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Sri Ramana Maharshi
Welcome
I propose to use this blog primarily to air my occasional musings on any matters relating to the life and teachings of Ramana Maharshi. There will also be occasional contributions about Arunachala, the sacred mountain where Sri Ramana spent all of his adult life.
Articles and interviews on these topics can also be found on my site: www.davidgodman.org.
Articles and interviews on these topics can also be found on my site: www.davidgodman.org.
2,142 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 401 – 600 of 2142 Newer› Newest»The Practice of the Presence of God:
Brother Lawrence:
V
I have received from Mrs.-- the things which you gave her for me. I wonder that you have not given me your thoughts of the little book I sent to you and which you must have received. Pray set heartily about the practice of it in your old age; it is better late than never.
I cannot imagine how religious persons can live satisfied without
the practice of the presence of God. For my part, I keep myself retired with Him in the fund or center of my soul as much as I can; and while I am so with Him I fear nothing, but the least turning from Him is insupportable.
This exercise does not much fatigue the body; it is, however, proper to deprive it sometimes, nay, often of many little pleasures which are innocent and lawful, for God will not permit that a soul which desires to be devoted entirely to Him should take other pleasures than with Him; that is more than reasonable.
I do not say therefore, we must put any violent constraint upon ourselves. No, we must serve God in a holy freedom; we must do our business faithfully, without trouble or disquiet, recalling our mind to God mildly, and with tranquility, as often as we find it wandering from Him.
It is, however, necessary to put our whole trust in God, laying aside all other cares, and even some particular forms of devotion, though very good in themselves, yet such as one often engages in unreasonably, because these devotions are only means to attain to the end. So when by this exercise of the presence of God, we are with Him who is our end, it is then useless to return to the means; but we may continue with Him our commerce of love, persevering in His holy presence, one while by an act of of praise, of adoration, or of desire; one while by an act of resignation or thanksgiving; and in all the way our spirit can invent.
Be not discouraged by the repugnance which you may find in it from nature; you must do yourself violence. At the first one often thinks it lost time, but you must go on, and resolve to persevere in it to death, notwithstanding all the difficulties that may occur. I recommend myself to the prayers of your holy society, and yours in particular. I am, in our Lord.
Yours etc.,
V CONCLUDED.
continued......
The Practice of the Presence of God:
continues....
VI
If we were all accustomed to the exercise of the presence of God, all bodily diseases would be much alleviated thereby. God often permits that we should suffer a little to purify our souls and oblige us to continue with Him.
Take courage; offer Him your pains incessantly; pray to Him for strength to endure them. Above all, get a habit of entertaining yourself often with God, and forget Him the least you can. Adore Him in your infirmities, often yourself to Him from time to time, and in the height of your sufferings beseech Him humbly and affectionately (as a child to his father) to make you conformable to His holy will. I shall endeavor to assist you with my poor prayers.
God has many ways of drawing us to Himself. He sometimes hides Himself from us; but FAITH alone, which will not fail us in time of need, ought to be our support, and the foundation of our confidence which must be all in God.
I know not how God will dispose of me. I am always happy. All the world suffers; and I, who deserve the severest discipline, feel joys so continual and so great that I can scarce contain them.
I would willingly ask of God a part of your sufferings, but that I know my weakness, which is so great that if He left me one moment to myself I should be the most wretched man alive. And yet I know not how He can leave me alone, because faith gives me as strong a conviction as sense can do that He never forsakes us until we have first forsaken Him. Let us fear to leave Him. Let us live and die in His presence. Do you pray for me as I for you, I am,
Yours etc.,
VI CONCLUDED.
the article is concluded.
Zee/Sri Ravi,
Perhaps, what i am meaning may be infering towards disinterestedness and may not really be loneliness (boredom), so therefore, it could not be boredom as I have expressed.
What is a way to discern, what is what? I contemlate and it occurs -
Without discrimination, it is boredom or loneliness, and with discrimination, the same ends up being as disinterestedness. The difference occurs when we begin to 'look'
Is not the same energy moving in different forms? Either we take it upwards or downwards. The fine ingredient is discrimination, that enables a fine line between the path towards light and darkness.
thanks for the links. shall look up them.
Nagaraj
The Photograph:
Editorial, Mountain Path, July-Sept. 2011:
It is said that a picture can paint a story that would take a thousand words. The photographs of Sri Bhagavan and in particular, the famous so called 'Welling Bust' as seen on this issue's frontispiece, tells a story that never ends in the eyes of Sri Ramana devotees. Words are insufficient to describe the electric impact on those who gaze into the eyes of that photograph. The stories of seekers from all corners of the globe who serendipitously stumble across this photo are too numerous to dismiss as accidental. All their stories strike the common not of absolute certainty. This, this, is what they were seeking. It is as if an invisible regulator clicked in their minds, and life was never quite the same again.
Sometimes it may take years before the next step, but always in the depths of memory a tiny beacon flickers, waiting for the propitious moment to come alive and propel us to take another step closer to that photograph's invitation. It is not really the photograph that has magical qualities, but it is the key that unlocks the enchantment in us. We cannot describe this attraction; it eludes our flimsy attempts to explain how and why it came into our lives but we indubitably know it is true, as true as anything we may have seen in the world.
A photograph has the ability to radically alter our lives by touching our deepest emotions and bringing to the fore strong sensations which we tune into in response to the image before us.
On a collective public level, there is another photograph which has influenced countless people and that is the large one of Sri Bhagavan erected on His couch in the Old Hall. At first appearance, it is just a photograph placed there out of respect and yet those who visit the room regularly see both in themselves and in others a gradual realization that there is more here than the eye can see. We begin to speak to the photograph in our mind, we prostrate to it, we worship it and yet, although we know it is not actually Sri Bhagavan, instinctively we also know it is more than just a photograph, it is a portal.
continued......
The Photograph:
continues......
Sri Bhagavan's face, viewed in the right light, is a door, a compelling opportunity to merge with a higher consciousness and we aspire and pray for the stability that it can bring to our normal chaotic thoughts. Sri Bhagavan's image makes up stop, it sills the mind if but for a moment. In that silence, frozen between this solid world and another, diaphanous, we are pulled both towards the photograph and paradoxically, inward. We know something is happening but we don't quite know what it is. The subtle winds of transformation rivet our attention and we are quiet. We feel we are on the edge of something significant and sacred.
"Bhagavan: The Guru's Grace is always there. You imagine it to be something somewhere high up in the sky that has to descend, but really it is inside you, in your heart, and the moment you effect the subsidence or merging of the mind into its Source, by whatever method, the Grace rushes forth, sprouting as from spring within you." (Day By Day entry dt. 19-10.1945)
We are faced with a dilemma if we want to explain what happened. How can an object affect us so profoundly? It is not the image on photographic paper; it is not the shape of the face in itself. It is
not our expectation of who Sri Bhagavan is. It is the recognition of Sri Bhagavan's unwavering compassion. The function of the guru is to pull us into the Heart and this is what happens, when we gaze with devotion at this form. It is when the 'I' of our Heart speaks to that external 'I' that recognition ignites. (Maharshi's Gospel II. Ch. 6)
The first momentous step is to cross that threshold. No one can merge with Sri Bhagavan until they let go of the false image they have of themselves. It is in this recognition that Sri Bhagavan speaks to our own true self that we realize why we are so deeply affected by the image. It is a tremendous reminder of our natural state of abidance in the Self.
continued......
The Photograph:
continues.....
Sri Bhagavan left us with four principal legacies: a road map to Arunachala both physical and subtle; His Samadhi with its mysterious powers of grace. His few words written and the records of His answers to devotees' questions; and His images in the many photographs that are now available. Each of us is unique and for each the path to that transcendental silence He inhibits is also unique. Each of us has our own private view and understanding of Sri Bhagavan and we choose that path which is best suited to our temperament. The paths may seem contradictory in the light of common reason until one sees the broader vision where all the apparent ambiguities are resolved in the luminosity of His sparkling eyes. Nothing matters then, neither the sharks of doubt, nor the sense of being an orphan alone against an unfeeling world.
Once a learned Pundit came to see Sri Bhagavan and proceeded to speak. He talked at every opportunity for several days and gave the patient Sri Bhagavan and the increasingly irritated audience in the Old Hall the benefit of his erudition. Eventually, he stopped. It is not recorded what he felt when he realized that there was a limit to his knowledge. One would like to think he was abashed. We are all that Pundit. We come with our strange mix of hard-won knowledge and delusions of self importance but in the end, we too are reduced to silence. Sri Bhagavan's presence does it all, not deliberately but as the result of the unselfconscious glow of direct perception which illuminates the ignorant corners of our minds. We think Sri Bhagavan is a body and mind with individual thoughts but this is not so. Sri Bhagavan, for want of better words, is a force of nature. We have but a dim grasp of the pure consciousness we call Sri Ramana. We cannot understand Sri Ramana with our minds but we can dissolve the conflicting thoughts and emotions which act as barriers to absorption in that state.
continued.....
The Photograph:
continues....
One way to do this is through the image of Sri Bhagavan. This is much easier for those who hearts rule their actions. Even for those of us whose discrimination is finely developed there does come a point when one realizes that the intellect will never be enough to understand the deeper mysteries. We recognize that Grace is absolutely necessary. We turn our gaze outward to that, which is readily accessible, the image of our beloved guru. We take comfort in knowing that a higher power in the form of Guru Ramana watches over us.
The photograph is not Sri Bhagavan but it is an all-at-once invitation to dive deep within. It is just you and Sri Bhagavan. What we think is what we become is just as applicable as the axiom, what we eat is what we are. The image of Sri Bhagavan grounds us and the more we reinforce that relationship, the more His guiding hand is felt. There are no others until eventually in the intensity of the meeting, there is Sri Bhagavan alone. (According to a hadith qudsi, one of the Prophet's sayings in which God spoke through him, 'I am as My servant thinks I am, and I am with him when he remembers me.' (an alternative translation of this immensely significant saying would be: I am with the opinion of My servant, has of Me'. Islam and the Destiny of Man by Charles Le Gai Eaton, New York.))
All sense of difference fades in the brightness of 'his' vision. Our sense of 'I' is dissolved into Sri Bhagavan and if guru's words of instruction are faithfully followed we realize our 'I' is one and the same as Sri Bhagavan's. There is no me and no you. There is just pure Consciousness, pure I-ness. This is the stage of unification with the guru. At this point, notions such as you, and I, which imply separation and differentiation, lose their meaning. There is a 'One'. This is the highest state of savikalpa samadhi for one sees the guru as one's own self.
Continued......
There is no such thing as truth. The only thing that is actually there is your 'logically' ascertained premise, which you call truth.
-UG
‘Who is the seer?’ When I sought within, I watched
the disappearance of the seer and what survived him. No
thought of ‘I saw’ arose; how then could the thought ‘I did
not see’ arise? Who has the power to convey this in word
when even Thou (appearing as Dakshinamurti) couldst do so
in ancient days by silence only? Only to convey by silence
Thy (transcendent) state Thou standest as a hill, shining from
heaven to earth.
-Bhagawan
The Photograph:
continues......
It is said in Sufi lore that man cannot say 'I' for he is not whole. Only God can say 'I'. Though we may say, 'I am this', and 'I am that', this is the second hand knowledge. Our human faculties are but dull reflections of pure consciousness. Whenever, we refer to anything other for our sense of 'I' prove our existence, we immediately distance ourselves from the Source. The I-ness cannot be compared as it is unique. It implies 'the identity of Jiva and Brahman, that is, the oneness of adjunct free consciousness and God. The same advaitic truth is also indicated by the Vedic mahavakya - 'prajnanam Brahma'. (Self Consciousness alone is Reality.)
It is not two and that is why on this physical plane it would be misleading to compare and vie with the deeds of others. In doing so we neglect what we are meant to do, our Swadharma.
It is said of the early Persian Sufi Abu Azad Bistami that after his death, he appeared to a friend in a dream and told him how God had received him. The Lord asked him: What do you bring me? Abu Yazad enumerated his good works, but when none of them were acceptable, he said at last, 'I bring Thee Thyself.' Only then did God accept him.
When we see an image of Sri Bhagavan we should remember that Sri Bhagavan does not see our limitations. Sri Bhagavan sees Himself in us. If we keep this in mind there is nowhere to go and nothing to do when we dive into that divine light. Let us give ourselves to Sri Bhagavan.
concluded.
Today is Wednesday. In the evening parayana, they will be singing appala pattu, ekanma panchakam, atma vidya kirtanam and Devi Kalottaram.
Devi Kalottaram verse 33 says:
Due to sleep and due to thoughts the mind always loses its sharpness, its foolishness increases, and it goes to ruin. Awakening this mind with effort, and without allowing it to wander, establish it in the state of Self. Persevere in this effort by fixing the mind again and again in its natural state.
As we all know that Sri Bhagavan advised less sleep and no thoughts.
Sleep is not entirely condemned. But it should be restricted to minimum hours. So also with the thoughts.
******
Dear David,
I was pleased to see your article on Kumara Deva in the current issue of Mountain Path.
Subramanian. R
Zee,
"There is no such thing as truth. The only thing that is actually there is your 'logically' ascertained premise"
Understanding terminology is useful as long as we know what it is.
'Logically' ascertained premise is called 'Real' and this in no way is connected to 'Truth'.
Truth(sat) is something that cannot be dispensed with,as it is not a concept.In tamizh,it is called 'Substance'(poruL)and to distinguish it,it is called ''mai poruL'(Truth Substance).
The Verse from Sri Bhagavan simply means this indisputable TRUTH that simply defies all ascertainings,as it does not admit a 'yes' or 'No'.
Namaskar.
The Quest:
Lucia Osborne:
(Normally this is the only article which has already come in 12 parts, is posted by me, from the current issue of Mountain Path, for the sake of continuity.)
Chapter 13:
(Mountain Path, Oct.-Dec. 2012)
Miracles and Sadhana:
Arunachala, the heart of the universe, is also a magic mountain. 'Just as we identify ourselves with the body, so does Siva identify Himself with Arunachala,' Sri Bhagavan explained. In 1981, a visitor to the Asramam, Pamela Lightbody, had an unforgettable experience on the Hill. It revealed Itself to her as a flaming white Light without beginning or end just as in the legend, according to Arunachala Mahatmya Siva revealed Himself to Brahma and Vishnu to end their dispute. The one who could find the beginning or end of the Light would be the victor. This proved impossible. Mortal eyes could not stand the radiance of the Light so Siva was implored to take form which mortal eyes could behold and thus He took the form of Arunachala.
Devaraja Mudaliar, a staunch devotee, a lawyer by profession and author of Day by Day with Bhagavan and My Recollections of Bhagavan Sri Ramana, sometimes talked in the Hall about miracles. He was, on his own admission 'rather partial to miracles'. Sri Bhagavan told him the details of two miracles of which he had knowledge and added that miracles occur even now. During the early years of his stay on the Hill, a lady alighted from the train at Tiruvannamalai railway station at night, got into a jutka (horse cart) and told the driver to take her to a certain street in the town. The driver took her to an out-of-the-way place and was about to rob her of her jewels. In her anxiety, she called Arunachala. Suddenly two police constables appeared on the scene, heard her complaint, escorted safely in the cart to her house and went away. The lady noted down the numbers of the two police constables and subsequently made inquiries about them intending to thank or reward them, but no such police constables could be traced at the police station and one of the police at Tiruvannamalai knew anything of the night's occurrence.
continued.......
The Quest:
(Miracles and Sadhana):
Lucia Osborne:
continues.....
Sri Bhagavan told another similar story on that occasion. There was an elderly cripple, a relative of T.K. Sundaresa Iyer (TKS) who was very devout and used to make the circuit of Arunachala in spite of his disability. After many years' stay at Tiruvannamalai, he once got so vexed at the treatment he received from his relatives with whom he was staying and on whom he depended, that he decided in disgust to leave Tiruvannamalai. Before he left the outskirts of the town, a young brahmin appeared before him and, with apparent rudeness, snatched away his crutches, saying, 'You do not deserve these.' Miraculously he found he could walk normally! To walk round Arunachala on crutches would have hastened his release but not if in a resentful mood. Devaraja Mudaliar maintained that it was Sri Bhagavan who performed the miracles.
When told so, Sri Bhagavan took no notice of it.
All troubles and perils come from 'otherness', animate or inanimate, be it wild animals or robbers or from missing trains or losing things and so on. What relief to wake up from such a night's dream into the 'waking state', The dream person and the waking person were not different people. They were one. The waking state is also a dream, a longer more consecutive one. We dream ourselves in a belt of illusory time with birth, old age, and death and innumerable shifts and changed of life that king in Yoga Vasishta story who dreamt a lifetime misery of several minutes of illusory time, the duration of a thought, away from his kingly state.
continued.......
The Quest:
Lucia Osborne:
Miracles and Sadhana:
continues....
Sadhana is waking up from the dream of life into Oneness of Being. We are God's dream. God is 'I AM' in absolute perfection and purity. 'Jehova' means 'I All'. 'I AM that I AM' is the reply to Moses. 'Be still and know that I AM God' or rather that God is 'I AM'. We identify ourselves with the body. It is also 'I am' but tied to some state or other, vulnerable, conditioned, insecure. And this vulnerable , insecure, and conditioned. And this vulnerable, insecure, conditioned 'I am' reaches out to the perfect, all embracing all powerful 'I AM' in a state which an ancient describes as more of happiness than happiness itself, a state of such well-being that finite words are too poor to describe it. A state where there is no birth, old age or death. So the finite 'I am', the embodied human being reaches out to Infinity, the 'I AM' in absolute perfection which is its own Self. What could be more gracious than your own perfect Self is its own perfect Self to your own limited self? That is why Sri Bhagavan wrote in the Five Hymns to Sri Arunachala, 'Kinder Thou art than one's own mother.' That's why saints welcome whatever comes as Grace good or bad coming from your own Self that is trying you, that is preparing you to receive Grace.' In Hinduism it would be to clean your sheet of karma so that ever present Grace can well up.
Master Dogen, the Japanese Soto Zen Master, counsels: 'In the midst of desire and grasping which we cannot do away with however much we try, in the midst of our deluded thoughts and ideas we are to try to discover the world of release.
"The life of desire and grasping is that all the time though I think I will not get angry, anger rises. I think I will not say stupid things, yet they come out.
"By the power of spiritual discipline the true emptiness can be experienced and true emptiness is liberation from all finitude....
"What is this anger which arises, what is this complication, what is this greed? In this way we directly confront the wrong thoughts and ideas. Spiritual discipline enables us to have actual experience of the world of emptiness which is liberation."
continued......
The Quest:
Miracles and Sadhana:
continues......
When meditation becomes uneven, restless, that is the time to persevere to break through. It may steady itself or not, but as Sri Bhagavan assures us and is proved by actual experience, sincere effort unfailingly brings results sooner or later. Calmness develops naturally out of a state of inner composure brought about by perseverance without trying to force results. Nor must one try to induce calmness by means of artificial rigidity. When we feel we can do no more we pray or surrender. In prayer we turn to the inexhaustible motive power, the Source of all power which is our own innermost Self in absolute purity.
What could be more gracious, we repeat, than our own infinite all powerful supremely blissful Self, I-I, to our finite distressed, vulnerable self, I, (ego). "Our prayers are granted. No thought will every go in vain. Every thought will produce its effect some time or ever go in vain," Sri Bhagavan assures us. However the effect will be produced at the right time. Adversity may be necessary for some to open their inner vision to the Reality of God, their own Self. 'Sweet are the uses of adversity', says Shakespeare.
Ibn Ata-Illah: "May the pain of trial be lightened for you by your knowledge that it is He, be He exalted, that is trying you. There is no doubt that for men of God their best moment is the moment of distress, for this it is that fosters their growth. By this suffering their hearts are purified and transformed into pure substance."
Koran: "The best of your moments is that in which you are thrown back on your own helplessness; it may be that in distress you will find benefits that you have been unable to find anywhere else. The uncertainty of life has a substratum of Certainty which we feel vaguely or to a greater extent and reach out to it.
continued......
The Quest:
Lucia Osborne:
Miracles and Sadhana:
"Just as in the plant, the urge towards the sun and air compels the germ to break through the darkness of the earth so the germ of enlightenment concealed in the innermost heart of all men high or low ultimately breaks through the obscuration caused by the illusion of an objective world with all its entanglements.
"There is one light of the sun though it is interrupted by walls, mountains and innumerable impediments. There is one universal substance thought it is broken up into myriad bodies and with its peculiar qualities. There is one soul through the nature and the limits of the individuals among which it is distributed are legion. And there is one intellective sould though it seems divided.," Marcus Aurelius.
"Birth here is the seat of all pain arising from the body....." is how the Bhagavad Gita puts it in a nutshell, "and also from the mind and is of an ever changing nature."
In a world subject to so much distress from most painful diseases which are legion, from violence, from innumerable ills afflicting the human body and heart amidst a little unsteady happiness; a world
subject to continuous change, we begin to seek for something of eternal value, a state transcending conditioning, which is permanent, free, above sorrow.
The 'original sin' is a mistaken identification of the Self with the body, senses, and mind. The whole process of Sadhana is the undoing of this original error. Kabir calls this world a thorny garden and the 'city of thieves'. One who enters it gets entangled.
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad joyfully sings, 'As a falcon or an eagle flying to and fro in the open sky and growing weary folds its wings and sinks to rest, so the Spirit of man hastens to that world where finding rest he desires no desire and dreams no dreams. And whatever he has dreamt, be it that he was slain or oppressed or fallen into an abyss or whatever fear he beheld in the waking world, he knows not that it was from ignorance. Like a god, like a king, he knows he is the All. This is the highest joy. He has passed beyond all evil."
concluded.
I Came For Your Sake:
Ana Callan Ram:
(Jan. - Mar. 2012, Mountain Path;)
Collarbone broken as he tried
to save a squirrel from a dog,
body frail and waning as he
trailed uphill behind two men
to Skandasramam. He came
to admire the stonemason's
quiet work, saying,
when he arrived,
'Your prayers dragged
me here." And as I
read of such humble
tender love, the tears
could not be quenched
for He who was God
of Gods and oh such
lover of men!
******
The Holy Self
Ana Callan Ram:
(April-June 2012, Mountain Path:)
Pain doesn't touch Him
though He winces when
the doctor strains to remove
his tumor. The body has pain,
He says, but I am not that.
I am free of all suffering
do what you like unto Me.
Soon I will be meeting
my father and bone-skin-
blood-history, leaving
only my True Essence.
******
Beside the River Ganga:
Nandhini.
(Oct. - Dec. 2011, Mountain Path:)
As my mala is being washed off all
dirt
In the sacred waters of Mother
Ganga
May I also become purified --
A shining jewel to illuminate
all worlds.
Sitting by You, Mother
I regard you as the external flow
of my interior.
Water regards water - Elemental
O Shiva!
You who radiate from my crown in
all ten directions
Purifying, cleansing, clarifying,
Emptying, quickening my Heart --
The seat of my mind loving all
beings.
What would I be without Your
constant care?
I am nothing but what You make me
A servant of others --
O Gurudeva - You are my Lord Shiva
In head and heart I bow
May my first thought be a loving
one
And make me a pure vessel
Through which the Divine Mother
may enter.
*****
Today in Thursday. The evening parayana in the Asramam will cover Anma Sakshatkarnam - Jnana Vichara Patalam, from Agama, and Bhagavad Gita Saram.
The first one like Devi Kalottaram contains revolutionary ideas for the seekers who only to Atma Vichara, The following are the Verses 58 to 60 from that composition.
Japa of the name, worship, bathing
in holy waters, ritual
sacrifices,
Nor any other practices are
relevant here.
The fruits of dharma and adharma,
Water oblations to the forefathers,
None of these are necessary for
him,
No injunctions to observe, no
fasts,
Nothing is required by way of
engagement with, or
turning away from, activity
No vows of celibacy for him, know
this.
(To the one bodiless, while yet
alive) The ending of the bodily
existence
Through falling into fire, or water
bodies, or off a cliff
Is irrelevant.
Enjoy the feast of Knowledge of
Siva, eternal and pure,
Rid of the rules applying to all
creation, move about
as you please.
(Tr. H. Ramamurthy)
Sri Bhagavan used to tell the story of Kaduveli Siddhar, who was like
this.
********
Ra. Ganapati:
Writer, Scholar, Sadhak and Mystic:
Christopher Quilkey:
(Mountain Path, July - Sept. 2012)
Sri Ramachandran Ganapati or as he was better known, Ra. Ganapati, was a remarkable writer, on spiritual subjects in Tamizh and English. He was absorbed in Arunachala at 7.30 pm. at his residence in Chennai on the auspicious Mahasivaratri evening, February the 20th of 2012. He was well aware that the end was near and indicated as much as in his last few days to those close to him. Even though his food intake has become mainly liquid in his last years, in the last few days, it was barely a few spoonfuls, and even then he would not always take them. Mentally sharp as ever, he wrote a few notes and long letters. It was reported that the last day, he wrote a note in Tamizh, saying,
"The Goddess of Salvation is waiting to welcome me with a carpet of jewels." His family has stated that he was fully conscious and aware at the moment of his passing. He had begun chanting (japam) as the end came that night of Sivaratri, at around ten minutes past seven.
"It is said he sat and fixed his gaze on the calendar picture of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. And leaving the body, he became One with that Light!
"The next day, adorned by a garland, his body was taken on its final journey to the cremation ground. That garland was a special one. It was one that had adorned the Ramaneswara Mahalingam on the night of Sivaratri! A devotee had brought it from Tiruvannamalai. The 'Pen of God' was united with the Akshara-mana-malai (Marital Garland of Letters) of Bhagavan Sri Ramana!" (G. Kameshwar, 'Ra. Ganapati: The 'Pen of God' in The Ramana Way, April 2012).
continued......
Ra. Ganapati:
Christopher Quilkey:
continues.....
His Career and Relationship to the Paramacharya:
Over a long career first as a journalist and then as an independent writer he composed around thirty five books and other articles on the Sanatana Dharma with particular emphasis on the great saints and sages notably Adi Sankara. His Holiness Chandrasekhara Saraswati, the Paramacharya of Kanchipuram, Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa - Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Satya Sai Baba, Bhakta Meerabai to name but a few.
He was born on the first September 1935, which was Vinayaka Chaturthi, the day on which Lord Ganapati is celebrated each year. His father, Sri C.V. Ramachandran was originally from Chidambaram, and his mother Jayalakshmi was from nearby Cuddalore. He was a sensitive child and suffered from an ulcer and asthma. Sometime during his final school years he came under the influence of Vada Pazhani Murugan. After his graduation, he became a journalist and worked for the evening paper from Madras, The Mail.
He acquired the necessary skills as a reporter. After sometime, an odd
incident occurred when due to an ashtma attack, he was unable to file a report on an election where he should have been present. He left the burden in the hands of Lord Murugan. The next morning he was surprised at the office to learn the file had been submitted and his job was not at risk. He realized that with his talents, he was meant for a higher purpose.
His true calling as a professional writer began with Jaya Jaya Sankara in 1962, a biography of Adi Sankara, which was published as a serial in the influential and popular Tamizh weekly Kalki and was later published as a book. He spent ten years at Kalki, and then another twenty five years as a freelance writer.
He was also a gifted musician, specializing in composition and some of his kritis and bhajans have been sung by well known Karnatic musicians.
Ra. Ganapati was a frugal man and we known never to touch money. He sought neither fame nor material possessions and long before he had acquired any general recognition for his saintly qualities his basic needs were miraculously met. He had implicit faith in God.
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Christopher Quilkey:
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Ra. Ganapati was unusual in that he did not follow the traditional path of a spiritually dedicated person who was not married. Though he did not attach himself specifically to an ashram nor did he take sannyasa. Yet he was close to the Paramacharya and took his words as upadesa. The discernible modesty that marked his life was in accord with the Paramacharya's own humble demeanor. As a bachelor he earned a sufficient living for his minimal needs and was not dependent on anyone. He lived in a small apartment in T. Nagar, a district of Chennai which was sparse with a minimum essentials; a bed, a few books and a small table to hold medicines. There were a few photographs of sages on the walls of the house and nothing else. It could have been a cave for all its simplicity.
He was a naishtika brahmachari (sworn lifelong celebate) and it showed in his eyes which glowed with a deep radiance of tejas. Mentally quick and alert, he spoke with direct and fearless honesty. Quiet and attentive, he listened with care. His writing reveals a vast erudition but he was more a mystic than an academic scholar. He wanted to live the truths of Vedanta and the bhakti schools not just comment on them.
Ra. Ganapati is best known for his Deivathin Kural (known in English as Voice of God) which is a compilation in seven large volumes of talks given by Jagadguru Paramacharya of Kanchipuram, beginning in 1930s and spanning several decades. Each of these seven volumes is a thousand pages or more. If it weren't for him the prodigious scholarship and acumen of the Paramacharya or Periyava (also called Mahaswami) as he is more commonly known among Tamizhs, would have been lost. He noted down Periyava's talks which he attended and to which he made cross references. He spoke to those who attended other talks and made us of their notes. He consulted those who knew the subject on which Periyava spoke and got the required clarifications. Periyava would speak briefly on a topic in one place and would leave it at that. He then again would take up the subject at another venue usually in a temple and elaborate it further.
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The challenge for Ra. Ganapati was to maintain the flow and cohesion on the subject. He had a sharp memory and was vigilant in observing Periyava's low-key observations and insights into the Dharma in all its aspects. Ra. Ganapati would then give final shape to each article which was as close to the original speech as a person would possibly get without a tape recorder, so that there would be no ambiguity. One Periyava devotee G. Vaidyanathan, Secretary, Sankara Bhakta Jana Sabha, noted that, 'He used the same language that Periyava used so that the reader would feel as if he was listening to Periyava!'
It says much about Ra. Ganapati that he as the 'author' is not anywhere in evidence in the volumes of Deivathin Kural. We are brought the uplifting wisdom of the Paramacharya in all its purity free of any coloring or ambiguity unrefracted by the compiler. This shows his humility and strict adherence to the truth. The former President of India, R. Venkataraman, a devotee of Periyava, accurately described Deivathin Kural as the Sri Chandrasekhara Saraswathi Upanishad.
Bhagavan and the Paramacharya:
Ra. Ganapati was graced with several darshans of Bhagavan Sri Ramana as a boy and later had a long relationship with Sri Ramanasramam, when his father was a sub magistrate in Tiruvannamalai. He wrote extensively on Bhagavan Sri Ramana including some twelve articles in Mountain Path, from 1977 to 1988 plus two volumes that have been published in Tamizh titled Ramana MaNam (Ramana Fragrance). His valuable suggestions were accepted while editing the Tamizh Translation of Suri Nagamma's Telugu classic Lekhalu (Letters from Sri Ramanasramam).
For devotees of Sri Bhagavan among the most interesting of his articles is a long piece publkished in a Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Souvenir about the relationship of respect between the Paramacharya of Kanchipuram and Sri Ramana Maharshi.
During Sri Bhagavan's lifetime, the Paramacharya twice visited Tiruvannamalai, once in 1929, and again in 1944, for the Kartikai Deepam festival in November - December. On both the occasions he made the customary giri pradakshina of Arunachala. As we all know Sri Ramanasramam lies on the route.
Ra. Ganapati wrote that the Sankaracharya in a discourse in Madras in the early nineteen thirties, had indicated that the Maharshi whom he referred to as Ramana Swamigal, was a Jivan mukta, that strictly orthodox Sankara Math, give such a praise to the Maharshi in public was unusual.
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Ra. Ganapati was therefore eager to find out what actually transpired and spoke to two knowledgeable people associated with Sri Ramansramam, Kunju Swami and Suri Nagamma. Kunju Swami was present on both the occasions and Suri Nagamma on the latter one.
For those who are not aware of the background, a short explanation is required concerning the Mother's Samadhi in the light of strict orthodox tradition, which the Paramacharya in his official position of as pontiff of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam was obliged to maintain. First of all, opinion was divided among the orthodoxy on the very question of the eligibility of women for sannyasa; and secondly, even if that was accepted, the mother of Maharshi was not initiated to that order in the formal, scriptural way. Hence her place of burial was regarded just as a grave yard and therefore according to the strict tenets of the Brahmin code of conduct, pollutes any who enter the area.
Sri Bhagavan had no quarrel with this attitude since Kanchipuram is an orthodox peetam (center of a tradition or lineage, with a person of spiritual authority presiding) while Sri Ramanasramam was an independent Asramam, for so long as the Sankaracharya is the head of that peetam he must only follow or 'demonstrate' the ways and rules of the peetam. The Paramacharya therefore obliged to issue a directive that as entering Sri Ramanasramam would cause pollution, it had to be avoided.
Sri Bhagavan had already prepared the Asramites not to be offended if the Sankaracharya, did not enter into the Asramam to see Him. Because not only due to the question of pollution but also according to one tradition, the Sankaracharya or holder of the Jagadguru Peetam (Seat of the World
Teacher) should not visit another holy man on his own. Sri Bhagavan then explained that since he had no desire or need to see anybody or anything, though he did not say it, He would not extend an invitation to anyone. As for the Asramites, He gave His blessing that they could gather outside the Asramam gates and receive the darshan of the Sankaracharya as he passed by on giri pradakshina. Most of them did just that.
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By the time of the Sankaracharya's second visit to Tiruvananmalai, his stature had grown considerably, and respect him was widespread throughout Tamizh Nadu, both for his austerity, adherence to the spirit as well as the law of the sannyas and just as important, his quiet and dignified defence of the Sanatana Dharma in the face of virulent attacks by Tamizh atheists. The Asrammites also kept in mind that it was the Sankaracharya who through his yogic vision saw the greatness of Sri Bhagavan and urged Paul Brunton to come to Tiruvannamalai. Brunton then became the instrument that opened up the way for others both in India and abroad to know that a living Sage was available for all who aspired to deeper spiritual knowledge. Brunton's account in Search in Secret India clearly revealed that the Sankaracharya considered Sri Bhagavan a realized Master who could give initiation into the highest levels of yoga/
On both the occasions of his visit to Tiruvannamalai, the Sankaracharya turned his eyes towards the entrance of the Asramam, stopped for a few seconds
looked around and continued to walk the pradakshina route.
Suri Nagamma was present in the Asramam during the second visit in 1944. Because she was a widow she did not go out with others and wait at the gate of for His Holiness, and was left alone with Sri Bhagavan. He sked her why she did not go with the others and she replied that the Sankaracharya did not see widows who had not shaved their heads.
Ra. Ganapati wrote: "Though mature and tolerant not to denounce the orthodox custom, she felt a tinge of sadness. The Maharshi just nodded His head and looked at her with compassion, the compassion assuaged her sadness. The simple nod too conveyed a lot to the discerning disciple. It signified that the Maharshi's aceptance of both the Acharya's adherence to the institutional customs, and Nagamma's wisdom in not following the other such widows who used to peep at Acharya from a hidden place."
He also quotes Suri Nagamma as saying to him that the very same night the Sankaracharya gave a public discourse in which he spoke at great length that 'every head of a religious organization has to observe established traditions while one who is an ativarnasrami (one who has transcended the four stages of life, castes, prescribed
by the dharma sastras) has no such inhibitions.....(To) attain that state is very difficult and that had been possible only for a great soul like Sri Ramana Maharshi.'
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It is instructive to observe how each of these great souls acted accordingly to their dharma when faced with complex issues fraught with possible misunderstanding. The Sankaracharya as the upholder in south India of the Sanatana Dharma strictly observed all the distinction laid out by the dharma sastras and orthodox traditions, whereas Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi who exemplified the ati varnasramin was the very paragon of samadrshti (equal vision). Both understood each other's position perfectly.
According to Ra. Ganapati, the orthodox interpretation of the Paramacharya changed later on. For nearly a decade from the early seventies Ra. Ganapati often felt a strong urge to pay his respects to the samadhi of Sri Bhagavan.
"At that time, I had asked the Periyava about my going to what was said to be the Mother's Temple there. He said with a smile, 'I think you say "what is said to be" because you have heard about my pronouncement (uttaravu).' He continued: "That was before Kumbhabhiskeham (formal consecration of the structure as a temple) was elaborately performed there.' The Maha-Swami indicated that with the full paraphernalia of rites performed at the kumbhabhishekam in 1949, for the Matrubhuteswara Temple raised over the Samadhi of the Mother, it had attained the status of a temple and there was no further question of pollution.
Lastly, when in the 1970s, Ra. Ganapati felt an increasing urge to visit Sri Ramanasramam, he wrote that 'it is a fact that the Maha Swami permitted me, who may be said to be on the side of the orthodox, to visit the place as a temple. That applies to all others of the same persuasion.'
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Mountain Path articles on Sri Bhagavan:
His articles in Mountain Path both Ra. Ganapati's deep knowledge and profound love for Sri Bhagavan shines through. His articles are potent with insights gained from his remarkable understanding of the sanatana dharma. It is obvious that his knowledge was not learned by rote but came from his own intimate experience. In this sense he will perhaps be recognized as a modern sage who was in the world but not of it.
It is not possible in the confines of this article to comment on all his articles in Mountain Path. But I would like to elaborate on just one section where he writes about Sri Bhagavan as a poet for it is a subject dear to him for he too was a poet at heart. It is in this article Maharshi The Poet in the January 1987 issue.
He discusses the meaning of rshi (seer) and kavi (poet) and writes that 'In our hoary and holy culture, where poetry was the expression of the highest spiritual aspirations and attainments, the rshi and kavi were one and the same. There is, in fact, an adage, naan rshih kurute kaavyam, 'None save a rshi creates poetry.' The very words rshi and kavi signify the same role and goal.
'Rshi, in its primary (mukhya) sense, denotes the mantra drashta, the one who has seen the mantras, i.e. the one who has discovered (to whom have been revealed and disclosed) the vocable equivalents of the divine vibrations in the etheric expanse. These mantras have the power to confer on those who chant them various spiritual benefits by the potency of their very sounds and accents.'
How then does Sri Bhagavan qualify as a rshi if He is immersed in the silence of the Self?
"He was the embodiment of drkdrsya viveka, the realization of the truth that the seer, seen and seeing are all illusory. Does it not seem strange to call Him, a mantra drashta (seer) or a kraanta darshan (poet)? Does it not appear incongruous to call Him, who was established in what is beyond words, a rshi or kavi?"
For Ra. Ganapati, 'Sri Ramana's was not the silence of the Void, but the silence of the Plenum from where emerge all sounds, mantras, (and also all sights). More so, because Ramana Himself gave Ganapati Muni what He considered a maha mantra touching this: If attention is directed to the source whence mantra sound is produced, the mind is absorbed in that. That is Tapas."
"....Ganapati Muni found that this 'teaching was quite original and nothing like what has been found in any book.'. So it was a new great revelation of a spiritual truth and that too, given as vocal instruction and therefore entitled the status of a maha mantra. He who discovered the maha mantra was undoubtedly Maharshi."
From this we gain some idea of Ra. Ganapati's range and originality. He both instructs and inspires with his flights of learning, and poetic imagination. His legacy is a bountiful one, which will endure all who cherish his memory and value his profuse, wise, and incisive writings.
(The article Maharshi The Poet, came in Jan 1987 issue of Mountain Path.)
concluded.
Today is Friday. The evening parayana consists of Sri Sankara's works, made in Tamizh by Sri Bhagavan. They chant
Atma Bodham, Guru stuti, Hastmalakam, and Sri Dakshinamurti Stotram;
Here are some verses in English of Atma Bodham:
59. Like the butter in the milk, the objective universe is contained in it. all the activities are based on it alone. Therefore Brahman is all pervading.
62. Like the fire in a piece of red hot iron, Brahman permeates the whole world in and out of all thorough, makes it shine and itself
also shines by itself.
63. Brahman is distinct from the universe, yet there remains nothing apart from Brahaman. Should any other than Brahman appear, it is only an illusion like water in a mirage.
68. He who bathes in the clear,warm, ever refreshing waters of the Atman, which being available everywhere, here and now, need not
be sought for in special centers and seasons; such a one remain actionless. He is the knower of all; he pervades all is ever immortal!
******
R.Subramanian,
Delighted to see the article on the Great devotee Sri rA ganapathi in the Mountain Path.
What a treasure he has left behind-kArriniley varum geetam(life of mira),vaishnava janatO(Lives of Great Saints),kAmakOti rAmakOti(life of Sri Bhagavan nAma bOdhendra),arivukkanaley arutpunaley(Life of Sri Ramakrishna),ammA(life of Holy Mother Sri sArada devi),SwAmi vivekAnanda(Biography),ramana maNam(on Sri Bhagavan),Deivathin kural(7 volumes of the Talks of kAnchhi mahAswAmi),Several books of reminiscences on kAnchi mahAswAmi,swAmi(Life of sathya sAi bAbA),the list is truly a big one.
All have the distinctive stamp of this great devotee and his exquisite,intimate style of writing.
His biography of Sri Ramakrishna and The Holy mother are among the Best-they truly put the publications of ramakrishna Mutt in the shade!In fact both these books were for sometime published by R K Mutt!
Truly a Great soul.
Thanks very much for posting this article.
Namaskar.
Dear Ravi,
Thank you. Ra. Ganapati was a man of great spiritual insights who covered
almost all the saints of 19th and 20th century. Ramana MaNam in fact came as a serial in one of Kamakoti Matam bulletin. Many of Maha Periyava devotees did not like it for the bulletin is intended for Kamakoti activities. However Periyava said: Let him write. He is
writing about a Jivan Mukta of our period. Let him write.
His Anbukkanale Arut Punale and Amma are classics in their own right. He wrote about Sri Satua Sao Baba in a book titled - Swami -.
This was also not liked by many
Kamakoti devotees because they consider Satya Sai Baba as a mere person of siddhis and not a poorna Jnani. But Maha Peiyava did not object to it.
Subramanian. R
Anandamayi Ma:
Part I:
The Teachings:
Swami Mangalananda.
(July-Sept. 2011 - Mountain Path.)
In an effort to describe the teachings of Sri Anandamay Ma, ultimately one must confront the same dilemma as with presenting the teaching of Sri Ramana Maharshi. The similarity between the two is at once apparent, for they both brought before us a path to the Knowledge of the Self that was transcendent and immanent. Thus, in truth, it can be said, that like Sri Bhagavan, Ma was "all things to all people."
A clear example of the similarity of their teachings is seen in Ma's answer to the devotee's question:
Question: What does Mataji consider to the most essential thing in life?
Ma: To try to find out 'Who am I?' - the search after God. But first of all one must conceive the desire to know oneself. When one finds one's own Self, one has found God. And finding God one has found one's own Self - the One Atman.
Sri Ma Anandamayi Ma never wrote books or gave formal lectures, but always readily replied to questions either in public satsanghs or in private council. The vast depths of Her words cannot be fathomed, as She spoke from the highest possible vantage point, Her utterances are so universal that all doctrines and creeds can find refuge within Ma's vision. Ma once said, 'By whatever Path anyone approaches the Divine, this little girls heartily welcomes him!'
All paths were Ma's path, all possible known sadhanas and yogas had spontaneously revealed themselves and played within Ma's person, making Her the repository of all spiritual Traditions and techniques. Ma instructed each person individually according to their specific needs.
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Many said that Ma was not a Guru, for like Sri Bhagavan, she did not openly give formal initiation or advice sadhana to specific individuals -- regarding all as One. But her effulgent 'joy permeated' presence eclipsed the conviction of even the staunchest advocate of such a premise. Recording the same opinion about Sri Bhagavan, Arthur Osborne once said:
"The specious theory that Sri Bhagavan was not a Guru had simply evaporated in the radiance of His Grace. Moreover, I now perceived that, far from His teaching not being practical guidance, it was exclusively that. I observed that He shunned theoretical explanations and kept turning the questioner to practical considerations of sadhana, of the path to be followed. It was that and only that He was here to teach!" (Osborne, My Life and Quest.)
If Ma's collected sayings are studied carefully, it will be seen that there are repetitive themes that occur and some common advice that Ma offered to everyone. She repeatedly told that the sole purpose of human existence was the search for Truth and Its attainment:
"This body always says and will continue to say that it is man's bounden duty as a human being to find God, to know himself. The search after Truth is man's only expedient for attaining supreme peace."
Sri Bhagavan Ramana echoed this same truth in declaring: 'If the Self is known all others become known. Hence is Self Realization the primary and sole duty of man.' (Talks # 379).
Ma even expresses it more vehemently: "If in spite of having obtained this great opportunity, one does not give time to the contemplation of the Beloved, one will have to ask oneself: 'What have I been doing?' To neglect the contemplation of Reality means to take the road of death."
Ma most often recommended the repetition of the divine names as an effective means for realizing God. She often spoke of the great effective divine power inherent in all the revealed names and mantras.
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"Listen! Do not let your time pass idly. Either keep a rosary with you and do japa; or if this does not suit you, at least go on repeating the name of the Lord regularly and without interruption like the ticking of a clock. There are no rules or restrictions in this. Invoke Him by the Name that appeals to you most, for as much time as you can - the longer the better. Even if you get tired or lose interest, administer the Name to yourself like a medicine that has to be taken. In this way, you will at some auspicious moment discover the rosary of the mind, and then you will continually hear within yourself the praises of the great Master, the Lord of Creation, like the never ceasing music of the boundless ocean. You will hear the land and the sea, the air and the heavens reverberate with the song of His glory. This is called the all-pervading Presence of His Name."
Although Sri Bhagavan predominantly stressed inquiry into the nature of the Self, He never diminished the efficacy of japa as a means to realization of Advaitic Truth. He did direct those whose temperament was suited to this sadhana to 'make japa' as is shown below:
D: Can advaita be realized by japa of holy names, say, Rama, Krishna etc.,?
M: Yes.
Devotee: Is it not a means of an inferior order?
M: Have you been told to make japa or to discuss its order in the scheme of things?
Silence. (Talks $ 55)
Ma often reflected on the essence of the Advaitic truth that the whole world is sustained by the One: "At all times the repetition of the Lord's Name should be kept up. Through the practice of Name enjoyment, liberation, peace -- all these will blossom forth. With firm faith, implicit confidence and devotion, casting away pride, adhere to the Name and you will see that all your work will be done, as it were, of itself. Your burden, the burden of the world is ever carried by the One who sustains the universe. Remember this!"
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Part I - The Teachings:
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A common misunderstanding regarding the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi is the belief that He never advised His disciples to take up a practice that involved manta japa. The truth is that such advice was given, though rarely, and even given to some of those in the innermost circle. In the memoirs of one of Sri Bhagavan's clse disciples such an occurrence is recorded:
"Though Sri Bhagavan rarely gave out mantras, when He did, He generally recommended 'Siva, Siva'. Muruganar himself was given this mantra by Sri Bhagavan, as were several other devotees including Annamalai Swami, the brother of Rangan (who was one of Sri Bhagavan's childhood friends), and an unknown Harijan." (Muruganar, Padamalai, Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, David Godman.)
Muruganar continues, making special note of Sri Bhagavan's teachings regarding the use of mantras:
"Through grace, Padam (Muruganar's epithet for Sri Bhagavan) ensures that there is never any danger to those who remain in their heart, meditating 'Sivaya Nama'." (ibid.)
Ma also spoke often of the mysterious qualities of the breath and its connection with the mind, and the efficacy of meditating and performing japa in tune with the breath.
"From our worldly point of view, we perceive everywhere animate or inanimate things; but in reality He who is Truth, He who is consciousness, permeates them all. As soon as the mind understands the fact of His immanence, He becomes active and vibrant within us, at first through the vehicle of the breath, which is an expression of the life force (prana). Be ever aware of the following: what is called life breath is really an aspect of universal, all pervasive power that functions continually. It is indeed one of His forms; He who is Truth-Consciousness reveals Himself in this mode. If with the help of a mantra, received from the Guru, we can remain concentrated on the breath, or even without a mantra we simply keep on watching the movement of the breath, this will help to steady the mind and also be an aid in our search for Him, who is the Life of our life, who is the Whole, the Eternal One."
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"Through breath energy, Consciousness pervades Matter. Everything that is alive breathes. When breath stops, you die. Physical life depends on breath.
Through Prana, matter becomes alive. Desires and wandering mind make the breath impure. Therefore, I advise that the practice of concentration on breathing combined with taking any one of God's Names. If the breath and mind become one pointed and steady, then the mind expands to Infinity. And all phenomena are included in that one all inclusive point. If you think of God with the breath it will purify the prana, the physical sheath and the mind. If you breathe while thinking of God's Name, you will feel the call of His Grace."
Sri Bhagavan declared the efficacy of watching the breath (sometimes erroneously translated as breath-control) as a direct means for controlling and steadying the mind.
One such instance is seen as a devotee asked this question:
"How is breath-control the means
for mind control?"
Sri Bhagavan replied: "There is no doubt that breath control is the means for mind control, because the mind, like breath, is a part of air because, the nature of mobility is common to both, because the place of origin is common to both, and because when one of them is controlled the other gets controlled." (Vichara Sanghraham).
Ma Anandamayi revealed that one means for attining the illuminating knowledge of the Self is through profound awareness of the life breath. Thus she has said:
"The Self or God is unknowable, to the ordinary intelligence, but He is not unknown o us as the life breath. If one uses the rhythm of one's breathing, as a support in meditation, this increases one's power. Therefore, one should daily sit in a meditative pose, in a solitary place, and turn the mind inward, and repeat the mantra in rhythm with one's breathing, without straining, in a natural way. When through prolonged practice, the Name becomes inextricably linked with the breath, and the body, is quite still, one will come to realize that the individual is part of the One Great-Life that pervades the Universe."
Sri Bhagavan's teaching regarding breath-control is clearly given in Chapter Six of Sri Ramana Gita.
"One should control the fickle mind by controlling the breath and then it, like a tethered animal, ceases to stray."
"With the control of breath, control of thoughts, also is achieved. When thoughts are controlled, one stands established at their Source."
"Control of breath means merely watching with the mind the flow of breath. Through such constant watching kumbhaka does come about."
(Sri Ramana Gita, Chapter Six, Verses 3-5.)
But the most consistent theme which can be taken as Ma's continual message was the repeated statement that all is a manifestation of the Divine. All that we experience, see or hear, is only God, in His manifest forms.
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"The Universal Body of the Lord comprises all things, - trees, flowers, leaves, hills, mountains, rivers, oceans, and so forth. A time will come, must come, when one actually perceives this all-pervading Universal Form of the One. The variety of His shapes and guises is infinite, uncountable, without end. Just as ice is nothing but water, so the Beloved is without form, without quality, and the question of manifestation does not arise. When this is realized, one has realized one's Self. For, to find the Beloved, is to find my Self, to discover that God is my very own, wholly identical with myself, my innermost Self, the Self of my Self."
"In all forms, in all diversity and disparity, is He alone. The infinite states of being, of species and types, all the numberless distinction a well as identity are but He Himself. All things are but an expression, a guise of the One."
Understanding the synonymous nature of all terms relating to the Divine; whether they be termed manifestations of God, the One Truth or the Self, we find Sri Bhagavan emphasizing that all action and the diversity and disparity of all human relationship is only a part of that Divinity:
"The only reality is the Self from where the ego appears, and runs through thoughts which manifests themselves as the universe and in which the mothers, fathers, friends and relatives appear and disappear. They are nothing but manifestation of the Self so that one's parents are not outside the Self. So there is no reason to mourn. Learn it, realize it and be happy. (Talks # 16.)
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Part I - The Teachings:
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There are five sayings that Ma repeated so frequently, they could be considered as Her Mahavakyas, or Great Sayings.
1. There is only one Brahman, without a second.
2. In the Divine is everything with no omission.
3. To find one's Self, is to find God and to find God is to find one's Self.
4. All is the Lord.
5. The Lord can be defined in whatever way you will. All is He.
Although Ma frequently also gave the advice to inquire into the nature of the 'I', just as Sri Bhagavan did:
"Who am I? Once you sit down and ponder seriously over the question, you will soon discover that all the book learning that you have crammed in your brain and all the practical experience that you have gained in active life are not of the slightest help in solving the question. Whenever the mind starts wandering, it must be firmly brought back to concentration upon the source of 'I'. This is the means of at Self Realization."
She also took the objective approach of telling people to pose the question to all of life's appearances: "Who has come in the form?" In this way She recommended to see all as expressing the Divine. When someone approached Ma with sorrow, She would say, 'God has come to you in this form.' If someone came with joy or with gain or loss, they would receive the same answer. If the sadhak follows this view of life, and the world, all begin to appear as the form of God and there is no further room for ego or personal ignorance.
Ma encouraged us to continue in whatever line suits our inward temperament and longing, but to continue to the end.
"If you are a bhakta, sink your 'I' in the 'Thou' and if you proceed by the path of Self Inquiry, let the 'you' be drowned in the 'I'.
The Self is reposing within Itself. In coming and going as well as in true Being is He alone. 'I am indeed this blissful Self! I have
become established in Knowledge.' -- This should be the only desire.
And in conclusion, Ma assures us that She, as the Self of the self is awlays there to help us:
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Anandamayi Ma:
Part I - continues.....
"For this body only One Exists. There is not eve the possibility of a second. The Atma if this body is everybody's Atma. It cannot that anybody is not Ma's very own!"
Likewise, those who lived with the physical presence of Sri Bhagavan as well as those who afterwards moved within His eternal guidance, find assurance that they are never outside His Efflugent grace. Sri Bhagavan freely divulged the relentless intention of His grace and compassion to all who came to Him as if proclaiming to all:
"Even if you let go of Sri Bhagavan, Sri Bhagavan will never let go of you." (Osborne, Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self Knlowledge.)
Even so, when a devotee grew despondent at seeing no progress in himself, saying,
"I am afraid if I continue like this I shall go to hell."
Sri Bhagavan, the Ocean of Compassion without reason, tenderly replied:
"If you do Bhagavan will go after you and bring you back." (ibid.)
Sri Anandamayi Ma usually refers to her as 'this body', thus in the same vein as did Sri Bhagavan Ramana. She declares assurance of Her constant guidance and protection:
"They imagine this body to be far off but actually it is always very
near, very near. How could it possibly leave anyone? The question of distance arises solely from their point of view."
For Sri Amandamayi Ma, Self (Atman) is identical with Brahman. And so
is the world. She says: 'Often it is said by this body that you should or that you should attain yourself. But what exactly is the meaning of attaining oneself. It means to attain oneself as One - Whole. If something is excluded while attaining oneself.
Whatever one says, that Thou art.
Thou Thyself exists in various forms in various shapes and attributes.
Whenever you find yourself, you find Him also, and when He is found, you have found yourself also./
That thou art! Here ends all speech and instructions.
concluded.
Anandamayi Ma:
Part II - A Wonder of our Times:
Swami Mangalanda:
Anandamayi Ma is considered by many to be one of the greatest luminaries of the twentieth century. Her uplifiting influence spread through many generations, and millions of people came for her darshan. All the major political figures of modern India sought her blessing, and among the populace she was shown reverence by the full spectrum of society from simple villagers to renowned saints and religious leaders. Though named 'Nirmala Sundari' from birth, she was known throughout India and abroad as Anandamayi Ma, 'the bliss-filled Mother' - and addressed simply as Ma, 'Mother' by her devotees.
But who has this remarkable figure, who by the standards of the world was a simple, uneducated Bengali widow? Many people know of Ma from various sources, the main one being the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahamsa Yogananda, but few know the full and inspiring details of her life. Her presence among humanity is a miracle and an inspiring wonder that she should be witnessed from generation to generation. Her fame and influence are steadily growing as people find that she can still be contacted through heartfelt devotion and prayer.
continued......
Anandamayi Ma:
Part II - continues.....
Ma was frequently asked the pertinent question: 'Who are you?' She replied in different ways according to the capacity of the questioner and would most often simply state, "I am your little girl." Many times she would say, 'I am whatever you think me to be.', leaving the definition open to infinite possibilities. But the most relevant self revelation was to an intimate disciple in Bengal. Ma stated, 'The body is the vyakta roop (manifested form) of the pure aspiration pf all true aspirants.'
By this definition we see that her
manifestation was the Divine response to the longing for truth of all mankind. Ma thereby belongs to all seeking the higher life. Throughout her life she stated that her body was not the result of of karma (past actions) as is our own. Thus she was a free Being, led only by the Divine Will and the spiritual necessity of mankind, hence making every action of her life of great value.
Ma was born in 1896, in Bengal, in the area that is now called Bangladesh. Throughout the history many great Masters have attained spiritual Realization after long and austere penance and meditation. But we see in the life of Anandamayi Ma an unprecedented phenomenon. Ma stressed repeatedly that her awareness was unchanging from birth, and there was never a single moment or event in her life when she received Self realization. It was always her natural state. Relatives have related that at birth Ma didn't utter a single cry by lay peacefully with a radiant countenance, quietly observing all around her. After a few months, when began speaking, she named all the relatives that had been present at her birth.
Before having an idea of her daughter's unusual nature, her mother one day fond a striking looking holy man with long matted locks and shining face standing in reverence before the infant's crib. He bowed to the ground and touched the baby's feet, and then addressed the mother with the words: "This is no ordinary child. And she will not be confined within an ordinary life. This is none other than Mother of the World." He then turned and left the house, and when the mother looked out of the door, he was nowhere to be seen.
continued......
Anandamayi Ma:
Part II - continues.....
Throughout her infancy and youth, Ma manifested states of yogic trance known as samadhi. Sometimes while playing with her friends, she would suddenly be transfixed and her face would begin to radiate light as divine mantras issued from her lips in flawless Sanskrit.
Two major traits manifested from Ma's birth and were dominant throughout her life. The first was the her power of Divine attraction. From her infancy, she captivated the hearts of all who beheld her, and her neighbors flocked to her home to see her and play with this radiant and joyful child. As she grew into a young girl, the villages called her 'Ranga Didi (beautiful sister) and commented on how her presence lit up any area when she arrived. They even noticed that as she walked at night without a light, a gentle radiance, enveloped her. This continued throughout her life, as Ma's simple being charmed, drew and transformed the minds of all wherever she traveled. Even till the end of her
life, Ma's arrival anywhere brought joy and her departure drew the sobs and longing for all who had been with her. Thus without sermons or exhortations, but with only the sweetness of her presence, she began to release people from the bonds of worldliness and fill them with longing for fulfilling joy of the Divine Presence, which she often said was itself the path to to the Divine.
continued......
Anandamayi Ma:
Part II - continues.......
The second trait was her complete and utter desirelessness. If left alone,
she reposed blissfully within her own Self in complete contentment. From infancy, her every movement and motivation sprang from the needs and necessities of others. In youth, this manifested as an untiring spirit of service to all, and in later years, Ma's whole programme of travel was only in response to the longing call of the devotees' hearts. So many tales of devotees relate to Ma suddenly appearing unscheduled in their midst to fulfill their deep desire
or to give a darshan at a crucial time of their life or immediately before a death. Ma later stated, 'Anything that this body does is only for all of you.'
Ma was married at a young age to an older man to whom she later gave the name as Bholanath. He revered her as divine child and felt himself to be her guardian, never approaching her for consummation of the marriage. Later he became her disciple and revered her as his Guru. Through her guidance, he attained an exalted spiritual state and became the loving father of the devotees that flocked to Ma.
Beginning in the year 1918, Ma entered a profound period of her life. According to her own description, she herself slightly veiled the perfect vision of Divine
Reality that she had enjoyed from birth just to see how this obscuring veil could be pierced. Thus began the play of spiritual discipline which extended for six full intense years. During this period, every spiritual practice ever revealed to mankind spontaneously and effortlessly manifested in her body and played itself out to its final goal. Intricate yogas that take aspirants lifetimes to master, worked through
her in minutes bringing full illumination. Her body spontaneously assumed difficult yoga postures; yogic breathing exercises and movements naturally came and went. Deities and mantras were revealed within her spiritual vision. Her husband observed this nightly phenomenon with some concern and alarm. He consulted both exorcists and saints but was told that this was not to be interfered with. None of the practices were done deliberately by Ma, but all manifested spontaneously. Since Ma had nothing to obtain herself, she later related that all that happened, was for all of us.
continued.....
Anandamayi Ma:
Part II - continues.....
In later years when people from every path and tradition came to Ma for the advice, she was able to immediately give perfect direction as all spiritual practices had merged into her body, thus making her the Patroness of anyone who practices spiritual discipline.
In 1924, devotees began to be spontaneously drawn to Ma as she and Bholanath resided in a garden estate near Dacca, East Bengal. People from all walks of life surrounded Ma and the small garden became a place of spiritual joy, filled with kirtan, meditation, and the ever joyful presence of Anandamayi Ma. During this period, during the singing of kirtan, Ma spontaneously manifested the divine state known as 'Mahabhav' in which the power of the Names of God that were being sung would completely take over her body. Standing just on the tips of her big toes, with hands raised over her head, her body would float and sway gracefully wit the cadence of the drums and music, then suddenly roll across the floor in a blur white motion, then, once again, only to be drawn up into the air. All who witnessed this extraordinary sight were moved to their depths by its beauty and power and felt the dynamic power of God in her presence. While the kirtan finished, she would sink to the floor in a state of deep samadhi, and mantras resembling the Vedas would issue from her mouth in quick cadence with perfect articulation. But shortly after this, Ma would be in the midst of of everyone, talking and laughing, cooking and serving food to all.
After eight years in Bengal, in the company of her devotees, Ma left with just Bholanath and one other disciple, and for the next fifty years, roamed the length and breadth of India, never staying in one place more than a few days or weeks, drawn only by the needs and call of suffering humanity.
Throughout Ma's life, countless miracles are recorded, as the line between natural and supernatural seemed to simply vanish in the natural spontaneity of her outpouring of grace. But the greatest miracle was the transformation of people's lives and minds. People found that their lives, were not separate from Ma's and she guided them in matters from the sublime down to the most trivial.
Continued......
Anandamayi Ma:
Part II - continues.....
What attracted all to this radiant personality of Anandamayi Ma? People found in this delicate woman all the love and sweetness of their own mothers combined with the power and authority of the Divine Mother of the Universe.
I came to Ma during the last years of her life while living in America. I was only nineteen years old, but came to India specifically to meet her. Full of expectations, I came to her ashram in Vrindavan, northern India. I was with several other Western devotees, and we were escorted to Ma's private room in the back of the ashram and told that all morning Ma had been lying in a state of inward samadhi in her room, but they would inform her, that we had come. After a few minutes, Ma came out and sat on a small dais in front of us. As always pictured, she was clothed all in spotless white, her long black hair falling loosely on her shoulders. For quite some time she did not speak, but looked deeply into the eyes of each one of us. When her gaze met mine, I was as if shaken from sleep and realized for the first time in my life, someone was actually looking at ME,the real me. Ma gazed past the body, mind and personality and looked and touched the deepest inner essence of my being. For the first time, I truly experienced my immortal consciousness, as this was what Ma directly perceived within me. I realized that no experience that the world could offer could reproduce the feelings that I was experiencing at that moment as they were totally unique. The most striking impression that came from that first meeting and every darshan afterwards, was the uncanny feeling of familiarity. I was seeing Ma for the first time, but somehow I felt she was so very familiar to me, as if I had known her through all eternity. I knew with my whole soul that Ma knew and recognized me from eternity also.
continued.......
Anandamayi Ma:
Part II - continues....
Ma frequently stated that no one was new to her but that all were familiar. All who met Ma experienced this deep and satisfying soul recognition. Once when an attendant came to Ma and told her some had come for her darshan, she replied: They have come for darshan of their own Self. This spiritual fact could be understood only in Ma's presence. One felt that Ma was the Self of their self. somewhere deeply inwardly connected with them for ever, despite any distance that came between them on the material plane.
After my first darshan of Ma, I joined the ranks of the captivated,
and would sometimes wait for hours at the Ashram just to be with Ma. Ma was always available to answer questions and give me any guidance needed, and every interaction was an occasion of joy and bliss. The smallest sidelong glance from the eyes of Ma would fill the mind and heart with the sweetness of honey. Every night as we sat in front of Ma and sang kirtan, we would all wonder, if we were still in this world, or had ascended into the heavenly realms.
Ma did not start any new sect and did not bring any new startling teaching. She emphasized the traditional and ancient way, and gave new empowerment and relevance to the tried and true teaching of the past. Every teaching she gave had been demonstrated to perfection in her own life. Her words are filled with practical, relevant advice to enable us to lift the mind to God and discover the truth of our own nature.
Ma visited Sri Ramanasramam during a tour of South India just about a year after Sri Bhagavan's Mahasamadhi. All who met her felt the same dynamic power of timeless spirituality in her presence that they had felt in Sri Bhagavan Raman. At that time, the foundation stone of the large new Samadhi Hall was laid by her, and Ma strewed flowers over the platform in blessing. All of Ma's companions commented on the depth of intimacy they felt with the disciples and devotees of Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Though Ma left her mortal coil in 1982, her presence in the world and her interaction with the suffering humanity to whom she gave her life
has not lessened but increased. I continually meet people who never met Ma in the body, but who have a deep and intimate relationship with her and true and sure guidance, and inspiration from her in their daily lives. Ma many times appears to people in dreams and visions, giving advice and sometimes even mantra diksha.
Anandamayi Ma is a living contact point with the Eternal Being of God. By tuning our minds and hearts to her, we can receive an infinite flow of blessings into our lives, and by studying and living her teachings, our lives can come to fulfillment.
concluded.
Sunyata:
James Johnson:
(Jan.- Mar. 2011, Mountain Path.)
Sunyata was born Alfred Julius Immanuel Sorensonon a small farm near Arhus, Denmark, 27 October 1890. He left the body in Martin County, California, in 1984, at the age of 94. Between these bookends of his life, he worked as a gardener, lived for nearly fifty years in India, received his initiation and name from Bhagavan Sri Ramana, and was revered as a saint by many in northern India.
About seven years before he exited the stage of this life, representatives of Alan Watts Foundation brought Sunyata to California from his Indian home in the Himalayas near Almora, Uttarakhand. The foundation would take care of all his needs as he aged. When he asked them what he was expected to do in America as he nothing to teach, they replied that all he had to do was to 'teach silence'. Once there, he held well attended satsanghs once a week, mostly in silence, on Alan Watt's houseboat, the Valejo, berthed on San Francisco Bay. That is where I met him. I thought of him then as a friend and mentor and often visited him on Saturday mornings.
On one such sunny Sunday in 1981, I sighed and told him I wished that Anandamayi Ma were still alive as I was magnetically attracted to her. He gave a start and looked at me in surprise. "But she is alive!" he exclaimed, "Though she is not in good health and isn't expected to live much longer. You had better get over to India right away to see her. She is the real thing. I've had her darshan a number of times." Taking this almost as an order, I secured passport and visa, and, having unexpectedly come into some money. I booked my trip; only weeks later I was doing pranam to Mataji in Vrindavan with tears of ecstasy pouring from my eyes. On Dusshera, her last in the body, in Haridwar I received a miraculous diksha from her through the vision of a mantra as I meditated that morning at dawn after dipping in the Ganga and through, that evening, a wonderful smile directed me as she sat behind the Durga Murti to receive pranam from thousands of devotees.
continued.......
Sunyata:
continues.....
Without Sunyata, that initiation would never have happened. Words cannot express my gratitude for his role in my spiritual unfolding. It was only years later, that I came to view him as enlightened. He was credibly able to strike the spark that awakened that state in at least one other. But before that tale, let us return to the story of the young Sunyata.
Emmanuel, meaning 'God with us', as he thought of himself and was called in his youth, passed an uneventful and happy rural childhood, often silent and blissfully alone in nature. In his writings he describes how he largely escaped 'headucation' and 'churchianity', and successfully fought off the tumultous rising of an 'egoji' in his early teens. These and other novel terms he later invented and characterized his playful and joyous use of English in his speech and writing. For example, instead of such terms as 'egoless, thoughtless or deathless', he would always use 'ego free, thought free, or death free' as closer to the true sentiments he felt. Moreover, he never spoke of being free of or from ego, thought or death, but rather 'in' them, implying a 'joyous ease' in conditioned existence. For Sunyata it had lost its substance, its absolute seriousness and was now a place of
'leela' not 'maya'. 'Understanding' was always 'innerstanding' for him. He thought that this transliteration would one day become part of the English language.
From the age of 14, in lieu of secondary school, he was trained in horticulture, at which he worked for brief periods in France and Italy before settling down in England. There he worked as a simple gardener, often in the nursery, on a succession of large estates. His inner silence continued all the while and he nurtured his love of life by a wide reading of world literature and poetry, branching out into Buddhist and Hindu and Theosophical texts.
continued.....
Sunyata:
continues......
He was employed at Dartington Hall in Devonshire, England in his thirty ninth year. That summer he met Rabindranath Tagore, who had come to rest at the estate, following a tiring lecture and reading tour in the West. They became friends, the young gardener clearly awestruck by the white bearded Eastern sage and Nobel Laureate in whom he sensed a depth of wisdom and 'innerstanding' of which he had only read. Tagore must have noticed something special in the younger man also; before he left, he invited him to come to India to teach silence, at his university, Shantiniketan. Much to the poet's surprise, Immanuel showed on his doorstep the very next year, in 1930. He had taken his time getting to India, touring overland through Greece, the Middle East and Egypt on his way, reveling, as he always did throughout his long life, in the 'delightful uncerainties' of travel and meeting new friends all along for his living; everything just came to him as he needed, often in such abundance that he had to turn it away. But then he never wanted much and was content with what he had.
Never able to bear the Indian heat, he retreated to Darjeeling as garmi, the season of heat, came on. With Tagore's introduction, he spent time with the great Indian physicist and botanist Jagadish Chandra Bose, by whom he was initiated into Chan Buddhist meditation. In 1931, after a brief visit to Europe to settle his affairs, he emigrated to India where he spent most of the rest of his life, almost half a century, mostly in Himalayas. There, he said, he felt most at home. After Indian Independence, he became an Indian citizen.
Those early contacts, led on to others. He soon met Nehru, with whom he struck up a life long friendship. Whenever he was in Delhi, 'Brother Alfred', as Nehru always called him, would be invited to stay with Nehru family. For a year or so early on, he lived on the Nehrus' Khali Estate near Binsar in Himalayas. Indira Gandhi, then a teenager, when informed of his passing many years later, wrote of her fondness for him and regretted that she had hardly been able to make any sense of the letters he frequently sent them, sol full were they of bubbling metaphysical musings, and his personal reconstructions of the English language. They were moreover, written in what he conceded was an almost indecipherable 'scribble'.
continued......
Sunyata:
continues......
As his life progressed, through his contact with Nehru, Sunyata the Silent, would make the acquaintance of ambassadors, diplomats, high government officials, and, at an official reception in Delhi, of the king and queen of Denmark who were delighted to meet this native son so honored by the prime minister of India as an authentic holy man.
After a short time in India, he settled near Almora, where he built several stone cottages high on Kalimath Ridge very near the Kasar Devi Temple, an ancient Goddess pilgrimage site. He called his home Turiya Niwas (abode of the highest consciousness) and posted a sign in front: "Silence!" This must have reduced the traffic considerably, although the naturally open Sunyata was friendly to all, communicated easily when outside his home, and entertained many, presumably silent, guests over his long years on what became known locally as 'Cranks Ridge'. It was so named because of all the very individualistic, often eccentric, expatriates who came to live there from this period on, many of them authors, artists, and spiritually oriented people. Swami Ramanagiri, the royal Swede who was brought quickly to awakening by Sri Bhagavan, was one of his guests, whom he introduced to the Maharshi in the late 1940s.
During the winters, when his unplastered and draughty stone kutir became quite uninhabitable, he descended to the plains, where he stayed with many people he had met. As his stature became more evident, he conducted satsangh wherever he was.
Sannyasini Atmananda, of Austrian origin and one of Anandamayi Ma's very close devotees, once told me that Sunyata had a following in Inida. In America too, he had a considerable following in California and also in Chicago, where he visited annually as the guest of a Jungian psychologist. Osho conferred a Rolls Royce on him, though it is impossible for me to imagine him ever being chauffeured around in it. In Denmark, many people honor him as one of that country's most famous sons and a true saint. I am always
surprised how many people I meet know and revere him.
continued........
Sunyata:
continues......
Sunyata's most 'Himalayan' and transforming experience, however, came through Sri Bhagavan Ramana
Maharshi. On three occasions, Sunyata traveled through south from his home in the mountains to Tamizh Nadu to visit Sri Bhagavan briefly during the cool and pleasant winter. He spoke only once to Sri Ramana, on their first meeting in 1936, in answer to some cursory questions put by Sri Bhagavan. Thereafter, he always sat silently in the back of the Old Hall, intuitively aware that Sri Bhagavan's power was in His silence. After he had left for the north on that first visit, Paul Brunton whom he had met at the Asramam, wrote to him that Sri Bhagavan had stated that Sunyata was a 'rare-born mystic', one in whom the ego never really developed, and who was, therefore, always close to realization.
One day, on a subsequent visit, while meditating with eyes closed, Sunyata, then Immanuel Sorensen, suddenly felt the full power of the Maharshi fixed on him. Sri Bhagavan's voice spoke to him telepathically and with power: 'We are ALWAYS aware, Sunyata.' From that locution, he took his initiation and his spiritual name. Though he was never looking for a guru, he recognized this moment, as the crucial point in his life. He always kept a large picture of Sri Bhagavan in a place of honor and praised his precepts as the highest
Truth, Truth that he, now Sunyata, was discovering through his own awareness of the One Self. He had darshan of Sri Bhagavan only one more time.
continued.......
Sunyata:
continues......
Sunyata, as stated previously, also had darshan of Anandamay Ma many times. She gave him yellow robes to wear. On two occasions, he was called to sit silently with her in private, once at her Varanasi Ashram, an occasion which, he stated, 'was a sunya darshan' - a relief like death. Another time was when Mataji was visiting Sri Yashoda Ma at the latter's Mirtoli Ashram, also known as Uttar Brindavan. Sunyata regarded Yashoda Ma almost as his own mother, often visiting her and the Englishman Krishna Prem at their beautiful nearby Ashram which was dedicated to Krishna. Of that meditation with the two Ma's, Sunyata said, 'On this occasion there was inner silence for half an hour. The sunya silence is eternally here and now. The silence at Uttara Brindavan is one of my richest Himalayan experience.'
He also spent sometime with Gandhiji at his Ashram at Wardha and participated in the life of the Ashram. Bapuji's simplicity and warmth resonated strongly with Sunyata. Sunyata's silence and clear spiritual nature, his having adopted the Indian life style fully, his friendship with Nehru, all must have made an impression.
Regarding Sunyata's spiritual status, let us now return to the Awakening story I mentioned at the beginning of this article. I recently read a Danish devotee's account of the experience of one of Sunyata's frequent winter hosts, S.N. Bharadwaj of Hoshiapur, Punjab. The Danish devotee visited and interviewed this now elderly man. He writes that one winter as Sunyata was just about to leave Bharadwaj's home, he, Bharadwaj, begged him for some personal upadesa. Sunyata stared at him intensely and in silence, for sometime. He then intoned with great emphasis, 'You....Are....That!' Bharadwaj states, 'In this moment I lost body consciousness. I realized the ultimate reality - being one with that.' At some point he was conscious of arms being rubbed by hands; he finally realized that they were his hands and his arms. Sunyata was gone and so was Bharadwaj's ego. From that point those we know him said that Bharadwaj has been joyous and always smiling through all these many years. To ignite that fire of Awakening in another must one not be enlightened oneself? That, in part, is what leads me to believe that Sunyata must have been realized.
continued.......
Who am I?
Ana Callan Ram:
Dip your heart
in the Golden Question
and the ocean of knowing
will yield its nectar.
What has always been you
will disrobe, will unveil
itself so you may marry
your beauty, your singular
truth, so you may become
that one Love that has waited
lifetimes, that has never,
ever abandoned you.
Fall into me, lay down the past
let your mind be freed of its
shackles
so you may shine as that light
-O Illumined One-
your very birthright
for eternity.
*****
Prayer:
Ana Callan Ram:
You are my heart, O Arunachala!
You are the flower of my being.
You are the melody that soars
through lifetimes
in this wild, illusive dream.
But you are not elusive.
You are the steady font of love
that flows in endless waves of
grace
through every strand of us.
Strand us into lustrous jewels
that make music to enchant you.
Will you receive the petals
that we scatter at your feet?
Let us turn to you
in humble gratitude
as you deliver us
of our impurities
as you draw us slowly,
surely, passionately
back to the Absolute.
*******
Sunyata:
continues....
After his passing, a few photographs were found among Sunyata's writings, which offer some insight into his Aawakening process, about which he had been silent all his life:
He states:
"When different stages of sadhana were being manifested through this body, what a variety of experiences I had then! I thought that there was a distinct shakti residing in me, and guiding me by issuing commands from time to time. Since all this was happening in the stage of sadhana, jnana was being revealed in a piecemeal fashion. The integral wisdom (vijnana), which this body possessed from the very beginning was broken into parts and there was something like a superimposition of ignorance.
"In my sadhana I was told by the invisible monitor, 'From today you not to make obeisance to anybody.'
Later on, I again heard the voice within myself which told me, 'Whom do you want to bow down to? You are everything.' At once, I realized that the universe was, after all, my own manifestation. Partial knowledge then gave place to the integral, inherent wisdom, and I found myself face to face with the
Advaita One that appears as many."
He further states that during this period many vibhuti (powers) were manifesting, though, to anyone's knowledge, he told no one about this during his life. Sunyata seems to have had, among othres, thed siddhi of healing by touch. When he discovered this he was perhaps doing seva at a clinic, quite possibly that of his friend Dr. Ved Prakash Khanna, now deceased, who ran a nature clinic, in Almora, and who was the founder of the Sunyata Memorial Society. Sunyata describes how he found that whenever he touched patient, the individual would be immediately cured. He says he tested this on a number of people and found it to be invariably true. He must have son discontinued this seva, because, this power would otherwise certainly become known and sensationalized. Sunyata abhorred such attention, and, moreover, wrote dismissively about Shakti
business of various kinds as a distraction and as an impediment to spiritual path.........
Always an enthusiastic exponent of pure Self revealed Advaita Vedanta, Sunyata spoke of gods or goddesses and didn't participate in any rituals. Sri Bhagavan and Nisargadatta Maharaj were his ideals.
..........
In August of 1984, in San Anselmo, California, still bright and active, at 93, dressed always in colorful clothes and turban was struck by a car as he stepped out from between parked vehicles to cross the street on his way to the market. He died in coma some days later, the first time he had ever been hospitalized.
He might have lived for decades more. When his time came, it took two tons of speeding steel to kill his body.
.........
All praise and honor to the silent shining Self in which Sunyata is absorbed.
concluded.
Navaratri Prayers:
From today for 9 days, Devi is specially prayed to, Devi in all her three forms, Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. In all homes on Tamizh Nadu and Bengal, this festival is celebrated in all solemnity. In temples too, Devi is adorned with special alankaram and pujas take place. In Tiruvannamalai, both in Arunachaleswara Temple as also in Mother's temple in the Asramam, (For Yogamba), special alankaram and pujas are done.
Sri Sankara's Sri Soundarya Lahari is sung in all homes during these days. Though there are a number of commentaries for this glorious verses on Sri Lalita Tripura Sundari, Kanchi Mahaswami's commentary (by way of discourses) is one of the best.
Verse 1:
Sivas saktyA yukto yadi bhavati
saktah prabhavitum
na chedevam devo na khalu kusAlah
spanditumapi
atasvAm-arAdhyAm hari hara
virinchadibhir-api
prananutm stotum vA kathamakrta
punyah prabhavati.
'Without being united with you, can Siva even stir?' so asks the Acharya at the very beginning of his hymn. But what is the inner meaning of his statement, or the lesson it contains, or its teaching? It occurs to me (Mahaswami) that the Acharya seems to say to Amba on our behalf, 'Without your compassion, can we reach that state of stillness of Siva? Amba is the Great Power that moves what does not move. Her sport starts with the vibration that makes Parabrahman (Sivam) aware of Its own existence.
According to the first stanza, the first vibration by which the Parabrahman becomes aware of Itself is caused by Amba. Thereafter it is vibration after vibration, movement after movement, ending with the vibrations of own daily life. These vibrations originating in the Brahman and ending with the world of living beings, are in a descending order. This is called evolution. It is not the evolution according to Darwin. Here it is a
matter of descent from the highest peak of Brahman down to us humans. Brahman turning outward and countless entities evolving from It. Each individual attaining his state of Brahman is moksha or liberation. Thus all those revealed outwardly from the Brahman and going inward again is ascent.
Amba is the cause of Siva's evolution (into universe and all living beings). But there is the other side of the coin of what the Acharya says at the very beginning of his hymn. If Amba is the cause of the evolution of Siva into the individual souls, she must also be the cause of the involution of these souls, their becoming Siva again. For this we must pray constantly for her compassion. Acharya asks us to pray for her grace to bring about our involution into Siva.
continued.....
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari: Verse 2:
taniyAmsam pAmsum tava charana-
pankeruha-bhavam
virichis samsinvan virachayati
lokAna vikalam
vahatyenam saurih kathamapi
sahasrena sirasAm
harah samksudyainam bhajati
bhasitoddhoolana vidhim
The first verse said that Amba is worshipped even by Hari, Hara and Brahma and others. It seems that Brahma creates all these worlds out of a speck of dust from the feet of Amba. When the entire Sakti of the Brahman assumes a form, is personified, a speck of dust on her feet is sufficient source material to create the fourteen worlds. Protection of the worlds are done by Vishnu who reclines himself on Adisesha. But these worlds are only a speck of dust on the sole of Amba's foot.
If Vishnu holds the dust from Amba's feet on his head, Siva smears it all over his body in the form of ashes.
It seems Siva is also included among the group of devotees whom the Periyapuranam refers to as 'muzhu neeRu poosiya munivar'.
During the time of dissolution Siva pulverizes these fourteen worlds into ashes and smears the same all over his body thinking to himself, 'The source of the fourteen worlds was the dust from Amba's feet, so the fourteen worlds reduced to ashes is the dust from Amba's feet.'
Amba's feet are bright red; so the dust on them must also be of the same color. When Mother Veda (Vedamata) prostrates herself before Amba, keeping her head at the goddess's feet, the red dust sticks in the parting of Vedamata's hair as kumkum. This idea is conveyed by the name included in the Lalita Sahsranamam, 'Sruti simanta sindoorikrta pAdAbjadhulika. A speck of that kumkum becomes the fourteen worlds and during the great deluge it is turned into sacred ashes, vibhuti. Sacred ashes is Siva prasada. Kumkum is Amba's prasada. Here the kumkum itself has become the sacred ashes for Siva!
continued.....
Subramanian,
Good Posts on Soundarya Lahari.Thanks very much.
Namaskar.
Navaratri Prayers:
continues...
Sri Soundarya Lahari - Verse 3:
avidyAnAm antas timira mihira
dvipanagari
jadAnAm chaitanya stabaka
makaranda srutijhari
daridrAnAm chintAmani gunanikA
janajaladhau
nimagnAnAm dastrA muraripu-
varAhasuya bhavati.
The third verse mentions how the dust on the sacred feet of Amba brings us her grace in many ways. After stating in the second verse, that it is through this dust that all cosmic functions are carried out, Acharya says here how it brings blessings to all living beings and how it bestows grace on us by freeing us from worldly existence.
Avidya means ajnana. It is a fearful kind of darkness, timira in the verse. The darkness of ajnana conceals the self luminous Atman that is within. For ajnanis the dust on Amba's feet sheds the light of Jnana that is like a shining city on an island. When you look at the Sun you would think it emerging from an island in the sea (horizon).
'jadAnAm' means 'for those who are so dull witted as to resemble inert objects.' For such people whose knowledge or Awareness has dried up, dust of Amba's feet creates a fountain of honey that splashes inside them, and makes them green. The phrase 'makaranda stutijhari'
means honey cascading.
The term 'chaitanya kusumam' occurs in the Lalita Sahasranamam also. kusumam means flower. In Kalahasti, Amba is called Jnanapoonkodai, garland of Jnana. Chaitanya is the offering of liberation to Amba. It is the flower with which she is worshipped.
Chintamani, which has an aspect of the divine, grants all one's wishes. This Chintamani is special. It fulfills our desires, creates whatever we desire.
The dust on the feet of Amba is the Chintamani that grants all the wealth desired by the poor.
muraripu varAhasya bhavati - Vishnu as a boar penetrated deep into the ocean scooped up Goddess Earth. Simlarly, the dust of Amba's feet, like a boar's tusk, takes us up from the ocean of birth and death.
We are all immersed in the ocean of birth and death. Saint Appar says,
poi-mAya-perunkadal. This ocean is illusory (mAya) and the dust of Amba's feet lift us up from this ocean as Varaha lifted up the Mother Earth from the ocean!
continued......
Navaratri Prayers:
continues......
Sri Soundarya Lahari - Verse 4:
tvadnayah pAnibhyAm abhayavarado
daivataganah
tvamekA naivAsi prakatita varA-
bhityabhinayA
bhayAti trAtum dAtum phalamapi cha
vAnchAsamdhikam
saranye lokAnAm tava hi
charanAveva nipunau.
Here again, Acharya sings the praises of Amba's sacred feet. All deities other than you have the mudras of abhaya and varada. That is, they are seen with hand gestures that signify the banishment of fear and the granting of boons. She alone does not enact through her gestures to suggest that she grants boons to her devotees or banish their fear.
Amba, unlike other gods and goddesses, grants boons and frees us from fear with her feet. Her feet themselves are capable of doing the same. They are specialists in that! One can see Kamakshi's (Sri Lalita Tripurasundari's) sitting postures. She has on one hand the pasam and on the other hand ankusam. In her third hand she hold a sugarcane and in the fourth hand a lotus. There is no sign of her hands showing abhaya and vara mudras. But feet alone are sufficient to grant boons and dispel our fears. The boons are conferred far more than what the devotees' ask for! - 'phalampicha vAnchAsamadhikam dAtum.
Why and what for a person should be afraid? The fear is due to dvaitam, seeing the second. Only when there is a second, there is fear. If a man thinks that there is even the slightest difference between him and Brahman, then he will be afraid of, says Taittiriya Upanishad. People say 'god fearing'. Fear of god. Why should one be afraid of god? Because we think we are different from God! In the supreme truth of Advaita, we and Brahman are one and the same.
In the abhaya gesture of a deity, the right hand will point upward. They would say that it points to the realms of Vaikunta or Kailasa. But we, Advaitins would say it points to the state of Advaita which is absolute and undivided like akasa.
In the vara gesture, which points to downward. To say, 'I want this, I want that' bespeaks an attitude that betrays that the devotee belongs to a lower plane.
Amba's lotus feet says: I give you my feet (pAdam). Hold them. That is the greatest boon (padam - moksha).
continued.......
Navaratri Prayers:
continues....
Sri Soundarya Lahari: Verse 5:
haristvAmArAdhya pranata-jana-
soubhagya jananim
purA nAri bhootva puraripumapi
ksobhmanayat
smaro'pi tvAm natvA ratinayana-
lehyena vapusha
muninAmapyantah prabhavati hi
mohAya mahatAm.
Here Acharya says that it was by performing puja to Amba that Mahavishnu was able to assume the divinely alluring form of Mohini that stirred so firm a mind as that of Siva and created in him love for that form. During the churning of the ocean for ambrosia, Vishnu took the form of Mohini and by enchanting the demons by her beauty, and by clever talk denied them their share of ambrosia. Siva smitten with love for Mohini and got through her a son who is Ayyappa-Sasta. He is Harihara putra. Vinayaka, Subrahmanya and also Sasta are the sons of Siva.
The verse also says that by prostrating himself before you, and obtaining your grace, did Manmatha acquire the form that Rati lapped up with her eyes, a form that was visible only to her. And even those including the sages who had conquered their senses, were possessed by Manmatha and so were inspired by love.
There must be forces opposed to one another. They must clash with one another and finally the good forces should win and hoist the flag of victory. This creates an interest in life.
A strange thins about the opposing forces of good and evil is that the good forces have also evil elements in them and evil forces have good elements in them. We must have an understanding of this subtle truth in our struggle so as to fully appreciate the cosmic drama and its various moods.
If there was no creation or if there was creation and yet people were not troubled by elements like desire, anger and so on, where would be the opportunity for Amba to show her compassion?
When we fight the forces that oppose us as best we can and eventually realize that we are not strong enough to triumph over them, only then we will think of Amba and go to her for refuge, crying 'You alone are our help'. And only then we experience the great joy of surrender - and only then will Amba come rushing to protect us and only then will there be full scope for her to show her compassion and take delight in the same. Even if one in a million becomes successful in the fight against the evil forces and go beyond creation, the purpose of creation is fulfilled.
Kama (desire) is to be experienced in the house holder's stage of life, and in a disciplined manner according to the tenets of Sastras. If life is lived in this manner, in due time, such householders will also be freed from kama and become purified and taken to the higher stage of sannyasa.
Kama is one of the four aims of life, dharma, artha, kama and moksha.
But at the same time, Amba has created a few individuals, a very few individuals, who observe strict brahmacharya from childhood and remain sannyasins till the very end of their lives. These sannaysins guide the householders with suitable upadesa to gain moksha.
We cannot conquer kama without Amba's grace. It is she who created Manmatha, should help us to keep away from kama to attain moksha at the end of our lives.
continued......
Navaratri Prayers:
continues......
Sri Soundarya Lahari: Verse 6:
dhanuh paushpam maurvi madhukaramayi
pancha visikhAh
vasantah sAmanto malayamuarudAyo-
dhana-rathah
tathApyekah sarvam himgirisute
kAmapi krpAm
apAngatAtte labdhvA jagadidam
anango vijayate/
This verse is entirely devoted to Manmatha. The dualistic world emerging from non dualism as a result of kama or desire and then the same dualistic world being made non dualistic through the compassion of Amba has a central place in her sport. Kama (Manmatha) who is personification of desire, has great importance here. Amba herself has divine names like Kameswari and Kamakshi.
With weapons by no means strong, Manmatha triumphs over all the world. What is it that gives him such power? It is Amba's sidelong glance. This is the import of this verse.
What are Manmatha's weapons or tools? The first is dhanuh paushpam, a bow made of flowers! Why does Manmatha go to war? He wants to conquer all creatures of the world, he wants to subject them to kama or desire. He sets out on his chariot, bearing in his hands his bow and arrows and taking with him his companion and assistants. We are amused to note what his bow and chariot are like.
The bow, already mentioned, is made of flowers. His bow is is the sugar cane. But Acharya says it is one made of flowers. I checked up with Amarakosam. It is said that Manmatha is having only a bow of flowers! There is no mention of sugarcane at all.
Subrahmanya, it is said, has two peacocks, as his vehicles. He had a peacock as his mount from his childhood itself. Later he slew demon Surapadama and made him a peacock which became another vehicle of his. In some temples to
him, opne can see the head of the peacock is to his left and the plumage to his right. It is the peacock that was originally Surapadma - called asura mayil.
Similarly it occurs to me that Manmatha has two bows, one of flowers and another of sugarcane.
Manmatha's arrows are also flowers. He is said to have five arrows, - panchavisikhAh. The five flowers representing five arrows are aravinda, asoka, chuta, navamallika and nilotpala.
If the five arrows are to be aimed at the five senses, what is the bow from which they are to be discharged? It is the mind which is the support of the five senses. Lalita Sahasranamam has this name for Amba: Manorupekshu kodanda - the one with the bow of sugarcane symbolizing the mind and five tanmatras are five flowers, pancha tanmAtra sAyakA.
When we come to consider the chariot we shall be still more amused. It is malayamardha - the cool wind from the mountain called Malaya with the scent of sandalwood!
Again Manmatha is ananga. He is without any anga, limbs, incorporeal.
How strange! One who has no body, triumphs over all the world.
Acharya says that Manmatha's success is due to Amba's grace only! With a little bit of Amba's grace one can triumph the whole world. To bestow blessings in this manner on everything in creation is the function of Maya belonging to saprapancha. A sidelong glance of Amba is sufficient to destroy this Tripura, i.e subtle, gross and karana bodies and remaining the maha-karana of the Brahman. This is what unites one with the nishprapancha.
To speak of the victory of Kama, of Amba making him victorious, should not be the end of the story. It is necessary that we also triumph over Kama. The power (Amba) that creates alone can destroy it.
We should approach Amba with the faith that Her blessings would bring me success.
continued......
Dear Ravi,
Thank you for your kind words. In fact, I went through the Tamizh version in Deivathin Kural. There,
Mahaperiyava's discourses on Soundarya Lahari, it seems, were given in different places and covering different verses, not with a chain-like continuity. Further the verse itself is not given in the first. Fortunately, the English
version published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavavan, has arranged the discourss, verse by verse and also given the verse in full in the end. Even here, the discourses run to 606 pages of materials and it is difficult to paraphrase them into 'one comment' in one square of the blog. However I have tried my best. It is not word by word meaning, but a general essence of each verse is given. It may appear disjointed. But one cannot help it. If I give them as it is, then 606 pages materials covering 100 verses will run into more than 500 comments or posts! I shall try to cover about 5 to 6 verses per day in these 9 or 10 days.
Thank you once again.
Subramanian. R
Navaratri Prayers:
continues.....
Sri Soundarya Lahari - Verse 7:
kavanatkAnchi-dAmA kari-kalabha
kumbha sthana-nata
parikshinaA madhye parinata-
saraschandra vadnA
dhanur-bAnAn srnimapi dadhAnA
karatalaih
purastAdAstAm nah puramthithurA
ho purushikA
kvanat kAnchidAmA - means the tinkling of tiny bells fitted in
ornaments. It is an onomatopoetic
word. A girdle fitted with bells is kAnchi. One without bells is mekhalA. 'Ranatkinkini mekhalA' occurs in Lalita Sahasranamam. Kanchi is called manimekhala. One of the Tamizh ancient epics is Manimekhalai. It is said that the heroine Manimekhalai during the last days of her life, came to Kanchipuram and there was a famine and she fed the hungry and suffering people from her akshaya-
patra, one vessel where food never gets exhausted. Manimekhalai had come to Kanchipuram, and with a Buddhist guru got fulfillment in life. But the story of feeding the starving people to have been copied from one of the sports of Kamakshi, where she fed people, - arai nAzhi nel koNdu en nAnku aRam valarthAL.... Kamakshi did 33 dharmas there in Kanchipuram and one of them is feeding, with just a half a measure of paddy, which never got exhausted. Sri Abhirami Andati also mentions it.
But the fact is the name of Kamakshi goes back to to a time earlier than that of Manimekhalai and Kamakshi's name existed even during Sangam period. There was a woman scholar called KamakanniyAr NappasalaiyAr during the Sangam age. So Manimkekhalai's feat should have been copied from Kamakshi's 32 dharmas.
When the earth itself is regarded
as a female deity, Bhoomadevi - the place of her navel, the navel of the earth is situated in Kanchipuram! So Acharya mentions kavanat kanchi dAmA - to denote Kamakshi alias Sri Lalita Tripura Sundari. When Amba is walking it is not only her anklets that jingle but also the bells of her girdle. Since the earth is immensely big, the girdle of earth should also be huge. But as a matter of fact, Amba's waist is very thin. kshina means thin. pari kshina means very thin. In Tamizh literature, they say for women with slender waist, as thudiyidaiAL, kodi idaiyAL, waist like hand drum or like a creeper.
What about Amba's face? parinata saraschandra vadanA - a face like the autumnal full moon!
Now the waist has been described, and also the girdle and face. What about her hands? Acharya says - dhanur bAnAn pAsam srnimpai dadhAnA karatalaih. The bow and arrows and the noose and goad. These are most distinguishing marks of the presiding deity of Sri Vidya tantra, Lalita Maha Tripurasundari or Kameswari.
Krodha is anger, it is AsA unrequited. If we fail in anything,
that is when our desires are not fulfilled, we get angry. If you interpret AsA as desire for Amba, and krodha or anger as anger against anger, the noose and goad will become the means of release of bondage.
It would be enough to hold her feet. By her resolve for compassion, she would give us her blessings, whether it is for freedom from fear, acquiring of boons, eradication of the mind and senses, whatever.
She may reveal herself before me - says Acharya. She must shine in front of all of us, so he prays. Not in front of me alone, but in front of all of us. purastAd AstAm nah - nah means us not me.
kari kalabha kumba sthana nathA - means one who has got large breasts like elephant's mastkam.
Aho purushika - Aho or Aha is a word for showing surprise. But here it denotes Aham or one's own true nature.
Ahamityeva vibhAvaye bhavaneem - I pray to Bhavani, who is nothing but Aham, one;s own true nature.
Tiruvachakam says: udaiyAL un than
naduviruthi, udaiyAL naduvuL nee iruthi, adiyen naduvuL eruveeru....
Both Amba and Siva who is one within one, should both be in our heart.
continued.......
Subramanian sir,
There are words lke Aham, Kaama, Moksha etc etc.I think these are enough.Like Gandhiji wrote in the letter I posted some like it dry and the rest need a Song.I dont like the colourful Songs.The Brahmandapuranam creates this Song and colourful caricatures.They caricature Self as Lalitha and then they retrofit this with the existing Hindu mythology.She then feels she needs a husband and creates Siva out of her mere wish and then sons follow, then midlife crisis, so they take avatars in Human world, temples, each temple it's own name , then each must have it's own tree and when it all becomes a million Caricatures somebody like Moses comes and breaks all of them and the game starts all over again.If you are a devotee of Bhagawan why are not his Forty verses enough.
It is simple.If you have the liver for Kaama go after it but remember the more you go after the more entangled you become and eventually when the chase becomes worthless you start unwinding.I clearly see no need for Colourful Songs.We are fed with these caricatures from childhood and then we have these visions.Sri Sankara tried to reform all the hundreds of caricatures to just Five but it did not work.
If there is nothing to write it is best to be Summa Iru or do some Gardening or something.
End of the day it is you who have to own up for your Karma and Strive.
Dear Zee,
I agree with you. But any religion needs some rituals also to add color to the religion. The author is Sri Sankara who taught the pinnacle of Advaita. But at the same time, He wrote a number of hymns in praise of
various gods like Siva, Sakti, Muruga, Ganesa and Krishna. He knew that many who cannot do atma vichara should be happy with these hymns. Sri Soundarya Lahari mixes tantra, mantra and advaita. The Mahayana Buddhism gave way to Hinayana because there were no rituals in the former.
Subramanian. R
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundaray Lahari - Verse 8:
sudhasindhor madye suravitapi vAti
parivrte
Manidvipe niropavanavati chintamani
grhe
SivAkAre manche Paramasiva paryan-
kanilyAm
Bhajanti tvam dhanAh katichana
chidanandalaharim.
The abode of Siva is Kailasa, and of Visnu Vaikunta. Simlarly, Lalitamba has two residences. One is what is called Brahandaand and on one of the peaks if Meru round which all planets revolve. Amba's world, it is said, is in the center of these three peaks. This is referred to as Sumeru madhya sringastha in Lalita Shasranamam. Ambas second abode is referred to,
as the Sudhasagara madhyaste. This abode has been created by Amba Herself. Viswakarma with the power granted to him, built this palace with many fortresses. It is called Sripura, in the ocean of ambrosia. It is encircled by twenty five fortresses and portals.
The queen residing in this palace is called Rajarajeswari. She is seated on a throne. The four legs of the seat (a cot) are the pancha brahmas. And she is seated on the lap of Kameswara, Siva.
There are five trees notable for the celestial world. These are mandara, santAna, kalpaka and harichandana. The island itself is called Manidvipa.
The Acharya does not call the the one seated on the prayanka Kameswari. He elevates her to the heights of Jnana by giving her the name of Chidanandalahri.
Acharya says that a few fortunate people worship you who are the flood of bliss of Consciousness.
For them she gives, salokyam, samipyam, sarupyam and sayujyam.
i.e. living in the same loka, living close to her, having form like her, and the merger with her.
continued.......
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari: Verse 9:
This verse speaks about Kundalini Yoga.
mahim mooladhAre kamapi munipure
hutavaham
Stitham svAdhisthAne hrdi marutam
AksaAmupari
mano'pi bh bhrooomadye, skalamapi,
bhivvaA kulapathim
sahsrAre padme saha rahasi patyA
viharase.
Here the six chakras of Kundalini are explained. Mooladhram, represents pritvi (earth.) Manipurakam (water), Svathistanam -
agni tattvsm. in Anahata in heart, represents Vayu (air). Visuddhi represents Akasa tattvam. Ajna (between eyebrows) mind tattvam. When one go through all these in the sushumna, one can witness the 1000 petalled lotus, and in that secret place, Amba is playing with Sadhasiva.
To attain Samadhi in this manner is called Shatchara Vedhanam, or Andhar Yagam.
continued.....
Friends,
An excerpt from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
Monday, January 1, 1883
At eight o'clock in the morning Sri Ramakrishna was seated on a mat spread on the floor of
his room at Dakshineswar. Since it was a cold day, he had wrapped his body in his
moleskin shawl. Prankrishna and M. were seated in front of him. Rakhal, too, was in the
room. Prankrishna was a high government official and lived in Calcutta. Since he had had
no offspring by his first wife, with her permission he had married a second time. By the
second wife he had a son. Because he was rather stout, the Master addressed him now and
then as "the fat brahmin". He had great respect for Sri Ramakrishna. Though a householder,
Prankrishna studied the Vedanta and had been heard to say: "Brahman alone is real and the
world illusory. I am He." The Master used to say to him: "In the Kaliyuga the life of a man
depends on food. The path of devotion prescribed by Narada is best for this age."
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."
A boy six or seven years old entered the room. The Master himself became like a child. He
covered the contents of the basket with the palm or his hand, as a child does to conceal
sweets from another child lest the latter should snatch them. Then he put the basket aside.
Suddenly the Master went into samadhi and sat thus a long time. His body was transfixed,
his eyes wide open and unwinking, his breathing hardly perceptible. After a long time he
drew a deep breath, indicating his return to the world of sense.
Vision of Divine Mother
MASTER (to Prankrishna): "My Divine Mother is not only formless, She has forms as
well. One can see Her forms. One can behold Her incomparable beauty through feeling and
love. The Mother reveals Herself to Her devotees in different forms.
"I saw Her yesterday. She was clad in a seamless ochre-coloured garment, and She talked
with me."
"She came to me another day as a Mussalman girl six or seven years old. She had a tilak on
her forehead and was naked. She walked with me, joking and frisking like a child."
Namaskar.
Friends,
An excerpt from The Talks of kAnchi mahAswAmi on Soundarya Lahari:
"How could Adi Shankara, who preached the jnAna mArga, have promoted this work (Soundaryalahari) of bhakti? It cannot be his",” say some who profess ‘Philosophy’. But our Acharya was not a professor who isolated philosophy as a separate discipline. Having written very profoundly on advaita and its deepest implications in his several commentaries and the other works of his, he promoted the spiritual pursuit of the common man by writing and talking about the need to follow one’s swadharma by Karma and Bhakti.
His intent was to raise the common man from his own level. For this purpose he went from one pilgrim centre to another all his life and composed hymns after hymns and also established yantras in temples.
The philosophers argue: JnAni says everything is One. But Bhakti can happen only when there is the duality of the devotee and the deity. Therefore, they say, the jnAni can never be a bhakta. These philosophers cannot themselves claim to have the Enlightenment of advaita !
But there have been those who could have so claimed, like the sage Suka, Madhusudana Saraswati or Sadasiva-brahmam. If we carefully study their lives we will know that they had been devotees of God in the fullest sense of the word and have themselves written works of Bhakti.
Even in our own times Ramakrishna Paramahamsa has been a great devotee of Mother Goddess. Ramana Maharishi has done works of devotion on God Arunachalesvara".
Namaskar
Friends,
" In your metaphysics you have denied personality to the Deity, yet when the devout motions of the soul come, yield to them heart and life, though they should clothe God with shape and color. Leave your theory, as Joseph his coat in the hands of the harlot, and flee"-Ralph Waldo Emerson.
It is interesting to read what Sri Ramakrishna says to prAnkrishna in the excerpt that I have posted.He knows that the 'Fat Brahmin' is an out and out vedantin.He is challenging him by saying how he sawthe Divine Mother in various forms;At first he is saying that in one of the forms ,she is clad in an ochre colourseamless(Not stitched,not Manmade-Ravi)robe!
Lest prAnkrishna think that it is on account of sri Ramakrishna being a Hindu,so he 'imagined' that the Divine Mother was dressed in 'Ochre' colour.
So,to pre-empt this possible thought in the mind of the 'VedAntin' he is sayin-'I saw her as a Muslim girl and she was naked,meaning that he(Sri Ramakrishna)had not 'imagined' it and that it was simply a case that the Divine can 'assume' forms and give darshan to a devotee;that these forms are as real as this world in which we live and move in,nay perhaps more real than this!
In most scenes in The Gospel,it is interesting to see how the Master is pitching his teaching to challenge the mindset of the devotees at times and also how he strengthens the same when he deems fit!
Sitting amidst the Brahmos who did not believe in God with a Form,he says-'Oh Mother,come,sit;You have come dressed in Benares saree!'
Like this,there are quite a few interesting behind the scene 'pranks' of the Master in The Gospel aimed at softening the solidified mass of Ignorance of the Devotees.
Namaskar.
Navratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari - Verse 10:
sudhAdhArasAarais charanayugaAntar
vigalitaih
prapancham sincanti punarapi
rasAmnAya mahasah
avApya svAm bhoomim bhujaganibham
adhyusta valayam
svamAtnAnam krtvA svapisi kulakunde
kuharini
What is in the macrocosm is in the microcosm. When Amba unfolds herself as prapancha or cosmos, what exists in it as the mahabutas and the mahat which is the mahamanas that orders the worlds in it, if one practices yoga these can be experienced in one's Kundalini chakraa. The mahamanas unites in the sahasradala lotus with Brahman that is Siva and one obtains non dual realization.
The experience if Advaitik rasa becoming the experience of amrta rasa us dealt with in Verse 10. The rasa if realizing Advaita, Amba grants in and the individual Self who receives it. There is no difference between the three. This phenomenon us beyond description and it is only a formality that it is called rasAnubhava.
On the face of the moon Amba's divine feet will appear as the feet
of our Sadguru. It is from them
indeed that ambrosia flows.
continued......
Navratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari: Verse 11.
In Verse 11, Acharya describes the Sri Chakra. Each deity has his or her own yantras. But many perform pujas to Siva and Vishnu with a bana and saligrama respectively. Those who worship Subrahmanya will have small spear to represent him.
If you take the tantra pertaining to any deity, you will find that there is a mantra as well as yantra for the same. If you keep chanting sounds, arranged in a particular order, and acquire perfection in sequence of sounds is what is called mantra.
chaturbhi srikanthaih svayuvatibhi
panchabhirapi
prabhinnAbhih sambhorna vabhirapi
mulapraktrtibhih
chatustvAmrimasad vasudala kalAstra
trivalaya
trirekhAbhih sArdham tava
sarnakonAharinatAh.
chaturbhi sri kantai - four Siva chakras. panchabhirapi - five Sakti chakras. Totally nine. The moolakarana tattvas is your pedestal, and these are Sri Chakra's angles. vasudhla - eight petals. and then sixteen petals. There are three circles. Three outer lines. Totally it comes to 44, including bhindu, the dot at the center.
continued.....
Ravi,
The point I am making is Thakur did not get a hand out.He had no
1)worldliness left in him
2)He STRIVED day in and out, all nights towards the end.
So Effort(includes effort of Tyaaga/renunciation) is everything and YOU must do this.Nobody I mean no power in this Universe will pick up your shit(karma).
That is why Vivekananda said what India needs is not a Krishna of the Gopis but Krishna of the Yuddha.
Without 'EFFORT by YOU' everything else will not work and there is no path without
1)Effort and
2)by YOU.
True Love(Bhakthi) is obedience to commands.
1)So who will obey these commands?
It is YOU.
2)How?
by constant Effort by YOU.
Bhagawan said what he likes is for us to Realize.He is not asking us to sing praises for him everyday nor will he be fooled by that.
Another point I was making is communal celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi was started by Tilak to encourage sense of community with an eventual aim of overthrowing the British.But today look at Ganesh Chaturthi in big cites.How many thousad caricatures of Ganesh and where is the devotion today.Yes most need a Song but when that becomes a Drama and Family Drama and and then like Serials then that is when it has become superstition.
You also keep saying best thing in Kaliyuga is Bhakthi but Buddha and Bhagawan were born in Kaliyuga. Again I never see Bhakthi or Jnana as a Choice.People only discuss this as an after analysis but almost nobody says right shall I take up Bhakthi or Jnaana.So the question of comparision does not arise.People compare them out of ignorance.There is also Sraddha in Buddhism as well as Guru and Sangha which is the same as Bhakthi.Instead of roting Vedas/Mantrams they rote Vinaya rules and such.
Finally it not about what Buddha,Thakur or Bhagawan said.What is
1)acceptable to you AND that
2)which is inline with what the Wise say
Both the above TWO conditions should be met.That is your Dharma.Each one will arrive at this grounding.What takes much much longer is the confusion created by Fundamentalist that my way or highway or confusion created by Ignorant people with so much literature.That is why Reality is only Forty Verses and 'Talks' is two books.Talks is about clearing the confusion created by what was supposed to help us.Once we know this our Fundamentalism will drop off on it's own.This Fundamentalism helps for getting rid of Tamas but once that objective is achieved it becomes an obstacle.This is what Buddha calls clinging to Views and Practises.The Cunda Siversmith sutta talks about this:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an10/an10.176.than.html
The last point was the point of sangha is to share what was useful to us personally and an acceptable limit of harmless entertainment and like minded networking.But if Subramanian is writing things becuase he has now exhausted all Ramana literature and what not and all Siva temples in Tamil Nadu then that is not good for anyone much less to him.This is somuch anti Summa Iru and so anti-Bhagawan.
Regards and no hard feelings please.Gud Luk.
zee,
Will you please translate your post for me in two or three sentences?
Namaskar.
Ravi,
Leave it.Thanks.
zee,
"This is somuch anti Summa Iru and so anti-Bhagawan"
Friend,If Subramanian's posting here is like what you have described above,what to say about our resenting it? :-)
What compels us to read it:-)
You suggested 'gardening' as a good alternative;our friend has said that his legs are affected and he cannot walk much.Wonder whether he can do gardening assuming he has a garden to tend to.
I am not sure whether you intended him to take the cue from 'PoosalAr'.I will post the story of poosalAr(lest you dub it as anti Bhagavan,I will copy it from Ramana smriti)and sometimes 'Entertainment' pleases the Lord more than all rotiocinations and pragmatism.
Namaskar.
Friends,
Here is the story of poosalAr as narrated in Ramana smriti:
IN Tinnanur, an ancient town in Tondai district, there dwelt a
Brahmin, Poosalar by name. His mind forever fixed on Siva's
feet, he grew in love and learning day by day and spent his all
in service to His devotees.
Wishing to build a temple to the Lord, he tried to raise
funds. But try as he might, he failed. In grief he pondered,
"What shall I do?" He resolved at last to raise within his heart
a temple to his Lord. From far and near he fetched in fancy,
little by little, stone and metal and other building material.
Skilled masons and sculptors too he engaged and instructed
in thought. And at an auspicious hour, he dug the ground and
laid the foundation stone. Devoted, busy, sleepless even by
night, he watched the temple grow, part by part and layer by
layer, gateway, tower and central shrine, all planned according
to the rules of Agama, and wrought in detail with the minutest
care. On top of the domed turret over the holy of holies he
installed a stone a cubit long. And so with hard, steady effort
of the mind, he completed the structure, plastered chinks with
lime, dug wells and tanks, put up the outer walls and fixed in
his mind the auspicious day and hour for consecrating the
shrine and installing the Presence.
The Pallava King had built in the city of Kanchi a mighty
granite temple and appointed a day for the grand ceremony
of its consecration. But, on the night preceding, the Lord
appeared to the King in his dream and said, "Poosalar, my
friend, has laboured lovingly for many months and raised a
temple for me in his heart, and I must be there tomorrow at
its consecration. So postpone your temple ceremony to some
later day".
The King awoke, eager to visit Tinnanur and greet this
favoured servant of the Lord. He reached the place and
enquired of the people, "Whereabouts is this temple built by
Poosalar"? But they all said, "We know of no such temple".
Then he sent for the leading Brahmins of the town and asked
them, "Who is this pure and perfect man, this Poosalar"? They
answered, "A Brahmin of that name does dwell in this town.
We shall go and bring him, Sire". But the King would have
none of it. Instead he went himself to the man's house and
falling at his feet, asked, "Where is your famed temple? Today,
I know, the Lord comes there to dwell. And at His bidding I
too have come, to meet you and greet you on this day".
Staggered by this speech, the Brahmin said, "If the Lord
pleases, the world shall know," and told the King the story of
the building of the temple thought by thought. The King heard
it all, fell again at the good man's feet, and marched back to
Kanchi, accompanied by his army with drums and trumpets.
Poosalar regularly performed the daily pujas in his ideal
temple in the prescribed manner and in the end attained the
feet of the Lord.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Namaskar.
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari: Verse 12.
tvadiyam soundaryam tuhinagirikanye
tulayitum
kavindrAh kalpante kathamapi
virinchi prabhrtayah
yadAlokutsukyAd anaralalanA yAnti
manasA
tapobhir dusprAoApAmapi girisa
sAyujya padavim.
Amba's beauty is incomparable. It keeps one arrested. 'oorsuRRu uLam vidAthu unai kaNdu adangita un azhagaik kAtttu Arunachala...' says Sri Bhagavan.
Whether a poet can describe Amba's beauty? He the poet or poet-devotee must himself see that beauty and must be fully aware of it. If you ask whether anyone gas seen Amba's beauty, the answer is No. If the poet has not seen Amba and her beauty, how can he describe it to others?
Though many devotees have had darshan of Amba, She does not reveal herself fully. She shows herself only for a brief moment, like a flash of lightning.
Amba shows the beauty of her entire person only to one, her husband, Kameswara. Even celestial beauties like Rambha and Urvasi have seen only a tiny fraction of Amba's beauty and have become shameful in comparing their own beauty with Amba's.
Then how do the celestial beauties and other devas see the beauty of Amba? It is only by getting Siva Sayujyam, oneness with Siva so that they could also see Amba's beauty.
Of course it is quite difficult to attain Siva Sayujyam. But they attain it at least mentally to see the beauty of Amba. mAnasa... girisa-sAyujya-padavim.
continued......
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari - Verse 13.
naram varshiyAmsam nayanvirasam
narmasu jadam
tavApAngAloke patitam anudhAvanti
satasha
galAdvenibandhAh kuchakalasa
visrasta sichayA
hathAt trutyakAnchyo vigalita
dukuoolA yuvatayah.
Here Amba's side glance is described. When a devotee gets her sideglance and thereby her grace, even if he is old, dull witted, not good looking, nor eager in sexual
sports with women, the young women would rush towards him, with their tresses loosened, and the upper clothes covering their breasts falling, and their saris falling from their position, with deep sexual interest towards him.
Here the whole verse is having paribhasha, i.e allegorical meaning. Not that women would rush towards such a devotee, but all Saktis (women), all capabilities like writing poetry, speaking attractively, remembering many things at the same moment, (ashta vadhAnam etc.,) would automatically come to him, because of Amba's side glance and grace contained in it.
continued...
Navratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari: Verse 14:
ksitau satpanchasad-dvusamadhika-
panchasadudake\
hutAse dvAsashtis-chatuadhika-
panchasad-anile
divi dvihsattrimsan manasi cha
chatuhsastiriti ye
mayookhAs tesAm apyupari tava
pAdAmbuja-yugam.
Here Amba is depicted as embodiment of Time. She also transcends Time.
MooladhAra is Bhumi tattvam. It is said to have 56 rays as per Saktas. Manipuraka is Jala (water) tattvam. It is said to have 52 rays. Swadhishtanam is Agni (Fire) tattvam which has got 62 rays. Anahata is Vayu (Air) tattvam. It is said to have 54 rays. Visuddhi is Akasa (Space) tattvam and has got 72 rays. Ajna is manas (Mind) tattvam and has got 64 rays. On top of all these, Amba's feet are shining.
All the 6 adhAras are under time. Amba's feet are beyond time. Here,
it is further purported:
Mooladharam is Vasata rutu - Spring. 55 days.
Manipurakam is Krishma rutu - Winter season. 52 days.
Swadhistanam is Varsha ruru - Monsoon season. 62 days.
Anahatam is Sarat rutu - autumnal season. 54 days.
Visuddhi is Hemanta ruru - Misty winter season. 72 days.
Ajna is Sisira rutu - Summer season. 64 days.
Totally there are 360 days representing a lunar year.
Amba's place of residence is beyond
all these time concepts as She transcends Time.
continued......
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari - Verse 15:
Sarjjyotsana suddhAm sashiyuta
jatAjuta makutam
vara trAsa trAna sphatikaghutika
pustaka karAm
Sakrnaa tva natvA kathamiva satAm
sannidadhate
madhu ksrira drAksA
madhurimadhurinAh phanityah.
Amba is Sarawati, Lakshmi and Durga. All are her forms. Amba is the sister of Vishnu. Lakshmi is the sister of Brahma and Saraswati is the sister of Iswara. All sisters in a house look alike. But here Acharya says that all the three are one and the same.
In this verse, Amba is described as Vagdevi or Saraswati. She is picturized as having japa mala and a book on her two hands. Sarada if Sringeri is considered as Saraswati. She is called Bala, depicted in some pictures a young girl. There is also a Bala Mantra.
Her face is like moon light.
Those who constantly pray to Amba as Saraswati, they will acquire ability to speak honey and grape juice like speech. They become great poets. Kalidasa is said to have prayed to Maha Kali in Ujjain and she came as Saraswati and spilled milk and honey on his tongue. He became a great poet.
Amba's all the three forms are one and the same, Brahma Vishnu Sivatmikaya Namah | This Name comes in Lakshmi, Saraswati and Durga Ashtottaram, to signify this.
continued....
Ravi,
I already know the story of the Brahman counting the visitors of the Prostitute and I posted it here when others complained the same in the past.I know it is a medical condition but thought I try and say.If not we who will?
Regarding how to decide what is good for us.I remember Subramanian's posting of Sri Osborne about Buddha in regards to 'Become an island unto urself'.Then I said the article by Sri Osborne was poor quality becuase he did not include all the conditions as listed below in the Kalama Sutta:
******
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.065.than.html
"So, as I said, Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, "This contemplative is our teacher."
(1)When you know for yourselves that,
(2)"These qualities are unskillful;
(3)these qualities are blameworthy;
(4)these qualities are criticized by the wise;
(5)these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering" — then you should abandon them.' Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said.
*****
All the above Five conditions should be met to decide whether a thing is good for you or not.This is the Beauty of Buddha.He is very detailed and comprehensive and covers all issues and very practical and goal oriented.Does posting here increase or decrease your unskillful qualities in the long run?
zee,
"Does posting here increase or decrease your unskillful qualities in the long run?"
It Seems to decrease unskillful qualities!:-)
Did you not edit and leave out references to 'm'(actually it was 's')and subramanaian that you had posted earlier and removed that post?:-)
Friend,do not take the posts here seriously as if they entirely represent the one who posts.These are like the conversations of fellow passengers travelling in a bus/train journey-If one finds something interesting one may respond to it;or else one may draw out a 'Book' and dip into it;Or else share some peanuts and change the topic!
Namaskar.
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari - Verse 16.
kavindrAnAm chetah kamalavana
bAlAtaparuchim
bhajante ye santah katichidarunA-
meva bhavatim
virinchipreyasyAta arunatara
sringAralahari-
gabhirAbhir vAgbhir vidadhati
satAm ranjanamami
After mentioning Amba as Vagdevi, a white complexioned and sattvic goddess, Sarasvati, here Acharya speaks of goddess in her rajasik aspect in which she is deep red in
color. Before sunrise the eastern sky is read and we call it Arunodaya, the rise of Aruna; aruna meaning red.
In the minds of great poets, Aruna is rising as a sun in the lotus gardens. Those great poets who pray to Amba in the form of Aruna, such poets attain words for their poetry, as if Sarasvati herself is staying in their tongues. Their sweet words come out as floodtide
of sringAra and make all the listeners quite happy.
Amba herself is prayed as Sarasvati and Aruna here. The great poet Kalidasa and also Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni are examples of such divine poets.
continued......
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari - Verse 17.
savitribir vAchAm sasi mani sila
bhanjga ruchibhir
vasinyAdyAbhis tvam saha janani
samchintayati yah
sa kartA kAvyanAm bhavati mahatAm
bhangiruchibhir
vachobhir vAgdevi vadana kamalAmoda
madhuraih.
In this verse, Acharya speaks the immense benefits of learning that will be obtained by meditating on Lalita Tripura Sundari, surrounded by VagdevatAs (the deities of speech). Vagdevi in singular denotes Sarasvati. But Vagdevis in plural denote eight forms of them. These are-
vachini, kameswari, modhini, vimala, aruna, jayini, sarveswari, and kaulini.
Acharya says: O Mother, the poets whose words are shining cool, as if from a chandrakanta stone, (a stone which absorbs moon rays at night, and emits them) are the one who contemplate and pray to the eight Vagdevis. Their poetry is as sweet and fragrant as Sarasvati's words, from her fragrant tongue. They only become great epic writers (
like Valmiki and Vyasa.)
continued......
Friends,
Last weekend I was in Ramanashram. Sat (13th) happened to be Pradosham. The pooja at the Shrine was very good. I heard the singing of Ribhu Gita in Mother's shrine during noon. Such a beautiful work. The words in tamil are very simple yet profound. The singing in chorus is also very mesmerizing. The words keep hitting you on your head again and again the same truth. I wonder why Ribhu Gita is not as well known as others. I heard of it only after I got interested in Bhagavan's teachings.
Giri
I am currently reading "letters from Ramanashram" by Suri Nagamma. An excellent source for Bhagavan's teachings. Unlike Talks and other works where we read only in the form of Q&A, here we understand through the writer's eyes Bhagavan's reaction to the devotee's questions as well as to their behaviour. In many instances it is clear how hollow the devotee's questions are. His disapproval to ritualistic behaviour is very evident. For instance, in one letter he makes fun of 'pradakshina' of the ashram by Suri Nagamma. (letter no:41). His explanation about 'pradakshina' is so clear. Yet,even now, we see devotees going round and round the shrine (including me, which is very addictive).we like to stick to these for comfort forgetting the true 'tatva' of Bhagavan's teachings.
Giri
A Technique of Maha Yoga:
A.R. Narayana Aiyar:
VASANAS:
When a thought occurs and passes off, it leaves an impression on the subconscious mind; when the same thought occurs again it underscores
the original impression and if the same thought frequently occurs, the impression becomes deeper and when it goes a good hold, the thought recurs uninvited. These impressions recorded in the subconscious mind take a seed form and sink deep into the heart at the time of death, and do not perish. They carried over to the next birth as Vasanas or purva samskaras or latent tendencies. They in right time, sprout from the Heart (Talks 108). The Self safe guards these vasnas in its closest proximity within itself, the Heart,
just as a miser keeps his valued possessions within himself and never out of contact. (Talks No. 402). When a Vasana is released from the Heart and comes to play, it is associated with the light of
the Self and the person is said to think. It passes from the heart to the brin and on its way the transformed thought grows more and more until it holds sway all alone; for the time being, all other Vasanas are held in abeyance. When the original Vasana has spent itself, another more insistent and waiting Vasana takes the field and occupies the mind and so on. (Talks 616).
Reverting to thought impressions, it must be stated they determine the character of the individual. They make or mar a spiritual man. when thoughts of God and of kindness to fellow beings engage the mind and predominate, they elevate him and gradually lead him
to ripeness for spiritual discipline and later to eminence in the spiritual field.
Contrarily, selfishness, indifference to the sufferings of others, envy, egoism, anger and hatred lead to vindictiveness, cruelty, and the primary savagery of man. Persons as they advance in their age, if they are not careful of their thoughts and persist in the old, crooked and cunning and lustful ways, become cantankerous and insufferable and people avoid them. They suffer hell even while alive. If these evil samskaras are carried over to the next birth, it is not hard to divine the nature of
of the child and God in His wisdom places them in families and environments suitable to his nature. (BG XVII).
The only easy remedy to get over all these evil propensities is recourse to japa and constant remembrance of God. These will sublimate all evil tendencies and change the individual completely. There need be no doubt about this.
In Jagrat (waking) state, when a man is idle his mind is kept engaged by these latent vasanas. The mind is never idle. It is like a running mill wanting grist to grind and the vasanas supply it.
In the Arunachala Ashtaka, in the sixth verse, addressing the Heart,
Sri Bhagavan says, "Thou art Thyself, the One Being ever aware as Self Luminous Heart. In Thee, there is a a mysterious Power which without Thee is nothing. From it proceeds subtle mists, which, illumined, by Thy Light of Consciousness reflected on them, appear within as thoughts, whirling in he vortices of prarabha (nigazh vinai chuzhal), later developing into the psychic worlds, and, projected outwardly, as the material world transformed into
concrete objects, which are magnified by the outgoing senses, and move like pictures, in the cinema show. Visible or invisible, Oh, Hill of Grace, without Thee they are nothing.!"
continued.......
A Technique of Maha Yoga:
VASANAS - continues......
Incidentally, this gives the key to the saying that all manifestations including world, body etc., are objectified thoughts and are therefore not real.
So the Vasanas transformed into thoughts obstruct the aspirant during meditation. So long as Vasanas remain and are not completely destroyed realization cannot be achieved. These Vasanas can be obliterated only by concentration on that which is is free from Vasanas, that is, the Heart. (Talks. No. 28).
The seekers aim should be to drain away the Vasanas from the Heart and let no reflection obstruct the light of Consciousness. This is achieved by the search fro the source of the ego. (Talks 616). This is the direct method. The state free from vasanas is the primal state and the eternal state of purity.
On another occasion speaking about the scheme of liberation, Sri Bhagavan said, 'Just as water in pot reflects the enormous sun within the narrow limits of the pot, even so the vasanas or latent tendencies of the individual acting as the reflecting medium, catch the all pervading light of Consciousness arising from the Heart, and present in the form of reflection of the phenomenon called the mind. Seeing only the reflection the Ajnani is deluded into the belief that he is a finite being, the Jiva. If the mind is introverted, through Self Inquiry, into the source of Aham Vritti, the 'I-thought', Vasanas become extinct and in the absence of the reflecting medium, the phenomenon of reflection, namely the mind, disappears, being absorbed into the light of the one Reality, the Heart, (Maharshi's Gospel Volume II), incidentally, it may be mentioned that this is why the Jiva or the individual self is called the reflected Consciousness (chidabhasa).
Viveka Choodamani Verse 276 says, that Vasanas get extinct to the extent to which the mind is absorbed in the Heart.
Contemplation of one's own Self uninterrupted by ideas of external
objects, is necessary and thereby
the instinctive tendencies of the
mind which are the causes of birth and death are put down. Until the sole idea of the Self naturally and
without effort flows in continuous current, contemplation should be practiced. Then the Vasanas perish. All the Upanishads direct a man to kill Vasanas by contemplation of the Self."
continued......
A Technique of Maha Yoga:
VASANAS - continues.......
Mandukya Upanishad directs the fixing of the mind on the ardhamatra or the last syllable of the mental articulation of the sound OM and remaining thought free which is virtually fixing the mind on the Heart.
The Bhagavad Gita VI 25-26 says. "With resolute will, gradually get the mind fixed on the Self and obtain mental stillness; thereafter remain thought free. Whenever the mind gets outward, bring it back and establish it on the Self."
SroI Bhagavan instructing Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni on tapas said: If, when a mantra is repeated, one keenly watches where from the mantra sound emanates, the mind will get absorbed there. That is tapas.
Sri Bhagavan also said in Who am I?, 'To keep the mind turned within and abide in the Self is Atma Vichara.'
Again in Upadesa Sara, Verse 10, He says, "To abide at the source of the ego, that is the Heart, is Karma, Bhakti, Yoga and Jnana."
Abiding in the Heart means to keep the mind focused on he Heart and remaining thought free.
Here it should be stated that Heart, Atma, Brahman, Self, Spirit, Guru, Void are synonymous. So als Jiva, mind, ego, chidabhasa, reflected consciousness, sukshma sarira are all synonymous.
Just as the ether in the pot is no other than the all pervading ether, the Self in the Heart of every individual, is no other than the all pervading Supreme Spirit or God or the Self.
concluded.
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari - Verse 20:
(I am skipping verses 18 and 19).
kirantim angebhyah kiranA
nikurambAmrtarasam
hrdi tvAmAdhatte himakarasilA-
murtimiva yah
sa sarpAnAm darpam samayati
sakuntAdhipa iva
jvaraplustAn drstyA sukhayati
sudhAdhArasirayA.
This verse deals with freedom from various illness. Acharya prays to Amba contemplating Her as an idol made of chandrakanta stone (the stone that absorbs moonlight and emits cool rays) with flowing rays of amrita from all sides. She is called Amriteswari in tantra sastra. One who prays to Her in this form, attains all powers in his eyes and with his look, he cures all illnesses. This sloka is called GAruda prayoham, i.e such a devotee has got eyes like eagle and with his look he even cures snake bites.
It is said in Srimad Bhagavatam, that Mahavishnu in order to safeguard Himself from the poisonous effects of hala-hala poison (at the time of churning the milky ocean) prayed to Amriteswari.
Amriteswari is also called Tara, who is said to take people to Devi's Chintamani gruha.
continued......
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari: Verse 22.
I am skipping verse 21.
bhavAni tvam dAse mayi vitara
drshtim sakuranAm
iti stotum vAnchan kathayati
BhavAni tvamati yah
tadaiva tvam tasmai disasi nija
sayujya padvim
mukunda brhmendra sphuta makuta
nirAjitapadAm.
Bhavan is one of the names of Siva. BhavAni means Amba. The verse says: One who calls Her bhavAni tvam (BhavAni,you) and contemplates on Her even without completing, 'save me by your Grace', She confers such a devotee Sayujyam (being one as Her) that makes even Vishnu, Brahma and Indra, to prostrate to him with the shining brilliance of light of their head gears touching his feet!
continued......
Navratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari: verse 23:
tvayA hrtvA vAmam vapur aparitrptena
manasA
sarirArdham sambhor aparam api
sanke hrtam abhoot
yad etat tavdroopam sakalam arunA-
bham trinayanam
kuchAbhyAm Anamram kutila sasi
choodAla makutam.
Acharya says: I have a feeling that, unsatisfied even after having
appropriated the left half (vAma bhagam) of Sambu as Ardhanariswara (a form half man and half woman), You have also invaded his right half also; for Your form that shines in my heart is totally crimson in complexion and slightly bent by the weight of the two breasts, besides having three eyes and the crescent moon in the diadem.
This is the Ardhanari tattvam of Tiruannamalai. In the Ardhanariswara (androgyne) form, Siva's left side is depicted in the shape of Devi, in color, contours, etc., appropriate to those of a woman. Amba and Siva are conceived here as half and half of the deity, and thus Siva and Sakti are here of equal importance. Prakrti is Devi and Purusha is Siva, the Absolute Being. Power and power holder are identical like fire and its brilliance - distinct but not different. Acharya however, finds in his meditation, that in the form that manifests in his heart, the features of the Devi are like crimson complexion, breasts and three eyes, the crescent moon in the crown etc., have invaded and overshadowed the white color of Siva, thus making one feel that She has absorbed Siva into Herself.
This gives ground to the doctrine of of Sakta sect known as Kaula Marga, who maintain that in the creative cycle Sakti has absorbed the Siva tattva and She alone need be worshipped.
Sri Neelakanta Diskshitar says in Ananda Sahara Stvam, (101): Parvati! You only make the three worlds, rules over them and finally destroys them. Whether Siva knows it or not, I do not know. Because you are with Him as Ardhanari, Sruti calls Him as Father of the Universe.
Acharya says that both are capable of conferring equal grace to devotees. By meditating on Siva or Sakti, one can conquer the lust and be free.
continued......
A Technique of Maha Yoga:
A.R. Narayna Aiyar:
PRAYER:
Devotees are of two kinds, viz., saguna upasaka and nirguna upasaka. that is -- devotees who worship God with form and those who worship God with form. There devotion us terned annya bhakti and ananya bhakti, respectively, that is devotion to
God external to oneself, and devotion to God not external to onself. (Upadesa Saram). Saguna upasana nust precede nirguna upasana. The individual who is mostly not ripe enough cannot go for nirguna upasana. Constant repetition of praises or stotras of the chosen god which enrapture him and remembrance or constant appropriate japa are successive steps leading to ananya bhakti.
Prayer is always resorted to by
saguna upasakas. India is studded with temples, the deities of which have been famous from ancient times for the grant of boons to devotees. Tirupati, Pahani, Madruai, Srirangam, Tiruchendur, Chidambaram and Rameswaram in South India an numerous other temples in the country attract devotees all the year around, where vows are taken and solemnly fulfilled. Even today prayers of the devotees of these deities are granted in a measure more than desired and anticipated.
With the maturity of saguna upasana the individual is automatically led into the nirguna upasana stage. With the cultivation of the worship of the inner Self by meditation and later by the intensity of such meditation, communion with Inner Self is established. Prayer, thereafter seems superfluous for every thing is done in the fullest measure, for the sadhaka, unasked.
Lord Krishna says, 'I take over the
interests and welfare of those who worship me as their Inner Self.'
BG IX 22. Though there is a deeper
meaning for the verse, the above is sufficient here.
If any attempt it made by the nirguna upasaka in his advanced stage, to pray for anything for himself or his dear ones, he is foiled in his attempt; for just then the mind stocks still, unable to formulate one word of prayer. When this frustration is experienced two or three times, his prayer resolves into 'Oh Lord, Let Thy will be done.'
******
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari - Verse 26.
This is a beautiful verse, showing the imperishable nature of Sakti and Sivam. The idea is also described by Manikkavachagar in his Tiruvachakam.
virinchi panchatvam vrfajati harir
Apnoti viratim
vinAsam kinAso bhjati dhanado
yAti nidhanam
vitandri mAhendra vitatir api
sammilita drsha
mahA samhAre 'smin viharati sati
tvat patir asau.
Brahma is reduced into elements. Hari retires into permanent passivity. KinAsa (Yama, the god of death) himself dies. Kubera the god of wealth meets with his end. And Indra with all his followers (other devas) closes his eyes in destruction. When such, O Sati (chaste consort of Siva) is the state of all beings, at the time of total dissolution (maha pralaya) of the universe, You and your consort Siva are sporting!
continued......
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari: Verse 27.
Here the attitude of devotees of high attainment, Jivan Muktas is described.
japo jalpah silpam sakalam api
mudrA virachanA
gatih prAdaksinya karamanam
asanAdy'Ahuti vidhih;
pranAmah samvesah sukham akilam
AtmArpana drsa
saparyA paryAyas tave bhavatu yan
me vilasitam.
May everything that I do with the sense of self dedication be items in Your service - my prattle the utterance of Your mantras. The movements of my hand, the gestures and poses of Your worship. My walking Your circumambulation. My eating, fire sacrifice to You. The stretching of the body in sleep and rest, prostration to You. And all my enjoyments, offerings made to You.
For worldly people, there is necessity for formal pujas and worships to get Amba's Grace. For Jivan muktas, the Self Realized persons, there is no need for any formal worship. All their activities are only offerings to Devi.
The same idea is also described in Siva Manasa Puja of Sri Sankara.
continued........
Some gold nuggets from Papaji :
Only preoccupation with what is not real keeps you from realizing the Truth of who you are Here and Now.
Desiring anything else, anything that comes and goes, is foolish.
The wise one does not do this,
So love the Lord with all your heart.
Method is an impediment to love,
a postponement of freedom, and an insult to peace.
Use no method, simply identify as That.
Many methods may take you to Anandamayakosha, and end at this subtlest of veils, yet there is an enjoyer of bliss.
Pre-dawn light is not the Sun,
bliss is not the totality of Understanding,
it is the turning toward your own Face,
and is the direct 'practice' to know your Self.
There is no attainment
and no cultivation of original nature.
You are consciousness, not a farmer!
Why work for that which you already are?
Do not mentate, do not stir a thought,
Trying to get out of superimposed bondage,
which is the notion that you are separate Existence,
you will land in superimposed Freedom.
Dharma means not holding onto any concept,
so the supreme dharma is to reject all dharmas.
If you reject everything what will happen?
All the burdens of all the religions and concepts
will fall from your Mind,
bringing you to the perfect Peace and Love,
and this is your Dharma.
~ Papaji
Viswantha Swami Day - 22.10.2012.
Murray Feldman:
Today is Viswanatha Swami's Day liberation day. He is a hidden gem.
Viswanatha Swami first came to stay with Sri Bhagavaan when he was about 19 years old. His father Ramaswami Iyer was a first cousin of Sri Bhagavan.
I had considerable time to spend with his great devotee of Sri Ramana Maharshi from April 1976, until he became ill and passed away at the age of 75 years on 22nd October 1979. How he came to Sri Bhagavan has been written about elsewhere. Here I attempt to show how he exemplified, so wonderfully and devotedly the teachings of Sri Bhagavan.
When I first came to the Asramam in 1976, I sought out Mrs. Osborne to hear about Sri Bhagavan and to discuss His teachings and their practical application. She told me that I should visit an unassuming older devotee by name of Viswantha Swami who, except for his work on Mountain Path, was living quietly at the back of the Asramam in the side room of old dispensary.
I found his room next day near the dispensary and went to visit him around 4 pm. Timidly approaching his open door, I saw a grey bearded
man sitting quietly on his bed with his legs dangling and staring straight ahead. I asked him if he was Viswanatha Swami. He nodded and gestured me to enter and sit on the bench opposite him. I asked him a question about the application of Who am I?. He did not look at me but said very tenderly, 'Sri Bhagavan's teaching is one of the Heart.' At that moment he closed his eyes and a beautiful delicate
silence filled the room. I too closed my eyes and we sat together in this stillness. Time passed very quickly and after about an hour, he opened his eyes and gestured me to leave. He said that I could come next day around the same time, if I wished to. This was the beginning of an extremely beautiful and important period in my life. I had planned to stay only for 4 days in the Asramam but nothing pulled my heart elsewhere during the next couple of years! I am sure that it was to a large degree Viswanatha who made Sri Bhagavan come alive for me. It is very true that Sri Bhagavan's presence is profoundly felt at for me. It is very true that Sri Bhagavan's presence is profoundly felt at the Asramam but Viswanatha Swami brought Him alive as a Guru in the flesh.
After that remarkable first day, I went to visit Viswanatha Swami daily. For two months, he hardly spoke anything to me. But after that, he told me many stories of being around Sri Bhagavan. He represented Him in such a beautiful and true way. His love for Sri Bhagavan and His teachings were evident in his words and his manner and he often mentioned how still and beautiful Sri Bhagavan was.
continued......
I would like to put up the famous song by Kuvempu, a famous kannada writer. He is given the title "Rashtra kavi" and this song is considered his "vishwa manava sandhesha" - the Message of humanity.
O! nanna chetana
aagu nee anikEtana||
Oh My spirit, set roots nowhere!
roopa roopagaLanu dATi
nAma kOTigaLanu meeTi
edeya biriya bhAvadeeTi
Transcend all forms,
transcend the million names,
Let the heart overflow with inspiration..
nooru mathada hoTTa toori
ella tatvadelle meeri
nirdigantavAgi Eri
Throwing out the hundreds of faiths,
cross all philosophies and
fly beyond the horizons..
elliyU nilladiru
maneyanendu kaTTadiru
koneyanendu muTTadiru
O! anantavAgiru
Never stop,
never settle in a nest, never reach the end,
Be the endless...
ananta taan anantavAgi
Agutihane nityayOgi
ananta nee anantavAgu
Agu Agu Agu Agu
Being the endless,
one becomes the "nitya yogi"
You are infinite, be the infinite,
Just be it, be it....
(Own translation. Mistakes to be excused..)
Giri
Viswanatha Swami - continues....
During those two months, effortlessly
peace became my constant companion.
And I had the opportunity to sit with Viswanatha daily, and to watch him with other people. Asramam workers, old devotees, and others would come in and talk to him about their problems. He gave advice, medicine, money, food and patience to all those who came for help. He was always surrounded by a wonderful peace. Even his movements seemed silent. I began to feel that he embodied a culmination of the three yogas. deep devotion, Jnana, and effortless self service. He constantly gave to others in such a kind way without any hesitation.
After a period he allowed me to spend more time with him and we started to do pradakshina together. These were wonderful times as he brought Ramana so alive on these walks. He would point out the places where Bhagavan would sit and it was easy to imagine Ramana in these places. Once when we were walking, he said, 'People say that Parvati walked here. This I don't know about but what I do know is that Bhagavan Himself walked along this very place where where we are walking now.' Words cannot explain the love that was in his voice as he said this. When Viswanatha walked, he was quiet. He walked perfectly straight, rarely looking to the right or left. Just silently walking. One time when we did giri pradaskhina in the rainly season he showed his love for Ramana by reminding me of the gift of this beautiful rain that Bhagavan was giving us. We laughed and laughed with joy at this gift. When we arrived late at the Asramam, we went to get food and Balu served us with equal joy. Viswanantha spoke with great affection about Balu and how he loved to serve the devotees.
continued......
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari - Verse 35:
Since all 100 verses, cannot be covered in 10 days, I am taking up Verse 35 today.
manas tvam vyoma tvam marud asi
marut sArathir asi
tvam Apas tvam bhumis tvayi
parinatAyAm na hi param:
tvam eva svAtmAnam parinamyitum
visva vapushA
chidananda'akaram Siva yuvati
bhAvena bibhrshe.
Here Amba is contemplated as representing all the five elements of nature as also the mind. She is Sakti and Sakti is there in all elements of the world / universe.
While Sivam (Brahman) is achalam, non moving, Sakti is full of activity.
You are the Mind. You are AkAsa. You are also Fire. You are Water, and Earth too. When You have transformed Yourself in this way, into the form of universe, there is nothing beyond not included in You. It is to transform Yourself into the universe, that You assumed this form of Consciousness-Bliss as Siva's Sakti (His Sakti).
The universe in its subtle and gross forms is described here as the transformation of Sakti. Though undergoing actual transformation, into all these elements in their gross macro-cosmic aspect as the universe, and in their subtle micro-cosmic aspect as the six chakras in the body, She is not lost in the effects unlike milk when it becomes curd, but retains Her identity as the Supreme Will, described here as Consciousness Bliss (chidAnandAkaram).
In Tamizh Nadu (one in Andhra Pradesh) all the five elements are represented by five large temples. The Earth tattvam is represented as Kanchipuram with Kamakshi and Ekambaranatha. In fact, Ekambara Natha idol is made of sand and clay, thus representing Earth. The Water (Jala) tattvam is represented by the temple of Akhilandeswari-Jambukeswara in Tiruvanaika, near Tiruchy. Here the Lingam is small only about 8 inches and this is always surrounded by water!
The Agni (fire) tattvam is represented by Tiruvannamalai where Unnamulai and Annamalai are in the temple. Not only the Hill but also
the town is quite hot even today, thus indicating agni tattvam. The Akasa (Space) tattvam is represented by Thillai or Chidambaram, where Nataraja and Sivakamavalli are in the temple. The entire Hall of Consciousness, Kanaka Sabha, is representing Akasa tattvam. In Kalahasti, in Andhra Pradesah, the main the temple representing Vayu (air) tattvam the deities are Kalhasti Natha and Parvata Valli. Here there is only permanent lamp lit by oil and the flame is always oscillating but never extinguishing, thus showing the air and movement.
Amba who is in all these temples are also in our Mind for worship.
continued.......
Saraswati Puja in Asramam:
During Sri Bhagavan's time, once Sarasvati puja was celebrated. The books from the shelf were taken out and arranged on a table near the sofa with flowers decked over them. Sri Bhagavan, was as usual sitting on the sofa. Muruganar came a little late and he looked at the arrangement of books and also Sri Bhagavan alternately. He immediately composed a poem. (This poem is one among the many that were lost.)
It says: I see the doll of a human being made out of crystallized sugar cane juice. I also see the crushed sugar canes on the other side. When the doll of crystallized sugar cane juice is there, who will care for the crushed sugar cane sticks?
Everyone laughed. Sri Bhagavan said: The sugar cane sticks are only to remind from where the doll of crystallized sugar cane juice is made!
********
Viswantha Swami Day - 22.10.2012:
continues.....
Once he told me how Sri Bhagavan came to hi s room in the middle of the night knocking on his door. Sri Bhagavan said to him: 'Quick, quick, let's go for pradakshina before anyone else finds out.' The two of them walked together and Sri Bhagavan gave him teachings along the whole circumambulation of the Hill. Viswanatha had such a beautiful smile when he told me about this. He did not smile a lot but when he did his whole face beamed and and when he laughed his whole body laughed.
Viswanatha always encouraged me to visit the places in the area that were associated with Sri Bhagavan. He would ask me if I had visited the places like Mango Tree Cave, PavazhakunRu and Turtle Rock (Amaip pARai) where Sri Bhagavan had His second death experience.
Once I did not visit Viswanatha for two days as I had dysentery. I was staying in a small hut at Saraswati Nilayam and was shocked and very touched when, who should I see approaching me at 4 pm but Viswanatha Swami! He said, with a smile and a chuckle, 'Mohammed has not not come to the Mountain, so the Mountain has come to Mohammed.' He gave me some chyavanaprash as a general tonic. After that, he said, come we are going for a walk. I said I had dysentery but he replied that I would be fine. Needless to say, I was fine. After walking for a while, I asked where we are going. He told me, 'It's a secret and you will like it.' We walked out of the town to a small shrine. This was Gurumurtham, one of the places where Sri Bhagavan had stayed in His early days. Viswanatha Swami showed me the indentation in the wall, where Sri Bhagavan had sat for long hours. Viswanatha was always ready to talk about Sri Bhagavan and His teachings.
continued.......
Viswanatha Swami Day - 22.10.2012:
continues......
During one period, I became very sluggish and dull. I decided to do a retreat in Hyderabad with the well known Buddhist meditation teacher Goenkaji. When I returned from this retreat several people were critical of my need to go away. This disturbed me so I thought I would ask Viswanatha Swami about it. I went to the Asramam in the morning planning to see him in the evening. As I started walking up the steps by the bookstore, I met Viswanatha as he was coming out of the Asramam office. He looked at me, smiled, and asked if I wanted to go for tea. It was a hot summer's day, and he was carrying his umbrella. As we were talking out of the Asramam, bells started to ring. Viswanatha said, 'Sound comes out of silence, and sound is sustained in silence, and sound returns to silence, silence is all.' We drank the tea and I thought this was a perfect time to talk with him, but I felt shy. We walked back to his room and he said, 'Come into my room, there is an article I want you to look at for Mountain Path.' He gave me the perfect opportunity but I still felt shy to do so. After I had read the article, he asked for my thoughts on it. He then asked me if I had anything else to say and I said no. He said to come back around four. As I left however, he called me back and said, 'Hey, you, what do you want?' I was amazed how Sri Bhagavan had so wonderfully set the whole thing up to help remove my doubts and worries. I told Viswanatha about the Goenka meditation that did and how the meditation emphasizes the purification of the latent (unconscious) mental tendencies. He looked at me sweetly and slowly started to lie down on his bed. As he was lying down he said, 'I know nothing about the mind and its tendencies. all I know is, be asleep to it all.' I am sure to this day that his face changed complexion, almost becoming grey, and he started to snore. I was sitting there and he was snoring. At that moment, an Asramam worker came in to see Viswanatha. He saw Viswantha sleeping there and he promptly lay down on a bench as well and started to snore. I decided to lie down too on the bed beside Viswanatha and went into a deep deep silence. After a while, I became aware of the noises around us and looked. Viswanatha was rising from the bed and staring at me. He said very pointedly, 'Do you understand?' The Asramam worker was still snoring, Viswanatha laughed and said, 'He does.'
As I read over these few words, I see that they just cannot convey the beauty of this great devotee of Sri Bhagavan. His love for Sri Bhagavan and his gratitude to Him shone in every action he did and in a every word he uttered. It is strange that we never spoke about Viswanatha's initial meeting with Sri Bhagavan, but everything he said and did reflected his love and devotion. Sitting quietly at the back of the Asramam in his room, he truly was a hidden gem.
concluded.
Self Realization:
Devotee: How can I attain Self Realization?
Maharshi: Realization is not something to be gained afresh, it is already there. All that is necessary is to get rid of the thought 'I have
not Self Realized.'
Stillness or Peace is Realization.
You are already That.
Maharshi's Gospel.
*****
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari -
Today is the 10th day, after 9 days of Navaratri Pujas. Today is called Vijaya Dasami. The books kept in puja yesterday, are taken out and read, be they school books for children or spiritual books for others.
I shall cover Verses 99 and 100 of the work.
Verse 99:
SarasvattA LakshmyA Vidhi Hari
sapatno viharate
Rateh pAtivratyam sithilayati
rameyna vapushA
chiram jivann eva ksapita pasu pAsa
vyatikarah
paAnand'Abhikyam rasayati rasam
tvad bhajanaVan.
It is here stated how the true worshipper of Devi is blessed with all good things of life and also attain the supreme bliss of liberation while living.
O Mother! A devotee of Yours sports with Saraswati (learning) and Sri (wealth) and thus courts the jealousy of their consorts, Brahma and Vishnu. By the charm of his body, he attracts the attention of Rati, the wife of Manmatha (god of love) and thus violates her chastity. And with beginningless ignorance-born bondage of Jivahoood
broken, he is immersed in the supreme bliss of Brahman even in this long lived embodied state.
The verse thus states that Devi awards to a true devotee of Hers learning, prosperity, charm of personality, longevity and bliss of spiritual realization.
continued.....
Navaratri Prayers:
Sri Soundarya Lahari Verse 100:
pradeepa jvAlAbhir divasa kara
nirAjana vidhih
sudhAsutes' chandropala jala
lavair arghya rachanA
svakiyair ambhobhih salila nidhi
sauhitya karanam
tvadiyAbhir vAghbhis tava janani
vAchAm stutir iyam.
In this concluding hymn, Acharya shows his humility and also propounds the grand idea of all inclusiveness of the Divine.
Just as doing Nirajana (light waving ceremony) to the Sun is only the offering of his own light to him. Just as making an offering of Arghya (water oblations) to the moon with water that oozes out of the moon stone in contact with moon light, is only give back what belongs to the moon and just as making water offering (tarpana) to the ocean is to return what belongs to it, -- so is, O Source of all learning, this hymn addressed to You composed of words that are already Yours.
concluded.
Into the Jaws of the Tiger:
Barbara Croissant:
(Mountain Path, Oct.-Dec. 2011.)
As a child, the religious tradition of my family did not work for me. I was looking for a direct, honest, and practical way to deal with my life, especially with persistent feelings of very piercing loneliness and emotional abandonment. These feelings were with me, despite having caring parents, and no physical hardships to endure. Without knowing it, as a young adult I started meditating on my own, without any instructions, finding temporary stillness in contemplating moving clouds or the flow of water.
A great turning point occurred in my life in 1990, when my son Nathan was six years old. I was taking a vegetarian cooking class when, on a nearby table of books, I saw one by Ekanath Easwaran entitled Conquest of Mind. Those words were electrifying, and drmatically made me aware of an intense inner longing, -- that I could end tyranny of my negative thoughts. After that class, I read all of his books, became a vegetarian, and started to meditate daily. I went to Easwaran's Ashram, the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, in Tomales, California for several years, bringing my family with me. A marvelous and very gifted teacher, he was extremely kind to me and encouraged my budding interest in Eastern approaches to spirituality. He gave, mangoes and special attention to my son, who enjoyed having free reign at the ashram grounds. At times he included me in his inner circle. I remember siting next to him once, feeling quite overwhelmed by ashram politics that were stirred up around a major building project. Easwaran turned me to me and, with great sweetness, said not to worry about all of that but to focus on why I was there. That immediately reassured reassured me and helped me put things in perspective.
One day I was home alone in my room. After meditating on inspiring poetry I had memorized, the thought 'What is behind the worlds?' came upon me with great force. It was a thought, that had been brewing for a long time because it is felt very familiar Only its expression was new. It grabbed me and dug into my very being.
continued.....
In the Jaws of the Tiger:
continues......
Not long after that, in 1993, I attended a lecture on Hinduism at Easwaran's Ashram in California. When Jnana was described, I felt a sudden jolt, and the hair on my back stood on end. Atterwards, I asked the speaker who was the greatest guru of that path, and he told me Sri RAMANA MAHARSHI. So, I looked for books to read and found out the famous Welling Bust. It was like a magnet, and looking into those eyes. I felt at last, the peace I had been looking for all my life.
At this point, Joan Greenblatt came into my life, supplying me with books and encouragement. She and Matthew (her husband) thought I should visit Sri Ramanasramam, and offered to write me a letter of introduction to Balarama Reddy, one of the great devotees, in Sri Bhagavan's inner circle, which I accepted. So I took leave of my family, and, solo, boarded a plane for India. That was in 1995.
I will never forget my sense of wonder, I felt on the ride from the airport to Tiruvannamalai. It was pitch dark and the air was crisp. I could barely see human and animal forms silently moving in the distance. Through the darkness, the whole scene was foreign to me, but in an exciting way, making me feel, as if I were in a dream. And above me were stars, bright and penetrating, like witnesses to a dream.
Balarama Reddy welcomed me immediately and treated me both like an old friend, as if we knew each other already, kindly taking me under his wing. He asked me questions and invited med to come to his room every afternoon, for meditation, which I did until my departure. He arranged for me to go around the Hill for the first time with a young girl who was a close friend or relative. He directed me to always merge the mind into the Heart, and reassured me that, with perseverance, I would succeed.
I kept to myself and remained silent most of the time, which was a surprising healing experience. One day, as I was entering into the dining hall, I looked up and saw Sri Ramana's face staring down at me in a very direct and personal way, with eyes full of kindness and compassion. I immediately felt the words - 'So you have come.' It melted me completely and inundated me with indescribable peace.
continued......
In the Jaws of the Tiger:
continues.....
Before my departure, I managed to meet Kitty Osborne at her home near the Asramam. She kindly served me tea, and we talked. My purpose in seeking her out, was to express my gratitude for her father's words and example. Arthur Osborne was especially inspiring to me, since he made it clear that one could be devotee, without being a Hindu or lover of ritual. He put Sri Bhagavan in perspective like no one else I had read at that time, and consistently touched me with the depth and clarity of his thinking.
When I returned home, I continued to practice on my own by reading Sri Ramana Literature, and meditating daily on the Wellling Bust photo. In addition to being a wife and mother of an only child, I was working in a highly competitive environment as a manger in the central administration of the Smithsonian Institution. At the time, the attraction of the cultural world was my belief that art, music and literature had the potential of transcending the material world. The challenge to my life was to see if I could survive, that is, stand somewhat steady throughout the constant storms around me. Looking back on that period of my life, some days were good and other were not so good. Nonetheless, I could not have managed without Sri Bhagavan, who was my supreme and unfailing refuge on a daily basis, helping me through challenges I thought I could not overcome.
In 2000, a great personal disaster stuck. My husband abandoned our marriage of 24 years for reasons he obviously sincerely believed in. The anger and mental anguish I experienced was truly life threatening. I did not have relatives living nearby to comfort me, but by Sri Bhagavan's grace, a neighbor, whom I barely knew befriended me the very day, my husband left. Her support through years was a great gift. Another gift was connecting three years later with other devotees, through
the Satsangh in Washington D.C. Being in the company of people with whom I did not have to feel defensive about having a guru with an amazing relief.
continued......
The Miracles Do Happen:
This morning when I wanted to pay
the Electricity Bill, which is normally paid by cheque and the security stall collects the cheques for all the 140 flats and pay them of in the BESCOM, Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Office which is about 3 kms. away. The security office staff collects Rs 2 for each flat.
When I checked up for my cheque book it was missing. I became restless. I prayed to Sri Bhagavan what could have happened and He should only solve the problem. Restlessly, I was typing some posts in David's and Graham's blogs. In between my mind was always in cheque book. I searched my comp. table where I keep cheque books and wallet along with books, but of no avail. In the meantime, we were doubting our servant maid who while cleaning and washing must have taken it. Or I might have lost it in one of my outings to the Bank.
I prayed to Sri Bhagavan: Do something before tonight. I cannot even sleep peacefully tonight. There could be a lot of post loss
works like going to the Bank and reporting loss of cheque book and asking for a new one. They may demand a letter. The cheque books are to come from Manipal which is a centralized cheque distribuytinng center for all State Bank of Mysore
clients. So I cannot get cheque book for a week. Meantime, someone might have encashed some leaves for which Bank is not responsible. What
is the way out. Only yesterday, my
son had informed that he has sent Rs 5 lacs for our expenses.
No way seems to be out. Today is also a holiday for Bank. I cann't do anything today.
O Bhagavan, I prayed:
chy ena thallil sei vinai chudum
alAl
Uyivahai ethu uRai, Arunachala!
nin eri eritthu enai neer Akkidumun
nin aruL mazhai pozhi Arunahchala!
en bolum deenarai inbuRak kAthu nee
ennALum vAznthu aruL Arunachala!
My wife said that she will search for places where I do not normally keep the cheque book. In the book almirah, along with some old wedding invitations, this cheque book was also held! At last it was
available at 5.50 pm. In the meantime, I made a sin of doubting my servant maid! Sri Bhagavan should forgive me for that also.
O Bhagavan! Your Grace for the suffering is immeasurable. Miracles do happen even today!
Subramanian. R
A Final Prayer to Devi on the closure of Dasara:
The Names of Lalita:
Ramesh Menon:
Rohygya Kra
na radhyA, we worship you,
with night's ritual;
the secret devotion of
limbs aflame, entwined in the dark.
Rahastarpana
tarpita, who delight in
the wild offerings;
who transmute body's lames
into the fire of stars.
You bring the taintless
bliss, untouched by dark sorrow
who bring salvation;
Nivana sukha dAyini,
you bear the chalice of life.
This poem is loosely based on tanka form 5 lines. A tanka is a haiku with two extra 7 syllabled liknes. The lines have 5/7/5/7/7 syllables in that order.
Subramanian. R
Friends,
Today being Vijaya Dasami, I am posting a story about the Mother. I came across these stories in a book by Swami Swahananda of the Sri Ramakrishna Math. (I have slightly edited the story to shorten it).
1 Mother helps as daughter :
Ramprasad was a Sakta mystic of the 18th century. He had composed hundreds of songs about the Divine Mother.
Because of his deep love, the Divine Mother blessed him with Her visions.
One day, Ramprasad was mending the bamboo fencing around his house. It required the help of an assistant to turn back the thin rope from the other side of the fencing.
He was engaged in singing about the Mother and was expecting his daughter to come and do the job for him.
When he began the work, he was helped from the other side in tying the knots of the fencing. Joyful like a child in the thought of the Mother, Ramprasad carried on.
After some time, his daughter came and was astonished to see the progress of the work. On inquiry, Ramprasad found out that the daughter was inside the house till then, engaged in some other work.
He understood then, that it was the play of his chosen Deity to bless Her child in that way. With great emotion, he composed and sang a song immortalizing the event :
‘O mind, why are you away from the lotus feet of Mother ?
Think of Mother, O mind, bind her with the rope of devotion; you will have liberation
You could not see Her, O mind, in spite of the eyes, how unlucky are you !
To play with Her devotee, Mother came in the form of his daughter
And tied the fencing of his house !
Whoever meditates on You with concentration will realize You, O Mother Divine
In his last moments come once as his daughter and tie the fencing of Ramprasad.’
Thank you,
shiv
In the Jaws of the Tiger:
continues......
When I retired in 2002, I had an overwhelming desire to return to Tiruvannamalai, with my son, Nathan, who at that time was a religious study major at Brown University and a newly-converted Catholic. It was important for me to show him the context of my own practice, to which head been a witness, without much choice, throughout the years. Once there, I realized there was another equally important purpose for the long journey. I was coming come to Sri Bhagavan for His Grace and for His comfort. Although, I felt His presence at home, it was an especially intense experience at the Asramam. One afternoon, lying on bed alone in my room, His compassion flooded by being until my longings for comfort were satisfied. I also felt He was telling me to stop grieving and to go to the place that is beyond pain.
On the same trip, was able to visit, with my son, Sri Bhagavan's birth place and His uncle's room in Madurai, where the great event of
His realization took place. On my own, I visited the Temple at Thanjavur, which had a great hold on me. I was passionate about the Chozha bronzes in that city, having already been exposed to them in the art world. My taxi driver took me to a family foundry, where one of the family members greeted me warmly and it turned out he exhibited his bronzes at the Smithsonian's annual summer Folklife Festival and knew one of my colleagues who directs the Festival. I told him I wanted a small Parvati and chose one his uncle had made. He was satisfied with my choice and told me she was waiting for me on the shelf for many years. I believed it and still do. On the trip back, as Nate and I were having coffee at the airport in Frankfurt, suddenly I saw sitting next us my colleague whom the sculptor had met. He was amazed by the story of the encounter and the purchase I had made.
continued......
In the Jaws of the Tiger:
continues.....
In 2009, I again returned to Sri Ramanasramam, this time for a more extended visit that involved a project I had volunteered to undertake. While working on the project, I spent time meditating both in Old Hall and at Skandasramam. One day, returning from the cave, with a purified mind and heart, the moment felt strangely familiar, and I was convinced that I had down that path
many times before, after having spent time in His bodily presence, and that His presence had made me understand and experience a higher state of mind, free of the ego, and that I had vowed then to do anything that would keep me there. During that visit in 2009, I was only retracing those steps and revisiting that vow.
Before leaving the Asramam, I had made an appointment with V.S. Ramanan, the President, so that I could discuss with him my progress on the project I had undertaken. Since the project presented many difficulties, I was full of anxiety. As soon as our conversation began, however, a great peace came over me. The President did not ask me a word about the project but smiled glowingly and wrapped me in his love. He looked into my eyes and said not to worry, that I was in the jaws of the tiger, from which one does not have the liberty to retreat. There was nothing else that needed to be said.
Looking back on my life and practice, my quest had always been an unrelenting search for inner stillness and an end to various forms of mental suffering, for which Sri Bhagavan aloe has provided steady and unfailing guidance and relief. For me, He has always been the sole source of peace, and He has become, without a doubt the center of my existence.
continued........
In the Jaws of the Tiger:
Throughout the years I have had some unforgettable experiences that have proven to me His constant presence. For instance, once I found myself in a very dangerous situation, and as I feared for my life, Sri Bhagavan's sweet, shining face suddenly appeared. It gave me the presence of mind to escape danger and filled me with the certitude that, as my sole refuge, He would always be there for me.
On many other occasions, I have been in difficult positions when someone mysteriously appears, eliminates the problem, and then disappears. For instance, once I was leading a group of sophisticated and demanding professionals in the art world, on a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's great iconic masterpiece in Pennsylvania, Fallingwater. On the way, the bus driver got lost. Everyone was getting increasingly restless, and it seemed possible that we miss our appointed time for the tour. Everyone was hungry but, if we stopped, we would even lose more time. I started to panic inside. Just at that time, the driver found his way, and led us directly to a fast food restaurant. I was afraid we would not have time to get through inevitable lines. To my great surprise, however, as we drove up to the door, a lovely and gracious woman was there to greet us. She immediately arranged for our orders to be taken and we were back in the bus in record time. When I went to thank her profusely, she was nowhere to be found. The incident could have just been chance, but in my heart, I truly felt Sri Bhagavan's intervention. Stories like these are replete in Sri Ramana literature.
continued.......
In the Jaws of the Tiger:
continues.....
As my faith evolves, I have more fully realized the reality of predestination and learned to accept that, gradually letting go of an illusory sense of control. Depending always on Sri Bhagavan has become a liberating habit of mind I am increasingly grateful for. Three pillars of inspiration for me have been Sri Dakshinamurti, Sri Adi Sankaracharya, and Ganapati Muni. Working in the museum world, when stress seemed unbearable, I would go to the Freer and Sackler Galleries and stand in front of a beautiful stone sculptor of Sri Dakshinamurti. Waves of peace would wash me over, and the angst would be resolved in silence. Silence has always been the greatest ally of my soul.
My brother Richard now lives with me in the house I have occupied for 25 years. His presence and his example of a simple and truthful life gas been a great blessing. He is a scientist and an atheist and has in countless ways been a great teacher. My son is a very gifted journalist and writer on religious topics in New York. It is impossible to measure how much he has meant to me and how his life has been in inspiration to me and to others.
I spend my time walking in the woods, listening to Vedas morning and evening, reading Sri Ramana literature, gardening, cooking and learning Sanskrit. My current sadhana is to learn and to read spiritual texts without depending on translations. To do this, I have taken classes, from the American Sanskrit Institute, and more, recently, from an Indian professor
I encountered last summer. I mostly work on my own, referring to a collection of dictionaries and grammar books, although I have had the deep pleasure of reading Sanskrit with Santha Ramachandran, one of Professor Swaminathan's daughters. all of these experiences have been immensely fulfilling.
I am now learning Ganapati Muni's Sri Ramana Chatvarimsat in devanagari, after having thoroughly worked through Na Karmana so that I have an intimate relationship with every word. The Chatvarimsat tells us over and over again, of the sweet and powerful eyes that are shining from the other shore, and of he presence that removes all sorrows. As devotees all know, Ganapati Muni came to Sri Bhagavan for true knowledge and after having spent his life studying the Vedas and all holy texts. It was His eyes and His Presence that brought him to the tiny, sinless spot in the lotus heart, the spot that must be meditated upon.
concluded.
SANATSUJATIYA:
(Mountain Path, Jayanti 1999):
Sanatsujatiya contins the teachings of Sanatsujata, one of the four sons begotten by the power of thought of Brahma, the Creator of the universe. It is also called Dhritarasthra - Sanatkumara Samvada. This episode deals with Jnana (Knowledge).
The blind and aged king Khritarashtra was beset with fear as the clouds of war were gathering on the horizon. He cold not dissuade Pandavas from fighting for their rights. And his partiality for his own sons, the Kauravas, stood in the way of his forcing them to yield to Pandavas what was due to them. He spent anxious days and sleepless nights. It then occurred to him to send for his half-brother, the wise Vidura, whose words he hoped might comfort him. But they failed to remove his fear and anxiety. (The episode begins here.).
Dhritarashtra said, 'Vidura, your words are wonderful. If there is anything more, please tell me. I am eager to know.'
Upon this Vidura said: I am born of a sudra woman and cannot therefore speak to you about certain matters. I am prohibited from speaking about them.' Still he wished to enlighten Dhritarashtra with the Knowledge of Brahman. So, with the help of his yogic power, he made Sanatsjuta appear before them.
After duly honoring the Sage, Vidura said: Bhagavan, Dhritarashtra has some doubts which I cannot clear. Kindly, therefore, speak to him. On hearing yo9ur words he will transcend the cause of all misery like gain and loss, love and hatred, old age and death, poison like pride and delusion, hunger and thirst, fear and fearlessness, unhappiness and inertia, desire and anger, growth
and decay.'
Chapter I:
1. The learned and noble king, Dhritarashtra, wishing to attain
the Supreme State, approved the words spoken by Vidura and, taking Sanatsujata to a secluded place, asked him:
2. 'O Sanatkumara! I hear that according to your teaching, there is no death. But it is said that the devas and asuras led a life of brahmncharya with the object of transcending death. Which of these is true?'
Sanatsujata replied:
3. Some believe that one can attain the state of deathlessness by means of religious ceremonies. Others say that there is no death at all. O King, Listen to my words. Do not doubt them.
4. O Kshatriya! Seers say that ignorance or delusion and death have existed from the very beginning. I tell you forgetfulness of our true nature, is death. And constant mindfulness, immortality.
continued......
Sanatsujatiya:
continues.....
5. It is on account of their forgetfulness that the asuras were defeated. The suras (devas) became Brahman by being mindful of their own true nature. Death does not actually devour beings like a tiger,for no on has seen even its shape.
6. Some say that death is not what I say but Yama the immortal being, who dwells and inheres in Brahman. This god, Yama, they say, rules over his kingdom in the world of pitrs (manes) and that he is gracious to the good and stern to the wicked.
7. This death comes out of the egos of men in the form of anger, ignorance, and delusion. Following evil ways, as men generally do, under the impulse of the ego, hardly anyone attains union with the Self.
8. Being deluded and under its sway of death, they again repeatedly go there (i.e to Yama's place) when they depart from this world. But they come back to this world when their demerits are exhausted. Their senses follow them. Thus they go from death to death.
9. Action produces attachment to the fruits of action. And those who are enamored of it never transcend death. Not knowing how to attain union with Reality, embodied beings work purely for the sake of sense enjoyments.
10. This (working for sense enjoyments) is the delusion of the sense organs which makes one perpetually attached to unreal objects always thinks of them and is devoted to them.
11. A man is first overpowered by hankering after sense enjoyments. Desire and anger possess him next. These lead foolish men to death. But men of discrimination transcend death.
12. He who discriminates deeply and rejects these transitory pleasures, treating them with contempt and never giving a thought to them, becomes as it were, a slayer of death. A wise man overcomes his desires, in this manner.
13. He who submits to his desires, perishes along with them. But he who turns his back expiates his sins, if any.
14. The inert body is a hell for all beings. Those who are enamored
of it and pamper it are like blind who walk into places full of pits, thorns etc.,
15. O Kshatriya! Not knowing anything else, that is better, one does not learn what should be learnt. One's life then becomes worthless like a tiger made of straw. Deluded and terrified by anger and greed, one experiences death in one's own body.
16. One who knows thus the origin of death and is established in wisdom does not fear death. He annihilates death even as death annihilates one who is in its grip.
continued......
Sanatsujatiya:
continues....
Dhritarashtara asked:
12. The Vedas say that the happy, eternal and meritorious worlds gained by sacrifices performed by the twice born (brahmins) constitute the highest good. How then can an intelligent man abstain from such work?
Sanatsujata replied:
18. Only an ignorant man resorts to them. The Vedas describe the rewards gained from them. A wise man does not care for them. He following the right path, turning aside from wrong paths.
Dhritarashtra asked:
19. If it is true that the unborn and ancient Being creates all this and enters into it, compels Him to do so? What is His object? In what way, is He imperfect? O wise man! Kindly explain everything fully.
Sanatsujata replied:
20. There is great obligation to accepting another agency besides Brahman. When the unborn and ancient Being unites with what is beginningless Maya beings come into existence perpetually.
21. Or it may be that the Eternal Lord creates the universe because of His ability to transform Himself (vikara yoga) which is regarded as His power. The Vedas support this view also.
Dhritarashtra asked:
22. As some persons follow dharma and others what is not dharma, is dharma vaqnuished by what is not dharma or does dharma vanquish what is not dharma?
Sanatsujata replied:
23. It is well known that even while engaged in activity a wise man transcends both of them, dharma and adharma, or, good and evil, with his wisdom. It is also known that in regard to others merit is acquired by following dharma and demerit by doing evil.
24. He who does both good and bad deeps reaps their transient rewards in the other world. But the intelligent, man expiates his demerits by dharma. You must know that this is the better way.
25. Those brahmins who vie with one another in doing acts of dharma, become, when they die, bright beings in heaven, swarga.
26, But in the case of brahmins who do not vie with one another in doing acts of dharma, their acts become the means of acquiring wisdom. When they leave this world, they go to the heaven which is beyond the three worlds, or states, trivishtapa.
27. Those who are well versed, in the Vedas, consider the conduct of such a person good, although his relations and others and others may not esteem him much.
28. A true brahmin (lit. one who is like Indra among brahmins) should live where food and drink are plentiful like water and grass in the rainy season. He should be free from anxiety.
29. As he does not make himself known he may meet with threats and ill treatment in some places. But he should not anything to reveal his greatness. Such a man is truly great, not others.
30. The food offered by one who does not ill treat the unobtrusive sage, or rob a brahmin of his belongings, is regarded as pure by the pious.
31. A true brahmin should think: 'Let me always remain unknown.' When he lives with his relatives
he should not take excessive interest in anything.
32. Which brahmin can conceive of the inner Self devoid of all attributes, immutable, pure and free from all traces of duality?
33. He who regards the Self as other than what it really is, is a thief who robs himself and commits sin.
continued.......
Sanatsajutiya:
continues......
34. A true brahmin should not be overactive. Nor should he accept gifts. His conduct should be irreproachable and acceptable to the wise. Although learned he should not display his learning. Such a person is a knower of Brahman, a Seer.
35, Those who live by displaying their accomplishments are like dogs which devour their own vomit and thereby do harm to themselves.
36, Those brahmins who are poor materially but rich in Vedic lore, are invincible and unshakable. Know that they are Brahman personified.
37, Even a person who knows how to offer sacrifices to all the gods is not equal to such a brahmin. To him gods themselves make offerings.
38. If the serene brahmin is honored, he should not feel flattered. Nor should he be perturbed if he is scorned.
39. When he is honored he should think thus: 'Learned men honor me as it is their nature, like the opening and shutting of the eyes.'
40. When dishonored he should think thus: 'Foolish people who have not studied the scriptures do not honor one who is worthy of honor.'
41. The desire for honor (mana) and serenity (mauna) -- silence i.e silent quietude - do not go together. The former pertains to this world, while the latter relates to the other world.
42, O Kshatriya! As material prosperity is based on meritorious acts, it is an obstacle to spiritual well being, which is rarely attained by one who is not
truly wise.
43, The wise point out several difficult entrances to spiritual well being. -- truth, straightforwardness, modesty, sense control, purity and learning. These six are inimical to delusion and pride.
Chapter I - concluded.
Sanatsujatiya:
continues......
CHAPTER II
Dhritarashtra:
1. Who is in a state of true Silence?
What is true Silence? O wise sage! Kindly explain the nature of the true Silence. Does a learned man, O Silent Recluse, attain the state of
true Silence, by abstaining from speech? How is Silence to be observed?
Sanatjuta:
2. That which neither speech nor thought can comprehend is true Silence. That from which Vedas and the world arose is self resplendent, O King!
Dhritarashtra:
3. Does a twice born person ( a brahmin) who studies the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, and the Sama Veda incur sin when he does sinful acts or does he not?
Sanatjuta:
4. O intelligent man! Neither the Rig Veda, nor the Yajur Veda nor the Sama Veda will save him from the result of his sinful acts. I am telling you the truth.
5. The Vedas do not absolve from sins the hypocrite, who commits sinful acts. The Vedas abandon him just as nestlings desert their nests when they grow wings.
Dhritarashtra:
6. O wise sage! If the Vedas have no power to save one who studies them why do the brahmins always boast of their efficacy?
Sanatjuta:
7. This world, O noble soul, truly consists of special names and forms
of That (i.e Brahman). After reaching this conclusion, Vedas hasten to explain that, nevertheless, It is entirely different from the world. (that is, in spite of its appearing as names and forms).
8. It is realizing That, that austerities, sacrifices, etc., have been prescribed. By these a wise man acquires merit. After expiating his sins, by his merits, he becomes enlightened only through Knowledge.
9. The wise man realizes the Self through Knowledge. When he adopts other means it shows that he desires to enjoy the fruits of his actions. Carrying with him the reward of every act done, by him, in this world, he goes to the next
world, and enjoys it there. Afterwards he comes back to this world.
10. The reward of austerities (tapas) practiced in this world is enjoyed in the next. The austerities of true Brahmins are efficacious, while those of others are not so.
continued.......
Sanatsujatiya:
Chapter II - continues....
Dhritasrahtra:
11. How can extremely efficacious austerities be made perfect? Please tell me how I should understand this.
Sanasujata:
12. When austerities are not tainted by selfish motives, they become perfect. They also become very effective.
13. O Kshatriya! All these matters about which you are asking me are rooted in austerities. Those who truly know the Vedas attain supreme immortality by virtue of their austerities.
Dhritarashtra:
14. O Sanatsujata! You have told me about pure austerities. Now tell me about impure austerities so that I may know that ancient secret of austerities.
Sanatsujata:
15. O King! Twelve obstacles to spiritual progress, seven inglorious qualities and twelve good qualities such as knowledge are described in the scriptures and are known to the twice-born.
16. Anger, lust, greed, desire for worldly knowledge, cruelty, envy, pride, grief, longing for sense enjoyments, jealousy and contempt for others -- these twelve should always be avoided.
17. O Indra among kings! Each of these circles round a man waiting for an opportunity to assail him like a hunter stalking game.
18. One who always thinks of sense enjoyments, one who rises by pulling down others, one who regrets a gift made by him, one who is mean, who has little understanding, one who glories in sense enjoyments, one who hats his wife -- these are the persons in whom one finds the seven inglorious qualities.
19. Wisdom, truthfulness, sense control, scriptural learning, absence of malice, modesty, fortitude, absence of envy, observance of religious ceremonies, gifts, steadfastness, mind control -- these are the twelve great beneficial qualities to be cultivated by a brahmin.
20. He who never abandons these twelve good qualities can control the whole world. Those who possess three, two or even one of these will be gradually liberated and attain the state of Silence.
continued.....
Sanatsujatiya:
Sanatsujata continues.....
21-23. Self control lies in opposing the eighteen bad qualities, namely, falsehood, malignity, hankering after sense enjoyments, ill-will towards everybody, ignorance, discontent, hatred of the world, excessive pride, quarrelsomeness, cruelty, false accusation, talkativeness, vain regret, impatience, fickleness, lack of learning, doing sinful acts and violence. He who is free from these bad qualities, is regarded by the wise as a man of self control.
24. Egoism is composed of these eighteen bad qualities which are opposed to self control.
25. Renunciation is of six kinds, which are extremely good. The third is difficult by which one transcends misery and accomplishes everything.
26. Giving away one's son and wealth to a deserving and needy person is the first kind of renunciation. The second is making gifts in the course of religious ceremonies ordained by the Vedas and other scriptures, with a strong sense of dispassion.
27. The third, O Indra among kings, is the renunciation of desires. One who has achieved the six kinds of renunciation is a careful (i.e. mindful) person. Mindfulness consists of eight qualities.
(Note: Only three out of the six kinds of renunciation have been described. The text here seems to be incomplete.)
28-29: The bad qualities mentioned in connection with self control should be abandoned. The abandonment of bad qualities is brought about by mindfulness (apramada) which has eight characteristics, namely, truthfulness, contemplation (dhyana), samadhi, investigation (chodyam), dispassion, non stealing, celibacy, and non acceptance of gifts.
continued.......
Sanatsujatiya:
Chapter II - continues....
Sanatsjuta continues....
30. O Indra among kings! Be a man of truth. The worlds are based on truth. They are the faces of the truth. Immortality is based on truth.
31. One should turn away from evil and lead an austere life. This is the conduct ordained by the Lord. Truthfulness is the only virtue practiced by pious men.
32. When austerities are accompanied by the good qualities and are free from the bad qualities mentioned above they are very efficacious and perfect.
33. O Indra among kings! I shall answer your questions briefly. such austerities are pure and overcome sins, birth, old age, and death.
34. O Bharata! Happy is the man who becomes free from the distractions of the five senses, the distractions of the mind and the hauntings and fears of the past and future.
continued.....
Sanatsajutiya:
Chapter III continues....
Dhritarashtra:
35-36: Some brahmins talk highly of the five Vedas, including the Puranas among them, some talk of the four Vedas, some of the three Vedas, some of the two Vedas, and some of one Veda. Tell me which of these I should regard as the best brahmin?
Sanatsjuta:
37. O Indra among kings! It was because the one real Veda, the only truth, was not properly understood that several Vedas came into existence. Rare is the person who inheres in Truth.
38. He who knows the Truth is a truly wise man. Gifts, scriptural learning and religious sacrifices are motivated by greed.
39. The desires of those who deviate from truth remain unfulfilled. It is because Truth is not realized that religious ceremonies have been extensively prescribed.
40. A brahmin who studies much is to be regarded merely as a man of many words. Only he who does not deviate from Truth is to be regarded as a true brahmin.
41. O Best of men! The Vedas are themselves the ultimate authority in these matters. Therefore wise men (Aryas) who have studied the Vedas, follow them literally. They do not know what is to be known i.e Truth or Brahman.
(Note: This and the following two verses are highly alliterative with a play on the words vid (to know) and its derivatives Veda, Vedyam, (what is known) and Vedita (the knower). The meaning is not explicit.
42. There is hardly anyone who truly knows the Vedas (i.e. their import). What is known (object, non-Self, or intellect) can neither know itself nor the real import of the Vedas. He who knows the real import of the Vedas knows also what is known (the non self). He who knows only what is known (i.e. the non-Self) does not know the Truth.
43. He who truly knows the Vedas, knows also what is known, (the objective world). But neither the ?Vedas nor those who merely study them truly know Him (Brahman). Still, the brahmins who have studied the Vedas, try to know their import with the help of the Vedas themselves.
continues.....
Sanatsajutiya:
Chapter II - continues....
Sanatsjuta continues.....
44. Just as a branch of a tree is useful for pointing out the crescent moon, so also the Vedas, are considered to be indirectly useful for realizing the eternal and Supreme Self which is the goal of life.
45. I know that a person who is clever and can expound the Vedas is called a brahmin. But only he who knows the Supreme Brahman is a true brahmin.
46. This (Brahman) should never be sought for in what is not the Self (ie. body, mind, senses, or the external world). It is not to be looked for even in the Vedas. Only then does one see Him, the Lord.
47. One should silently meditate on Brahman, absolutely free from desires. Brahman will then reveal Itself to him and he will become the all comprehensive Brahman.
48. One becomes a Muni (i.e a silent recluse) by virtue of one's silent quietude, not merely by living in the forest. He who knows the Imperishable (Brahman) is the best of Munis.
49. One who brings out (vyakarana) all the meanings of the words is called grammarian (vaiyakarana). Bringing out or menifesting is really the work of Brahman. But it is also, as a matter of courtesy, attributed to a grammarian.
(Note: Here too, there is an alliteration. There is a play in this verse, on the words vyakarana (grammar) and vaiyakarana (grammarian) which cannot be brought out in translation. The meaning is not explicit.)
50. One who can clearly see (that is the various worlds like Bhuh, Bhuva, etc.,) all the worlds is a
seer of all (sarvadarsi). But the wise man who inheres in Brahman, the Reality, is a knower of all (sarvavid).
51. O Kshatriya! Even one who has acquired only the qualifications such as wisdom (mind control) realizes the Brahman. So also one who follows the method laid down in the Vedas (i.e sravana, manana, nididhyasana). This is what I say, O King!
Chapter II concluded.
continues......
Sanatsujatiya:
Chapter III:
Dhritarashtra:
1. O Sanatsjuta! What have you said about Brahman is very important. And comprehensive. Please therefore tell me also about the other transcendenal matters which are rarely spoken about.
Sanatsjuata:
2. O King! This Brahman you are urging me to speak about cannot be realized, by one who is impatient. The wisdom which arises when the intellect is completely quiescent and the mind entirely free from thoughts, is attained by living with a realized Sage and observing celibacy. (here the celibate student only).
3. You are talking about the primal and true wisdom which is attained by the virtuous through brahmacharya. On attaining it one turns away from the world of men. This wisdom is generally found in those who have learnt it from gurus.
Dhritarashtra:
4. O wise man! Please tell me what is that brahmacharya though which this wisdom is properly acquired.
Sanatsujata:
5. Those who go to the Achraya and are accepted by him as his disciples, practice brahmacharya and become authors of scriptural works (sastrakara). And then they leave their bodies they attain the Supreme Being.
6. The conquer their desires and wait patiently to realize Brahman. They clearly understand that the Self is not the body and detach it just one extracts the pith of the ishika reed from its outer layers.
7. Father and mother brig only this
body into existence. The birth which one takes from the Acharya is the true and immortal birth.
8. He (the guru) protects (the disciple) and makes him immortal. The disciple should not, therefore, knowingly transgress against him.
He should salute the guru daily. He should be eager to learn from him and be always attentive.
continued......
Today is Friday. In the Asramam, the
evening parayana will be of Sri Sankara's works, rendered in Tamizh verses by Sri Bhagavan. The parayana will go from 6.20 PM to 7.10 PM.
Two gems from Atma Bodha:
67. Because the sun of knowledge, the chaser of darkness has risen, the Atman shines in the expanse of the Heart, as the omnipresent sustainer of all and illumines all.
68. He who bathes in the clear, warm, ever refreshing waters of Atman, which being available everywhere, here and now, need not be sought for in special centers and seasons, such a one remains actionless. He is the knower of all. he pervades all and is immortal.
*****
Sanatsujatiya:
Chapter III -
continues....
Sanatsujata:
9. The learning acquired by following the conduct prescribed for disciple is pure (beneficial). This is said to be the first quarter of brahmacharya (course of study).
10. The disciple should conduct himself towards the Acharya's wife and children exactly as he would towards the Acharya. This is the second quarter.
11. He should always remember what the Acharya has done for him, recognize its value, feel that he has been fortunate in having him for his Acharya and be grateful to him. This is the third quarter of brahmacharya.
12. He should please the Acharya with his body, mind and speech, giving up even his life and property, if necessary. This is the fourth quarter.
13. One quarter is gained by coming to the guru, another by intelligent perseverance, a third by studying the scriptures and a fourth in course of time.
14. The twelve good qualities such as wisdom and other requisites (see II - 19,21-28) and strength of mind yield results only when one comes into contact with the Acharya. Brahmacharya becomes fruitful when one realizes union with Brahman.
15-16. The devas attained their celestial status through brahmacharya. The sages (rishis) became eminent through brahmacharya. The apsaras (celestial nymphs) living with the gandharvas became beautiful through brahmacharya. The Sun illumines the world by virtue of brahmacharya.
(Brahmacharya = Here the word would broadly mean of practicing discipline necessary for realization of Brahman.)
17. Just as one attains one's desires with the help of the wish-fulfilling gem (chintamani) so also they (devas and others) attained their present status by first realizing the value of Brahmacharya.
18. But they attained only worlds which are finite, not the Self, which is infinite. The wise attain that Eternal Effulgence, through wisdom (realization of Brahman). There is no other way of attaining it.
continued.......
Sanatsujatiya:
Chapter III continues.....
Dhritrashtra:
19. A brahmin of spiritual attainments (vidwan) sees within himself the colors white, red, black, silvery and bluish. Which of these is the color of the immortal and imperishable Supreme Being?
Sanatsujata:
20. It is neither white nor red, nor black nor silvery nor bluish. It is not found on earth nor in the sky, nor is it found in the waters of the ocean.
21-22: It is not found in the stars or the lightning or the clouds or the air or the gods governing the sense organs or the sun or the moon or the Rig Veda or the Yajur Veda or the holy Sama Veda or the rathantara (hymns in Sama Veda) or the brihadratha (again hymns in Sama Veda). It is realized within oneself by him who practices great austerities. (these have been detailed in Chapter II).
23. It is not possible to transcend It. It is beyond darkness (ignorance). Everything finally enters into It at the time of dissolution of the worlds. It is tinier than the tiniest and bigger than mountains.
24. Everything shines in Its Effulgence. The Knower of the Self perceives It by the yoga of Knowledge (Jnana Yoga). The entire world is based on It. Those who realize this become immortal.
continued......
Sanatsujatiya:
Chapter IV:
(Several verses in this chapter are cryptic as well as allegorical, reminding one of the Vedic hymns. The meaning is always not explicit.)
Sanatsujata:
1. That which is immaculate, a great radiant effulgence, supremely glorious, is meditated upon by the devas and makes the sun shine. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord. (Bhagavan)
2. Brahma the Creator emerges out of that Immaculate Being and flourishes by its power. That Immaculate Being shines in the midst of other shining ones. It is not illumined by anything but is self luminous. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
3. From the Whole emerges the Whole. Therefore it is said that what comes out of the Whole is the Whole. The Whole is taken away from the Whole. Still the Whole remains
Whole. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
4. Like space and sky and ripples in the Ganga, everything, moving and unmoving rises from Brahman and merges in It. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
5. (The subtle form of) water emerged first from Brahman. From it arose this body composed of the five elements. Within the space in the middle of it (the body) dwell the two shining ones, (the individual self and the Supreme Self). Facing each other and enclosing all the directions of space these two support the earth and heaven. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
6. Horses carry to heaven the bright, divine and immortal being seated on the chariot of the Immutable Being whose deeds do not perish. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
7. There is nothing which can be compared to It. None can see it with the eyes. Those who realize it with the mind, the intellect, and the heart become immortal. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
8. The moving assemblages of twelve (five organs of knowledge, fiver organs of action, the mind and the intellect) drink the honey under the protection of the shining one and, repeatedly hankering after it
wander about in terrible places. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
9. The bee drinks in the course of half a month, the honey gathered (during the previous half month). The Lord bestows upon all beings the sacrificial offerings (fruits of action) due to them. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
10. The fledglings resort to the peepul tree with leaves of gold. There they grow into birds and fly about as they like. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
continued......
Sanatsujatiya:
Chapter IV continues...
Sanatsujata:
11. The outgoing vital air (prana) absorbs the ingoing air (apana). The Moon absorbs the upcoming air. The Sun absorbs the Moon. The Supreme Being absorbs the Sun. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
12. The swan does not, while flying, raise one leg out of water. If it were to keep it raised always, there will be neither death nor immortality. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
13. The indwelling person, small as a thumb, always wanders about (in samsara) on account of his association with the subtle body (linga sarira). Ignorant persons do not perceive that shining and adorable primal being who pervades everything. Yogis clearly perceive Him,the Eternal Lord.
14. Just as serpents, after killing men, with their poison, hide themselves in caves, so also the sense organs, after beguiling foolish persons with pleasures, delude them and keep them perpetually in samsara. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
15. A foolish person does not realize the Self in himself and therefore flounders about in the well of samsara. He who ignores the Self and enjoys sense pleasures is truly an ass. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
16. This (the Self) is seen to exist in those who possess the spiritual qualifications as well as those who do not. It is the same in the state of Liberation and the other state i.e the state of bondage. Yet only those who are one which it enjoys Supreme Bliss. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
17. One who knows Brahman gains both the worlds. Even if such a person does not perform the fire ceremony (agnihotra) he gets the
benefit of it. Do not treat the knowledge of Brahman as unimportant. The wise attain that State which is called Absolute Awareness. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
18. The great Self described above, the Person (Purusha), swallows the fire. He who knows that person does not lose (the Self does not perish) his Self. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
19. Therefore one should always inhere in the Self. There is no death for such a person, so where is the question of immortality? Truth and untruth alike depend upon the One Reality. The origin of truth and untruth is one and the same. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
20. The indwelling person who is as small as the thumb and abides in the heart, is not perceived. He is unborn but moves about tirelessly, day and night. When one knows Him, one becomes the Enlightened Seer.
continues.......
Sanatsajutiya:
Chapter IV continues.....
Sanatsujata:
21-22: Vayu (the air) emerges from It and merges in It. Agni and Soma rise from It. Also Prana. That is the basis of all, that is Immortality and the worlds. That is Brahman. That is Glory. All beings rise from It and merges in It.
23, The Bright Being supports the
two shining ones (the Lord and the individual), the earth and heaven, he directions of space and the world. The quarters and rivers flow from It. The great oceans are controlled by It.
24. Even if one possessed thousands of wings and flew as fast as the mind, one cannot come to the end of that Prime Being. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.
25. It cannot be perceived by all. Those who are extremely pure in mind perceive It. The wise man who is free from the likes and dislikes perceives It clearly. Those who know It become immortal.
26. He who sees himself in all beings and is one with them everywhere, why should he grieve?
27. Just as one has no use for a reservoir when there is a big flood everywhere, so also a brahmin who knows Brahman (Reality) has nothing to gain from others.
28. I am your father and mother and am likwise your son. I am the Self of all that exists or has ceased to exist.
29. O Bharata! I am the old grandfather as well as the father and the son. You are all in me. But you do not belong to me, nor do I belong to you.
30. The Self is my abode. It is also my origin. I penetrate everything through and through. I never grow old. I am the support of all. I am unborn but am nevertheless active day and night. He who know me becomes an enlightened seer.
31. I am tinier than the tiniest, the pure mind dwelling in all beings and the father of all -- the wise realize me in the lotus (that is, the heart).
CONCLUDED.
The conduct of the Sadhaka:
1. Since non remembrance of the Real Self is itself death, the only observance binding on the seeker (of the Self) is taking care not to forget, and no other.
2. Since observances do help, the seeker should honor them. But if and when they become hindrances to the practice of the Quest, he should then omit them.
3. Since the doing of one's own routine duties conduce to the forgetting of the Self, is it necessary to warn him that he should not engage in actions concerning others?
4. Though the sadhaka may inadvertently disobey the injunctions of sacred lore, he should not, as a faithful disciple, be guilty of setting at naught what the Guru tells him.
5. The mightiest tapas (mental discipline) is to remain at peace, giving up egoism and the notion of doership (in actions), by the understanding that God does everything. (Peace of mind, not inaction, is here recommended.)
6. Though thus resigned to God's will, the Sadhaka should make efforts in the practice of the right method taught by the Guru, so long as he does not cease to be a sadhaka by the extinction of the ego.
7. Though there are many injunctions to be observed, the injunction to eat rightly is declared to be sufficient for sadhaka to win the Goal of the State of the Real Self, since it enhances the quality of sattva.
8. Bhagavan Ramana has stated that the belly curses those who eat without giving time for it to rest and recuperate.
9. The rule regarding taking food is that one should allow time enough for the belly (i.e. the stomach and other organs of digestion) to recuperate, and after that, when hunger comes, should eat measured and sattvic food.
10. Meditation on a Name or Word, worship of the forms of God and the like do help in the practice of the Quest, by rooting out the old taints of the mind. (Japa in the original means fixing the mind on a Name of God or a mantra.)
continued......
The conduct of the Sadhaka:
continues....
11. As the restlessness of the elephant's trunk is checked by a chain held by the elephant, so the restlessness of the mind, is corrected by meditation on Names or Forms.
12. Never desire for enjoyment abate by indulgence; on the other hand, it waxes more and more, as fire does with oblations; remembering this one should be wary.
13. So long as the ego is not dead, humility alone is good for a sadhaka; acceptance of obeisance from others is not good.
14. Since what is light floats on water, and what is heavy goes down, it follows that superiority is not to be inferred from being in a high position, nor inferiority from being in a low one - in a worldly sense.
15. The sadhaka who has given up the notion of the body being himself and thus does not think 'I have a family' is superior to the ascetic who thinks, 'I am an ascetic'.
16. A pot takes in water and sinks; a log does not take in water and does not sink; so too, who so is attached becomes bound; the unattached one is not bound, even if he remains at home.
17. As the regulating block is necessary for the proper running of a chariot, so afflictions are necessary to sadhaka for success in practice.
18. Oh Sadhaka! overcome afflictions with a cool mind, and the firm faith that they occur by the grace of God, to help to steady the mind.
19. It is better for the Sadhaka to be in a worldly position, arousing compassion from other men, than for him to be in a state envied by them.
20. When any act has become fruitful, do not become proud, thinking, 'This was achieved by my enterprise'; on the other hand, become convinced that God is gracious.
continued......
(Source: Guru Ramana Vachana Mala, by WHO).
The conduct of the Sadhaka:
continues....
21. When the desired success is not won, it should not be thought that the action has proved unfruitful; the fruit of it is just the understanding that actions become fruitful, in the usual sense, by the grace of God, not by mere human effort.
22. After doing a wrong action, one should not hide it from self-love, one should resolve to act rightly in future, avoiding faults.
23. If the Sadhaka overlooks the faults of others, and sees only their merits, and thus keeps his mind serene, his whole life will be pleasant.
24. To be unconcerned in all things, with the mind cool, desireless and without hate, is beautiful in a Sadhaka.
25. The Sadhaka's enemy hates the ego (in the Sadhaka) whom the Sadhaka wants to kill; thus, like the anvil to the goldsmith, he is actually a friend.
26. Appropriating to oneself specially, thinking, 'this is mine', something that shall not be available to all is not right, for a discriminating Sadhaka, since it violates the ideal of equality. (Such an appropriation would be an assertion of individuality, which would give vitality to the ego.).
27. By 'fate' is meant only action done by oneself previously with effort; hence with well-directed effort one can wipe off the fate.
28. The Sadhaka ought not to act as he likes, even to achieve a good result; if the act be done wrongly, it becomes a sinful action. (This is a clear answer to the question: 'Does the end justify the means?'. The end never justifies the means;
the latter must justify itself.)
29. He that would deserve God' Grace ought not to kill any living being for any reason. Since he has not the skill to revive what is dead.
30. That alone is the right action, which is done with a peaceful and pure mind; all action is sinful, which is done with an agitated mind or from desire.
continued.....
The conduct of the Sadhaka:
continues.....
31. What have they to gain by practicing tapas, who act with mind at peace, without attachment to (objects in) this illusory world, and with the mind activities stilled?
32. The most powerful tapas consists in the Sadhaka maintaining peace of mind, resigning all his worldly burdens to God.
33. As the grains that are close to the pivot of a hand mill (are not crushed), so those that have taken refuge with God, are unaffected by the severest of afflictions.
34. Those that have minds fixed with love on God, as the magnetized
needle points always fixedly to the north, never swerve from the straight path through ignorance.
35. Never worry thinking, 'when shall I attain this state?'; this state transcends both space and time and is neither far nor near.
36. The Real Self exists free, pervading everything by its essential being; how can He bound by Illusion? Do not Oh Sadhaka, be despondent in this. (The disciple should beware of despondency and the remedy for it is to realize, by faith, in the Guru's assurance, that bondage is real.)
27. The notion 'I am an unsteady jiva' has arisen by losing hold of the Unmoving Self that one really is; the Sadhaka should efface this thought and remain in the supreme Silence.
28. To end the restlessness of the mind following is the means: Look upon all things that are perceptible and the perceiver as the Self.
29. Even a pure thought which serves to expel an impure one, needs to be given up (after it has served the purpose), just like a thorn used for removing a thorn (in the flesh).
30. The truth of Non Duality is to be only meditated upon by the mind; do not do any action from belief in non duality; the idea of non duality is fit to be cherished in respect of all things whatsoever, but not with respect to the Guru.
31. The 'I' which is a reflection of the Self, in the mirror of the mind, is moved by the movements of the mind; to stop the movement (and make the reflection still) one should fix the mind on the Unmoving Self.
32. Many seek the Self in the Sutra Bhashya but do not find Him; forget not that the True Self is to be sought in the Heart, not in books nor elsewhere outside.
33. All research into the non Self which one makes, neglecting the Real Self, is vain, like the scrutiny of waster hair by a barber.
34. The trembling of the body through fear, which comes to the meditator because of his sense 'I am the body', will cease when he attains completeness of being as absolute consciousness.
35. As the pearl diver brings up the pearl by diving down weighted by a stone, so one should win the Self, diving into the Heart, weighted by non attachment.
concluded.
Whatever Happened to Simplicity?
(Mountain Path, Editorial, Jayanti,
2005)
All the letters in this book add up the single, imperishable letter. This as written you have read. The single letter shines for ever of its own accord within the heart. Who can hope to write it?
- Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Mountain Path is dedicated to Sri
Ramana Maharshi who epitomized simplicity. What, after all could be simpler than the distilled wisdom of Advaita expressed as 'Who am I?' We all, in our various ways, are trying to learn from Him and to follow in His footsteps. Simplicity should equate with innocence, but there seems to be a very real danger that we confuse innocence with ignorance. Putting down on paper a series of difficult and unusual words is possibly clever, but certainly not user-friendly nor easy to read. Anyone with access to a dictionary and a Thesaurus can make things complicated; it takes much more skill, to write simply.
It is a pleasure, or should be, to read what can be spoken. The fact that it is written down is merely a convenience. 'Literature' or mystical teachings are not necessarily a different language involving the sort of vocabulary that no one uses in everyday speech. Simplicity has been thrown out of the window and readability has been sacrificed to verbosity, art to artifice. The great writers through ages almost all advocated a simple style. They were more concerned with what they wanted to say than in impressing their readers with their knowledge of an exotic vocabulary and complex sentence structure. Sometimes, like Shakespeare for instance, they are not easy to understand today, but they were very fluent and topical in their own time.
When we read the writings of acknowledged masters in spirituality their is accessibility to their thoughts. The purpose is to elucidate not to obscure. They are concerned with us, their audience and with their desire to help us, rather than with showing us how many complicated words they know. This could be our litmus test when we read; are we illumined by what we read or are we confused? If the latter, it is best to put the text away. If the former, we should take the words to heart, and learn from them.
continued......
Whatever Happened to Simplicity?
continues......
The founder of Mountain Path, Arthur Osborne, was an M.A from Christ Church, Oxford. He rarely used a long word, when a short one would do. But then, he was confident of his erudition and had nothing to prove in that respect. One could do worse than follow his example.
Winston Churchill, who was a powerful and pithy writer, maintained that short words are the best. Particularly old Anglo-Saxon words as opposed to Latin words. He was once asked to look over a speech written by an American friend and gave his opinion.
His comment was if he had written 'We will engage in hostilities with the enemy on the peripheral coastline of the island' it would not have had as much impact as 'We will fight them on the beaches.'
When we read Sri Bhagavan's teachings, there is a directness to His words which catches the heart; we instinctively know that what we have read are words of truth. There is a world of difference between the teachings and writings of one who is authentic and the one who fashions clever explanations increasingly complex and elaborate to prove their pet theory. With Sri Bhagavan we know He does not need to prove anything. He simply states things as they are and even those with the least education among us understands the depth of wisdom in those seemingly ordinary words.
There is a well known verse from the Bible, Ecclesiastes, King James Version:
'I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, not yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.'
This is strong and punchy. George Orwell made exactly the point when he re-translated it and thereby drained it of its blood.
Here is Orwell's version:
"Objective consideration of contemporary phenomena compels the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must inevitably be taken into account.'
continued......
Whatever Happened to Simplicity?
continues.....
It is now over sixty years, since Sri Bhagavan left this physical world and His words are still fresh in our minds. Imagine what their impact was seventy or eighty years ago! Imagine the reception His words received in the early days of the twentieth century when He used the analogy of cinema to describe the functioning of maya and our sense of identification with the world. How much longer we can expect His words to create their impact on future generations remains to be seen. With the passing of time well intentioned commentators use Sri Bhagavan's words to 'explain' to us what they mean. There is therefore a danger Sri Bhagavan's words will be devalued. We should keep this in mind and not to presume that because we are familiar with the words Sri Bhagavan uses that we also understand what He is saying. If we are true to His teachings His writings will guide us into the silent realm which passes understanding.
Once in the forest the Buddha was asked by one of his disciples to explain the workings of karma. The Buddha took in his hand a snatch of leaves and said to the disciple: 'What is greater, the number of leaves in my hand or those on the floor of the forest in which we sit?
The disciple replied the leaves on the floor of the forest.
The Buddha then said, "In the same way, what I teach you is but the small number of teachings necessary for you to be liberated from the cycle of life and death."
The implication of this dialogue is that there are many teachings available but they are not necessary if we wish to be liberated.
continued......
Whatever Happened to Simplicity?
continues......
In the same way Sri Bhagavan did not encourage pointless curiosity. He constantly returned to the questioner of the fact of his or her own existence in the sense of 'I'. His devotees would sometimes jokingly request Sri Bhagavan not to use his Brahmastra (the most lethal weapon available to the Puranic gods) but, to please satisfy their craving to know something that really had nothing to do with the teachings. Sri Bhagavan would laugh and, would according to the appropriateness of the situation, indulge their fancy.
The ideal of true knowledge is to see the Truth face to face, without any intermediary. But how can we convey or receive the Truth? We are forced to employ words which point, imply, coax us to see for ourselves. Thought is mental speech, so it is already symbolism rather than perception. It is a necessary but limited tool. The best we can hope is the flash of trans-verbal understanding. Like a spring board the words propel us to see truly. There is a mysterious alchemy that takes us beyond the boundaries of convention and the familiar into seemingly dark world that transcends name and form.
Words themselves cannot do it. It requires from us to a commitment to understand in the full sense of the word. To understand we need to humble and ready to listen to that still quiet voice forever hovering at the periphery of our everyday consciousness. Sri Bhagavan's words are superb tools that aid us in this search to know who we are. Let us directly return to them as often as it is necessary, so that we too may dive into the universe of silence, understanding and bliss that Sri Bhagavan demonstrated to us every moment of His life.
concluded.
Maha Yoga -
Experience of Self Realization:
Talking about the experience at the time of Realization, Sri Bhagavan said, 'Realization is called Vritti Jnana. You can feel yourself one with the One that exists. The whole body becomes a mere power, a force current. Your life becomes a needle drawn to a huge mass of magnet and as you deeper and deeper you become a mere center and not even that, for you become mere Consciousness. There are no thoughts and cares any longer. They are shattered at the threshold; it is an inundation. You are a mere straw. You are swallowed alive but it is very delightful, for you become the very thing that swallows you. This is the union of jiva with Brahman, the loss of ego in the real Self, the destruction of ignorance, the attainment of truth.' (Sat Darsana Bhashya, XXXII.
Speaking about this on another occasion He said, 'After tasting such bliss even once, one will repeatedly try to regain it. Having experienced the bliss of peace once, no one would like to be out of it or engage himself otherwise.'
After gaining Samadhi, it is stated, Samadhi must be continuously practiced till Sahaja Samadhi results. Even after gaining Samadhi, the experience of Jnana is spasmodic on account of vasanas not having been completely destroyed. For Jnana to get dridha (firm) one must have recourse to the remembrance of 'I am not the body' and to recall Samadhi experience. These eradicates the vasanas. Then dawns the Sahaja state. One who remains in the primal Sahaja state of BE-ing, that is free from thoughts without effort, unaffected by the internals or externals, i.e not reacting to them, is said to be in Sahaja Samadhi.
continued.......
Experience of Self Realization:
continues.....
He who is fixed in this pristine shaja state is in automatic and incessant tapas. This pristine nature of the Self is effortless and spontaneous tapas. Engaged in such incessant tapas, one develops moment after moment, on the spiritual plane. This incessant tapas leads to to the manifestation of all powers. If one's prarabdha is that way he may even develop thaumaturgic powers. There is no difference between a Jnani and a Siddha even in granting boons, including Atma labha (self realization). The last verse of Sri Ramana Gita Chapter XVIII reads; 'The glory of Siddhas is beyond imagination; they are equal to Siva Himself in being able to grant boons.' All this is explained in
Chapter XI of Sri Ramana Gita and after serial 57 of Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi.
The Muktikopanishad says, "When the mind does not think at all, being completely devoid of vasanas, then dawns the state of mindlessness, which confers great peace."
The question may arise as to how anyone could function at all without the mind. Just as a pot filled with grains and emoptied of its contents is filled with akasa (ether) which was all along there. similarly mind emptied of thoghts (what is left over) is Chit itself which is Infinite Knowledge.
With the destruction of the mind, Kartrutva (I am the doer idea) vanishes. Every word uttered and every action done is God's.
In this connection, it will be interesting to recall what Sri Ramakrishna expressed once: Just as a grain dealer with a heap of grains pushes them gradually towards the man who measures them out, I felt behind me supplying me with the torrent of ideas to be given out.
To a question by a lawyer devotee if the day long examination of Him at the commission of inquiry about Asramam affairs caused Bhagavan Sri Ramana much strain, He replied: I did not use my mind and so there was no strain. Let them examine me for a thousand days. I don't mind. (Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, # 281.) The inference is obvious.
continued......
Experience of Self Realization:
continues......
While mental articulation of 'Who am I?' or 'Be Still' is useful in the initial stages, effort must be made to give it up totally, as such articulation stands in the way of concentration and stillness of mind. Similarly, breath restraint should be given up when one feels one could concentrate without this aid. Of course, one can have recourse to them again whenever the mind is much agitated and is uncontrollable for any reason.
While regular and fixed hours of practice are for novices, earnest aspirants burdened by no activities must use all available time for practice. They must keep on increasing their period of practice to about ten hours or more. This increase must be gradual and not steep. The author was mostly using the morning hours of 2 to 6, 8 to 11 am. 2 to 3 and 8 to 9 pm. and that too in his 66th year onwards. Initially, it would be hard to meditate for such long periods; but if there is earnestness, the difficulty would not be felt. Then there is the Guru's Grace aiding and encouraging you. As the early morning meditation is most important, the aspirant should be regular in practice then. It would be hard to keep awake at that time and harder still to meditate. The author is trying to overcome this sleep had recourse to various devices, but later found a decoction of equal quantities of tea and dried mint with milk effective. A little quantity of it in the flask, using a couple of sips whenever yawning started, warded off sleep. While pure tea by itself prevented sleep, it caused wavers after waves of thoughts to rise and prevent meditation; but a mixture of tea and mint, while it kept one awake, overcame the turbulent action of the mind and lulled it, making it easy to meditate.
continued......
EXPERIENCE OF SELF REALIZATION:
continues.....
While not meditating, the mind should be kept engaged in reading Sri Ramana Gita, Who am I?, Self Inquiry, Vivekakchudamani and other books bearing on this sadhana. At other
times bearing on this sadhana. At other times, one should engage himself in the repetition of the
japa of 'Who am I?'
The Japa of 'Who am I?' in the beginning may appear ludicrous for those used to Siva, Rama, Krishna etc., but it must be understood that this japa of 'Who am I?' makes one involuntarily fix the mind on the Heart, which is the aim of the sadhana. Besides Sri Bhagavan says, 'Who am I?' is the best of all japas. (Talks No. # 72.)
When well advanced in practice of Step 4, say after five years, the aspirant should try to practice with eyes open occasionally, as it helps one to meditate while walking or sitting idle. This may also be attempted while lying on the left.
The following passage culled from the introduction to His Tamizh translation of Vivekachudamani by Sri Bhagavan will be found to be of great significance to earnest sadhakas in the very late stages, say, after ten years or more of practice of Step 4, and when they have been able to meditate with eyes open.
"Like the butter being forced out of the curd by ceaseless churning, the mind, used as a churn staff, should be fixed on the Heart and the latter ceaselessly churned. This unswerving and unremitting churning, like the continuous flow of filamentary oil, automatically results in Sahaja Samadhi."
The above passage in one's own language must be frequently repeated mentally and every word of this must be ruminated upon and well understood. The frequent repetition of this passage enthuses and stimulates the aspirant to practical effort in that direction.
"Just as a red hot iron ball can behave as fire, so also the mind suffused with Self Inquiry is not different from the Self." (Sri Ramana Gita, IX.9)
The aspirants should not allow the mind even for a moment to slip into materialistic or sensual fields.
Vivekachudamani says such slipping even for a split second hurls the sadhaka headlong into materialistic abyss. He has to put in a deal of time and practice to regain the previously attained stage. Frequent prayer to the Self to prevent this relapse brings about the desired effects.
continued......
EXPERIENCE OF SELF REALIZATION:
continues.....
Vasanas acquired and accumulated in several births can only be eradicated by long continued meditation over a period of some decades depending on the period of steady fixity of the mind on the Heart. Though in the beginning the sadhaka is impatient for results, later, he is more intent on the sadhana than on its fruits.
Nor need one feel discouraged that one's efforts and sadhana for Self realization will be wasted if the goal is not reached in the current life.
Sage Vidyaranya says, 'When meditation has not got mature in this life, it will become so at death or in the world of Brahman, where getting direct knowledge of Brahman, he gets emancipation.'
(Panchadasi, IX - 136).
In the Bhagavad Gita Ch. VI - 40-46, Lord Krishna, in reply to Arjuna, stated that those performing such sadhanas, if they die before achieving their aim, are reborn in highly spiritually minded families and, starting from where they left off in the previous birth, complete their Sadhana.
To a similar question by Sri Rama, as to what will be the fate of one who dies having reached the first, second or third bhumikas, Sage Vasishta said:
"Should one satisfy the qualifications required for him in three jnana states then all his karmas will cease to exist. Then devas will conduct him in their divine vehicle to Devaloka and other places where he will feast his eyes on the pleasant scenaries of Meru, Elysian gardens and beautiful damsels. With the expiry of the enjoyment of all the two fold karmas will perish completely and then he will descend on the earth as a Jnani. He will incarnate in a family of the wise replete with enormous wealth, good qualities and purity of mind and body and will unerringly follow the path of Jnana since he had already subjected himself to a rigorous course of discipline."
continued......
EXPERIENCE OF SELF REALIZATION.
continues......
Once an individual has got into the first bhumika of Jnana Yoga, he will be made to obtain liberation, whether he likes it or not; because it was not the individual's will or effort that made him take up this Yoga but the sustained motiveless actions dedicated to God in several previous births that forced him to this Yoga. Just as a man with a ticket for Delhi in the Delhi Mail is taken to the destination whatever may happen to the mail or the rails, so can a man be assured of final liberation, once has got into the first bhumika of Jnana Yoga.
For those Jnana Yogis, whose aim is only liberation from samsara and who are not keen on Self Realization there is the other easy way of escape by meditation on the Heart at the time of death. Force of habit of rejection of mundane thoughts and the force of habit of easily getting into meditation on the Lord in the recess of their Heart makes it easy for these Yogis to meditate on Him even at the time of death.
In Srimad Bhagavatam, Ch. XII - Bk.3.49, Sage Suka tells King Parikshit, 'With all your being meditate on Him in your heart with a concentrated mind while dying, you will thereby attain the supreme goal. Those meditating on Him while dying, He leads them to the oneness with Him.'
At no stage of the sadhana should pace be forced but must be gradual. Nor should one get impatient with one's progress. Sri Bhagavan used to express that the fact that one is persisting in the sadhana itself an indication of progress and Guru's Grace.
continued......
EXPERIENCE OF SELF REALIZATION:
continues.....
If the practice is perfect at any stage, it will be overlapping the next so that the sadhaka is automatically thrown into the next. Let it be understood that Guru's Grace is absolutely necessary for one's progress and if the sadhaka is regular and earnest in practice, he is not forsaken but encouraged in several subtle ways, perceptible and intelligible.
Questioned about the bestowal of such Divine Grace on a sadhaka, Sri Bhagavan, suffused with a divine light in His face, declared in unequivocal language: 'Divine Grace is essential for Realization. It leads one to God realization. But such grace is vouchsafed only to him to who is a true devotee or a yogin, who has striven hard and ceaselessly on the path towards freedom. (Talks No. 29).
One need not feel discouraged by middle or advanced age to begin this sadhana of Maha Yoga. Sri Bhagavan often expressed that age is not bar for this sadhana, whereas age restriction is indicated for Raja Yoga.
Those who have taken to this Maha Yoga must from the beginning try to wean the mind away from the worship of external gods like the images of various Hindu gods and transfer such worship to the Self within. In the beginning, it may be a little hard but with practice and Guru's Grace, you gradually get used to look upon the Self as the Supreme God. Worship and prayer to the Self is more efficacious than to an image.
Also you advance in this Maha Yoga, you begin to feel and realize that all rituals and ceremonies are comparatively of less value and that time spent in these is better
utilized in Atma Vichara.
concluded.
RAMANA MAHARSHI - HIS LIFE:
Daily Life at the Asramam:
Gabriele Ebert
The following is an English translation by Victor Ward of Chapter 12 from the German, Ramana Maharshi: Sein Leben. Published by Luchow Verlag, Stuggart 2003.
*
Let activities go on. They do not affect Pure Self.
The Present difficulty is that the man thinks that he is the doer. But it is a mistake. It is the Higher Power which does everything and the man is only a tool. If he accepts that position he is free from troubles; otherwise he courts them.
-Talks No. 111 & 63
Ordered Daily Routine
Life at the Asramam was extremely well ordered. Tidiness,cleanliness, thrift and punctuality, were expected from everyone. Arthur Osborne remarked: 'Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi was meticulously exact, closely observant, practical and humorous. His daily life was conducted with a punctiliousness that Indian today would have to call pure Western. In everything he was precise and orderly. The Asramam Hall was swept out several times daily. The books were always in their places. The cloths covering the couch were scrupulously clean and beautifully folded. The loin cloth, which was all He wore, was gleaming white. The two clocks in the Hall were adjusted daily to radio time. The calendar was never allowed to fall behind the date. The routine of life flowed to a regular pattern. (A. Osborne, Ramana-Arunachala).
In the later years, when Sri Ramana had ceased to working in the kitchen and had started to supervise the building projects, His timetable was as follows -- He would rise at approximately 3.30 am., at half past five He took His bath and at half past six, breakfast was served. This was followed by the first walk on the Hill. At 8.30 He read the incoming
mail and at 9.45 He made a short visit to then cowshed. Lunch was served at 11.30. Around midday he went for a second walk, which this time lasted an hour and took Him to Palakottu. At 2.30 pm there was coffee and at approximately 4 pm. He read the outgoing mail. Half an hour later He again went for a walk for an hour. After this the Veda Parayana was chanted, followed by the Tamizh parayana. At half past seven the bell called every one to dinner. Aftwerwards Sri Ramana went to the cowshed again and at 8.45 pm. all devotees retired to the lodgings.
continued.......
RAMANA MAHARSHI - HIS LIFE:
Gabriele Ebert:
Daily Life at the Asramam:
continues.....
It is reported that Sri Ramana slept very little at night. He also never lay down flat, but remained upright, leaning against the back of the couch. After lunch everyone in the Asramam liked to withdraw to take a nap - not so Ramana. He often made use of this quiet hour to feed animals or make a round through the Asramam and inform Himself of the progress of the building projects.
In spite of the increasing number of visitors Sri Ramana lead an active life. In addition to cooking and supervising the building projects, He read the proofs of the books which were to be published. By now His works have been translated and printed in a number of Indian dialects. He had written His famous hymns to Arunachala around 1914. From 1923 to 1929 He wrote Upadesa Saram (The Essence of Instructions in 30 verses), Upadesa Manjari (Spiritual Instruction) and Ulladu Narpadu (Reality in Forty Verses), with supplementary verses. This was followed in the thirties and forties by various translations into Tamizh, Malayalam and Telugu of important advaitic scriptures, such as certain parts of Vivekachudamani and other scriptures of Sankara, some verses of the Bhagavad Gita and parts of Yoga Vasishta and the Agamas. The English translations of all these works can be found in The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi. So Sri Ramana regularly spent a lot of time proof-reading these publications. He also read everything that was written about His and was very particular that everything should be accurate. When a biography was to be published about Him in Telugu, entitled Ramana Leela, He painstakingly went through it correcting any mistakes.
He was equally conscientious in the way He dealt with the incoming and outgoing mail. He read all the incoming letters and although He never answered letters Himself, as others did this for Him, He carefully read through the outgoing mail and made corrections if need be or gave instructions as to how t he answer should be phrased.
He also did book binding work. Now and then people would bring Him old books in poor condition. He checked whether they were complete, added missing pages by copying them out Himself and inserting them, and then repaired the books.
Just as He never wasted any food, so He also never wasted any paper. He would collect any paper which was still usable, often cutting it up into small sheets, which He would then bind together to make notebooks. Even the pins from the newspapers would be kept. "They will otherwise be merely thrown away. We shall use them. How should we get new ones? They have to be bought. Where is the money?", He would say.
continued.......
Ramana Maharshi - His Life:
Daily Life at the Asramam:
continues......
The regular walks were also a fixed part of the daily routine, though they became shorter as the number of visitors increased and the various building projects were commenced. In the later years especially, He was not able to put a foot outside the door without being accompanied by a small crowd of people. Solitary walks on the Hill became impossible, although at
times He managed to slip away without letting anyone know, as soon as people noticed, they all wanted to come with Him. As happened one day, when He wanted to go up to Skandasramam alone. The result was a king of mass migration. When He was asked by His devotees to climb to the top of the Hill with them, as he knew the way
best, He replied jokingly, "If I come, everyone in the Asramam will join me. Even the buildings will come with us!"
In the later years, the restrictions became so great that He could not longer move around freely. Everything was governed by a time table. A barrier was erected to prevent people touching Him. He called this enclosure His 'cage'. "They have put bars around me, though wooden, as in the gaol. I may not cross these bars. There are people specially deputed to watch me and they keep watch on me by turns. I can't move about as I like; they are there to prevent it. One person goes and another comes according to turns. What is the difference between the people and the police except that the former are not in uniform?....Even if I want to go out to answer calls of nature, they must follow me to protect me. Even my going out must be according to the scheduled time." (Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, Suri Nagamma)
continued.......
Ramana Maharshi - His Life:
Daily Life at the Asramam:
continues....
In the early years Sri Ramana attempted on a couple of occasions to leave the Asramam for a life of solitude. Vasudeva Sastri (the same who once witnessed Ramana's second death experience at Tortoise rock) relates, "Once Bhagavan and I went round the Hill during the Skandsasramam days. When we arrived near Easnya Math, about 8.30 am. Sri Bhagavan sat on a rock and said with tears in His eyes that He would never again come to the Asramam and would go where He pleased and live in the forests or caves away from all men. I would not leave Him and He would not come. It became very late. We went there about 8 or 8.30 am and even when it became 1 pm. we were still this deadlock. Sri Bhagavan asked me to go into the town and eat my food and then come back if I wanted. But I was afraid that if I went Sri Bhagavan would go away somewhere." (Devaraja Mudaliar, Day by Day). Finally the Swami of Easnya Math passed and invited Sri Ramana to Math. With that the escape attempt was foiled and He had no other choice than to return to Skandasrama with Vasudeva Sastri.
Sri Ramana also reports two other escape attempts. "Another time too I wanted to run away from all this crowd and live somewhere unknown, freely as I liked. That was when I was in Virupaksha Cave...But on that occasion my plans were frustrated by Yogananda Swami. I tried on a third occasion also. That was after mother's passing away. I did not want to have even as Asramam like Skandasramam and the people were coming there then.
But the result has been this Asramam (the present Sri RamanasramamO) and all the crowd here. Thus all my three attempts failed. (ibid.)
When someone remarked that Sri Ramana could leave the Asramam when He liked, He replied, "What can I do? If I go off to the forest and try to hide, what will happen? They will soon find me out. Then someone will put up a hut in front of me and another person one at the back, and it will not be long before huts will have sprung up on either side. Where can I go. I shall always be a prisoner." (Alan Chadwick, A Sadhu's Reminiscences).
continued.....
RAMANA MAHARSHI - HIS LIFE:
Daily Life at the Asramam:
continues....
Another fixed part of the daily schedule was the chanting of the Veda Parayana. At first, Brahmin boys used to come from town and do the chanting. Later, with the assistance of Major Chadwick, the Asramam opened its own Vedapatasala which still exists today.
The chanting of the Vedas in the morning and evening lasted around 40 minutes. Texts from the Vedas were recited, as well as other Sanskrit texts, such as for example the Forty Verses in Praise of Ramana by Ganapati Muni and Sri Ramana's Arunachala Pancharatnam and Upadesa Saram. This was then followed by the Tamizh Parayana with other works by Sri Ramana.
Strictly speaking only Brahmins are allowed to be present at the Veda Parayana, but Sri Ramana wanted everyone to participate, so Brahmins sat next to non-Brahmins and Indians next to Westerners.
The Maharshi attached great importance to this chanting, stressing its calming effect upon the mind. If He was asked if people should not also understand the texts, He would say that it was not necessary, it was sufficient to use them as an aid to meditation. He Himself would sit upright on His couch during the chanting, His eyes taking a faraway look.
The Asramam Management:
The various Asramam rules had to be followed by all. For example, it was considered important that men and women should sit in separate areas in the Hall. Women were not allowed to say in the Asramam overnight. In general only those who worked in the Asramam were allowed to live there. Anyone who wanted to meditate could take up residence at Palakottu sadhu colony, but they had to take care of themselves. Families lived in Ramana Nagar, a settlement near the Asramam. The rich devotee Gounder (the same one who had offered the first couch to Sri Ramana) had purchased the area for this purpose. So in the Asramam itself there was only accommodation for visitors and devotees who worked there, with one or two exceptions,
such as, for example, Major Chadwick, Devaraja Mudaliar and Yogi Ramiah.
Sri Ramana left the management of the Asramam to His brother. As sarvadhikari, Chinnaswami endeavored to retain full control over everything that happened there. This frequently led to arguments with devotees who disregard with his decisions. But whatever was eventually decided to be accepted by all. If someone complained to Sri Ramana about Chinnaswami, the Maharshi protected His brother and never reversed his decisions.
If a devotee was guilty of a serious breach of the management rules, he would be banned from entering the Asramam, but this was generally only a temporary exclusion. It was enough to apologize or to promise to abide by the rules in future, to be allowed to return.
continued......
Subramanian,
"Strictly speaking only Brahmins are allowed to be present at the Veda Parayana, but Sri Ramana wanted everyone to participate, so Brahmins sat next to non-Brahmins and Indians next to Westerners"
I think you have posted this article earlier and I have commented how this excerpt from it is not true.
Namaskar
RAMANA MAHARSHI - HIS LIFE:
Daily Life at the Asramam:
continues......
There was no point in complaining to Sri Ramana, as He never interfered in such disputes. When Ganapati Sastri (not to be confused with Ganapati Muni) was banished from the Asramam, he complained to Sri Ramana, 'Chinnaswami has told me not to come to the Asramam. Sri Bhagavan is just sitting like a stone Vinyaka statue. I have served the Asramam for a long time. I have also donated three almirahs (cup boards) full of books to the Asramam. Will Sri Bhagavan not ask Chinnaswami why he is not allowing me to come to the Asramam?" (David Godman, Living by the Words). But hr received no answer to his complaint.
Whenever someone wanted to interfere with in the Asramam affairs, Sri Ramana would warn, 'Poeple walk the drive to the Asramam in search of deliverance and then they get caught up in Asramam politics and forget what they came for. If such matters were their concern they need not have come to Tiruvannamalai.' (Arthur Osborne, Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self Knowledge). And to enthusiastic reformers he advised that it would be sufficient for them to reform themselves.
If conflicts were brought to Him to settle He would answer, "If people with different opinions give up their mouna (silence) which is the embodiment of love, and come to me and say, 'We will do this,' and 'We will do that', and inquire of me what I like better of the two, what can I say? If you all agree upon a course of action and then ask me for my opinion, I will then say it is all right. But when you are of two opinions, why do you come to me and ask me which I like better? what I like is 'to know who I am' and to remain as I am with the knowledge that what is to happen will happen and what is not to happen will not happen. Is that not right? Do you now understand what Sri Bhagavan likes best?" (Suri Nagamma, Letters from Sri Ramanasramam.
There were, however, cases when the Maharshi raised objections. When for example, the Asramam managment decided to close the doors of the Hall for two hours after lunch because of His weakened health, He protested by leaving the Hall and sitting outside to welcome the visitors, commenting, "The management is welcome to close the doors but I am free to to meet visitors here." In cases such as this, where the decision of the management meant that His devotees were prevented from coming to him for a time or if it would lead to some injustice, He would be uncompromising, saying, 'You can look after your Asramam. I am going back to the Hill."
continued.......
RAMANA MAHARSHI - HIS LIFE:
Daily life at the Asramam:
continues....
Sri Ramana's Personal Attendants:
Sri Ramana's personal attendants were chosen by Chinnaswami. Sri Ramana Himself never asked anyone to serve Him, nor ever sent away an attendant who had been allotted to Him. It became the tradition in the Asramam that the attendants were always young unmarried men. Annamalai Swami reports: "Once, when a woman who was qualified nurse from North India volunteered to be an attendant, Sri Bhagavan replied saying, 'Ask the people in the Hall'. Krishnaswami, the chief attendant, and some of the other people in the Hall objected, 'No! No! We cannot have ladies doing service to Sri Bhagavan. It is not proper'. Sri Bhagavan turned to the woman and said, 'These people all think like this. What can I do?"
(David Godman, Living by the Words)
One of the attendants' tasks was to receive the food offerings brought by the devotees and give some of it back to them as prasadam. They had to be careful that the men sat on one side of the Hall and the women on the other. Whenever Maharshi left the Hall, one of them had to accompany Him. The other one stayed
back to clean the Hall. The cloths on the couch had to be kept clean. Washing the cloths and preparing warm water for the morning bath was also the duty of the attendants, as was accompanying Sri Ramana on His nightly walks to the toilet. There was, therefore, someone there to be helpful round the clock.
Sri Ramana was strict with His attendants, insisting that they carry out their duties meticulously
and punctually. He did not let them
get away with anything.
At first, Krishnaswami often used to fail to chase away the monkeys during their raid into the Hall to steal fruit. He was rebuked for this by Sri Ramana. Thereafter Krishnaswami became a keen monkey chaser. He armed himself with na catapult and drove the monkeys away with it as soon as they appeared.
Something similar happened with the attendant Rangaswami, who also failed to chase away the monkeys and instead liked to meditate. Sri Ramana scolded him, 'If you want to meditate like this, go somewhere else. If you want to live here you must do service like anyone else. Meditation is contained in your service to the Guru." (ibid.
continued.......
Dear Ravi,
To my memory, I have not posted this article earlier, since I used to mark the articles I have posted. However this remark that you have mentioned is true. Sri Bhagavan had said: "Vedaparayana should not be chanted by non brahmins but they can listen to it silently."
Subramanian. R
RAMANA MAHARSHI - HIS LIFE:
Daily Life at the Asramam:
continues.....
One of Sri Ramana's characteristics was that He never asked for anything. If the attendant did not know what he might need, He did not ask for it. He did not want anyone to be troubled on His behalf, not even His attendants. So the attendants were trained to know what Sri Ramana might want, whether it be something to drink, or the wish to wash His hands or read the newspaper - they knew without Him having to say it. They were helped by the fact that there was a fixed time for almost everything.
Major Chadwick tells the story of the betel nut. In this case, the attendant's omission resulted in Sri Ramana giving up chewing betel. "One morning Sri Bhagavan was about to go 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 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." (A.Chadwick, A Sadhu's Reminiscences).
Although Sri Ramana could be very strict with His attendants, He was also very concerned for their welfare. In summer, when He used to walk to Palakottu between mid day and 1.30 pm, the sandy path was so hot what walking barefoot could be very painful. Sri Ramana always walked at the same steady pace, whether it was raining cats and dogs or whether the sun was behind him, "Run, run and take shelter under that tree." Or 'Put your upper cloth under your feet and stand on it for a while."
Similarly, Sri Ramana's concern was extended to Rangaswami, when he had to copy several pages of a book. "One day Sri Bhagavan asked me if I had completed the job. 'I did not have time for it', I said. 'What are you doing now?' He queried. 'I am going to Palakottu to wash your codpiece.' Sri Bhagavan said, 'Okay, you do your job and I will do yours,' so saying, He copied the remaining pages. (A.R. Natarajan, Unforgettable Years.)
concluded.
Subramanian,
You are right.That was an article by Eduardo Linder on Veda Parayana that you had posted earlier that contained a similiar wrong observation that non Brahmins are not allowed to listen to Veda Parayana.
Namaskar.
MASTAN:
David Godman:
Advent - 2005 of Mountain Path:
Mastan, one of Sri Bhagavan's early devotees, was born in 1878, in Desur, a small village about forty miles from Tiruvnnamalai. He came from a Muslim weaving family but was drawn to Sri Bhagavan by Akhilandamma, a widow of the village, who made regular trips to Tiruvannamalai to see Sri Bhagavan and cook for Him.
When he was young he would spontaneously fall into a Samadhi like state, while he was working on the family loom. His hands and feet, which were plying the machinery of his trade, would stop and he would become absolutely still. His parents, Hussain and Salubi, thought that he was falling asleep on the job. Whenever they saw him in this condition, they wold hit him back to his waking state, and tell him to get on with his work. These episodes seem have been a recurring feature of his childhood.
Not much more is known about Mastan's lie until the day he accompanied Akhilandamma on his first visit to Tiruvannamalai in 1914. This is how Mastan described the meeting when he spoke to Kunju Swami:
When I came to Sri Bhagavan, He was seated like a rock....(His unwavering gaze) was filled with grace, compassion, and steady wisdom. I stood by His side. After giving me a look, He opened the gate of my Heart and I was also established in His state. I stood like that for eight hours, absolutely without fatigue, but filled with total absorption and peace. Sri Bhagavan those days used to open our Heart with a simple gracious look, and it transformed us. There was no need for any questions since He made us, by His look, like Himself. (All the information in this account has come from The Power of the Presence, Part III. A fuller account of Mastan's life and details of all the sources used in this article can be found there.)
continued.....
MASTAN:
continues....
These samadhi experiences happened more than once. Sri Bhagavan Himself once mentioned them to Viswanatha Swami:
"Among those who show up a normal human body, and who subsequently stay on and become devotees, there is a huge range of spiritual attainment. Complete beginners mix
with highly advanced souls. The most advanced are ripe fruits, just wanting to fall. They only have come into the presence of a Jnani in order to plunge into a deep experience of the Self. One such devotee was Mastan.
"He was such a ripe soul, when he came to Virupaksha Cave to see me, he would sometimes go into deep samadhi before he had even entered the cave. as soon as he touched the railings of the gate, he would have a paralyzing experience of the Self. He would stand, rooted to the spot, unable to move, for six or seven hours. This happened several times. Usually, these experiences would happen before he had even seen me since I would be inside the cave, unaware of what was going on at the gate.
"Mastan was in an entirely different category to most of the people who came. He was highly spiritual, although outwardly he looked like an ordinary man. He was a kind generous man who was always looking for an opportunity to help other people. He never showed any self-importance. On the contrary he liked to stay in the background, unnoticed and unappreciated by ordinary people."
These samadhi states did not give him a full and permanent experience of the Self. When his mind reasserted itself, he went to Sri Bhagavan for advice:
Once, while I was on my way to see Sri Bhagavan, I prayed for His grace.
On my arrival at Virupaksha Cave, He asked, 'Do you like saguna upasana (meditation or worship of form), or do you like nirguna upsasana (meditation or worship of the formless)?
I replied: "I only want nirguna upsasana."
Sri Bhagavan then told me, 'Fix the mind in the Heart. If you keep your attention at the source from where all thoughts arise, the mind will subside at the source and reality will shine forth.'
I had already come across similar
teachings in Maharaja Thuravu and Sukar Kaivalyam. I had also seen these instructions in several other books. I took a firm decision that this was the way for me. After this meeting, with Sri Bhagavan I had no further doubts about this. No doubts at all.
continued.......
It is really divine to listen to Vedic chants :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=hjduAAvCD8E&feature=endscreen
MASTAN:
continues......
In 1914, shortly after Mastan had become a devotee, he and Akhilandamma decided to open a Math in the village of Desur that would function as a choultry, a place where visiting Sadhus and pilgrims could be accommodated and fed. Many of the sadhus from Sri Ramanasramam came to stay there, particularly when they were sick and needed someone to look after them.
When the building was completed, Mastan regularly did parayana of Sri Bhagavan's works there. By this time Mastan had more or less abandoned his career as a weaver, although he did go back to work occasionally to weave the cloth that was used to make Sri Bhagavan's kaupinas.
Sri Bhagavan once remarked, with great joy, 'Mastan's craft, though it did not give food either to him or to his parents, gives me clothes.'
Mastan has recorded one other meeting he had with Sri Bhagavan:
For sometime, while I was meditating at night for about an hour, I used to hear the sound of a big bell ringing. Sometimes a limitless effulgence would appear. In 1922, when I visited Sri Bhagavan, at His new Asramam at then foot of the Hill, I asked Him about this.
He advised me, 'There is no need to concern ourselves about sounds, such as these. If you see from where it rises, it will be known that it arises on account of a desire, (sankalpa) of the mind. Everything appears in oneself and subsides within oneself. The light, too, only appears from the same place. If you see to whom it appears, mind will subside at the source and only reality will remain.'
Mastan continued to visit Sri Bhagavan throughout the 1920s, although his visits were less frequent than in earlier years. During this period, devotees from Sri Ramanasramam would often visit nearby towns where Sri Bhagavan's devotees stayed. If Mastan came to hear about this, he would try to get their first. Viswanatha Swami has described what would happen on these occasions.
On some of these trips Mastan would somehow find out in advance where we were going. We would arrive at a town, Polur for example, and find him waiting for us. Once he had discovered our whereabouts, he would make us sit while he went out begging for us. We didn't want to be served in this way, but Mastan was very insistent. He told us on these occasions that he was the 'devotee of the devotees', a role and a tide that he took on himself.
He would say, "I want to serve the devotees of Sri Bhagavan. You must stay here while I find food for you."
Mastan would generally return with a huge amount of food, far more than we could possibly eat. After we had eaten as much as we could, possibly eat. After we had eaten as much as we could, we would share the left overs with any local people who lived nearby. If we were living in caves or other out of the way places, we would give the left overs to monkeys.
As he fed us Mastan would make one
persistent request: "Please tell me some stories about the glory of our Master. Tell me everything He has said during the time I was not with Him. To me, every word Sri Bhagavan speaks is holy. The words that come out of His holy mouth are so powerful, merely listening to them
can give liberation to ripe souls."
continued......
I love the stories of Mastan and Akhilandamma, there is a special purity and sweetness to them.
MASTAN:
continues......
Mastan continued to be based near Desur, until 1931, the year he passed away. Akhilandamma was present when Masten died. This is her description of his final moments:
He was sick and bedridden for about a week. During those days he spoke of many things not of this world, as if here actually seeing them.
He said, "There, Nandiswara (Nandi, the Bull, the vehicle of Siva) is descending. He is very affectionately licking all over my body! Look! The Siva ganas (celestial retinue of Siva) are dancing there! See! They are beckoning me to come to their world. Look at those lotus ponds where celestial swans are swimming!"
We thought that this was nothing but delirium, but on the last day a very strange thing happened, and we cannot lightly dismiss it as delirium. On this day he suddenly got up from his bed and stood up, looking as if someone, face to face, had been calling him.
Then, in great excitement, he exclaimed: "Mother Apeetalichamba, have you come yourself to escort me?"
(Apeetakuchamba, is the Sanskrit name for Unnamulai Amman, consort of Annamaliayar.)
The next moment he fell down dead. I immediately sent a message to Sri Bhagavan.
When Sri Bhagavan learned of Mastan's passing away, He sent Kunju Swami to our village with full instructions on how to make a Samadhi for Mastan. There is a Tamizh book (Tirumandiram, Canon 10 of Tirumoolar, in Saiva Canons) which faithfully gives the details of how saints who have followed Lord Siva have to be buried. In accordance with these details Sri Bhagavan drew up a plan of the dimensions of the Samadhi and sent it along with Kunju Swami. It seemed very strange to us that a Muslim should be given a Saiva Saint's burial and stranger still that Sri Bhagavan, who did not generally encourage ceremonial rites, actually laid down in the minutest detail the rites to be followed in the Samadhi of Mastan.
continued......
Mastan:
continues......
Whatever the reason, just as Sri Bhagavan stipulated, we made a tomb for Mastan in our village. It is a village whose population is predominantly Jain. These inhabitants of the village felt that having Hindu Samadhi in their midst would be very
inauspicious. When they first heard of it, there was even talk of their abandoning the village completely. However, in the time that passed, since Mastan's Samadhi was constructed, the village has thrived and grown rich. Nowadays the Samadhi is a visible deity to all the people from the village, whatever, their caste or religion. What a wonder!
Sri Bhagavan only ordered this type of Samadhi for three of His devotees: His Mother, Lakshmi the cow, and Mastan. Since Sri Bhagavan publicly declared that the first two realized the Self, one can make a strong case for saying that Sri Bhagavan felt that Mastan was also in this state at the time of his death. If this is true, the final realization must have occurred sometime between 1922, when Mastan was still asking questions about his sadhana and 1931, the year he passed away.
Chockalingam, a local resident, has spoken about the tradition that the Samadhi has wish fulfilling powers, something that Akhilandamma referred to in the final paragraph of her account. (See also the Tamizh book Guru Ramana Tiruvadi Vazvhu, which contains her reminiscences).
"In the years that followed his Samadhi everyone noticed that the family affairs and businesses of people who had helped Mastan prospered, whereas those who were opposed to him found that their fortunes declined. Everyone could see what was happening, so people started coming to the samadhi to ask for blessings. Even today, many people still come here to pray for their desires to be fulfilled."
A few days after Mastan passed away, Akhilandamma went to Tiruvannamalai to tell Sri Bhagavan, about Mastan's final days and the vision he had had on his death bed.
After hearing the story, Sri Bhagavan commented, 'May be the universal Mother, Apeetkuchamba, personally came to take him. All this descriptions tally with the world of Siva. Mastan was unassuming devotee. He had a wealth of hidden spiritual experiences. It is matter of gratification that he passed away in your care and under you supervision.'
concluded.
The Ashram:
Editorial - Advent 2004 of Mountain Path:
An Ashram, is generally regarded as a place apart from the normal functioning of society. It has its own rules and codes of conduct, most of which are unspoken but with some acquaintance, we learn them, sometimes painfully. An ashram is a refuge from the normal demands and constraints of society. It is a place where people can realign their lives towards a higher purpose. It is supposedly a place of quiet and, if wanted, uninterrupted solitude. Some have the starry eyed notion that the ashram is a paradise free of all responsibilities where one lives in a dreamy lotus land. It is not. What the ashram does provide is the space and time to reflect upon one's life. In Sanskrit, an 'a' prefix usually indicates a negative. 'A'dvaita .... not two. 'A'shram, Shram can be translated as fatigue, work, exertion, wandering. The whole word 'ashram' can be interpreted to mean, happiness, because it is not a drudgery to be in this place. It is a joy. It is a place of rest, of spiritual energy and stillness where things, ideally occur smoothly.
When Sri Bhagavan permanently came down from Arunachala, in 1922, an ashram slowly developed around Him and the samadhi of His Mother Azhagamma whom He said, had attained mukti and was therefore worthy of respect and worship. I have heard in passing, that Sri Bhagavan once said that the area adjacent to the ashram would one day have tall buildings. In Sri Bhagavan's time, this may sounded fanciful. But we can see the forthcoming truth of prophecy today.
In previous years we heard the honk of peacocks and the bells of the temples, but now the relative quiet of those days is gone, and we are confronted with a new era where the noise of buses, trucks, and other vehicles intrudes into the ashram environs. There are busloads of tourists and a steady stream of people who come to breathe the relatively open space of the ashram with its clean grounds as opposed to to the clutter, dirt and frantic pace in the nearby town. Though the world has come to the ashram, it is still a haven for all.
In these changing times the ashram and devotees require flexibility. We can easily forget that Sri Bhagavan was a radical in His own time. He made available teachings that were held secret or were obscured over the centuries. He made available to all the chanting of the Vedas, He gave instructions to all who came and were fit to receive His instructions. He neither excluded anyone nor demanded loyalty. All were free to come and go as they please. It is the same today. for some when they arrive it is the beginning of a life long association. For others, a short visit is sufficient for their requirements in this lifetime. There is no rigid rule of who is in and who is out. Such thinking is irrelevant. In fact, for some who are mature enough one visit may be sufficient.
continued......
"The assertion of a concept, such as 'something is like this,' is called 'Sankalpa,' and a doubt, or a notion that 'something is not like this,' is called 'Vikalpa.' The Subtle body is such that it is always presenting this perverse type of knowledge of contradictory thoughts."
- Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj
[Siddharameshwar was the Guru of Sri Nisargadutta]
The Ashram:
continues.....
The ashram is centered upon the samadhis of Sri Bhagavan and His
Mother, Azhagammal. Rituals and chants are performed each day and many people participate in this communion of the spirit. A sense of peace emanates from both shrines and for those who approach these places with right attitude, they receive blessings words cannot adequately describe. Though apparently these rituals have nothing to do with self inquiry, atma vichara, they do remind us in a very visible way the purpose of our stay. Anything that helps us to remain focused on Sri Bhagavan is valid.
The ashram is many things to many people and yet it gives us all something. It all depends on what we ask and our capacity to be sensitive to the subtle response. For there is a response and the number of people who continue to come is an ample illustration of its potency.
We could say that the ashram is a generator of consciousness; it makes us more alive and tunes us in to the deeper layers of our awareness. We travel into the inner reaches of our own mind and heart. We learn more about who we are in the light of the sun we call Sri Ramana. It is a mystery how and why it happens, but it does and for our purpose in this life that is all we need to know if we are to step courageously forward and ask who am I?
The ashram is not only a set of buildings but also just as important, it is a powerful idea. When we are physically far from the ashram the mere idea of its keys into the feeling of what it is like to be there. In the same respect the idea of Sri Bhagavan is fundamental to our understanding when we become connected to His teaching. He is the center. He is the sun who radiates grace and understanding.
continued.....
The Ashram:
continues.....
We are aware that the thought of Sri Bhagavan has a powerful transforming effect upon us. We know this from personal familiarity. All devotees have experienced the mysterious influence of this something we call Sri Bhagavan, although Sri Ramana Himself died physically in 1950. Though now we have no contact with Him in this way, what we term His presence, is still very much in evidence. For those who have experienced His grace, words are not necessary and for those who have no connection with the idea it may appear foolish. It is for people to discover for themselves the intimate relationship with this force. It calls for a certain degree of faith that soon enough is abundantly rewarded. All we need do is to ask and this mysterious 'automatic divine action' swings into force.
In the Vedas, there is a talk about the cosmic purusha, the divine being whose body is the entire universe as we sense it. By analogy the ashram is Sri Bhagavan's body, the samadhi the heart, the mother's samadhi the lungs, the buildings his limbs, His devotees the blood cells which when they heed instructions of the heart correctly, revivify the ashram and keep the flame of the teaching alive. It is an idea but like all ideas it generates within us a fundamental change of attitude if we listen carefully. When we realize we all are interconnected then the purpose of the ashram becomes clearer. We are all here to learn.
continued.....
The Ashram:
continues....
It was often remarked during Sri Bhagavan's physical lifetime that so much drama and crisis pervaded the everyday functioning of the ashram. Apparently, He was unmoved and did nothing when people complained to Him. Instead His silence was a rebuke. Once it is related He said that there were people who came to the ashram for a bath and that they end up rolling in the mud.
We too are in a similar position today. The emptiness and quiet of former years is lost now and life has become much more complicated. It is more difficult to center attention on the reason why we are here at the ashram. But when we overcome the distractions and value the idea of the presence of Sri Bhagavan, everything can settle into place, even the darkness of our occasional wrong behavior. We are here to learn about Sri Bhagavan and about ourselves.
It is here in the ashram the miracle of alchemy occurs. Though it is said Sri Bhagavan is everywhere we all at certain times require a more substantial sense of certainty and reassurance. This is why we come to the ashram because there is a concentrated glow of consciousness in the air. When we enter the gates of the ashram, it seems we have entered a different world, a world dense with peace. Like a venerable guardian, the first sight of the old iluppai tree in the front courtyard, launches us into the realization, that yes, we are home again. We know our consciousness changes in this environment and the problems which vexed us fade in intensity, and with effort and time in the ashram, we can ride over them and see them for what they are: waves that come and go while we ride the crest of Sri Bhagavan's patronage, His blessings whose pleasing nourishment heals us and leads us on into the light.
concluded.
Ramana Leela:
The Method of Sri Bhagavan's Teaching:
Krishna Bhikshu:
In 1936, Krishna Bhikshu published Ramana Leela in Telugu. It was one of the three biographies of Sri Bhagavan published during His lifetime. In 1949, the author read through the entire work in front of
Sri Bhagavan who corrected the errors. This edited translation of Chapter 38 is by Smt. Anasurya. The ashram has also published a complete English translation of Ramana Leela by Pingali Surya Sundaram.
*
A visitor once approached Sri Bhagavan and asked Him, 'Bhagavan! Why do you not travel around Sri Sankara and some others did and gave discourses thereby ignorant men towards the right path?' Sri Bhagavan replied with His beautiful smile, 'Mahatmas take birth on this earth due to infinite grace. Even if they rarely speak the waves of power issuing from them spread out and enlighten the world with spiritual glory.'
Actually this question is inappropriate in itself. When divine beings manifest on the earth as human incarnations, they appear for a purpose and they do not perform other activities. The birth of Ramana Maharshi was intended to validate the attainment of Self Realization and to discourage unnecessary arguments about metaphysical knowledge by demonstrating the state of experiential knowledge. The desire for attainment of this knowledge arises from tendencies carried over from one's previous births. It is a waste of time and energy to try and enlighten those who are not in search of the truth. The second point is that silent communication of knowledge (mauna upadesa) is the best way to commune. It is superfluous to expect verbal instructions when the subtle sakti automatically pervades the whole body of the aspirant and leave him in a state of grace. Sri Ramana is not one to sow when the field is not ploughed and ready.
When this question arose on another occasion, Sri Bhagavan explained with utmost clarity, "An electric fan, even though requested will not give light. Neither will an electric bulb give us breeze on request." In the field of action each one has to work out his own appointed destiny.
continued......
Ramana Leela:
continues.....
Sri Ramana also told someone else, 'Some people want me to travel around and give discourses. Rajeswarananda said he would arrange a special train for me to travel in. He wanted me to go to the places and bless people who were unable to come this far.'
Once a child wanted Sri Ramana to come with her to her parents' place. Sri Ramana replied, 'Well, child! If I go along with you what will be the plight of people who come here for me? If you take me to your place, someone else will want me to go to their place too. Where will be the end to this? How can I go to them all?'
Intense desire for liberation is not easy state of mind. Many who come to Sri Bhagavan are in distress. What teaching can be given to those who want relief from illnessses, worldly troubles and planetary afflictions? In Sri Bhagavan's presence, they are able to experience peace according their capacity.
Some erudite scholars came to Sri Bhagavan explicitly in order to exhibit their knowledge. Sri Bhagavan's mounam was all that they got for their trouble. Finally, they were ashamed of their arrogance and returned the wiser.
Sri Bhagavan said that there is a lot of unnecessary, perverse logic in many commentaries on the works of great people. 'When the sayings are simply advaitic, these people try and twist text to mean whatever they want to expound. For example, we can take the commentary on Nammazhwar's work. He was a Vaishnava saint who said, 'Lord! Before I thought you were separate from me. Now, when I have known you, you alone are.' This is supportive of advaita. (Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, No. 67.)
continued.....
Ramana Leela:
continues.....
Some have no interest in erudition. They would not take the trouble to read a few basic scriptures that could remove their doubts, but they want them cleared by Sri Bhagavan. Sri Bhagavan, in His infinite compassion, would oblige them, but these people do not understand the impropriety of giving such unnecessary trouble to Sri Bhagavan. Even after great effort, some people were still steeped in doubt. Towards such people, Sri Bhagavan would be all compassion and would go to great lengths to remove their confusion.
There were some who would not enter into any discussion on scriptures. They were already dedicated to sadhana. The only obstruction to realization for them would be the attachment to some worldly objects. Unless this is removed, they cannot progress in their quest. Sadhana for many births would be needed to achieve true detachment. On this point, the Maharshi does not like His devotees to be worried. In His opinion, total detachment is Jnana in itself. Until one is firmly fixed in Self Knowledge, total detachment and desirelessness are impossible. Is there an actual measure to indicate the detachment necessary for the attainment of Self Knowledge? This question underlies the clarification to Natananda's questions given by Sri Bhagavan: "If you are really unfit for Self Knowledge why did you have the desire to meet Mahatmas?" It means that the desire to receive darshan of Mahatmas is itself the required qualification. We also should remember that Self Inquiry is not possible if there is no detachment at all. Sri Bhagavan tells us that detachment and other requirements are developed as a matter of course when one follows Self Inquiry.
Every seeker of truth needs attachment. There is no doubt that it has to be acquired. But Sri Bhagavan's method does not directly combat attachment to desires. Sri Bhagavan would say, "If the bird in the cage goes on struggling, it is strangled. It is the same with worldly desires. We should not brood and worry over them. An evil desire is like any other desire. The best way to get over this predicament is to concentrate on the one who desires, or follow the method of 'Neti, Neti'. When you cut the base of a tree, the flowers and fruits naturally fall."
continued......
Came across this really good video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEca1MiE4GA&feature=related
Ramana Leela:
Ch.38:
continues.....
Another way was shown by Sri Ramakrishna who conquered lust by thinking of his wife as the Divine Mother. If one drinks the ambrosia of God's name can there enjoyment of the honey of worldly desires?
This is exactly the method of Maharshi: Pay not attention to the worldly desires and search for atma. Suppose a doubt arises about the necessity of inquiry at all. The answer is: many have been attracted by worldly phenomena and have been utterly defeated and driven mad in the struggle to be free of them. When at last they came out of the maze and met Sri Bhagavan, they surrendered to Him and were saved in the nick of time.
To develop intense detachment, ritual baths, performance of japa, sandhya, satsangh, self discipline and the presence of Mahatmas are all helpful. But they should not be too stringent. They should not be an obstruction to Self Inquiry but a means that leads one to the goal of detachment. There is an apt saying, 'for the realized souls, disciplines drop off by themselves.'
When troubles seems unendurable some people are disgusted with worldly life and come to Sri Bhagavan with the intention of becoming sannyasins. Natanananda was such a one. Sri Bhagavan usually dissuades such people from taking what could well prove to be a wrong step. There was a person at Arunachala who had intense vairagya. He thought that since Sri Bhagavan was not being merciful towards him He had better commit suicide. He wanted Sri Bhagavan's
darshan for one at last time. At that very moment he heard Bhagavan say to another, "See, what a great effort is needed to stitch a small leaf plate. You have to collect leaves. A few sticks must be dried and split. We have to carefully arrange one leaf over the other and make a plate. After preparing it we do not throw it away immediately. We take our meal on it and only then discard it. The teaching is that we cannot discard the body until the prarabdha (karma in this life) has been experienced."
continued.....
Ramana Leela:
Chapter 38:
continues....
The next step is the goal. Because of the difference in fitness and the strength of diverse tendencies, the goals will also be quite different. Sri Bhagavan knew this and taught according to the tendencies of the individuals who worshipped various gods. This might cause the illusion in the followers of various religions that Sri Bhagavan was instructing them in the teachings of their own masters. Usually when a person who was already engaged in a particular mode of worship came to Sri Bhagavan, He would tell them to continue in their own system and would in no way disturb their beliefs, since Sri Bhagavan considers that everyone ultimately has to turn towards Self Inquiry. Whatever the path is followed He asks us never to forget this point: Be sympathetic to the other person's point of view so that his response would be open and positive.'
Sri Bhagavan never liked people of different religions to fight over their individual beliefs. He would say, 'As long as there is worship of the form, these differences and quarrels are inevitable. Everyone likes the taste of sweetness. But each has own liking for a particular type of sweetness of his choice. One likes honey, another likes sugar candy, another likes sugar and still another likes sugar cane. It is but natural that each one declares that his own choice is the best. But it is not ultimate. If one wants just sweetness and not the taste of any material there is no other way for him to except to become the sweetness itself.'
There are some who asked if they could worship certain gods. In 1925, a swami called Vallimalai Murugan came accompanied by a group of lawyers. He was famed as Tiruppugazh Swami since he sang Tiruppugazh enchantingly in various tunes and with great emotion. Tiruppugazh is a corpus of songs composed by Arunagiri Nathar on Lord Subrahmanya. Murugan was a glorious singer but he did not know the meaning of the songs. The Maharshi heard him sing some of the Tiruppugazh and explained in great detail, with devotion and great compassion, the meaning to the whole group. Murugan had no other education but after this he could explain the whole text of Tiruppugah even to great pandits. This was the way Sri Bhagavan helped him in the worship of a form. One of the group asked Sri Bhagavan if it is good to do Gayatri meditation mechanically. Sri Bhagavan said: It is good even it is done mechanically. But the orb of the sun itself can be meditated upon with better results. The last mantra 'Namassavitre Jaggdeka Chakshushe' can be taken as help in meditation. (Self Realization, Chapter XXV, Meditation at the Asramam).
continued......
Ramana Leela:
Ch.38:
continues....
One who meditates upon and surrenders to such a powerful being will merge in him. The sakti of whatever god is worshipped known what is good for one who meditates and gives what is appropriate. When this meditation progresses with intensity, the divine being meditated upon becomes infinite and ultimately formless. Gradually meditation of the qualified becomes meditation of the unqualified.
A group of pilgrims from Gorakhpur came to Sri Bhagavan during their pilgrimage of the southern temples. The group leader asked, 'Bhagavan! You are a Jnani. You say you are everything. But we are only devotees of Isvara. We think we are different from Him. How can thereby any harmony between differing concepts?'
Sri Bhagavan replied that only the words are different. 'What is happening is the same in both methods. When you intensify the repetition of the name, the form disappears. Only the name remains. As long as this does not happen your real goal worship if the form of your god. Beholding that form in everything is the next great step, sarvam vishnumayam jagat. But is not the one who meditates included in that which he is meditating on? So he himself is also Vishnu. To behold Vishnu AS everything is a higher step than beholding Him IN everything. After this, the form disappears and pure effulgence, tejas, remains. Beyond this is the primal sound (vak) of the name. Space (akasa) is beyond the sound and when we come to this stage, we will see the point where diversity originates. You said your goal is Vishnu. What is to be attained is the all pervasiveness of the name. The name arises in us as a form of thought. It means that when the name is repeated mentally it is a form of mental activity. The ultimate goal is singular activity (ananya chinta) or single thought. I have given to that single thought a name 'aham' '.
continued......
Ramana Leela:
Ch. 38:
continues....
Krishna Bhikshu also asked Sri Bhagavan the same question. 'Bhagavan! Previously I used to see your form in meditation, but nowadays it is not happening.' Sri Bhagavan asked him, 'Do you remember the name?' Krishna Bhikshu replied in the affirmative. 'Do not worry. The name is greater than form,' assured Sri Bhagavan.
Sri Bhagavan also explained: 'Some people love to worship avatars like Rama and Krishna. Others worship Sakti. During meditation Sakti travels from the form fo Sakti to the devotee. When the mind is merged in the goddess there is no separate existence any more. For the devotee that unparalleled Sakti itself gives the devotee the desire
to meditate on the formless aspect of Isvara.'
The goal of meditation is thus explained. Next, the mantra is clarified. As Sri Bhagavan knew the agamas and Vedanta thoroughly He would prescribe the mantra which is best suited the particular aspirant. Take for example, what Sri Bhagavan told Ganapati Muni. In Upadesa Saram Sri Bhagavan says that japa done mentally is better than that done aloud or even that done with movement of the lips. To concentrate on the one who does the japa is the best japa of all. In describing the worship of Isvara with qualities (saguna), Sri Bhagavan like acharyas of yore, extolled bhakti and indicated the best method is continuous remembrance flowing like a stream of fluid ghee.
Sri Bhagavan has explained the method of pranayama in Sri Ramana Gita. In the Bhagavad Gita pranayama and the necessary discipline and asanas were described in full. Sri Bhagavan's teaching is that whatever the method followed the ultimate goal has to be Self Knowledge, and one should persevere in his chosen method to reach the goal.
Sri Bhagavan's compassion helps each sadhaka in his own chosen path. As He Himself is the manifestation of Isvara, all paths are acceptable to Him. What does it matter if the path is different because of the difference in the fitness of the aspirants?
continued.....
Ramana Leela:
Ch.38:
continues.....
From Ramanathapuram, a widow called Shantammal came to serve Sri Bhagavan. She worshipped a picture of Sri Bhagavan with great devotion. She remembered Sri Bhagavan in all her waking hours and she often saw Sri Bhagavan in her dreams. Whether her eyes were open or closed she would see divine lights and Sri Bhagavan's form in the midst of great, white radiance.
These manifestations were always with her whether she was at Arunachala or in her hometown. At last she told Sri Bhagavan about these visions. Sri Bhagavan taught
her that these revelations should not be her goal as they are actually impediments in dhayana and one should not be fascinated by them. Whatever object is tangible either to the gross or to the subtle senses is only a phenomenon. The seer must be seen rather than whatever he sees. Sri Bhagavan emphasized that it is sheer foolishness to feel jubilant over visions.
How can we say in so many words, what Sri Bhagavan's teaching is? The manner of His life is in itself His teaching and an example to be followed by all.
Even though Sri Bhagavan helped devotees in so many ways there were some who were not altogether satisfied. They wanted a public acknowledgement of discipleship. Sri Bhagavan was not inititated by anybody. Neither did He initiate anybody in the traditional way nor did He accept anyone as a disciple (sishya). His mere presence was grace enough and He gave sadhakas all help they needed by His look. Once Major Chadwick asked Sri Bhagavan why He did not initiate anybody by word or touch and did not accept disciples. Sri Bhagavan retorted, 'Why should there be this show of initiation? Is it your understanding that you are not accepted unless you go through all this rigmarole?' Each devotee was perfectly aware whether he was accepted or not through his own experience. But nobody was able to maintain that they were speaking for Sri Bhagavan nor could anyone claim to be Sri Bhagavan's sishya because of a private sanction of discipleship.
continued.....
Ramana Leela:
Chapter 38:
continues......
Once some devotees were discussing the meaning of Ulladu Narpadu in Sri Bhagavan's presence. After sometime, they, tired of the discussion asked Sri Bhagavan what was the purpose of the text. Sri Bhagavan told them, 'Nothing was written by me with a purpose (sankalpa). All the meanings that
you have expressed are quite apt.'
Each one reads the meaning of a text according to his own light (samskara). They understand only so much and act accordingly. Even if more is told to them, they would not understand. It once happened that two disciples fought each other via letters to a newspaper, each one declaring that only his own interpretation of Sri Bhagavan's teaching was correct!
continued......
Ramana Leela:
Ch.38:
continues.....
The idea people generally have of an inititation is a mantra being given or the touch of the guru's hand o some such thing. Sri Bhagavan usually never did these things. If perhaps an upadesa had to be given in private He would often give it in a dream. For example, Natananda had inititation through a vision of Sri Bhagavan. Or perhaps it could be through direct eye contact as happened to Ganapati Muni, or even through a touch on the head as in the case of Ramaswami Iyer. Many devotees have declared that Sri Bhagavan removed their doubts and gave guidance through their dreams.
When any question arose about a sciptural saying, Sri Bhagavan would answer in a way that is useful to all. When a personal initiation was desired it was proper to tell Sri Bhagavan all the sadhana that had been gone through up to that time. Sometimes whenm specific request for upadesa, Sri Bhagavan would give it anyway by
speaking to someone else on that subject in the presence of the one needing information.
Sri Bhagavan's upadesa could be in a few words. A child sat on a window recess a little and shifted to another one to see out. Sri Bhagavan asked her what she was doing. The child said, 'Nothing, Bhagavan! Sri Bhagavan commented on this, 'Hear her. Though this child's body is moving she says she is not doing anything. Adults do not seem to know even that much."
continued.......
Ramana Leela:
Chapter 38:
continues......
A gentleman said, 'Bhagavan, you do not do anything. Give me your Sakti and I will do good for the world.' Sri Bhagavan laughed heartily and said, 'He does not have even a grain to eat, but wants run a chuultery!' This is similar to what He said to Humphreys.
A man was holding a newspaper in his hand. He said, 'Bhagavan! you say atma everywhere.'Bhagavan said, 'Can you say there is no paper because you do not notice it. beneath the print you were reading?'
A man was careless in serving food in the dining hall. Some of the food fell on a person's leg. Sri Bhagavan said, 'People think they are great as soon as they start handling a ladle. They do not seem to know as who is really great. We have to distinguish between one who craves for greatness and the true guru who accepts a little from us. gives his merit to us and takes our sin on himself.
When Sri Bhagavan was living in Skandasramam a disciple asked, 'Bhagavan, it is decreed that action should be performed. But selflessly. How do we understand this?' Sri Bhagavan kept quiet for the time being. Then one day Sri Bhagavan walked in the forest, accompanied by some devotees, including the disciple, who asked the question. Sr Bhagavan cut a dry branch and worked on it for about
an hour and eventually made a walking stick. An old shepherd appeared and walked towards the group with great difficulty. Sri Bhagavan immediately gave him the walking stickhe He had prepared and said as a general comment,'Karma was performed selflessly.' Natually the disciple understood the implication of what Sri Bhagavan said.
In this way, Sro Bhagavan's every word would become an upadesa. It depends on the receiving ability of the person concerned.
His teaching is superb and His actions were perfect and are to be emulated by one and all.
concluded.
Advaita Goes West:
Alan Jacobs:
(Advent, 2004 - Mountain Path.)
When 'Bodhidharma went west' whereby the Buddha's original teaching was transported to China in 520BC it suffered acute changes as a consequence. His followers rejected the Upanishadic means of the Indian rshis as a way to enlightenment. They advocated instead a special transmission outside the scriptures. In addition the original Indian Buddhist teaching was assimilated into a Taoist and Confucianist culture and underwent severe modifications in emphasis and delineation. Differing
schools interpretation inevitably appeared.
Is something similar happening when the original teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi are now being exported almost wholesale to Europe, America and Australasia?
There is no question that the Maharshi intended His 'Teachings to go west.' His appearance in a dream to Paul Brunton in London, without even Brunton having heard of Ramana was extraordinary and cannot be seen as a mere accident. It led to Brunton's hook 'The Search in Secret India', which sold like wildfire, in the nineteen thirties. It eventually lead to the visits of such esteemed worthies as Grant Duff, Alan Chadwick, Arthur Osborne and Mouni Sadhu. Here were gifted men able to spread the good news to their associates about the great Sage of Arunachala and His power of transmission through silence. They were guides to many Westerners who came to Sri Ramanasramam in His lifetime.
Now more than half a century after the Maharshi's Maha Samadhi we are in a position to honestly survey what is happening to Sri Ramana's teachings as it is assimilated into the contemporary western culture.
Like Zen Buddhism in the 1970s, Advaita has become the predominant fashion for western seekers. Why has it become so popular?
continued.....
Advaita Goes West:
continues.......
The appeal probably lies in the fact that its concepts can be approached by the rational mind, initially, without recourse to any spiritual orthodoxy. Also it does not require any change in life style and makes no external demands. The westerner is a rationalist and sceptical about the churches which appear largely out of touch with the modern generation. But a teaching from India, with exotic overtones, that does not make requirements is very attractive, in the new age culture. In addition, in the big cities, there have sprung up satsangh communities built around appealing personalities who are gifted communicators and imply if not stating it outright that 'awakening has happened.'
These teachers, in the main having been given an ambiguous permission by H.W.L. Poonja, to expound, have
necessarily been forced to adapt the teachings to the needs of westerners eager for the attractions of so called 'enlightenment'.
Firstly many young people are disoriented by the competitive materialistic society in which they are born and need some therapeutic help. Secondly they are not versed in Indian scriptures or the Maharshi's own writings and welcome an attenuated version of the advaitic concepts. The metaphysical truths of the teachings are often overlooked and Self Inquiry is marginalized. As David Frawley and others have pointed out, Self Inquiry demands a spiritual practice initially as well as a degree of maturity.
The advaita teachers of the western world are by no means sages. Their accumulated vasanas are still observably active, and their self termed awakening experiences are only glimpses of the Self. If they persevere with appropriate sadhanas, some may eventually become realized. The arguments often put against sadhana by many of teachers, that it strengthens the ego, is false. Surrender and Self Inquiry are designed to undermine and eventually destroy the conditioned and inborn vasanas as well as the ego. The support practices such as meditation, japa, pranayama etc., are there to prepare those whose minds are too restless for Self Inquiry and lack he necessary attention and concentration. Paradoxically most of these teachers have undergone a deal of spiritual practices themselves.
continued......
Advaita Goes West:
Alan Jacobs:
continues.....
Unless through Self Inquiry, self surrender and, if needed, the support practices offered by the Maharshi are continued, the vasanas and egotistic self will cannot be burned out. Once they are, then there may be real liberation as jivanmukta living in the 'no mind' sahaja state. While the vasanas are active the teacher is still living like the ajnani, from his or her reflected consciousness and not from the absolute pure consciousness of the sage. They are still teaching from the mind, not living from 'no mind.' The Maharshi was able to teach through silence. The 'ordinary mind' needs to become devotional and sattvic and lose its rajasic and tamasic tendencies. Then the sattvic mind is able to surrender to the Self and eventually through grace becomes 'no mind' I am the Self or Self realized.
The contemporary teachers often adapt their teaching to a comfortable psychotherapy to meet their audiences 'I' demands. They earn their livelihoods by itinerant teaching whatever an audience may be found. They marginalize Self Inquiry, as being too difficult, or ignore it. At the best it is given in an attenuated form. They do however, succeed in undermining the sense of personal doership and teach 'surrender' by sleight of hand through terms such as welcoming, embracing, being ok, accepting 'what is' etc., These terms strip the teaching of its necessary devotional implications such as are felt by surrender to 'God or the Real Self'. Devotion is essential to open the Heart. It is not always understood that intellectual understanding alone is arid and leads no where except as a precursor to the necessary sadhana. To imply 'all' is only consciousness so do whatever you like, is a truncation and even distortion of the Maharshi's great teachings. The injunction to give up spiritual practice is dangerous, as it allows the vasanas full permission to indulge, and could lead to the dead end of Hedonism, or at best a parking space until the next 'satsangh fix'. There is no grace without effort. One either
wants an illusory but comfortable self calming quietness, or one wants enlightenment.
continued......
Advaita Goes West:
continues....
But sometimes after attending endless teacher's satsanghs, some are led to the Maharshi, to find out what His real teaching truly IS. After attending, as an introduction, many different teachers, they find they are partially familiarized with many
basic advaita concepts. The seeker may then mature to Sri Bhagavan's highest teaching. Modern western advaita teachers do not give an overview of the advaita teaching, but only offer fragments from a sporadic question and answer technique, where humor and quick wittedness is sometimes predominant. Many are unfamiliar with the totality of Sri Bhagavan's teaching, and are not erudite in
this respect. Sri Bhagavan Ramana is the source of their teachings and many claim His lineage. But hopefully they and their earnest adherents will spiritually ripen to the point of Self Realization, through the Maharshi's direct path, and through His guidance, which is now perennially received by ardent devotees.
The westerner tries to get his finite mind around the infinite and finds it confusing. The western teachers and 'Californian Gurus' do their best to ease the passage, but it is at best a half way house to the liberation of the Sage.
Sri Ramana Maharshi is recognized as a supreme guru who sets a teaching for a millennium. By bringing Self Inquiry to the forefront He gave a new opportunity for those tired of the dream of samsara, who wishes to wake up from repetitive suffering. He wanted His teaching to 'go West' hence His appearance to Paul Brunton. Perhaps, 'the Western teaching phenomenon' is part of the plan of totality to introduce advaita to westerners, but they must not let it stop there, for either the teachers or the seekers sake.
concluded.
UG - What am I Saying
Part-1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C570V0OM5kU
Part-2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNQbjEKF5lI
Subramanian,
Good article by Alan Jacob.Looks like there are more Gurus than disciples.As it looks like,I foresee a bright Financial career for 'Disciples'-wherein a Disciple will get Good remuneration for being taught by the 'Gurus' and will charge the Guru on an hourly basis.A Disciple will have his calendar booked and will be giving appointments to the Gurus who will be competing for the Disciple's attention:-)
There will also be an opportunity to set up Franchisee Discipleship,wherein Earnings from other Disciples will be shared with the Head Disciple.Anyone interested ,Please Register yourself with Disciple.com.:-)
"There is only one Guru, and that is Satchidananda. He alone is the Teacher. My attitude
toward God is that of a child toward its mother. One can get human gurus by the million.
All want to be teachers. But who cares to be a disciple?"-Sri Ramakrishna
Namaskar.
Knowledge of things in command by the TathAgata:
When the Budddha was talking with his disciples concerning various speculations prevalent in his days, he mad the following remarks about the knowledge of things in command by the TathAgata:
"That does he know, and he knows also other things far beyond, far better than those speculations. And having that knowledge he is not puffed up. And thus untarnished he has, in his own heart, realized the way of escape from them, has understood, as really as they are, the rising up and passing away of sensations, their sweet taste, their danger, how they cannot be relied on, and not grasping after any of those things men are eager for, he the TathAgata is quite set free. These are those other things, profound, difficult to realize, and hard to understand, tranquilizing, sweet, not to be grasped by logic, subtle, comprehensible only by the wise, which the TathAgata, having himself realized and seen face to face, hath set forth; and it is concerning these that they would rightly praise the TathAgata in accordance with the turth, should speak. (The BrahmajAla Sutta, tr. by Rhys Davids.)
These virtues for which the TathAgata was to be praised were manifestly not derived from speculation and analytical reasoning. His intellectual sight was just as keen and far reaching as any of his contemporaries, but he was endowed with a higher faculty, will power, which was exercised to its fullest capacity in order to bring about all these virtues which belonged to the entire being of TathAgatahood. And naturally there was no need for him to face these metaphysical problems that agitated the philosophers of his days. They were solved in him, when he attained his spiritual freedom and serenity, in their entirety, in their synthetic, in their synthetic aspect, and not partially or fragmentarily, - which should be the case if they were presented to the Buddha's cognition in philosophical problems.
continued......
MahAli Sutta:
In this light is to be read the Mahali Sutta. Some scholars wonder why two entirely disconnected ideas are treated together in one body of the Sutra, which, however, shows scholarly ignorance in regard to matter spiritual, as they fail to notice the true import of Enlightenment in the system of Buddhist faith. To understand this we need imaginative intuition directly penetrating the center of life, and not always do mere literary and philological talents to succeed in unraveling its secrets.
The MahAli Sutta is a Pali Sutra in the Digha-NikAya, in which MahAli asks the Buddha as to the object of the religious life practiced by his disciples, and the following is the gist of the answer:
The Buddhists do not practice self-concentration in order to acquire any miraculous power such as hearing heavenly sounds or seeing heavenly sights. There are things higher and sweeter than that, one of which is the complete destruction of the three bonds (delusion of self, doubt, and trust in the efficacy of good works and ceremonies) and the attainment of such a state of mind as to lead to the insight of the higher things in one's spiritual life. When this insight is gained the heart grows serene, is released from the taint of ignorance, and there arises the knowledge of emancipation. Such questions as are asked by you, O MahAli, regarding the identity of body and soul, and see things as they really are in themselves -- that is, emancipated from the bonds, taints, and deadly flows, -- those questions that are bothering you at the moment will completely lose their value and no more be asked in the way you do. Hence no need of my answering your questions.
This dialogue between the Buddha and MahAli well illustrates the relation between the Enlightenment and the problem of the soul. There is no need of wondering why the Buddha did not definitely solve the ever recurring question instead of ignoring it in the manner as he did and talking about something apparently in no connection with the point at issue. This is one of the instances by which we must try to see into the meaning of ignorance.
*******
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