tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post371046805848975614..comments2024-03-20T13:24:11.422+05:30Comments on Arunachala and Ramana Maharshi: Open ThreadDavid Godmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10354181925332694222noreply@blogger.comBlogger906125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-59115502073968728042011-01-12T05:20:22.184+05:302011-01-12T05:20:22.184+05:30Broken Yogi, 'This may be pointing out the obv...Broken Yogi, 'This may be pointing out the obvious, but all this concern for food, for meat vs. vegetarianism, all springs from identification with the body, and it just reinforces that point of view'.<br />I agree with BY totally. It would be hard to be vegetarian in Tibet or go through a harsh European winter nibbling greens.<br />Don't worry about garlic or leeks this is not of the utmost importance!<br />Nisargadatta was not strictly vegetarian and I'm sure Meister Ekhart was not vegetarian. I'm not sure about Kabir but I'm pretty sure that it was peripheral to his his great understanding.<br />glowAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-34033462261998895132011-01-11T20:08:46.731+05:302011-01-11T20:08:46.731+05:30Bhagavn had told something like this (paraphrased)...Bhagavn had told something like this (paraphrased) when someone asked about diet: Sri Adi Sankara had told that food must be taken as medicine to cure the disease called hunger and not for taste purposes. So, one should eat only when hungry and should eat what one gets, without any preferences. <br /><br />If one is cooking for himslef/herself, don't know what should be cooked. :)Maneeshahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15693008674509444946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-49185221162651990992011-01-11T14:42:21.749+05:302011-01-11T14:42:21.749+05:30Try again:
This may be pointing out the obvious, ...Try again:<br /><br />This may be pointing out the obvious, but all this concern for food, for meat vs. vegetarianism, all springs from identification with the body, and it just reinforces that point of view. <br /><br />I recall a story of four young seekers visiting Ramanashram and asking Ramana what diet is best for spiritual practice, and his response was to basically ignore the question and tell them to practice self-enquiry. The point being that the body-mind isn't the focus of practice, the self is. <br /><br />It's not that diet is of zero importance, but it's really of no serious concern. The practice of self-enquiry, will naturally result in some changes in life-habit, including diet if one is sensitive. But most importantly, one should stop putting attention on the body and worrying about what comes of it, and put attention on the self. No diet is going to make one a true sadhaka. <br /><br />That doesn't mean diet isn't meaningful, or that one shouldn't eat a pure diet. It's just something that has a purely secondary place, and it should come naturally. One will notice in the course of sadhana what foods are detrimental and which are not, and one will choose the latter. Trying to pre-figure this all and then apply the perfect diet from the start is pointless and actually counter to sadhana, as it reinforces identification with the body. That's why Ramana didn't answer those young men's question, I think. <br /><br />Plenty of mature spiritual practitioners and realizers have eaten meat or drunk alcohol, etc., and some have even eaten garlic and onions (horrors!) Often it's a cultural matter, or a simple matter of climate and availability. (try getting through a Tibetan winter as a vegetarian). <br /><br />It really doesn't matter, because the Self isn't qualified by the body-mind, or what the body-mind eats. As a practical matter its usually good to eat pure and benign food, but if eating the wrong food takes you off the spiritual path, you weren't on it to begin with.Broken Yogihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02257804418740860542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-86736776656752530512011-01-11T13:50:17.073+05:302011-01-11T13:50:17.073+05:30Dear shiba,
Sustitute regular onions or leek as
y...Dear shiba,<br /><br />Sustitute regular onions or leek as<br />you mentioned, in place of garlic.<br />That should be equally delicious.Subramanian. Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07503810836611357841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-16044749439613365192011-01-11T13:45:39.425+05:302011-01-11T13:45:39.425+05:30Thank you very much for your kind reply, Subramani...Thank you very much for your kind reply, Subramanian.R.<br /><br />I bought a recipe book about Indian vegetable dishes recently.Garlic is often contained in ingredients of dishes.Is there any substitute for garlic?<br /><br />By the way, leek is a sort of long green onion.SO, it will be permitted.<br /><br />I am very glad that I can have a good tamil teacher.<br /><br />thank youshibanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-42285299233114883702011-01-11T12:42:00.756+05:302011-01-11T12:42:00.756+05:30Test - my comments are posting, then getting delet...<i>Test - my comments are posting, then getting deleted somehow. Is there a reason for this?</i><br /><br />I have the same problem. The thread is too big.Clemens Vargas Ramoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06257066933525899061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-52105897405138070662011-01-11T06:47:05.972+05:302011-01-11T06:47:05.972+05:30Test - my comments are posting, then getting delet...Test - my comments are posting, then getting deleted somehow. Is there a reason for this?Broken Yogihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02257804418740860542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-29228930224303016232011-01-10T16:56:52.598+05:302011-01-10T16:56:52.598+05:30We will soon have a 1000 comments here. A problem ...We will soon have a 1000 comments here. A problem with the display of the comment gagdet may occur then.<br /><br />I recommend David Godman to create a new 'open thread' to avoid this.Clemens Vargas Ramoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06257066933525899061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-51825361307908191092011-01-10T15:57:13.232+05:302011-01-10T15:57:13.232+05:30Dear shiba,
I am quite happy that you have starte...Dear shiba,<br /><br />I am quite happy that you have started learning Tamizh. There is<br />quite a difference between spoken<br />Tamizh and written Tamizh, particularly poems, but right now,<br />do not worry about them. As regards sattvic food, amongst the vegetarian food, garlic is not recommended by Sri Bhagavan. However, onion is permitted. I do not understand what you mean by leak. Regarding eggs, both table eggs and eggs that would hatch as chickens - both are not permitted. Milk is permitted. Mushrooms, they say now, do not contain any life. But mushrooms were not much heard those days. So Sri Bhagavan did not say anything about it. Wish you speedy learning of Tamizh with Sri<br />Bhagavan's grace. Any doubt about grammar, pronounciation etc., you may ask me.Subramanian. Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07503810836611357841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-49140537995186091432011-01-10T15:20:21.371+05:302011-01-10T15:20:21.371+05:30Hello.I have started to study Tamil language.Pronu...Hello.I have started to study Tamil language.Pronunciation is much more difficult than Japanese.Order of words is rather similar to Japanese.I am suprised that there is difference between spoken words and written words in Tamil.<br /><br />By the way, Bhagavan would recommend vegetable foods as sattve foods.In vegetables ,are there foods which are not regarded as sattve?For example, are chilli, garlic, leak and onion sattve foods? Or should I not be so sensitive to kinds of vegetable?shibanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-70330574287064404402011-01-10T11:49:48.121+05:302011-01-10T11:49:48.121+05:30Dear Ravi,
Thanks for your post. I did not use
t...Dear Ravi,<br /><br />Thanks for your post. I did not use<br />the words Pettal and PitaRRal since<br />some of the foreign commentators would not understand these words. These are typical Thanjavur local langauage! In fact, every Jnani uses the words of his home town or district. Sri Bhagaan uses the word Pyave.. Pyave means slowly, slowly. Chennai people uses medhuva... meaning the same thing. It is a typical Madurai district usage. Tiru Jnana Sambandhar uses this word, though he is a Thanjavurian, when he is in Madurai to cure Pandyan illness! Similarly Sri Bhagavan uses the word kaaichal, for fever. Chennai people uses the Sanskrit jvaram.Subramanian. Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07503810836611357841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-30936248243316760532011-01-10T10:40:42.883+05:302011-01-10T10:40:42.883+05:30R.Subramanian,
The incident concerning the Sage of...R.Subramanian,<br />The incident concerning the Sage of Kanchi and Sri Bhagavan by Sri Ra Ganapathy is an interesting one.<br />Here is an excerpt:<br />"Two reports I heard from the servitors of the Maha-Svami relating him to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi I could myself easily attribute to their creative artistry in elevating their own Master over every other holy man. Yet I wanted to get confirmation from His Holiness himself for certain reasons. <br /><br />The Maha-Svami, ever bubbling with wit and witticism had a unique way of saying things. He said he did not want to give the same judgment on both reports and so would call one of them as pettal (colloquial for pitatral) and the other as ularal. The fun of it si that both the words mean the same, viz., talking nonsense! <br /><br />To come to the two reports. One of them was that when the Maha-Svami was circumambulating the Holy Hill during his camp at Tiruvannamalai, Sri Ramana Maharishi purposely came out of his living room in the Ramana-Asrama and walked to a particular spot from where he could see the Maha-Svami at a distance. <br /><br />Even as I heard it I could write it off, because Maharishi was to me surely one to whom the triad of the seer, seen and sight had dissolved in the oneness of the only Self. (So it was to His Holiness. But he donned the role of the Teacher exemplifying the ideal to the humans, and therefore was ever on the move to see people and holy places.)"<br />so "pEttal"(Nonsense)and 'uLaral'(blabbering)were the ways MahAperiyava humourously distinguished the rumours!<br />Here is the complete article,The MahAswami and the Maharshi: <br />http://www.kamakoti.org/souv/5-58.html<br /><br />Namaskar.Ravihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14875076137584328729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-2287618029505284272011-01-10T10:40:00.267+05:302011-01-10T10:40:00.267+05:30Dear Ravi,
Smt. Kanakammal was another devotee,
w...Dear Ravi,<br /><br />Smt. Kanakammal was another devotee,<br />who had immense respect for Maha Swami also. She went with her mother to see Maha Swami once. Her mother told Swami: She is bent on <br />staying in T'malai and is not willing to come home. You have to guide her." Kanakammal was anxious<br />as to what Maha Swami would say. Maha Swami said: There is no difference between Ramana Swami and me. If she is here or there, it is all the same. Then she asked Kanakammal: Ekanta Vasam? Staying alone? K. replied: Yes. Atma Vicharam? K. said Yes. Swayam bagham? self cooking? K. said Yes. Maha Swami then finally said: Let good things happen to you. K. was greatly relieved. She took kumkum prasadam from Maha Swami, prostrated, and left with her mother.Subramanian. Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07503810836611357841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-66318648915728756692011-01-10T10:35:28.994+05:302011-01-10T10:35:28.994+05:30Dear Ravi,
Once when Kanchi Maha Swami was in
Tir...Dear Ravi,<br /><br />Once when Kanchi Maha Swami was in<br />Tiruvannamalai, he was moving on<br />the Chengam Road, with his cycle rickshaw. He and his devotees stopped a while before Sri Ramanasramam. He was looking into the Asramam from the road. He did not go inside. Nor did Sri Bhagavan come out. All the inmates of Sri Ramanasramam came out to pay respect to Maha Swami. <br />Suri Nagamma alone sat inside the Hall with Sri Bhagavan. Sri Bhagavan asked Suri Nagamma: Why?<br />You did not go?" Suri Nagamma replied: Despite being a widow,<br />I am having hairs. Maha Swami does not meet/see such people."<br />Sri Bhagavan looked at her with all kindness and said: "O, that is alright."Subramanian. Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07503810836611357841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-34092888481991801342011-01-10T10:28:53.537+05:302011-01-10T10:28:53.537+05:30Dear Ravi,
When Maha Swami was touring the town o...Dear Ravi,<br /><br />When Maha Swami was touring the town of Tiruvannamalai, he had discoursed: "Karma Marga is the most important. One should do nitya karmas and naimitta karmas regularly to reach god." The devotees came and told Sri Bhagavan as to how Swami could speak like that. Sri Bhagavan said: "He is a head of a Math. Rituals are part of his duties. If I had been like that, I would also have spoken like that. What is there?" Sri Bhagavan never gets trapped into any controversy.Subramanian. Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07503810836611357841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-347196239414917202011-01-10T10:24:33.827+05:302011-01-10T10:24:33.827+05:30Dear Ravi,
It appears that rumours were spread in...Dear Ravi,<br /><br />It appears that rumours were spread in Kanchi Math that Sri Bhagavan had<br />requested to Maha Swami of Kanchi to help Him to rid the sarcoma cancer! Maha Swami had said to those people: This is blashmphemous blabbering of mad people. Simiarly it appears that there were rumors that Maha Swami had prayed to Sri Bhagavan to give him the state of total thoughtless state. Maha Swami also said that is a stupid rumor mongering of useless people!Subramanian. Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07503810836611357841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-56356890243105805572011-01-10T10:21:09.927+05:302011-01-10T10:21:09.927+05:30Dear Ravi,
Sri Ra. Ganapati was devoted to both
S...Dear Ravi,<br /><br />Sri Ra. Ganapati was devoted to both<br />Sri Bhagavan and Mahaswami of Kanchi. He has written a 2 volume<br />book titled Sri Ramana MaNam, on Sri<br />Bhagavan. The book came as a serial article in some magazine and has been collected into a two volume book. This is available in Sri Ramanasramam.Subramanian. Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07503810836611357841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-43698158877549110142011-01-10T10:19:21.195+05:302011-01-10T10:19:21.195+05:30Dear Ravi,
There is an interesting anecdote
writt...Dear Ravi,<br /><br />There is an interesting anecdote<br />written by Ra. Ganapati. It appears<br />that devotees had arranged for a meeting between Sri Bhagavan and Mahaswami of Kanchi in Palakottu, when latter had been touring Tiruvannamalai. But it did not come through, due to reasons not known.Subramanian. Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07503810836611357841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-9926601668194932582011-01-10T10:17:35.070+05:302011-01-10T10:17:35.070+05:30Dear Clemens Vargas Romos,
Thanks for the informa...Dear Clemens Vargas Romos,<br /><br />Thanks for the information about<br />your forthcoming book.Subramanian. Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07503810836611357841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-7190307665537160072011-01-10T10:16:35.024+05:302011-01-10T10:16:35.024+05:30Dear Ravi,
Swami Paramahamsa Yogananda had met
Sr...Dear Ravi,<br /><br />Swami Paramahamsa Yogananda had met<br />Sri Bhagavan once. There is a photograph of Sri Bhagavan with Yogananda, with later wearing loose<br />pyjama and a long jubba. He has got a flowing hair.Subramanian. Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07503810836611357841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-29832048269605225172011-01-10T10:14:14.984+05:302011-01-10T10:14:14.984+05:30Dear Anon.,
Bernard Shaw was a vegetarian, I am t...Dear Anon.,<br /><br />Bernard Shaw was a vegetarian, I am told. There are a few Christians who<br />are vegetarians.Subramanian. Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07503810836611357841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-35561638734323419922011-01-10T08:06:27.629+05:302011-01-10T08:06:27.629+05:30Rp,
Kanchi mahAperiyavA had encyclopaedic knowledg...Rp,<br />Kanchi mahAperiyavA had encyclopaedic knowledge on any subject.Here is an interesting incident of his interaction with one of the Great Stalwarts of carnatic music-ariyakudi Ramajua Iyengar,whose setting of AndAl's Tiruppavai to be sung in various rAgA is considered sancro sanct and perfect.<br />Here is an excerpt:<br />Ariyakkudi rendered the song "ShrI subrahmanyAya namasthE" - a rare musical feast. Even without sruti or accompaniments, it still was wholesome. Paramacharya listened to the song with full concentration, eyes closed. Then, "Only because you sang alone (no sruti/accompanists) the song came out with all its beauty. And the words were crystal clear. I say 'thrupthOsmi' (Totally satisfied). Please sing once more - you know why? I will give you the meaning line by line, you stop after every line. Not that you do not know; but let me have the pleasure of dissolving my mind in Sri Dikshitar's lyrical beauty for some more time! More over, others here can also learn the meaning and beauty behind the creations of geniuses."<br /><br />Ariyakkudi sang once more, this time line-by-line and our Paramacharya gave detailed commentry on the Dikshitar Kriti “Sri Subhramanyaya Namaste”.<br /><br />Paramacharya further tells Ariyakkudi and the gathering at large, "I'm happy to see that you, coming from a good guru-sishya parampara, are preserving good music. You must also bring up good disciples and keep the tradition going. A Brahmin, having learnt Veda, has a compulsory duty to teach atleast one more person (athyApanam). This can apply to other sastras and arts<br />too. "One more point about musicians. You should sing the Telugu and Sanskrit kirtanas fully aware of their meaning. It is not fair to say that Tamil songs alone are enough. Great composers in this country have created hundreds of Telugu and Sanskrit songs of much musical and lyrical beauty. If we ignore them, the loss is ours. Do not defend by saying, 'I do not understand them!' - if only we desire, do we not spend time and energy on all sorts of useless things? If musicians dedicate themselves to pure music and proper rendition of words without losing the 'osandha artha visEsham', language can not be a barrier. Now that you are #1 in the music world, do your best towards this. May Subrahmanya's Grace be with you in this endeavor."<br />-----------------------------------<br />The commentary that the Sage gave on this masterly composition of muthuswami Dikshitar is available in a book written by Sri Ra Ganapathy.<br />For the complete article from which i have drawn the excerpt,please visit:<br />http://avdevantimes.blogspot.com/2009/12/kanchi-mahaperiyavas-exposition-of-sri.html<br />-----------------------------------<br />Namaskar.Ravihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14875076137584328729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-57363593917012183122011-01-10T06:07:40.340+05:302011-01-10T06:07:40.340+05:30Ravi,
About chances of Arvind meeting the mig...Ravi,<br /> About chances of Arvind meeting the mightily compassionate Swami Vivekananda:There is a quote by him in the complete works that Ramakrishna Paramahamsa is going to re-incarnate approximately 200 years after death(not sure if it is birth or death).So if we take take death in 1886 he is going to come on to earth again around 2086 AD.With Thakur all his disciples and Swami Vivekananda will come along with him. So Arvind is not entirely out of chance here.He only has to strongly wish for it.It might be just in the next incarnation.<br /><br />-zAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-21555484565839990722011-01-10T02:35:12.541+05:302011-01-10T02:35:12.541+05:30Subramanain, Bernard Shaw type Christian marriage...Subramanain, Bernard Shaw type Christian marriages work well??<br />What do you mean?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961358105214008284.post-13409908474490448642011-01-10T01:04:53.541+05:302011-01-10T01:04:53.541+05:30Ravi, ...this is what the Devotees call as 'ad...<i>Ravi, ...this is what the Devotees call as 'adiyArkku adiyane' in Tamil and this translates exactly as what you have posted!</i><br /><br />Dear Ravi, this is astonishing. Thank you.<br /><br />Dear Subramanian R, the language of the translation is German. Swami Venkatesananda was a spiritual friend of H.H. Sivananda. He lived and worked in Sivanandas <i>ashram</i> (The Divine Life Society, Rishikesh). The story of the publication of this book sounds rather weird. I can write more about it to your mail address, if you like.Clemens Vargas Ramoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06257066933525899061noreply@blogger.com