HARE RAMA HARE KRISHNA

Few English Translations Of Telugu Book "Ramana Leela" which are not found in English publications

2010-01-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

B. V. NARASIMHA SWAMI wrote the first detailed English biography of the Maharshi in 1931, and Suddhananda Bharati wrote the Tamil biography. Ramana Leela. The Telugu Biography written by Oruganti Krishnayya has the distinction of being corrected twice by the Maharshi prior to it being reprinted. It is not only the most objectively-correct biography, it is also the most extensive.

Dr. Lingeswara Rao of Andhra Pradesh, carefully read through Ramana Leela and noted down passages not found in English publications. Below, we reproduce some of his English translations.

The Maharshi's Father's elder brother, Venkateswaram Ayyar, renounced at the age of eighteen. He lived at the Chidambaram Temple and worked clearing the premises of thorns, etc.

At birth, Bhagavan was given the name Venkateswaram Ayyar, which corresponded with the name of their family deity, Sri Venkateswara of Tirumala. Later, when he registered for school, the name was changed to Venkataraman.

Bhagavan was called Ramana, or sometimes even Ramani by an elderly relative named Lakshaman Ayyar, who was well-versed in Telugu. Bhagavan, as a boy, learned some Telugu and would converse with this relative in that language. Consequently, he began to call his father Nayana, the Telugu equivalent for 'Daddy'.

The young Venkataraman and his brother Nagaswami were sent to their Uncle's home in Dindigul so they could receive an education in English. When their Uncle was transferred to Madurai the two boys followed.

When Bhagavan first arrived at the Arunachala Temple in Tiruvannamalai in 1896 it was 6 a.m. The Temple was then being renovated and was not open to visitors until 8 a.m. But when Bhagavan arrived all the doors were open and he walked straight to the inner sanctum without seeing anyone.

Bhagavan was initially called Brahmana Paradesi. Mendicant sadhus were then normally called Paradesis. When he was carried from the Patala Lingam to the Subrahmanya Temple and was under the care of Mouna Swami, his greatness was then realized. Then his name was changed to Brahmana Swami.

Nelliapa Ayyar (Bhagavan's Uncle) failed to persuade Bhagavan to return to Madurai. One Narayana Swami Ayyar [Sri P. V. Somasundaram's Father], who accompanied Nelliapa Ayyar, became annoyed and approached the young Swami with the intention of taking him by force. Suddenly he felt a burning sensation all over his body and, because of it, gave up the idea.

One night in the year 1934 someone asked Bhagavan: "Do you have dreams?"

Bhagavan: "Doesn't one dream in sleep?"

Questioner: "Did you ever have seminal discharges during sleep, or in dreams."

Everyone present felt disgusted at the question, but Bhagavan without the slightest sign of annoyance, calmly replied: "Yes. What of that ? It may happen even if one eats hot foods. How does it matter? You are thinking I am this body. Hence the wrong understanding that if one loses the essential fluid of the body, one shall fall from brahmacharya and tapas. It occurs to me that I am living simultaneously in twenty different worlds with diverse bodies. How can I worry over such losses or biological changes in all these body parts. The essence is not the body and its various metamorphosis but Atma Gnana Nishta, the abidance in Self-Knowledge. We are the Ever-Changeless.

Source: http://www.arunachala.org/newsletters/1993/?pg=may-jun#article.3

Ramana Maharshi Devotee Swami Pranavananda

2010-01-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

Swarni Pranavananda was one of the earliest devotees to come to Bhagavan. He visited Bhagavan in 1910, in the Virupaksha Cave. His integrity and strong spiritual aspirations earned him an enviable place among Bhagavan's devotees. He was one of Bhagavan's intimate companions. His love for Bhagavan was so great that he surrendered himself unconditionally at Bhagavan's feet, relinquishing all worldly attachments, and this filled his heart with joy and peace. He was very modest and never spoke about himself and his speech was restricted to the barest minimum. Though he did not consider himself a teacher, his life itself served as a valuable lesson in spirituality.

Pranavananda belonged to the Sarvepalli family, which was highly esteemed in the village of Venkatapuram, near Tiruttani in South India. The Sarvepalli family was a stronghold of learning in the Vedas, sastras and puranas. The family deity was Lord Yoganarasimha of Sholingapuram, and Pranavananda was named Narasimham after the family deity. He took the name of Swami Pranavananda at the time of becoming a sannyasi.

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the world famous philosopher and one of the most illustrious Presidents of India, was Narasimham's nephew. Surprisingly enough, Dr. Radhakrishnan, who is esteemed for his erudition and wisdom, was rather dull as a child. His father was very much upset by Radhakrishnan's nature, and concerned about his future. Narasimham offered to take the boy to Vellore and take care of his education. Upon reaching Vellore, Narasimham initiated his nephew in the Ramataraka Mantram. Constant repetition of this potent Mantram resulted in the blossoming of Radhakrishnan's intellect and he grew into a brilliant student. He joined the Uris College in Vellore and passed his Intermediate course. By taking care of Radhakrishnan during the formative years of his life, and by helping him through the initial stages of his academic career, Narasimham can be said to have laid the foundation for Radhakrishnan's success in later life.

The S'arvepalh family was not a wealthy one. It is said that though Goddess Saraswati (the Goddess of Learning) showered Her Grace upon the family. Goddess Lakshmi (the Goddess of Wealth) looked askance at them! Though they were never reduced to extreme poverty, the family never enjoyed the comforts of affluence. With the intention ofacqiringsome wealth, some members of the Sarvepalli family migrated to Madras, where they were able to make some money by giving discourses in sastras and puranas. Later on, some of the members settled down in Tiruttani. Narasimham was well versed in the three South Indian languages namely Telugu, Tamil and Kannada. He was also a Sanskrit scholar. Ironically enough, Narasimham did not get through the Matriculation Examination, but his scholarship in English was remarkable. Englishmen themselves used to marvel at his mastery over the language!

Narasimham joined the Arcot Christian College as a teacher. The authorities were so impressed by his scholarship and his capacity as a teacher that they appointed him as a Munshi (a teacher who trained foreigners in the use of local languages) to teach Telugu and English to the members of the mission and the managers of the institutions under their care.

Narasimham also trained some of the members of the mission in the techniques of meditation. Some of his students, like Paul Adiseshayya and Ida Scudder (who founded the CMC Hospital in Vellore) were so impressed by the clarity of thought obtained through meditation that they were prepared to embrace Hinduism if Narasimham advised them to do so. Narasimham did not believe in religious conversions, and did not think that only Hindus could benefit from meditation. He declared that one could meditate on God even if one did not profess any religion. He told his students that one could serve mankind and live in peace even if one did not belong to any recognised religion. Narasimham's beliefs and his teachings astonished the authorities of the mission.

Narasimham made several visits to the Vellore Central Jail, to meet the prisoners and to talk to them about moral values. He initiated the prisoners into the Ramataraka mantram and persuaded them to give up their lawless ways. Through his influence, Narasimham helped in reforming and rehabilitating many of the criminals in the jail. He left the Mission because of some difference of opinion with the authorities, and took up the job of Munshi in the Police Training College. Many of the Europeans who came to Vellore during that period had the good fortune to learn the local language from Narasimham. Those who were spiritually inclined found an able guide in him, and his classes became very popular satsangs (spiritual congregations). Very soon, Narasimham gained the reputation of a capable teacher and a spiritual guide.

While Narasimham was serving as a Munshi in Vellore, Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni was working as a Telugu Teacher in the same town. In 1910, Narasimham and Ganapati Muni went to Tiruvannamalai and met Bhagavan. At that time, Bhagavan was staying in the Virupaksha Cave. In the very first meeting, Bhagavan's look of grace entered deep into Narasimham's heart and destroyed all the doubts that had been troubling him till then. From that moment onwards, Narasimham's heart was full of peace.

Though Narasimham had originally accepted Ganapati Muni as his guru, he was proud to declare himself a devotee of Bhagavan Ramana. He led a very simple life; but he never hesitated to help those in need. Though his was a very modest house in a crowded street (named Avalkaran Veedhi), there were at least ten students staying with him at any given time. He boarded them free of charge, and his wife fed them all with the loving concern of a mother.Narasimham had no male issue. This fact did not bother him, but his wife longed for a son. One day, she requested Ganapati Muni to bless her with a male child. With the Muni's blessings, a baby boy was born, but he did not survive beyond early childhood.Narasimham's wife was an ardent devotee of Lord Yoganarasimha of Sholingapuram, and she often visited His temple on the Ghatikachalam hill. Late one evening, while she was sitting in meditation behind the idols of the Saptha Rishis (Seven Sages) the temple priests, who had not noticed her, locked up the temple for the night and went home. The lady claimed that, on that occasion. Lord Yoganarasimha Himself brought her out of the locked temple and sat her on the steps leading up the hill.Narasimham had no special feeling towards his family deity, Lord Yoganarasimha. His whole concentration was on the Vichara Marga (path of Self-enquiry) as taught by Bhagavan. In course of time, Narasimham renounced the world and became a Sannyasi, assuming the name of Swami Pranavananda. However, the ritual was a mere formality, as Narasimham had always been a Sannyasi at heart, living a life of detachment and devoting his time to spiritual pursuits.

Pranavananda considered Bhagavan the very personification of the Vedas and the Upanishads, and so he had great love and reverence for him. Bhagavan, too, had a special regard and concern for Pranavananda.

The following anecdote serves as an illustration of Bhagavan's concern for him: Pranavananda used to compile Bhagavan's teachings into books. One of the devotees owned a printing press, and he printed the books that were brought to him by Pranavananda. One hot summer afternoon, Pranavananda was returning to Tiruvannamalai with a copy of one of the books. He had just one rupee with him, and, not wanting to engage a bullock cart, he decided to walk to Ramanasramam. He somehow made it to the gate of the ashram, but the terrible heat had taken its toll-Pranavananda could not proceed any further. He sat down in the shade of a tree for a short rest before entering the ashram. At that moment, Bhagavan happened to look out of the window. Seeing Pranavananda's exhausted attitude, Bhagavan immediately came out to him. Sitting down beside him, Bhagavan poured cool water over Pranavananda's sore feet and spoke to him in gentle, compassionate tones, saying, "Why do you put yourself to such strain? Did I ever ask you to go out in this heat?" Such was the Masters concern for his disciples welfare!

Pranavanada was instrumental in printing several books of Bhagavan's teachings. He priced these books at half-anna or one anna and gave them to the ashram. It was his desire that Bhagavan's teachings should be made available to the maximum number of people at affordable cost. It was Pranavananada who first translated Bhagavan's Who am I?, Vicharasangraham, Vivekachudamani and Devikalottaram into Telugu. His style was very simple and lucid. In addition to these translations, Pranavananda also wrote several original books, including Rama-no. Maharshi Charitramu, Advaitabhoda Dipika, Tatwamali Dhyanamu, Sri Guru-Anugraha-avataramu, Dipamu Choodandi and Sri Ramana Stutipaatalu.

Pranavananda merged with Bhagavan in the year 1969, and his mortal remains were entombed on the banks of the River Palar, in Vellore. Though Pranavananda is no more with us, his memory lives on, through the numerous books he has written.

Sources:
1) http://www.arunachala.org/bookstall/books/reminiscences/cherished-m/ch-68/
2) Arunachala's Ramana Volume1 Book

Ramana Maharshi recollects incident where he had Vaishnavite marks

2010-01-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

In the old days some Vaishnavites used to come to me, and when they were wearing the ‘U’ mark they would put it on me also, and when they were wearing the ‘Y’ mark they would put that on me, and then they would prostrate themselves before me. I used to let them do what they liked with me.”

Bhagavan added, “These Vaishnavites used to come and advise me to undergo a samasanam(initiation) but I used to keep silent.”

Source: DAY BY DAY WITH BHAGAVAN From the Diary of A. DEVARAJA MUDALIAR

Ramana Maharshi recalls incident where he suffered with toothache

2010-01-02T05:36:00.001-08:00

22-11-45 Morning

After Bhagavan returned from his morning stroll about 8 a.m., some visitor prostrating himself seems to have spilled out his entire stock — a good quantity — of snuff. Attendant Krishnaswami noticed it and collected the snuff and threw it out.
This reminded Bhagavan of some incidents in his life.

He said,“Tobacco is a germicide. When I was in Virupakshi Cave, one day I suddenly found one tooth gave sharp pain when the cold rice came in contact with it and I could eat no more. I stopped eating and thought I would have to die of starvation. Vasudeva Sastri was then living with me. He had gone out at the time.

When he returned to the cave I told him of my toothache. He said it was nothing and that a little tobacco would cure it, killing the germs. As we had no tobacco with us, somebody who had snuff with him gave me a little snuff and advised me to press it
against the tooth and it gave immediate relief, so much so that I was able to eat my next meal. When I examined the tooth there appeared to be something like a dot on it. Gradually it became a hole.

Later on a gentleman who was a District Munsiff at Tirukoilur and visiting me came to know of it, and sent a dentist from Madras. The dentist came, stayed here three days, charging Rs.300-0-0 for his stay and did nothing substantial, except cleaning my teeth, pulling out one tooth and a part of another.

Source: DAY BY DAY WITH BHAGAVAN From the Diary of A. DEVARAJA MUDALIAR

Hastamalaka Stotra

2010-01-01T08:05:00.000-08:00

Introduction by Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi

When Shankara, the Guru of the world, was travelling in the western parts of India and overcoming in debate the expounders of the various schools of thought, he once came to a village known as Srivali. When a brahmin inhabitant of the village named Prabhakara heard about his arrival he went to him with his thirteen year old son. He prostrated before Sankara and made his son also prostrate. He then explained that the boy had been dumb from his childhood, that he had no likes and dislikes, nor a sense of honour and dishonour, and that he was completely inactive. The Guru then raised the boy up and asked him as follows in a cheerful tone:

Text

1. `Who are you? Whose child are you? Whither are you bound? What is your name? Whence have you come? Oh Child! I should like to hear your reply to these questions.' Thus spoke Sri Shankaracharya to the boy, and Hastamalaka replied as follows.

2. I am neither man, God, yaksha, brahmin, kshatriya,vaisya, sudra, brahmachari, householder, forest-dweller, nor sannyasi; but I am pure awareness alone.

3. Just as the sun causes all worldly movements, so do I -- the ever-present, conscious Self -- cause the mind to be active and the senses to function. Again, just as the ether is all-pervading, yet devoid of any specific qualities, so am I free from all qualities.

4. I am the conscious Self, ever-present and associated with everything in the same manner as heat is always associated with fire. I am that eternal, undifferentiated, unshaken Consciousness, on account of which the insentient mind and senses function, each in its own manner.

5. I am that conscious Self of whom the ego is not independent as the image in a mirror is not independent of the object reflected.

6. I am the unqualified, conscious Self, existing even after the extinction of buddhi, just as the object remains ever the same even after the removal of the reflecting mirror.

7. I am eternal Consciousness, dissociated from the mind and senses. I am the mind of the mind, the eye of the eye, ear of the ear and so on. I am not cognizable by the mind and senses.

8. I am the eternal, single, conscious Self, reflected in various intellects, just as the sun is reflected on the surface of various sheets of water.

9. I am the single, conscious Self, illumining all intellects, just as the sun simultaneously illumines all eyes so that they perceive objects.

10. Only those eyes that are helped by the sun are capable of seeing objects, not others. The source from which the sun derives its power is myself.

11. Just as the reflection of the sun on agitated waters seems to break up, but remains perfect on a calm surface, so also am I, the conscious Self, unrecognizable in agitated intellects though I clearly shine in those which are calm.

12. Just as a fool thinks that the sun is entirely lost when it is hidden by dense clouds, so do people think that the ever-free Self is bound.

13. Just as the ether is all-pervading and unaffected by contact, so also does the ever-conscious Self pervade everything without being affected in anyway. I am that Self.

14. Just as a transparent crystal takes on the lines of its background, but is in no way changed thereby, and just as the unchanging moon on being reflected on undulating surfaces appears agitated, so is it with you, the all-pervading God.

15. As this stotra reveals the Self as clearly as the amalaka fruit placed on the palm of the hand (hasta), it received the name Hastamalaka Strotra. Moreover, the boy, eminent in jnana, came to be praised by all people of this world as Hastamalaka.

The father of the boy was speechless with wonder at those words. But the Acharya said to him: `He has become your son because of his incomplete austerities. This is your good fortune. He will not be of any use to you in this world. Let him stay with me.' He bade him go back and, taking the boy with him, proceeded on his way. The disciples then asked him: `How did this boy attain the state of Brahman without hearing, etc.?' The Guru replied: `His mother left her two year old child in the care of a great and highly accomplished yogi who was practising austerities on the bank of the Yamuna while she went to bathe in the river with some women. The child toddled towards the water and was drowned. Out of his compassion for the disconsolate mother the sadhu forsook his body and entered that of the child. That is why this boy has attained this high state.'

Sources:
1) COLLECTED WORKS OF SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI BOOK
2) http://ramana-collected-works.blogspot.com/2007/06/hastamalaka-stotra.html

"The Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi I Knew" By Krishna Bhikshu

2009-12-31T05:06:00.000-08:00

Krishna Bhikshu was a man of insatiable curiosity, keen intellect, enthusiasm and energy. He was a precocious youth whose early studies created a distaste for religious literature. This lasted until he came under the powerful influence of Ganapati Muni, who brought him to the Maharshi in 1929. He was enchanted by the holy presence of the sage, but still wandered about for some years exploring the different spiritual traditions and teachers of the time. As the result of his wide study and long practice, Krishna Bhikshu became convinced of the truths taught and lived by Sri Ramana Maharshi and surrendered to him whole-heartedly.

He authored several important works in Telugu, one being Sri Ramana Leela, the most comprehensive biography of the Maharshi. Amidst the chanting of Arunachala Siva, Krishna Bhikshu breathed his last on December 30, 1981.

OUR FAMILY was in some way or other always associated with religion and spiritual searching. Brahmarsi Chivukula Venkata Sastri, the husband of my paternal aunt, had asked some of the questions recorded in the Ramana Gita. When I was a child I often used to go to his house and there I saw for the first time the photo of Bhagavan Ramana and read Ramana Gita and other early brochures.

I went to Arunachala for the first time with Sri Rami Reddi. We had our food in the town and then went to the Ashrama. In those days there was very little there - a hut for Bhagavan and another over his mother's samadhi (place of burial). Bhagavan had just finished his food and was washing his hands. He looked at us intently. "Did you have your food?" He asked. "Yes, we had it in town." "You could have had it here," he replied.

I stayed with him for three days. He made a great impression on me. I considered him to be a real Mahatma, although his ways were very simple. Most of the cooking was done by him in those days. The Ashrama lived from hand to mouth and usually only rice and vegetable soup were prepared. When I was about to leave, I asked Bhagavan: "Bhagavan, kindly show me a good path." "What are you doing now?" he asked. "When I am in the right mood, I sing the songs of Tyagaraja and I recite the holy Gayatri. I was also doing some pranayama but these breathing exercises have upset my health." "You had better stop them. But never give up the Advaita Dristhi (non dual vision)." At that time I could not understand his words.

I went to Benares for a month, returned to Pondicherry and spent five months there. Wherever I would go people would find some fault or other with me: "You are too weak, not fit for yoga, you do not know how to concentrate, you cannot hold your breath, you are unable to fast, you need too much sleep, you cannot keep vigils, you must surrender all your property . . ." Only Bhagavan asked for nothing, found fault with nothing. As a matter of truth, there was nothing in me that entitled me to his grace. But it did not matter with Bhagavan. He wanted me, not my goodness. It was enough to tell him "I am yours", and for him to do the rest. In that way he was unsurpassed. The strange people he gathered around him! But those who gave themselves to him and trusted him and did his bidding were overwhelmed by his immense solicitude and kindness.

In 1930 I visited Ramanasramam for the second time, and stayed a month. Our life was very simple at that time. I would get up early each morning, have my bath near the well at Palitirtham, prepare sacramental food on a small stove and start worshipping the Lingam over Bhagavan's mother's samadhi. Chinnaswami helped in the chanting. Bhagavan would make himself generally useful. He would talk quite freely with us every night after food. They would ply him with questions on philosophy and metaphysics. In the evening he would sit on a wooden cot near the well and gaze at Arunachala in deep silence. His face would glow with an inner radiance which would appear to increase with the deepening darkness. We were sitting all around him, either silently, or singing some song. Alamelamma would sometimes sing from Tiruppughazh. The silence and peace at those hours was quite remarkable.

At night after dinner all the inmates of the Ashrama would collect around Bhagavan, and then he was our own, telling stories, answering questions, dispelling doubts, laughing and joking. We never knew how late it was until Madhavaswami would go behind Bhagavan's back and give us signs that it was time to allow Bhagavan some rest.

B. V. Narasimhaswami took up in those days the task of writing a book on Bhagavan's life and was collecting materials for his work from devotees. The first draft of the book was ready and the author gave it to me to read. The idea came to me that a similar book should be written in Telugu. I got Bhagavan's permission and, using Narasimhaswami's manuscript for an outline, got the Telugu version written within a month.

After that, whenever there was some court holiday and I had enough money for a railway ticket, I would come down to Ramanasramam. Everybody, including Bhagavan, used to say: "Krishnayya has come," and there was always a warm welcome for me.

I asked him once: "You told me to repeat the Gayatri. It is too long. Also, I am expected to know its meaning and to meditate on it.'' "Who asked you to bother about the meaning and all that? I have only asked you to see who is repeating the Gayatri, or who is the japi," was his kind reply.

On the other hand he did not limit his teaching to the one question "Who am I ?" He invariably adjusted his advice to the needs of the devotee. He would say: "Sooner or later the question 'Who am I?' will have to be faced. All that leads to this question is good. By itself nothing else is fully effective, for Self-knowledge comes only through self-enquiry. But other methods purify the mind and help it to see its own limits. When the mind comes to the end of its resources and stands baffled before the unanswerable question, then a Higher Power takes charge of the mind and the Self stands revealed, the Real, the Wonderful."

Once an old woman came to the Ashrama. She always carried with her a framed picture of Bhagavan Narayana and she would worship it on every occasion.

She asked Bhagavan whether she was right in doing so. Bhagavan replied:

"Without name and form, on what is one to concentrate? What you are doing with your heart and soul is just right for you."

One night there were only one or two persons in the hall. Madhavaswami was massaging Bhagavan's legs. A gentleman from Kakinada asked Bhagavan's permission to massage his legs. Bhagavan did not reply. The man repeated his request, saying: "At home I am daily praying to Bhagavan and now I have a chance to serve him." Suddenly Bhagavan thundered: "You had all the chances of serving me at home. Why did you come here?" The man became quite frightened and could not speak. Thus Bhagavan taught us not to make a show of our devotion.

Nobody could guess about the way Bhagavan would meet people. The high and mighty of the land would not get even a blank look, while some insignificant looking wanderer would become the object of his concentrated attention for hours and days. On the other hand eminent people would sometimes be taken up by him and given the immense blessing of being the centre of his interest. Once Pranavananda Swami came to the Ashrama. He was utterly exhausted. He sat on the steps of the temple and could not move any further. Bhagavan was told about it. He came out at once, sat at the feet of Pranavananda Swami and started rubbing his legs, saying: "You had a long way to walk, Grandpa. Your legs must be paining you very much." The old swami protested in vain; Bhagavan had his way and massaged the swami's feet.

At food time Bhagavan would ask to be served very little and he would carefully clear the plate of the last grain of food before getting up. Although he never asked us to do the same, I asked him: "If we clear our dining leaves so scrupulously, the dogs, cats, monkeys, rats and the ants will starve." Bhagavan answered: "Well, if you are so compassionate, why not feed the animals before taking food yourselves? Do you think they relish your scrappings?"

Once a visitor said: "I have been coming to you, Swami, many times, hoping that something will happen and I shall be changed. So far I do not see any change in me. I am as I was: a weakling of a man, an inveterate sinner." And he started weeping piteously. "On this road there are no milestones," replied Bhagavan. "How can you know which direction you are going ? Why don't you do what the first-class railway passenger does? He tells the guard his destination, locks the doors and goes to sleep. The rest is done by the guard, If you could trust your guru as much as you trust the railway guard, it would be quite enough to make you reach your destination. Your business is to shut the door and windows and sleep. The guard will wake you up at your destination."

One Rama Rao, an advocate in Nellore, was requested many times by his friends to come with them to Ramanasramam. Invariably he would answer: "I shall go when Bhagavan calls me.'' Once when he was praying Bhagavan appeared to him and asked: "Why have you not come?" Rama Rao immediately left for Tiruvannamalai. Before reaching the Ashrama he had a dream in which a unique Chakra (symbolic drawing) appeared before him. He told the dream to Bhagavan, described the Chakra and asked who could help him in having one drawn correctly. Bhagavan gave him all the necessary information. When the Chakra was ready, Bhagavan examined it carefully and gave it to Rama Rao, telling him to use it in his worship.

A widow arrived one day, entered the Hall and bowed to Bhagavan. He looked at her closely and started laughing. "Oh, it is you.'' he said. The woman got confused, covered her face with her white widow's sari and hid herself in a corner. Bhagavan continued with a broad smile: "When I was a boy her people were our neighbours and she was their little girl. It was agreed between our parents that she would be my wife in due course. I was very fond of helping my mother in the kitchen and her mother used to grumble that she would never marry her daughter to a fellow who likes to spend his day near the stove, like a woman. Anyhow I was not fated to marry. But had I married her, what would have been my fate!" Everybody had a good laugh at Bhagavan's narrow escape.

Once I said to Bhagavan: "Bhagavan, formerly, whenever I thought of you, your form would appear before my eyes. But now it does not happen. What am I to do?" "You can remember my name and repeat it. Name is superior to form. But in the course of time even the name will disappear. Till then repeat the name," advised Bhagavan.

An inmate of the Ashrama who had been serving Bhagavan for many years started visiting a certain woman in the town. Her relatives came to know of it and decided to catch and kill the man. One night they caught him at her house, bound him hand and foot and locked him up in a room, postponing the cutting of his throat until they had found a safe way of disposing of the body. Our man managed to escape and came running to the Ashrama, pursued by his enemies. When he entered the gate they gave up the chase. He entered the Hall trembling and fell on the ground shouting: "Save me, save me.'' Bhagavan ordered the doors to be shut and said: "Don't fear, tell me what happened." After having been told everything, he looked at the culprit with understanding and pity and said reassuringly: "Don't fear any more. Go and sleep." From the next day the man was at his work and Bhagavan would not mention the matter at all. Everybody in the town came to know what happened. The Ashrama people requested Bhagavan to send the man away, for his presence would tarnish the good name of the Ashrama. Bhagavan called the man and told him in front of everybody: "You have done some wrong, but you were too foolish to keep it secret. Others do worse things, but they take care not to be caught. Now, the people who were not caught want you to leave the Ashrama because you were caught. They will make your life miserable. You had better stay outside for some time, until things settle down." The man stayed with some devotees outside the Ashrama and came back after a few months.

When people would complain to Bhagavan about some mischief or other done in the Ashrama, Bhagavan would say: "I have not come here to punish people. If I start punishing people, even a black crow would not remain in this place. People come here, each with his own purpose, and each may find his purpose fulfilled. Why don't you take care of your own purpose? Why do you pay attention to what others do?"

On some other occasion Bhagavan remarked about some of the visitors: "On their first visit to the Ashrama they seem to be all right; on their second visit they discover that the Ashrama is not properly run; on their third visit they start giving advice; on the fourth they know best how to run the place; on the fifth they discover that the management is not responsive and they are very displeased; on the sixth they suggest that the present staff should walk out, leaving the Ashrama to them. Finally they become disheartened and blame me for what I have never done." After all it is perfectly true that Bhagavan neither started nor organized the Ashrama. It was all done by others who just did what they thought right.

When Bhagavan was still on the hill, a postcard came in which the sender wrote: "I am a poor elementary school teacher. My mother is old and my salary is so small that I cannot look after her properly. Kindly see that I get a raise." Bhagavan laughed and said: "Well, why not?" Another card came after some time in which he wrote: "By your grace my salary was increased. Now there is a vacancy in a higher grade. If I am given that grade, I shall earn more and make my mother very happy." Bhagavan had a good laugh and said: "Good." Again after some days, another card: "My mother is bedridden and there is nobody to nurse her. If I could get married, my wife would look after her. But I am a poor man. Who will give me his daughter in marriage? And where shall I get the money for expenses? Bhagavan may kindly arrange." Bhagavan laughed and said: "Well, let it be so." After some months another postcard came: "By your kindness I was married quite easily. My wife is already with me. My mother wants a grandchild before she dies. Please provide. "Why not?" said Bhagavan. After some months another card: "My wife gave birth to a child, but she has no milk for it. I cannot afford milk for the baby. Please get me a promotion." Then another card: "I got a promotion and an increment. The child is doing well. I owe everything to your kindness." Bhagavan remarked: "What have I done? It is his good karma that all goes well with him." After some days another card: "Mother died. She worshiped you before her death. "Well," said Bhagavan. After a month, another card: "Swami, my child has died." "Sorry," said Bhagavan. Another month had passed and a card came saying: "My wife is pregnant again." Then another card: "My wife gave birth to a child. Both died." "Ram, Ram,'' said Bhagavan. "Everything seems to be over." Then another card: "Due to family trouble my work was very irregular and I was dismissed. I am completely destitute now.'' Bhagavan said, heaving a deep sigh: "All that came has gone; only his Self remained with him. It is always like this. When all goes, only the Self remains."

-- The preceding was taken from "The Bhagavan I Knew" in the Ramana Smriti Souvenir.

Source: http://www.arunachala.org/newsletters/1992/?pg=nov-dec

Seshadri Swami Who Had Great Affection For Ramana Maharshi

2009-12-31T01:30:00.000-08:00

IF to the inhabitants of Arunachala the Maharshi was the sun, Seshadri was the moon. Both were unique, each in his own way. Seshadri was born an Ashtasahasram Brahmin in 1870 at Vazhur of Vandavasi taluq. As he lost his father quite early his mother's uncle Kamakoti Sastriar, a musician, pouranic and scholar brought him up. Seshadri had a retentive memory and, was proficient in vocal music, and puranic lore. At a very early age he mastered the principal Sanskrit classics and was able to compose poetry in Sanskrit.

Seshadri's favourite Deity was Goddess Kamakshi of Kanchipuram. Reciting the five hundred slokas in her praise, Mukapanchasati, he went round her shrine day and night. In his fifteenth year he got initiated in the sakti (Bala) mantra and carried on spiritual practices at the dead of night alone in a burial ground adjoining a river near the Periandavar shrine. He obtained a vision of the Goddess Sakti.

Thereafter, Seshadri went round several places for acquiring knowledge in mantras and finally reached Arunachala in 1890 where he stayed till his end. He had acquired occult powers such as reading other peoples' thoughts, clairvoyance and vaksiddhi.

Seshadri avoided the company of people and to ward them off acted like a lunatic throwing stones at people.

On seeing Ramana he noticed that he was a realised soul who abided in the Self. He developed great affection for Ramana.

Seshadri who declined invitations from anyone, on his own used to visit Ramana's place at Pavalakundru occasionally and sit along with Ramana's devotees for a meal. While having his meal Seshadri would sprinkle rice all round, at which Ramana's devotees would object. Seshadri would agree with them and take care to ensure that the rice did not fall on the ground. He also used to visit Echammal's house even without being asked by her. Seshadri loved Maharshi's disciples too and used to advise them to surrender themselves to the Maharshi.

One, Venkatarama Ayyar stood before Seshadri, though with a desire to have the darshan of the Maharshi. Seshadri who read his thoughts said, "The Maharshi's darshan will purify the mind" and encouraged him to go. Another devotee of the Maharshi, Somasundara Swami, left the Maharshi's ashram for certain reasons and was looking for another guru and in that connection sought Seshadri's advice. Seshadri Swami grasped what Somasundara Swami was about to ask and said, "Go back to Ramana." But Somasundara Swami was hesitant to do so. Seshadri shouted at him saying "Go, go to Ramana Swami" Somasundaram thereupon returned to the ashram immediately, It was midnight by then.

Seshadri always said that one should follow only one path and one guru. So if any one with devotion to Ramana came to him he would urge him to go to Ramana. On one occasion he asked T.V. Subrahmanya Ayyar, who had great devotion towards the Maharshi, "There are three lingas here, do you know?"

Ayyar: The hill is the only one. It is the jyotirlingam.

Seshadri: Not at all and you know that there are three lingas.

Ayyar: I do not know, but what are the other two lingas, Swami?

Seshadri: You know them too.

Ayyar: Sorry, I do not know.

Seshadri: People say it is Ramana Swami.

Ayyar: Alright, what is the third?

Seshadri: You know that too.

Ayyar: I do not know, Swami.

Seshadri: The third lingam is known as `Seshadri'.

Ayyar: Is it you?

Seshadri: You know it, isn't it?

Ayyar: I don't know.

Seshadri: Yes it is me. There were occasions when Seshadri said he was not different from Ramana.

Lakshmi Ammal came to Arunachala in order to serve the Maharshi and stayed with Echammal. One day on her way to the Maharshi's ashram, she ran into Seshadri Swami and regretted that she was not able to serve him. Seshadri grasped her unspoken thought and to lessen her grief said to her, "What if the service is there (i.e to Ramana) or here (i.e. to Seshadri)?"

In order to facilitate dhyana, a Sastry of Chidambaram used to resort to opium though the Maharshi advised him against it. On one occasion as the opinum was not pure, the mind of the Sastry became perverse and all sorts of thoughts sprang up. Not knowing what to do, he ran to the Kambathu Ilayanar shrine and waited for Seshadri. As soon as he came the Sastry prostrated at his feet and even before he could say anything the Sastry was admonished thus: "I had already advised you against using the drug but you persisted." These were not the words of Seshadri, but of the Maharshi. The Sastry realised that Seshadri said those words to demonstrate that there was no difference between him and the Maharshi.

Tiruvallur Subrahmanya Mudaliar was a businessman who got entangled in litigations in his thrist for acquiring more wealth. Seshadri rebuked him several times on this score. In 1910 Seshadri went to the Mango tree cave where Mudali was in the presence of the Maharshi and said to Mudaliar, "Look, the income of the younger brother is ten thousand per month; for me it is one thousand, Why don't you try to earn at least a hundred?" Mudaliar understood that the `income' mentioned by Seshadri meant spiritual wealth and that `Younger brother' meant the Maharshi, yet he replied, "Where is the time Swami, I am immersed in various transactions". Persisting, Seshadri told him several times that `atma vidya' was easy but to no avail. On one occasion Seshadri sudddenly said to him "You will be branded a sinner for having killed a Brahman." Mudaliar's heart skipped a beat at that. He ran to the Maharshi for whom he had great reverence and told him what Seshadri said. The Maharshi consoled him saying "Yes it is true. Because you do not desire to know that you are the Brahman, it amounts to killing Brahman, nothing wrong with that description."

One day, Seshadri stood watching a buffalo in the agraharam. V.C. Narayana Ayyar came there and asked him what he was looking at. Seshadri said "This." Ayyar asked him if he was referring to the buffalo. Seshadri turned towards him and asked him to tell him what it was. Ayyar replied, "It is a buffalo". Seshadri said, "Is it a buffalo? You beast, you had better refer to it as Brahman" and walked away.

Seshadri Swami attained Siddhi on January 14, 1929.

Sources:

1) Ramana Leela Book Edited and Translated by Pingali Surya Sundaram (Page: 123)
2) http://ramanaleela.blogspot.com/2007/06/25-seshadri-swami.html

Extracts from 'My Recollections' by Devaraja Mudaliar

2009-12-30T05:24:00.000-08:00

A.Devaraja Mudaliar had a unique, innate ability to associate with the Maharshi in an entirely natural manner, while yet maintaining complete faith and devotion to him. This resulted in an intimate relationship and frank dialogues on many subjects, including the practical application of the Maharshi's teachings.

The rare devotion Devaraja Mudaliar developed for the Maharshi eventually compelled him to leave his home and profession and settle down in Sri Ramanasramam in 1942. His four years of tenancy at the Ashrama secured for posterity invaluable records in the form of a diary, subsequently published as Day By Day with Bhagavan. Later, his written reminiscences formed the book entitled My Recollections, which was the source for the following article.

Devaraja Mudaliar, at the ripe age of 85, was absorbed in his Master in 1972.

THE EARLIEST recollection I have of Bhagavan dates back to 1900. Along with some of my relations, I went to Tiruvannamalai for the Deepam festival. Even as early as that, the crowds that came for Deepa darshan used to visit our Bhagavan, then popularly known as Brahmana Swami.

I did not visit him again until 1914, two years after I came to Chittoor and settled down there to practise as a lawyer. Kuppuswami Mudaliar accompanied me on my visit. We arrived at about 2 o'clock in the afternoon and found Bhagavan sitting on the parapet wall outside Virupakshi Cave. So far I can remember there was no one else there at that time. There were only a few monkeys near Bhagavan, and he started telling me about them, their ways, their government, kings, queens, etc. I stayed nearly two hours and the whole time was spent in listening to these stories about monkeys. I was still a young man and did not take seriously to the spiritual side of life, so I did not ask Bhagavan for any spiritual guidance. I was satisfied with having seen him and talked to him.

It was made possible for me to visit Bhagavan again about the end of 1922. By this time Bhagavan's mother had attained Mahasamadhi and Bhagavan had come to live near the mother's samadhi (grave) at the foot of the hill where Sri Ramanasramam now stands. There was a small thatched shed housing the samadhi, where the temple now stands, and to the north of the samadhi was a narrow pial, or raised floor, on which Bhagavan used to sit or lie down.

I told Bhagavan that, though I went to temples like other people, they did not much appeal to me and asked Bhagavan what he would advise me to do. He replied: "That does not matter. Think of God as being in your heart and meditate on God that way. That will be enough."

The end of 1933 saw my first long stay of nearly a week at Bhagavan's feet and his presence was such a balm to my stricken heart that from that visit dates my intimate and close association with him.

It is said that man's adversity is God's opportunity. Bhagavan proved a great solace to me when I lost my wife in 1933 (I was then 47). So naturally, when the next misfortune came, in 1935, I threw myself even more completely on Bhagavan, going to him as often as possible and basking in his presence.

I lost my job as Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor which I had held for fifteen years (that is for five successive terms). In my then circumstances, this was a great misfortune, and it was a serious problem with me how I was going to make both ends meet after losing a steady, assured income of about Rs. 6,000 a year to which I had been accustomed for fifteen years. I mention the gravity of this crisis only to indicate that it drove me to lean more and more upon Bhagavan.

I decided about 1939, that I would give up practice completely in 1941, wind up my establishment at Chittoor and go and live with Bhagavan at the Ashrama for the rest of my life. I asked and received permission to build a one-room cottage inside the Ashrama premises. Such permission was rarely given, in fact it was given only to two others, namely, Major Chadwick and Yogi Ramiah. The room was ready for me by June 1940.

It was about the end of August 1942, I think, that I went to live at Sri Ramanasramam as a permanent inmate. However, for some little time more, I had to go to Chittoor now and then in connection with remaining professional work or my private affairs.

When I had resided in the Ashrama I gradually made a routine to sing for about half an hour between 10 and 11 in the morning, that is for the last twenty minutes or half hour between when Bhagavan had finished going through the second mail and when the gong went for lunch. Bhagavan saw that this was my line of approach and was doing me good. Therefore he took care, by the silent working of his grace, that nobody interfered with it.

In the early days Bhagavan encouraged me whenever I was singing with deep feeling. He would have such a look on his face, with his radiant eyes directed towards me, that I would be held spellbound, and not infrequently, at some especially moving words in the songs, tears would come and I would be obliged to stop reciting for one or two minutes. Bhagavan told me that such weeping is good, quoting from Thiruvachakam: "By crying for You (God), one can get you."

This seems an appropriate place for referring to another well known characteristic of Bhagavan. To those who have only a very superficial knowledge of him or his works, it might seem that he was a cold, relentlessly logical, unemotional Jnani, far removed from the Bhakta who melts into tears in contemplation of God's grace and love. But to those who had any real experience of Bhagavan and his ways, and works, it was clear that he was as much a Bhakta as a Jnani. Often he has told us that only a true Bhakta can be a true Jnani and that only a true Jnani can be a true Bhakta. The complete extinction of the ego is the end attained either in jnana or bhakti.

When touching songs were recited or read out before him, or when he himself was reading out to us poems or passages from the lives or works of famous saints, he would be moved to tears and would find it impossible to restrain them. He would be reading out and explaining some passage and when he came to a very moving part he would get so choked with emotion that he could not continue but would lay aside the book.

Before taking leave of this topic, I must remark that it was not only any moving song about God that had this effect on him but anything grand, magnanimous, noble or generous moved him as few people could be moved. I was often reminded of the sentence, "The finest minds, like the finest metals, dissolve the easiest."

Many times I complained to Bhagavan that I was not making any appreciable progress, bemoaning the persistence of desires. Bhagavan replied making light of my trouble: "It will all go, all in time. You need not worry. The more dhyana (meditation) one performs the more will these desires fall off."

On other occasions when I complained that I was not improving, Bhagavan simply replied, "How do you know?"

Bhagavan, from what little I know of him, was not one who believed in forcing the pace. On the contrary, he gave me the impression that he felt it was not proper and was not for our real good, that he should interfere and do violence to our nature or Prakriti by hurrying us at a faster pace than we are built for, even towards realisation.

Once I had planned to carry out something in conjunction with someone else who was then staying permanently near the Ashrama. Neither at the time, nor even now according to my lights, was there anything so very objectionable about what we had planned. But suddenly one afternoon, out of a trivial and altogether inadequate circumstance, a quarrel arose between us and what we intended was called off. The next morning I happened to be sitting very near Bhagavan's couch, at his feet, and Bhagavan, apropos of nothing in particular and with an expression of love and pity, turned to me and said in a low voice: "We should not make elaborate plans to get anything. I don't object to your enjoying what comes your way of its own accord."

Then I knew beyond all doubt that it was Bhagavan who, foreseeing some harm for me in what I had planned, brought about the sudden and unexpected quarrel the previous afternoon and aborted our plans. When Bhagavan told me this, I asked him, "Does that mean that if a thing comes to me without any planning or working for it and I enjoy it, there will be no bad consequences from it?"

Bhagavan then hastened to add: "It is not so," and explained: "Every act must have its consequences. If anything comes your way, by reason of prarabdha (destiny based on the balance sheet of past lives) you can't help it. If you take what comes, without any special attachment and without any desire for more of it or for a repetition of it, it will not harm you by leading to further births. On the other hand, if you enjoy it with great attachment and naturally desire for more of it, that is bound to lead to more and more births."

About work, Bhagavan used to say: "No sort of work is a hindrance on the spiritual path. It is the notion 'I am the doer' that is the hindrance. If you get rid of that by enquiring and finding out who is this 'I', then work will be no hindrance since you will be doing it without the ego sense that you are the doer and without any attachment to the fruits of your work. Work will go on even more efficiently than before; but you can always be in your own, natural, permanent state of peace and bliss. Further, one should not worry about whether one should engage in work or give it up. If work is what is ordained for one, one will not escape it, however much one may try. On the other hand, if no work is ordained for one, one will not obtain work however much one wishes to strive for it."

One summer afternoon I was sitting opposite Bhagavan in the old hall, with a fan in my hand and said to him: "I can understand that the outstanding events in a man's life, such as his country, nationality, family, career or profession, marriage, death, etc., are all predestined by his karma, but can it be that all the details of his life, down to the minutest, have already been determined? Now, for instance, I put this fan that is in my hand down on the floor here. Can it be that it was already decided that on such and such a day, at such and a such an hour, I shall move the fan like this and put it down here?"

Bhagavan replied, "Certainly." He continued: "Whatever this body is to do and whatever experiences it is to pass through was already decided when it came into existence."

Thereupon I naturally exclaimed: "What becomes then of man's freedom and responsibility for his actions?"

Bhagavan explained: "The only freedom man has is to strive for and acquire the jnana which will enable him not to identify himself with the body. The body will go through the actions rendered inevitable by prarabdha and a man is free either to identify himself with the body and be attached to the fruits of its actions, or to be detached from it and be a mere witness of its activities."

This may not be acceptable to many learned people or philosophers. I recall in this connection the following lines that Bhagavan once quoted to me from Thayumanavar on another occasion: "This is not to be taught to all. Even if we tell them, it will only lead to endless discussion."

It may be well to remind readers that Bhagavan has given his classic answer to the age-old question "Can free will conquer fate?" as follows in his Forty Verses: "Such questions worry only those who have not found the source of both free will and fate. Those who have found this source have left all such discussions behind."

A lady Principal asked Bhagavan whether it was not better for people to work and do something for the betterment of the world than to sit in contemplation, aloof from the world, seeking for their own salvation. This was not by any means a new question and Bhagavan had given a very clear answer to it which has already been published in the Maharshi's Gospel. In brief, it is that one Jnani by his Self-realisation is doing much more for the world than all social workers put together and that his silence is more eloquent and effective than the words of orators and writers advocating any courses for man. On this occasion, however, Bhagavan remained silent. When the lady found that Bhagavan did not answer, she went on speaking for some ten minutes. Even then Bhagavan remained silent. The lady and her sister then left in chagrin.

After they had left Bhagavan said to me: "It is no use telling them anything. The only result would be that it would be published in the papers that such and such are the views of so and so and there will be endless dispute. The best thing is to keep quiet."

His view on the attempts, however well intentioned, by idealistic reformers, whether socialist or communist or whatever label they may wear, to make all people equally well-placed in life can be epitomized as follows: "There never was and never will be a time when all are equally happy or rich or wise or healthy. In fact none of these terms has any meaning except in so far as the opposite to it exists. But that does not mean that when you come across anyone who is less happy or more miserable than yourself, you are not to be moved to compassion or to seek to relieve him as best you can. On the contrary, you must love all and help all, since only in that way can you help yourself. When you seek to reduce the suffering of any fellow-man or fellow-creature, whether your efforts do succeed or not, you are yourself evolving spiritually thereby, especially if such service is rendered disinterestedly, not with the egoistic feeling 'I am doing this', but in the spirit 'God is making me the channel of this service; He is the doer and I the instrument'." On two successive days, in answer to questions from visitors, Bhagavan said in effect what I have summarised above.

Most of the time I lived with Bhagavan, I used to feel peaceful and absolutely free from care. That, as many can testify, was the outstanding effect of his presence. Nevertheless, it did occasionally happen that something disturbed the peace and happiness for a while. On one such occasion I asked Bhagavan: "Why do such interruptions come? Does it mean that we have ceased to have Bhagavan's grace then?"

With what graciousness did Bhagavan reply: "You crazy fellow! The trouble or want of peace comes only because of grace."

On other occasions also Bhagavan has similarly told me: "You people are glad and grateful to God when things you regard as good come to you. That is right, but you should be equally grateful when things you regard as bad come to you. That is where you fail."

Here I must say the only method I have adopted to achieve liberation or Self-realisation is simply to throw myself on Bhagavan, to surrender to him as completely as lies in my power, and to leave everything else to him. And Bhagavan's teaching, the last I ever got from him before he attained Mahasamadhi, was just this: "Your business is simply to surrender and leave everything to me. If one really surrenders completely, there is no room for him to complain that the Guru has not done this or that."

To me and a number of other devotees of Bhagavan, he was God and all in all. We felt as Saint Arunagirinathar felt when he declared to Lord Muruga:

"I rely on none except you and will follow none except you." I have often sung this song before Bhagavan, altering the last two lines in such a way that they would refer to Bhagavan, instead of to Muruga. But about whomsoever we sang, whichever temple we visited, or whatever image we worshipped our homage always went to Bhagavan.

Ramana Maharshi says Self is in the Heart and the vasanas are also there in an exceedingly subtle form

2009-12-27T11:16:00.000-08:00

When I was on the Hill, Nayana (Kavyakantha Ganapathi Muni) once argued that the brain was the seat of the vasanas, because it consisted of innumerable cells in which the vasanas were contained and illuminated by the light of the Self which projected from the heart. Only this set a person working or thinking. But I said, "How can it be so? The vasanas must be with one's Self and can never remain away from the Self. If, as you say, the vasanas be contained in the brain and the Heart is the seat of the Self, a person who is decapitated must be rid of his vasanas and should not be reborn. You agree that it is absurd. Now can you say that the Self is in the brain with the vasanas? If so, why should the head bend down when one falls asleep? Moreover a person does not touch his head and say `I'. Therefore it follows that the Self is in the Heart and the vasanas are also there in an exceedingly subtle (Difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyse) form.

"When the vasanas are projected from the Heart they are associated with the Light of the Self and the person is said to think. The vasanas which lie imbedded in an atomic condition grow in size in their passage from the heart to the brain. The brain is the screen on which the images of the vasanas are thrown and it is also the place of their functional distribution. The brain is the seat of the mind, and the mind works through it." So then this is what happens.

When a vasana is released and it comes into play, it is associated with the light of the Self. It passes from the heart to the brain and on its way it grows more and more until it holds the field all alone and all the vasanas are thus kept in abeyance for the time being. When the thought is reflected in the brain it appears as an image on a screen. The person is then said to have a clear perception of things. He is a great thinker or discoverer. Neither the thought that is extolled as being original, nor the thing, nor the country which is claimed to be a new discovery, is really original or new. It could not manifest unless it was already in the mind. It was of course very subtle and remained imperceptible, because it lay repressed by the more urgent or insistent thoughts or vasanas. When they have spent themselves this thought arises and by concentration the Light of the Self makes it clear, so that it appears magnificent, original and revolutionary. In fact it was only within all along. This concentration is called samyamana in the Yoga Sastras. One's desires can be fulfilled by this process and it is said to be a siddhi . It is how the so-called new discoveries are made. Even worlds can be created in this manner. Samyamana leads to all siddhis. But they do not manifest so long as the ego lasts. Concentration according to yoga ends in the destruction of the experiencer (ego), experience and the world, and then the quondam desires get fulfilled in due course. This concentration bestows on individuals even the powers of creating new worlds.

It is illustrated in the Aindava Upakhyana in the Yoga Vasishta and in the Ganda Saila Loka in the Tripura Rahasya. Although the powers appear to be wonderful to those who do not possess them, yet they are only transient. It is useless to aspire for that which is transient. All these wonders are contained in the one changeless Self. The world is thus within and not without. This meaning is contained in verses 11 and 12 - Chapter V of Sri Ramana Gita "The entire Universe is condensed in the body, and the entire body in the Heart. Thus the Heart is the nucleus of the whole Universe." Therefore Samyamana relates to concentration on different parts of the body for the different siddhis. Also the Visva or the Virat is said to contain the cosmos within the limits of the body. Again, "The world is not other than the mind, the mind is not other than the Heart; that is the whole truth." So the Heart comprises all. This is what is taught to Svetaketu by the illustration of the seed of a fig tree. The source is a point without any dimensions. It expands as the cosmos on the one hand and as Infinite Bliss on the other. That point is the pivot. From it a single vasana starts, multiplies as the experiencer `I', experience, and the world. The experiencer and the source are referred to in the mantra . Two birds, exactly alike, arise simultaneously.

When I was staying in the Skandasramam I sometimes used to go out and sit on a rock. On one such occasion there were two or three others with me including Rangaswami Iyengar. Suddenly we noticed some small moth-like insect shooting up like a rocket into the air from a crevice in the rock. Within the twinkling of an eye it had multiplied itself into millions of moths which formed a cloud and hid the sky from view. We wondered at it and examined the place from which it shot up. We found that it was only a pinhole and knew that so many insects could not have issued from it in such a short time. That is how ahankara (ego) shoots up like a rocket and instantaneously spreads out as the Universe. The Heart is therefore the centre.

A person can never be away from it. If he is he is already dead. Although the Upanishads say that the jiva functions through other centres on different occasions, yet he does not relinquish the Heart. The centres are simply places of business (vide Vedanta Chudamani). The Self is bound to the Heart, like a cow tethered to a peg. The movements are controlled by the length of the rope. All its wanderings centre around the peg. A caterpillar crawls on a blade of grass and when it has come to the end, it seeks another support. While doing so it holds on with its hind-legs to the blade of grass, lifts the body and sways to and fro before it can hold another. Similarly it is with the Self. It stays in the Heart and holds other centres also according to circumstances. But its activities always centre round the Heart.

Sources:

1) Arunachala Ramana's Volume1 Book
2) http://bhagavan-ramana.org/ramana_maharshi/books/tw/tw616.html

Incident Where Ramana Maharshi Asks Ganapati Muni "Who Am I"

2009-12-27T09:40:00.000-08:00

Sri Bhagavan was in the Virupaksha Cave on the Hill. One evening after 7 p.m. they were all coming down the Hill to go round Arunachala. The other devotees had all gone in advance; only Sri Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni was in the company of Sri Maharshi, and they were slowly climbing down the steps from the cave.

Whey they had walked a few steps, all of a sudden Sri Maharshi stopped, and with Him Sri Kavyakanta as well. The full moon was shining bright in the East in the starry sky.Pointing to the moon and the beautiful sky, Sri Bhagavan said: "Nayana! If the sun, the moon, and all the stars have their being in ME, and the Sun himself goes round my hip with his satellites, who am I? who am I?''

This remark of Sri Maharshi made His blessed disciple envisage the Master as the Great Person of the Vedas, as described in 'Sri Rudra,' the 'Purusha Sukta,' and the 'Skamba Sukta,' of the Atharva Veda. He is verily all these, and That beyond; there is nothing that is not He. Sri Kavyakanta later made this revelation known to all the devotees.

Sources:

1) Arunachala Ramana's Volume1 Book
2) http://www.arunachala-ramana.org/publications/at_the_feet_of_Bhagavan.htm

A Strange Incident happened between Ramana Maharshi And Ganapati Muni

2009-12-27T04:14:00.000-08:00

In the first three months of 1908 the Maharshi, Ganapati, and other disciples stayed at the Pachaiamman Kovil at the foothill of Arunachala. Most of the expenses relating to the stay were borne by Ramaswamy Ayyangar, a devotee. During that period, Ganapati, took to meditation as taught by Bhagavan. One dawn, a brilliant light arose and touched the forehead of the Maharshi six times, Ganapati noticed this and also observed that the light got absorbed in the aura around the Maharshi's head as six star- like formations.

Though he practised the Maharshi's way Ganapati's original ideals did not leave him. Towards the end of March (1908) he wanted to leave Arunachala and asked the Maharshi whether the enquiry into the source of the `I- thought' would result in the fulfilment of his ideals or whether he had to do mantra japa also. The Maharshi replied that the former was enough. Ganapati also asked the Maharshi whether his intention was good, to which the latter replied "Leave everything to God, your burden will cease and He will take on your burden. He knows what to do."

Much later Bhagavan said, "While God sustains the burden of the world, the spurious ego assumes its burden grimacing like an image on a tower seeming to support it."

Reality in forty verses - Supplement verse 17
— Tr. K. Swaminathan

With the Maharshi's permission Ganapati left Arunachala in 1908 for Tiruvottiyur near Madras for performing tapas. He performed tapas in a Ganesa temple for eighteen days. On the last day he had a problem during the tapas and felt that it would be fine if the Maharishi were to give his darshan. He was asleep while being, wide awake. All of a sudden Ramana arrived there and sat by Ganapati's side. Surprised at this, Ganapati tried to get up but the Maharshi pressed him on the head and made him sit. Ganapati felt as if an electric current had passed through him. He took it to be initiation by hand (hasta- diksha).

Ever since 1896 the Maharshi never left Arunachala but how can anyone account for Ganapati's experience?

About twenty one years later, on 17 Oct 1929 to be precise, Ganapati narrated his experience to the Maharshi. The Maharshi also confirmed it, saying,

"Several years ago I was resting at Virupaksha cave. I was not in samadhi. Yet I felt as if the body was floating in air. As the upward floating continued all material objects vanished from my sight, only white light was all around. Suddenly the body began descending and objects came into view. I thought this was what was meant by the disappearance and reappearance of those with occult powers (siddhas). It struck me that it was Tiruvottiyur and I walked along a main road. As I did so I noticed a Ganesa temple at a distance and I went in. I do not remember what I did or what I spoke. At that stage I woke up and found myself to be asleep at the Virupaksha cave. I narrated this experience at once to Palaniswami."

Ganapati in turn confirmed that the description of the Ganesa temple as given by the Maharshi was accurate.

Kavya Kantha would visit Arunachala occasionally to have the darshan of Bhagavan. Between 1922 and 1929 he stayed at Arunachala with his family. Once, while at the mango tree cave the bones of his skull loosened and he experienced a softening of the area where the Brahma- randhra exists.

Ganapati himself confessed that however much he tried to follow the jnana marga he had not been able to achieve abidance in the Self. In the first years possibly the latent tendencies proved to be insurmountable obstacles. Also, the activities of the sakti in the body were intense which it could not bear. On such occasions he would seek Bhagavan's help and get over that.

Ganapati Sastry used to say that sakti was of two types- mahas and sahas of which the former was divine and that only when sahas got transformed as mahas the bones of the skull loosend. Because of this sakti he could not bear to touch any metallic object and he always had to wear sandals made of wood. A number of his disciples also had experienced that sakti. Any copper coin held in the palm became golden.

Bhagavan had great love for Ganapati Sastry. His erudition, exalted ideals, and the power of his tapas endeared him to Bhagavan. But for Ganapati's encouragement Bhagavan would not have composed poetry in Sanskrit and Telugu.

Bhagavan addressed Ganapati as "Nayana" as did the latter's disciples. Ganapati was a great man with extraordinary foresight, and power of speech.

One may go to the extent of saying that he was a Vidyadhara in human form. His glory can be fully appreciated by going through Kapali Sastry's Vasishta Vaibhavam . But for his ideals and love of the country which bound him, Ganapati would have attained Self reatisation.

He wrote a lot of poetry in praise of Bhagavan, one of these poems, Sri Ramana Chatvarimsat was recited in Bhagavan's presence every morning. It is still recited at Bhagavan's shrine.

In order to realise his ambitions Ganapati participated in politics and social reform activities till 1930. Thereafter he gave them up and devoted himself to tapas. He left his mortal body on 25 July 1936 at Nimpura near Kharagpur in his ashram.

More than the service he did for Bhagavan, Ganapati's service to the nation in propagating Bhagavan's message is greater. The answers Bhagavan gave to the questions of the disciples were incorporated as slokas in Sri Ramana Gita composed by Ganapati Sastry. This book is an invaluable guide to all. Simirarly, he translated into Sanskrit Bhagavan's Ulladu Narpadu under the title Sat-darsanam. As early as 1903 Ganapati Muni, through his foresight, recognised the greatness of Bhagavan and spread the word. Under his guidance, his disciples Pranavananda and Kapali Sastry wrote commentaries on Bhagavan's Upadesasaram and Sat-darsanam respectively. Kapali Sastry also wrote an excellent commentary on Bhagavan's Arunachala Pancharatna. Ganapati's disciples were all Bhagavan's disciples too. They were spread all over the country and they carried forward Bhagavan's message.

Sources:
1) http://bhagavan-ramana.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl022.html
2) Arunachala's Ramana Volume 1

How Bhagavan Ramana Saved A Muslim Contractor

2009-12-25T10:36:00.000-08:00

In 1908 Sri Bhagavan was staying in Pachaiamman Temple on the northeastern side of the mountain. There were many tamarind trees nearby. The municipality gave the highest bidder the contract to collect tamarind from these trees every year. That particular year a Muslim had got the contract. Since these trees gave an unusually rich yield, the contractor himself used to protect them from the monkeys, driving them away by shooting stones at them from a catapult. Because he only wanted to scare them away, he took care to see that they were not injured. However, by some ill chance, a stone from his catapult hit a monkey on its head so hard, it died on the spot. Immediately, a large number of monkeys surrounded the corpse and began to wail and lament the death of their relative. Then, by way of complaint, they took the dead body to Sri Bhagavan in the Pachaiamman Temple.

These monkeys considered Sri Bhagavan as a friend and arbiter. He frequently settled their internal disputes and even acted as an honest broker when rival tribes were having territorial disputes. He could communicate with them quite easily and he did his best to establish peace and harmony among the warring tribes and their fractious members. So, at this time of anger and grief, it was quite natural for the monkeys to bring both the corpse and their complaints to Sri Bhagavan.

As soon as they came near him they burst into angry cries and tears. Sri Bhagavan, whose heart registered and mirrored the emotions of those around him, responded to their anguish with tears of his own. Gradually, though, his emanations of sympathetic love soothed and calmed the turmoil within the monkeys' hearts.

Then, by way of consolation, Sri Bhagavan told them, "Death is inevitable for everyone who is born. He at whose hands this monkey died will also meet with death one day. There is no need to grieve."

Sri Bhagavan's words and his loving kindness pacified the monkeys. They went away, carrying the corpse with them.

Two or three days later the Muslim contractor became bedridden with some serious malady. The story of the upadesa given by Sri Bhagavan to the aggrieved monkeys spread from mouth to mouth till it reached the home of the Muslim contractor. The members of his family became convinced that his sudden illness was due to the saint's curse. They therefore went to Pachaiamman Temple and began to plead for Sri Bhagavan's pardon for the ailing contractor.

"It is certain that your curse has affected him," they began. "Please save him from death. Give us some vibhuti (sacred ash). If we apply it to his body, he will surely recover."

With a benign smile, Sri Bhagavan replied, "You are mistaken. I never curse or bless anyone. I sent away the monkeys that came here by telling them the simple truth that death inevitably occurs to all those who are born. Moreover, I never give vibhuti to anyone. So please go home and nurse the patient whom you have left all alone."

The Muslims did not believe his explanation. They announced that they were not going away unless they received some vibhuti to cure their relative with. So, just to get rid of them, Sri Bhagavan gave them a pinch of wood ash from the outside of his cooking fire. On receiving it, their faces beamed with joy. They expressed their hearty gratitude to the sage and returned home.

The family and the contractor had great faith in this vibhuti. Soon after it was applied to the ailing man, he began to recover. Within a few days he rose from his bed, fully recovered.

- By Chhaganlal V. Yogi

Sources:

1) Arunachala's Ramana Volume I pg:220

2) http://www.cosmicharmony.com/Sp/Ramana2c/Ramana2c.htm

Suri Nagamma Recalls Incident Where Ramana Maharshi Says “appakku Pillai Adakkam” (The Son Is Beholden To The Father)

2009-12-24T02:58:00.000-08:00

Letter 1

21st November, 1945

The day before yesterday being full moon, the usual Deepotsava (festival of lights) was celebrated on a grand scale.

This morning Sri Arunachaleswarar started for giri pradakshina (going round the hill) with the usual routinue and devotees and accompaniment of music. By the time the procession reached the Ashram gate, Sri Niranjanananda Swami (the Sarvadhikari) came out with Ashram devotees, offered coconuts and camphor to Sri Arunachaleswarar, and paid homage when the procession was stopped and the priests performed arati (waving of the lights) to the God. Just then Sri Bhagavan happened to be going towards the Gosala (cowshed) and seeing the grandeur he sat down on the pial near the tap by the side of the book depot. The arati plate offered to Arunachaleswarar was brought to Bhagavan by Ashram devotees and Sri Bhagavan took a little Vibhuti (holy ashes) and applied it to his forehead, saying in an undertone “Appakku Pillai Adakkam” (The son is beholden to the father). His voice seemed choked with emotion as he spoke. The expression on his face proved the ancient saying “bhakti poornathaya Jnanam” (the culmination of devotion is knowledge).

Sri Bhagavan is Lord Siva’s son.

Sri Ganapati Muni’s saying that he is Skanda incarnate, was confirmed. It struck us that Bhagavan was teaching us that since all creatures are the children of Ishwara, even a Jnani should be beholden to Ishwara.

Sources:
1) Letters from Sri Ramanasramam by Suri Nagamma
2) http://suri-nagamma.blogspot.com/2007/03/letter-1.html

Ramana Maharshi Says Advaita Should Be Only In Bhava

2009-12-24T02:06:00.000-08:00

Letter 41

15th April, 1946

Devotee: It is said that the Advaita attitude should not be shown towards the Guru, even if it is shown towards all the three worlds.”

Bhagavan: “Yes, it is so. The Advaita attitude does not mean that you should not do namaskar and the like. Only it should not be overdone. Advaita should be in bhava, in the disposition of the mind; it will not do for outside, worldly affairs. You are asked to look at everything with equality (sama drishti) but can we eat the same food that a dog eats? A handful of grain will do for a bird but will that do for us? We eat a certain quantity of food but will that be enough for an elephant? So you should have the attitude of Advaita only in bhava, in the mind, but you should follow the world in other matters. Though there are no pains and pleasures for a Jnani, for the sake of others, he does everything. He is like those who beat their chests, and weep loudly, if ordered to, for an agreed wage. That is all. He is not affected by it,” said Bhagavan.

Someone asked, “What is that about beating chests and weeping for wages?” Bhagavan replied, “In olden times, there used to be such a practice. Supposing some elderly person dies and no one in the house bothers to weep for him, what is to be done? Someone must weep for the person who is dead. That was required by custom. There used to be some professional people whose vocation was to weep for afee. If called, they used to weep better than the deceased’s kith and kin, methodically, like bhajan and with great variety, by beating their chests and shedding tears, which flowed either by long practice or by squeezing onion juice into their eyes, and they used to finish this programme to schedule. In the same manner, the Jnani conducts himself according to the wishes of others. He keeps time to whatever tune is sung.

As he is well-experienced, nothing is new to him. He goes to whoever calls him. He puts on whatever garb he is asked to wear. It is all for the sake of others, as he does not desire anything for himself. His action will be according to the desire of the person who asks. One must therefore find out for oneself sufficiently well what is really good and what is really bad,” said Bhagavan.

Sources:
1) Letters from Sri Ramanasramam by Suri Nagamma
2) http://suri-nagamma.blogspot.com/2007/05/letter-41.html

Ramana Maharshi Tells About The Delusion People Have About Samadhi

2009-12-23T08:52:00.000-08:00

Letter 49

9th June, 1946

Bhagavan spent a lot of time this afternoon freely conversing with devotees about many matters, and in between teaching them Advaita. Seeing that the conversation was going on without end, a new arrival got up and asked, “Bhagavan, when do you go into samadhi?” All the devotees burst into laughter. Bhagavan also laughed. After a while, he said, “Oh, is that your doubt? I will clear it, but first tell me what exactly is the meaning of samadhi? Where should we go? To a hill or to a cave? Or to the sky? What should samadhi be like? Tell me,” asked Bhagavan.

Poor man, he could not say anything and sat down quietly. After a while, he said, “Unless the movement of the indriyas and limbs stops, there cannot be samadhi, they say.

When do you go into that samadhi?” “I see, that is what you want to know. You think, ‘What is this? This Swami is always speaking. What Jnani is he?’ That is your idea? It is not samadhi unless one sits cross-legged in padmasana, with folded hands and stops breathing. There must also be a cave near about. One must go in and out of it. Then people will say, ‘This is a great Swami’. As for me, they begin doubting and say, ‘What Swami is this who is always talking to his devotees and has his daily routine?’ What can I do? This happened once or twice even before. People who had originally seen me at Gurumurtham and then saw me at Skandasramam, talking to all people and partaking in normal activities, said to me with great anxiety, ‘Swami, Swami, please give us darshan in your previous state.’ Their impression was that I was getting spoiled. What can I do? At that time (while in Gurumurtham) I had to live like that. Now I am obliged to live like this. Things happen the way they have to. But in their view, it is enough if one does not eat or talk. Then saintliness, swamitvam, comes on automatically. That is the delusion people have,” said Bhagavan.

Sources:
1) Letters from Sri Ramanasramam by Suri Nagamma
2) http://suri-nagamma.blogspot.com/2007/05/letter-49.html

Ramana Maharshi About Ananya Saranagathi(Surrender)

2009-12-23T06:53:00.000-08:00

Letter 109

10th April, 1947

This morning, an Andhra youth handed over a letter to Bhagavan in which it was written: “Swamiji! They say that one can obtain everything if one takes refuge in God wholly and solely, and without thought of any other. Does it mean sitting still at one place, and contemplating God entirely at all times, discarding all thoughts, including even about food which is essential for the sustenance of the body? Does it mean that when one gets ill, one should not think of medicine and treatment, but entrust one’s health or sickness exclusively to Providence? From the definition of sthitha prajna given in Gita, (II:71):

The man who sheds all longing and moves without concern, free from the sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, he attains peace.

“It means the discarding of all desires. Therefore should we devote ourselves exclusively to the contemplation of God, and accept food, water, etc. only if they are available by God’s grace, without asking for them? Or does it mean that we should make a little effort? Bhagavan! Please explain the secret of this saranagathi.”

Bhagavan saw that letter leisurely and told the people near him: “Look! ‘Ananya saranagathi’ means to be without any attachment of thoughts, no doubt, but does it mean to discard thoughts even of food and water, etc., which are essential for the sustenance of the physical body? He asks, ‘should I eat only if I get anything by God’s direction, and without my asking for it? Or should I make a little effort?’ All right! Let us take it that what we have to eat comes of its own accord. But even then, who is to eat? Suppose somebody puts it in our mouth, should we not swallow it, at least? Is that not an effort? He asked, ‘If I become sick, should I take medicine or should I keep quiet leaving my health and sickness in the hands of God?’

‘Kshudvyadeh aaharam’, it is said. There are two meanings to this. One is, since kshuth, i.e. hunger, is also like sickness, so for the sickness called hunger, the medicine called food must be given; the other is: like medicine for vyadhi (sickness), food for kshuth (hunger) must be given.

In the book Sadhana Panchaka written by Sankara, it is stated, kshudvyadhischa chikitsyatam pratidinam bhikshoushadham bhudyatam’. It means, for treatment of the disease called hunger, eat food received as alms. But then, one must at least go out for bhiksha. If all people close their eyes and sit still saying if the food comes, we eat, how is the world to get on? Hence one must take things as they come in accordance with one’s traditions and must be free from the feeling that one is doing them oneself. The feeling that I am doing it is bondage. It is therefore necessary to consider and find out the method whereby such a feeling can be overcome, instead of doubting as to whether medicine should be administered if one is sick or whether food should be taken if one is hungry; such doubts will continue to come up and will never end. Even such doubts as, ‘May I groan if there is pain? May I inhale air after exhaling?’ also occur.

Call it Ishwara or call it karma — some Karta will carry on everything in this world according to the development of the mind of each individual. If the responsibility is thrown on him (the Karta), things will go on of their own accord.

“We walk on this ground. While doing so, do we consider at every step whether we should raise one leg after the other or stop at some stage? Isn’t the walking done automatically? The same is the case with inhaling and exhaling; no special effort is made to inhale or exhale. The same is the case with this life also. Can we give up anything if we want to or do anything as we please? Quite a number of things are done automatically without our being conscious of it. Complete surrender to God means giving up all thoughts and concentrating the mind on Him. If we can concentrate on Him, other thoughts disappear. If mano-vak-kaya karmas, i.e., the actions of the mind, speech and body are merged with God, all the burdens of our life will be on Him. Lord Krishna told Arjuna in the Gita: (IX:22)

To those men who worship Me alone, thinking of no other, to those ever harmonious, I bring full security and attend to their needs.

“Arjuna had to do the fighting. So Krishna said, ‘Place all the burden on Me, do your duty; you are merely an instrument. I will see to everything. Nothing will bother you.’ But then, before one surrenders to God, one should know who it is that surrenders. Unless all thoughts are given up there can’t be surrender. When there are no thoughts at all, what remains is only the Self. So surrender will only be to one’s Self. If surrender is in terms of bhakti, the burden should be thrown on God, and if it is in terms of karma, karma should be performed until one knows one’s own Self. The result is the same in either case.

Surrender means to enquire and know about one’s own Self and then remain in the Self. What is there apart from the Self?”

That young man said, “What is the path by which it can be known?”

Bhagavan replied: “In the Gita several paths are indicated. You are asked to do dhyana. If you are not able to do it, then bhakti or yoga or nishkama karma. Many more have been indicated. And one of the paths must be followed. One’s own self is always there. Things happen automatically in accordance with the samskaras (the fruits of the actions of previous births).

“The feeling that the doer is ‘I’ is itself bondage. If the feeling is got rid of by vichara, these questions do not arise.

Saranagathi is not the mere act of sitting with closed eyes. If all sit like that, how are they to get on in this world?” While Bhagavan was speaking the bell of the dining hall rang.

“There goes the bell; should we not go?” So saying with a smile, Bhagavan got up.

Sources:
1) Letters from Sri Ramanasramam by Suri Nagamma
2) http://suri-nagamma.blogspot.com/2007/07/letter-109.html

Ramana Maharshi Does Not encourage Plucking More Flowers From A Tree For Puja

2009-12-23T05:28:00.000-08:00

30th June, 1947

Recently a rich lady residing in Ramana Nagar was getting a basket of jasmine flowers from her garden everyday and giving them to all the married ladies in the hall. Bhagavan observed this for four or five days but said nothing. She did not discontinue that practice. One day she put the flower basket on the stool, bowed before Bhagavan and got up.

Bhagavan looking at someone nearby said, “Look! She has brought something. They are flowers perhaps. What for?” With some fear she said that they were not for Bhagavan but for the married ladies and began distributing them. “Oh! If that is so, they could as well be distributed at their houses.

Why here? If someone gives flowers thus, all others begin doing the same thing. Seeing that, people who come newly will think that flowers must be distributed and will buy and bring them. Then the trouble starts. I never touch flowers.

In some places, it is usual to present flower garlands. Hence, many people bring flowers. I have not allowed people to do puja to the feet or to the head. Why do we require such practices?” said Bhagavan.

With fear and trepidation she said, “No. I will not bring them any more.” Bhagavan said, “All right. That is good,” and looking at those still near him, went on as follows: “You know what happened at one of the Jayanthi celebrations? A devotee got a book by name Pushpanjali printed and said he would read it. When I said ‘Yes’, he stood a little behind and began reading. He appears to have had some flowers hidden in his lap. As the reading came to a close, bunches of flowers fell on my legs. On enquiry, it was found that it was his doing.

He did it thus because he knew I would not agree if he told me beforehand. What to do? Perhaps in his view it is no puja unless it is done like that.”

During the early days of my stay here, on a Varalakshmi Puja Day, one or two married ladies placed some flowers on Bhagavan’s feet, bowed before him and went away after seeking his permission for puja. Next year, all began doing the same thing. Bhagavan looked at them angrily and said, “There it is — one after another, all have started. Why this? This is a result of my keeping quiet instead of stopping it in the very beginning. Enough of this.”

Not only in regard to himself but even in regard to puja to the deities Bhagavan mildly rebukes devotees about using leaves and flowers. I have already written to you in one of my previous letters about the laksha patri puja (puja with one lakh of leaves) of Echamma.

There is another instance. During the days when Bhagavan used to go round the hill with devotees in stages, they camped one morning at Gowtama Ashram. After the men and women had cooked, eaten and rested, and were getting ready to go so as to reach the Ashram before sunset, a lady devotee by name Lakshmamma, who was born in Tiruchuli and was a childhood friend of Bhagavan and who used to talk to him familiarly, was plucking and putting in a basket the jasmine and tangedu flowers that had grown luxuriantly on the trees in and around the cremation ground there. Bhagavan noticed it and asked smilingly, “Lakshmamma, what are you doing?” She said, “I am plucking flowers.” “I see. Is that your job? It is all right but why so many flowers?” asked Bhagavan. “For puja,” she said. “Oh! It won’t be a puja unless you worship with so many flowers, is that it?” said Bhagavan. “I don’t know. These trees have abundance of flowers. So I am plucking them,” she said.

“I see. As in your opinion it will not be nice if there is a luxuriant growth of flowers, you are making them naked. You have seen the beauty of that growth and you do not like others to see it.

You have watered them and helped them in their growth, haven’t you? So you can take the liberty of plucking all the flowers and making them naked so that no one else can see that beauty. It is only then that you will get the full benefit of your puja, is it?” said Bhagavan.

Sources:
1) Letters from Sri Ramanasramam by Suri Nagamma
2) http://suri-nagamma.blogspot.com/2007/07/letter-127.html

Ramana Maharshi Says If The Ego Vanishes Thus, The Self Will Shine As The Luminous Self

2009-12-23T03:51:00.000-08:00

12th September, 1947

A devotee who came here some time back and had been listening to the various discussions in Bhagavan’s presence, approached Bhagavan this afternoon and respectfully asked, “Swami, it is said that Ishwara who is the reflection of the soul and appears as the thinking mind, has become jiva, the personal soul, which is the reflection of the thinking faculty. What is the meaning of this?”

Bhagavan answered,

“The reflected consciousness of the Self (Atman) is called Ishwara, and Ishwara reflected through the thinking faculty is called the jiva. That is all.”

The devotee: “That is all right, Swami, but what then is chidabhasa?”

Bhagavan: “Chidabhasa is the feeling of the Self which appears as the shining of the mind. The one becomes three, the three becomes five and the five becomes many; that is, the pure Self (satva), which appears to be one, becomes through contact, three (satva, rajas and tamas) and with those three, the five elements come into existence, and with those five, the whole Universe.

It is this which creates the illusion that the body is the Self. In terms of the sky (akasa), it is explained as being divided into three categories, as reflected in the soul: the boundless world of pure consciousness, the boundless world of mental consciousness and the boundless world of matter (chidakasa, chittakasa and bhutakasa). When Mind (chitta), is divided into its three aspects, namely mind, intuition and ‘Maker of the I’ (manas, buddhi and ahankara), it is called the inner instrument, or ‘antahkarana’.

Karanam means upakaranam. Legs, hands and other organs of the body are called ‘bahyakarana’, or outer instruments, while the senses (indriyas) which work inside the body are antahkaranas or inner instruments. That feeling of the Self, or shining mind, which works with these inner instruments, is said to be the personal soul, or jiva. When the mental consciousness, which is a reflection of the tangible aspect of pure consciousness, sees the world of matter, it is called mental world (mano akasa), but when it sees the tangible aspect of pure consciousness, it is called total consciousness (chinmaya). That is why it is said, ‘The mind is the cause of both bondage and liberation for man (mana eva manushyanam karanam bandha mokshayoh)’. That mind creates many illusions.”

The questioner: “How will that illusion disappear?”

Bhagavan: “If the secret truth mentioned above is ascertained by Self-enquiry, the multiplicity resolves itself into five, the five into three, and the three into one. Suppose you have a headache and you get rid of it by taking some medicine. You then remain what you were originally. The headache is like the illusion that the body is the Self; it disappears when the medicine called Self-enquiry is administered.”

The questioner: “Is it possible for all people to hold on to that path of Self-enquiry?”

Bhagavan: “It is true that it is only possible for mature minds, not for immature ones. For the latter, repetition of a prayer or holy name under one’s breath (japa), worship of images, breath-control (pranayama), visualising a pillar of light (Jyotishtoma) and similar yogic and spiritual and religious practices have been prescribed. By those practices, people become mature and will then realize the Self through the path of Self-enquiry. To remove the illusion of immature minds in regard to this world, they have to be told that they are different from the body. It is enough if you say, you are everything, all-pervading. The Ancients say that those with immature minds should be told that they must know the transcendent Seer through enquiry into the five elements and reject them by the process of repeating, ‘Not this, not this (Neti, neti)’. After saying this, they point out that just as gold ornaments are not different from gold, so the elements are your own Self. Hence it must be said that this world is real.

“People note the differences between the various types of ornaments, but does the goldsmith recognise the difference? He only looks into the fineness of the gold. In the same way, for the Realized Soul, the Jnani, everything appears to be his own Self. Sankara’s method was also the same. Without understanding this, some people call him a nihilist (mithyavadi), that is, one who argues that the world is unreal. It is all meaningless talk. Just as when you see a stone carved into the form of a dog and you realise that it is only a stone, there is no dog for you; so also, if you see it only as a dog without realizing that it is a stone, there is no stone for you. If you are existent, everything is existent; if you are non-existent, there is nothing existent in this world. If it is said that there is no dog, but there is a stone, it does not mean that the dog ran away on your seeing the stone.

There is a story about this. A man wanted to see the King’s palace, and so started out. Now, there were two dogs carved out of stone, one on either side of the palace gateway. The man standing at a distance took them for real dogs and was afraid of going near them. A saint passing along that way noticed this and took the man along with him, saying, ‘Sir, there is no need to be afraid.’ When the man got near enough to see clearly, he saw that there were no dogs, and what he had thought to be dogs, were just stone carvings.

“In the same way, if you see the world, the Self will not be visible; if you see the Self, the world will not be visible. A good Teacher (Guru) is like that saint. A Realized Soul who knows the truth is aware of the fact that he is not the body.

But there is one thing more. Unless one looks upon death as a thing that is very near and might happen at any moment, one will not be aware of the Self. This means that the ego must die, must vanish, along with the inherent vasanas. If the ego vanishes thus, the Self will shine as the luminous Self. Such people will be on a high spiritual plane, free from births and deaths.” With that Bhagavan stopped his discourse.

Sources:
1) Letters from Sri Ramanasramam by Suri Nagamma
2) http://suri-nagamma.blogspot.com/2007/08/letter-141.html

Ramana Maharshi shows by example sacredness and importance of Temple Prasadam

2009-12-23T03:28:00.001-08:00

Letter 143

Last month, Niranjananandaswami sent a bull, born and bred in the Ashram to the Meenakshi Temple, Madurai, as a present. People there named it Basava, decorated it nicely and took a photo of it along with Sri Sambasiva Iyer who had accompanied it. Sambasiva Iyer returned with a copy of the photo besides an old fashioned silk-fringed shawl, some vibhuti, kumkum and prasad 1 given to him by the temple authorities.

Due to the great crowd of visitors since August 15th, Bhagavan has been spending the days out in the Jubilee Hall.

Sambasiva Iyer came into Bhagavan’s presence with the shawl, vibhuti, etc., on a large plate. The brahmins who had accompanied him recited a mantra while all of us prostrated before Bhagavan, then rose. Looking at me, Bhagavan said, “Our bull has been sent to the Meenakshi Temple, did you know?” “Yes, I knew,” I said. “On the day it was going, I saw it decorated with turmeric, 2 kumkum, etc. and came to know of the purpose when I asked the cattle-keeper.” Holding the plate reverentially and smearing the vibhuti and kumkum on his forehead, Bhagavan said, “See, this is Meenakshi’s gift.” And his voice quivered as he said it.

Sambasiva Iyer spread the shawl over Bhagavan’s feet, and when Bhagavan, deeply moved, removed it with evident feeling of reverence, the attendants took it and spread it over the back of the sofa. Adjusting the shawl properly with his hands, Bhagavan, looking towards us, said, “Mother 1 Vibhuti: sacred ash. Kumkum: vermilion powder. Prasad: any flower or food consecrated by being offered to the Deity.

2 Turmeric: a bright yellow powder of the turmeric root.

Meenakshi has sent this. It is Mother’s gift.” And, choked with emotion, he was unable to say more and became silent.

His eyes were full of tears of joy and his body became motionless. Seeing this, it seemed to me that Nature herself had become silent. When, as a boy, Bhagavan was in Tiruchuli and someone had been angry with him, he had gone to the temple and wept, sitting behind the image of Sahayamba.

He alone knows how the Mother consoled him and what hopes she gave him.

Three years ago, the Ashram doctor said that hand- pounded rice would be good for Bhagavan’s health.

Thereupon the Ashramites approached Bhagavan with a request to take such rice, which would be specially cooked for him. When Bhagavan asked them whether the same rice would be served to all, they said that it would not be possible, as the supply of such rice was limited. Bhagavan therefore would not agree to having it however much they tried to persuade him. At last they said that they would use the hand- pounded rice for the daily offerings to the deity in the temple, for which rice is usually cooked separately and they requested Bhagavan to partake of that rice. “If that is so, it is all right.

I will take it because it is Mother’s prasadam,” said Bhagavan.

And from that day onwards, they have been cooking hand- pounded rice separately and, after offering it to the goddess in the temple, have been serving it to Bhagavan, giving what was left over to all others in his company.

Last summer, Ramaswami Iyer’s son got married and for the occasion there was a feast here. That day, Iyer noticed that there was white rice on the leaves of all, whereas the rice on Bhagavan’s leaf was reddish, and he enquired the reason. Bhagavan smiling, said, “This is Mother’s prasadam.

What is wrong with it? It is cooked specially as an offering to Mother.” He then related the above incident. He once again said, “This is Mother’s gift; I have accepted it only because of that.”

Is this not a great lesson to those who say that they have given up visiting temples and such things?

Sources:
1)Letters from Sri Ramanasramam by Suri Nagamma
2) http://suri-nagamma.blogspot.com/2007/08/letter-143.html

Ramana Maharshi Answers How The Arunachala Mountain Got The Name Annamalai

2009-12-23T03:17:00.000-08:00

Letter 145

Four or five days ago, some devotees who were going for Giripradakshina, asked me to accompany them and so I went with them after obtaining Bhagavan’s permission. By the time we reached Adi Annamalai, it began to rain and so we took shelter in a small mutt by the side of the road. I asked a sadhu who was there, “Whose is this mutt?” “It is Manivachakar’s” he said. When I enquired about the circumstances under which the mutt happened to be built, he narrated all sorts of stories. I could not understand what exactly he said; even then I listened to him patiently, without further questioning, in the hope of getting the required information from Bhagavan himself later.

Yesterday I waited for an opportunity to enquire about this but Bhagavan was busy reading the story about Sundaramurti in the Kaleswara Mahatmyam. This Kaleswara Mahatmyam is a part of Brahmavaivartha Puranam. He read out to us the portion relating to Sundaramurti going to the Kaleswara Temple but before entering it, Sundaramurti went for a bath to the Gaja Pushkarini Tank which was opposite.

When he came out of the tank after his bath, he found that the temple had vanished. So Sundaramurti sang a few songs, expressing his regret at going to the tank for a bath and not to the temple first for the Lord’s darshan. Thereafter the temple reappeared. After reading some more portions of the story Bhagavan remarked, “Everything appeared to him first as a large expanse of water and nothing else and later as Jyothi (divine light).”

A devotee enquired, “It is said that Arunachalam is also a form of Jyoti.”

“Yes. It is so. For the human eye it is only a form of earth and stone but its real form is Jyoti,” said Bhagavan. Taking advantage of this opportunity I asked, “There is a mutt in Adi Annamalai in the name of Manikkavachakar. What could be the reason for its being named like that?” “Oh! That one. It seems he came to Tiruvannamalai also in his pilgrimage. He then stood at that particular place and addressing Arunagiri, sang the songs ‘Tiruvempavai’ and ‘Ammanai’. Hence the mutt got established there, in commemoration. You must have heard of the ‘Tiruvempavai’ songs; they are twenty in number.

Andal sang thirty songs in praise of Lord Krishna and in the same strain Muruganar also has sung songs in praise of me,” said Bhagavan.

DEVOTEE: “How did this Mountain get the name Annamalai?”

BHAGAVAN: “That which is not reachable by Brahma or Vishnu is Annamalai. That means it is the embodiment of the Jyoti which is beyond word or mind. Anna means unreachable. That is the cause of the name.”

DEVOTEE: “But the mountain has a form and a shape.”

BHAGAVAN: “When Brahma and Vishnu saw it, it appeared as a pillar of Light enveloping the whole universe.

It was only later that it appeared like a mountain. This is Ishwara’s sthula sariram (gross body). Jyothi itself is the sukshma sariram (subtle body). That which is beyond all these bodies is the Reality. Subtle means the Tejas (illumination which fills the whole universe).”

DEVOTEE: “Was it the same thing even to Sundaramurti?”

BHAGAVAN: “Yes. At first it appeared as Jalamayam (expanse of water), subsequently as Tejas (Lustre all round) and finally to the human eye it appeared as a temple.

Mahatmas always look with divine eyes. Hence everything appears to them as Pure Light or Brahman.”

NAGAMMA: “Bhagavan has, I believe, written a padyam (verse) about the birth or appearance of the Arunachala Linga, is it true?”

BHAGAVAN: “Yes. I wrote it on a Sivarathri day in the year Vikrama, when somebody asked for it. Perhaps I have written it in Telugu also.”

NAGAMMA: “Yes. It is stated in that Telugu padyam that the linga appeared in dhanurmasam on the day of the Arudra star; that Vishnu and the devas worshipped Siva who gave divine vision to them; that was in the month of Kumbha.

What is the original story? And what was the occasion for the festivities connected with the Krithika star?”

BHAGAVAN: “Oh! That! Brahma and Vishnu were quarrelling as to who was greater. In the month of Kartika, on the day of the Krithika star, a luminous pillar appeared between them. To mark that event, a festival of lights is celebrated on that day every year. You see, both Brahma and Vishnu got tired of their fruitless search for the beginning and the end of the pillar. Depressed by defeat they met at a common place and prayed to God Almighty when Lord Siva appeared before them in the pillar and graciously blessed them. At their request, He agreed to be within their reach for worship in the shape of the mountain and the Linga (in the temple). He also told them that if they worshipped Him thus, He would after a time, come out in the shape of Rudra and would help them in all possible ways. Then He disappeared. From then onwards, in the month of Dhanus, on the day of the Arudra star, Brahma and Vishnu began to worship the Linga that had manifested itself according to the promise of Ishwara. As they continued the worship from year to year in the second half of the month of Kumbha on the thirteenth/fourteenth day at midnight, Siva manifested Himself from that Linga and was then worshipped by Hari and the devas. Hence that day is called Sivarathri as stated in the Linga Puranam, and Siva Puranam. It seems it is only from then onwards the worship of the Linga commenced. It is emphatically stated in Skanda Purana that it is only in Arunachala that the first Linga manifested itself.”

Sources:
1)Letters from Sri Ramanasramam by Suri Nagamma
2) http://suri-nagamma.blogspot.com/2007/08/letter-145.html

Ramana Maharshi never agreed to take any initiation by any mutt

2009-12-22T12:54:00.000-08:00

A devotee who had heard about the meetings of the head of the Sivaganga Mutt and the discussions about Narasimha Bharathi asked Bhagavan, ‘It seems a long time ago someone from the Sringeri Mutt requested Bhagavan to accept diksha [formal initiation].’

Bhagavan: ‘Yes. That is so. That was during the early days of my stay at the Virupaksha cave. A Sastri residing in the Sringeri Mutt came to see me one morning. He saw me, spoke to me for a long time, and before going to the town for meals, drew near me and with folded arms and great respect said, ‘Swami! I have a request to make. Please hear me.’

When I asked him what it was, he said, ‘Swami, as you are born a brahmin, should you not take sannyasa in the regular way? It is an ancient practice. You know all that. What is there for me to tell you? I am anxious to include you in the line of our Gurus. Hence, if you give me the permission, I will come here with all the requisite articles from my Mutt and give you the initiation. If you do not care to wear the full ochre-coloured robes [akhanda kashayam], I respectfully submit that it is enough if your loin cloth at least is of ochre colour. You may think over this well and give me a reply. I am going down the hill to take my meals and will come back by 3 p.m. All the members of our Mutt have heard of your greatness and I have come here to see you at their request. Please do this favour.’

‘A little while after he left, an old brahmin came there with a bundle. His face appeared familiar. It could be seen from the outside of the bundle that there were some books in it. As soon as he came, he placed the bundle opposite to me and like an old acquaintance said, ‘Swami, I have just come. I have not had a bath. There is no one to look after this bundle. I am therefore leaving it with you.’

So saying he left the place. As soon as he went away, why, I do not know, but I felt like opening that bundle and seeing the books. As soon as I opened it, I saw a Sanskrit book in nagari characters with the title ‘Arunachala Mahatmyam’. I did not know before that the Arunachala Mahatmyam is in Sanskrit also. I was therefore surprised and as I opened the book I found the sloka describing the greatness of this place in the words of Iswara:

‘By my ordinance I, Lord Siva, truly bestow my Sayujya [the state of non-dual union with me], which is devoid of attachment, upon those who reside in this holy place [sthala], which extends for three yojanas [around this Hill], even without their receiving initiation and so on, which remove defects.’

‘As soon as I saw that sloka, I felt I could give a fitting reply to that Sastri by quoting that sloka and so hastily copied it out, for the brahmin might come back at any moment, and then tied up the bundle as before after replacing the book. I showed this sloka to the Sastri as soon as he came in the evening. As he was a learned man, he did not say anything further but with great reverence and trepidity saluted me, went away and, it seems, reported everything to Narasimha Bharathi. Narasimha Bharathi felt very sorry for what his disciples had done, and told them to stop all further efforts in that direction. I subsequently translated that sloka and wrote it in a verse in Tamil, ‘Yojanai Munra Mittala Vasarku’. It has now been added at the beginning of the five verses in praise of Arunachala [Arunachala Sthuthi Panchakam]. In the same way, many people tried to convert me to their path. So long as it was mere talk, I used to say, ‘Yes, yes,’ but never agreed to take any initiation. I always used to find some ruse to escape.’

Sources:
1) Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, 13th January, 1949
2) http://sri-ramana-maharshi.blogspot.com/2008/06/greatness-of-arunachala.html

When Devotee Robert Adams met Ramana Maharshi

2009-12-22T07:18:00.001-08:00

During the Fall of 1946, Robert Adams arrived by train to the town of Tiruvannamalai, a few miles from Arunachala Mountain, where lay Ramanashram and his future teacher, Ramana Maharshi. He took a bullock cart to the Ashram, was admitted, and stayed the night. Early the next day while walking back from the mountain, towards the Ashram, he spotted Ramana walking down the path towards him. An electrifying energy coursed through his body, and the last of what men call an ego left him. He felt completely surrendered, completely open. As Ramana got closer, Robert stripped off his clothes, approached Ramana and dropped to his guru’s feet. Ramana reached down grabbing Robert by his shoulder, and looked into Robert’s eyes with complete love and said, "I have been waiting for you. Get up! Get up!" Robert said had Ramana asked him to leap over a cliff at that moment, he would have done so gladly.

Robert became different when he told this story. Most of the time he never talked about his past, and when he did, it was said more for entertainment than for teaching purposes. When he told this story he was sitting erect, almost standing out of his chair, and he looked outwards, above the crowd before him, almost as if he were seeing Ramana again. Tears came from his eyes as stated he would have jumped off the cliff for Ramana, and he added finally, "This is how you have to be, completely naked before God, completely surrendered!"

Ramana Maharshi Devotee Sri Janaki Mata

2009-12-22T06:41:00.000-08:00

The following article, which describes the life of a unique devotee of Bhagavan Ramana, was written by Darlene Delisi Karamanos, using Dr. G. Swaminathan's Biography of Guru Devi Sri Janaky Matha for source material. July 27th is Janaky Matha's one hundredth birth anniversary.

Sri Janaky Matha was a wife, mother of seven children, community volunteer, devotee of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi and an enlightened soul. Her amazing life of inner visions, spiritual yearning, surrender and bhakti inspires all to pursue the spiritual ideal, delve into the Supreme Self and not waste even a minute in the process.

Born on July 27, 1906, the child Janaky exhibited unusual detachment. She accepted all things with a joyous heart. Janaky was full of devotion to the local deities, Sri Viswanatha and Visalakshi, and as she grew in years, Janaky desired to be like Sita, the ever-faithful, pure and holy wife of Sri Ram.

In her thirteenth year her uncle discussed with Janaky her willingness to marry a doctor who was then thirty-two years of age. When told that the widower had two daughters, aged two and six, Sri Janaky replied, "What of that? That doesn't make much of a difference and, after all, I like children." Even though her parents were not too keen on this matrimonial arrangement because of the extreme age difference, Janaky intuitively felt that the doctor would be helpful in the attainment of her goal of Liberation. So in 1919, Sri Janaky married Dr. C. S. Ganapathy (known hereafter as 'Doctor'), in a quiet ceremony performed before Lord Venkataramana of Tirupathi. The Doctor was often heard to remark: "Wherever you (Janaky) go, I shall follow you." And where else could she go, but to God? Living in Tirupathi, Sri Matha's devotion to Sri Venkataramana grew steadily.

In 1921, she gave birth to a daughter and named her Padmavathy, after the consort of Lord Venkataramana. Then a son, Srinivasa Subrahmanya, was born, and several years later another daughter, Sarada.

There came a point in her life when she realized: "To none but Him (God) should true love be directed. To turn to the Divine is the only truth in life." From that day on she continued to take care of her family and responsibilities but shifted her life's ideal to that of total devotion to God.

At the age of twenty her daily routine was as follows: She read the Gita and other Scriptures until about 1 a.m. every night. Janaky would get up at 5 a.m., finish her ablutions and meditate until 7 a.m. Then she would take a bath, recite hymns while attending to household work for about three hours, and after sending the children to school and the Doctor to work, she would engage herself heart and soul in worship until 1 p.m. From 1 to 4 p.m. she was busy looking after the needs of her husband and children. At 4:30 p.m. she would go to the Ladies' Club (which did much volunteer community service), attend meetings, play tennis and return home at 7 p.m. Upon returning home she would meditate for an hour before taking her supper of gruel and milk. Though she took very little food, she was healthy and always cheerful.

Although the Doctor was then earning a good salary, owing to various reasons, there was a lack of funds. One day before going to bed she prayed to Sri Subrahmanya to keep her carefree by taking on His shoulders the oppressive burden of the family's welfare. The next day, a sannyasi (ascetic) came to her house. She was all alone when he said to her, "You were calling me yesterday. I have come from Palni. Leave to me all your family worries and worship me with a carefree heart. Whatever is needed for the family - be it money or other needs and necessities of life - will be provided for." He asked her to give him the promise that she would never forget him. After she agreed, he disappeared.

After this she had many wonderful spiritual experiences and visions of deities, often lasting the whole night.

Sri Subrahmanya came twice more in the disguise of a sannyasi. When Janaky revealed this to the Doctor, he replied with scepticism, "I will believe your words only if He comes here when I am in." Janaky responded, "If that be your desire, let it be so."

The Doctor had just returned for lunch when they both felt a presence outside. Seeing a sannyasi, both Janaky and the Doctor came out and offered him a chair. He took some food and said, "You wanted me to come when your husband is in, and here I am." To make the Doctor believe His Divinity, He exhibited some psychic powers. He asked for another chair and requested Janaky to be seated. She felt reluctant to sit on the same level with Him, but he insisted and asked her what more she desired. Janaky requested Him to bless her with a Sadguru in human form.

What the sannyasi next said to her shocked her very much. "I am none none other Subrahmanya. Much pleased by your meritorious actions and depth of devotion, I have a longing to be born as a child to you. I will play with you for two years and then my power will get infused in your heart." Janaky exclaimed, "My Lord! You want me to plunge deep into the ocean of samsara (worldliness) when my desire is to ferry across it." She argued that she would not be a good person to bring up an incarnation since she was on fire with renunciation. What if she forgot His Divinity and scolded and punished him? What if she took pride that she had Subrahmanya at her beck and call; she would be in the depths of delusion. What if she turned to psychic powers and fell short of her goal of realization? Lastly, she begged, "Let me be blessed with a Guru."

With a smile of His face, Subrahmanya said, "Am I not your Guru? Anyhow, if such be your wish, there is a Mahatma by name Sri Ramana Maharshi in Tiruvannamalai. You may go and have His darshan." He showed Janaky a photo of Bhagavan Ramana that he was carrying. It was the first time that she had heard about Bhagavan Sri Ramana. Saying that he would come again to discuss with her His desire to be born as her child, He disappeared from sight.

Her heart then surged with an intense love for Bhagavan Sri Ramana. She continued with her meditations, worship, household chores and volunteer work. Day by day, Janaky could feel a number of changes happening to her nervous system. Her visions continued. A severe pain developed in her spine and she became bedridden. Her nerves seemed to have been shattered and often the heartbeat was faint and hardly audible. In spite of all this, her mind remained peaceful. Friends wanted her to be seen by specialists, but the Doctor was sure it was not a disease to be treated medically and that, by the grace of God, she would be all right. This state continued for forty days and then disappeared as mysteriously as it came.

After a few days, a sadhu appeared before her and again asked about Subrahmanya being born to her. Again she pleaded that she didn't need obstacles, but a helping hand. The sadhu assured her that, "Begetting a son will in no way shackle you in bondage. There will be no hindrances to your spiritual progress."

Janaky and the Doctor went to Sri Ramanasramam on April 20, 1935. Her long cherished yearning was now going to materialize. Bhagavan was sitting in the meditation hall. The moment Janaky entered the hall, the full and gracious look of Bhagavan fell on her. She stood motionless, intoxicated with the nectar flowing through Bhagavan's eyes. Bhagavan asked her to be seated. Her heart swelled with joy. Her mind was ready to absorb the full flow of Bhagavan's Grace. Throughout that night she enjoyed visions of Bhagavan blessing her.

To Janaky, Bhagavan was no different from the formless Arunachaleswara. In the evening hours of their departure day, Janaky knelt before Bhagavan and spoke to Him of her desire for liberation and Sri Subrahmanya's decision to incarnate in her womb. She also revealed her experience of the all-pervasive nature of the Paramatma and awaited instructions from Bhagavan as to what she should do next. He said, "Continue doing it in just the same way."

With the infant Swaminathan, Janaky and the Doctor returned to Sri Ramanasramam for the blessings of Bhagavan in August 1936. For a long time Janaky had been praying for her husband's spiritual awareness to be aroused so that he might not, at any time, stand in the way of her spiritual progress. Bhagavan asked both the Doctor and Janaky to come before him and he read aloud "Upadesa Saram" (Essence of Instruction) and asked them to follow it. Janaky's heart was overflowing with joy.

To quote from Janaky Matha's biography:

".From the moment she first came to Bhagavan Sri Ramana, He was her all. She reasoned, 'There is only one thing in the world worth achieving: the root cause of the whole universe, the 'One Without a Second'. I must attain it, realize it and experience it with Bhagavan's Grace."

Physically and mentally drained by her spiritual experiences, Janaky sought Bhagavan's help in October 1936. At an opportune moment, she prostrated before Bhagavan and poured out her heart to him. She told of her spiritual experiences and begged for his protection and the removal of obstacles in her quest for Liberation. She also expressed her fear of becoming deranged because she had no Guru to guide her. Bhagavan replied: "Who told you that you have no Guru? Don't get disheartened. I am here as your Guru; nothing will upset your mind." With that assurance, she transferred all her cares and worries to Bhagavan Ramana.

About a year later, Janaky felt something like a forceful explosion at the back of her head and powerful currents throughout her spinal cord. She did not think her physical body could withstand it. She said to herself, 'Let things take their own course. The grace of the Guru will do what is right and good for me.' This state continued for twenty-six days after which she asked the Doctor to take her to Sri Ramanasramam. He was reluctant at first due to her evident weakness, but allowed himself to be persuaded. Sri Bhagavan's full glance of grace poured forth blessings and strength on her. Even before Janaky had informed Bhagavan of her experiences, he spoke to her about a similar experience he had had in his early days: "Look here. Don't get frightened. One day while I was lying in bed I felt as if I had been bombed from inside at the back of my head."

The young Swaminathan, who had just completed his second year, said to Janaky in a sweet, childish voice, "Mother, see here! That Bhagavan we saw there in Tiruvannamalai is always standing near you. He follows you wherever you go." These words were a source of great consolation and joy as Janaky continued to feel the protecting grace of Bhagavan.

It was January of 1938 when Janaky's body became rigid from her toes upward. She thought she was nearing her end. Her mind withdrew into Sri Ramana in the heart. She had many visions and experiences, but the one that crowned all others was the experience of the dynamic force or Sakti ascending and embracing the Supreme Self. The kundalini continued to push upwards and tried to break through the spot in the top of her head. Janaky cried out, "What are you trying to do? Bhagavan Sri Ramana and I are inseparable! Against the downpour of the Guru's Grace, you can do me no harm." With this, the force stopped its attempts and bodily feeling returned. She told the Doctor that she had at last been set free from the rounds of birth and death and had attained her long cherished goal. The purpose of her earthly life was fulfilled. By the grace of Bhagavan Sri Ramana, Janaky became a Jivanmukta (liberated soul) at thirty-two years of age.

Janaky had travelled between Ramanasramam and her home whenever she felt the need to be near Bhagavan, but on January 18, 1938, while visiting Ramanasramam, she did not feel like continuing in family life. Doctor was upset and felt as if he had now lost his second wife. The younger children were grief-stricken. Their appeals and tears did not dissuade her as she was revelling in a glorious spiritual realm. Then, the next morning, she remembered the promise she had made to Bhagavan to remain in the family for five more years. She immediately said she would go back with them to Kakinada. Bhagavan gazed at her and said, "Did I ask you to become a sannyasini? Look at me. I have not taken sannyasa and do not wear the ochre cloth. You have only one family, but I have to shoulder the burden of all these devotees and their families." She knew then that renunciation must be in the heart.

Janaky was wondering why she should be having so many visions and experiences when her only desire was to be free from the cycle of birth and death. Bhagavan gently said, "Can one get this for the mere asking? It seeks the heart where it wants to shine."

As the Doctor and Janaky were preparing to leave, Bhagavan told the Doctor, "You doctors say that the heart is at the left side of the chest. But the whole body is the heart for yogis. Jnanis have their hearts both within and without." He then gazed at Janaky and again assured her: "I am always with you."

Bhagavan was her All. She desired only to contemplate the Holy Feet of Bhagavan. In the months and years that followed, devotees were drawn to Janaky as bees to honey. She began to be addressed as Sri Matha. She took a few of them to Sri Ramanasramam and said to Bhagavan, "All these people seek me as their Guru.I have never wished to be a Guru. I would request Bhagavan, in all humility, to kindly accept these devotees as Bhagavan's disciples."

Bhagavan said, "When you are above likes and dislikes, desires and aversions, let things take their own shape. To the extent they believe in you, they will reap results. I will protect those who, with full faith, trust in you."

Another incident that happened at Ramanasramam occurred when an oil lamp went out and the hall was in darkness for a few minutes. When the light came back, three-year-old Swaminathan exclaimed, "The light failed and Bhagavan was not visible; the light came back and Bhagavan is seen!" Bhagavan turned to the boy and said, "What you say is precisely correct. When there is ajnana (ignorance), God is not realized. With the dawn of jnana (wisdom), He is seen." As it was Bhagavan who gave Sri Matha her light of wisdom, she decided to pay for the electrification of the Ashram.

Even after realization, Sri Matha carried on with her domestic and social activities. She was elected President of the Child Welfare Centre and Vice President of the Ladies' Club. She performed all her actions for God's sake in a supremely detached manner. With equanimity of mind, she saw the Lord in all of the world.

To some people she would advise, "Lead a righteous life and discharge your duties to the family, conduct family worship, practise charity, have an abundant life and learn to gradually still the waves of passion." To others who wanted to know more about Liberation, she taught, "Always nurture Divine thoughts, obliterate likes and passions and surrender to the Guru."

There were times when Sri Matha was lost in samadhi, oblivious to her surroundings. Food had to be forced into her mouth for sustenance and she had to be bathed by others, as she was oblivious of her body. At other times she attended to her routine work and concealed her exalted state.

After the marriage of her daughter, Sarada, Sri Matha was making final arrangements for a permanent stay at Sri Ramanasramam. After bowing before Bhagavan, the ten-year-old Swaminathan poured out his sorrow, weeping bitterly and rolling on the ground. He sobbed, "Pray give us back my mother and order her to come with us to Thanjavur."

Bhagavan, with a voice choked with emotion said to Sri Matha, "What can I do?" Then turning to Swaminathan said affectionately, "Take your mother and go back to Thanjavur." Sri Matha submitted to Bhagavan's request and returned with the Doctor, Swaminathan and the three-year-old Ramachandran.

At Sri Matha's request the southern portion of the family house remain as an ashram and spiritual centre with Sri Bhagavan as the Sadguru. The main objective of the centre is to spread the teachings of Bhagavan Ramana.

Moments before her passing away, in April 1969, devotees and relatives chanted Bhagavan's hymn Aksharamanamalai, with the refrain of "Arunachala Shiva, Arunachala Shiva."

Sri Matha's life stands as a shining example of perseverance to the ideal of Liberation and devotion to Bhagavan Ramana. Once, when some of her devotees were having a lengthy discussion of Bhagavan's 'Who am I?' enquiry, she halted them saying, "Enough of this discussion! My head begins to swim with such dry and useless discussions. Amma knows only one thing - to show devotion to Sri Bhagavan." It was through such steadfast devotion that Sri Matha achieved Liberation.

"A Realized Soul who knows the truth is aware of the fact that he is not the body. But there is one thing more. Unless one looks upon death as a thing that is very near and might happen at any moment, one will not be aware of the Self. This means that the ego must die, must vanish, along with the inherent vasanas." - Letters from Sri Ramanasramam

Source: http://www.arunachala.org/newsletters/2006/?pg=may-jun

Bhagavan Ramana on surrender, free will and Divine Grace

2009-12-22T05:48:00.000-08:00

Forwarded by a kind reader:

Referring to Sri Krishna's telling Arjuna: "Deluded by Maya you refuse to fight, but your own nature will force you to fight;" a devotee asked Bhagavan whether we have no free will at all. Bhagavan replied: "You always have freedom not to identify yourself with the body and the pleasures and pains that come to it as its prarabdha."

One summer afternoon I was sitting opposite Sri Bhagavan in the Old Hall with a fan in my hand and said to him: "I can understand that the outstanding events in a man's life, such as his country, nationality, family, career or profession, marriage, death, etc., are all predestined by his karma, but can it be that all the details of his life, down to the minutest, have already been determined? Now, for instance, I put this fan that is in my hand down on the floor here. Can it be that it was already decided that on such and such a day, at such and such an hour, I would move the fan like this and put it down here?"

Bhagavan replied: "Certainly." He continued: "Whatever this body is to do and whatever experiences it is to pass through was already decided when it came into existence."

Thereupon I naturally exclaimed: "What becomes then of man's freedom and responsibility for his actions?"

Bhagavan explained: "The only freedom one has is to strive for and acquire the Jnana which will enable him not to identify himself with the body. The body will go through the actions rendered inevitable by prarabdha (destiny) based on the balance sheet of past lives, and a man is free either to identify himself with the body and be attached to the fruits of its actions or to be detached from it and be a mere witness of its activities."

From various other talks that I had with him, I am convinced that this was Bhagavan's teaching. I will only refer here to the classic reply he gave to his mother when, as a young Sage, he rejected her tearful request to go back home with her. "The Ordainer controls the fate of man according to his prarabdha. What is destined not to happen will not happen, try as you may. What is destined to happen will happen, try as one may to prevent it. This is certain. So the best course is to remain silent."

However, if the law of karma as pure cause and effect is so supreme as to be absolutely inviolable and inexorable, one may ask of what use is religion, God or prayer. There seems to have been no time when man did not turn to an all-powerful and all-loving God who could save him from his sins and suffering and give him peace and bliss. Starting from the Vedic times and passing through the period of the great bhaktas, both Saivite and Vaishnavite, and down to comparatively recent times, there is a great mass of religious literature which states quite clearly that whatever sins a man may have committed, God in His mercy can save him. They have also stated that all karma, including prarabdha, can be destroyed by the Grace of God, like cotton by fire. Western saints and mystics have said the same thing and have ridiculed the idea that because God is just, impartial and righteous He cannot save the sinner but must punish him first for his transgressions. For if that were so, what would become of the other attributes of God such as Mercy, Love, Fatherhood and Motherhood? The Vaishnavites stress the quality of Vatsalya or loving-kindness in God and illustrate it by the vatsalya of a cow which, as soon as its calf is born, begins to lick it all over, oblivious to the fact that it is unclean. They say God does not wait for the sinner to become pure before He can save him, but saves him just as He finds him if only the man desires, cries out for and supplicates salvation. If a man who is suffering turns to God for help and relief in full faith that God can save him he is sure to be saved. That is what the scriptures say and what countless saints have declared. Christ said: "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Fear not." Lord Krishna said almost the same thing. When Arjuna, after hearing what Krishna had to say about all the different kinds of yoga which could secure Liberation, complained that he was confused by all these instructions and felt that he could not follow them, Krishna said: "Then give up all dharmas and take refuge only in Me. Grieve not. I will save you from all your sins.

What is demanded here is total surrender to God by throwing oneself completely on God's Mercy and not desiring anything for oneself. Leaving everything to God the all-loving and all-knowing is not so easy as it may sound. However, the point I want to make here is that Grace is all-powerful and that even the law of karma by which, they say, a man must reap what he has sown, with no exception whatsoever, can be overcome. I am strongly inclined by temperament to believe this, and I believe that Bhagavan has confirmed it for me. I will quote here what I wrote on the subject on pages 100 and 101 of my little book My Recollections of Bhagavan Sri Ramana

"Another point on which I more than once argued with Bhagavan is the extent to which Grace can override prarabdha or destiny. My main line of argument throughout was (and my conviction now as ever is) that God is all-powerful and that nothing is impossible for Him, and that if one got and could get only what one had worked for and merited, there would be no place at all for Grace. Most often Bhagavan remained silent when I indulged in such arguments either by myself or with others, some of whom took my side and others the opposite side; but from various remarks and observations that he made on different occasions I have come to the conclusion that the following is his attitude in the matter: 'Of course, nothing is impossible to God, but everything happens according to the order established by God's will or plan and exceptions are very few. How many Markandeyas, are there in our Puranas?'

"On the other hand, many authoritative books have clearly said (and Bhagavan has quoted them with approval) that one look from a Jnani can save us from the effects of all our karmas, past or present, prarabdha included. And Sri Janaki Matha has published in her Tamil journal that when she discussed this question once with Bhagavan, maintaining that His Grace can help one even to overcome prarabdha, he told her: 'If you have such faith it will be so.' "

I find that I cannot usefully add anything to this quotation, but I should perhaps explain the reference to Markandeya. It is said in the Puranas that Markandeya was destined to live for only sixteen years and that he prayed to Siva and received the boon that he would be perpetually sixteen. Bhagavan mentioned it to stress his point that the obvious and spectacular intervention of Divine Grace is very exceptional.

It is said in the Upanishads that one cannot say when or why or to whom Grace will come. It is said that it will fall only on him whom it chooses. A hundred might make the effort and yet only one or two of them might be chosen. No one can predict anything about Grace except that it is unpredictable.

It will be interesting here to turn to the following quotations from Paul Brunton given in my book Day by Day with Bhagavan.

"Divine Grace is a manifestation of the cosmic free will in operation. It can alter the course of events in a mysterious manner through its own unknown laws, which are superior to all natural laws, and can modify the latter by interaction. It is the most powerful force in the universe.

"It descends and acts only when it is invoked by total self-surrender. It acts from within, because God resides in the heart of all beings. Its whisper can be heard only in a mind purified by self-surrender and prayer."

The above two quotations were contained in a book called Divine Grace Through Total Self-Surrender by one D. C. Desai, and Bhagavan himself, on going through the book, read them out to us.

My saying that God's Grace is unpredictable and has power to remit sins and erase karma should not be taken to mean that this Grace can be obtained without effort. On the contrary, great effort is necessary. A man, recognising that he cannot raise himself by himself, must fall at the feet of God and cry: "Lord, I am weak and powerless. You alone can save me. I take refuge in You. Do what You will with me." This is the effort that must be made: an effort towards attainment of effortlessness after realizing the uselessness of our own puny efforts.

Bhagavan has strongly commended the path of total self-surrender as a sure way to salvation and has called devotion the 'Mother of Jnana'. That well-known early devotee of Bhagavan, Sivaprakasam Pillai, for whom Who am I? was written, says in one of his poems: "To everyone you give only this instruction: 'Find out who you are.' If, after that, they humbly ask for more guidance, you tell them as your final word: 'There is a power which moves you and me and all others. Lay your ego at the feet of that Mother.' "

From various actions and remarks of Bhagavan I have not the slightest doubt that he regards the path of surrender as the best way for me. It is true that he maintained quite definitely that final Liberation is only possible through Knowledge of the Self, which is being the Self, because Knowing is Being; but that comes inevitably to one who has completely surrendered.

Source: -- The Mountain Path, 1967, Vol. 4, No. 2

Ramana Maharshi: What is the purpose of creation?

2009-12-22T05:19:00.000-08:00

Q: What is the purpose of creation?

A: It is to give rise to this question. Investigate the answer to this question, and finally abide in the supreme or rather the primal source of all, the Self. The investigation will resolve itself into a quest for the Self and it will cease only after the non-Self is sifted away and the Self realized in its purity and glory.

There may be any number of theories of creation. All of them extend outwardly. There will be no limit to them because time and space are unlimited. They are however only in the mind. If you see the mind,time and space are transcended and the Self is realized.

Creation is explained scientifically or logically to one's own satisfaction. But is there any finality about it? Such explanations are called krama-srishti [gradual creation]. On the other hand, drishti-srishti [simultaneous creation] is yugapat-srishti. Without the seer there are no objects seen. Find the seer and the creation is comprised in him. Why look outward and go on explaining the phenomena which are endless?

Source: (Excerted from Be As You Are - The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, p264)