.
*****
Dear Ravi,
Vivek's approach and the lorry
driver's approach are different.
The lorry driver believed that in spite of worn out tyres, the journey would be safe. Why doubt his faith? It may sound irrational but do all our daily activities rational?
Please see Dr. Syed's question and
Sri Bhagavan's answers about the
Power of Arunachala.
*****
Dear Ravi,
We are all mistaking the grace as
something special to one particular
person. It is not so. So long one
has surrendered to Guru or God, this operates more effectively, because his surrender is
submission of the ego, at the god's
feet or guru's feet. If the surrender is not there, the ego is still there and prarabdha operates in full force when the ego rises its head.
Jagadeeswara Sastri was almost given up by doctors and devotees
were expecting the bad news at any time. Sastri sent out a poem or a letter and Sri Bhagavan read it.
And He understood his surrender.
And the surrender did the rest of the work, with Guru's grace operating in full force. In Mahalakshmi Amma's case, the two babies died in spite of annaprasnaam and applying vibhuti on the foreheads by Sri Bhagavan, because Sri Bhagavan thought that they were ready for a more glorious
salvation. Sri Bhagavan Himself
asked whether the babies were cremated or buried. When He was told that they were buried in T'malai burial ground, Sri Bhagavan has said, 'They would have buried them inside the Asramam. But what to do? If it is permitted, then the Asramam will have many corpses from tomorrow!
So also the case of Indra, daughter of GVS. She was just given
four words, deham, naham, koham,
soham. She was repeating them as mantras and she passed away in a few months, chanting the four words till her last breath. So long as the ego does not intervene,
the Grace is limitless flow of ocean, be it for worldly solutions or for liberation.
Some times the grace operates for betterment in health and worldly miseries; but some other times, it results in a wonderful prize of liberation.
I agree with heyjude.
*****
R.Subramanian,
I have nothing further to add to what I have already posted as Hema(Did not notice that my wife had not signed off the google account!)and Ravi.
Namaskar.
The Continuing Story:
{Post Nirvana Miracles of Sri
Ramana Maharshi, RMCL, Bangalore.
2001 edition]
Sundar Babu:
I am a Mechanical Engineer working in Chikballapur. Since the company for which I work is a comparatively small one, we have to do all the duties. Once I was put in charge of accounts finalization. This gave me an opportunity of going to Bhagavan Ramana's shrine near Mekhri Circle [in Bangalore]. I used to feel the intense spiritual atmosphere there. Later in 1991, I got married. However, I was issueless even after 4 years. My wife was admitted to a very reputed nursing home for a minor rectificatory operation. However, that doctor completely messed up the case. As a result the prospects of my wife becoming pregnant became nearly nil. At the same time, pressure was building up in family that I should marry again for the sake of begetting a child.
In that desperate situation, I started praying intensely at the Ramana Maharshi Shrine for a miracle, so that my wife may become pregnant. I also assured Ramana that if He answered my prayer, I would certainly visit Tiruvannamalai and offer my obeisance there as well.
Thereafter, by His grace, my wife became pregnant in spite of the odds being nearly full against it. My wife's people were at Madras and the delivery was at a nursing home there. After a caeserian, a son was born. According to the practice in the nursing home, children having problems were kept separately for proper diagnosis. My son and two other children were taken for this purpose. While the other two children were returned to their mothers, my child was still kept under observation. I was told that the child was vomiting and if necessary, an operation was to be done, to remove any possible obstructions in the stomach after appropriate tests. In this predicament, I cried my heart out to Ramana saying "You have answered my prayer and given me a son. Now do not deprive me of him." I also immediately rushed to Sri Ramanasramam as promised. After I came back one more miracle happened. Ramana who had bestowed the most valuable gift of a son, saved him for us. The fault was at last diagnosis by the doctors. It was decided that the mother's milk, would be the remedy for the situation and it worked. After a couple of days of such feeding, the child became normal. I can never forget these miracles which have been possible only by Ramana's Grace. I shudder to think of what my life would have been but for that.
*****
Sri Bhagavan's Grace:
K.R.K. MURTHY: {From Arunachala's
Ramana, Boundless Ocean of Grace,
Volume VI.]
Once, one devotee of Sri Bhagavan was abused, ill treated, and prohibited from entering the Asramam. Though Sri Bhagavan was aware of this He never uttered a word or passed a remark, favoring the devotee or the other side.
But what happened? The devotee never used to come to Sri Bhagavan as usual. But Sri Bhagavan Himself used to pass by the abode of the devotee and give darshan in a different place. Who can prevent Bhagavan? Sri Bhagavan is interested in all His children even though some of them might behave in a naughty manner at times. Sri Bhagavan never used to condemn people openly and wound their feelings even though He is All Powerful.
*****
The Audible Life Stream:
The Key to Solving the Mystery of
Death: MP: Jan-Mar. 2011
By Alistair Conwell:
Death's Stamp gives value to the coin of life...Rabindranath Tagore.
Death is the event most heavily pregnant with spiritual potential
because it is the time when consciousness undergoes a significant transition. It is a transition from perceiving a physical reality through the five senses to perceiving a spiritual reality without sensory input. So in the light of the spiritual significance, that death represent, the question must be
asked: Do you have any idea what will happen at the time of your death -- whenever that may be? Sadly, for the vast majority of us, death is a perennial mystery. Most of us do not have the faintest idea of what will actually happen at the time of death -- not in terms of the shutting down of the physical body's organ, but in terms of our perpetual faculties or consciousness. Many who have spiritual or religious beliefs will intellectually accept that consciousness will continue after the physical body dies but they probably have no idea as to what the experience will actually be like.
Paradoxically though it may seem, mystics throughout the history have said that it is possible to solve the mystery of death while being very much alive -- to die
while living. The secret is to consciously tune into and eventually merge with the phenomenon known in the West, at least, as the Audible Stream or
Primordial Sound Current. The Audible Life Stream is the central tenet of the most ancient spiritual teachings known. Mystics say it is the quintessential fabric of the universe -- physical and spiritual. Without it nothing could exist. It is the essence of all things and, in fact, resounds continuously within each and every one of us. Put simply, this stream of continuous vibrating energy, which can be perceived as many different types of sounds, such as, for example, thunder, running water, ocean waves and even the most enchanting music, is our immortal spiritual essence.
contd.,
salutations to all:
on the one hand, wonder what isn't grace? the astonishing way in which breath goes in & out giving me an impression of 'life', isn't that grace? on the other hand, the only grace that matters (to me) is that that bestows self-realisation :-), i.e., if i too can say effortlessly "...pAzhinil vIzhAdu yEzhayai kAtthu un padatthinil irrutthi vaitthanayE (aruNAchala padhikam, verse 4,lines 3-4)...", then yes, that day i will also acknowledge grace & grace alone :-). until then, though easier said than done, at least i'd be happy to have the courage to tell aruNAchala to keep the other tidbits of grace to himself! but for the grace of self-abidance, for all other illustrations of grace (or not), my cry shall remain "...nEsamil enakku un Asaiyai kAttI nI mOsam seyyadharuL aruNAchalA (aksharamaNamAlai, verse 60)...". notwithstanding the above, though far far from uttering it honestly, can't deny that i also have a strong urge to say "...en uyirE eNNam edhuvO adhu seyvAi (navamaNimAlai, verse 7, lines 5-6...", and live by it :-)))
Friends,
An excerpt from The gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
Master:"To love these objects, regarding them as one's own, is maya. But to love all things is daya,
compassion. To love only the members of the Brahmo Samaj or of one's own family is
maya; to love one's own countrymen is maya. But to love the people of all countries, to
love the members of all religions, is daya. Such love comes from love of God, from daya.
"Maya entangles a man and turns him away from God. But through daya one realizes God.
Sages like Sukadeva and Narada always cherished daya in their hearts."
Namaskar.
s/Friends,
For a seeker of god,Grace has a definite sense and understanding-As manikkavachakar says-'avan aruLal avan thaL vaNagi-To yield to him through his Grace(vaNanguthal-means to drop all one's preference and insistence,and yield to the presence).Grace is that which reminds one of the presence of God and draws one into it.
This the sense it is used by all the Great ones.
Here is an excerpt from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
"If you see anywhere
an instance of compassion, as in Vidyasagar, know that it is due to the grace of God.
Through compassion one serves all beings. Maya also comes from God. Through maya
God makes one serve one's relatives. But one thing should be remembered: maya keeps us
in ignorance and entangles us in the world, whereas daya makes our hearts pure and
gradually unties our bonds.
"God cannot be realized without purity of heart. One receives the grace of God by subduing
the passions-lust, anger, and greed. Then one sees God."
Anyother definition or sense of Grace is only belief-and has nothing to do with Grace.
Namaskar.
God, Faith, Grace and Happenstance:
Jesus Christ was walking towards
the Jewish temple. There were rows
of men, sickly and lame and some of them were afflicted with leprosy. He just looked at the lame-men and said: "Stand up and walk." One lame man had faith in Christ's words and tried to stand up. Yes. He could stand and walk too. Those who doubted His words continued to remain sitting, remained as lame men only.
Prophet Mohammed was chased by enemies. He ran for his life along with a friend. After some distance, they heard the sounds of horses and they were sure that now it was horsemen who were chasing and they cannot run any longer since at any time the horsemen would reach them. They found a cave and entered and hid themselves. The horsemen soon reached the cave. One soldier
asked another: "Will they be hiding
here?" The second man said: "You fool, there is cobweb from end to end at the entrance. How could they have entered the cave without disturbing the cobweb. Both drove further away to search the two.
After some time, Prophet Mohammad and the friend came out. The friend
asked the Prophet: "How come, when we entered the cave there was no cobweb and now it is there?" The Prophet said: "You fool, for the Almighty which has decided to save us both, is it difficult to form a cobweb in a second? Have faith in the Almighty and that alone shall save us."
The young boy Ramana did not know how to swim. He stepped into Ayyankulam Tank inside the Arunachaleswara Temple on one cold evening to wash his legs. He slipped and fell into the tank. He was gasping for life. Suddenly an old man appeared in the scene, lifted him up, left him at the steps and walked away. The young boy was still shivering and did not know who came and saved him. Next morning, he went to Sri Bhagavan. Sri Bhagavan asked
the young boy Ramana: "Enna Sami? Were the waters of Ayyankulam tank very chill? The young boy looked at Sri Bhagavan and with tear filled eyes prostrated to Him.
ENNen ivaRRai en uyire,
ENNam athuvo adhu seivai,
KaNNe un than kazhal iNaiyil
Kadhal perukke tharuvaaye!
{Nava Mani Maalai, verse 7}
Love Him, Have Faith in Him, Surrender to Him. He shall do what He wants to do. The only thing that we should do is to love His anklet wearing twin feet, flood Them with our Love.
****
God, Faith, Grace and Happenstance:
It was May 2008. I had just then somewhat recovered from my anxiety
neurosis, the bout of which troubled me immensely since end 2006. I decided to go to Sri Ramanasramam, after a long gap. My wife was somewhat unsure whether we could make the trip and come back safe. We engaged a taxi and went. She had taken, as abundant precaution, my hypertension tablets and anxiolytes. To top it all, I had not booked any guest house room. We reached around 10 am, 31st May 2008. We explained. The official said that there is no room without advanced reservation. We were blinking. Then Mr.V.S. Mani came that side. He looked at us and said: First you go and see Sri Bhagavan and Mother and come back. I shall think over. We went to the shrines and came back. He told the official: "They are ardent devotees. Please allot them a guesthouse room. We were given M-23 of Morvi Guest House. We took the key and rushed to dump our two suitcases and then came back to the Asramam for lunch at 11.30 am. We stayed there on 31st May, 1st June and 2nd June and returned happily.
On the onward journey, we stopped in Hosur in a road junction in front of a small hotel to take coffee. I and my driver stepped out and had coffee and I brought a cup of coffee for my wife, who was sitting inside the car. During our absence of 10 minutes, one young boy had come and had entered the car from the side of driver's seat and started searching the dashboard box. He also moved the steering a bit on either side. He had looked at my wife. My wife was afraid and offered coffee if he could stand outside. He said in Tamizh: "I don't want anything. Now everything is okay and you can go." My wife was nonplussed and somewhat afraid too. We came back and I gave her the cup of coffee.
She said the story. "He was a young boy, dark complexioned, wearing only a half trouser, looked somewhat mad. But his eyes were shining."
On the first evening in Asramam, when we were looking at the large sized photographs on either side of the walls of Sri Bhagavan's shrine, she found the photograph of Sri Bhagavan [which was taken when He was 21 in 1901], she exclaimed: "He only came, he only came. He only came at Hosur!"
How to explain all these things?
In this world which will not stand for all times,
let people who want to remain here, let them stand.
We shall not stand here, we shall go,
We shall go to seek the gold hued, form, with golden serpents around His form, and whose feet are golden.
Do not delay, Do come fast.
If you hesitate and stay back,
He will become rare to get.
PiRpaal ninRu pezhkanithal,
PeRutharku ariyan pemmane!
{Tiruvachakam, Yatthirai Pathu, Verse 7.}
****
The Audible Stream of Life:
continues....
While being inaudible to the physical ears of its inherent spiritual nature, the Audible Life Stream is said to be perceivable within absolute silence. Being all pervasive, the Audible Life Stream is regarded as the Universal Principle, or the Absolute, upon which mainstream religious teachings are unknowingly based. There is evidence to support this claim.
Although often unscrupulously edited, or else misunderstood by well meaning translators, major religious still contain references to this spiritual Sound, although it seems that the guardians of mainstream religions are unaware of this. For example, in the oldest known scriptures, the Vedas,
the mantra, Nada Brahmam literally means God is Sound. In fact, the Vedas refer to the Audible Life Stream as Vak, which translated means "Word" [but not ordinary word, as is explained below]. The Vak was regarded as being of equal importance to the Spiritual Light,
which was sometimes called Agni. Scholars have concluded that the Vak and the Agni were regarded by the ancient Vedic sages as two aspects of the one universal spiritual power. [Siva OLi and Parai Nadham - they say...S.R.]
Further, Vedic sages distinguished between physical mundane sound, which they referred to as Ahata, and the non physical sound, which they referred to as Anahata, literally the 'unstruck' sound. The mantra Aum symbolizes that cosmic sound and is regarded by Hindus, as the sound of ultimate reality.
Similarly, in the Gospel of Saint John, the Audible Life Stream is also referred to as the Word:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God and the Word was God." [John 1:1]
The term 'Word' was translated from the original Greek word Logos, which can mean both word and sound. An ordinary word is essentially a source of vibrating energy. But being true to the original Gospel text, Biblical translators and editors have left the capital "W" unchanged, but rather Voice, or Sound, of the Universal Principle.
continued.....
The Audible Stream of Life:
continues....
Indeed, when the late Dr. Edmond Bordeaux Szekely, philologist, archaeologist and co-founder of the International Biogenic Society, accidentally came upon secret Hebrew and Aramaic texts in the Vatican, and in what was formerly the Royal Archives of Hapsburg family, he translated a revealing document called the "Essene Gospel of Peace".* In it, we find the following passage that corresponds exactly to the beginning of the Gospel of Saint John; however, rather than using the term 'Word', the term 'Sound' is used, clearly suggesting a reference to the Audible Life Stream as the God-force:
"In the beginning was the Sound, and the Sound was with God, and the Sound was God..."
{*E.B. Szekely, Essene Communions with the Infinite, 1979]
There are numerous other references to the Audible Life Stream in the Christian Bible. In the Book of Revelation, a "voice from Heaven" is described as many different types of sound, including music:
"And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of a loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpers playing on their harps..."*
{Revelation 14.2]
Buddhism's Surangama Sutra, of the Mahayana tradition, appears to refer to the Audible Life Stream as being the most effective way to achieve enlightenment and thus penetrate the illusion of death. Moreover, the Sutra records that all of the Buddhas of the past used spiritual sound to escape the wheel of birth and death. This is said to be achieved only when the material sounds are sublimated and the spiritual sound is heard. Explains Manjushri, who is believe to have been a Buddha in his own right and is noted for immense wisdom:
I now submit to the World Honoured One [Buddha Shakyamuni]
That all Buddhas from this world escaped,
By following the teaching, here most suitable,
Which consists in sublimating sound....
Realized by means of [spiritual hearing].**
[The Secrets of Chinese Meditation, Luk Charles, Rider and Co., 1964]
Later in the same Sutra, Manjushri is quoted as saying that when the sounds of the physical world are sublimated, the sound of the drum emanating from the higher deathless dimensions of reality can be perceived:
....When one dwells in quietude,
Rolls of drums from ten directions,
Simultaneously are heard.***
[ibid. Luk Charles.]
Tibetan Buddhists refer to the Audible Life Stream as "bden tshig" and it is interesting to note that the correct translation of the title of the Tibetan Book of the Dead {Bardo Todrol Chenmo} actually means the great liberation from birth and death, through "hearing" in the bardo [the after-death realm], highlighting the importance of spiritual sounds at the time of death.
contd.,
R.Subramanian,
"He just looked at the lame-men and said: "Stand up and walk." One lame man had faith in Christ's words and tried to stand up. Yes. He could stand and walk too. Those who doubted His words continued to remain sitting, remained as lame men only."
Jesus statement-"Stand up and walk" should be understood as "Uththishtatha,Jagratha, Prapya Varaan Nibodhatha"-"Arise, awake, having reached the
wise, be enlightened".
This is the Sraddha(Diligence)that is asked of a seeker.
This should not be interpreted as it is commonly done as a 'miracle'.Let us suppose that that 'lame person' walked in physical terms.So what?Today technology provides better things for men than that.Better 'miracles' are possible and are being done by the Doctors and Technologists.
This is the problem with the mind turned outwards that looks at 'events' and 'happenings' and interprets subtle Truths in a manner subservient to its own ends.
Namaskar.
Friends,
An excerpt from The gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
"Once upon a time a sadhu acquired great occult powers. He was vain about them. But he
was a good man and had some austerities to his credit. One day the Lord, disguised as a
holy man, came to him and said, 'Revered sir, I have heard that you have great occult
powers.' The sadhu received the Lord cordially and offered him a seat. Just then an elephant
passed by. The Lord, in the disguise of the holy man, said to the sadhu, 'Revered sir, can
you kill this elephant if you like?' The sadhu said, 'Yes, it is possible.' So saying, he took a
pinch of dust, muttered some mantras over it, and threw it at the elephant. The beast
struggled awhile in pain and then dropped dead. The Lord said: 'What power you have!
You have killed the elephant!' The sadhu laughed. Again the Lord spoke: 'Now can you
revive the elephant?' 'That too is possible', replied the sadhu. He threw another pinch of
charmed dust at the beast. The elephant writhed about a litle and came back to life. Then
the Lord said: 'Wonderful is your power. But may I ask you one thing? You have killed the
elephant and you have revived it. But what has that done for you? Do you feel uplifted by
it? Has it enabled you to realize God?' Saying this the Lord vanished.
"Subtle are the ways of dharma. One cannot realize God if one has even the least trace of
desire. A thread cannot pass through the eye of a needle if it has the smallest fibre sticking
out."
Namaskar.
Dear Ravi,
I like your interpretation. But the story of lame man and the cave with cobweb show the faith in God, which makes impossible, possible. There are many stories in all religions. Starting from Prahlada escaping the death of poison, Tiru Navukkarasar escaping death from the deep sea where he was pushed in with a heavy stone tied to him. all religions speak of faith and miracles. Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni
was saved from the burning sensation that was about to split
his crown, by the touch of Sri
Bhagavan, in Tiruvottiyur, though He never went out of Tiruvannamalai.
****
R.Subramanian,
" the story of lame man and the cave with cobweb show the faith in God, which makes impossible, possible."
The other story involving Prophet Mohammed is a favorite of Master TGN who used to narrate it often.The gist behind that is that everything happens by the will of God-The prophet stayed calm in this knowledge that since God had work to do through the prophet,it is God's job to see what has to be done!The hour of Death is not yet and death visits only once!
The Devotee wants only God and not 'Miracles' or splendour.His faith is not shaken by the happening or otherwise of any event.He accepts everything with equanimity.
Master TGN used to narrate another story-A Mullah and his newly wed wife were on a boat and as the Boatman rowed it across a river,heavy clouds gathered threatening a downpour.The winds gathered velocity and the ride was getting precarious.The Mullah stayed calm while his wife grew increasingly afraid.She asked the Mullah-"How is it you are not afraid of this precarious situation?".The Mullah took a sickle lying in that boat and brought it near his wife's throat and asked her-"Are you afraid?"."No",said the wife."Why not?The sickle can slice your throat"asked the Mullah.His wife Replied-"I know the sickle is dangerous but it is in your hands!I know you love me.I am not afraid"
"Likewise" said the Mullah,"The Storm may be dangerous;But I know that it is God who does everything.We are safe in his hands!"
This is the Nature of Faith.It just leaves it to God-No supplications or petitions!No 'Hurrahs' at events turning out in one's favour!No disappointments otherwise.
Namaskar.
Friends,
An excerpt from The gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
Master:"Once a Vedantic monk came here. He used to dance at the sight of a cloud. He would go
into an ecstasy of joy over a rain-storm. He would get very angry if, anyone went near him
when he meditated. One day I came to him while he was meditating, and that made him
very cross. He discriminated constantly, 'Brahman alone is real and the world is illusory.'
Since the appearance of diversity is due to maya, he walked about with a prism from a
chandelier in his hand. One sees different colours through the prism; in reality there is no
such thing as colour. Likewise, nothing exists, in reality, except Brahman. But there is an
appearance of the manifold because of maya, egoism. He would not look at an object more
than once, lest he should be deluded by maya and attachment. He would discriminate, while
taking his bath, at the sight of birds flying in the. sky. He knew grammar. He stayed here
for three days. One day he heard the sound of a flute near the embankment and said that a
man who had realized Brahman would go into samadhi at such a sound."
While talking about the monk, the Master showed his devotees the manners and movements
of a paramahamsa: the gait of a child, face beaming with laughter, eyes swimming in joy,
and body completely naked. Then he again took his seat on the small couch and poured out
his soul-enthralling words.
MASTER (to M.): "I learnt Vedanta from Nangta: 'Brahman alone is real; the world is
illusory.' The magician performs his magic. He produces a mango-tree which even bears
mangoes. But this is all sleight of hand. The magician alone is real."
M: "It seems that the whole of life is a long sleep. This much I understand, that we are not
seeing things rightly. We perceive the world with a mind by which we cannot comprehend
even the nature of the sky. So how can our perceptions be correct?"
MASTER: "There is another way of looking at it. We do not see the sky rightly. It looks as
if the sky were touching the ground at the horizon. How can a man see correctly? His mind
is delirious, like the mind of a typhoid patient."
The Master sang in his sweet voice:
What a delirious fever is this that I suffer from!
O Mother, Thy grace is my only cure. . . ."
Namaskar
Dear Ravi,
Nice stories. I like the interpretation of Prophet Mohammad and
the Mullah. God's another name is Grace.
AruL niRaivaana amudhak kadale....
{Pancharatnam, Verse 1]
*****
From Cohen's Reflections on Talks:
Grace is always there, but practice is
necessary.
Grace has been compared to Provident
Fund which swells with the earnings. It is note a free gift. To expect Grace without earning it, is a thoughtless expectation. Moreover, there is no one to confer Grace. Neither God, nor Guru, nor anyone. Grace confers Itself. It is like an ocean which is ever full and is ready to flow into all rivers and canals that have access to it, that have no obstructions in its way. Exertion removes the obstructions without the necessity of praying for it. If the sluicegate of a canal, let us say, is closed, can any prayer help the water to flow into the canal? Prayer for Grace helps to the extent it contains genuine bhakti, and if this increases to the point of turning into a regular and continuous stream, it becomes the practice of which Sri Bhagavan speaks, which opens the sluicegate and permits the flow of Grace in abundance.
******
The Audible Stream of Life:
continues...
The prophet Mohammad is also believed to have perceived a mysterious Sound at the time of his divine revelation in a cave, and the original Sufis [the mystical branch of Islam] called the Audible Life Stream "Saute Surmad", which means 'the tone that fills the cosmos. {Berendt.J. The
Word is Sound, Nadha Brahmam, Destiny Books, 1938].
Lao Tzu, who is believed to be the founder of Taoism and author of the
Tao Te Ching, desscribed the Tao or Way, as the source of all things and as "unimpeded harmony," implying that this universal principle has a musical quality. {Cleary Thomas, The Essential Tao, Harper & Row, 1991]. He also wrote about the Great Tone that goes beyond all usual imagination." {Berendt.J ibid.]
It is also apparentthat the Chuang Tzu, who lived some three hundred years after Lao Tzu, expounded the merits of contacting the Audible Life Stream when he said:
...hear with the mind instead of the ears; hear with the energy instead of the mind. Hearing stops at the ears, the mind stops at the contact, but energy is that which is empty and responsive to others. [Cleary. ibid].
Also, in the Adi Granth, the Sikh sacred text, the phrase "Divine Music" is often used to refer to the Audible Stream of Life, and in the following excerpts the point is made that it resides within each and every one of us:
"Divine Music is heard
In every soul reverberant,
Continuous, self sustained, a revelation!" [Singh.T. Selections from the Sacred Writings of the Sikhs, Allen & Unwin, 1960]
If, as the scriptural evidence suggests, the concept of the Audible Life Stream, is the basis of mainstream religion, then perhaps the contrived religious divides that have been seeded in the minds of many over the centuries can be usurped by a new paradigm of religious unity.
contd.,
The Audible Stream of Life:
continues....
Is there other evidence of the concept of the Audible Life Stream? Indeed there is and from an unlikely domain -
the world of science. Historically, science and religion, or spirituality,
have been regarded mutually exclusive
[notwithstanding the fact, that some regard science as a modern day religion because of the way that its proponents rigidly adhere to its models]. Yet the cutting edge quantum physics theory known as String Theory is wholly consistent with the concept of the Audible Life Stream. String Theory is believed by an increasing number of physicists to be the Theory of Everything, a theory that unifies the four primary forces, viz., gravitational, electromagnetic, weak nuclear reactions, and strong nuclear reactions. Superstrings, upon which the theory is based, are believed to be one-dimensional vibrating strings that are the fabric of the universe -- the ultimate reality. Superstrings can be conceptualized as a closed looped much like rubber bands or open ended like a typical piece of string. What is significant about superstrings is that they have an infinite amount of energy because they are not limited by time or space, and most interesting is that they are believed to vibrate in musical patterns. Clearly, ancient mystics are modern day physicists are describing ultimate reality as the same vibratory phenomenon, even to the point of agreeing that the phenomenon can vibrate in musical patterns, although the terms they use to describe the phenomenon are different. Another difference is that mainstream physicists would not attribute any hint of consciousness to superstrings, whereas mystics contend that the Audible Life Stream is essentially the Universal Consciousness.
Evidence of the musical qualities of the Audible Life Stream can also be gleaned from accounts of near death experiences [NDEs]. According to Dr. Joel Funk, a psychology professor at Plymouth State College in New Hampshire in the United States, as many as 50% of people who have had such an experience report hearing enchanting music -- bearing in mind this would be after their physical sense of hearing has shut down. Supporting this statistic, there are numerous books available today that document accounts of NDEs and out of body experiences [OBEs] in which mysterious yet enchanting spiritual music is perceived, including some well known cases like the one made famous by Betty Eadie in her best selling book, Enhanced by the Light.
continued...
The Audible Stream of Life:
continues....
Seemingly, equally unaware of the phenomenon, it was apparently through
the vibrations of the Audible Life Stream that an OBE research pioneer, Robert Monroe, was able to astral travel at will. When he heard its other-worldly musical tones, he was left to ask himself if it was God that he had encountered. Also, an internationally renowned music therapist and author, Don Campbell, was profoundly moved after being miraculously healed of a life threatening condition by what he refers to as an "inner sound" not perceived by the physical ears.
If the mystic throughout the ages are indeed correct, then the Audible Life Stream is the means through which one can prove for oneself that consciousness can exist independently of the physical body by safely inducing the experience of death without any threat to the physical body -- to die while living by tuning into the spiritual Sound and experiencing while still alive and with full awareness the transition of consciousness that will eventually occur at death. The mystery of death can consequently be solved because the more consciousness that can be applied at the time of death, the greater spiritual development c an be achieved since death is nothing more than a transition of consciousness when the physical body ceases to function. Through the cosmic, universal sound of the Audible Life Stream, the illusion of desath can be finally shattered and life can be perceived for what it truly is -- a conscious experience with really no beginning and ultimately no end.
***
Alistair Conwell, a psychologist and had widely travelled leasrning meditation techniques from Western, Indian, Tibetan, and Vietnamese Masters. He learned first about Audible Life Stream while in Nepal. His book The Audible Life Stream - Ancient Secret of Dying While Living, is published by O -Books.
*****
Concluded.
Friends,
s post on Grace is to be read over and over again:
" the only grace that matters (to me) is that that bestows self-realisation :-), i.e., if i too can say effortlessly "...pAzhinil vIzhAdu yEzhayai kAtthu un padatthinil irrutthi vaitthanayE (aruNAchala padhikam, verse 4,lines 3-4)...", then yes, that day i will also acknowledge grace & grace alone :-). until then, though easier said than done, at least i'd be happy to have the courage to tell aruNAchala to keep the other tidbits of grace to himself!"
Here is an excerpt from The gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
A devotee had brought a basket of jilipi for the Master, which the latter kept by his side.
Eating a bit of the sweets, he said to Prankrishna with a smile: "You see, I chant the name
of the Divine Mother; so I get all these good things to eat. (Laughter.) But She doesn't give
such fruits as gourd or pumpkin. She bestows the fruit of Amrita, Immortality-knowledge,
love, discrimination, renunciation, and so forth."
Namaskar.
Friends,
In verse 5 of paripooraNAnandam,thAyumAnavar invokes Grace:
சந்ததமும் எனதுசெயல் நினதுசெயல் யானெனுந்
தன்மைநினை யன்றியில்லாத்
தன்மையால் வேறலேன் வேதாந்த சித்தாந்த்த
சமரச சுபாவமிதுவே
இந்தநிலை தெளியநான் நெக்குருகிவாடிய
இயற்கைதிரு வுளமறியுமே
இன்நிலையி லேசற் றிருக்கஎன் றால்மடமை
இதசத்ரு வாகவந்து
சிந்தைகுடி கொள்ளுதே மலமாயை கன்மந்
திரும்புமோ தொடுவழக்காய்ச்
சென்மம்வரு மோஎனவும் யோசிக்கு தேமனது
சிரத்தைஎனும் வாளும்உதவிப்
பந்தமற மெய்ஞ்ஞானதீரமும் தந்தெனைப்
பாதுகாத் தருள்செய்குவாய்
பார்க்குமிட மெங்குமொருநீக்கமற நிறைகின்ற
பரிபூர ணானந்தமே. 5
What I do is what You do.
For ever ever is this true.
What I am is what You are,
None different.
This the truth of Vedanta -
Siddhanta Samarasa;
To realize this,
How I pined and melted
Thine Grace knoweth.
In this state I seek to be for awhile.
But, alas! Ignorance seizes my thought
As an inveterate enemy.
Will mala, maya and karma depart?
Will birth in uninterrupted succession be my lot?
Thus is my mind in doubts tossed.
Do Thou grant the sword of Diligence.
Do Thou grant the courage of wisdom true
To sever the fetters of desire.
Do Thou grant thy Grace and redeem me!
Oh! Thou who filleth all visible space
In unbroken continuity!
Thou, the Bliss that is Perfect Full!
Namaskar.
Friends,
ThAyumAnavar's mounaguru vaNakkam ,verse 1:
ஆசைநிக ளத்தினை நிர்த்தூளி படவுதறி
ஆங்கார முளையைஎற்றி
அத்துவித மதமாகி மதம்ஆறும் ஆறாக
அங்கையின் விலாழியாக்கிப்
பாசஇருள் தன்னிழ லெனச்சுளித் தார்த்துமேல்
பார்த்துப் பரந்தமனதைப்
பாரித்த கவளமாய்ப் பூரிக்க வுண்டுமுக
படாமன்ன மாயைநூறித்
தேசுபெற நீவைத்த சின்முத்தி ராங்குசச்
செங்கைக் குளேயடக்கிச்
சின்மயா னந்தசுக வெள்ளம் படிந்துநின்
திருவருட் பூர்த்தியான
வாசமுறு சற்சார மீதென்னை யொருஞான
மத்தகச மெனவளர்த்தாய்
மந்த்ரகுரு வேயோக தந்த்ரகுரு வேமூலன்
மரபில்வரு மௌன குருவே.
Fragmenting the chains of desire to smithereens,
Kicking off the stake of egoity,
Filled with the mast *[1] of advaita,
Blowing out the six faiths
As in a stream through the proboscis,
Gazing intensely upward
Until the darkness of pasa became
A mere shadow underneath,
Swallowing the straying mind as balls of food
And feeding on it to the full.
Tearing the resplendent veil of maya to shreds,
Controlling by the shining goad of Chinmudra
Held in the hollow of Thy palm,
In the fragrant juice dipped
In the waters of chinmayananda bliss,
Filled with Grace Divine,
Thou brought me up as a jnana elephant
Of towering presence!
Oh! Mantra Guru! Oh, Yoga Tantra Guru!
Mauna Guru that comes in the line of Mula the Holy!
*Mast-Rut of elephant
Namaskar.
Friends,
ThAyumAnavar's mounaguru vaNakkam,verse 6:
கல்லாத அறிவுமேற் கேளாத கேளாத கேள்வியுங்
கருணைசிறி தேதுமில்லாக்
காட்சியும் கொலைகளவு கட்காமம் மாட்சியாக்
காதலித் திடுநெஞ்சமும்
பொல்லாத பொய்ம்மொழியும் அல்லாது நன்மைகள்
பொருந்துகுணம் ஏதும்அறியேன்
புருடர்வடி வானதே யல்லாது கனவிலும்
புருடார்த்தம் ஏதுமில்லேன்
எல்லா மறிந்தநீ யறியாத தன்றெனக்
கெவ்வண்ணம் உய்வண்ணமோ
இருளையிரு ளென்றவ்ர்க் கொளிதா ரகம்பெறும்
எனக்குநின் னருள்தாரகம்
வல்லா னெனும்பெய ருனக்குள்ள தேயிந்த
வஞ்சகனை யாளநினையாய்
மந்த்ரகுரு வேயோக தந்த்ரகுரு வேமூலன்
மரபில்வரு மௌன குருவே. 6
Unassimilated knowledge,
Hearing sans listening,
vision without an iota of compassion,
A heart that exults in
Murder, thieving, drinking and lusting,
Speech that is full of evil lies
Except these,
I know not anything
That may be deemed as goodly virtue;
Only in form am I a purusha(man),
Else, I seek not the purushArta even in dreams,
O! All these Thou know,
Who knows all !
How am I going to be redeemed?
To those who discern darkness as darkness
Light will be the refuge;
To me Thy Grace is the Refuge;
Thou who bear the name "The Almighty",
Do thou enslave this negligent one.
O! Thou, Mantra Guru ! Yoga Tantra Guru ! O! Mauna Guru
That comes in the line of Mula the Holy!
-----------------------------------
Mark the words 'aruL'(Grace) and 'iruL'(darkness).This is the very essence of Grace- that it dispels darkness.
Fulfillment of desires,unexpected windfall,remarkable coincidence,'miracles' or privileges that one imagines as having been bestowed,etc,etc are just happenings-they cannot be deemed 'acts of Grace'.One can never say for sure whether such happenings are for one's good or otherwise.
Namaskar.
Friends,
The TirukkuraL is one Great work that has a universal appeal.Sage tiruvaLLuvar gives this clear context of Grace(aruL) and juxtaposes it with darkness(iruL).
Adakkam Amararul Uykkum Adangaamai
Aarirul Uytthu vidum.
Self control raises one to abiding(amar) Grace(aruL)
Lack of it plunges one in dense (Aar)darkness(iruL).
Master TGN gives this wonderful insight into the word 'amar+aruL';in every other translation this word is taken to be'amararuL'-leading to the translation-'Self control will place one among Gods';This will be pure speculation-and Tiruvalluvar is immensely down to earth,and in the whole of Tirukkural the key word is 'rational'-Every verse is imbued with the spirit of Rationality-verifiable Truths.
-----------------------------------
Excerpts from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
"The more you rid yourself of upadhis, the nearer you will feel the presence of God. Rainwater
never collects on a high mound; it collects only in low land. Similarly, the water of
God's grace cannot remain on the high mound of egotism. Before God one should feel
lowly and poor.
"One should be extremely watchful. Even clothes create vanity. I notice that even a man
suffering from an enlarged spleen sings Nidhu Babu's light songs when he is dressed up in
a black-bordered cloth. There are men who spout English whenever they put on high boots.
And when an unfit person puts on an ochre cloth he becomes vain; the slightest sign of
indifference to him arouses his anger and pique."
Namaskar.
Sravana Punarvasu Day:
Today is Punarvasu of Sravana.
On the night of Dhanur Punarvasu,]
Sri Bhagavan took birth in
Tiruchuzhi. Rama was born on
Chaitra Punarvasu. Punarvasu
day of every month, is a day of
celebration in Sri Ramanasramam.
Special oblations, alankaram,
adornment of Sri Ramaneswara
Maha Lingam, with golden casket
and special pujas are done.
One verse from Muruganar's
Sri Ramana Sannidhi MuRai,
AruNai RamaNesan:
Verse 9:
He is the king who stared at
Manmatha with His third eye
to make him fall and die as
dust.
He got His children, the first,
with elephant face and the next,
the effulgent Subrahmanyan.
It is He, who, when the milky ocean was churned keeping the serpent as rope, and when the halahala poison gushed out, took it as if it is nectar.
He has now loved and taken hold of me, He is my Lord, He is Arunai Ramanesan!
[Verse No. 941.]
Tirumoolar says in Tirumandiram,
'Mikkaar Amudhunna nanjunda
melavan' - when every one else
took nectar, he took poison and he
is the Primoridal.'
*****
In the Tiger's Jaws:
[Chaganlal V. Yogi]
[From Fragrant Petals, Asramam
Publication]
"He that has earned the Grace
of the Guru shall undoubtedly
be saved and never forsaken,
just as the prey that has
fallen into the tiger's jawas
will never be allowed to escape." - Sri Bhagavan, in Who am I?
It was in the darkest period of my life that I first heard of Sri Ramana Maharshi. At that time, I seemed to be heading swiftly towards scepticism; the world
seemed full of injustice, cruelty and greed, leading me to a strong disbelief in God. I had, as a consequence, lost whatever little reverence I had for Sadhus and Sannyasis. I began to live a life lacking in optimism and faith.
One day, while travelling on an electric train to my office, I happened to meet a friend who had spent over a decade in Europe and America. I hadn't met him for a long time and had wondered where he had disappeared to. He said that he had been to Sri Ramanasramam, and while trying to describe to me his experience of the darshan of the Maharshi, he
drew out from his pocket a small packet which he extended to me. I wondered what it contained. He explained that it contained something extremely precious, some vibhuti [sacred ash] brought from the Asramam. He insisted on my accepting it. His kind invitation
did not interest me in the least. Instead, it amused me. I said in scorn, "Pardon me, but I think all this sort of thing is mere sham and humbug, so I trust you will not misunderstand me if I refuse it." His only argument against my refusal was that by not accepting it, I insulted him, if not the vibhuti. I said, "Well, if that be so, to please you, I will take a pinch of the ash, on condition that you will allow me to do whatever I may feel like doing with it." Unsuspectingly, he nodded and gave the packet to me, A smile broke on his lips, as he watched me take a pinch of ash. His smile prefaced a zealous expatiation on Sri Maharshi and his miraculous greatness. While he was lost in his missionary enthusiasm, I surreptitiously let the ashes fall to the floor of the compartment. To be frank, it was a relief when my friend concluded what I then considered a most puerile and unnecessary lecture. At the end of it, I remarked "I have utter contempt for these so called saints." He insisted that Sri Ramana Maharshi was not a 'so called' saint, but authentic sage, acknowledged by great savants all over the world, and suggested for my own benefit, that I read about Him in the literature so easily obtainable. He gave me book to start with, Sri Maharshi by the late Sri Kamath of The Sunday Times, Madras.
contd.,
In the Tiger's Jaws:
Chaganlal V. Yogi:
continues...
I confess that the book evoked
in me a strong interest in the Maharshi. From another friend, almost immediately, I borrowed a copy of Self Realization. My interest grew without being conscious of it. Something made me write to Sri Ramanasramam for all the literature on the Maharshi available in English. I studied it avidly and my outlook on life and the world began to undergo a subtle transformation. Yet, at the back of my mind, there still lurked a heavy doubt resembling a cloud that stained the gathering illumination. My old scepticism did not wish to yield place so easily to the new faith, which was apparently being inculcated in my mind. It gave battle to that faith which, however, had obviously come to stay. I decided to correspond with the Maharshi, which I did for a few months with increasing and more frequency. Answers to my letters reached me with a rare punctuality and they breathed the teachings of the Master. But they did not give me a glimpse into the nature of the daily life lived by Him. An explicable desire to visit the Asramam and see things for myself began to haunt me.
To fulfil that desire, I paid a visit to Sri Ramanasramam in the Christmas of 1938. When I arrived at the Asramam, I met with a terrible disappointment. Nothing seemed to be the way I had expected. The Maharshi was seated on a couch, as still as a statue which did not move or speak. Neither did His presence seem to emanate anything unusual. I was
sorely sad when I saw how indifferent His whole attitude towards me was. I had expected warmth and intimacy. But alas, I seemed to be standing before someone who lacked both. From morning till evening, I sat waiting to catch a glimpse of His grace, of His interest in me, a stranger who had come all the way from Bombay to see Him. But He seemed cold and aloof. My mind became a vacuum, my heart nearly broke in despair. I was planning to leave that very night, more sceptical and hard than before. The Vedaparayana chanted every evening in His presence, and considered one of the most attractive items on the daily programme of the Asramam, fell flat on my ears.
contd.,
In the Tiger's Jaws:
Chaganlal V. Yogi:
continues...
The sun was setting like a sad
farewell and darkness slowly
crept over the Hill and over my
heart. It deepened until all
around us was one big black blotch.
The electric lights which were switched on in the Hall seemed like living wounds on the body of
darkness. I could not bear the atmosphere. My mind was undergoing
deep torture. The Master's Hall seemed stuffy and choking. I
walked out of it to breathe some
fresh air outside.
Just then a young boy - Gopalan
by name - came up to me and asked
where I had come from. "Bombay" I said. And had I been introduced
to the Master, he asked. I said,
'No.' He was surprised. Forthwith
he led me to the office3 and introduced me to the Sarvadhikari and sri Mouni Swami, and then proceeded with me to the Hall, where he introduced me to the Maharshi. When the Maharshi heard my name, His eyes looked straight into mine and they twinkled like stars. With a smile beaming with grace, He asked me if I was a Gujarati. I said I was. Immediately, He sent for a copy of the translation of by Kishorelal Mashruwala of the Upadesa Saram, a few copies of which had just then only arrived. He then asked me to chant the Gujarati verses from the book. "I am not a singer", I said, and for a moment I hesitated. But I got over my hesitation and began to chant the verses, fifteen of which I had sung when the bell for the evening meal rang. While I was chanting, I could feel sri Bhagavan observing me keenly; the light of His eyes, suffused my consciousness even without my being conscious of it, bringing about a subtle but definite transformation. The darkness which, moments before had seemed heavy and unbearable, gradually lightened and melted into a glow. My erstwhile sadness disappeared completely, leaving in my heart an inexplicable joy. My limbs appeared to be washed in an ocean-ride of freedom.
I sat close to Sri Bhagavan at the evening meal and while I ate it, every morsel seemed to have a heavenly taste. This experience was utterly different from my morning breakfast or my lunch at noon. I felt I that I was actually partaking of a heavenly meal in the direct presence of God. The thought of leaving the Asramam that night vanished.
contd.,
In the Tiger's Jaws:
Chaganlal V. Yogi:
continues...
I stayed on for three more days
in order to extend the sacred and extraordinary experience which had begun, an experience of divine grace leading to a distinct sense of spiritual liberation.
During my three day stay in the neighborhood of the Divine Master, my whole outlook was changed entirely, even to the extent of my inability to recognize my old self, tramelled in a preconception and prejudices. My mind swiftly underwent a change and its very texture became different from what had been. The color of the world changed for me and the light of the day now took on an ethereal aspect. I saw the foolishness and futility of turning my gaze only the dark side of life.
The divine magician had opened up before me a strange new world of illumination, hope and joy. The very fact of His Presence on earth was enough proof and promise for suffering, wounded humanity, steeped in obstinate ignorance. For the first time ever, I understood significance of 'darshan'.
While I lay in my bed in the Asramam guest-room, behind my closed eyelids appeared the scene of the electric train in Bombay by which I travelled to my office, and that momentous meeting with the friend from whom I had first heard of the Holy One, whom at that time, I had scoffed at, but at whose feet, for the rest of my life. I have remained to pray. I recalled the blind audacity which prompted me to drop the thrice holy vibhuti prasad in contempt on the floor of the railway carriage. Now even a speck of that prasad means more to me than a whole universe. Prasad from the Master is a form of grace, which no wealth can buy. One even feels unworthy to raise it to eyelids and streak the forehead with it.
contd.,
In the Tiger's Jaws:
Chaganlal V. Yogi:
continues....
O Master, what a miracle of
transformation you worked! Why
did it take me half a lifetime before I could meet you? Half a lifetime of blundering and failing
and falling! But I suppose, my Master, his is only my mental concept of time, measured in years and months. For you, your bhkatas have always been with you, near you, throughout all time.
These thoughts brought me into deep sleep from which I arose the next morning, full of a new vigor in the limbs and a new light in the heart. On the third day it was with a very heavy heart that I took my leave of Sri Bhagavan. Caught in the sense, of time and space, parting caused emptiness and aching in the heart. But something assured me that I return to the feet of the Master sooner than I could imagine. My intuition was correct, for in the following years visit after visit was miraculously and easily arranged by the Master, who knew my need to be close to Him physically from time to time. Every visit deepened the light in me and quickened my senses with increasing exhilaration.
The subtle manner in which the Master toils over His children is amazing. There were times without number when I distinctly saw His mighty hand extended to me, when I stood most in need of His guidance. Thus was I caught in the Tiger's Jaws.
Three years after my first visit to Sri Ramanasramam, I had a very significant dream, in which Sri Ramana caught me by hand and led me to the top of Arunachala Hill. This dream convinced me that Sri Ramana had saved me when I saw Him for the first time, and that He vouchsafed to me His protection and guidance, until I reached the goal of life. Since then, I have seen His gracious hand extended to me in help during all my periods of difficulties. Sri Ramana is in help during all my periods of difficulties. Sri Ramana is my Saviour as well as my Protector. Three days before Sri Ramana gave up His mortal coil, I received a trunk-call from my elder son to leave immediately for Sri Ramanasramam. Accordingly, I flew from Bombay to Madras and reached the Asramam by a special bus. I was fortunate enough to get Sri
Ramana's last look, which I will never forget. Through this last gaze, Sri Ramana assured me of His permanent protection and guidance.
Nokkiye karudhi mei thaakkiye
Pakkuvam,
aakki nee aandu aruL Arunachala!
concluded.
Friends,
An excerpt from 'The Letters from Sri Ramanasramam':
30th November, 1945
(10) WORLDLY TROUBLES
About two years back, an old couple from Guntur, who
have been visiting the Ashram for a long time past, came
and stayed here for two months. The gentleman could not
stay away from his house and children for more than two
months at a stretch; however, with a view perhaps to put the
blame on the wife, he approached Bhagavan and said, “I
can’t bear these family troubles; I told my wife not to come
with me, but she has come. Before even two months have
elapsed, she says, ‘Come on, let us go. There are a lot of
things to attend to at home.’ I ask her to go alone but she
refuses. However much I tell her she does not listen to me.
Please, Bhagavan, you at least persuade her to go. Then I
shall eat with you and stay on here.”
Bhagavan replied jocularly, “Where will you go, my
dear man, forsaking your family? Will you fly up into the
sky? After all, you have to remain on this earth. Wherever
we are, there is the family. I too came away saying I did not
Letters from Sri Ramanasramam 18
want anything, but see what a big family I have now! My
family is a hundred times bigger than yours. You ask me to
tell her to go, but if she comes and says, ‘where am I to go,
Swami? I would rather stay here,’ what shall I say to her
then? You say you don’t want your family, but what shall I
do with my family? Where shall I go, if I leave all this?”
The people in the hall were all smiles. The old man
squatted on the floor, saying, “Yes, but what does it matter
to Bhagavan? He is free from all bonds, and so he can bear
the burden of any family however big it may be.”
You should see how humorously Bhagavan talks about
things. Whatever he says has some teaching for us in it.
Devotees like myself have got into the habit of telling Bhagavan
about some pain in the leg or stomach or back. A person once
came and said, “My eyesight is bad. I cannot see properly. I
want Bhagavan’s grace for my relief.” Bhagavan nodded as
usual, and as soon as that person had left, he said, “He says
he has pain in the eyes, I have pain in my legs. Whom shall I
ask for relief?” We were all taken aback and kept quiet.
Namaskar.
Friends,
The Tales and parables of Sri Ramakrishna are among the most entertaining,humourous and at the same time deeply instructive.The Great Master had this unique gift in expressing subtle Truths with a felicity that a five year child can appreciate.Here is a typical sample Tale:
THE TIGER THAT LURKS BEHIND
WORLDLY JOYS
GOD is like the wish-yielding tree of the celestial
world (Kalpataru), which gives whatever one asks
of it. So, one should be careful to give up all
worldly desires when one's mind has been purified
by religious exercises.
Just listen to a story: A certain traveller came to a
large plain in the course of his travels. As he had
been walking in the sun for many hours, he was
thoroughly exhausted and heavily perspiring; so he
sat down in the shade of a tree to rest a little.
Presently he began to think what a comfort it
would be if he could but get a soft bed there to
sleep on. He was not aware that he was sitting
under the celestial tree. As soon as the above
thought rose in his mind, he found a nice bed by
his side. He felt much astonished, but all the same
stretched himself on it. Now he thought to himself,
how pleasant it would be, were a young damsel to
come there and gently stroke his legs. No sooner
did the thought arise in his mind than he found a
young damsel sitting at his feet and stroking his
legs. The traveller felt supremely happy. Presently
he felt hungry and thought: "I have got whatever
have wished for; could I not then get some food?"
Instantly he found various kinds of delicious food
spread before him. He at once fell to eating, and
having helped himself to his heart's content,
stretched himself again on his bed. He now began
to revolve in his mind the events of the day. While
thus occupied, he thought: "If a tiger should attack
me all of a sudden!" In an instant a large tiger
jumped on him and broke his neck and began to
drink his blood. In this way the traveller lost his
life.
Such is the fate of men in general. If during your
meditation you pray for men or money or worldly
honours, your desires will no doubt be satisfied to
some extent; but, mind you, there is the dread of
the tiger behind the gifts you get. Those tigers—
disease, bereavements, loss of honour and wealth
etc.,—are a thousand times more terrible than the
live tiger.
-----------------------------------
There is a Great deal of Things for the Seeker in the above Tale.
The seeker ,as he deepens his Sadhana,tends to develop certain perceptions that are beyond the ordinary.For instance,Whatever he thinks may come about!It is more likely that whatever that is going to happen,one gets a prescience.If one mistakes such things as 'Acts of Grace',one will walk into the jaws of the 'wrong Tiger'!(Not the jaws of the Tiger that Sri Bhagavan meant!)
The wonderful tales and parables of Ramakrishna is available as a download:
http://www.mediafire.com/?d3wfb9nkkv0ys86
Namaskar.
Friends,
Some sceptics say that Sri Sankara did not compose the wonderful Soundarya Lahari-all this on account of their lack of comprehension of the subject matter which is not at all 'intellectual'.Self ,Mind,etc are subjects that everyone understands these days!With this background,here is an excerpt from The Letters from Sri Ramanasramam where Sri Bhagavan refers to the verse from Soundarya Lahari:
30th January, 1947
(85) DRAVIDA SISUHU
Yesterday Bhagavan said that Sankara sang about
Sambandha in Soundarya Lahari, referring to him as ‘dravida
sisuhu’, didn’t he? Last night I took out Soundarya Lahari with
a Telugu commentary and saw the sloka written by Sankara
about Sambandha which is as follows:
tvStNy< mNye xri[xrkNye ùdyt>
py> paravar> pirvhit sarSvtimv,
dyavTya dÄ< ÔivfizzuraSva* tvy-
TkvIna< àaEFanamjin kmnIy> kviyta. 75.
O Daughter of the Mountain, I fancy that the ocean of
the milk of poesy rising out of Thy heart verily caused the
milk of Thy breasts to flow. On swallowing this milk given by
Thy grace, the Dravidian child became a poet among great
poets.
The Telugu commentary stated that the word ‘dravida
sisuhu’ in the sloka meant Sankara himself. On the next day
I mentioned this to Bhagavan. Bhagavan replied, “The
Telugu commentators must have stated it wrongly. The
Letters from Sri Ramanasramam 167
Tamil Soundarya Lahari stated that the words ‘dravida sisuhu’
meant Sambandha and not Sankara”; and he sent for the
Tamil book and read out all that was written in it about the
reason for Sambandha receiving the title of ‘dravida sisuhu’,
and explained it to us as follows:
“Sambandha was born in an orthodox brahmin family
in the town of Sirkali, to Sivapada Hridayar and his wife
Bhagawatiyar. The parents named him Aludaya Pillayar. One
day, when the boy was three years old, the father took him
to Thiruttoni Appar Koil. While immersed in the tank for a
bath, he began repeating the aghamarshana mantram. When
the child could not see the father in the tank, it looked around
with fear and grief. There was no trace of the father. It could
not contain its grief and so wept aloud looking at the temple
chariot saying, ‘Father! Mother!’ Parvati and Lord Siva
appeared in the sky, seated on the sacred Bull and gave
darshan to that little child. Siva directed Parvati to give the
boy a golden cupful of her breast milk, the milk containing
Siva Jnana (Knowledge of Siva). She did accordingly. The
boy drank the milk and became free from sorrow, and the
divine couple disappeared."
continued....
Friends,
Letters from Sri Ramanasramam continued....
“Having drunk the milk of jnana, and feeling quite
satisfied and happy, Sambandha sat on the tank bund with
milk dribbling from the corners of his mouth. When the
father came out from his bath, he saw the boy’s condition
and angrily asked, flourishing a cane, ‘Who gave you milk?
Can you drink milk given by strangers? Tell me who that
person is or I will beat you.’ Sambandha immediately
replied by singing ten Tamil verses beginning with,
‘úRôÓûPV ùN®Vu ®ûPúV± Ko çùYi U§ã¥. . .’
The gist of the first verse is: ‘The Man with kundalas (sacred
ear-rings), the Man who rides the sacred Bull, the Man
who has the white moon on His head, the Man whose
Letters from Sri Ramanasramam 168
body is smeared with the ashes of the burning ghat, the
thief who has stolen my heart, He who came to bless
Brahma, the Creator, when Brahma, with the Vedas in his
hand did penance, and He who occupies the sacred seat
of Brahmapuri, He, my Father, is there, and She, my
Mother who gave the milk, is there!” So saying he described
the forms of Siva and Parvati as he witnessed with his eyes
and who gave him milk to drink, and also pointed towards
the temple chariot.
“It was clear from the verses, that the people who gave
milk to the child were no other than Parvati and Lord Siva.
People gathered round. From that day onwards, the boy’s
poetic flow began to run unimpeded. That is why Sankara
sang, Thava Stanyam Manye. The commentators therefore
decided that the word ‘dravida sisuhu’ referred to Sambandha
alone. Nayana also wrote of him as ‘dravida sisuhu’ in Sri
Ramana Gita.”
Namaskar.
G. Ramasswami Pillai:
Two "Miracles"
[From Fragrant Petals - Asramam
Publication.]
Sri Ramana Bhagavan, who is
known to the world as a Jnani
and Jivanmukta of the highest
order, but did not work miracles,
but miracles in His Presence.
These miracles are many and were
a matter of daily occurrence. The
beauty and significance of such
occurrences is not so much in the events themselves as in the manner
and circumstances in which they
took place. I give here two such
examples:
The one that comes to my mind
with utmost strength is of the
recovery of sight by a mill-hand
from Bangalore. He had lost the
sight of both eyes by small-pox.
After trying many different remedies, he was advised by some
one to go to Sri Ramanasramam,
so he came as a last resort.
Sri Bhagavan used to take a walk
in the forest garden that was then adjoining the Asramam, as soon as He finished the midday meal with
devotees and guests. On this particular day, He had finished His lunch and was about to start
off. Two doctors from Madras, Dr.
Srinivasa Rao and Dr. Krishnaswami
Iyer, who were both long-standing devotees of Sri Bhagavan, had been at the Asramam, for Sri Bhagavan's
darshan. They had taken leave of
Sri Bhagavan and were about to leave for Madras. Their car was waiting for them.
Just then the man from Bangalore arrived and prostrated before Sri Bhagavan, who had not yet left His seat. He narrated his sad story.
Besides his being blind, he was the sole wage earner for a large family, which included his aged mother and father, his wife and children. Sri Bhagavan simply listened to the whole story in silence. The two doctors, who had seen the man enter the dining hall, returned to the dining hall, after having some consultations between themselves, they said to Sri Bhagavan, "Bhagavan, we will take this man with us to Madras and do all we can for him, by your Grace." They left immediately afterwards and no one thought of him again.
Nothing was heard from the doctors or the hospital where he was treated, but about a month later, this man returned and prostrated before Sri Bhagavan, saying with tears of gratitude that he had regained perfectly the sight of one eye.
In this whole sequence of events not a miracle? If this man had reached the Asramam just a few minutes later, it would have been a completely different story. Looking at the whole thing from the standpoint of the working of Sri Bhagavan's Grace, we have to understand that the doctors had come the day before with a car as though in anticipation of this man's arrival and were waiting for him. It is like this that Sri Bhagavan works His wonderful miracles.
contd.,
Dear Ravi,
Wonderful narration about
Sri Soundarya Lahari verse.
Sri Anna Subramania Iyer
in his Tamizh Soundarya Lahari
book [slokas + meaning +
comments] published by Sri
Ramakrishna Math also has
mentioned the child dravida sisu
as Jnana Sambandhar. He has also
drawn reference to Mahaperiyava's
comments that the child is Jnana
Sambandha only. "Sri Sankara, apart from being considered as an avatara of Siva Himself, would not have mentioned anything to glorify himself," Mahaperiyava says.
It also goes to prove that Jnana
Sambandha by date, earlier to
Sri Sankara. The dates of Jnana
Sambandha, Tiru Navukkarasu are
said to be 6th century and that of Sundaramurti, 7th century. Sri
Sankara's date also is said to be 7th century.
*****
Two "Miracles":
G. Ramaswami Pillai:
Almost all the miracles that
took place in the Bhagavan's
Presence that I witnessed or even
took part in were all most natural
and normal in appearance. "Action
in inaction and inaction", is the
only explanation for all these events that took place in the presence of Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Another equally interesting and
illuminating event took place when Sri Bhagavan was in Skandasramam.
I was then a student, occasionally visiting the Asramam whenever I had the urge or felt a call, {Here I have used the word 'call' after much hesitation}. Ordinarily when I came to the Asramam in those days, I would go into the town for the night like the other visitors. But this time, somehow I managed to stay in the Asramam. Somebody told me there would be no food there at night, since Sri Bhagavan was then taking only one meal during the day. But I had made up my mind to stay, and so I stayed.
About 8.30 that night, one of the devotees, Ramanatha Brahmachari told Sri Bhagavan that he had been given half a coconut and some sweet rice during the day by some man in town who had celebrated his child's ear-boring ceremony. He apologized for not informing Sri Bhagavan earlier. Sri Bhagavan said, "Since you have nothing for the night, you can make a paste of rice and the coconut, boil it with some water and make a ganji [gruel], which you can all take." We immediately made a paste and dissolved it in water and boiled it in a vessel on the furnace-like charcoal stove that was burning before Sri Bhagavan to to keep off the rainy season chill.
When the ganji was ready, Sri Bhagavan asked whether there was any sugar or sugar candy in the Asramam. Those were the days when anything and everything that pilgrims brought as offerings were distributed then and there without leaving anything over. So the search for sugar and sugar candy proved futile.
Even salt, which Sri Bhagavan suggested as an alternative, was not to be found.
contd.,
Two "Miracles"
G. Ramaswami Pillai:
continues....
At that moment, about 9 O'Clock
at night, a knock came out at
the door. Since I was sitting near the door, I opened it. To our great
surprise, two young men, who had come through the drizzling rain, entered the verandah, one with a
packet of sugar candy, the other with a bunch of plantains. Sri Bhagavan jokingly said, "Aye! Sugar candy has come with plantains to supplement!"
The sugar candy was powdered and duly mixed with ganji.
Then Sri Bhagavan said in all solemnity, "Today is 365th day of my fast, and it is broken by my sharing this ganji with you." When He spoke these words, we were all filled with awe, including the visitors. They were overpowered with joy and gratitude at Sri Bhagavan's gracious love, which enabled them to partake in the breaking of His 365-day fasting at nights.
Then Sri Bhagavan asked them how it was that they had come at that time with the very things that they were needed for the occasion. Even now it brings tears to my eyes to think of that wonderful scene.
One of the visitors replied, "Bhagavan, it was my good fortune to come across the booklet containing the three articles of Mr. Humphreys that had been published in the International Psychic Gazette. Ever since, it has been my greatest ambition to see Sri Bhagavan and have his darshan. Somehow it is only today that we had the opportunity. We are both students of the Agricultural College of Coimbatore, and we have come as a group on an excursion to see a Government Farm near Tirukoilur. We came to Tiruvannamalai only this evening, and tomorrow morning by 6 O'Clock, we will take a train to Tirukoilur. Not willing to miss this God-given opportunity, we came straight here, not minding rain or darkness. We are amply paid for our efforts. We shall never forget this most memorable meeting."
concluded.
R.Subramanaian,
" Not willing to miss this God-given opportunity, we came straight here, not minding rain or darkness. We are amply paid for our efforts. We shall never forget this most memorable meeting."
Wonderful Story;What I find interesting is that what the Two men gave was 'Temporal'(Banana and Sugar candy)-The spirit with which it was offered would have invoked the Grace of Sri Bhagavan and this is 'Forever'.Intersting barter,this!Did Sri Bhagavan require the 'temporal'?No.It was only for the others that such a thing was asked for.How Sri Bhagavan gave 'Iha'(Temporal) and 'Para'(Eternal) sowbhagyam -felling two mangoes without a 'Stone'!!!
Namaskar.
How I came to Maharshi:
Madeline Mende:
Madeline Mende passed away on
April 7, 1970. In going through
her personal papers, a friend
of hers, Barbara Slof, came
across an unfinished book in
which there is a description of "How I came to the Maharshi."
"An echo within whispers the
soul's song;
God - Guru -- ancient One of
olden time
My own Self; whither, whence
How will it happen?
Can It possibly happen to me?
Cosmic calendar and clock decree
a certain time, a certain place,
when Time is ripe, when Time is
right.
Then came a marked turn in my
spiritual road. Truly a turning point in life itself.
Karmic predestinations; casually, informally yet preordained I occasionally met a friend in busy downtown Detroit. I mentioned Lanyon books. She swiftly stated: "Listen, you really should read Maharshi's books. The Maharshi is Lanyon's Teacher. I am leaving town soon but you may use my two Maharshi books briefly for three days."
Only three days. Of course, I tried to copy parts from those precious books sensing their special rare-true value.
Two years passed. At last a few Maharshi books were available in New York. Heart and soul cheered. The books were ordered, however I wasn't home when the postman tried to deliver them. Our local post office closes at 5 O'Clock. I arrived home at six noting that books were available for me in the post office at eight O'Clock the next morning.
I stood still in eager anticipation. "This minute, right here, I am fourteen hours from a Maharshi book."
My own books! Spiritual feast to be savoured slowly. Much of the reading was done with a sense of Light in joyous silence.
Then came the day of my life, in mid-morning, in mid-summer. On this sunshiny morning, August 1961. I sat in a lawn chair in a secluded grassy inner courtyard. Mind was still, bliss of Being amidst tears of ecstasy.
"My very dear own Guru Maharshi
my very dear own Guru Maharshi."
Six accurate, sacred sweet words stated two times from the heart.
In the words of another -- "my fate and all that I was passed from that moment into the scared hands of Sri Bhagavan forever."
"I had come Home. In my own case the precious sense of Bhagavan Presence has been with me ever since. Grace is."
"I would just like yo to know,"
concluded Barbara Slof, "that it was through Madeline that Sri Bhagavan reached out to me and to many others here in Detroit.
Not rich in earthly possessions she gave all of herself. To whomever she spoke it was always of Being -- Looking within - and Knowing oneself.
"I was with her at her time on earth drew to a close. One month before her passing she told me of a vision she had of what would happen at the moment of giving up the body. When she did finally pass on one month later, it was in complete peace and very quickly. Fully conscious towards end she said:
"With Bhagavan's Grace - LET ME GO IN PEACE.'
*****
Hi David!I wanted to ask you whether there was any resource containing the writings of Maurice frydman?I've read Maharishi's Gospel,I am that and some of his articles on J Krishnamurthi.I was intrigued by a comment i read by Maurice where he stated that Krishnaji's teaching was similar to Bhagavan's although he was expressing it in his own words.Is ther any article of his on the same or any other useful reference?
The Sannidhi of Sri Bhagavan:
{From Fragrant Petals: Asramam
Publication:}
G. Ramaswami Pillai*
{Cycle Ramaswami Pillai}
-----
{* I think, his Samadhi is there
at the back of Cow Lakshmi's
Samadhi, on the higher ground,
where one has to climb steps
and cross Annamalai Swami's
rakshana or bund. This Samadhi is along with those of Muruganar,
Kunju Swami, Rajeswarananda, and Viswanatha Swami, am I correct, David?}
-----
In the Presence of Sri Bhagavan, actions took place sponataneously of their own accord. Now when we think of them, after a lapse of years, we find them to be "natural miracles". It was as if Sri Bhagavan Himself unmoving held us as captives and allowed us all to play, as if He were the screen and we the figures on it.
Once, Sri S. Doraiswami Aiyer, Dr. Srinivasa Rao and others were going by car from Bangalore to Pondicherry and they stopped at Sri Ramanasramam to have darshan of Sri Bhagavan. They were to stay only for a few hours; their car to had some minor repairs to be done and it was sent to the town. When Sri Doraiswami Aiyer was talking to Sri Bhagavan, I was present in the Hall, He was recounting how when they passed through Chengam [20 miles from Tiruvannamalai] their car had grazed an old woman who then fell down, and this had caused some delay. Then Sri Bhagavan asked with some concern: "What is her condition now? Has she been attended to?" I, who was merely a listener, immediately felt that I should go to Chengam. Without telling anyone, {not that I did not want to tell, but the thought never occurred} I took my cycle and went to Chengam and on enquiry at the hospital there, found out that there was no injury to the old woman and that she was attended to, and sent home. I was satisfied. I returned cycling, came to the Asramam, and reported everything to Sri Bhagavan.
The party, who could not have their car repaired, had meanwhile gone to the Railway Station to catch a train for Pondicherry. Presuming they would go only after the car came back, Sri Niranjananda Swami, had prepared dosais for them to eat and he was expressing disapppointment that they had left without eating them. I volunteered with joy to take the eatables to the station. I had just then returned after cycling nearly 45 miles. I took the dosais and eatables, gave them to the party and after telling them about the satisfactory condition of the woman, returned to the Asramam.
The point to note here is this: Sri Bhagavan did not ask me to do, anything, but He impelled me from within to do all this. This is the 'miracle'. To cycle nearly 50 miles without anyone's prompting, and without any urgent need for it and even without any personal satisfaction [the party was not close to me at all] to do all this without thinking why, means that it was done in the Presence [Sannidhi] of the Master! His concern for the old woman and solicitude for His devotees made me do all this with no strain and no thought of myself.
Sri Bhagavan used to do such miracles and play with His devotees, especially those close to Him!
****
The Effulgence of Arunachala:
From Fragrant Petals:
Asramam Publication:
[G. Ramaswami Pillai]
For devotees of Sri Ramana
Bhagavan, whatever He spoke was
the law and the truth. For us,
nothing existed and nothing exists
apart from Sri Bhagavan. His adoration of Arunachala and its
glory has a special meaning for
us, His devotees.
After coming to Sri Bhagavan, I have never missed a Deepam on top of Arunachala, symbolizing the enlightenment of one's own heart, on the full moon night in the month of Kartigai [Nov-Dec.]. Wherever I happened to be, I would somehow manage to go to Tiruvannamlai for the festival of the beacon.
Once in thirtees, I was held up in Chidambaram just before the Deepam. I tried to reach Tiruvannamalai either by train or by bus, but owing to heavy rains and floods, none of them were being run. My anxiety to reach Arunachala was such that I decided to walk the whole distance. But lo, when I came to a bridge over a river, on the way, I found it had been washed away.
I returned disappointed and spent the night crying. Then I had a vivid vision, which was definitely not a dream, for I had not slept. I saw the Holy Hill clearly and the bright tongues of flame leaping up from the kindled beacon. I was thrilled. It was
the very night of the Deepam. Arunachala Ramana had showered His Grace on His devotee, who was miles away from Arunachala at the time. Such is the glory of Arunachala Ramana.
*****
Dear Ravi,
I had completed listening to
Nochur's Adma Vidya Kirtanam
[of Sri Bhagavan] discourses,
by allocating 8 sittings in
the evenings in between. Today,
I have completed it. It is a
nectarine discourse to the ears.
In the discourses, every day,
he was chanting:
Avartapurisa jnanim prabhadhye
.... and completes Atma Jnanam
Ramanam prabhdhye, which runs to about 12 lines. I understood references to Madurai, Tiruvannamalai etc., But I did not know the full meaning. If you could give me the full meaning,
I shall be very thankful to you.
I should start with Ganesa Saram's discourse on Maha Periyava from tomorrow.
Thank you once again.
R.Subramanian,
The Organizers of Sri Nochur Venkatraman's discourse were distributing a pamphlet of that Stotra-I will see if I can get hold of a copy.
The Atma Vidya Keerthanam is by itself a marvel of a composition.Yes,Sri Nochur Venkatraman's talks are imbued with a deep spirit of Bhakti -Jnanam.Truly a Great soul.
I specially enjoy his chanting of 'karuna poorNa sudhabde'.
Namaskar.
yAdava nae baa by Purandara Dasa; sung by Bhimsen Joshi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p__4aiE0LVg&playnext=1&list=PL38195CDF654DEFD6
-z
Unbroken Silence
The Mind of J. Krishnamurti by Luis S.R. Vas has several chapters that were written by Frydman. It is a good presentation of some of Krishnamurti's key ideas.
z,
Thanks very much for that audio clip of Bhimsen Joshi-one of the all time Greats of music.Bhimsen Joshi's masculine, virile, stentorian style is unique and with the very first few notes ,the listener is given a premonition of the entire piece in a capsule as it were!The Rest is simply an unfolding of this seed into a bunyanesque grandeur.For western readers,if we have to find a parallel,this is typical of Beethoven-The Opening bars of the "hammerklavier"sonata or "Fifth Symphony",for example.
This immediately pulls the listener into the spirit of the music,i.e into his innate self,and this it does in a spontaneous way without any effort on the listener's part.Imagine a young child trying its utmost to seat himself on a raised platform;he holds the platform with both his hands and tries to jump to the height that is beyond him and all of a sudden an adult comes and just lifts the child onto the raised platform in a jiffy.Such is the power of Music.
Bhimsen's vigourous and passionate style of rendering Bhajans is ever a treat-as it comes with a typical maratti Abhang exhuberance.Whether it is the Abhangs or a kabir or a surdas Bhajan,Bhimsen casts his majic spell on the listener-words become redundant and one need not understand the language.
Here is a fine article on his inimitable style.The following excerpt shows that Bhimsen as a person also was stentorian!:
"Though Bhimsen had a good many number of fans in Bangalore, he always nourished a grouse that he never got his due from his own people or the state government. An incident that happened way back in the early 1960s will stand testimony to his disparagement.
It was a concert organised by the newly formed South Kanara Music Association. For its inaugural fare, it had featured Bhimsen Joshi; the chief guest for the evening being the late Vaikunta Baliga, Speaker of the state Assembly. During the interval, Baliga made his inaugural speech which among others showered lavish praise on the state’s endeavour to promote music and other fine arts.
Bhimsen who listened to the speaker’s peroration with attention could not bear it any longer. He sprang up and retaliated: “The speaker has boasted no end to the patronage extended by the state to fine arts. Look here, in this hall which can accommodate more than 800, I see hardly 200 listeners. I may only remind him that if it was Calcutta or Jalandhar or even Karachi, tickets would have been sold in black market. There is no need for further comment.”
Please visit:
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/131822/haunting-melodic-grace-pandit-bhimsen.html
Namaskar.
Sri Muruganar's Aradhana Day:
Sravana Amavasya: 28.08.2011:
Sri Muruganar merged in Sri
Bhagavan's feet on 28.08.1973,
[Sravana Amavasya] in his 81st
year. His Samadhi is there at
the back of Cow Lakshmi's
Samadhi, on the higher ground,
on the Northern side of the
Asramam, across Annamalai
Swami's bund. Every year, Sri
Muruganar's Aradhana is celebrated
in all solemnity in Sri Ramanasramaam. Sri Sadhu Om
has written some three Venbas on
Muruganar's Videha Kaivaylam, where he mentions the Tamizh year
as Pramadisa, Aani [Sravana], Amavasya. He was 83 years old then.
He is C.K. Subramania Iyer. His parents called him Sambamurthi.
He was a well respected Tamizh
scholar, who served on a prestigious committee that was
compiling a Tamil lexicon. He was also working as a Tamizh Pandit
in Madras, before he came to
Arunachala for good. It was
Dandapani Swami, his father in
law, who prompted him to go to
Tiruvannamalai after giving a copy of Aksharamana Maalai of Sri Bhagavan in Septemeber 1923.
After reading the verses, Muruganar recognized Sri Bhagavan as his Guru. He paid his first
visit during Michaelmas holidays of 1923, in September.
He went to Arunachaleswarar Temple and after praying to Siva, wrote out eleven verses [Desika Padigam] and took them as offering to Sri Bhagavan. At that time Sri Bhagavan was still living in a small thatched hut that had been erected over His Mother's Samadhi. Muruganar remained hesitatingly for some time outside the shed.
Bhagavan asked him: Enna? [What?] In response, Muruganar started to sing his verses, but he was engulfed by emotions and tearful eyes that he was unable to proceed. Sri Bhagavan asked him to give the paper to Him and read out the poem Himself!
contd.,
[Sources: Many, inter alia, David Godman's The Power of the Presence, Part II and III, Kanakammal's Tamizh book Sri
Muruganar, Sri Ramana Jnana Bodham, some volumes, Sri Sadhu Om's Tamizh commentary Sri Ramana Upadesa Noon Maalai.]
Sri Muruanar Aradhana Day -
28.08.2011:
When David Godman asked Kunju
Swami what he remembered of
Muruganar's first visit, he
had said: "We did not know what
the problem was. He was babbling
incoherently and seemed very agitated. Sri Bhagavan asked us
to keep an eye on him...He just needed someone to take care of him for a few hours till he calmed down."
Again, David from the manuscripts of BVN, which says: "Two or three days after my arrival {Muruganar's], I was given some medicine [ganja]. I do not know what it was, but it excited me and overpowered me. I sat in front of the Maharshi and concentrated my mind on His person. After a few minutes, I had a vision of brightness. It was a suffused
brightness all over His body and around It. The body was, however, distinct from the surrounding light.... The Maharshi then appeared to me as Christ, and again as Mohammad and other great souls for inexplicable reasons...I lost my former personality for it was submerged in a huge ocean wave of a new state of spirituality...All my experiences were dream like in spite of the feeling that I was in waking state....So I bawled out some words to this effect: 'Here is a band of robbers called siddhas at whose head is this Ramana Maharshi.'...A few days later, during the same trip, when I had no 'medicine' to excite me. I again sat before the figure of the Maharshi and had a similar experience... The attendants thought he was mad. One attendant Ramakrishna Swami rubbed lemon juice on his head and poured pots of water.
Then Muruganar began to go to Tiruvannamalai on all Saturdays and Sundays for one year.
Smt. Meenakshi, wife of Muruganar says: After my mother in law's first annual ceremony, and without informing me, he resigned his job and went to Ramanathapuram and after about 10 days stay there, he left for Tiruvannamalai. I also went to Tiruvannamalai and helped the kitchen workers as a cook and it was a very happy time for me....
contd.,
Sri Muruganar Aradhana Day -
28.08.2011:
Sri Bhagavan, did recognize that
Muruganar was an advanced devotee
who was ready for an experience
of the Self. At some point of time, Muruganar never mentioned exactly, when, Sri Bhagavan answered Muruganar's pleas for grace by directing His divine look at him. Under Sri Bhagavan's penetrating gaze, Muruganar lost his worldly delusions and found himself restored to his natural state of Self awareness.
In Piditha Pathu of Sri Ramana Sannidhi Murai, Muruganar mentions
that it took place in Palakottu.
In Keerti Tiruvahaval, Muruganar describes what had happened.
He took me to the forest with Him
on the pretext of plucking leaves to make leaf plates. There, with great delight, He destroyed my mind's restlessness by bestowing His glance on me. In the middle of the night, He subdued my divided individual consciousness, granting me the experience of undivided reality. This might have been in 1928?
VatiRku ilai paRikkena vanathenai kodo pohi,
UlaivaRa kaNNokku uvahaiyin udhaviyum
Uganda ennuyir oddukk naLLiyamathu*
Akanda sivaanubhava vaalaRivu
aLithum. [Keerti Tiruvahaval]
* mid night.
This state in ocean of bliss continued for three days. Since he had remained steady in that experience of bliss, he could no longer attend to any worldly work
with concentration.
Viswantha Swami's introductory verse in Sri Ramana Sannidhi Murai also describes this:
He who stays in my heart lotus,
Arunachala Ramanan smiled. That
smile like Siva's smile which burnt the Tripura, also burned my sthoola, sukshma and karana sarirars - bodies. All vasanas disappeared and he also swallowed my individual soul. So says Mugavapuri Murugan. His Ramana Sannidhi Murai is equal to
Tiruvachakam.
Ahathamarai malar meethu urai
arunachala ramanan
nahaithan uRa vizhithaan aRac
chekutthan enadhu uyirai,
mikathaan aruL suranthaan ena
mugavapuri murugan
Jegathar uya vahuthan murai
Tiruvachaka nigare.
Sri Bhagavan used to say that begging for alms was a good antidote for ego. Muruganar thus laid great stress on purity. His clothes, includes the ones used for bhiksha would be spotlessly clean. Before eating the bhiksha food, he used to wash his hands and feet with sand in the tank at Palakottu. This would take quite some time. Meantime, monkeys would eat his food and he would have to go hungry. Noticing this predicament of Muruganar, Sabapathy Pillai, the priest of Ganesa Temple there, invited Muruganar to stay with him and persudaded him to do so.
contd.,
Sri Muruganar Aradhana Day -
20.08.2011:
Sri Muruganar after coming to
Sri Bhagavan's feet, left every-
thing in life. His property and
savings were made over to
the Asramam. He left some money
for his wife Smt. Meenakshi. And
later Ramana Kendra Delhi, through
the efforts of Prof. K. Swaminathan
also was sending some pension to
Smt. Meenakshi. In spite of leaving everything, Muruganar could not leave his love for Tamizh. But he decided that he would write only about Sri Bhagavan and on no one else. His total verses must be above 30000. About 14000 verses were compiled as Sri Ramana Jnana Bodham, apart from Sri Ramana Sannidhi Murai and Guru Vachaka Kovai. Padamalai comes under Sri Ramana Jnana Bodham.
He describes this state of love for Tamizh in Tiru VeNba 2 of Sri Ramana Sannidhi Murai:
manaiyai thuRantha manathal kavithai
thanaithuRakkua maatta dhavaRRen - munaiva
ulottanuLap paanmaiyaal unnadikuRRevalil
Otti nan santhi adaiven.
Though I had left home, relatives, wife and job, I am not able to leave my love for Tamizh. O Munivara! Let me spend the time in making verses on your feet and attain peace.
Once he said [Sri Ramana Puranam, 321-322]:
"Your silence in the experience of Atma Jnana anubhavam is only the foreword for all ancient books of Jnana."
vithakathonnool anaithum vijnaiser nin monap
puthahathukku aanRor puhanRavuraip paayirame!
Once on a Saraswati Puja day, in the Asramam, the office had arranged all books near Sri Bhagavan on a table with flowers and kumkum.
Sri Muruganar looked at Sri Bhagavan and the set of books and composed a verse:
When all fully grown red sugarcanes are crushed and from that juice if they make a nice image, that image is you. The crushed sugar canes are the books that are stacked here. But these books seem to tell that only from them, your wonderful image of solidified juice has been made out!
Sri Bhagavan on reading this poem smiled at Muruganar. This poem however is not available for us.
contd.,
Sri Muruganar Aradhana Day -
28.08.2011:
Once there was some preparation
of Aviyal [mixed vegetable +
curds preparation]. Santamma,
the kitchen worker, who was
serving, was looking at
one Adiyamma and asked her to sit
for meal. When Sri Bhagavan heard
it, He said, "There is Santamma to ask Adiyamma to sit for meal, who is there to ask Muruganar to come and eat?" On hearing this Santamma
melted at Sri Bhagavan's concern for Muruganar. She took immediately some aviyal and rushed to Palakottu in search of Muruganar. Meantime Muruganar for taking bhiksha had gone up to Sri
Dakhinamurty temple. Santamma walked fast calling Sambamurthi,
Sambamurthi.... Muruganar heard the voice and stopped near the temple. Santamma heaved heavily and then told Muruganar about Sri Bhagavan's concern and handed over the aviyal to Muruganar. Muruganar's heart melted at knowing Sri Bhagavan's concern for him. He stood with his reddened face, took the aviyal and took it to his eyes as a mark of recognition for Sri Bhagavan's
abundant love and grace and then ate it. He became dumbfounded and stood there for long time and then returned to Palakottu without going for bhiksha.
Once Muruganar was explaining the
meaning of verses in Ozhivil Odukkam. [Kanakammal and a few others were listening his teaching]. One Kovilur Math devotee, who came that side, asked
him whether he was teaching as per Siddhanta [Saiva Siddhanta] way or as per Vedanta way.
Muruganar replied: "I neither know Vedanta nor Siddhanta. I know only
Ramananta" and smiled.
Usually the teachers used to explain Tiruvachakam and other works as per Vedanta or Saiva Siddhanta method. But Muruganar
explained these only as per his
experience of Ramana, that is,
Ramananta!
In Desika Padigam, Muruganar says
[Verse 11]:
Like a dog roaming street to street, what is the use of taking
several births and reading the read, knowing the known and learning the learned. I am confused and I seek your gaze
to kill my ahankara and mamakara
and confer me permanent abidance
at your golden feet.
contd.,
Muruganar Aradhana Day -
28.8.2011:
Sri Muruganar, in 1924, brought
his mother on the Mahasivaratri
Day to enable her have darshan
of Sri Bhagavan. He also used to
bring his students from the
school to visit the Asramam and
have darshan of Sri Bhagavan. On
a few occasions, when he came alone, he went up to railway station and had come back without boarding the train to Madras. On
seeing this, Sri Bhagavan used to advice someone to go with him and
place him in the compartment and wait till the train left.
Soon, Muruganar's mother passed away. He finished her ceremonies and brought the bones [asti] to
Tiruvannamalai. Sri Bhagavan told him to immerse them in Agni Tirtham. Sri Muruganar had immense love for his mother and had even
made over his Ramana Sannidhi Murai in memory of his dear mother.
In Keerti Tiruvahaval, Muruganar says that his mother had left the world leaving him at Sri Bhagavan's feet!
ennilai maRaRku idaiyurinRiyen
annaiyai than sevadi nizhal
serkumun
thanniyal baRpol ennaiyum aRiyathu
AnnavaL thanai anumadhi aLipithum.. {K.T. 219-222)
Soon after his mother's passing
away, Muruganar lost all his interest in the worldly life. In July 1926, he came to Tiruvannamalai for good. He was
staying in Palakottu which at that time housed many devotees like
Kunju Swami, Munagala Venkataramaiah, Viswanatha Swami, Ramanatha Brahmachari etc.,
Apart from Vichara marga, his
next interest was on giri pradakshina. Once for 48 days
[a mandalam], he went for giri
pradakshina. He used to say that while walking, from Nirudhi Lingam to Adi Annamalai, he had not body consciousness.
He always felt that Sri Bhagavan was all the avataras of great gods and saints.
In Sri Ramana Deva Padigam, he says: He is Christ. He is Mohammad. He is Gautama Muni,
He is my father Siva. He is his kumara Muruga, You are everything, Sri Ramana Ma Deve!
He has composed a verse [UyiruNNi Pathu, Sri Ramana Sannidhi Murai] that Sri Bhagavan gazed at the devotees and killed their egos, without fail. He asks Sri Bhagavan: Where did you learn this art of killing the ego with your gaze? But you are a brahmin, [who
does not kill anyone or anything.]
Payilum thalam ethuvo kolai
payilvithavar evaro?
Dhayiyin sorupandhankum andhaNar
tham peru marabaan,
Uyalin uLam udaiyor uyir ozhiyap piRithu uhavaan
iyalum guru para venkatanidam
uyinthidalaame!
contd.,
Sri Muruganar Aradhana Day:
28.8.2011:
To fast for any number of days
was quite a habit for Muruganar.
Once it was Maha Sivaratri Day.
Without knowing that, he had fasted. Next day, when Sri Bhagavan left for giri pradakshina, Muruganar
went with Him. Sri Bhagavan finding Muruganar quite tired, told Muruganar: "What? Fasting for
Sivaratri? Come let us eat in the Asramam." Muruganar became exremely happy and had his food with Sri Bhagavan. When he was narrating this incident, at later dates, his tongue will not move and he would be choked with emotions.
TirunaL sivarthiri enath theriyathu,
orunaaL pattini ittainai maRu
naaL
visarpuRa valampurivithu aruL
nanthanaip
Pasipatham aRinthu ooN parinthilipithum....
Once Muruganar wanted to eat
on the leaf plate where Sri
Bhagavan had taken His meal.
When he was about to sit, Santamma
prevented him saying that the leaf
plate could not be used since
Mudaliar Patti's rice had been served. [Mudaliar Patti was a non
brahmin.]
Sri Muruganar became terribly
disappointed. He composed a verse:
ThachaRiyatha chaturmaRai paarpaan
samaitha vudal
uchilutkanmath thodarpal puguntha
suNanganithu
Pukkilai vettu pulam peithu kaalaiyir puNNiya nin
Echilai vettu un iruthaaL iRainji
irakkinRathe.
Brahma who knew four Vedas, and created me this body, wherein a lowly dog remains due to prarabdha. This seeks only
you and your left overs.
Once when Sri Bhagavan and Muruganar were sorting out the greens, as bits of greens and the discarded stems, Muruganar made a complete mix up of everything. Sri Bhagavan told him: What sort of work are you doing? Now I understand what sort of family life you must have led.
Sri Muruganar immediately composed a verse:
Nakkaraahi naynathu ramanare
pukkup pichai pulambi
thirivadhen?
ThakkavaRu oru thyal udhaviyaal
Chikkena kudi vaazhkai cheluthme!
O Ramana, who in the form of an alms-seeker goes house to house for alms. [Now that you know all the household work..] Why don't you marry a suitable girl and run a neat and economic household life?
This appears in Sri Ramana Sannidhi Murai, Sevili Irangal.
contd.,
R.Subramanian,
Wonderful posts on Muruganar.You are now serving the choicest of mangoes in comparison with which the others seem to be 'Pumpkins and gourds'!As Sri Ramakrishna says:
"He who has realized God has obtained the
fruit of Immortality-not a common fruit like a gourd or a pumpkin."
Namaskar.
Sri Muruganar Aradhana Day:
28.08.2011:
Once a disciple of Swami
Vilakshananda had come to
see Sri Bhagavan. He moved
here and there and found that
there was no regular parayana
or japa in the Asramam. People
come, meditate in silence, ask
a few questions to Sri Bhagavan
and when the bell rang, they
went for lunch and dinner. He
asked Sri Bhagavan: "Swami, is there no sampradayam here? In
our Math, we do a few thousands of nama japa and then at evening,
we submit to the guru. Sri Bhagavan smiled and said: Oho,
all disciples add up a lot of
punyas and give them to guru. It
is a good profit for guru." Then
Sri Muruganar came and Sri Bhagavan told him: "Enna? did you hear him? This swami says that they all do nama japa and then submit the punya to guru in the evenings. What would then remain for disciples? It is like keeping the Capital and giving the interest."
Sri Muruganar listened to it and said immediately: "Bhagavan! That guru at least leave the Capital. Here this guru swallows the Capital [ego] first. Then where is the interest?"
All laughed. Sri Bhagavan swallowed the Jivabodha - Captial - of all the mature devotees. What else can remain with them to give it over to Sri Bhagavan any further?
Sri Muruganar sings in Tiru Chadagam, Verse 1106:
Enakku enakku* enak kidantha
yavum anRi av enaiume**
Thanakku enap pusithu***
amaidhi sanRa poonRa venkata
manakkiyavathum magizchi enchitathu irutthanaam
ninaikkiyathu thondu seyaa neenilan kidappathe.
* mine, mine; ** the little I - ego. *** eating.
Sri Murugnar adds that what remains is not the ego, but bliss in full.
*
Another gem from Sri Muruganar, from his VaNdu vidu thoodhu, sending the bee as messenger:
Sri Bhagavan is the Purusha. Muruganar is the wife or lady love. Sri Bhagavan had left her and went far away to embrace the courtesan, Mukti, and enjoy her company. The wife or lady love sends the bee to give message to Purusha:
Thunbam enakku meethurath
ThuRanthaan kaNdeer mukti
magaL
inbam nugarnthu kidakkinRaan
Yan ingirunthu pulampuRuven
Enbin purai thoRu amudheRRum
IRaivan venaktanai adicchiyen
Anbu kavarntha maayonai
azhaitthu vaarum vaNdeere!
Look, my friends, just look at
Him,
Enjoying bliss
With that other woman, Mukti,
Abandoning me, poor me,
To grievous suffering,
Me here dying, so lamenting
With nectar every pore of my bone,
The wizard who stole this slave
girl's heart,
Go and fetch Him, honey-bees!
[Tr. Prof. K. Swaminathan]
contd.,
Sri Muruganar Aradhana Day:
28.08.2011:
Sri Muruganar was staying in
Palakothu for some years.
Dr. T.N. Krishnaswami requested
him to stay in his house in
T'malai. Only during that time,
Smt. Kanakammal and Smt. Padma
had the opportunity of receiving
lessons from Muruganar for the
Complete Works and Ozhivil
Odukkam and other works. In 1971,
his health started failing. He was taking treatment from the dispensary of the Asramam. He was
requested to stay very close to
the Asramam dispensary in a cottage. Sri Ganesan was looking after his daily needs of food,
medicines etc., Aruna, Sai Das,
Neil Rosner, Venkataratnam and others were serving him day and night. However, Muruganar's health failed fast and on 28.7.1973,
[Sravana Amavasya], he merged with Sri Bhagavan.
Sri Muruganar had left all his works with Sri Sadhu Om, for
preservation and propagation.
Prof. K. Swaminathan made a selection from Sri Ramana Sannidhi Murai and published it English under the title Homage to the Presence of Ramana. Sri Sadhu
Om and Michael James rendered
Guru Vachaka Kovai in English,
under the title A Collection of Guru's Sayings. Sri Swaminathan has made 1254 verses of GVK
in English under The Garland of Guru's Sayings.
In the Sadhu Om and Michael James version, the poetry of the original verses is sacrificed
for greater accuracy of translation. Later in 2008, David made a new English version of Guru Vachaka Kovai by making it in three divisons - The Quest, Continued Practice, and Experience of Reality.
Sri Muruganar's other verses, some 14000 of them, were published by Delhi Ramana Kendra in 9 volumes, each volume costing Rs 10.00! These volumes are not available in full set today. There is no reprint. A reprint will cost at least Rs 900 per set in today's inflation. Robert Butler has translated in English - Sri Ramana Anubhuti - Part I under the title Sri Guru Ramana Prasadam. David has also rendered 3059 verses from Sri Ramana Jnana Bodham, under the title Padamalai in 2004.
*
I shall close this serial posts with one verse from Sri Ramana Deva Maalai, [Versse 201]: (This must be in one of the volumes of Jnana Bodham. I do not have this particular volume]:
People discuss whether Brahman is with form or without form. But I have seen Brahman on the slopes of Arunachala, in the form of a frail old man, tottering about with a stick in His hand, opening out the large lotus petals of His eyes and looking around for souls to save. He is none other than Sri Ramana.
Here is presented a perfect picture of the manifest divine grace that was Sri Bhagavan Ramana.
*
Anbodum un namam keL anbar tham anbarukku
Anbanayida aruL Arunachala!
Let me be a loving servant of the devotees of those devotees who hear Your Name with love, O Arunachala!
****
Sri Ramanarpanamastu.
concluded.
Dear Ravi,
Normally on any day, I do not
prepare anything and write.
A few books of and on Sri
Bhagavan will be remaining
near by machine. I decide
quickly and write something
everyday.
But today, I wanted to do justice
to Muruganar and his life story.
I burnt my midnight oil, last night, and selected some portions from David, Swaminathan, Kanakammal, and Sri Ramana Jnana Bodham volumes. But the writing itself was done by Sri Bhagavan and I was only a pen in His hands. Muruganar who is not a separate individuality, also wished me from Sri Bhagavan's golden feet.
Sri Ramanarpanamastu.
Dear Ravi,
I did not say Thank You in
my post. I thank you for your
kind words on the posts about
Muruganar that Sri Bhagavan made
me write today.
Thank you once again.
Thanks for replying and recommending the mind of J Krishnamurthi.I was fortunate enough to read that book this January in Tiruvannamalai.It's a great read.I've also had the privilege of reading Bhagavan's literature(thanks to you!i have most of your wonderful books and almost everything you've recommended here and elsewhere)along with Krishnaji's principal works.I can see what Maurice was pointing to when he talked about similarities but i was more interested in what he had to say about it all so i was looking for articles/any other material by him
R.Subramanaian,
Request you to post more on Muruganar and Bhagavan.I had an aged friend who spent his last years in Tiruvannamalai along with his Nonogenarian mother.He regaled me with stories narrated to him by Sri V.Ganesan in person.It seems that after the mahanirvana of Sri Bhagavan,the ashram's financial position was quite shaky and most of the devotees had to leave(asked to leave!).This included the likes of Muruganar,Viswanatha swami,Sadhu Om,Ramasami pillai,etc.
Sri Ganesan who was young at that time,had come to the crossroads,where he wondered whether he would stay single and pursue spiritual quest.He wondered what the future had in store for him.Under these circumstances,he paid a trip to Anandashram(of Papa Ramdas)to seek the counsel of our Mataji Krishnabai.It was Mataji Krishnabai who assured Sri Ganesan that he would remain single and that he should bring all the devotees of Sri Bhagavan to the asramam and take care of them till the end;After he discharges this 'Duty',he would be free from 'Asram' responsibility.
With this counsel,Sri Ganesan proceeded to various places and brought all these devotees to the asramam and took very good care of them;when they passed away,he was instrumental in interning them in the ashram complex and erecting of their samadhis.
Sri Ganesan narrated two interesting anecdotes about Viswanatha swami and Ramasami Pillai.
Continued....
Dear Ravi,
I remember but not very accurately
that the Asramam had some financial
strain after Sri Bhagavan's Maha
Nirvana. Arthur Osborne also says
that the entire Ramana Nagar, where
many devotees lived, had been vacated and the visitors/devotees
became very less. It was this period during which Sri Niranjananada Swami had also some health problems, which deteriorated further later. Osborne says that the people who had left T'malai came back one by one, in 1951-52, because they
could not focus on undisturbed meditation. They felt that they
should live in T'malai and be in
Sri Bhagavan's Presence to pursue their sadhana effectively. As you have said it was Sri Ganesan who made all out efforts to bring back the Asaramam to a stable financial position. I do not know about Muruganar. He lived for some time in Madras. But he came back to T'malai, and stayed with Dr. T.N.K. Kunju Swami, Osborne, S.S. Cohen, Major Chadwick, Viswanatha Swami and a few others did not leave T'malai. Osborne worked in Madras and Calcutta for some time. Annamalai Swami continued to live in Palakottu.
Some more details may be available in Arunachala's Ramana, Boundless Ocean of Grace volumes. But I should pick up the details. Sri
Ganesan's Moments Remembered describe the last days of some
important devotees like S.S. Cohen, Major Chadwick and others whom Asramam took care.
*****
Some excerpts from Arunachla's
Ramana, Boundless Ocean of
Grace: volume VIII:
In 1930, Niranjananda Swami
was made the Manager of the
Asramam to manage its temporal
affairs. Since then, and till
his death, which took place very early in 1953, he worked tirelessly and with exemplary devotion for the welfare of the Asramam and the perpetuation of his Mother's memory, which was the most cherished object of his heart. The present Asramam and all it contains owe their existence entirely to his persevering
toil and thrift. How thrifty he was in the Asramam's interest will be judged from the last message he gave from his death bed to his successors. Apart from the expansion inside the Asramam to which mention must be made, Chinnaswami bought in the name of the Asramam, the birthplace of Maharshi at Tiruchuzhi and converted it into a temple under the name of Sundara Mandiram. He also acquired the house in Madurai where the Maharshi had his Self-hood experience in 1896. This place is called Ramana Mandiram. In both the shrines daily puja is being performed.
The passing away of the Master affected Chinnaswami deeply. It was as if the sun had set once and for all for him and left him helpless in utter darkness, particularly as some petty minded co-workers raised their heads against his authority and took to obstructing him and worrying him. He soon developed a heart disease and, seeing that his work was done and well done too, he decided to give his tired and aged body the long rest due to it. So in June 1950, he called a conference of the most prominent devotees and, choosing the ablest who were willing to serve among them, he formed a committee under the tile title of Ramanasramam Managing Committee, to which he entrusted the main task of carrying on the Asramam activities under his own Presidentship.
The spiritual Sun that had sustained him in his difficulties in the long years of his services during the lifetime of the Master, continued to sine within to inspire and guide him. Now it suffused him with healing peace. However due to heart disease, he became bedridden during the last six months of 1952. On Jan 23, 1953, feeling that his end was nearing, he called T.N. Venkataraman, his son and successor to the Asramam's management and some Asramam workers and devotees and said: "...Uphold our revered ancient tradition in the working of the Asramam, as I have upheld them all my life...."
Sri T.N. Venkataraman was installed as the Life President of the Asramam Managing Committee on the 1st Feb. 1953.
****
Post Maha Nirvana Times:
Arthur Osborne:
...The crowds were slowly
melting away. Like fire stove
where the fire had extinguished
and only the ashes remained, the
Asramam also lost its support.
However, there was no unlimited
anxiety or misery. Sri Bhagavan
had perhaps prepared the devotees
to be in this state of simple
stupor for some time. In a few days, many devotees left Tiruvannamalai. No regular devotees from outside remained for more than a couple of weeks. Even those who wanted to remain felt their inability to stay back.
Some showed their interest in actual running of the Asramam. Niranjananda Swami was ready to cooperate with them and accepted the lifetime president-ship of the Committee. Some devotees in other centers held Satsanghs and did
joint prayers and meditation.
It is a pity that there were also a few who wanted to give trouble
and showed their one-up-man-ship.
Such infights take place whenever a Jnana Guru leaves his mortal coil. However, this was in a small measure only in Sri Ramanasramam.
It was decided to go by the Will of Sri Bhagavan made out in 1938. Accordingly daily pujas were conducted in Mother's Shrine and in Sri Bhagavan's Samadhi. Sri Ramanasramam is to remain a center for spiritual pursuits.
Accordingly, some spent their time in silent meditation. Some did discourses about Sri Bhagavan and His Path. Some started writing about Him in magazines and books.
Efforts were also made to make a Shrine and a Hall in and around Sri Bhagavan's Samadhi.
Within a few months after Maha Samadhi, there was a fire accident, in which the old Hall was affected to some extent. The items used by Sri Bhagavan were preserved in the small room where Sri Bhagavan had left His mortal coil.
Soon the New Hall was completed and in a Panchaloka image had been installed. The stone image and the stone sofa continued to remain in the front portal of Mother's Shrine.
Soon [in a year or two], the devotees who had left Tiruvannamalai started coming back one by one. Dr. T.N. Krishnaswami observed; "I experience more peace and silence in the Asramam nowadays."
The comraderie among Sri Ramana devotees became thicker and closer. The Old Hall became the center for dhyana for ardent devotees. Smt. Talyarkan
said: "Now I begin to experience that this Hill is the God in form. It attracts me more."
There were many who were attracted
to the Asramam, even after Sri
Bhagavan having left the mortal coil. One Miss Howes wanted to come after reading Brunton's book but she could make it only after 14 hours and arrived at the Asramam only after Maha Nirvana.
However she said: "I have no disappointment. This place is a treasure that has attracted me more now."
contd.,
Arthur Osborne:
Post Nirvana times:
Dr. T.T. Acharya was a successful
medical practitioner. After his retirement, he toured the country
to find one place where he could get immense peace. Finally he landed up in Tiruvannamalai and he readily agreed to work as Asramam doctor.
*
Soon Jayaneti celebrations of Sri Bhagavan started as an annual day of celebration. Many are able to
pay their homage at Tiruvannamalai as of old. Others gather in groups in whatever town or country they may be, And some give praise alone with Sri Bhagavan in the secrecy of their heart. "I am not going away, where could I go? I am here."
said Sri Bhagavan. He is here in
Tiruvannamalai, here in the hearts of His devotees. He is Bhagavan,
the Inner Guru and the Self that guides to the self.
*
Dr. T. N. Krishnaswami once told me: "People are writing to me from far off countries to send a stone of Arunachala. They all think that even a stone from the Hill is holy as the Hlll. I am sending them
stones like these."
*
N.R. Narayana Iyer continued to live near the Asramam, at Palakottu. He got interested in maintenance and growth of the Asramam from the very day he came to the Asramam. He has been contributing his mite regularly for its upkeep. He also wrote a book, A Technique of Maha Yoga.
*
Several worship Sri Bhagavan's
Samadhi. Some meditate in the Old Hall, Those who are drawn more to outer activity have the burden of organization upon them, which is also a Sadhana and is acceptable to Sri Bhagavan. Everywhere inside the Asramam, His Presence is felt. Morning and evening parayanas are taking place. Vedas are chanted. During the evenings, puja is performed reciting the 108 names of Sri Bhagavan.
*
There are places where people go to pray for a son or a job or to win a lawsuit or gain health. I do not say such prayers are not answered in Sri Ramanasramam. But I would say, Sri Bhagavan did not approve of such motives to those who came to Him. Rather, He tried to awaken in them the realization that they were not the suffering body but eternally blissful Self and thereby to give them serenity even in misfortune.
*
Inner discipline and rituals go hand in hand in the Asramam. There is a minimum of rituals. People go and sit in silent meditation. They walk on the sacred Arunachala. There is scarcely any outer discipline. Either one can eat in the Asramam or outside. Vedas are chanted but one is left to sit and listen or go away. Many are coming even today, after a vision or a dream where Sri Bhagavan had called them. People belonging to various religions come here.
*
But if you have understood the ultimate spiritual goal of liberation and seek Grace and guidance, on this path, you will definitely find it in Sri Ramanasramam.
****
Happenings during Post-Maha
Nirvana Times:
Satya Narayan Tandon:
It was at the end of 1944, that I
first heard about Bhagavan Ramana
Maharshi. I was sitting with a religious teacher, when a visitor
said, "Maharshi is Mount Everest and others are mere hillocks." Since then I had a persistent urge to have darshan of Sri Bhagavan.
In the summer of 1946, when I was
sitting in the presence of Paramahamsa Raghuber Dayal, a SufiSaint, a fellow-devotee who had been to Tiruvannamalai, began to speak about the Asramam and his experiences. Chachaji, our saint, listened attentively to the devotee's narration and then spoke highly about Sri Bhagavan.
Early in 1950, when I was planning to go to Arunachala, my younger brother told me that he along with a friend was to leave for Tiruvannamalai that same evening. As we both could not leave the station, I could not make it.
My younger brother late in 1956, again went to the Asramam. His experience there in the Samadhi Shrine, made my longing to visit afresh. It was late in 1957, at the insistence of my wife, that my longing to visit the shrine of Sri Bhagavan was fulfilled. Since then Sri Bhagavan has been graciously pleased to call us to His Shrine practically every year.
An accident that occurred at Allahabad Railway station, on the morning of Jan, 23, 1972, is worth recording.
With my younger son, his wife, and one of my grandsons, I was coming back to Kanpur from Allahabad by Howrah-Kalka Mail. After locating our berths, I was talking on the platform with people who had come to see us off. I could not hear the whistle of the electric engine, and the train began to move. I caught hold of the handle of the compartment door to get into it. But I lost grip and fell on the track. In the mean time, the train had gathered momentum. When my son, who was at the other door of the compartment, enquired about me, a fellow passenger told him that he saw an old man falling down while trying to get into the compartment. My son immeditately pulled the chain, but the train stopped only two furlongs away.
As soon as I fell on the track, I saw the face of Sri Bhagavan repeating like a mantra, "Don't lift the head." Where I was on the track, I cannot say. But I saw the wheels moving faster and faster. When the entire train had moved beyond the place where I was, I got up though my head and left eyebrow were badly wounded, so much so that my woolen coat had become drenched. The guard who was in charge of the train said that eight bogeys had passed over me and that it was a miracle that I had escaped death. It was all His benign Grace that He saved this body, for what purpose is known to Him only. For the first few days after the wounds had been stitched and I was in great agony and pain, I was under sedation but I felt Sri Bhagavan sitting by my side and at times moving His hands over the wounds that had been stitched.
My cap and spectacles that had fallen on the t track were all received by my people without any damage whatsoever. The same glasses and the same frame I used for years thereafter.
May this head remain at His Lotus Feet for the rest of my days on earth.
****
Post Nirvana Times:
Major Chadwick:
On May 11th, the Asramam
celebrates Sri Bhagavan's third
Aradhana, when one will be carried back to that momentous night, three years ago, when He passed. One can still visualize the intense crowds, waiting till the last breath should be breathed and one that they all loved so much should once for all relinquish His body. Most of us felt it would be a happy release.
Doubtless He was a Jnani and was beyond all suffering, He was dwelling in the bliss of the Self, but suffering there undoubtedly was, though He Himself would have asked, "To whom is the suffering?" It is a mystery beyond my comprehension. Vaguely, I sense that if one is liberated, one is free from all pains as the Self is all bliss. Behind even suffering there must be a special bliss for such. It is only a surface appearance, though very real and painful for the onlooker.
Swami Ramatirtha used to say that when he had high fever, he experienced the most ecstatic bliss during meditation, more so than when he was in normal health.
At first people felt lost, they had relied too much upon the personal form, though Sri Bhagavan Himself had repeated warned them, "You attach too much importance to this body."
Still it was only natural that this body should be missed, although as time went on, the loss became gradually less keen. His Presence was felt so strongly in the Asramam, and daily the feeling of this actual presence grew. A visitor remarked to me lately, "One does not miss the presence of Sri Bhagavan in the Asramam, He is just there as He was before." And this is true. He is surely there working and the Asramam will grow in strength and renown as time goes on. There have been dark days since that night three years ago, but those days are now past. The Asramam takes a new life. There is a new feeling in the air and the stagnation period is over. The school [Veda Patasala] has been revived and the pujas are performed so carefully and enthusiastically that the whole place rings with the vibrations thus set up.
I went away never to return, but He brought me back. And now I thank Him everyday that I have been allowed to take part in this renaissance. It is thrilling to the core to feel it happening. One should have known that it was bound to be like this all the time.
How could anything happen to the place that has been sanctified with His Presence for so long? The whole of India was blessed by His life, how much more so the place in which He made His home.
I have one piece of advice to offer to one and all. Do not believe the stories you hear about Sri Ramanasramam, because you can always test the truth of such tales for yourself without relying on hearsay. It is very easy. Come and see yourself. You will not be disappointed.
contd.,
Post Nirvana Times:
S.G. Devaraj:
I had seen Sri Bhagavan's
pictures and heard about Him, but
was not particularly drawn to Him,
until 1975. One afternoon in September of that year, in a busy street in an American city, I saw
a man walking ahead of me with a bag on his back on which the Sanskrit word AUM was embroidered.
Prompted to talk to this man, I invited him to have a cup of tea in a nearby restaurant. I asked him how it happened that this bag bore the Sanskrit word AUM. He opened the bag and took out the book Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi and a few other books about the Maharshi. We talked for a while and this north American told me, "I was an ordinary person like the rest here in this country. I had a good job and a good income, a car and friends and relatives. Everything was OK but I was worried about my possessions being stolen and I had to make sure that my apartment was properly locked. I was worried all the time about losing my possessions. Somehow I got some
books about Sri Bhagavan and read them and then things started changing. Now this bag is all I have! I do not have a place I call mine! I do not have a job. If I need money I work for a few hours or for a day and what I earn could get a meal with no questions asked. All the time, I spend reading these books about Sri Bhagavan. I keep reading them again and again. But each time, I learn something new."
It was this strange encounter with an unknown person in a city far away from Arunachala, who gave up all his possessions except the bag on his back that prompted me to make a trip to Sri Bhagavan's Asramam around 3 pm. on the 25th Anniversary of Mahanirvana. Putting our bedding and luggage in a room and getting a copy of the Asramam schedule, we went up the Hill to Skandasramam, drank the spring water, spent a few minutes in the room there and returned in time for the evening meal at the Asramam. During our 1979 visit,
my daughter, looking at Sri Bhagavan's picture in the old meditation hall, said to her mother, "Amma, I see light in those eyes." In April 1982, I was planning to visit India to bring my family back to the US to join me. In the same city where I met the strange person who gave up all possessions except the bag on his back, circumstances brought me into contact with another American just a couple of days before I was to start my trip to India. My new friend, learning my trip to India, wanted me to go to Tiruvannamalai and meet his friends, [whom he named] in the Asramam.
This encounter with a total stranger was for me a blessing and a welcome to this home by Sri Bhagavan Himself. Since the first
trip in 1976, Sri Bhagavan made it possible for me to come to His feet no less than six times. Not only that, He made it possible for me to go to Madurai and spend some time in the spot where He had His realization. What I was at the time of my first trip and what I am now, only I know and He knows. At present I am far, far away, physically, but again and again He makes His Presence felt in innumerable ways.
HE IS EVERYWHERE.
*****
R.Subramanian/Friends,
Sri Ganesan and Bhagavan's devotees continued...
Sri Ganesan's present residence,I understand, is near 'Yama Lingam' in tiruvannamalai. When Ganesan was residing at the ashram premises,Viswanatha swami would come and knock at his door in the middle of the night.He will beckon Ganesan to walk with him and together they would proceed to Yama lingam.There the swami used to sit and after an hour or so would walk back;No conversation took place during this period.Ganesan found this strange and tried to avoid this by sleeping in different places in the ashram.Somehow Viswanatha Swami would come and knock at the door wherever Ganesan used to be sleeping and the Nocturnal trips to Yama Lingam continued.Later on Sri Ganesan had to leave on a foreign trip;Viswanatha Swami passed away and his mortal remains were buried at Yama lingam(!) without Ganesan's consent.When Ganesan came back,he had that place dugup and shifted the remains to the Present Place where his samadhi is!
Ramasami Pillai was already advanced in Years.Finding him one day near Sri Bhagavan's samadhi Some devotees requested him to chant akshara maNa malai.He consented and started chanting-arunAchala siva...Gasp...arunAchala siva...Gasp...arunAchala siva...Gasp...arunAchala,and thus laboured past the first few verses.He then stopped and said -"This is all for today.The Rest will be chanted by all of you three days from now".Exactly on that day ,Sri Pillai passed away and the devotees were chanting akshara MaNa mAlai in the meditation Hall.Sri Pillai's mortal remains were interned in the asramam complex under the supervision of Sri Ganesan.I am told that this did not have the express approval of The Asramam President(i.e The Present one)and he strteched out his hand and demanded the 'Keys'.Sri Ganesan quietly handed over the keys and left the asramam.The Phase of 'taking care of Sri Bhagavan's Devotees' almost came to an end with the passing away of Pillai(although Sri Kunju Swami was still alive)and Ganesan's active involvement in asramam affairs ended exactly as mataji Krishnabai had said.He subsequently took up residence in Yama Lingam!
I am told that sri Ganesan also played a key role in having Lucy ma's remains interned in the ashram complex.
On the Tenth day after Annamalai Swami passed away,I found Sri Ganesan at the samadhi of the swami and sundaram narrating him the last hours of Swami-how he had putup with the asthmatic attack that deprived him of breath.
Namaskar.
Dear Ravi,
Thanks for information. In
fact, excepting Viswanatha
Swami's story, I did not know
the rest of them. There is some
reference, very vaguely, about
Ramasami Pillai and his Akshara
Mana Maalai chanting in some
book.
Thanks once again.
*****
Post Maha Nirvana Times:
T.N. Venkataraman:
On April 4, 1950, everyone
thought Sri Bhagavan would leave
His mortal coil. Some of Sri
Bhagavan's attendants were intending to take hold of possession of Sri Bhagavan's body. So I was inside the room. I reported to the Congress leader to give police protection to
prevent any untoward incidents.
On the 14th April I was inside the
room where Sri Bhagavan left His
mortal remains. And the whole place was swarming with police. A few of the police constables were guarding the attendants to prevent them from claiming Sri Bhagavan's
sacred body.
After Maha Samadhi there were a few factions among the devotees to take over the management of the Asramam and to perform pujas etc., In order to achieve this end many law suits were filed in various courts at Tiruvannamalai, Cheyyar, Chengam, Vellore etc., However, all their machinations were defeated by Sri Bhagavan's grace. One of the devotees set fire to the Old Hall and complained that I had set fire to the Asramam. However, finally he was arrested for arson. During Sri Bhagavan's bodily presence, the Hindu Religious Endowment Board wanted to take over the Mother's Temple. When they came to Sri Bhagavan, He simply asked: "Is this like any other temple?" Meaning that this is not a temple in the usual sense of the word but a spiritual centre. The authorities could not say anything but to leave. Many such bids were made by the endowment board. But all such bids were foiled.
In a judgement of the Honorable High Court has stated that the Mother's Temple cannot be considered as a Hindu Temple because it is supported from the contribution of by people belonging to the other faiths too.
*****
Post Maha Nirvana Times:
Smt. T.R. Kanakammal:
The wonder of Sri Bhagavan is
this: At least people like us
were fortunate to see Sri Bhagavan
in the body and live with Him. Our
attraction to Sri Bhagavan was
greatly enhanced by being able to
observe Him in daily life. But even
if one goes to Sri Ramanasramam today, one can see devotees enter the Hall with tears in the eyes, prostrate before Sri Bhagavan and
meditate, for how long even they do not know. Whenever they learn
about some old devotees of Sri Bhagavan who is still alive, they immediately seek them out and tell them, "You have been so fortunate to live and meditate in Sri Bhagavan's physical presence. We get such peace of mind even in our short and infrequent stays here."
For people like us who have lived with and enjoyed the physical presence of Sri Bhagavan, being devoted to Him is no great deal. What happened to me would have happened to you also had been there in my place. Today, I find people who have never seen Sri Bhagavan physically, never heard His voice or listened to His upadesa, sit in the Old Hall or the Samadhi Hall, oblivious of themselves, often shedding tears, and going round the Hall as if impelled by some unseen force. What gives these people their experiences? As Sri Bhagavan always said, "Is this body Sri Bhagavan?" When somebody expressed sadness at having to go back home from the Asramam, Sri Bhagavan said, "What am I to do? You say this body is Bhagavan. I say that it is not. Now, if you insist, what am I to do?" To others, He would say, "Look! He says he is going to a place where I am not." These new devotees of Sri Bhagavan are proof of all He told us. In those days, one could count the number of devotees on one's fingers. Today, there is not enough space in the meditation hall and we have devotees sitting in the Samadhi Hall and the Mother's Temple. A new dining hall has become necessary. It is Sri Bhagavan's wonderful Sakti that draws people here and keeps them here. After all, it is said that one gets moksha when one even thinks of Arunachala. There is hardly a person who does not long to return to Arunachala even as he is departing after a visit. He would leave wondering when he would have the next darshan of Sri Bhagavan. It is in Arunachala, that Ambika got half the body of Siva. Hence in Arunachala, the meditations of women will definitely attain fruition. Also there are no temples for mothers of Sri Rama and Sri Krishna. But Bhagavan Himself had a temple built for His Mother Azhagammal. Muruganar once said: "Sri Bhagavan's real power will be seen not now, but only a few hundred years after His physical body is no more. But we will not be around to see those days."
******
Post Maha Nirvana Times:
Sri Ramana Jayanti: S.S.Cohen:
Ramana Jayanti has come once again
bringing cheer to thousands of Sri
Bhagavan's devotees, old and new,
far and near. On this day, they call to mind all He has done for them, all He is to them and how He has influenced their lives. Old devotees who had the rare privilege of of a long stay in His physical presence, and their number is diminishing year by year, feel that since leaving the body, He has not ceased to work the wonderful transformation in them that He began in life. Newcomers feel His powerful support in their sadhana.
When Sri Bhagavan used to say that the Guru is not the body, many failed to grasp His meaning. But as time passed and He continued to show them His Grace and support
is clear, so that they eventually ceased to think of Him as a person with a body to reminisce about. In this connection, the Bhagavatam gives an apt illustration of the relation of disciple to Guru in the story of Krishna and Uddhava.
Sri Krishna answered to the pleas
of Uddhava who asked him to take him with Him to His divine abode: "It would be in your own interest not to cling to my body but to stay on after me and practice Yoga in the Himalayas and after shaking off all attachments to your family and kinsfolk, keeping your mind fixed wholly one me. With this, you would be immersed in the contentment of Self Realization and you will experience no obstruction in life."
It is said that he who understands the ten verses of the Mandukya Upanishad has no need to study the other Upanishads because they show the world to be a state of mind, just like the other two states and also what it leaves unsaid but inferred is as important as what it says. From its representing the three states as the only states through which the Jiva passes in its apparent peregrination, we have to conclude that death introduces no new state for the ordinary man but only retains what he now experiences, viz., the conditions of dream and sleep or alternation of the two, till rebirth in a new body takes place and restores the waking state also.
But the Sage is above all the three states both in this life and after shedding the mortal remains, being established permanently in Turiya, the Fourth State, which is Pure Consciousness, the nature of the Self, and from which there is no return to a body. Such one was Sri Bhagavan Ramana.
*****
Post Maha Nirvana Times:
The Unfailing Guidance:
Zulie Nakhooda:
I became aware of the guiding
grace of Sri Bhagavan through
several crises that I faced during
a month long trip to the various
countries of Europe. The philosophy
that serves as the base of the technique is simple and preached through the ages by the sages and the saints, i.e the identification with the Paramatma, the merging of the individual self, with the universal self manifested in all living creatures and the whole universe. In the measure as we make progress on our spiritual path the elements of discord with others diminish and gradually one is at peace with the world and oneself.
In this article, I wish to relate some personal experiences which brought me awareness of the grace that is always abiding with us if only we turn to it in the right spirit in all sincerity. The experiences are described to pay a tribute to Sri Bhagavan and in appreciation of the guiding light given at critical times even in matters which might be considered trite by some from their point of view.
I am one of those who came under the spell of Sri Bhagavan' grace after He left the mortal body. It was a photograph in the issue of Mountain Path that I came across by chance. The serene benignity of the smile and the gracious and penetrating look exuded peace and joy that held me spell bound. It was at a time of uncertainty and frustration when His grace entered my life, and I found my moorings. Surrender to this power, entity, force or whatever it may be called, changed my circumstances and created conditions that led me to emotional stability and economic security. Since then, the pictorial representation of Grace incarnate, the photograph of Sri Bhagavan has always been beacon light bringing me relief in times of trouble and giving me refuge in days of anxiety and sorrow. It accompanies me wherever I go as it did during my trip abroad last month, where several incidents took place which strengthened my faith and made me aware of His constant and guiding presence.
contd.,
How O came to Maharshi:
H.R. Chadha:
{The writer became the first subscriber
of Mountain Path in peculiar circumstances. When Mountain Path was
still a project, and Asramam had not publicly announced their plans, Chadha
had a dream in which Sri Bhagavan appeared to him with some magazines. Taking this to mean that there was an
Asramam magazine, he wrote to the Asramam President asking to be enrolled as a subscriber. This was confirmation that Sri Bhagavan's
band was guiding Mountain Path. Sri Chadha is an active member of Ramana Kendra, Calcutta.
*
My father was running a sport good concern with several branches in North West India such as Sialkot, Rawalpindi etc., and some branches in Uttar Predesh. His father was a hard worker and his mother was a pious lady. When he was hardly six months old, a Sannyasi who came for bhiksha told the mother that he would become a rich man in due course. I left Sialkot college in 1919 and the parting advice of his principal was: You are the son of a businessman, so remember, if a customer comes to you for a coat and if you do not sell him a pair of trousers as well, you are not a salesman.
With father's death, Chadha took active part in business and went on several tours. He got married and had been blessed with children but all of them died in a few years.
Chadha wanted to search for peace. He surrendered himself to Sri Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh. He wanted to stay in the Ashram. But Sivananda told him: You will have to be in business and earn lakhs of rupees and after spending them all you may have to come to me again.
As per a telegram received, he went to Lahore and from there went to Madras to open a canteen. This did fetch him lakhs of rupees in life.
Meanwhile, Sivananda advised him to go and meet Sri Ramana Maharshi. He came to Tiruvannamalai and straight to Sri Bhagavan and prostrated to Him.
Sri Bhagavan smiled and it appeared that He was waiting for Chadha.
The Maharshi without speaking to him conveyed the message in silence.
"The driver and guard of a train are far apart. But they are connected a n and they move at the same speed. You can sit in that corner and you will be connected with the guard. Chadha
obeyed His command and returned to Madras.
"One morning I had a doubt in my mind and I went up to the Maharshi but I said nothing. I was curious about the state of soul after death. Sri Bhagavan had a book of Sivananda brought from the shelf and asked me to open the pages. I found on opening of the book the exact page where my
doubt had been cleared."
"One day, Sri Bhagavan asked me to leave the place immediately. I did so and I returned to Madras, to find that the army chief was on a surprise visit to our canteen. My absence would have landed me in a difficult situation."
"Now several years later, I have the opportunity to talk of His glory and also listen to other devotees at the
Ramana Kendra, Calcutta. There cannot be a greater solace and blessing at this stage of my life."
****
A Perfect Life Divine:
K. Ramachandra: [From Fragrant Petals}
Saints and Sages are the salt of the earth. They are the saviors of humanity. They are the sustainers of society. Philo remarks: "Households, cities, countries and nations have enjoyed the great happiness, where a single individual has taken heed of the good and beautiful. Such men not only liberate themselves, they fill those they meet with a free mind."
In all sects of Hinduism, the worship of saints and sages forms an important feature. In the galaxy of spiritual giants of modern India, a great Sage answering to the description of Philo in a supreme way is Bhagavan Sri Ramana, popularly known to the world as the Maharshi. He stayed at Tiruvannamalai in South India for over 54 years and attained Maha Nirvana in April 1950.
His teachings have a unique appeal to thinkers of both east and west. He as considered as the living embodiment of God-centred life, a perfect image of the life divine in the mirror of human existence. In the words of the world renowned psychoanalyst, Dr. Carl Jung, "Sri Ramana is a true son of the Indian earth. He is genuine and in addition to that something quite phenomenal. In India, He is the whitest spot in a white space."
The Maharshi was not one of those teachers who tried to make an impression on his devotees and others by mystifying matters. Nor did He utilize any of the psychic powers to attract curiosity seekers and miracle mongers. His method was direct. He disclosed the Truth in the simplest possible language, as realized and lived by Him. He spoke very little, but in His look there was not only love and compassion, but a subtle spiritual vibration which went deeper into the heart of the visitor.
He regarded nothing as alien, none as other, no event as undesirable. He thought of others in the same way as He thought of Himself. Love and love alone influenced His relationship with others.,His teaching through mauna was difficult to be understood by the average person. Once a visitor from the West put the question to Him as to why He was staying in one place for years together, without moving about and preaching to people the truth He had realized. The Maharshi
gave His characteristic reply:
"How do you know that I am not doing it? Does preaching consist in mounting on a platform and haranguing the people around? Preaching is simple communication of knowledge. It can really be done only in silence. What do you think a man who listens to a sermon for an hour and goes without having been impressed by it,
so as to change his life? Compare him with another who sits near a holy presence and goes after some time with his outlook on life totally changed. Which is better, to preach loudly without effect or to sit silently sending out inner force?"
On another occasion, answering a similar question, by an Indian devotee, He remarked:
"Vivekananda was perfectly right when he said that if you thought a good thought in a cave, it would have repercussions on the whole world."
So let us meditate in silence on Sri Bhagavan Ramana. Though He has given
up His physical body, His Presence is felt by thousands as before. It is not confined to Tiruvannamalai. It never was. But the Hall where He sat for years has a special attraction.
Visitors come there even today from the four corners of the globe.
******
Friends,
An excerpt from The gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
Master:"Once I went to a certain place with Mathur Babu. Many pundits came forward to argue
with me. And you all know that I am a fool. (All laugh.) The pundits saw that strange mood
of mine. When the conversation was over, they said to me: 'Sir, after hearing your words,
all that we have studied before, our knowledge and scholarship, has proved to be mere
spittle. Now we realize that a man does not lack wisdom if he has the grace of God. The
fool becomes wise and the mute eloquent.' Therefore I say that a man does not become a
scholar by the mere study of books.
Divine Knowledge is inexhaustible
"Yes, how true it is! How can a man who has the grace of God lack knowledge? Look at
me. I am a fool. I do not know anything. Then who is it that utters these words? The
reservoir of the Knowledge of God is inexhaustible. There are grain-dealers at Kamarpukur.
When selling paddy, one man weighs the grain on the scales and another man pushes it to
him from a heap. It is the duty of the second man to keep a constant supply of grain on the
scales by pushing it from the big heap. It is the same with my words. No sooner are they
about to run short than the Divine Mother sends a new supply from Her Inexhaustible
storehouse of Knowledge."
Namaskar.
From the "Ramana Maharshi" article on Wikipedia.
"Suri Nagamma wrote a series of letters to her brother in Telugu, describing Sri Ramana's conversations with devotees over a five year period.Each letter was corrected by Sri Ramana before it was sent."
Is the bolded portion correct?
Thank you for your response.
Ravi & Subramanian, Thanks for the wonderful tales that Ganesan told your old friends about Vishwanath Swami, Sri Pillai,
Kunju Swami and the other wonderful disciples. Loved all the unusual 'behind the scenes' stories.
The desire for freedom, which arises in the heart of the seeker in the initial stages gradually disappears when he realizes that he himself is what he has been seeking. But if this desire continues to persist then it implies two blocks. It assumes the presence and continuance of an entity wanting 'freedom', whereas for a phenomenal object there can be no question of freedom because it has no independent existence, and so can never be separated from the total functioning of the manifestation. And it also assumes that reality can somehow be captured at the mindlevel, trying to capture the unknown and unknowable within the parameters of the known. But that is impossible.
. Having understood that there can never be any individual entity with independent choice of action, then how could 'you' entertain any intentions? And in the absence of intentions how could there be any involvement with Karma? Then, you become perfectly aligned with whatever happens, accepting events without any feeling either of achievement or frustration. Such living would then be non-volitional living, an absence of doing and deliberate non-doing, going through your allotted span of life wanting nothing and avoiding nothing, free of conceptualizing and objectivizing. Then, when this phenomenal life disappears in due course it leaves you in absolute presence.
Nisargadatta
heyjude/Friends,
I will share a few snippets about the 'Friend' that I had referred to in my previous Post.
"In the 1940s a boy five accompanied his father to Tiruvannamalai to see Sri Bhagavan.on reaching the old hall,the father prostrated himself before Bhagavan and got up;he asked the boy to do likewise.The Boy flatly refused saying "I am also Ramana.Why should I prostrate to Ramana".As the stunned father glanced fiercely at the boy,Sri Bhagavan was mightily amused at the impudence of the young boy and calling him near embraced him.He gave him nuts and raisins from the small containers."Do not scold this young one"-said Sri Bhagavan to the father who had already passed the message to the boy through a meaningful look-"Come Home and we will see!"
The eatables were the main attraction for the boy to visit Bhagavan subsequently.The father was arunachalam Iyer and he had named his son 'ramanan'.This boy grew up and after serving in a state transport corporation had retired and taken up residence with his aged mother in tiruvannamalai.He would introduce himself to others ,to known(answering the telephone) and unknown people as 'Arunachala Ramanan'.We called him 'Babu'.Fondly recollecting that incident, Babu used to say how Sri Bhagavan's defit fingers picked up the dry fruits from each and every container and move it to the palm and deliver all of it to the fortunate recipient.Bhagavan's fingers were so deft that not a piece would fall back into the wrong container leading to a mixup.
continued...
Dear friends,
Waiting for the Son - Arunai
Vijayam Day 1st Sept. 2011:
_____________________________
My wife and I had been
to Tiruvannamalai. We left
on 31th August 2011 and returned
just now at 6.30 PM. We went
this time, one day in advance,
and had been waiting for the Son.
The son, as you know, is
arriving only at 11 am on 1st Sept. The anxious parents, that we are,
were waiting for Him, our beloved
son. And so also were the hundreds
of men and women. The nature also blessed T'malai in anticipation and the town had a downpour for about 35 minutes between 6.00 and 6.30 PM. on 30th, Wednesday.
We have taken our elder son son Ganesa, in the car to celebrate His birth day on 1st Sept. in the
Asramam guesthouse.
On arriving at the Aramam at about 10 AM on Wednesday, the office allotted us a room in the new guest house ACHALAM. This is quite comfortable but had to be accessed through a narrow winding lane. But it also quite close to the Asramam, say
about 1 km away.
The weather was humid but not very
hot. There were, I believe some drizzlings on a few days before.
I shall write more detailed information tomorrow as I am tired
now.
contd.,
Hello.
Is it true that Ramana's death experience happened on July 17? The article of Ramana Maharshi of Wiki in English write so.
In Sri Ramana Lila, the day is described on mid-july.
Dear Shiba,
The exact date of Self hood
experience [nowadays, the
phrase "death experience"
is not used], is not clearly
known. Sri Bhagavan Himself
has said that it was "about
six weeks before His actual
leaving for Arunachala." He
came to Arunachala on 1st
September 1896. So the
devotees were concluding that
it might have happened in mid-
July 1896. Recently, one Ms.
Gayatridevi Vasudev, an expert
astrologer had cast horscopes
for different dates from 1st July
1896 to 31st August 1896,
and has concluded that it might
have happened on 10th July 1896.
Her findings have come in Mountain
Path in one of the recent issues.
This is called horary astrology
or "timing of an event" in relation
to the birth chart of the person
concerned.
****
Waiting for the Son - [2]
Arunai Vijayam Day -
1.9.2011:
When we reported to the Office
of the Asramam to collect our
keys for guesthouse room,
we met by chance Michael High-
burger, the author of the
pictorial book Aruna of the
Golden Fire. Michael was holding
on the back of his right hand
palm, a beautiful little creature, lush green in color, about 2 inches long. The creature is a baby
chameleon! It was looking at the world by rotating its eyes to 360 degrees! It is yet to develop color changing capabilities. So it was only green, lush green in color. All office members and visitors were looking at it. Wonderful creation of God, found out by Michael in the gardens of the Asramam.
We quickly went to the room allotted in Achalam and came back to see the pujas. On that day, there was only simple puja and the elaborate one was to take place next day on 1st Sept.
Before the start of lunch, a bus arrived with 60 persons from Madurai - the city where Sri Bhagavan attained His Self hood experience.
We were told that this Group comes every year once right before Arunai Vijayam Day. They are all members of Ramana Kendra, Madurai and this Ramana Kendra is functioning in the house where Sri Bhagavan attained Self-hood experience. They were a mixed lot, some seniors and some young boys and girls.
This Group has got a wonderful proceedure. They start off from Madurai two days before. They come up to Vizhupuram. At Vizhupuram, they stop and take the route of Sri Bhagavan when He came in 1896. In
Vizhupuram, they take food as Sri
Bhagavan did. Then they
come by bus upto Mambazhapattu. They then walk upto AraiNai Nallur as Sri
Bhagavan did. In Mambazhapattu, they visit Siva temple. The further walk upto Kizhur. In Kizhur, they visit Siva temple and there, they present to the pipers and drummers, dhotis
and upper clothes because one drummer had given food to Sri Bhagavan on the night during His Journey! On 31st August, the group visits Muthukrishna Bhagavatar's house. Muthu Krishna Bhagavatar had only given Sri Bhagavan Rs 4.00 after taking the pledge of ear studs. His sister had given Him food and also delicacies done for Krishna for that Gokulashtami Day on 31st Aug. 1896. The Group since two years could not visit the house of Muthukrishna Bhagavatar since, that house had been demolished and new constructions had come up. From there, they come to Arunachala, visit the Big Temple f first [as Sri Bhagavan did] and then come to the Asramam!
contd.,
Waiting for the Son - [3]
- Arunai Vijayam Day -
1.9.2011:
We had lunch at 11.30 AM.
Before that, we went to the
bookshop and handed over the
book that I had brought for
David Godman. [David, I am told
that you had not collected the
book till I left on 2nd Sept,
kindly collect.]
After lunch, we took some rest
and went again to the Asramam
by 2.30 PM. There was a detailed
Yajur Veda Parayana, right from
3.00 pm till 5.00 pm. There was
no book reading on that afternoon.
At 5.00 pm. the evening puja started. It was the usual puja and it lasted
upto 6.00 pm. Before Arti, a gentleman nicely sang Tiruchuzhial Padigam. It was melodious and heart melting. After Arti, people assembled for parayana. That day being Wednesday, Ekanma Panchakam, Appala Pattu, Anma Vidya Kirtana and
Devi Kalottaram.
At 7.30 PM., a good meal had been served for all. The crowds were
slowly swelling, people arriving for the Arunai Vijayam Day.
On 1st Sept., we took an early
morning bath and went to the Asramam
by 7.00 am. The Madurai Group had
in that early morning, had sung in group, Arunachala Stuti Panchakam and Sri Ramana Stuti Panchakam. Around
8.00 am, pujas started in Mother's
Temple and around 9.00 am. pujas commenced at Sri Bhagavan's Samadhi.
On 1st Sept. it was an elaborate puja
and Arti was lighted at 11.00 am. The
crowds were quite large, about 300 to
400 people were there. After lunch,
we returned to the room and took some rest. In the afternoon, we were told that Madurai Group would start doing chanting of various songs right from 2.30 pm., So we went to the Asramam
again at 2.30 pm. The Group sang
Arunachala Stuti Panchakam, and a few songs of their own composition, Sri
Sadhu Om's songs from Sadhanai Saram and Sivaprakasam Pillai's song, Ramana Padam Vazhgave. The melodious
music programme was completed around
3.50 pm. and the people adjourned for tea. After tea, the book reading for that day was started. The reading was
done in Tamizh from Sri Ramanarin Pon MozhigaL by La.Su. Rangarajan [the translation of Osborne's Teachings of Ramana Maharshi in His Own Words] and in English from Talks. [Talks No. 29 to 32].
The evening puja started from 5.00 pm. That evening, Ilaiya Raja, the Tamizh music director had come. At Arti, he sang his own composition,
a melodious song on Ramana. The song
says, "Your side glances will do,
I shall take them as my life boat and cross this ocean of samsara! Even if I take a crore of birth, I should always remember your name in every birth!"
The meal for the night was served at 7.30 pm. It was a rich meal with sweets and other dishes.
contd.,
Waiting for the Son -
Arunai Vijayam Day -
1.9.2011:
In the late evening of 1st
September 2011, we met an
unusual personality. Her
name is Smt. Rajalakshmi,
about 80 years old. She is
Smt Meenakshi Muruganar's
brother's daughter! She said
that Smt. Meenkashi lived
with them only during her last
years i.e from 1970 to 1983.
She used to sing Sri Ramana
Sannidhi Murai, quite pleasantly
and had tremendous love and
devotion to Sri Bhagavan. Many
songs of Ramana Sannidhi Murai, she
had known. Ramana Kendra, Delhi was
sending her a monthly pension of Rs 1000/- and Sri A.R. Natarajan of Ramana Kendra, Bangalore, had also been sending Rs 1000 per month.
During the final year of her earthly
life, she lost sensation in her legs and she used to move only with her buttocks. But she moved and took bath
and the relatives were drying her and
clothing her with sari. She used to move by her buttocks and come to the kitchen to eat food. She used to like coffee till her very end. She used to often tell about Sri Bhagavan saying, "Give coffee to Meenakshi first. She loves coffee!" He had even said when coffee was trickling down her mouth to the chin, "Please remove the coffee stains with your sari. It is trickling down. You are taking coffee like a child."
Two days prior to her leaving the body, she said: "Please ask Natrajan to come down to Chennai." Accordingly, A.R. Natarajan was informed and he rushed to Chennai with a bottle of Ganga water and tulsi leaves. In the evening, she was given Ganga water and tulsi leaves. At that time a golden deer [in Chennai!] rushed into the house, went straight to Smt. Meenakshi, and with its head touched Meenakshi's shoulders and chest. The deer immediately rushed out and when the relatives went out to the street to search for it, it had disappeared. Within an hour thereafter, Smt.Meenakshi left her body! It is believed that Sri Bhagavan had come as a golden deer and touched her!
After night meal, on 1st Sept. the Madurai Group decided to go for giri pradakshina and they invited us to join them. Since I had knee problem, I said I cannot walk and excused myself. My wife wanted to go with them. They assured me that they would return at 12.00 midnight and they would leave my wife back in the Achalam guest room safe. I left my wife with them at 8.00 and came back to the room. My wife successfully completed giri pradakshina from 8.30 pm. to 12.00 am. and returned with an escort. She said that her legs were paining excruciatingly but it did not matter. She slept peacefully thereafter.
On 2nd morning, we went to the Asramam by 6.30 am. The morning puja
started from 9 am and went upto 10.30 am. After breakfast and before the start of puja, we rushed to the Temple. The temple was terribly crowded, with about 10 weddings taking place inside the temple and there were at least 1000 people inside the Temple. We decided to have darshan of only Kambathu Ilaiyanar and Varasiddhi Vinyakar at the East Tower entrance, prayed to our Cute Little Father, Arunachaleswarar and Cute Little Mother, Unnamulai from a distance, sought their pardon and t then returned to the room. We quickly went back to the Asramam, had lunch and started our return journey by about 1.30 pm.
Immediately after lunch, when we came back to Sri Bhagavan's Samadhi to thank Him, we met Nochur Venkataraman. He was standing and silently praying to Sri Bhagavan. We did not want to disturb him and so we quietly came away. While returning back to the room we met Sri Rangan's [Sri Bhagavan's class mate] grand daughter, Smt. Banu Ramachandran.
contd.,
Waiting for the Son - [5]
Arunai Vijayam Day -
1.9.2011:
Smt. Banu Ramachandran said
that she has moved to Arunachala
permanently and Asramam authorities
had given her a simple house to stay
for which rent is borne by the Asramam. She has been able to visit Asramam everyday. She took major part in singing Muruganar's songs on Muruganar Aradhana Day on 28th August, 2011. She also narrated her
great grandfather Rangan's darshan
of Sri Bhagavan and his days with Him. She also said how Rangan's son, wrote Sri Ramana Vivaham songs, when he had heard from his father to whom Sri Bhagavan had said: "A Sahaja Jnani can also marry if he wants." Sri Ramana Vivaham songs depict Sri Bhagavan marrying the girl Jnana.
As for books, I did not buy many. I picked up some old issues of MP which were held in display, issues of 1990s. I also bought two small books on Chinnaswami - Sri Niranjananda Swami and about Sri T.N. Venkataraman his son, later President of the Asramam up to 2007. I bought Smt. Kanakammal's English rendering of commentary on Devi Kalottaram and Atma Sakshatkaram. This in fact is a new book, written last by Smt. Kanakammal before her merger with Sri Bhagavan.
The three day visit was quite pleasant and peaceful. One can always remain in the Asramam and be looking at Sri Ramaneswara Maha Lingam and the Hill. There are ever devotees around who speak about their 'experiences'. It is quite a heart warming feeling.
I could not meet David Godman and Graham Boyd.
We also briefly visited Seshadri Swami Ashram.
The weather being nice, there were a lot of peacocks dancing on the roof tops and on the side portals. On Friday, i.e on 2nd Sept. there was an additional chance for us to watch puja for Cow Lakshmi. We could see
Swami Shantananda Puri and thanked
him for his sending by post his own
Siva Sahasranamam, [Linga Puranam Version] and commentary in Tamizh and
English.
We also got a audio tape of Ribhu Gita Chapter 26, free from the book depot since we had bought some books.
I was quite eager to meet David Godman but I could not meet him these three days inside the Asramam. The book that I had promised had been left with Smt. Jayanti in the book depot to enable him to collect it.
The Son has come to Tiruvannamalai. He is going to be there for another 54 years. I remember the days of Pazhani Swami, Kavyakanta, then Mother, Muruganar and other great devotees coming to Him and seeking His darshan. We are able to have His darshan once in three or fourth months only.
Nokkiye karudhi mei thaakkiye
pakkuvam
Aakki nee ANdaruL Arunachala!
[Ahshara Mana Maalai.]
concluded.
Some titbits about Chinnaswami
- Swami Nirajananda Swami:
Swami Niranjananda Swami, the
Asramam Sarvadhikari, rarely
issued instructions/orders to
any person, visitors or workers.
Even with Annamalai Swami, when
he had given some orders about
constructions, and when the latter
did not go by them, he intuitively
knew that Sri Bhagavan had given
a different order and so kept quiet.
*
On one occasion, that is, when
Paul Brunton came for the second time
and started sitting before Sri Bhagavan and was taking notes, Chinnaswami came into the Hall suddenly and told him: "Stop taking
notes here and go away." This was
because Brunton was taking the spiritual instructions of Sri Bhagavan
and later was publishing books showing
as if those were his own findings. This made Chinnaswami angry and he
came to the Hall and issued orders to Paul Brunton. Brunton swiftly left the Hall never to return again to
Sri Ramanasramam.
*
On another occasion, when the Matrubhuteswarar Temple was completed and Kumbhabishekam performed successfully, it was decided by Nellur Sambasiva Rao to do pada puja for Chinnaswami. It is said that he had even taken the permission of Sri Bhagavan. When they asked Chinnaswami and asked him to sit on a small pedestal near the stone sofa of Sri Bhagavan, and expressed their desire to do pada puja for him, Chinnaswami was shocked and he was perspiring.
He told Sambasiva Rao and others: "Do not try to deceive me with all these. Padapuja is only for the one who has totally left body consciousness. I am unfit for all this. He climbed down from the pedestal. Then he said: "If you are interested in Pada Puja, please do it for the paduka [foot wear] made of silver and held near the Matrubhuteswara Lingam. The padukas were accordingly brought and pujas and oblations were done for that padukas. Actually Sri Bhagavan never stepped on to these padukas. When a devotee had earlier brought the silver padukas, Sri Bhagavan refused to use them and just once kept His feet on that. Then these were preserved in the office room and then held near Matrubhuteswara Lingam.
*****
Municharya Panchakam:
[Five Stanzas on the Way
of the Recluse]
Varkalai Narayana Guru
came to have darshan of
Sri Bhagavan, when the latter
was in Virupaksha Cave. On
seeing Him, Narayana Guru
immediately understood that
Sri Bhagavan was a Brahma Jnani.
He lived without "any other" in
life all in bliss of the Self.
After darshan before leaving,
Narayana Guru composed Nirvritti
Panchakam and left the poem with
people who were with Sri Bhagavan.
After returning to Varkalai,
he also composed a poem called
Municharya Panchakam, and sent
it to Virupaksha Cave. This has
been translated by one John Spiers.
The translation is as under:
[1]
For the hermit whose attachments
are gone,
His arm, makes it not for him
a pillow?
The earth whereon his footsteps fall
Gaining sin-dispelling power,
Makes it not for him a couch?
For such as he, what use of goods
here?
Ever merged as his mind in the
verity of "That Thou Art"
His bliss transcends inclusively
all forms of joy.
[2]
Desireless as he is, for nothing
ever asking,
Partaking food brought to him by
chance
The body just to sustain;
From all cares free, sleeping on
the thoroughfare,
Ever immersed in the vision of the
Self,
The hermit, attaining to the unity
of life and Self Supreme,
He comes to his own state, radiant
- everlasting --
Of Being-Knowing-joy.
[3]
In discourse the recluse excels,
But often restrained in words,
he is seen here as one ignorant,
Wandering, sitting, or sitting
still;
[4]
Having once come to this changing
body, sanctioned by time,
He ever contemplates the state
Of Self hood's uncut Consciousness
supreme.
As unthinkable, ungraspable,
minute, not-short, stainless,
or supreme,
Immobile, erect or most exalted.
He seeks to attain that all-fourth
[turiya] state
Turning away from both this and
that
As one who aims properly
To reach beyond both being and
non being.
[5]
Let him live in his own home, or
in the forest,
Or at the water's edge - no matter
With mind ever fixed in the Absolute
The Yogi ever dwells, seeing all
here in terms of Self hood;
He enjoys bliss, that Silent One
Contemplating that Absolute Supreme
which is beyond all compare.
[The original was written in
Sanskrit]
*****
Dear Subramanian,
Thanks for posting your reminiscences of your trip to Thiru. Initially, I was wondering who the 'son' was. :)
Btw, the posts on 'Sri Muruganar' were wonderful.
Best wishes,
1)Effort alone (OR)
2)Grace and Effort (OR)
3)Grace alone (OR)
4)Only one of (1),(2) and (3) applicable at a time.
Paul later testified, "His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all." (1Cor.15:10).
-Z
Just came to know about Brother Lawrence while surfing.Great Book for a Bhaktha:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/23196737/Brother-Lawrence-The-Practice-of-the-Presence-of-God
-Z
Dear Subramanian, Thanks for the story about Meenakshi. What a wonderful tale and it's heart warming to know she was taken care of till the end. The end of the story about the golden deer (in Madras) is just amazing!
z/Friends,
On Grace and Effort,an excerpt from Sri Aurobindo's 'The Synthesis of Yoga':
Always indeed it is the higher Power that acts. Our sense of personal effort and aspiration comes from the attempt of the egoistic mind to identify itself in a wrong and imperfect way with the workings of the divine Force. It persists in applying to experience on a supernormal plane the ordinary terms of mentality which it applies to its normal experiences in the world. In the world we act with the sense of egoism; we claim the universal forces that work in us as our own; we claim as the effect of our personal will, wisdom, force, virtue the selective, formative, progressive action of the Transcendent in this frame of mind, life and body. Enlightenment brings to us the knowledge that the ego is only an instrument; we begin to perceive and feel that these things are our own in the sense that they belong to our supreme and integral Self, one with the Transcendent, not to the instrumental ego. Our limitations and distortions are our contribution to the working; the true power in it is the Divine's. When the human ego realises that its will is a tool, its wisdom ignorance and childishness, its power an infant's groping, its virtue a pretentious impurity, and learns to trust itself to that which transcends it, that is its salvation. The apparent freedom and self-assertion of our personal being to which we are so profoundly attached, conceal a most pitiable subjection to a thousand suggestions, impulsions, forces which we have made extraneous to our little person. Our ego, boasting of freedom, is at every moment the slave, toy and puppet of countless beings, powers, forces, influences in universal Nature. The self-abnegation of the ego in the Divine is its self-fulfillment; its surrender to that which transcends it is its liberation from bonds and limits and its perfect freedom.
Continued...
z/Friends,
The Synthesis of Yoga continued...
" But still, in the practical development, each of the three stages has its necessity and utility and must be given its time or its place. It will not do, it cannot be safe or effective to begin with the last and highest alone. It would not be the right course, either, to leap prematurely from one to another. For even if from the beginning we recognise in mind and heart the Supreme, there are elements of the nature which long prevent the recognition from becoming realisation. But without realisation our mental belief cannot become a dynamic reality; it is still only a figure of knowledge, not a living truth, an idea, not yet a power. And even if realisation has begun, it may be dangerous to imagine or to assume too soon that we are altogether in the hands of the Supreme or are acting as his instrument. That assumption may introduce a calamitous falsity; it may produce a helpless inertia or, magnifying the movements of the ego with the Divine Name, it may disastrously distort and ruin the whole course of the Yoga. There is a period, more or less prolonged, of internal effort and struggle in which the individual will has to reject the darkness and distortions of the lower nature and to put itself resolutely or vehemently on the side of the divine Light. The mental energies, the heart's emotions, the vital desires, the very physical being have to be compelled into the right attitude or trained to admit and answer to the right influences. It is only then, only when this has been truly done, that the surrender of the lower to the higher can be effected, because the sacrifice has become acceptable."
Continued...
z/Friends,
The Synthesis of Yoga continued...
The personal will of the Sadhaka has first to seize on the egoistic energies and turn them towards the light and the right; once turned, he has still to train them to recognise that always, always to accept, always to follow that. Progressing, he learns, still using the personal will, personal effort, personal energies, to employ them as representatives of the higher Power and in conscious obedience to the higher Influence. Progressing yet farther, his will, effort, energy become no longer personal and separate, but activities of that higher Power and Influence at work in the individual. But there is still a sort of gulf of distance which necessitates an obscure process of transit, not always accurate, sometimes even very distorting, between the divine Origin and the emerging human current. At the end of the progress, with the progressive disappearance of egoism and impurity and ignorance, this last separation is removed; all in the individual becomes the divine working. "
-----------------------------------
Namaskar.
Many years ago a dear friend of mine stumbled upon Kanapa Mutt in Varanasi. The Mutt was established in 1787, catering for pilgrims from Andrah.
Exploring the place he came upon an old lady of advanced years. Mata Nirmala was very frail but full of devotion. Mataji mentioned she had visited Ramana Maharshi and had known Cohen, Brunton and Niranjarananda Swami.
The old lady was overjoyed to hear anyone mention Ramana and was a sincere bhakta.
Unfortunately she spoke no English and the visitor did not speak Telegu. Mata Nirmala passed away at the mutt in 2009.
Sri Ramanasramam - Decad of Challenge - 1950-1960:
After the Mahasamadhi of Sri Bhagavan, several problems cropped up in the Asramam and to face them, at the suggestion of some important people who were well wishers of the Asramam, an Executive Committee for the permanent leadership was formed with Niranjananda Swami as its permanent President and was registered under the Registration of Societies Act, on 30th September 1950. It has
14 members including the former Chief Minister of Madras State, Sri O.P. Ramaswami Reddiar.
Niranjananda Swami, who was already heart-broken after Sri Bhagavan left His mortal coil, was tormented further by interferences in his administration and internal bickering. He was weakened by a heart disease and was bed ridden for six months in the Asramam dispensary. Sensing that his end was near, he sent for me [ his son, Sri T.N. Venkataraman, later Sri Ramanananda] and my family members and some members of the Asramam staff. On 28th January 1953, lying in his bed, he said in a tremulous voice: "I am leaving you with clean hand and heart. Not a single paise of the Asramam was used for my personal needs. All the property of the Asramam belongs to Sri Bhagavan. They are to be safeguarded with due care. Put your heart and soul into His service and His grace is sure to follow. Righteousness and straightforwardness are the only real ornaments for us. Follow the tradition in running the Asramam. I have adopted these principles throughout my life...."
Next day was full moon day and the Swami left his body peacefully early in the night. He was laid to rest in the coconut grove raised and cared for by him and straight in front of the Matrubhuteswarar Temple and a Samadhi was raised there. His sister, that is, my Aunt, Alamelu, has passed away earlier on 3rd January 1953.
[From In the Service of Sri Bhagavan - Niranjananda Swami and Sri T.N. Venkataraman: Asramam Publication 2008.]
continued...
Sri Ramanasramam - Decade of Challenge - 1950-1960:
The decade 1950-1960 was a period of vacuum for sri Ramanasramam. Old devotees left the Asramam and with the physical absence of Sri Bhagavan, the flow of devotees coming for darshan came to a halt.
My name [T.N. Venkataraman] had not been included among the members of the Asramam's Executive Committee, when it was registered in September 1950. It was said that when Swamiji was bed ridden, he had expressed a wish that after him, the Asramam should be administered by Venkatachalapati Chettiar, the Joint Secretary of the Executive Committee. I was also not included in the administrative sub-committee formed later by the Executive Committee. To crown it all, Professor T.K. Doraisamy Iyer, Treasurer of the Executive Committee sent for me and said, "You can do Asramam work but the groceries which were sent to your house till now from the Asramam will henceforth not be supplied, nor can you take home any provisions."
What a sorry plight for me to be in! That meant that I had to maintain a family of dozen people including myself, my wife, our seven children, my aunt's husband and Sri Bhagavan's elder brother's widow with my meagre salary given by the Asramam. However I tightened my belt and toughened my heart and educated my children with the help of some devotees of Sri Bhagavan. My first son Sundara Ramanan and third son V.S. Mani graduated in Engineering and started earning from 1958 and 1962, respectively. Only after Mani started sending a sizeable sum from out of his monthly salary to me, my financial problems eased. My second son Ganesan stayed with me from 1961 and assisted me in running the Asramam.
[Source: The Asramam book mentioned in the previous post.]
contd.,
Sri Ramanasramam - Decade of Challenge - 1950-1960:
In the meantime, different groups started working in various ways to capture control of the Asramam's management. The Asramam found itself being dragged to different courts and involved in more than 30 cases, both civil and criminal. There seemed to be no end to litigation. It dragged on year after year. I was in the miserable plight of making trips to the chambers of lawyers and court rooms with case papers in hand. I shall here make but a brief reference to a few of such cases.
First of all, cases were filed by some people in 1950 objecting to the issue of succession certificates first to my father and then to myself on the strength of Sri Bhagavan's Will.
There were appeals from the lower courts and it was only in 1954 that the High Court of Madras decreed in my favor and at last I won he right to get a succession certificate in August 1954.
Krishnawamy Mudaliar and his wife Thayaramma alias Rukmani Ammal were long standing devotees of Sri Bhagavan. However, they took it into their heads that daily pujas for the Ramaneswara Maha Lingam instlled over Sri Bhagavan's Samadhi should not be performed by the Asramam priests and that the full right in that regard vested only with Thayaramma. They started adamantly asserting this imaginary right. They filed case after case from 1950 till 1963 against Niranjananda Swami fighting such cases in several courts, the Asramam finally won its appeal in the Madras High Court which held in 1963, that the Mudaliar couple had no right in the matter.
As I have already mentioned, Mouni Srinivasa Rao was assisting the Sarvadhikari and all the keys of the office cupboards were with him. He used to claim that he was the Sarvadhikari's secretary. One day he removed from the Asramam Office several manuscripts, photo negatives and film roles and hid them somewhere ouetside the Asramam. He set on fire the hut adjoining the Old Hall, where he used to stay, ran away. I called the fire brigade people and had the fire put out before it could spread.
Police recovered the articles hidden by the Mouni and arrested him for breach of trust by hiding away Asramam's documents and for arson. A court case was initiated against him, he filed
a counter case falsely accusing me of systematic planning and execution of arson.
As a result, the Deputy Inspector General of Police came to the Asramam and was apprised of the facts. The subordinate Judge of Tiruvannamalai sentenced Mouni to three months' imprisonment. He appealed to the higher court asserting that the articles, that were seized by the Police from him were in fact his own property. The higher court order was in favour of the Asramam and all the stolen articles were restored to the Asramam.
[Source: as mentioned in the first post]
continued...
Sri Ramanasramam - Decade of Challenge: 1950-1960:
continues...
However, Mouni Sambasiva Rao was not one to give up easily. He instigated some town people to file a new case against the Asramam in which it was argued that Sri Matrubhuteswara Temple should not be under the management of a private party and
and that it should be brought under the control of HR & CE of the Madras Government. (HR&CE =
Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments).
The Joint Commissioner of HR & CE declared that he would take up the case for hearing at their Tiruvannamalai office on 3rd January 1953. My aunt, Alamelu,
Sri Bhagavan's sister, passed away at 8.30 a.m. on that day. I had to perform the ceremonies and cremation. The other witnesses from the Asramam viz.,
Major A.W. Chadwick, Dr. Syed and Ms. Osborne appealed to the Joint Commissioner to postpone the hearing but the Commissioner refused. So I had no choice but to make a dash to the Commissioner after the crematiln without even changing my clothes which were still wet. I could manage to attend the hearing but the Commission decided against the Asramam.
Then we appealed to the Chief Commissioner of HR&CE and there too we drew a blank. Then we took the matter to the court of the Sub Judge of Vellore who heard the case ruled on 30th August 1956, that the Asramam should function subject to the rules and regulations of Hindu Religious Endowment Board. Thus, here too we lost.
When the unfavorable judgement was read out, the long time Asramam senior lawyer Gangadhara Sastri felt as if the heavens fell on his head. I too was in the grip of anxiety and stupefaction. My 19 year old son Ganesan who was with me in the Court was choked with grief. As we waited at the Vellore Railway Station for our train to Tiruvannamalai, the senior lawyer went on lamenting. He said: "Ours was a csst-iron case, utterly clean case, how on earth could we lost it? How sad it would be if the Asramam is taken over by the Government?" Perhaps, young Ganesan, just began to realize the gravity of the situation, for he began to sob uncontrollably. Though I was myself in deep anguish, I braced myself, hugged him and tried to console him saying, "Why do you lose heart my boy? Have the heavens fallen on our heads? We have only lost a case, that is all. Why do you get broken hearted? If the Asramam management is going into the hands of the Government, so what? But remember nobody on earth can wrench from us the right to perform pujas at the Maharshi's Samadhi. That is my uncle's Samadhi. We are his heirs. You mother daily cooks for us. We shall bring that to Sri Bhagavan's Samsadhi, duly offer it to Him in a ritual and then take it home and have it as His Prasadam. In this manner, we will be complying fully with the command contained in Sri Bhagavan's Will. Isn't it?" Ganesan was stunned by my nerves, lifted his head, looked at me, and wiped his tears.
{Source: as indicated in the first post.]
contd.,
Sri Ramanasramam - Decade of Challenge: 1950-1960:
continues...
The Asramam went to the High Court of Madras in appeal against the verdict of the lower court. However, without waiting for the judgement I approached the then Madras Chief Minister, Sri K. Kamaraj, with the help of the social worker Ambujammal in a bid to stop the Hindu Religious Endowment Board, for the time being, from assuming control over the Asramam management. He gave a patient hearing, promised to take necessary action and also kindly bade me bring to his attention any other problem that might arise.
When the case was being heard at the Madras High Court, Justice M. Ananthanarayanan I.C.S.asked our advocate T.M. Krishnawamy Iyer why, considering the fact that Sri Ramanasramam had the potential to become an institution of international renown, not consider making the Asramam a Public Religious Trust. Our advocate repeated this question to me at the court. It was hinted to me that by accepting this proposal we could liberate the Asramam for ever from the authority of the Hindu Religious Endowment Board. So, I agreed to the proposal in the interest of the Asramam, Based on this assent, the High Court allowed our appeal and ruled on 12.12.1959 that the Matrubhuteswara Temple was very much part of Sri Ramanasramam and hence under the law it could not be brought under the control of the HR & CE. The Court also ruled that the Asramam and its places of worship were competent to devise a scheme and function as a Public Religious Trust.
In accordance with the judgement of the Madras High Court, a consultative meeting was held in the Madras Chief Secretariat presided over by Minister M. Bhaktavatsalam and the broad features of such a scheme were decided upon. The Secretaries of the Departments of Law and Revenue, the State Advocate General and myself took part in the meeting. In order to give effect to the Scheme, an application was filed on behalf of the Government, in the Subordinate Judge's Court at Vellore, and as there was no objection to it from any party, the Scheme was declared by the Court as legal by its judgement delivered on 29.9.1962.
The salient features of the Scheme are as follows:
"The movable and immovable properties of Sri Ramanasramam will be managed by a five member Trust Board. As per the Will of Sri Bhagavan, the hereditary heir will be the President of the of the Board of Trustees and president of the Group. The other four trustees will be nominated for a period of three years by the Government. Two of these will be nominated by the State Government and the other two will be chosen by the President with the approval of the Government.
contd.,
Sri Ramanasramam - Decade of Challenge - 1950-1960:
continues...
As per the above Scheme, the Board of Trustees was functioning very satisfactorily in accordance with its rules and regulations up to 30.11.1973. And there were no objections from any quarter. However from 1.12.1985, till now, the Government did not nominate any new Trustee, though I sent them my advance suggestions in November 1985 itself. So as the rightful hereditary President of the Board of Trustees, I am managing the Asramam dutifully with the full support of devotees and well wishers and the whole-hearted cooperation of the Asramam workers of all levels. The pujas and other routine devotional activities have been going on regularly and the annual accounts duly audited in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Trust are being sent in due time to the Government regularly with due acknowledgement.
In the 1960s Asramam's troubles started receding. There were more and more friends, well wishers and devotees. There was some let up in litigation problems and, Ganesan solidly behind me and with the support of others, and, above all with Sri Bhagavan's invisible but sure protection I was at last able to fully involve myself in guiding the Asramam along Sri Bhagavan's path. Great devotees like S.S. Cohen, Major Chadwick, the Osbornes, Dr.T.N. Krishnawamy, K.K. Nambiar, Framji Dorabji and others who have since been absorbed in the Maharshi, were at that period of time pillars of strength to me. Besides, I was lucky to earn the friendship and affection of Prof. K. Swaminathan and A.R Natarjan. These two ardent devotees of Sri Bhagavan and mighty well wishers of the Asramam, had a way of coming to my help just when it was needed and they had seen myself and he Asramam through many a moment of challenge and trial I felt free to seek their help in matters big and small in the areas of Trust Scheme, litigation problems, publication of books, exemption from income tax, relations with the Government, and so on. I just had to mention the problem and they would involve themselves whole heartedly in solving it.To these two great devotees goes the credit of making the celebration of Sri Bhagavan's Centenary in 1979-1980 at Delhi a dazzling success. The moral support of the great devotee and long time resident of the Asramam, Sri Balarama Reddiar cannot but be mentioned here.
[Source: as in the first post.]
concluded.
Subramanian.
I had an unexpected house guest this weekend and didn't make it to the ashram. I will collect your book next time I am there. Thanks for dropping it off.
Anonymous
There is no record that Bhagavan read and checked Letters from Ramanasramam before the Telugu letters were published. The internal evidence suggests otherwise. There are a number of occasions when Suri Nagamma makes minor errors in the narratives about the lives of Tamil saints that Bhagavan had narrated. I am sure that if Bhagavan had gone through the letters in advance, these errors would not have been published.
The Soul of Silence:
Swami Tapovan Maharaj:
[Written sometime in 1979]
Silence is the Truth. Silence is Bliss. Silence is Peace. And hence Silence is Atman. To live this Silence as such is the Goal. It is Moksha. It is the end of the endless cycle of births and deaths.
Sri Ramana Maharshi was an embodiment of such Silence. He was the Silence Itself. Therefore, He did not preach Silence, Only when one comes back to the "noisy" from the Silence, can one preach the Silence. How can the Silence preach Itself through Silence?
Nearly thirty five or forty years ago, I had the good fortune of having the darshan of
the Maharshi at Tiruvannamalai, when He was living there in a Cave along with His mother and brother. One mid day, a young brahmachari at that time, I went up the Hill to the Cave, saw the Maharshi and, placing a bunch of bananas at His feet, bowed and sat before Him. At the same moment, some monkeys jumped on to the scene, scrambled for the fruits and ran away with them.
The Maharshi looked lovingly into my face. That was All. He spoke but silence -- not a word passed between us. A supreme, dynamic and divine Silence prevailed. An hour passed by, all in Silence. He rose for his meals. I too rose from my seat, bowed again and walked down the Hill. The divine Silence sank deeper and deeper into me at each step! Someone came running behind and pressed me to take some prasad. Thankfully, I declined. I was full -- full with the Silence. The Maharshi called him back and advised him not to press me. Then I left the Cave and walked away.
The Maharshi was an idol of Peace and Silence. It is the first duty of all those who admire and follow Him to seek after that Divine Silence. The enquiry into that Divine Silence is but the enquiry "Who am I?"
Oh, man! Enquire and be immersed in that inner Silence. Do all works of this world to reach that Goal, to attain that Divine Silence. If you have already attained that Silence, do strive for loka ssngraha [salvation of the world] if you choose to do so.
Works should be undertaken and pursued to take us ultimately to the workless Abode of Divine Silence and endless Peace. This is also the secret doctrine of all our Vedas and ancient scriptures.
*****
R.Subramanaian/Friends,
I warmly recommend the books 'Ishwara Darshan'(Autobiogrpahy) and 'wandering in the Himalayas' by Tapovan Maharaj.
Sri Ramakrishna refers to the parable of the Homa bird:
"The Vedas speak of the homa bird. It lives high up in the sky and there it lays its egg. As
soon as the egg is laid it begins to fall; but it is so high up that it continues to fall for many
days. As it falls it hatches, and the chick falls. As the chick falls its eyes open; it grows
wings. As soon as its eyes open, it realizes that it is falling and will be dashed to pieces on
touching the earth. Then it at once shoots up toward the mother bird high in the sky."
The Swami was indeed a Great soul and his autobiography is inspirational for all seekers.
'Wandering in The Himalayas' is a wonderful travelogue capturing the Beauty of The Himalayas and how a JivanMukta roams fearlessly spreading the Fragrance of Self Realization.
Please visit:
http://www.chinmayamission.com/swami-tapovan.php#works
I have always marvelled at the erect carriage of the Great Swami-simply majestic.
Namaskar.
Dear Ravi,
Thanks for the recommendations of
two books by Tapovan Maharaj. I shall try to buy them if available in Bangalore. Both Tapovan Maharaj and his disciple Chinmayananda have visited the Asramam and had darshan of Sri Bhagavan, but at different periods.
****
Thanks Ravi for the words of Sri Aurobindo.So all of them are true but only one at a time.He seems to be conveying the same in the words :It is only truth if it is also equally false...(not exact words.Thyagaraja also confirms the same when asked about the the unexplained and counfusing contradicitons in the lila of Rama and Krishna when he answers : samayAniki tagu mAtalAdu...
So all laws are applicable only in a range; like there is a law to the kid, to the teenager, adult and one to the Old man and if a man knows where he is at he should be able to follow that law.Not as easy as said but something like that??This wisdom of when to apply what and how much grows with experience and ultimately that it is automatice or there is no difference between action and inaction.This is also I GUESS what Sri MadhwAcharya calls the higest wisdom i.e to know the difference between action and inaction.
The same qeustion I also try to formulate as : where does human effort end and God's Grace begin.
I also GUESS this is what UG means when he says that all questions are variations of the same question and if one question comes to an end all of them come to and and you as you know yourself comes to and end as the question and the questioner are not different.You are not and cannot be interested in the question coming to an end(fear of the ego killing itself?)(not exact words).
-Z
Ravi,
Just to restate Thanks for the words of Sri Aurobindo on Grace and Effort/Will.
-Z
Kasi Panchakam - Five Verses on Kasi:
Sri Sankaracharya:
[Translator not known]
Every devout Hindu hopes to visit Kasi, also called Varanasi, at leastonce in his lifetime and bathe in the sacred Ganga. To die within the precincts of Kasi is said to confer liberation and hence many a devotee longs and prays for such an opportunity.
Some choose to live in Kasi in their last days, specifically for this purpose.
Sankara's purpose in these stanzas is to point out that all merits earned through external acts of purification or worship, such as bathing in sacred waters and visiting places of pilgrimage are automatically derived on attainment of Self Knowledge.
1. The extinction of the mind [subsidence in the Self] symbolizes
Manikarnika [the most important bathing and cremation ghat in the long waterfront at Kasi], the holiest of the holy places of pilgrimage. The perennial flow of Self Knowledge symbolizes the spotlessly pure Ganga. I am that Kasika [same as Kasi], of the form of pure knowledge.
2. The one Supreme Self, of the form of Existence Knowledge Bliss upon which this universe of moving and stationary objects is projected as in a magic show shines as a sport of the mind - that Kasika am I, of the form of pure Knowledge.
3. The Intellect whose sway extends over the five sheaths and which resides in every body is Bhavani [consort of Siva]; the
witness is Siva, who is the indweller of all and is all pervading. I am that Kasika, of the form of pure Knowledge.
4. Kasi [the effulgent Self] shines at Kasi, the city. Kasi [the luminosity of the Self] illumines the whole Universe.
He who knows that Kasi [the Self] has indeed attained Kasi [salvation].
5. The body is the Kasi-kshetra [place of pilgrimage]. The stream of Self Knowledge is Ganga, the Mother of the three worlds. who is all pervading. Devotion and faith symbolize Gaya [a city nearby where oblations are offered to forefathers]. Meditation on the
feet of the Guru symbolize Prayga
[a ghat where bathing has special effect].
The Lord of the Universe is that
Turiya, the consciousness underlying the three states of wakefulness, dream and deep sleep, which is the inner Self and the Witness of the mind of all beings. When ll these reside in my body, what other place of pilgrimage can there be?
[Source: Mountain Path, Aradhana, 1995]
****
Beyond Time and Space:
[Editorial of MP, Jayanti 1999]
In our cognition of the external world which is an easy, effortless process, we are aided by a space sense as well as a time sense. We see objects, their size and their particular location. We are aware that events occur in time. And, we are conscious of the stretch of duration or interval between two events or happenings. Thus time and space are prime elements in our apprehension, or basic knowledge of the world and its phenomena.
An important conclusion of modern physics is that time and space cannot be separated. According to Herman Minkowski, "Fro henceforth space in itself and time in itself sink to mere shadows, and only a kind of union of these two preserves an independent existence."
The term 'space-time' is now common enough to be understood by the layman. It means the world is a four dimensional manifold in which time is the fourth dimension, in addition to the three dimensions of space. This is a result of Albert Einstein theory of relativity, a monumental contribution to the world of science. Einstein describes the world as a space-time continuum.
Science and philosophy do not form a common area of interest. Nevertheless there is an overlap between the two.
The theory of relativity is basically scientific in content. However, there is a distinct metaphysical significance to it. This is valuable in so far as it provides a pointer to the higher truth, however indirect it may be.
Theoretical calculations as well as experimental observation have proved that the velocity of light is constant through out the universe, under all circumstances. This factor is of crucial importance to the theory of relativity.
It was expected by the earlier physicists that the earth's motion would have a definite effect on the velocity of light.
The Michelson Morley experiment done in 1881 [and also repeated thereafter] proved that the orbital motion of the earth [ignoring the rotational motion] had no effect whatever on the velocity of light. The velocity of light was constant, regardless of the motion of the observer or the source (of light). [Precisely stated the law for propagation of light is: The velocity of light (in vacuum) is the same in all inertial frames of reference; it always has the value c=2,99,800 km per second].
The negative result of the Michelson and Morley experiment stands in contradiction the laws of classical physics like the Galilean law for addition of velocities as well as Newtonian concepts of absolute space and absolute time.
Einstein therefore proposed in 1905 that these concepts be discarded.
contd.,
Beyond Time and Space:
continues....
Einstein's formulation is that
neither space nor time is
absolute. The relevant measurements are true only for specific or definite frames of reference. With increasing speed, objects suffer contraction. Similarly time suffers dilation, that is, slows down when the frame of reference changes. Viewed from any one system, the clocks of every other system moving with respect to it appear to be losing time. Simultaneity of events is relative. It is not absolute. According to Einstein, there is also no such thing as absolute motion. All motion is relative.
Once, in response to a request from Swami Madhavatirtha for His comments, Sri Bhagavan pointed out an error in the theory of relativity. The Swami had sent his book entitled MAYA to Sri Bhagavan earlier, for His perusal. The purpose of this work was to prove that Sankara's concept of maya was borne out by the modern theory of relativity.
Swami Madhavatirtha says:
...This theory, as is well known, maintains that time and space are purely relative notions dependent entirely on the condition governing the observer and the object under observation and that there is no such thing as objective time and space. When two observers, taking different positions in space, observe a particular event, they obtain different time-space measures, which will conflict with each other and necessarily vitiate any conclusion they may arrive at concerning the particular event.
Sri Maharshi pointed out to me that the very presumption of two observers being situated at two given points is itself an unwarranted one. That is, taking for granted that there are two individual observers, the notion of relativity must itself apply to the space-measure separating the two. In other words, the space between one observer and another being relative and unreal, there cannot be more than one real observer.
I at once recognized my error in the treatment of concept of maya. I should have shown in my book how the presumption (taken for granted by all scientists) that there can be two observers separated by a fixed time-space measure is itself subject to all the imperfections inherent in our perceptions, as established by the theory of relativity.
It was a revelation to me that Sri Maharshi could judge off-hand, as it were, such modern theories as that of relativity, proceeding entirely on the basis of His own experience of the Absolute.
contd.,
Beyond Time and Space:
continues....
It is an error to presume that
scientists do not have religious
faiths or concoctions. Often his
work helps the scientist have a
glimpse of the truth.
The observations of Sir Isaac
Newton, the great scientist --
perhaps the greatest of them all -
on the subject of the planetary system, time and space, reveal wisdom and spiritual insight of a very high order. It is clear the Newton saw the hand of God in the working of the universe.
Newton says:
...This most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being. And if the fixed stars are the centres of other like systems, these being formed by the like wise counsel, must be all subject to the dominion of One. Especially since the light of the fixed stars is of the same nature with the light of the sun, and from every system light passes into all the other systems; and lest the systems of the fixed stars should, by their gravity, fall on each other, he hath placed those systems at immense distances from one another.
.....
He is not eternity and infinity. But eternal and infinite. He is not duration or space, but he endures and is present. He endures for ever, and is everywhere present. And by existing always and everywhere, he constitutes duration and space.
.....
As a blind man has no idea of colors, so we have no idea of the manner by which the all-wise God perceives and understands all things. He is utterly void of all body and bodily figure, and can therefore neither be seen, nor heard, nor touched; nor ought to be worshipped under the representation of any corporeal thing. We have ideas of his attributes, but what the real substance of anything is we know not. [Mathmatical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Book III.]
.....
The advent of the theory of relativity does not mean total abandonment of Newtonian physics. Newtonian mechanics still holds good in ordinary situations, that is, the differences between Newtonian and relativistic mechanics are not applicable when we are dealing with objects traveling in ordinary speeds, not comparable to that of light. The differences are most pronounced in the case of fast particles, which travel at speeds comparable to that of light.
contd.,
Beyond Time and Space:
continues...
Science being an exact
discipline, a scientist, even
an outstanding one, functions
only at a certain level. And
studying the intricacies of science normally means going further down into the realm of maya.
However, on account of the integration of time and space as
well as other features, the theory of relativity has introduced an element of subtlety into science. A study of this theory is rewarding for the reason that it takes us to the borderland of physics and metaphysics.
With reference to conclusions drawn from the theory of relativity, Sir James Jeans says:
We find that space means nothing apart from our perception of objects, and time means nothing apart from our experience of events. Space begins to appear merely as a fiction created by our own minds (our physical bodies are mere things in space), an illegitimate extension to Nature of a subjective concept, which helps us to understand and describe the arrangement of objects as seen by us. While time appears as a second fiction, (without the past and the future, time as generally conceived is but a myth) serving a similar purpose for the arrangement of events which happen to us. (The New Background of Science).
Sir Arthur Eddington says:
The frank realization that physical science is concerned with the world of shadows is one of the most significant advances...In the world of physics we watch a shadow graph performance of the drama of familiar life. The shadow of my elbow rests on the shadow table as the shadow ink flows over shadow paper. (The Nature of the Physical World).
It must also be remembered that we should cross even the level of metaphysics to arrive at the Absolute Truth.
The best explanation as to the nature of time and space can be given only by one who has transcended them, himself. Maharshi is one such and one understands from His teaching that time and space are only creations of the mind. They have no independent existence by themselves.
contd.,
Beyond Time and Space:
continues....
It is not uncommon for a devotee
to feel that he is at a
disadvantage when he is physically
far away from the Master. Maharshi
discouraged this view.
The explanation given to Dr. Radhakamal Mukerjee by Maharshi is
typical.
The following episode is on record.
[Talks No. 68]:
The Professor asked Sri Bhagavan to
extend His Grace to him although he would be a thousand miles off.
Sri Bhagavan said that time and space are only concepts of mind. But Swarupa lies beyond the mind,
time and space. Distance does not count in the Self.
The lady with him was most reluctant to leave the Master and return home. The Maharshi said:
Think that you are always in my presence. That will make you feel right.
They left after dusk.
Instruction on the same lines were given by Maharshi to a Swiss lady who visited Him in December 1936.
{Talks No. 304)
An extract from the conversation is reproduced below:
Devotee: If one is miles away in Europe and invokes you aid?...
Maharshi: Where is Europe? It is in you.
Devotee: I have come here; I would like Maharshi to come there. Saying it, she laughed gently...Silence for some minutes.
Maharshi: You see the physical body and so you find limitations. Time and space operate on this plane. So long as you think of gross body, there will be differences found as different bodies. On the other hand, knowledge of the real Maharshi will set all doubts at rest.
Are you in India now? Or is India in you? Even now this notion that you are in India must go. India is in you. In order to verify it, look to your sleep. Did you feel that you were in Europe or in India while asleep? You were nevertheless existing the same as now.
Space is in you. The physical body is in Space, but not you.
......
In a dialogue with a visitor recorded by Devaraja Mudaliar draws our attention to the changeless reality, the Self.
The following is the entry nfor 18.3.1946 in Day by Day:
One Mr. Giridhari Lal, an old resident of Aurobindo's Ashram, came here last evening and is staying at the Ashram. He asked Sri Bhagavan this morning:
"It is said in Puranas that the Kali Yuga consists of so many thousands of years, and that so much of it has passed and that so much yet remains etc., May I know when this Yuga is to end?
Bhagavan: I don't consier time real. So I take no interest in such matters. We know nothing about the past or the yugas which were in the past. Nor do we know about the future. But we know the present exists. Let us know about it first. Then all other doubts will cease. After a pause, He added, "Time and Space always change. But there is something which is eternal and changeless. For example, the world and time, past and future -- nothing exists for us during sleep. But we exist. Let us try to find out that which is changeless and which always exists. How will it benefit us to know that the kali yuga started in such and such a year and that it would end so many years after now?
contd.,
Beyond Time and Space:
continues....
Scriptures are very clear
on the point that the Supreme
Being is free from constraints
of space and time. One of the
names of Devi is "desa-kala-
paricchinna" {Lalita 701}.
Commenting on this Bhaskararaya
says:
The Yoga Sutra 1.26 says: "He
is Guru even of the ancients because he is not defined by time.
Ancients: Brahma etc., Guru: father.
Limited by space: The absolute
non existence of a thing in a certain place, saying, 'this is not here.'
Limited by time: 'This is not before and it will not exist in future," a thing having no antecedence or precedence.
The Saura Samhita says: "The Person is omnipresent like ether, as everything, except himself, is illusory. He is said to be unlimited as to space, time and things."
Limited as to the things, relative difference or mutual non existence between things such as 'this is here and that is not there etc.,'
In the verse that follows, Sri Sankara explains how Brahman, the Reality which is unmanifest in its pristine state, still manifests itself as the universe. Ishwara, the Lord, uses his power [Maya or Sakti] for this purpose. The universe is created by an act of His will. Time space are creations of Maya.
Sri Sankara says:
To him who like a magician or even like a great yogi displays, by his own power, this universe which at the beginning is undifferentiated like the sprout in the seed, but which is amde differentiated under varied conditions of space, time and karma and posited by Maya;
to him the Guru Dakshinamurti, may this obeisance be. [Hymn to Dakshinamurti, Verse 3].
The whole subject of time and space is summed up in one verse of Sri Maharshi. This reveals the ultimate truth:
Sri Maharshi says:
Apart from us where is time and where is space? If we are bodies, we are involved in time and space, but are we? We are one and identical now, then, and for ever, here, and everywhere. Therefore we, timeless and spaceless Being, alone are. [ULLadu Narpadu Verse 16.]
Rappahalilla veRu veLi veettinil
ramithiduvom va arunachala...
Pokkum varavum il podhu veLi veettinil porattam kattu arunachala....
(AAMM - 91 and 74)
concluded..
Sravana Moolam: Aavani Moolam:
Today is the Srsvana month [Aavani in
Tamizh] and the day's star is Moolam.
Today is the day on which Siva came as horseman and brought hundreds of horses to Madurai to Pandyan King, as per His words to Saint Manikkavachagar. The saint, who was a minister in Pandyan kingdom, at Madurai, was sent with some gold to buy horses for the army. The saint
accordingly went to East Coast, and
reached Tiruperundurai. This town is called Avudaiyar Kovil today. Here, he met his Guru, who was Himself, Lord Siva in the guise of a young brahmin, sitting under a Kurundai tree. The Guru blessed the saint and gave him pada diksha. He then asked him to build the temple and accordingly, the saint built the Tioruperundurai temple with all the gold given by Pandyan King. The king,
not sighting the minister for some time, sent the secret agents to find out what was happening. The agents
came back and told the king that the minister had spent all the gold for building temple and no horses were bought. The saint was arrested and while he was taken back by the secret agents, he asked Siva, what he could do? Siva said: You tell the king that the horses would arrive on the evening Aavani moolam day! The saint told the same to the king and the king could not believe and so he imprisoned him, waiting for the Aavani Moolam day. Siva changed all the foxes of the jungle into horses, and told the bhuta ghanas, [Siva's retinue] to sit on their back and ride towards Madurai. Siva Himself took the Vedas as a horse and sat on it and led the group. The horses reached Madurai on Aavani Moolam Day and the king was pleased and astonished. He released the saint and went to the leader on the horse. The leader [Siva] gave the whip to the king, to signify the sale and he refused gold saying that the gold has already been given by Manikkavachagar. Siva and his retinue returned. The king was pleased to see the high breed horses and sent them to the stable. He also apologized to the saint and sent him home.
At midnight, the horses turned into foxes and with howling noise, broke open the stable, biting the guards and other horses. The foxes roamed over Madurai city and then returned to the jungles.
The king got terribly angry saying that the saint and the horsemen had duped them. He again imprisoned the saint. He further punished him by rolling him over the hot sands of Vaigai river which was dry in the hot sun and made him carry bricks on his head and stand on the sands of river.
The remaining story, has already been told by Sri Bhagavan in His conversation. Siva caused flash floods in Vaigai and the king asked each citizen to shovel some sands and place them on the banks to prevent the floods entering the city. There was one Pittu Vani selling Pittu, [jaggery rice flour cake]. Siva went to her in the guise of a cooly and told her to give pittu so that he could work for her as proxy, in the task of placing sands on the banks of the river. But he did not do any work and was resting on the bank of the river. The king came and asked Pittu Vani why her portion of work was not done. She pointed out to the cooly and said that he was her proxy. The king came to the cooly, who was resting without doing anything and lashed him on his back, for the non compliance. The lashing was felt by all living beings in Madurai, when the cooly, Siva was lashed. The king got astonished and immediately he saw Siva [Somasundara of Madurai Temple] standing before him. Siva told the king to release the saint from any further punishment and then caused the floods to release.
The minister then told the king: My work as a minister is now over. Let me go to various Siva temples and pray to my Lord.
Tiruvilaiyadal Puranam of Saint Paranjyoti describes the 64 holy sports of Siva in Madurai which also includes the above story. Saint himself in his Tiruvachakam describes this story in some places.
contd.,
Sravana Moolam:
Manikkavachagar Story:
Today in Madurai Temple of Somasundara-
Meenakshi, this holy sports day is celebrated with great festivity.
Saint Manikkavachagar sings in Tiruvachakam, Ananda Maalai, Verse 7:
Nariyai kudhirai pariyaakki
Jnalem ellam nigashvithu
Periya thennan Madurai ellam
picahteRRum perunduraiyai
Ariya poruLe avinasi
appa paandi veLLame
Theriya ariya paranjyoti
seivathonRum aRiayne!
Thou made the jackal be a charger
fleet!
Didst work enchantments manifold!
The mighty South King' Madurai
Thou fill'dst
With madness, Perundurai's Lord!
O Being hard to reach! O Avinasi's
Sire!
The Pandyan kingdom's rushing
flood!
O Splendour, Infinite, Unknown,
in sooth
I know not aught to do!
-Tr. G.U. Pope, circa 1900.
******
Sri Ramana Stuti Panchakam:
The author of the above composition of
five songs is Satyamanagalam Venkataramayyar, who came to Sri Bhagavsan when He was in the Virupaksha Cave. They are among the earliest hymns in praise of Sri Bhagavan. In fact, these were composed by Ayyar even before Sri Bhagavan composed Sri Arunachala Stuti Panchakam, (that is, sometime in
1910-1911.)
Apart from that the hymns themselves have an intrinsic freshness in them --
being the outpouring of a soul at
the first blossoming of its heart. Satyamangalam Venkataramayyar had visited Sri Bhagavan for four days only in the Cave, sang each day one song, and he left thereafter. From home, he sent the fifth song. He never came to Sri Bhagavan afterwards. The Grace that Sri Bhagavan bestowed upon him is well
expressed in the ninth stanza of the second song, Kummi Pattu.
By His [gracious] look, He gave me a slap on the cheek as it were and seemed to say, "O pious Venkataramana, what is the use of prolonging wasteful speech? See for yourself, that is, experience Realization!"
Song I: Kalai Pattu: The Dawn Chant:
1.
Dawn is rising on Aruna Hill
Sweet Ramana, Come!
Lord Arunachala, Come!
2.
In the bush the koel sings,
Dear Master, Ramana, Come!
Lord of Knowledge, Come!
3.
The conch blows, the stars are dim,
Sweet Ramana, Come!
Lord God of gods, Come!
4.
The cocks crow, the birds chirp,
It is already time, Come!
The dark night has fled, Come!
5.
The trumpets blow, the drums beat,
Gold bright Ramana, Come!
Knowledge awake, Come!
6.
The crows caw, it is morn,
Snake decked Lord, Come!
Blue throated Lord, Come!
7.
Ignorance has fled, the lotuses blossom,
Wise Lord Ramaan, Come!
Crown of Vedas, Come!
8.
Untainted by qualities, Lord of Liberation.
Benevolent Ramana, Come!
Lord of Peace, Come!
9.
Sage and Lord, One with Being Knowledge Bliss,
Lord dancing in joy, Come!
10.
Love on the summit of Knowledge,
Beyond pleasure and pain, Come!
Blissful Silence, Come!
Ramanatha Brahmachari and Manvasi
Ramasswami Iyer are said to be with
Sri Bhagavan, when Ayyar had come to
Virupaksha Cave.
The translations can never do justice to the original Tamizh. One should
listen to the original Tamizh songs in audio CD which is available in
Asramam. These songs are sung on Saturday evening, in parayana.
contd.,
Achyutadasa's Visit to Sri Bhagavan:
Achyutadas was one of the earliest to discern Sri Bhagavan's spiritual greatness. He was known as Abboy Naidu
before he renounced the world. He was skilled in playing upon the mridangam.
He has composed Tamizh songs [kirtanas] of great merit, which are devotional and advaitic. Having heard about Sri Bhagavan he went to Gurumoortham, the Samadhi temple of a Sadhu, where Sri Bhagavan was deeply immerssed in nirvikalpa samadhi, during the closing years of the last century. He sat in front of Sri Bhagavan and waited.
As Sri Bhagavan who was then a young
lad, opened His eyes, he paid respects to Him, massaged His feet and exclaimed with great devotional fervour, "One may be a great scholar, an author or composer and everything else in the world. But it is indeed very rare to come across anyone actually established in the Self Supreme like you." He then announced to his own disciples that there was "something very rare at Tiruvannamalai" meaning Sri Bhagavan.
Achyutadas's Samadhi is at KaNNamangalam, a few miles north of Arni in the North Arcot District of Tamizh Nadu.
[Source: Mountain Path, Jayanti, 1999]
*****
The Meaning of Satori:
A Talk by Dr. D.T. Suzuki:
[From The Call Divine, January 1955]
Satori is a Japanese term [it is Wu in Chinese]. The Sanskrit bodhi and buddha come from the same root, bud, "to be aware of", "to wake". Buddha is thus the "awakened one", "the enlightened one", while bodhi is "enlightenment."
Buddhism means the teaching of the enlightened one, that is to say, Buddhism is a doctrine of enlightenment. What Buddhism teaches, therefore, is realization of bodhi, which is Satori. Satori is the centre of all Buddhist teachings. Some may
think Satori is characteristic of Mahayana Buddhism, but it is not so. Earlier Buddhists also talk about this, the realization of bodhi. And as long as they talk about bodhi at all, they must be said to base their doctrine on the experience of Satori.
We have to distinguish between Prajna and Vijnana. We can divide knowledge into two categories: intuitive knowledge which is Prajna, and discursive knowledge which is Vijnana. To distinguish further: Prajna grasps Reality in this oneness, in its totality. Vijnanan analyzes it into subject and object.
Here is a flower; we can take this flower as representing the universe itself. We talk about the petals, pollen, stamen, and stalk; that is physical analysis. Or we can analyze chemically into so much hydrogen, oxygen, carbon etc., Chemists analyze a flower, enumerate all its elements and say that the aggregate of all of those elements makes up the flower. But they have not exhausted the flower. They have simply analyzed it. That is the Vijnana way of understanding a flower. The Prajna way is to understand it just as it is without analysis or chopping it into pieces. It is to grasp it in all its oneness, in its totality, in its suchness, sono mame in Japanese.
We are generally attracted to analytical knowledge or discriminative understanding, and we divide Reality in to several pieces. We dissect it and by dissecting it, we kill reality. When we have finished our analysis we have murdered reality, and this dead reality we think is our understanding of it. When we see reality dead, after analyzing it, we say that we understand it, but what we understand is not reality itself but its corpse after it has been mutilated by our intellect and senses.
We fail to see that this result of dissection is not reality itself, and when we take this analysis as a basis of our understanding, it is inevitable that we go astray, far away
from the Truth. Because in this way, we shall never reach the final solution of the problem of reality.
Prajna grasps this reality in its oneness, in totality, in suchness. Prajna does not divide reality into any form of dichotomy. It does not dissect it either metaphysically or physically or chemically. The dividing of reality is the function
of Vijnana which is very useful in a practical way, but Prajna is different.
continued...
Presence:
[by Arthur Osborne]
There was no emptiness, no cause for tears,
When I went back to Arunachala
And trod the ways for these many years
Shone with God's Grace in form of Ramana.
2.
A living quietude throbbed in the air,
Peace in the earth and solace in the trees,
And the great Hill rose, tender and aware,
Simple as Truth, as full of mysteries.
3.
His Presence so pervaded, it had been
No wonder or fulfillment, only Grace,
At any sudden turning to have seen
The majesty of the beloved face.
4.
And then I sat in silence, as of old,
Before Him, Like a sudden wave
His mighty Peace surged through me
to enfold
In Knowledge-Being beyond birth and grave.
5.
Peace is not langour but intensest life
Whereon events float in a shallow stream
Too slight for prayer and tinkling into strife,
Unreal, as though one waking saw a dream.
6.
Ineffable, beyond the range of thought,
The timeless Peace that from His Presence flows;
Even vaster now the wealth of Grace He brought
Through human form and formless now bestows.
[Written shortly after the Maha Nirvana of Sri Bhagavan.]
*******
Anonymous/Friends,
"If I start the practice of dismissing everything as a dream, where will it lead me?
Maharaj
Wherever it leads you, it will be a dream. The very idea of going beyond the dream is illusory. Why go anywhere? Just realize that you are dreaming a dream you call the world, and stop looking for ways out.The dream is not your problem. Your problem is that you like one part of the dream and not another. When you have seen the dream as a dream, you have done all that needs be done."
Maharaj's talks are full of insight.The problem with this type of teaching is that it does nothing for the person who has a gross mind to deal with.
The wisdom of the ancients and the Great Masters lies precisely in this-that unless the mind is made subtle through dispassion and discrimination,it is impossible to summon the power of intuition to intuit this Truth.This is the reason why they advocated all that promotes this sort of a leavening -through Satsangha,through study,through Bhakti,through selfless work(Let us not get into definitions here!Anything done outside one's 'for me' routines can be deemed as selfless-it may be watering a plant,giving vegetable peels to a cow,etc).This is wholesome Sadhana.
So the question arises-What is the Natureof Sadhana?What is it that is its very heart?Is it in the doing or not doing of this or that?Is it in the Earnestness?Is it in the intensity?Is it in the exclusiveness or all inclusiveness?What is the essence of Sadhana?
Namaskar.
Hollowed by Siva:
[Ana Callan]
-From April-June 2011, issue of Mountain Path:
Holy mountain is eating my face
from the inside, peeling its layers
clean away until what is left
is luxurious, unmoving space
until the quiet inside
is all heart overflowing
soft as snow and still
growing until it consumes
the whole world, thought,
emotion useless now
in its thrall. Once
there was an image
of me, a grand, trumped
up story, and now there
is only That, love's
seamless sanctuary.
*****
Sri Ramana Stuti Panchakam:
Song No. 2 of the five songs:
[Tr. Munagala Venkatramiah:
Kummi Pattu:* Roundelay:
[* Kummi is a dance form in which the
dancers are arranged in a circle. They
move round and do a slow dance to the
tunes of a short song with a refrain. They clap hands to keep the time beat or use short sticks to produce the same effect.]
Refrain:
Girls, the feet of Lord Ramana sing!
Seek, revel and dance in joy!
Join ye all and dance in joy!
1.
Leaving Kailasa, his abode, in compassion he came down [on earth] to Tiruchuzhi; not content to remain even there, eagerly he came to Arunagiri. [Refrain]
2. To the loving devotees who eagerly go to him in Virupaksha Cave, he with his look of grace, appears sweet as sugarcane and makes them rejoice. [Refrain]
3. By the grace of God manifesting as light in Sonagiri, he cut off the impurities of individuality, illusion and action, and revels in the bliss of the Self. [Refrain]
4. Shining forth as the all-filling transcendence as well as immanence, with no abode of his own, having realized the state beyond night and day, he revels in it, all by himself. [Refrain]
5. He is in the five elements; he cut off the five sheaths; he swallowed up the five primordial principles, he mastered the five senses. [Refrain]
6. He grew unmindful of the three bodies, surpassed the three states, went beyond the three qualities and transcended the three attainments [Salokya, Sarupa, and Samipya]. [Refrain]
7. Girls, finding nothing more to do, he stays as the sole Being, that is Siva with lustrous crescent; and he pervades all beings as their self, himself remaining as the Supreme Self. [Refrain]
8. Holding the individual self [jiva] and the Supreme Self [paramatma] together and uniting them, he lost his individuality. He remains as the Supreme Being, the ripe fruit. [Refrain]
9. By his gracious look, he gave me a slap on the cheek, as it were and seemed to say, "Oh, pious Venkataramana, what is the use of the prolonging wasteful speech? See for yourself [that is, experience Realization!]. [Refrain]
10. Certainly Ramana is my kind master, guide, and lord. Wise girls, let us surrender to him, fall at his feet, and dance in rapture.
Girls, the feet of Lord Ramana sing!
Seek revel and dance in joy!
Join ye all and dance in joy!
*****
The Grace of Arunachala Siva:
Anna Du Chesne:
From Mountain Path, April-June 2011:
It has been said that the work of healing is often the work of narration.
With this thought in mind, I have written my story, my memories of a major accident, treatment and my return to Tiruvannamalai. These events were borne from devotion and love. The manifestation of the Self through love is what has given me strength. This love has been selflessly given by those who knew me either little or not at all. It is this simplicity of giving, of time, thoughts, prayers and even blood that has helped me become stronger and kept my hopes light and full. I have been shown that the heart of a true sadhaka shines forth in coming to the aid of another through the gift of selfless service.
A few minutes past 5 a.m. on a Tuesday in February 2010, I left my room with the intention of meeting my friends for pradakshina of the holy Hill Arunachala. A few days previously, I had organized this walk as I wanted to share some time with two very dear friends, Purnima and Ryan. I had set the time, the date and the meeting place, something I had never done before. It is only now in retrospect that it seem as if the drama was being written then. A few days before I had moved into Asramam, celebrated my 40th birthday and Maha Sivaratri by walking around the Hill barefoot chanting the Mrutyunjaya Mantra! I had begun to make plans to settle and make a home at the foot of my beloved Hill. And yet I still felt something empty inside me. There was a persistent sadness and a longing for union, connection and love. I felt distant, separate and alone. the night before the accident my thoughts were heavy and I walked around Sri Bhagavan's Samadhi feeling impelled to walk one more time as if asking for a blessing to keep me safe, just in case.
Leaving my room took a few moments longer than usual, still half asleep after a restless night, I forgot my key and then had to go back again for water. I made my way out of the library compound, towards the Asramam gates, thinking of the coming walk and feeling the coolness of the morning. As I walked past the Dakshinamurti Shrine, I did pranam, requesting a blessing.
The following moments are a blur. My head still cloudy with sleep, I heard a loud sound behind me. This is not unusual in India as often the roadsides are full of screaming horns and rattling lorries. I turned slowly to see what the commotion was, impelled by some sense on the street, from other who were also walking. I turned to face the centre of the road.
In the next moment, I found myself on the ground and everything that followed happened slowly and simultaneously.
contd.,
The Grace of Arunachala Siva:
continues....
Me on the Ground:
Fireworks! The electrical power
board is hit and it is as it is diwali! The visual impact of the
flashing lights, the aural impact of the screaming sizzling wires initially superseded the physical.
Sitting on the dirt on the side of the road, slowly coming to realize what was happening, it was as if this was God/Siva/Swami's way of announcing this super real moment in my life.
My instant reaction was to get up, to stand on my own two feet and move on. I placed my hands on the ground to lift myself up, to stand up. It was only then that I realized the intensity of the situation. I looked down at my leg and I knew. I knew that my life would never be the same again. I knew that I would lose my leg. This strong inner knowing broke through the chaos and confusion. It was then that I looked at my sweet Hill of Grace, Oh Arunachala! I think I may even have smiled. It was as if I knew I was caught. I knew I had been bitten. I saw the Hill shining down on me. I may have laughed and said to myself - "Well, you wanted something? You were looking for love? You want to grow? Well WAKE UP!...BOOM!!! What are you teaching me dearest Hill?" I remembered the previous evening's parayana, in which I had joined with others singing of my love for the Hill and bemoaning my fate as a prisoner bound by this love. This silent roar from the Hill would keep me connected and open to what was to come.
Me on the Ground:
"Help!" The lessons began now. Never wanting to ask people for anything, never wanting to cause bother and priding myself on my independence, my first impulse was to simply move on, on my own. It was only after a few seconds of shock, and silent communication with the Hill, the reality took her firm grasp on me and I cried out "Help!" I think I began to
scream. The pain started to get very real and I became scared, realizing I was helpless. That such a strong impulse [to look after myself] had been torn from me was what struck me the deepest. I need other people! I had to call for help. Due to my great love and respect for people who work in the Asramam, my heart turned to them. I called out "Ramanashram! Get the Ashram people!" or some such thing as I was afraid I would be left. I did not know who was already there and already looking after me....
contd.,
The Grace of Arunachala Siva:
continues....
From here I believe the love
started to flow. Again it was the Hill speaking to me, "You wanted love? Well here it comes!" I felt
that through tearing off my leg, love was able to flow. I am not sure from where it came but it came. People started to appear. A man who owns the fruit stand opposite the Asramam gates came and cradled me, letting me place my weight on him, as he supported my back. It was so dark that the faces who appeared were a blur. A few I recognized in the small crowd at the Asramam gates: the young boys from the Veda Patasala, Diwakar who runs the supermarket across the road, Sri Sundaram, the Asramam President, others whom I did know well to name. A devotee whom I had recently met, came and sat beside me. She took my hand and repeated gently, "You are going to be ok! You are going to live!" My friend Ryan appeared and it was such a relief to see him. Finally my friend Purnima appeared, with her presence I felt I could relax a little, as I knew she would do everything that was needed to keep me safe.
Me on the Ground:
Pain! In the moment there was pain that is difficult to describe, pain that took my breath away, pain that took me out of my body so that the only way I could comprehend it was to float above myself watching, dissecting and dissociating myself from the physical body. In these moments, there was awareness of the nature of the body as a vessel or a shell, nothing more. And then BOOM! the pain would wrack through my body and my mind would again be overcome. I would swing back to observing. I was thinking, "Well,
this is it! Here is my chance to really observe, to examine the pain of the body and see where it comes from." I repeated myself, "I am not this pain, this pain is not me. There is just pain...." And then Bang! I would be back deep in the mind of the pain.
In the moments my mind detached itself from the body, my thoughts became enormous. I was only able to understand or relate at a deep universal level. I felt such overwhelming compassion for all those who must experience this pain. I was struck by the injustice of it. I felt nothing
of myself. I could only use my experience to feel and understand
the horror that is senselessly inflicted on others. It was as if I had a deep insight into the minds and emotions and hearts of so many, as if I were linked into their suffering. Why must others,
victims of war or land mines experience this? How is it possible that this kind of pain is experienced by so many soldiers, innocent civilians, animals...?
contd.,
The Grace of Arunachala Siva:
continues....
Finally, the ambulance came
and the the commotion continued.
There was no stretcher initially
and as they were attempting to lift
me I had to instruct them to bring something to lift my leg. I was fearful as they seemed ready to just throw me on to the stretcher without a thought for the lower leg that was barely connected to the rest of me. I was reminded of a teacher of mind who once told a story of a woman in a terrible situation. She maintained her peace of mind by directing the attackers, telling them how the event was to be handled. I remained conscious throughout this event as I too wanted to ensure that this horror would be my responsibility.
I think the worst part of the whole morning was lying in Tiruvannamalai hospital. I can clearly remember the pain, coming in crashing waves. The shock and nausea was made worse by not trusting that I was in right place and then not quite believing what was happening, I was also feeling annoyed and agitated by the overly curious people in the waiting room where I was left. I have a strong image of lying on the stretcher in what seemed like a waiting room. The walls were green and it was dark. I could not move for the pain and had been left, pushed to the side of the room, near a corridor. The people in the waiting room began to come and peer at me. I remember moaning and just wishing they would all go away and leave me alone. All I wanted was to retreat, to disappear, to go into hiding. I remember biting Purinma's hand in in an effort to quell the pain. I remember the dissociation I was experiencing in my mind and my body. And yet, in spite of this tremendous fear and pain, I felt the presence of the Hill. I remember knowing that God was with me and realizing that god never leaves. Those moments of silent communication had calmed the core of my mind. I had no concept of what was to come, yet I knew God was with me. In the worst moments I found myself chanting "Om Nama Sivaya!", over and over in an effort to further calm my mind and to call on His Grace to help through this torment.
contd.,
The Grace of Arunachala Siva:
continues....
When I arrived at the Christian
Medical College [CMC] Hospital,
Vellore, I was even telling the
nurses not to throw away my
clothes, that I would not need a
ventilator and making sure my mother was called. In the first few days, at the hospital, I did not really care or understand what was happening. It may have been the morphine or it may have been shock of the intensity of the situation. The fuse box fireworks
for me seemed to be the visual equal of my emotional impact. I was lost somewhere in another world. My visitors were so concerned for my well being that
I was delighted to see them. I never felt much sadness at my situation and was often more concerned for plight of others. At the same time as my amputation was to take place, a woman was brought into the HDC. There had been a terrible road accident and her husband and child had died. As I lay waiting for my operation, I could hear her inconsolable wailing! My heart went out to her...I had just lost part of my leg and yet she had lost her whole family.
Finally the time came for amputation and I was again blessed to have my eldest sister with me. Her love for me, coupled with her training as a clinical psychologist, provided me with the firmest foundation of emotional support imaginable. In preparation for this major operation we sat for a few minutes praising and honoring my beautiful left leg. We spoke about the joy I felt feeling sand between my toes, diving off rocks into the ocean, the freedom my food had given me and the great distances this foot had taken me -- the sights I had seen!
The operation was very long and traumatic. I woke up in ICU in terror as I had had hallucinogenic nightmares of running, climbing and moving about with two legs. These dreams were so real that upon waking at 2 a.m. I became quite hysterical and started to go into shock. My sister was called and I fell into her arms crying, "I don't know what is real anymore! I don't know what is real anymore!"
The final operation was the worst. The heat was unbearable and as with all previous operations I was not allowed to drink water or take food for hours before hand. My sister came with me and I was lead through the maze that is CMC. We arrived at the theater and had to wait in the corridor. I still had the memory of the previous three operations in my mind and was scared that there would be more pain. I closed my eyes and meditated. As I calmed my mind, I imagined angels holding me, sweet doves with the eyes of love of Ramana. I went to God, and felt God holding me, soothing me in the heat....
The doctors and nurses who cared for me were incredible. I feel very fortunate to have had such a professional and experienced team of doctors looking after me. One of the senior doctors admired my pictures of Ramana that had been put up in my room. He told me of his recent visit to Tiruvannamalai and his day spent in the Asramam. Again, I realized here was God looking after me. As the CMC is a Christian hospital the nurses would sing hymns of Christ in the morning. Before every operation they would stand around me and pray for a 'safe' result.
People were so generous with their time and energy. A relay of people gladly came from Tiruvannamalai to give blood.
contd.,
The Grace of Arunachala Siva:
continues....
In the days after the operation and my return to Australia I found the intensity of love continued to flow. Below are some entries from my diary and from letters received and sent:
In a letter from Purnima, I received this:
"This is from Chandra Sekhar [Dr.
Murthi's friend)...."
"Never the less the events that happened to Ms. Anna is not mysterious at least to me, because in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says
that he would indeed go to any extent, including ruining the life of someone who is dear to Him. In so many Saints' lives He has come to accept them by similar means of diverting them to Him by giving them enormous troubles. If some such thing should happen to a devotee who was planning to to gor a pradakshina that too early in the morning, certainly it is only a blessing though it may look different in the eyes of others...."
More from Letters and Diary:
4th March to Rose:
"I believe that this event is a
blessing, a Kiss from Siva, waking me up to my true nature and bring me closer and closer into Heart. I would love to speak with you and hear your wisdom you may be willing to share with me.
"I am learning that nothing is certain and I have no idea of what is to come......so I can only focus on what is happening right now....liberating really!"
12th March to Ryan:
"Some of these images that kept
me going...
"I will write again with a list of things I want you to do, like listen to a peacock for me, gaze at the monkeys being naughty and smile as the ghee is poured on your rice at lunch in the Asramam....the glance towards at the Hill...magnificent green against the soft blue."
14th March:
"....in these moments no predictions or reflections of past or future make much impact...nothing can be as great or real as what is happening in my life right now! Everyday is uncertain and fresh, the pains come and go, sleep comes and goes.....being so still I must sit and observe my friends and family as they rush in and out of my view from the couch.....
"Emotionally I am pretty numb, I have not yet cried or felt much sadness over the loss and the chaos of the accident. There is such a feeling of perfection about all this -- as if it COULD NOT BE ANY OTHER WAY -- the sadness seems
impossible. I feel held, loved and cared for...which allows stillness and surrender to unfold sweetly. I have never been at a place in my life where I have known less about what is to come - before I always had an often fear filled image of possible future events - now? I really don't know....and as a result there is no fear! I project and plan for difficulty - leaning to walk again, falling over, possible pain of the prosthesis? but really I don't know...YEAH! it is good not to know."
23rd March to Thomas:
"....I feel like cutting off the lower leg [it is really 1/4! - about 10 cm below my knee) was like cutting open a reservoir or spring of LOVE -- people from all over the world have sent me love, blood, flowers, friendship...and I am learning to receive, to be gracious and invite this in....
contd.,
The Grace of Arunachala Siva:
"I will slowly being to learn how to walk again, find my balance...I feel as though all the years of yoga, meditation, self inquiry and observation, are my strength now --
now I must use them as I begin to swim...many of the old mind games and crazy insecurities that kept me small have completely been blow up, destroyed. - this is the joy of this madness! Now I see what is really important...."
5th April to Clive and Miranda:
"I have been overwhelmed by the grace of a very very dear group of friends -- so much support! so much kindness! This whole event really has brought me to my knees....in truth I am humbled and find myself at the beginning of a frustrating yet beautifully essential opening and LETTING GO!!!
"It is incredible how many beliefs and concepts are falling away --those that keep fearful and doubting are losing their grip! How can this not be grace? So there is joy in this madness ...even living in Sydney!"
23rd April to Ryan:
"When I read your letters I am instantly with Arunachala, thank you. I am crying -- it is obviously Arunachala tapping my heart open..."
17th May:
"This steep on the spiritual path is all about stillness...this stillness being reflected in an acceptance of what IS! How wonderful: No grasping, comparing, wishing, or hoping for difference - rather a peace filled stillness in the present.....
"So challenging!!"
30th May to Purnima:
"When I really think about returning to Tiru I get a little scared and am aware that I still 'jump' whenever I hear a truck bang past me - if I am inside or on the street...so there is still work to be done on releasing some of the trauma that I am holding on to....A thought just occurred to me -- I am living my life like a person practicing a walking meditation -- awareness, awareness, awareness...step by step....the destination is no longer my focus..."
7th June to David:
"I am doing very well, walking around on my new leg, -- still a little clumsy and using crutches. The doctors are all amazed at my determination and fast recovery. I tell them that it is because I have so much love in my life, so wonderful people who have shown my friendship .... thank you!"
19th June to Bobbie:
"Ahhh... a day does not go by in
which my heart flows to Tiru...And you are there!! I think of walking around the Hill with you, resting because I am learning to slow down! on the rocks...sitting under the Hill."
concluded.
Friends,
An excerpt from The gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
The Master was highly pleased with the ostad's music. He said to the musician, "There is a
special manifestation of God's power in a man who has any outstanding gift, such as
proficiency in music."
MUSICIAN: "Sir, what is the way to realize God?"
MASTER: "Bhakti is the one essential thing. To be sure, God exists in all beings. Who,
then, is a devotee? He whose mind dwells on God. But this is not possible as long as one
has egotism and vanity. The water of God's grace cannot collect on the high mound of
egotism. It runs down. I am a mere machine.
Master's respect for other faiths
(To Kedar and the other devotees) "God can be realized through all paths. All religions are
true. The important thing is to reach the roof. You can reach it by stone stairs or by wooden
stairs or by bamboo steps or by a rope. You can also climb up by a bamboo pole.
Many names of one God
"You may say that there are many errors and superstitions in another religion. I should
reply: Suppose there are. Every religion has errors. Everyone thinks that his watch alone
gives the correct time. It is enough to have yearning for God. It is enough to love Him and
feel attracted to Him: Don't you know that God is the Inner Guide? He sees the longing of
our heart and the yearning of our soul. Suppose a man has several sons. The older boys
address him distinctly as 'Baba' or 'Papa', but the babies can at best call him 'Ba' or 'Pa'.
Now, will the father be angry with those who address him in this indistinct way? The father
knows that they too are calling him, only they cannot pronounce his name well. All
children are the same to the father. Likewise, the devotees call on God alone, though by
different names. They call on one Person only. God is one, but His names are many."
Namaskar.
Friends,
An excerpt from Sri Aurobindo:
"In all that is done in the universe, the Divine through his Shakti is behind all action but he is veiled by his Yoga Maya and works through the ego of the Jiva in the lower nature.
In Yoga also it is the Divine who is the Sadhaka and the Sadhana; it is his Shakti with her light, power, knowledge, consciousness, Ananda, acting upon the adhara and, when it is opened to her, pouring into it with these divine forces that makes the Sadhana possible. But so long as the lower nature is active the personal effort of the Sadhaka remains necessary.
The personal effort required is a triple labour of aspiration, rejection and surrender,--
an aspiration vigilant, constant, unceasing -- the mind's will, the heart's seeking, the assent of the vital being, the will to open and make plastic the physical consciousness and nature;
rejection of the movements of the lower nature -- rejection of the mind's ideas, opinions, preferences, habits, constructions, so that the true knowledge may find free room in a silent mind, -- rejection of the vital nature's desires, demands, cravings, sensations, passions, selfishness, pride, arrogance, lust, greed, jealousy, envy, hostility to the Truth, so that the true power and joy may pour from above into a calm, large, strong and consecrated vital being, -- rejection of the physical nature's stupidity, doubt, disbelief, obscurity, obstinacy, pettiness, laziness, unwillingness to change, tamas, so that the true stability of Light, Power, Ananda may establish itself in a body growing always more divine;
surrender of oneself and all one is and has and every plane of the consciousness and every movement to the Divine and the Shakti.
In proportion as the surrender and self-consecration progress the Sadhaka becomes conscious of the Divine Shakti doing the Sadhana, pouring into him more and more of herself, founding in him the freedom and perfection of the Divine Nature. The more this conscious process replaces his own effort, the more rapid and true becomes his progress. But it cannot completely replace the necessity of personal effort until the surrender and consecration are pure and complete from top to bottom.
Note that a tamasic surrender refusing to fulfil the conditions and calling on God to do everything and save one all the trouble and struggle is a deception and does not lead to freedom and perfection."
Namaskar.
IT:
Billy Doyle - From Mountain
Path, April-June 2011:
it's before you see
it's before you hear
it's before you think
how can you doubt it
it's nearer than the nearest
it needs no eye to see it
it needs no ears to hear it
it needs no mind to think it.
[The poem is originally from
a collection of poems of the
author titled, The Mirage of
Separation.]
*****
Footprints:
One night I had a dream --
I dreamed I was walking along
the beach with the Lord and
Across the sky flashed scenes
from my life.
For each scene I noticed two
sets of footprints in the sand.
One belonged to me and the
other to the Lord.
When the last scene of my life
flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints
in the sand.
I noticed that many times
along the path of my life
There was only one set of
footprints.
I also noticed hat it happened
at the very lowest and
saddest times in my life.
This really bothered me and
I questioned the Lord about
it.
"Lord, you said that once I
decided to follow you,
You would walk with me all
the way,
But I have noticed that during
the most troublesome times
in my life
There is only one set of
footprints.
I don't understand why in times
when I needed you most you
should leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious,
precious child, I love you
and I would never leave
during your times of trial
and suffering.
When you saw only one set of
footprints,
It was then that I carried you."
- Anon.
From Mountain Path, Aradhana,
1995.
******
Sri Ramana Stuti Panchakam:
III. PONNOLIR PATHU:
Decad on Gold Bright Form:
1.
Of gold-bright form, full-blown
lotus-faced one! Personification
of rare realization, spreading fragrance all over the earth! Having heard your fame, poor as I am, I looked for you throughout the world and reached you here, my
gracious Lord! Wise Ramana! Hill of Light!
2.
O Brahmin who dwells in Virupaksha
Cave on the sacred Hill of Light
called Sonagiri! O primordial, eternal treasure, O Ramana, the pure! Make me your own without testing me. You are indeed the Supreme Being!
3.
Life of supreme-consciousness-bliss, honey of the Bliss of Siva, thick syrup of rare bliss, unbroken one, O Ramana! Considering you as the celestial tree to fulfill my wish, eager I ran to you. Knowledge incarnate, pure Being, save me by your glance of grace.
4.
Let me place your soft holy feet on my head, at the very moment, to gain the life free from pain and be cured of the disease of recurring births! Ramana, reborn
in Self, living silent in Arunachala, unknown even to the Gods, tell me when I shall attain you, O pupil of my eye!
5.
Poor me! I know how to praise you - as the pupil of my eye. I know nothing else. Can you be aware, how by your side, I cry in anguish? Put down the spectre of my ego and strike it with the axe of knowledge, so that it may leave me here and now! Hail Sundara Ramana!
6.
Certainly Ramana is the universe with the sun, the moon and the stars! Ramana is the diamond flame of light shining in the heart! Ramana is the Lord sporting in the merry-go-round of the untainted Vedas! Ramana is the beatific Lord of Knowledge!
7.
Moon-crested Ramana! You can in a trice efface the mind once stilled and fix it at the hol feet of Arunachaleswara, which were not known even to Brahma and Vishnu who were anxious to find them in day of yore. Allay my intense grief. O Sole Reality! Life of Yoga!
8.
Ramana of profound yoga-knowledge! Unrivalled beauty! You hold within yu9rself the fire of the Look of Wisdom, which wipes away the names and forms of the vast universe. Spreading Flame! Hail, Holy Lord on Sonagiri!
9.
Lord Ramana! I sought your holy feet. You are knowledge untiring, silence and the supreme thing beyond thought. Your heart is he center that unifies the individual and the supreme. You are the ultimate reality that endures beyond birth and death.
10.
Long live Ramana, ever abiding on Sonagiri! Hail Siva with Ganga betwixt his matted hair and the Virupaksha Cave! Long live this golden hymn of Venkataramana, which rids one of all ills!
[Tr. Munagala Venkatamiah.]
*****
God comes first, then comes
His creation:
[From the teachings of Sri
Ramakrishna]
Master [to Bankim]: Some people
think that God cannot be realized
without the study of books and
scriptures. They think that first
of all one should learn of this world and its creatures; that first of all, one should study 'science'. [All laugh]. They think that one cannot realize God without first understanding His creation. Which comes first, 'science' or God? What do you say?
Bankim: I too think that we should first of all know about the different things of the world. How can we know of God without knowing something of this world? We should first learn from books.
Master: That is the one cry from all of you. But God comes first and then the creation. After attaining God you can know everything else, if it is necessary.
If you can somehow get yourself
introduced to Jadu Mallick, then you will be able to learn, if you want to, the number of his houses and gardens and the amount of his money invested in government securities. Jadu Mallick himself will tell you all about them. But if you have not met him and if you are stopped by his door-keepers when you try to enter his house, then how will you get correct information about his houses, gardens and government securities? When you know god you know all else; but then you do not care to know small things. The same thing is stated in Vedas. You talk about the virtues of a person as long as you have not seen him, but no sooner does he appear before you than all such talk stops. You are beside yourself with joy simply to be with him. You do not talk about his virtues any more.
First realize God, then think of creation and other things. Valmiki was given the name of Rama to repeat as his mantra, but was told at first to repeat 'mara'. 'Ma' means God and 'ra' means the world. First God and then the world. If you know one, you know all. If you put fifty zeroes after one, you have a large sum; but erase the one and nothing remains. If is the one that makes the many. First one, then many. First God, then His creatures and the world.
The one thing you need is to realize God. Why do you bother so much about the world, creation and 'science', and all that? Your business is to eat mangoes. What need have you to know how many hundreds of trees there are in the orchard, how many thousand branches, and how many millions of leaves? You have come to the garden to eat mangoes. God and eat them, Man is born in this world to realize God. It is not good to forget that and divert the mind to other things. You have come to eat mangoes. Eat the mangoes and be happy.
[From Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.
Conversation on December, 6, 1884]
[Reproduced from Mountain Path, Jayanthi Issue, 1995.]
******
Here's a joke I found funny, hope you do too:
A Buddhist goes up to a hotdog vendor and says 'Make me one with everything'. The vendor smiles and dishes up his best dog. the buddhist gives him a 50 dollar note, smiling apologetically. The vendor accepts it and smiles back. After two minutes the vendor still hasn't given the change so the buddhist asks as non-confrontationally as possible 'Excuse me, may i have the change?' The vendor looks at him wisely and says 'Change comes only from within'
Tiru KaNNokkam:
Muruganar in Sri Ramana Sannidhi]
Murai, has got a composition
titled Tiru KaNNokkam, where he
describes the need to gaze at
Sri Bhagavan's powerful eyes, which
alone are sufficient to confer liberation.
Sri Mugavai KaNNa Murugan Adimai,
Sriram, of Sri Ramana Bhakta Samajam, Chennai, has released a small but beautiful booklet explaining the above composition verse by verse, with some brief comments. He has released the said book on Muruganar's Aradhanai Day, ie. on 28.8.2011. He has been kind enough to send me a copy which I received today. The book has been brought out quite nicely. He is the same gentleman who has also published a book on Ozhivil Odukkam.
One verse from Tiru KaNNokkam:
sethale thiRapaduvom sethale
piRandhituvom
ettthale vaazhnthiduvom enak
karudhi eemaapeer
ithale vazhnthidalam engaL venkata
ramanak
kathavodu ourmukamai kaNNokkam
aadamo!
Only when ego dies one can get the good [liberation]. Instead if the body dies with its ego, we shall take birth again. If one asks how to cross the birth-death cycle, do not build mental castles. Simply come to Sri Ramana and be playing the eye-meeting-eye game! [Tiru KaNNokkam]. You will surely realize the Truth and attain the deathless liberation.
******
Abide with Me:
[By Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847)
The poet was an ordained clergyman.
The poem is used as Requiem Mass and also as an evening prayer. Reproduced from Mountain Path, Jayanti, 1995.
1.
Abide with me! fast falls the eventide,
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide!
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me!
2.
Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day,
Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O thou who changest not, abide with me!
3.
Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word,
But, as thou dwell'st with thy
disciples, Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free,
Come, not to sojourn, but abide with me!
4.
Come not in terrors, as the King of kings;
But kind and good, with healing in thy wings;
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea;
Come, Friend of sinners, and thus 'bide with me!
5.
Thou on my head in early youth didst smile;
And, though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou has not left me, oft as I left thee;
On to the close, O Lord, abide with me!
6.
I need thy presence every passing hour;
What but thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who like thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O, abide with me!
7.
I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;
Where's death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still if thou abide with me!
8.
Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes,
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life and death, O Lord, abide with me!
******
Foretaste of Divine Bliss:
[By Dianne Veilleux]
[From Mountain Path, Aradhana, 1995]
1.
Once in my life, only once
My Self linked with another's Self,
Merging into one spark of bliss,
Self to Self, as the One Self.
2.
Neither a friend, nor a lover
Were the cause of so unique a joy,
But a happy three year old infant,
A clear reflector of the Self.
3.
In the span of one brief moment
As my eyes gazed into his eyes,
Our Selves came face to face
And shook hands in eternity.
4.
That sparkle of light in his eyes,
As our souls fused into one smile,
Mirrored the pristine bliss I felt
Of the Beloved's perfect love.
5.
This memory lives on in my heart,
Mirror of eternity in a twinkle,
A foretaste of the union divine
Between the soul and the Beloved.
******
The Tree of Life:
{By Lama Anagarika Govinda}
1.
The life-tree's roots
Grow from the night of death,
Embracing the dark realms
With golden nets.
2.
The life juice of the stars
Is rising in its trunk,
Transforming steadily
The powers of the dark.
3.
Innumerable suns
Bloom in the life-tree's twigs,
Surrounded by their planets
As by swarming bees.
4.
The heavens of the gods
Are in the life-tree's crown,
But in the course of time
Even their pleasures cease.
5.
And one by one they fall
From their bright realm
And drop like falling stars
Into the earth's dark womb,
6.
To be reborn as men
And learn through pain
and strife
That from the night of death
Is born the greater life.
[From Mountain Path, Jayanti, 1995}
****
Sri Ramana Stuti Panchakam:
IV. Ponnaiyotta Pathu:
Decad on Form Gold Like:
[Tr. Munagala Venkataramiah.]
1.
They will forget themselves, who
on golden Sonagiri have found the mother-like master, Ramana, the true brahmin, shining forth as lightning.
2.
The primeval brahmin incarnated as Love! Lord who came down to Sonagiri, the great Hill of Light! Gracious Master Ramana! Untainted One! Whisper in my ear the way to liberation!
3.
The Pure One whom the five elements could not contain softly settled down at the cloud crested Virupaksha Cave. He is the divine master, Ramana, whose words are so sweet.
4.
Permeating earth, air, fire, water, and ether, and transcending number, limit, and all doubt, is Ramana, my beloved, my eye, my very life!
5.
He is the gracious God shining forth like a never setting but rising sun, the Perfect Master,
who leads one to liberation. Such is Ramana, the Lord Eternal dwelling on the Aruna Hill!
6.
Ramana not only sports and mingles cheerfully on the Hill of Light which formerly eluded the search
of Brahma and Vishnu, but also fills the hearts of all beings!
7.
He grants the prayers of anyone who, with humility beseeches, "Welcome, welcome, Ramana Maharshi! grant me thy Grace!" He showers His grace abundantly.
8.
His rhymes overflow with bliss. Undoubtedly he is the sage enlightening the world! Lord Ramana before us is the very incarnation of Siva, with the ever flowing Ganga.
9.
Him the devotees from all over the world seek, call out and worship as "Lord! Master!" They run up to pay homage to this living, liberated, blissful, silent Ramana, as the Supreme Being Knowledge!
10.
Long Live, Long Live, Ramana, the Great Master!
Long Live, Long Live, Aruna, the
Great Hill!
Long Live the songs of Venkata!
Long endures His earnest devotees!
*****
AUSTERITY:
By Arthur Osborne:
[From Mountain Path, October
1980]
The introduction to "Who am I?"
contains within it the germ of
intellectual explanation of
religious austerity. Everyone is involved in the unending search for happiness. So long as the person mistakes the body or individuality for the Self, he seeks pleasure from events and contacts, but in the measure that he approaches the true Self, he discovers that true happiness which, being his real nature, requires no stimulus to provoke it.
If a man renounces the extraneous and fitful happiness given by pleasure for the deep, abiding inner happiness, there is no austerity -- he is simply exchanging the lesser for greater, the spurious for the true. More usually, however, a man's pursuit of pleasure (or his hankering after it even if he does not pursue it) is itself what impedes his realization of the Self, being due to his false identification with the ego. Therefore he normally has to renounce the pursuit of pleasure not after but before the attainment of eternal, indestructible happiness, not because it has ceased to be pleasure but because he realizes, partly through faith and partly through understanding and prevision, that indestructible happiness does exist and is his goal and his true nature and that it is shut off from him by his mistaken identity and by the indulgence of desires and impulses that this entails. That is to say that he has to renounce the false attraction before it has ceased to attract. Therefore renunciation hurts him and is austerity.
Religious austerity may bear fruit without understanding the intellectual basis of it and there may be many who practice it without this understanding; nevertheless, this is its basis. To some extent every spiritual seeker must follow the twofold method of turning his energy away from the pursuit and towards the quest of happiness, away from the gratification of the ego and towards the realization of the Self. They are two complementary phases of one activity. However, a method may concentrate more on one phase or the other.
That taught by Sri Bhagavan concentrated almost entirely on the positive phase, the quest of the Self, and He spoke very little of the negative, that is, of austerity or killing the ego. He spoke rather of the inquiry that would reveal that there was no ego to kill and never had been. This does not mean that Sri Bhagavan condoned ego indulgence. He expected a high standard of rectitude and self control in His devotees but He did not dictate any actual programme of austerity.
contd.,
AUSTERIY: Arthur Osborne:
continues....
The basic forms of austerity are
celibacy and poverty, further
heightened by silence and solitude.
Let us see in more detail what was the attitude of Sri Bhagavan in such matters.
In speaking of celibacy, one has to remember that the traditional Hindu society with which Sri Bhagavan was familiar has no place for the worldly celibate; either a man is a householder or a mendicant. When any householder asked Sri Bhagavan whether he could renounce home and property and turn mendicant, He always discouraged it. "The obstacles are in the mind and have to be overcome there," He would say. "Changing the environment will not help. You will only change the thought 'I am a householder' for the thought 'I am a mendicant'. What you have to do is to forget both and remember only "I am". He similarly deprecated vows of silence and solitude, pointing out that the true silence and solitude are in the heart and independent of outer conditions.
Yet Sri Bhagavan showed a benevolent interest in the personal and family affairs of His devotees -- their marriages and jobs, the birth and sickness and education of their children, all the cares and obligations the family entails. His injunction was to engage in it like an actor in a play, playing one's part carefully and conscientiously, but with the remembrance that it was not one's real self.
Neither did He denounce the small indulgences common to the life of a householder. Indeed, three was a time when He Himself chewed betel and drank tea and coffee. The only specific rule of conduct that He advocated and that some might call austerity was vegetarianism. He spoke of the benefit of restricting oneself to sattvic food, that is to vegetarian food which nourishes without exciting or stimulating. I have also known Sri Bhagavan to say different things to different kinds of people. But they should be taken to suit particular occasions and not as a general rule.
The standard set by Sri Bhagavan was uncompromisingly high but it did not consist in disjointed commands and restrictions. It was a question of seeking the true Self and denying the imposter ego, a healthy, normal, balanced life than of extreme austerity. It is true that there was a time when He Himself sat day after day in silence, scarcely eating, seldom moving, but that was not austerity. That was immersion in the Supreme Bliss after the Self had been realized and there was no longer any ego to renounce, that is, when austerity was no longer possible. His abandoning it was not indulgence of the ego but compassion for the devotees who gathered around. He said that even in the case of the Jnani, the ego may seem to rise up again but that is only appearance, like the ash of a burnt rope, that looks like a rope but is not good for tying anything with.
concluded.
Ramana Maharshi and Buddhist
Non-dualism:
by Lex Hixon:
[From Mountain Path, Jayanti,
1995]
Through the Gaudapada Karika,
which is the only extant pre-
Sankara treatise on Advaita or
non-dualistic Vedanta, we can document the influence of the major Mahayana Buddhist non-
dualistic schools -- Madhyamika
and Yogachara -- on the Advaita
Vedanta. In considering the remarkable parallels between the spontaneous insight of Ramana Maharshi and Mahayana Buddhist insight, we should keep this connection in mind: the lunguage
of Advaita Vedanta which Ramana later adopted from the Indian cultural environment to express His own fresh insight was itself imbued with the flavor of Buddhist non-dualism. But at the same time, we must remember that Ramana's
own insight was not conditioned either by Hinduism or Buddhism. It sprang fresh from the source which we call Pure Awareness. Ramana Himself said that at the tiem of His sudden total enlightenment at the age of seventeen,
"I had never heard of Brahman, samsara and so forth. Later, at Tiruvannamalai, as I listened to the Ribhu Gita and other sacred books, I found that these books were analyzing and naming what I had felt intuitively without analysis or name." [Arthur Osborne, The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.]
When once asked whether His teachings were the same as those of Sankara, Ramana replied: "Maharshi's teaching is only the expression of His own experience and realization. Others find that it tallies with Sankara's. A realized man uses his own language." [S.S. Cohen, Reflections on Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi.].
This sharply reminds us that as valuable as spiritual traditions are, realization has no intrinsic or necessary connection with any tradition. Conscious enlightenment is unique for each Buddha or awakened being to which it occurs. Spiritual traditions have become influences, at once fruitful and limiting, on the mode of investigation pursued by non enlightened practitioners. However, each enlightened being, fundamentally untouched by tradition even if 'traditional'
in thought and behavior, 'uses his own language'. But this 'new language' is always assimilated more or less into some appropriate traditional language by the followers, out of anxiety in the face of its newness, and by the awakened one himself or herself, out of skillful compassion which recognizes the usefulness of continuity [although most enlightened beings also stress, sharply or gently, their discontinuity with the
surrounding traditions.]
By suggesting parallels between the 'new language' of Ramana
and Buddhist non dualism, we
are not proposing a more appropriate 'transformation' of Ramana's experience, although, in His case, Buddhist language is certainly no less appropriate
than that of Hindu Advaita. We are simply suggesting that Ramana Maharshi be allowed to play freely within Mahayana tradition as a living Buddha. Perhaps this will help dissolve to some extent the conservative, separative, even paranoid attitude with which Hindus and Buddhists regard each other's traditions.
contd.,
Ramana Maharshi and Buddhist
Non dualism:
continues...
Most Westerners were fortunate
enough not to have been
conditioned from childhood as Hindu
or Buddhist. Therefore, as they
begin their training, they can more
easily be free from this artificial
rivalry. Unless of course, in their uncritical enthusiasm for one or the other, they submit themselves to some intense version of the cultural conditioning which created the rivalry in the first place. This is not to suggest a simple equivalence or interchangeability between the many spiritual languages of Hinduism and Buddhism. As it emerges fresh from the source called Pure Awareness, each authentic spiritual language is saying something unique. And yet each such language appears to be regarded by the enlightened consciousness as playful, provisional, awkward and ultimately, dispensable. Ramana says:
Silence is the true upadesa. It is the perfect upadesa. It is suited only for the most advanced seeker. The others are unable to draw full inspiration from it. Therefore, they require words to explain the Truth. But Truth is beyond words. It does not admit of explanation. [Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, 4th ed. 1968, p. 528].
Nagarjuna, founder of the Madhyamika school of Mahayana, addresses himself thus to the Buddha: "Though, Lord, you have not uttered a single word, all the seekers have been satisfied by the teaching of the doctrine." [The Central Philosophy of Buddhism, T.R.V. Murti, George Allen and Unwin, 1960.].
Perhaps we can compare briefly and impressionistically the approaches of the four major forms of Indian non dualism, Madhyamika, Yogachara, Advaita Vedanta and Vajrayana or Tantra -- with the approach developed spontaneously by Sri Ramana.
contd.,
Wei Wu amd Wei and Sri Bhagavan:
Wei Wu Wei:
Every sentient being, being
sentient, perceives;
therefore
Every sentient being may
apperceive.
And so doing is ware of what it is.
****
Sri Bhagavan:
Whatever Sri Bhagavan said was
almost exactly true,
And if He had said, or did say,
exactly the opposite,
That would have been true also.
Why is this so? It is so because
what appears to be true relatively
can never be true Absolutely, and
what is true Absolutely appears
relatively to be false because
relatively, it cannot be
apprehended.
Wei Wu Wei:
What Question?
WHO AM I?
Who is asking?
I am
Is not also the perfect ANSWER.
[Aradhana, 1995, Mountain Path.]
*****
Sri Bhagavan's Days On the Hill:
[A. Devaraja Mudaliar.]
Sri Bhagavan spoke about the way
in which in the old days, He used
to climb the summit at anytime
He felt like it, and that by any
route or even no route. He said
only the grass cutters knew some of the routes He used. "Sometimes people would come from Madras and other parts and, setting out to
reach the summit of the Hill, would
stray near Skandasramam. Finding
me seated there, they would ask me for the route to the Hill top. When I told them the route was to their right and turned northward, some would say, 'Do you know who we are and where from we come? We
are from Madras. None of your tricks with us. The top is here straight above us and you want to lead us astray.' I used to keep quiet. They would try to climb in a straight line, and after a long time, they would return tired out, finding that all their efforts to reach the peak were in vain. Nearing me, they would bow their heads in shame and go away, avoiding me."
*****
Friends,
An excerpt from Swami Vivekananda's 'Inspired Talks':
MONDAY, August 5, 1895.
The question is: Is it necessary to pass through all the lower stages to reach the highest, or can a plunge be taken at once? The modern American boy takes twenty-five years to attain that which his forefathers took hundreds of years to do. The present-day Hindu gets in twenty years to the height reached in eight thousand years by his ancestors. On the physical side, the embryo goes from the amoeba to man in the womb. These are the teachings of modern science. Vedanta goes further and tells us that we not only have to live the life of all past humanity, but also the future life of all humanity. The man who does the first is the educated man, the second is the Jivanmukta, for ever free (even while living).
Time is merely the measure of our thoughts, and thought being inconceivably swift, there is no limit to the speed with which we can live the life ahead. So it cannot be stated how long it would take to live all future life. It might be in a second, or it might take fifty lifetimes. It depends on the intensity of the desire. The teaching must therefore be modified according to the needs of the taught. The consuming fire is ready for all, even water and chunks of ice quickly consume. Fire a mass of bird-shot, one at least will strike; give a man a whole museum of truths, he will at once take what is suited to him. Past lives have moulded our tendencies; give to the taught in accordance with his tendency. Intellectual, mystical, devotional, practical — make one the basis, but teach the others with it. Intellect must be balanced with love, the mystical nature with reason, while practice must form part of every method. Take every one where he stands and push him forward. Religious teaching must always be constructive, not destructive.
Each tendency shows the life-work of the past, the line or radius along which that man must move. All radii lead to the centre. Never even attempt to disturb anyone's tendencies; to do that puts back both teacher and taught. When you teach Jnana, you must become a Jnani and stand mentally exactly where the taught stands. Similarly in every other Yoga. Develop every faculty as if it were the only one possessed, this is the true secret of so-called harmonious development. That is, get extensity with intensity, but not at its expense. We are infinite. There is no limitation in us, we can be as intense as the most devoted Mohammedan and as broad as the most roaring atheist.
The way to do this is not to put the mind on any one subject, but to develop and control the mind itself; then you can turn it on any side you choose. Thus you keep the intensity and extensity. Feel Jnana as if it were all there was, then do the same with Bhakti, with Raja (-Yoga), with Karma. Give up the waves and go to the ocean, then you can have the waves as you please. Control the "lake" of your own mind, else you cannot understand the lake of another's mind."
Continued....
Friends,
Inspired Talks' continued....
"The true teacher is one who can throw his whole force into the tendency of the taught. Without real sympathy we can never teach well. Give up the notion that man is a responsible being, only the perfect man is responsible. The ignorant have drunk deep of the cup of delusion and are not sane. You, who know, must have infinite patience with these. Have nothing but love for them and find out the disease that has made them see the world in a wrong light, then help them to cure it and see aright. Remember always that only the free have free will; all the rest are in bondage and are not responsible for what they do. Will as will is bound. The water when melting on the top of the Himalayas is free, but becoming the river, it is bound by the banks; yet the original impetus carries it to the sea, and it regains its freedom. The first is the "fall of man", the second is the "resurrection". Not one atom can rest until it finds its freedom."
-----------------------------------
Swamiji has wonderfully higlighted the nature of a 'True Teacher'.
Namaskar.
Sri Ramana Stuti Panchakam:
V.
Sri Ramana Sadguru:
Refrain:
Ramana Sadguru, Ramana Sadguru,
Ramana Sadguru, my Lord!
Ramana Sadguru, Ramana Sadguru,
Ramana Sadguru, my Lord!
1. Gracious Lord who was born
at the sacred place the glorious
gods of heaven are delighted to
praise, famous Tiruchuzhi.
[Refrain]
2. The sea of nectar, the dweller
in Arunachala was born of the love of Azhagu and Sundara. Out of love,
the formless One took human form.
[Refrain]
3. Untainted knowledge flowed as
the sea of love to the fine Virupaksha Cave on Aruna Hill and took form as this Pure Being.
[Refrain]
4. He threw down and stood his feet on illusion, the challenger; he did away with the deceitful
senses and the mass of past karma.
[Refrain]
5. He who has taken up and embraced by Lord Arunachala, my Lord and Master -- he is Grace which took form and stood as the wish fulfilling tree.
[Refrain]
6. He clean forgot the three bodies and lived through the
three pure states, without delighting in the transitory worldly life.
[Refrain]
7. Seeing the soul of the body to be the Over Soul of the Universe remaining still and growing ripe, his Heart became one with the Self. He revels in Its Bliss.
[Refrain]
8. He who had as his guru, the golden hued Siva of great fame with his beautiful matted hair -- he became one with Him.
[Refrain]
9. He pervades the five elements. He is not limited by the five sheaths. He removes the troubles of his devotees, and grants them Jnana.
[Refrain]
10. The three gunas do not bar his way. He is the primal God free from taint. Men of merit seek, serve and fall at his feet.
[Refrain]
11. He is the perfect Awareness fully aware of the primal cause and its effects. He is the destroyer and scatterer of Illusion, the challenger.
[Refrain]
12. His feet have the glory
of being praised by all the gods
who stand round him in humble devotion. As the Way, the Door
and the King of Pure Knowledge stands he.
[Refrain]
13. The Lord of the Veda, the Jewel of the Veda, he is the Veda incarnate. He swiftly seared to the state of Pure Love and Supreme Bliss.
[Refrain]
14. He is the Turiya state, the pure expanse, the stage for the world-play. The Witness pervading the seven worlds and the whole universe, himself remaining unstained, transcendental is he.
[Refrain]
continues....
Sri Ramana Stuti Panchakam:
V. Ramana Sadguru: continues..
15. He is the juice of the
sweet fruit ripened in the
tree of Awareness. At one with
That, he remains all by himself
as Being-Knowledge-Bliss.
[Refrain]
16. He is the dear Lord, dweller
in the cavity of my heart in unison with me like salt in water. He is like father and mother. He is the wonderful Reality Itself.
[Refrain]
17. Free from the limitations of the waking, dream and deep sleep states, he stands as the state of fullness beyond the reach of speech, as the very meaning of the Maha Vakya, 'That Thou art'.
[Refrain]
18. The ever existent Reality
is this Brahmin beyond caste and creed, beginningless, untainted Lord of knowledge, the Light revealed in Pure Love.
[Refrain]
19. He is the ocean of goodness beyond all characteristics, the righteous one in the eyes of wise men. He is the syrup of sweetness rare. His form is Pure Existence, uniting the individual self and the Supreme Self.
[Refrain]
20. For devotees bowing in devotion, He grants the knowledge that reveals [leads to ] the shore of liberation, the raiser of the flag of victory announcing it, is he.
[Refrain]
21. Make me your own by over powering the spectre of my mind struggling in the open jaws of the cunning senses with their evil propensities.
[Refrain]
22. With the sword of pure knowledge strike down the cruel demon of ignorance now ruling
as ego in the body, O! Self effulgent Gem!
[Refrain]
23. Sri Rama, the delight of Solar Race, illustrious Brahma on the lotus, Siva with His deer and spear, Kumaradeva of great tapas -- all these are he [Remana]!
[Refrain]
24. Hail, Blessed Being within the sanctuary of my Heart! Hail, your face! Hail, your heart! Hail, your feet! Hail, the one with the sacred body!
[Refrain]
25. Pray, place your feet on the head of Venkata Ramana, who stands praying fervently before you, praising you with your Name tasting nectar-sweet on his tongue.
[Refrain]
Ramana Sadguru, Ramana Sadguru,
Ramana Sadguru, my Lord!
Ramana Sadguru, Ramana Sadguru,
Ramana Sadguru, my Lord!
concluded.
[Tr. Munagala Venkataramiah]
****
Ramana Maharshi and Buddhist
Non-dualism:
by Lex Hixon:
continues...
Madhyamika was founded by
Nagarjuna in the second or third
century of the Christian era as
a systematic exposition of the
spiritual insight found in the
Prajnaparamita Sutras. These sutras are represented as having been uttered by the Buddha or by high Bodhisattvas in the presence of the Buddha. Buddha piety has identified this 'Buddha' with Gautama Buddha, one of the beings on the planet who 'awakened' entirely and whose 'new language' became the spark of the multi-dimensional enlightenment-fire
we call Buddhism. But the fact is that these early Mahayana Sutras were not the language of Gautama, but another 'new language' spoken by enlightened men and women of a later era who also lived from pure awareness. Thus the source of these sutras could indeed be called Buddha, as long as we are clear that no particular person and no particular cultural-religious tradition is being designated by this term.
Nagarjuna's philosophical system [and the word 'system' is appropriate to describe the logical tightness to which it aspired] was a technique of avoidance, not a metaphysical picture of truth. The practitioner of Madhyamika avoids all assertions or, in the larger sense, avoids the structuring, anxiously grasping, single-perspective perceptions and thoughts which eventually produce assertions. "Thinking", in the form of insight into the inherent inadequacy of any assertion is, however, not to be avoided, for it is the very life of the technique of avoidance or prasanga. One does not 'assert' the inadequacy of all assertions or the transcendent reality of insight, for obviously this would re-introduce what is to be avoided.
One simply avoids assertions, 'voids' them, sees them as void of essence. This dialectical process of voiding assertions or thought-forms is not itself an assertion or thought-form any more than a mirror which reflects various landscapes is itself a landscape that one can walk into and inhabit. The practitioner of Madhyamika submits to his dialectic the most cherished assertions of early Buddhism, such as the distinction between nirvana and samsara, which are the basic concepts of freedom and bondage.
contd.,
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