tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62995872108113836682024-03-13T04:13:18.884+05:30Ramana SmritiReminiscenses of devotees of Sri Ramana Maharshiannamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-83593325312515272042007-08-06T16:08:00.000+05:302007-08-06T16:20:43.989+05:30ARUNACHALA AND RAMANACHALA - K. Subrahmanian<h4>By K. Subrahmanian</h4>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JAC_rn8bJxw/Rrb8Er-J3-I/AAAAAAAAAEk/-lNjnL4FmeY/s1600-h/ARUNA-1_1.jpg"><img style="float: left; display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JAC_rn8bJxw/Rrb8Er-J3-I/AAAAAAAAAEk/-lNjnL4FmeY/s320/ARUNA-1_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095537185869389794" /></a>
THE Maharshi and Arunachala embody the same principle of stillness. The Maharshi too was <i>achala</i>, the stillness of Awareness. He was the <i>utsava vigraha</i>, the hill the <i>mula vigraha.</i> He never moved away from Tiruvannamalai, from the day he arrived there in his sixteenth year till he merged in its light in April, 1950. As the hill is rooted in the earth, Sri Ramana is rooted in the Self. The hill still draws people to it. Sri Ramana too, unmoving, draws people towards himself. Even people who had not seen him during his lifetime are drawn towards him and the hill.<br /><br />
The Sage appealed to humanity through silence. This silence, like the hill's own silence, is more potent than the eloquence of preachers. It brings about silence of the beholder's mind. It is not the negation of speech but the pure awareness which is the source and end of all sound.<br /><br />
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Going round the hill is recommended by Sri Bhagavan, as this physical movement results in mental calm. Strangely enough, one feels no fatigue in going round the hill. Going round Sri Bhagavan was thought equal to going round the hill and was found by some to yield the same mental calm. However, he discouraged this practice. The hill and the Maharshi are two forms assumed by the formless Self.<br /><br />
<i>Smaranad Arunachalam</i> -- If one thinks of Arunachala, one gains liberation. Like Arunachala, Ramana too brings en- lightenment by ending the illusion that the body is oneself. The hill is Lord Siva himself. And Ramana lived and moved as Sivananda. And he is present still as we sit in silence in his Ashram or walk round the hill.<br /><br />
<HR />
<div class="links"><b>Related Links</b>: <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter273.html">1950: (Chapter 273: Brahmanirvana)</a> </div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-50404366991999286212007-07-30T16:50:00.000+05:302007-07-30T16:52:51.101+05:30Beloved Bhagavan - Swami Ramdas<h4>By Swami Ramdas</h4>
What shall I say of Him who towers high,<br/>A veritable Everest of spiritual glory,<br/>A resplendent sun who sheds light on all.<br/>He is our soul, our life and sole refuge.<br/>The sage par-excellence dwells on the Sacred Hill,<br/>Arunachala, the abode of holy ones, the <i>Rishis</i>.<br/>His compassionate eyes pour forth nectar on all He sees,<br/>Drowning us in a sea of joy and ecstasy.<br/>Our lives are aflame with divine wisdom<br/>At a moment's touch of His world-redeeming feet.<br/>He is God Himself who walked on earth.<br/>His grace and delight enter our hearts,<br/>Transforming us into His beauteous image.<br/>He belongs to the dizzy heights ;<br/>Still He stands firm on the earth of ours<br/>To redeem and save those who behold<br/>His face reflected in the mirror<br/>Of His toe-nails, which glow with celestial radiance.<br/>The care-worn go to Him and become<br/>Free and cheerful like children at play.<br/>The earnest aspirants approach Him<br/>To return deeply permeated with knowledge eternal.<br/>Verily, to be in His presence is to know<br/>All that exists is Himself, His grandiose being and form.<br/>His unfailing power of love is most potent;<br/>How He draws me to Him is a mystery.<br/>O Lord! like a rudderless boat adrift<br/>On that vast ocean of the world, I wandered<br/>Hither and thither seeking in darkness<br/>The supreme light and goal that liberates life<br/>From galling bondage and depthless sorrow.<br/><br />
Lo! Thy grace drew me to Thy feet<br/>And I came to Thee a vagrant and a beggar.<br/>Thy very sight was burning with the all-consuming<br/>fire of the world.<br/>The instant my head touched Thy holy feet<br/>The fever of my soul left me for ever.<br/>I felt lightness and freedom and peace;<br/>Then Thine eyes, redolent with Thy Infinite Grace<br/>Tenderly looked on me and I was thrilled.<br/>I stood before Thee, a figure of pure bliss,<br/>Fully bathed in Thy divine halo.<br/>Now, I am Thy child, free and happy.<br/>My face is suffused with smiles drawn from Thee.<br/>My life is entirely enlightened<br/>With Thy Love, Knowledge and Power.<br/>Thou art my Mother, Master and Friend, my only<br/>Beloved.<br/>All glory to Thee! All glory to Thee!<br/><br />annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-5751352568730613282007-07-30T16:41:00.000+05:302007-07-30T16:48:38.270+05:30YEARS OF GRACE<h4>By R. Narayana Iyer</h4>
I first saw Bhagavan in 1913 at the <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw038.html">Virupaksha Cave</a>. But it was in 1936 that I really met him. When I reached the Ashram and entered the hall, Bhagavan pointed at me and said, "He has come from Madras". I thought myself very fortunate in having been blessed by his attention immediately on my arrival. That evening while sitting in the hall, Bhagavan looked at me intently for about five minutes. It was an extraordinary experience. The experience, the feeling, remained long after I returned home.<br /><br />
I took voluntary retirement from service in order to pursue
the spiritual path and shifted my family to Tiruvannamalai so as to be near Bhagavan. One day while trying to meditate in the presence of Bhagavan I just could not fix my thoughts and became restless. In the meantime a boy who used to come daily and give a performance of numberless prostrations gave us a super show that day. Bhagavan rebuked him, <blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold; font-color:navy;">"What is the use of your prostrations? Control of the mind is real worship."</span></blockquote> Somehow these words had a tremendous effect on me.<br /><br />
There are many instances of Bhagavan's compassion that have
graced my life. My wife died of small pox. On that day it rained in torrents. I was afraid that the cremation would be delayed. Bhagavan sent some Ashram workers to help me. When Bhagavan was told that the rain was too heavy for the funeral, he said, "Go on with it, never mind the rain". When the body was taken to the cremation ground, the rain stopped, and when the body was burnt to white ashes, it started raining again!<br /><br />
A few days later my daughter was singing in the hall.<br /><br />
Suddenly she stopped and then, after a pause she continued.<br /><br />
Bhagavan asked, <blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold; font-color:navy;">"Why did you stop in the middle? Was it the grief for your mother? Why do you grieve for her? Is she not with Lord Arunachala?"</span></blockquote><br /><br />
In 1942 I had to arrange for the marriage of my daughter. I
had a suitable boy in mind, but he raised some objections. Anxiously I showed his letter to Bhagavan, who said, "<span style="font-weight:bold;">Don't worry, it will come off</span>". Soon afterwards the boy himself came and the marriage was celebrated.<br /><br />
After Bhagavan left the body I spent two years in my village
and then came to the Ashram again. There were difficulties in my spiritual practices, but I felt Bhagavan's guidance very clearly.<br /><br />
I had muscular rheumatism at that time and wrote to my
son, who was coming from Madras to bring some medicine. He however forgot. The next day Sundaram's brother, coming from his village brought the very medicine I wanted. I asked him how he had thought of bringing them. He told me that he saw them in his house unused and that it occurred to him that it might be of some use to me. It dawned on me that it was Bhagavan's love for us that filled our lives with miracles.<br /><br />
On another occasion a nerve in my leg got inflamed. I was
all alone and puzzled, when unexpectedly, Sundaram came from his village. When I asked him why he came, he said, "I just felt like coming". From the very next day I had high fever and Sundaram nursed me for a fortnight. Who could have arranged all this but Bhagavan?<br /><br />
During the years after Bhagavan left his body I felt His
continued guidance very clearly. How carefully he watches over every legitimate need of his devotees!<br /><br />
<HR />
<b>Referred Resources:</b>
<a href="http://ramana-collected-works.blogspot.com/2007/06/virupaksha-cave.html">Virupaksha Cave</a>
<div class="links"><b>OTHER LINKS</b>: <br/> <b>Links to Sri Ramana Leela:</b> <a href="http://ramanaleela.blogspot.com/2007/06/18-peerless-hill.html">Virupaksha: (Chapter 18: The Peerless Hill)</a> </div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-29262812783349919312007-07-29T11:00:00.000+05:302007-07-29T11:14:06.649+05:30ETERNAL BHAGAVAN - Shantammal<h4>By Shantamma</h4>
MY search for a Master who would lead me to salvation began when I was 40 years old. It was ten years later, in 1927, that I went to Tiruvannamalai in the company of three ladies. When I went to Ramanasramam, Bhagavan was seated on a cot in a grass-thatched shed. <span style="font-weight:bold;">As soon as I saw him I knew that he was God in human form</span>. Muruganar, who was a native of Ramnad like me, was by his side. I bowed to Bhagavan and said, "Today I am blessed. Please grant that my mind does not trouble me any more". Bhagavan turned to Muruganar and said,<span style="font-weight:bold;"> "Ask her to find out whether there is such a thing as mind. If there is, ask her to describe it"</span>. I stood still, not knowing what to say. Muruganar explained to me, "Don't you see? You have been initiated in the search for the Self.<br /><br />
We stayed for forty days. We would cook some food, and
take it to the Ashram. Bhagavan would taste it and the rest was given to the devotees. In those days, Bhagavan's brother Chinnaswami was cooking in the Ashram. Often there were no <i>curries</i> or <i>sambar</i>, only plain rice and pickles. Though I wanted to stay on until Bhagavan's birthday, my companions had to leave. When I went to Bhagavan to take his leave, He asked me to wait a day longer for the newly printed <i><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw017.html">Upadesa Saram</a></i> . The next day he gave me a copy with his own hands. The thought of leaving him broke my heart and I wept bitterly. Bhagavan graciously said, "You are going to Ramnad, but you are not leaving Arunachala. Go and come soon".<br /><br />
Fortunately by his grace I was able to attend the next
<i>jayanti</i>. It was the experience of every devotee that he who is determined to visit him, finds that all obstacles somehow vanish. This time Bhagavan was seated on a sofa in a newly built hall. He was explaining something from <i><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw018.html">Ulladu Narpadu</a></i> to Dandapani Swami. When he saw me his first question was,
"Have you a copy of this book? I asked them to post one to you." How my Lord remembers us by name and how loving is his personal attention to our needs. From dawn to dusk I stayed at the Ashram and engaged myself in its chores.<br /><br />
After the celebration, the guests were leaving and I felt
that I too would have to go. I gathered sufficient courage and told Bhagavan about my deep desire to stay on. "As long as I am with you Bhagavan, my mind is at peace. Away from you, I am restless. What am I to do"? He said, "Stay here until your mind gets settled. After that you can go anywhere and nothing will disturb you". It seemed miraculous when minutes later I was asked to stay and cook for two months, as Chinnaswami who was cooking for the Ashram was sick and had to leave for Madras for treatment. Thus I came to stay -- not for two months, but forever.<br /><br />
During that period in the history of the Ashram, Bhagavan
used to be active working both in the kitchen and outside. He would clean grain, shell nuts, grind seeds, stick together the leaf plates we ate from and so on. We would join him in every task and listen to his stories, jokes, reminiscences and spiritual teachings. Occasionally he would scold us lovingly like a mother. Everything we did, every problem we faced, was made use of in teaching the art of total reliance on him.<br /><br />
<h4>The European</h4>
One morning a European came in a horse carriage to the
Ashram and went straight to Bhagavan. He wrote something on a piece of paper and showed it to Bhagavan. Bhagavan did not answer, instead he gazed at the stranger steadily. The stranger stared back at him. Then Bhagavan closed his eyes and the stranger also closed his. Time passed and the whole atmosphere was silent and still. Lunch hour struck but Bhagavan would not open his eyes. Madhavaswami, the attendant, got Bhagavan's water pot and stood ready to lead him out of the hall. Bhagavan would not stir. We felt afraid to go near, such was the intensity around him. His face was glowing with a
strange light. Chinnaswami was talking loudly to attract Bhagavan's attention. Even vessels were banged about, but all in vain. When the clock was striking twelve Bhagavan opened his eyes. They were glowing very brightly. Madhavaswami took up the water jug; the European got into the carriage and went away. It was the last we saw of him. Everybody was wonderstruck at the great good fortune of the man, to have received such immediate initiation from Bhagavan.<br /><br />
<h4>Maharaja of Mysore</h4>
Once the Maharaja of Mysore visited the Ashram. He asked
for a private interview. Of course, Bhagavan never allowed such a thing. Finally it was decided that Maharaja be brought in when Bhagavan was having his bath. Trays and trays of sweets and other costly presents were laid at Bhagavan's feet. For ten minutes the Maharaja just stood looking and then prostrated before Bhagavan. Tears flowing from his eyes made Bhagavan's feet wet. He told Bhagavan, "They made me a Maharaja and bound me to a throne. For the sin of being born a king, I lost the chance of sitting at your feet and serving in your glorious presence. I do not hope to come again. Only these few minutes are mine. I pray for your grace".<br /><br />
<h4>Lakshmi in samadhi</h4>
Once the cow Lakshmi came into the hall. She was pregnant
at that time. It was after lunch time and Bhagavan was reading the newspapers. Lakshmi came near and started licking the papers. Bhagavan looked up and said, "Wait a little Lakshmi", but Lakshmi went on licking. Bhagavan laid his paper aside, put his hands behind Lakshmi's horns and put his head against hers. They stayed thus for quite a long time. All of us watched the wonderful scene. After sometime Bhagavan turned to me and said, "Do you know what Lakshmi is doing? She is in <i>samadhi</i>". Tears were flowing from Lakshmi's eyes. Her eyes were fixed on Bhagavan. After sometime Bhagavan asked her, "Lakshmi, how do you feel now"? Lakshmi moved backward, reluctant to turn her tail towards Bhagavan, and went out of the hall. On the fourth day she gave birth to a calf. The man with whom she was staying in town brought her with her three
calves and left them in the Ashram for good. Lakshmi and her three calves came into the hall and lay down beside Bhagavan's sofa. He said, "All these days Lakshmi had to go back in the evening and she used to be in tears. Today she is delighted for she need not go away anymore. She knows that her home is here now. We have to look after her. Look at her with what self- assurance she has stretched herself out"!<br /><br />
<h4>The Harijan</h4>
In the early days of the Ashram, a <i>harijan</i> used to stand
near the well and accompany Bhagavan whenever he went up the hill. One day Bhagavan called him near and said, "Go on repeating `Shiva, Shiva'". It was very unusual for an untouchable to receive this kind of initiation. He could never have secured it without Bhagavan's infinite grace. After that the man disappeared.<br /><br />
<h4>Vision</h4>
Once I related to Bhagavan some vision I had and he said:<br /><br />
Yes, such visions do occur. To know how you look you must look into a mirror, but don't take that reflection to be yourself. What is perceived by our senses and mind is never the truth. All visions are mere mental creations, and if you believe in them, your progress ceases. Enquire to whom the visions occur, who is their witness. Free from all thought, stay in pure awareness. Out of that don't move.<br /><br />
<h4>Kitchen and other stories</h4>
A visitor while taking leave of Bhagavan expressed a wish
that Bhagavan should keep him in mind as he was going very far away and would probably not come back to the Ashram. Bhagavan replied:<br /><br />
A <i>jnani</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#jnani"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="a Self-realized person, a sage; one who has attained realization by the path of knowledge "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> has no mind. How can one without a mind remember or even think? This man goes somewhere and I have to go there and look after him? Can I keep on remembering all these prayers? Well, I shall transmit your prayer to the Lord of the Universe. He will look after you. It is his business.<br /><br />
After the devotee departed, Bhagavan turned towards us
and said:<br /><br />
People imagine that the devotees crowding around a <i>jnani</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#jnani"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="a Self-realized person, a sage; one who has attained realization by the path of knowledge "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> get special favours from him. If a <i>Guru </i> shows partiality, how can he be a <i>jnani?</i> Is he so foolish as to be flattered by people's attendance on him and the service they do? Does distance matter? The <i>Guru</i> is pleased with him only who gives himself up entirely, who abandons his ego forever. Such a man is taken care of wherever he may be. He need not pray. God looks after him unasked. The frog lives by the side of the fragrant lotus, but it is the bee that gets the honey.<br /><br />
When I cooked, Bhagavan would come to the kitchen to
taste the food and see whether the seasoning was just right. Once he said, "The Maharajas employ special taste experts and pay them huge salaries. I wonder what will be my pay". "I am a beggar Bhagavan, and all I can offer is my life", I said, to which Bhagavan nodded his head lovingly.<br /><br />
In the kitchen there were no proper jars for storing foodstuffs
and everything was kept in tins and pots which would leak and spill and render the floor slippery. Once I scrubbed the kitchen floor carefully. Bhagavan on seeing it congratulated me on the neatness in the kitchen. I sighed, "What is the use Bhagavan? People will come, spill oil, scatter flour and the kitchen will be the same again. We must have proper jars and containers". Ten days later they called me to the hall. Attendants were opening wooden boxes and there were six beautiful jars. "You wanted jars, now you have them", said Bhagavan. On enquiry it was found that some railway station master had booked them in the name of our Ashram for no ostensible reason. Such mysterious coincidences occurred almost daily, both at the Ashram and in the homes of devotees.<br /><br />
One day, when I was still new in the kitchen, I served
Bhagavan with a few more pieces of potato than the rest. Bhagavan noticed it and got very angry with me. He turned his face away and did not look at those who were serving food. In the evening the women working in the kitchen would
take leave of him. Usually he would exchange a few words with us. That evening he called me near and asked:<br /><br />
"What did you do today"?<br /><br />
"I don't know Bhagavan. Have I done something wrong"?<br /><br />
"You served me more curry than you served others".<br /><br />
"What does it matter. I did it with love and devotion".<br /><br />
"I felt ashamed to eat more than others. Have you come all this way to stuff me with food? You should always serve me less than the others. Do you hope to earn grace through a potato curry"?<br /><br />
"Out of my love for you I committed a blunder. Forgive me Bhagavan".<br /><br />
"The more you love my people, the more you love me", said Bhagavan.<br /><br />
A good lesson was learned and never forgotten. Many
mundane occurrences in the kitchen and in the dining hall during meal times showed us the silent ways in which Bhagavan pointed out to us the path of realization. Bhagavan was a stern task master and one had to implicitly obey him. Each day was a day of trial and lesson in spirituality. Those who have not lived through it cannot appreciate the deep spiritual effect of these anxieties and conflicts. Our `I' would hurl itself against the rock of truth and the rock would not yield. The `I' had to yield and in that yielding was the highest blessing. His anger would sometimes seem to shatter us to pieces, and blessed are they indeed who have seen in His wrath His utmost grace.<br /><br />
One day there was talk about a devotee having come under
the influence of another Swami. Bhagavan said:<br /><br />
Once a man has surrendered his life here, he belongs here. Wherever he may go, he shall return. For him this is the door to liberation.<br /><br />
<HR />
<b>Referred Resources:</b>
<a href="http://ramana-collected-works.blogspot.com/2007/06/reality-in-forty-verses.html">Ulladu Narpadu / Reality in Forty Verses</a>
<br/><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw017.html">Upadesa Saram/Essence of Instruction</a>
<div class="links"><b>OTHER LINKS</b>: <b>Links to letters:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter051.html">Madhavaswami: (Chapter 51: Death of Madhavaswami</a> <br/><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter193.html">Lakshmi: (Chapter 193: The Deliverance of Lakshmi the Cow</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter194.html">Lakshmi: (Chapter 194: Burial of Lakshmi the Cow</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter195.html">Lakshmi: (Chapter 195: The History of Lakshmi the Cow</a> <br/><b>Links to Sri Ramana Leela:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl034.html">Muruganar: (Chapter 34: Followers</a> <br/><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl040.html">Madhavaswami: (Chapter 40: Withdrawal of the Manifestation</a> <br/><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl034.html">Lakshmi: (Chapter 34: Followers</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl040.html">Lakshmi: (Chapter 40: Withdrawal of the Manifestation</a> <br/><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl045.html">Chinnaswami: (Chapter 45: What Next ?</a> </div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-58417361813996697802007-07-29T10:54:00.000+05:302007-07-29T10:59:37.404+05:30SRI RAMANASRAMAM - Lokammal<h4>By Lokammal</h4><br />
MY intense desire to go to Ramanasramam was fulfilled when I got a chance to go to Tiruvannamalai along with some friends. We arrived in the evening and took shelter for the night in a <i>dharmashala</i>. The next morning we went to the Ashram which at that time was a mere thatched shed. I looked at Bhagavan and could not take my eyes off Him. I even forgot to offer him the fruits I had brought with me. That was my first meeting. As my friends returned from Tirupati I had to leave for home. When I asked Bhagavan permission to go home he exclaimed, "What, you are going"? I told him all about the trouble I had at home for wanting to come to the Ashram. I said that I had no attachments and prayed to him to keep me at his feet.<br /><br />
Bhagavan was at that moment reading <i><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw017.html">Upadesa Saram</a></i>.<br /><br />
Muruganar came in and Bhagavan said to him, "She wants some instructions to take home with her. Read this to her". He gave him his copy of <i>Upadesa Saram</i> and Muruganar read out some points for me. Before leaving I asked Bhagavan to give me the book. Bhagavan said if this copy were given away the Ashram would be without a copy. Just then Somasundara Swami told Bhagavan that he had a copy which he would give to the Ashram and requested Bhagavan to give me his copy of <i>Upadesa Saram</i>.<br /><br />
After this first visit I used to come to the Ashram often and
stay for a month or two. One day I was asked to cook some <i>dhal</i> (split pulses) and some <i>curry</i> for the next day. I came very early but Bhagavan was quicker than me. He told me that the <i>dhal</i> was ready and that I had only to prepare the <i>curry</i>.<br /><br />
Very often we found ourselves caught in the trap of
outmoded customs and conventions that discriminated against
the less fortunate, especially women and the lower castes. Bhagavan was strict in treating all equally. He often said, "The Ashram does not see any differences. There are no untouchables here. Those who do not like it may eat elsewhere. At Skandashramam there used to be the same trouble with mother. She would not give food to the man who brought us firewood. She would insist that I eat first, then she would eat and then the woodcutter could have the remnants left outside the Ashram. I would refuse to eat until the man was decently fed. At first she would not yield and would suffer and weep and fast, but I was adamant too. She then saw that she could not have her way in these matters. What is the difference between man and man? Am I a Brahmin and he a <i>pariah?</i> Is it not correct to see only God in all"? We were all astounded. The rebuke went deep into our hearts. We asked Bhagavan to make our minds clear and our hearts pure so that we would sin no more against God in man.<br /><br />
One morning I was singing a <i>Tevaram </i> Song in front of
Bhagavan and read one verse incorrectly. Bhagavan noticed it and asked, "Is it written like that? Better read it again". I read it wrong several times. At last Bhagavan said sternly, "Find out by yourself where you made the mistake. I shall not correct you. If I do, you will not learn to see where you are wrong and you will repeat the same mistake again and again". Kunju Swami was in the hall and wanted to help me. But Bhagavan ordered him to keep quiet. Then K.V. Ratnam begged Bhagavan to show me where I was wrong, but he refused firmly, saying, "No, I must not do it. She is reading it incorrectly again and again because her secret wish is that I should correct it". I went on reading the passage trying to find out where I was reading it incorrectly. It was nearing noon and I had to help serve lunch. When I was about to go to the kitchen, Bhagavan told me to sit down. He said, "No, you cannot go. First find out your mistake. You must not just run
away. Better sit down". The bell rang for lunch. Bhagavan got up from his sofa and went to the dining hall.<br /><br />
After lunch I went to Somasundaram Pillai who showed me
my mistake. I came to Bhagavan and recited the verse correctly. "Who has shown you the mistake"? he asked. "It is useless to do so. Only when you yourself have found out where you were wrong will it remain firmly in your mind and you will have the knowledge and the capacity not to go wrong again."<br /><br />
On some other occasion Bhagavan gave me <i>Vasudeva</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#Vasudeva"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="Lord Krishna, as the son of Vasudeva, the Lord whose manifestation all this world is; one of the 108 Upanishads showing the path of Vasudeva "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a>
<i>Mananam</i> to read. I finished the book and brought it back to Bhagavan. "Have you read it"? he asked. "Yes, I did, but I understood nothing at all". "That does not matter. We remember even if we do not understand at the moment. We may come to understand much later. We may think we forgot it, but nothing of real value is ever forgotten." said Bhagavan graciously.<br /><br />
Once we had only some dried vegetables for the soup to
eat with our rice and I did my best to make it palatable. After the meal I asked Bhagavan how he liked the soup. He replied, "What is taste? It is what our tongue tells us. We think the taste is in the food itself. But it is not so. The food itself is neither tasty nor tasteless, it is the tongue that makes it so. To me no taste is pleasant or unpleasant, it is just as it is."<br /><br />
<b>Bhagavan's sayings</b><br /><br />
One day when the doctor was dressing Bhagavan's arm,
they chatted about taking photos. Bhagavan said, "In a pin- hole camera, when the hole is small, you see shapes and col- ours. When the hole is made big, the images disappear and one sees only clear light. Similarly when the mind is small and narrow, it is full of shapes and words. When it broadens, it sees pure light. When the box is destroyed altogether, only the light remains.<br /><br />
<HR />
<b>Referred Resources:</b>
<a href="http://ramana-collected-works.blogspot.com/2007/06/essence-of-instruction.html">Upadesa Saram</a>
<div class="links"><b>OTHER LINKS</b>: <b>Links to Sri Ramana Leela:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl034.html">Muruganar: (Chapter 34: Followers</a> <br/><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl018.html">Skandashramam: (Chapter 18: The Peerless Hill</a> </div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-10937282674621499882007-07-26T17:04:00.000+05:302007-07-26T17:38:20.397+05:30GLIMPSES OF SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI<h4>By Raja Iyer</h4>
IN 1911 when I was in the high school in Tiruvannamalai, Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi was living in <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw038.html">Virupaksha Cave</a>. At that time we boys would climb the Arunachala hill in small parties to visit Bhagavan. He was usually found sitting on the elevated place outside the cave. He would smile at us as a sign of recognition and would allow us to sit at his feet and sing devotional songs to our hearts' content. When the singing was over, we would share with him the food we had brought and wash it down with the cool water from a spring just above the cave. We would then return home in high spirits.<br /><br />
After high school I used to stay with Bhagavan whenever
I felt like it and eat and sleep there. By that time, he had left the cave which was too small for the crowd that came to see him and moved a little higher to Skandasramam where the devotees had built some terraces and huts. Echammal, Mudaliar granny and a few others made it their duty to bring cooked food up the hill regularly for Bhagavan. This enabled some of us to stay with him permanently. The food was meant for him, but there was enough for all. He would not allow any discrimination in matters of food. It was shared equally and what remained was consumed the next morning. Nor were there regular hours for food. We would sit down for food when there was food and when we felt the need. Bhagavan would not eat food from the previous day; but he was willing to cook for all and he made me his kitchen boy.<br /><br />
Then Bhagavan's mother and his younger brother
Chinnaswami came to live with him. The mother started a regular household. Devotees would bring rice and other provisions and all partook of the frugal meals, oftentimes consisting of some rice, buttermilk and pickles.<br /><br />
While in Skandasramam, Bhagavan used to build walls,
embankments and stone and mud benches, the poor man's furniture in India. Once he was plastering a wall with mud. Bespattered with mud, with a rag tied round his head, he looked like an ordinary labourer. Some visitors came up the hill in search of Bhagavan and one of them shouted, "<span style="font-weight:bold;">Hey coolie, where is the <i>swami</i> who lives hereabouts"</span>? Bhagavan looked round and said, "He has gone up the hill". A visitor protested that they were told that he could be found there at that hour. Bhagavan shrugged his shoulders and said, "He has gone up the hill. I can't help it". While the disappointed visitors were going down the hill Echammal met them. She told them that the <i>swami</i> would not go anywhere at that time. She offered to show them the <i>swami</i>. In the meantime Bhagavan had washed himself, smeared his body with sacred ash, and was sitting in the classic <i>yogic padmasana</i> posture. The visitors greeted him very reverently but were all the time looking for the coolie. After they left Echammal asked Bhagavan why he had played a joke on them. He said, <span style="font-weight:bold;">"What else could I do? Do you want me to go around proclaiming, `I am the <i>swami</i>', or to wear a board, `This is Sri Ramana Maharshi'"?</span><br /><br />
While Bhagavan was still at Skandasramam he often went
round Arunachala. We used to take with us what was needed for cooking some food by the roadside. Food was usually cooked at Palakottu and what remained was taken along and eaten at Gautama Ashram, which we would reach at about nine in the evening. We would sleep there, get up early in the morning and walk to Pachaiamman Temple, which was, according to Bhagavan, the most spiritually charged of all the Pachaiamman temples. Bhagavan used to walk round the hill so slowly that a walk with him was like a festival procession. We would reach Skandasramam by ten or even later.<br /><br />
Though I was married I was not interested in family life.<br /><br />
My wife also passed away sometime after marriage and I was free to roam about and live as I wished to.<br /><br />
I am not by nature a willing worker but for the sake of staying
at the Ashram I was ready to work. Bhagavan had come down from the hill after his mother's<i> samadhi</i> and an Ashram grew around him. I did odd jobs like collecting flowers for worship, drawing water from the well, grinding sandalwood paste etc. For sometime I was performing the <i>puja</i> at Bhagavan's mother's shrine.<br /><br />
One day Chinnaswami asked me to take up the preparation of
the morning <i>iddlies</i>, the steamed rice and pulse cakes common to South India. This gave me a chance to become a permanent resident of the Ashram. In preparing <i>iddlies</i> I achieved such excellence that visitors commented that nowhere had they tasted <i>iddlies</i> comparable to those of the Ashram.<br /><br />
Once the workers in the kitchen asked me to grind some pulses
to a paste. Try as I might I could not do it. I was told not to leave the kitchen without finishing the job but I just refused to continue. Bhagavan heard the quarrel and advised me to add some salt. When I did so the grinding became easy, and eversince the dislike for grinding left me completely. Very often Bhagavan would work with us side by side cutting vegetables etc. He kept a watchful eye on me and taught me the right way of doing everything. He was very particular about avoiding waste. He showed me how to use a ladle so that not even a drop of food would fall on the ground, how to avoid spilling while pouring and how to start a fire with just a few drops of kerosene. If all this were not a part of my spiritual discipline, why should he have bothered? When we prepared <i>iddlies</i> we would send him two, steaming hot. He would eat one and give the other to the people present. At breakfast everybody would get two <i>iddlies</i> and a cup of coffee, But Bhagavan would take only one <i>iddlie</i>, counting as his first, the one he took earlier.<br /><br />
In 1937 a post office was opened in the Ashram and I was
made the Postmaster. On the first two days Bhagavan came to the post office and did all the stamping. Prior to that I used to bring the mail from the town post office to the Ashram.<br /><br />
"Oh, the postman has been made the Postmaster", remarked Bhagavan. I thus had the opportunity of serving Bhagavan and the Ashram for several years.<br /><br />
In whatever manner and at whatever level the devotee
approached him, he responded in the same way, fulfilled his needs and made him happy. Bhagavan showed us tangibly to what extent all devotion will find its way to him, whatever its level, provided it is sincere.<br /><br />
<h4>The White Peacock</h4>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JAC_rn8bJxw/RqiL07-J39I/AAAAAAAAAEc/p5sNC33Wbko/s1600-h/arch-9_5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JAC_rn8bJxw/RqiL07-J39I/AAAAAAAAAEc/p5sNC33Wbko/s320/arch-9_5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091473120310190034" /></a>
<br/>
Bhagavan seems to have developed a fancy for the white
peacock which devotees think to be the incarnation of the <a href="http://suri-nagamma.blogspot.com/2007/05/letter-51.html">late Madhavasami</a>, his old attendant who died about two years ago. Today (18-6-1948) the famous <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter193.html">cow Lakshmi</a> died. Some believe that she was a disciple of Bhagavan in her previous birth. They draw this conclusion from her birth, the events of her life, her great attachment to him, etc. After finishing the history of Lakshmi, Bhagavan takes up that of the white peacock, which had been brought from such a great distance as Baroda. It was born in October 1946, three months after the death of Madhavasami (July 1946) and brought to Madras in April 1947 by the Maharani of Baroda and to Ramanasramam by Mr David MacIver on the same day.<br /><br />
Bhagavan then watched the peacock's movements. It used to
go to the cupboard where books were kept and touched its glass door with its beak in a straight line from east to west, as if scanning the titles of the books. Secondly it used to appear in the hall and quit it at the very hours when Madhava used to come and go. Thirdly it used to sit in the very places where Madhavasami used to sit and, like him, used to visit the office, bookshop, library, etc., also at the hours he used to visit these places. Its habits used to be a copy of Madhava's. Hence the conclusion of several devotees that he was Madhava reincarnated.<br /><br />
From Residual Reminiscences by S.S. Cohen.<br /><br />
<HR />
<b>Referred Resources:</b>
<a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw038.html">Virupaksha Cave</a> <br/>
<a href="http://suri-nagamma.blogspot.com/2007/05/letter-51.html">Death of Madhavaswami</a>
<br/><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter193.html">Deliverance of Cow Lakshmi</a>
<div class="links"><b>OTHER LINKS</b>: <br /><b>Links to letters:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter112.html">White Peacock: (Chapter 112: The White Peacock</a> <br /><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter015.html">Echamma: (Chapter 15: Echamma’s Demise</a> <br /><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter193.html">Lakshmi: (Chapter 193: The Deliverance of Lakshmi the Cow</a> <br /><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter194.html">Lakshmi: (Chapter 194: Burial of Lakshmi the Cow</a> <br /><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter195.html">Lakshmi: (Chapter 195: The History of Lakshmi the Cow</a> <br /><b>Links to rl:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl018.html">Virupaksha: (Chapter 18: The Peerless Hill</a> <br /><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl034.html">Lakshmi: (Chapter 34: Followers</a> <br /><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl040.html">Lakshmi: (Chapter 40: Withdrawal of the Manifestation</a> <br /><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl021.html">Echamma: (Chapter 21: Echammal</a> <br /><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl040.html">Echamma: (Chapter 40: Withdrawal of the Manifestation</a> <br /><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl045.html">Chinnaswami: (Chapter 45: What Next ?</a> </div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-27343132854407722922007-07-24T10:53:00.000+05:302007-07-24T11:08:02.635+05:30BHAGAVAN'S COOKING<h4>By Sundaram</h4>
WITH the death of my wife the bond between me and my family snapped. The desire to serve God had been in my mind for quite a long time. I gave up my job. I had heard a lot about Bhagavan. So I decided to go to Ramanasramam. Immediately after my arrival I was fortunate to be taken on the Ashram staff. I was looking after the Ashram's correspondence. Still later I was asked to work in the kitchen. There I had the good fortune to work under Bhagavan's direct supervision.<br /><br />
I was suffering for long from Asthma. It gave me a lot of
trouble while cooking, but I never mentioned it to Bhagavan. I felt that I should endure it to the very end.<br /><br />
Bhagavan used to prepare various kinds of <i>chutney</i>, usually
made of coconut with fragrant herbs and condiments. He was very fond of using the cheapest and most commonly found herbs and seeds and was a wizard in making wonderful dishes from the simplest ingredients. When something unusual was ready, he would give everybody in the kitchen a pinch to taste and we would take it with eyes closed, deeming it to be <i>prasad</i>. On one such occasion he gave me a pinch of some <i>chutney</i> and said, <span style="font-weight:bold;">"This is medicine for you"</span>. Without giving much thought to it I swallowed the titbit and soon realised that I was completely cured of asthma.<br /><br />
Once somebody complained to Bhagavan that the Ashram
food was very pungent. He said, "When <i>sattvic </i> food is essential for spiritual practice how is it that the Ashram food is so heavily spiced"? Bhagavan explained that as long as the ingredients were pure and prepared in a pure place and in the proper way, seasoning was a matter of taste and habit and did not make food less <i>sattvic</i>.<br /><br />
An unwritten rule in the Ashram demanded that until the
last meal was served and cleared, the workers should attend to their duties only. Sitting in meditation or in Bhagavan's hall was strongly discouraged. The manager argued, with good reason, that devoted service to the Ashram was itself spiritual practice of the highest order and no other practice was needed. He would not allow us to linger in the hall during working hours, which was often tantalising because of the interesting discussions and happenings that were going on there. When we would sneak in and hide ourselves behind people's backs, Bhagavan would look at us significantly, as if saying, <span style="font-weight:bold;">"Better go to your work. Don't ask for trouble"</span>.<br /><br />
At night, after dinner, we would all collect around
Bhagavan. The visitors would have left by that time and we had him all to ourselves. We felt like a big family collected after a day's work. During this short hour Bhagavan would enquire about our welfare, chat with us, make us laugh, and also give instructions for the next day.<br /><br />
With time I realized that working with Bhagavan in the
kitchen was not mere cooking, but definitely a form of spiritual training. The first lesson in spiritual education to learn, and to learn for good, is to obey the <i>guru </i> implicitly without questioning or using one's own judgement in the least. Even if we knew a better way of doing it, we had to do it exactly as the Master told us. It might have appeared that by obeying him the work would be ruined, but still one had to obey. One must master this art of instantaneous and unquestioning obedience, for the secret of realization lies in this utter surrender and renunciation of one's own judgement.<br /><br />
Bhagavan himself was an excellent cook and made a point
of teaching us to cook properly. Cooking is the most rewarding work, for good cooks are usually poor eaters, and all profit goes to others. That is probably why Bhagavan selected cooking as a training ground for some of his devoted disciples.<br /><br />
It was Bhagavan's order that the leftovers should be used as stock for the next day's breakfast. <i>Iddlies</i> with <i>sambar</i> being the standard breakfast at the Ashram, the leftovers from the previous day would come in handy. Bhagavan would come into the kitchen in the early hours of the morning, warm the leftovers, dilute it and add some more ingredients for the morning <i>sambar</i>. The injunction against taking food from the previous day was very much respected among the higher castes. He insisted that avoidance of waste overrules everything else, and he would never permit God's gifts to be thrown away. As to giving leftovers to beggars, it was not practicable, for he insisted that beggars be given the same food as everybody else and not some inferior stuff. Even dogs had to be fed from the common meal, and first, too!<br /><br />
Every morning just before breakfast Bhagavan would enter
the kitchen. The vessels containing coffee, <i>iddlies</i> and <i>sambar</i> were kept ready, covered and shining bright. He would lift the lid, look inside and say, <span style="font-weight:bold;">"This is coffee. These are <i>iddlies</i>. This is <i>sambar"</i></span>. We all felt that this consecrated the food before it was distributed to the visitors and inmates.<br /><br />
Once he came to the kitchen before dawn and put some of
the previous day's soup on the fire for heating. Some leaves were washed and cut and he told me to mix them in the soup and continue mixing until they lost their bright green colour. For a long time he did not return. The leaves would not change colour, the soup was getting dry and I was afraid there might be no <i>sambar</i> for breakfast. Bhagavan came in just before breakfast. <span style="font-weight:bold;">"What, you are still mixing?"</span> he asked with a bright smile. He was pleased that I had implicitly obeyed him and asked me to continue mixing. The gravy was ready in time and was delicious.<br /><br />
Once Bhagavan was frying a large quantity of condiments in
a big iron pan over a strong fire. I was standing beside him when he quietly asked me to remove the pan from the fire at once. Probably he saw that more heating would burn the spices. There
was nothing nearby to hold the pan with, so I caught the pan with my bare hands, lifted it and put it on the ground. I was not at all afraid to touch the hot iron, nor was I surprised that I could lift it without feeling its weight. The surprise came later when I realized how utterly impossible was all that had happened. It was a striking instance of the power of obedience to one's <i>guru</i>.<br /><br />
Sometimes I was fortunate enough to be able to serve food to
Bhagavan with my own hands. I studied carefully how I should serve to please him and was very alert and careful. Yet he would be more alert than me and notice the slightest mistake. <blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold;">"Why did you serve me more than usual? Do I need more food today than yesterday? And why do I get more sweets and dainties than others? How do you dare to make distinctions?"</span></blockquote> People nearby would plead for me. "No, Bhagavan", they would say, "Sundaram did not serve you more. Look, we got as much as you did". But Bhagavan would not be easily appeased. <span style="font-weight:bold;">"You do not know, the ego is strong in him. His giving preference to me is the working of his ego"</span>. I could not find out where I was at fault, but I took his scolding as a kind of blessing and would not worry.<br /><br />
The women working in the kitchen were so orthodox that
they could not accept the previous day's food. Once when some leftover <i>sambar</i> was taken to a devotee's house, a special ceremony was ordered to purify the house. On hearing that Bhagavan told the ladies, <span style="font-weight:bold;">"Call the purifiers and get your kitchen purified. I shall never more enter your kitchen"</span>. The women, for the sake of their orthodox customs, lost Bhagavan's constant presence, company and guidance. It was a real tragedy. Each devotee in the Ashram believed that Bhagavan was God Himself who had come to purify and bless him and put his feet firmly on the path to liberation. Yet when God Himself went against their religious customs, they would rather cling to their customs than to God. Blessed were those who had no other rule but obedience to Bhagavan. It was clear that he was trying to teach us the simple lesson that in his presence no rule was valid except the rule of
absolute surrender. But it was not an easy lesson to learn. Again and again old habits and loyalties would assert themselves and make us pit our will against his, to our greatest harm.<br /><br />
Bhagavan was not a rebel or a reformer. He did not
discourage people from following their religious customs at home. But in the Ashram he would not take all customs for granted. In the Ashram he was the religion and the custom, and those who forgot it had to face his very strong will.<br /><br />
<h4>APOLOGY TO HORNETS</h4>
One day a disciple said to Bhagavan, "When you stepped
on a hornet's nest, mistaking it for a bush and the hornets attacked your leg and stung it badly, why did you feel remorse for what had happened only accidentally, as if you had done it intentionally?"<br /><br />
Bhagavan replied:<br /><br />
<p style="font: italic 14pt/22pt georgia; border: solid 1px #EED; background-color: #FFFEEE; font-size: 14pt; color: black; padding: 5px;"> When I was stung by hornets in revenge <br/>Upon the leg until it was inflamed, <br/>Although `twas but by chance I stepped upon <br/>Their nest, constructed in a leafy bush; <br/>What kind of mind is his if he does not <br/>At least repent for doing such a wrong ?<br /><br />
</p>The story relating to the above is as follows: <br />
One day when Bhagavan was climbing about the Hill as was his wont in the early days of his sojourn in Tiruvannamalai, his leg struck against a hornet's nest and disturbed the hornets. They attacked him in a body and stung his leg and thigh very badly so that it became terribly swollen and painful. Bhagavan expressed great sorrow for what he had done unwittingly. He would not move from the place till they had finished the punishment and flown away.<br /><br />
Refer <i><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw027.html">Apology to Hornets</a></i>
<HR />
<b>Referred Resources:</b>
<a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw027.html">Apology to Hornets</a>
<div class="links"><b>OTHER LINKS</b>: <br/><b>Links to gems:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/gems/gem010.html">renunciation: (Chapter 10: Renunciation)</a>
<br/>Please also see <a href="http://suri-nagamma.blogspot.com/2007/07/letter-100.html">No Waste</a> </div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-70569358927917563792007-07-24T10:40:00.000+05:302007-07-24T10:52:06.517+05:30A DAY WITH BHAGAVAN<h4>By P. L. N. Sharma</h4>
IN 1932 I had the good fortune to attend a conference of coop- erative organisations which was held at Tiruvannamalai. It enabled me to see the holy Arunachala hill and also pay a visit to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. When I saw him he was in his hall, reclining on a couch. The hall was clean and cool and the sofa was well covered with coloured shawls and a tiger's skin, but Bhagavan himself had only a loin cloth on his body and nothing more. In the subdued light of the hall his body shone like burnished gold and his eyes were luminous, full of flashes of some very intense inner life. The more I looked at him, the more his face seemed to be radiating a mysterious light, the source of which was somewhere deep within. I found myself unable to guess his mental state. I could not make out whether he was aware of the world or not, whether he saw me or not, whether he was in some <i>yogic</i> trance or in contemplation of something quite beyond my vision and knowledge.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh5.google.com/arunachalesha/ReLUdKnu3OI/AAAAAAAAAcs/Ws9M3Rqhs8Q/rest-65_1.jpg?imgmax=512"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://lh5.google.com/arunachalesha/ReLUdKnu3OI/AAAAAAAAAcs/Ws9M3Rqhs8Q/rest-65_1.jpg?imgmax=512" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />
The hall was full of silence, serenity and peace. About
twenty people sat on the ground, apparently in deep meditation. When the bell rang for the midday meal, he invited us all with a nod of his head and we followed him to the dining hall. After food I was asked to clean the spot where I had eaten and take away the banana leaf which was used as a plate. Anywhere else I would have taken it as a sign of disrespect; but I told myself that it may have been a necessary lesson and swallowed my pride.<br /><br />
The next morning I went again to the Ashram and sat near
the door facing Bhagavan. Some government officer, accompanied by a retinue of peons, entered the hall and at once started telling Bhagavan how corrupt the government
servants were, how they abused and misused their positions, how they quarrelled and fought among themselves making the administration inefficient and unreliable, how he had been entrusted with the task of cleaning up the government machinery and how he was busy fighting against all the evils of the world. He complained that in his loyalty to his superiors, who had given him their confidence, and in his anxiety to make a success of himself, he had lost his peace of mind and had come to ask Bhagavan to make him calm and contented. It was clear that he thought himself to be a very important person whose request must be promptly met. After he had finished talking he looked expectantly at Bhagavan, as if saying, "Now it is your turn to show what you can do".<br /><br />
Bhagavan did not even look at him. The clock was striking
hours, but Bhagavan was completely silent. The officer lost patience, got up and said, "You are silent, Bhagavan. Does it mean that you want me to be silent too"? "Yes, yes", said Bhagavan, and that was all.<br /><br />
On the last day of our conference all the delegates went in
a body to Ramanasramam and sat in the hall before Bhagavan. Sri Veruvarupu Ramdas, the President of the conference, addressed him, "Bhagavan, we are all social workers and disciples of Mahatma Gandhi. We have all sworn our lives to work for the removal of untouchability from our religion and customs. Be gracious to tell us what your views are on the subject". Again there was no reply from Bhagavan. One could not even make out whether he had heard the question. Time was passing. The delegates were getting tired of sitting quietly and began whispering to each other. The situation grew embarrassing. Sri Yagnanarayana Iyer, the principal of Pachayappa College in Madras, got up and said, "Bhagavan, our question concerns worldly life. Perhaps it was improper to put it to you. Kindly forgive us". <span style="font-weight:bold; font-color:maroon;">"There is nothing to forgive"</span>, said Bhagavan quite readily, and with a bright smile.<br /><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold;">"When the ocean is surging and carrying away everything before it, who cares what are your views or mine?"</span></blockquote> The delegates could not find much sense in the answer. Only the great events a decade later gave meaning to it.<br /><br />
On the fourth day of the conference I went to the Ashram all
alone, with the intention of asking Bhagavan a personal question. I was told by others that in Bhagavan's presence doubts get cleared spontaneously, without the need of questions or answers. Nothing of the kind happened to me. On the three previous days I tried to catch his eye, but could not. Several times I got up to ask a question, but was not encouraged and sat down again. On the fourth day I managed to address him, while he seemed to be looking into some infinity of space. "Bhagavan, my mind does not obey me. It wanders as it likes and lands me into trouble. Be merciful to me and tell me clearly how to bring it under control". Even before I completed the question Bhagavan turned to me and looked at me affectionately. He spoke to me most kindly and his words sparkled with meaning:<br /><br />
All religious and spiritual practices have no other purpose than getting the mind under control. The three paths of knowledge, devotion and duty aim at this and this alone. By immersing yourself in your work you forget your mind as separate from your work and the problem of controlling the mind ceases. In devotion your mind is merged in the God you love and ceases to exist as separate from Him. He guides your mind step by step and no control is needed. In knowledge you find that there is no such thing as mind, no control, controller, or controlled. The path of devotion is the easiest of all. Meditate on God or on some mental or material image of Him. This will slow down your mind and it will get controlled of its own accord.<br /><br />
Somehow I felt satisfied and there was deep peace in me
when I looked at him for the last time.annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-27232048078865591822007-07-23T17:22:00.000+05:302007-07-23T17:29:20.669+05:30SHRI BHAGAVAN'S GRACE<h4>By Gouriammal</h4>
MY father was always an earnest devotee of Sri Bhagavan. Whenever he happened to be at Tiruvannamalai on an official visit he never missed going to see Bhagavan. At that time Bhagavan was residing at <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw038.html">Virupaksha Cave</a>. My father would sometimes take me with him. I think I was seven years old when I saw Bhagavan for the first time. But it was much later that I came to stay close to Ramanasramam. Thus I got many opportunities to meet and talk to Bhagavan.<br /><br />
Once I asked Bhagavan what I should do to be on the spiritual
path. He said, <BLOCKQUOTE>
"Do what you want to do but keep doing it; don't remain doing nothing. Repeat the name, or think deeply or seek the source of your `I' consciousness, do <i>Atma Vichara</i> but keep working on yourself. This is very important"
</BLOCKQUOTE>.<br /><br />
One instance of his grace to his devotees is his
recommendation of two songs from <i>Tiruppugazh</i> to help them get their daughters married. The devotees of Bhagavan believed firmly that it was enough to sing the two songs from <i>Tiruppugazh</i> before Bhagavan to have the marriage arranged in the best way possible. There is another song in <i>Tiruppugazh</i> in which God is invited to come to the house as a newborn child. When anyone approached Bhagavan praying for a child he would tell them to sing that song.<br /><br />
I stayed at Ramana Nagar, where my house was situated,
for eight years. Those were the most memorable and fruitful years of my life. How sweet they were and how many miracles happened before my very eyes! Once Dr Sreenivasa Rao was telling Bhagavan how good it would be for him to eat more pineapples, when somebody entered the hall with a heap of pineapples on a tray. On another occasion, Bhagavan was mentioning one Gajanana Sharma who used
to stay with him some years earlier and enquired about his present whereabouts and doings. At that very moment the Postmaster entered the hall and in the mail there was a letter from Gajanana Sharma with photos and details about his life, Ashram, and disciples. Bhagavan said, "<B>Look at this, how wonderful! I was telling about him just now and here it all comes</B>".<br /><br />
On another day a well-meaning but ignorant devotee
insisted that Bhagavan should take the glass of orange juice that he had brought. Bhagavan was annoyed at being treated partially and said, <BLOCKQUOTE>
"If you give anything to me without giving it to all, it will be like poison to me"
</BLOCKQUOTE>. When the devotee said that next time all would be given orange juice, Bhagavan said, "<B>What is the use of giving because I tell you? You should know by this time that they are all myself and what you give them you are giving me</B>". Bhagavan disapproved of any difference made between him and others.<br /><br />
Once my sister's five-year old son was bitten by a snake and in desperation she brought the child to Bhagavan. The doctor had given up hope and the boy was perspiring profusely and was in great pain. The child was already stiff with glazed eyes and was breathing heavily. The mother of the child was weeping all the way and carried him to Bhagavan. When Bhagavan saw her he said, "Don't weep, don't weep. It is nothing". He passed his hand over the child and within a few minutes the boy recovered his senses and sat up. They sat in the hall for some time but as it was late in the evening the mother was told to take the child home.
As she was leaving she saw a Muslim devotee on the porch in front of Bhagavan's Hall, murmuring his prayers. By profession he was a snake charmer and a snakebite healer. When he saw them he said, "The boy was dying of snakebite, but since you were going to see Bhagavan I kept quiet. Now the child is safe, but the
poison is still in his body and I had better chant some charms to get it out". He chanted some prayers and then asked them to go. Bhagavan had saved the child but wanted the snake charmer to take the credit.<br /><br />
<h4>Ramana Sadguru</h4>
<h4>By Arthur Osborne</h4>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JAC_rn8bJxw/RqSXzL-J38I/AAAAAAAAAEU/t7QwvWFG2EQ/s1600-h/arch-33_10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JAC_rn8bJxw/RqSXzL-J38I/AAAAAAAAAEU/t7QwvWFG2EQ/s320/arch-33_10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090360384478109634" /></a><br/>
<span style="font: italic 14pt/22pt georgia; border: solid 1px #EED; background-color: #FFFEEE; font-size: 14pt; color: black; padding: 5px;"> To feel, to know, to be the Christ within -- Can there then be love for Christ on earth, Walking like men, seen as a man is seen? Seek not to argue; love has greater worth. Love makes man kin.<br /><br />
With the Beloved. Such have I known, Him of the lustrous eyes, Him whose sole look Pierced to the heart, wherein the seed was sown Of wisdom deeper than in holy book, Of truth alone
Not to be learned but lived, Truth in its hour To sprout within the heart's dark, wintry earth And grow a vibrant thing, then, come to power, To slay the seeming self that gave it birth, Or to devour.<br /><br />
Heart of my heart, seen outwardly as one In human form, to draw my human love, Lord Ramana, Guru, the risen Sun, Self manifest, the guide of all who rove, Lost and alone.<br /><br />
In tangled thoughts and vain imaginings, Back to pure Being, which your radiant smile, Full of compassion for my wanderings, Tells me I always was, though lost this while In a world of things.<br /><br /></span>
<HR />
<b>Referred Resources:</b>
<a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw038.html">Virupaksha Cave</a>
<div class="links"><b>OTHER LINKS</b>: <b>Links to rl:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl018.html">Virupaksha: (Chapter 18: The Peerless Hill</a> </div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-64916161702998570302007-07-23T17:06:00.000+05:302007-07-23T17:10:10.896+05:30A LIFETIME WITH BHAGAVAN<h4>By T. K. Sundaresa Iyer</h4>
IN 1908, when I was 12 years old, Bhagavan was living in Virupaksha cave. My cousin, Krishnamurty, used to go to Bhagavan every day and sing songs of devotion and worship before him. One day I asked him where he went everyday. He told me, "The Lord of the hill himself is sitting there in human form. Why don't you come with me"? I too climbed the hill and found Bhagavan sitting on a stone slab, with about ten devotees around him. Each would sing a song. Bhagavan turned to me and asked, "<B>Well, won't you sing a song for me</B>"? One of Sundaramurti Nayanar's songs came to my mind and I sang it. Its meaning was:
<BLOCKQUOTE>
No other support I have except thy holy feet. <br/>By holding
on to them, I shall win your grace.<br/> Great men sing your praise, Oh, Lord.<br/> Grant that my tongue may repeat thy name even when my mind strays.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
"Yes, that is what must be done", said Bhagavan, and I took
it to be his teaching for me. From then on I went to him regularly for several years without missing a day.<br /><br />
One day I wondered why I was visiting him at all. What was
the use? There seemed to be no inner advancement. Going up the hill was meaningless toil. I decided to end my visits on the hill. For a hundred days exactly I did not see Bhagavan. On the hundred and first day I could suffer no longer and ran to Skandashram, above Virupaksha cave. Bhagavan saw me climbing, got up and came forward to meet me. When I fell at his feet, I could not restrain myself and burst out in tears. I clung to his feet and would not get up. Bhagavan pulled me up and asked, "It is over three months since I saw you. Where were you"? I told him how I thought that seeing him was of no use. "All right", he said, "maybe it is of no use, so what? You felt the
loss, did you not"? <B>Then I understood that we did not go to him for profit, but because, away from him there was no life for us</B>.<br /><br />
Once I wrote two verses in Tamil, one in praise of the Lord
without attributes, the other of the Lord with numberless forms. In the latter I wrote, "From whom grace is flowing over the sentient and insentient". Bhagavan asked me to change one letter and this altered the meaning to, "<B>Who directs his grace to the sentient and the insentient</B>". The idea was that grace was not a mere influence but could be directed with a purpose where it was needed most.<br /><br />
Whenever I went up the hill to see Bhagavan, I used to buy
something to eat and take it with me as an offering. One day I had no money. I stood before Bhagavan in a dejected mood and said, "This poor man has brought nothing". Bhagavan looked at me enquiringly and remarked, "Why, you brought the main thing. All else is unimportant". I wondered, not knowing what I had brought. "Don't you understand? You have brought yourself", laughed Bhagavan.<br /><br />
Once I got an offer of a job at Sholapur to teach Jewish
refugees. It carried a good pay. I intimated my consent and received an appointment order by wire. I showed the wire to Bhagavan. "All right, go", he said. Even before I left the hall, I felt gloom settling over me and I started shivering. My heart wailed, "What are you doing? You are going away from the presence of your <i>Guru"</i>! I went back, fell at Bhagavan's feet and cried, "I cannot go, I cannot leave you". Bhagavan laughed, "Look at the man! He has been here for twenty years and look at the result. He thinks there are places where Bhagavan is not and he refuses to go there"! He ridiculed me mercilessly and told me to pack off to Sholapur. I was getting ready to start.
A very rich Seth came to the Ashram with a hundred questions, all on paper. Bhagavan replied to them all, but in Tamil. The Seth noted down the oral translation of the answers. The next day a big car appeared before my school and I was told that I
was wanted in the Ashram. Bhagavan told me to see the Seth and see that there were no mistakes in his translation. This work took me six hours. I was offered thirty rupees for my trouble. I refused the money, saying that it was Bhagavan's work and no money should be offered for it. He referred the matter to Bhagavan. Bhagavan ordered me to accept and added, "Now you have enough money to go to Sholapur". On my way I fell ill at Bangalore with high fever. It was increasing from day to day. I wired to Sholapur expressing my inability to start work and the fever disappeared the next day! I was without a job and without money when I returned, repentant, to Bhagavan's feet. The bitter lesson was learned: I should not have been tempted by the job in the first instance.<br /><br />
Years passed. I was married and led a well-ordered family
life as laid down in the scriptures, studying the Vedas, worshipping ancestors and deities in the prescribed way, and feeding the five kinds of living beings. I was associated with political and religious activities and used to go from village to village teaching the <i>Periya Puranam;</i> yet I would find time to visit Bhagavan quite often.
<h4>Nayana</h4>
About 1920, Kavyakanta Ganapathi Shastri came to reside
at Tiruvannamalai. Everyone used to address him as `Nayana' (father). He became the President of the Tiruvannamalai Town Congress Committee. From my early days I was in Tilak's movement and did not see much future in Mahatma Gandhi's programme. One day I said to Nayana, "I do not expect much from political activities; without God's grace no action will prosper. To ask for grace is our main task. People like you, who are blessed with grace in abundance, should use your spiritual powers for the uplift of the world and liberation of the country and not waste your time in speeches". He liked the idea and asked me to stay with him and pray to God for grace. He made me study the Vedas and taught me verses from the Rig Veda, with their meaning. Mahendra societies were started all over
India and I was made the General Secretary. Their object was to win freedom for our country by purely devotional means, like rituals, prayers, and personal and collective penance. We managed to register about ten thousand members.<br /><br />
Nayana mainly stayed in the Mango Tree cave on Arunachala
and used to visit Bhagavan off and on. Nayana used to discuss <i>sastras</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#sastras"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="scriptures"><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> with him and get his doubts cleared. He was a mighty scholar, while Bhagavan was just literate, yet Nayana would say, "Without Bhagavan's grace, the intricacies of the scriptures are beyond one's power of understanding. One word from him makes everything clear". When Nayana would see someone sitting in front of Bhagavan, meditating with his eyes closed, he would scold the devotee saying, "When the sun is shining in front of you, why do you need to close your eyes? Are you serious or do you only want to show what a pious fellow you are"? Those were happy days indeed, and I was blessed with many visions of deities and divinities. It was all due to Nayana's powers and Bhagavan's grace.
<H4>Peacock and cobra</H4>
At Skandashram a peacock would follow Bhagavan
everywhere. One day a huge black cobra appeared in the Ashram and the peacock attacked it fiercely. The cobra spread its hood and the two natural enemies were poised for a fight to the death, when Bhagavan came quite near the cobra and said, "Why did you come here? That peacock will kill you. Better go away at once". The cobra immediately lowered its hood and slithered away.
<h4>Vilakshanananda Swami</h4>
There lived at that time a great <i>Vaishnava guru</i>,
Vilakshanananda Swami. He was well advanced in <i>yoga</i> and had the power of attracting crowds. I went to see him one day and he asked me to take him to Bhagavan. With thirty disciples, he appeared before Bhagavan and just stood, neither bowing nor joining his palms in greeting. For ten minutes he stood motionless, and then fell flat at Bhagavan's feet. Tears were flowing from his eyes and he said, "This head of mine has
never bowed before a human being. This is the first time and bless me that it may also be the last". Coming down the hill he met Nayana. They started talking and during the discussion Nayana told the <i>swami</i> that divine powers should not be used for public shows and propaganda. This must have had its effect, for Vilakshanananda Swami never left his residence again.
<h4>Uma Sahasram</h4>
Once Nayana was composing his <i>magnum opus</i> called <i>Uma</i>
<i>Sahasram</i>, a thousand verses in praise of Uma, the power aspect of Shiva. He had written seven hundred, and three hundred still remained. Nevertheless, he had already fixed the date for the book to be offered to the Goddess and had sent out invitations to friends and devotees all over India. Hundreds of people had gathered, but on the eve of the day fixed, the three hundred verses had yet to be written. In the evening Bhagavan asked Nayana whether he would postpone the function. Nayana replied in the negative and said that he would, by the grace of God, have the verses written before the next morning. He had four people sit before him with pen and paper and started dictating a verse to each in turn. Bhagavan was present, sitting with eyes closed, apparently quite oblivious to all that was going on. Nayana appeared possessed with some tremendous fervour; he was dictating without break and without hesitation; the verses were flowing from his mouth in a torrent. By midnight the work was completed. Bhagavan, who until then was sitting motionless with his eyes closed, opened them and asked whether all had been written down. Nayana, who seemed unconscious of his surroundings when he was dictating, instantly replied that he had dictated everything exactly as inspired by Bhagavan. When he later read what was dictated by him, he was amazed and exclaimed, "Oh, how wonderful! Only Bhagavan could produce such beauty. I was only his mouthpiece". They were so perfect that no improvement was possible.<br /><br />
In 1926 Nayana went to some place near Belgaum for a
course of austerities and, when leaving, he handed me over to
Bhagavan's care. Later he wrote, "Sundaresa must be feeling lonely and sad since I left him. May Bhagavan be especially kind to him". Showing this letter to me, Bhagavan said, "Better keep near me. You see, I must be able to produce you and hand you over to Nayana when he comes back and claims you". Since then I lived in the Ashram. I would teach at school everyday, and at the end of the month, hand over my salary to my wife. This was my only contact with my family.<br /><br />
In 1929 I got tired of the relative shaplessness of my inner life
and asked Bhagavan to give me some clear instructions as to what direction I should proceed in my spiritual practice. He gave me <i>Kaivalyam</i> to read and explained to me the inner meaning of some sacred verses. From that time until 1938 I gave myself completely to spiritual life. I did my duty at school and supported my family, just as something that had to be done, but it was of no importance to me. It was wonderful how I could keep so detached for so many years; it was all Bhagavan's grace.
<h4>Vision of Ramachandra</h4>
On my thirty-sixth birthday I wrote a poem in which I
complained that the vision of the glory of God had not yet been given to me and gave the poem to Bhagavan. He read the whole of it very slowly and carefully, as he usually did, and then asked me to sit down and go within myself. I did so and soon the physical world disappeared and in its place I saw an all- pervading white light. An inner voice told me to ask what I would like to see. I wanted to see the divine Ramachandra, and suddenly I saw the coronation of Rama as king in the minutest detail, with shapes and colours, clear and alive beyond description. It lasted for about an hour and then again everything was normal. Some time later, Bhagavan asked me whether I had read <i>Dakshinamurti Asthotharam</i>. I said I had not, and was told to read the last few verses in the book. Bhagavan added that Rama and Dakshinamurti are the same Great Being.<br /><br />
One day Bhagavan was explaining to me the meaning of
some abtruse <i>Vedantic</i> verse. It was half past ten by the clock
in the hall. But I was completely absorbed in the subject and forgot all about my school. Suddenly Bhagavan reminded me that it was getting late. "But no school today", I exclaimed, "today is Sunday". Bhagavan laughed, "Is this the way you work? Today is Monday. Hurry, your headmaster is waiting for you at the gate". I ran to the school and, to my surprise, I found the headmaster waiting for me at the school gate, looking towards the temple. When I came near, he said, "Well, probably you forgot that it is Monday and perhaps Maharshi had to remind you about it". I admitted that that was exactly what had happened and we both had a hearty laugh!<br /><br />
There was a proposal to print all that Bhagavan had written in
Tamil. A preface was needed but nobody came forward to write it. Even learned <i>pandits</i> did not feel confident and backed out under some excuse. The talk was going on in the hall all day long and Bhagavan was watching. At about half past ten in the night he called me and asked me why I should not take up the preface. I said that with his blessings I would do it. "It will be all right", said Bhagavan. Immediately I started writing and finished the preface in an hour. While writing I felt a silent influence as if someone was guiding my pen. At two in the morning Bhagavan was up and I showed him the preface. He was quite pleased and asked me to go to sleep. From the door he called back and asked me to revise the last sentence which said, "It is hoped that those who go through this book will attain divine salvation, which gives peace and happiness". Bhagavan said, "There is no question of hoping. The reader will definitely attain salvation", and told me to correct the sentence accordingly.
<h4>Couple from Peru</h4>
A couple from Peru, husband and wife, came to the Ashram
once and were telling Bhagavan their story; how after reading about him, they felt that he was Christ Himself reincarnated, and wanted above everything else to meet him. They were not rich and had to save from their wages, a little every week. After a few years struggle they sailed to India in the cheapest possible way.<br /><br />
The journey lasted some months and gave them a lot of trouble, but at last they had arrived. Bhagavan listened carefully to the very end, and then said, "You have travelled a long distance and experienced so many hardships. You could have meditated on me there with the same result, and the added satisfaction of seeing me in Peru". Bhagavan's words sounded strange to them and they could not get their meaning. In the evening Bhagavan was inquiring about Peru and her people, how they looked, lived, and worked. The Peruvian couple were telling him about the capital, the seaports, the industries and commerce of their countrymen. When they were describing a place on the seashore, Bhagavan asked, "Is not the beach paved with marble slabs, with coconuts planted between"? The two were astonished and asked Bhagavan how he came to know such details. He replied, "Why do you ask how I came to know? Understand once and for all that time and space do not exist apart from the mind and that the heart is not bound by them". Then they understood that, with Bhagavan's grace they could have him at their own place.<br /><br />
<h4>Mahadeva Ayyar</h4>
A devotee of Bhagavan, one Mahadeva Ayyar, was suffering
from hiccups in Madras for over a month. His daughter wrote to Bhagavan praying that he should help her father. Bhagavan told us to write to Mahadeva that dry ginger, powdered, and mixed with brown coloured sugar, would cure the disease. At the same time he enquired of Madhavaswami, his attendant, whether this mixture was available at the Ashram. Madhavaswami brought the bottle with the ginger and sugar mixture in it. Bhagavan took a pinch and gave a little to each of the people present in the hall. I said, jokingly, "Well, there is no need of writing to Mahadeva Ayyar. He must be free of hiccups by this time". The letter with the prescription was sent the same day. The next day, a letter came from Madras saying that Mahadeva's hiccups had vanished at 1.00 p.m. the day before. It was exactly the time when Bhagavan was taking his share of ginger powder!<br /><br />
On a Shivaratri day, after dinner, Bhagavan was reclining
on the sofa surrounded by many devotees. A <i>sadhu</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#sadhu"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="an ascetic or one who has renounced the world in quest of liberation "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> suggested that since this was a most auspicious night, the meaning of the verses in praise of Dakshinamurti could be expounded by Bhagavan. Bhagavan gave his approval and all were eagerly waiting for him to say something. He simply sat, gazing at us. We were gradually absorbed in ever deepening silence, which was not disturbed by the clock striking the hour, every hour, until 4 a.m. None moved or talked. Time and space ceased to exist. Bhagavan's grace kept us in peace and silence for seven hours. In this silence Bhagavan taught us the Ultimate, like Dakshinamurti. At the stroke of four Bhagavan asked us whether we had understood the meaning of silent teaching. Like waves on the infinite ocean of bliss, we fell at Bhagavan's feet.<br /><br />
One day when Bhagavan was staying at Pachiamman
Temple, Rangaswami Ayyangar, a devotee from Madras, arrived on a hot noon and went to bathe in the pond in front of the temple. It was at that time a forest area and rather lonely. Bhagavan, who was talking with his devotees, suddenly got up and went towards the pond. A cheetah was drinking water on one side of it, unnoticed by Rangaswami. Bhagavan looked at the cheetah for some time and said, "Now go away and come later. The man may get frightened if he sees you". The cheetah looked at Bhagavan, looked at the devotee, and went away.<br /><br />
One Mr Knowles came to pay his respects to Bhagavan.<br /><br />
Being well versed in Eastern and Western philosophy, he used to have long discussions with Bhagavan. One day the discussion was about the condition of a realised person. In the heat of the discussion Mr Knowles asked whether the Bhagavan who was talking to him was a reality or not. Everybody was eagerly waiting for a reply. Clearly and loudly Bhagavan said, "No, I am not talking". Mr. Knowles was quite satisfied. He said, "Yes, Bhagavan is not talking to me. He never talks. He only exists. That is all".
<h4>Glasses for Bhagavan</h4>
An optician from Madras visited the Ashram. Chinnaswami
wanted him to examine Bhagavan's eyesight and prescribe glasses. The optician found that his own glasses suited Bhagavan well and offered them to him. They were bifocals for near and distant vision, a beautiful and costly pair. Bhagavan said that he only needed reading glasses and that a simple pair of spectacles would do. Chinnaswami wanted the best for Bhagavan and insisted that Bhagavan accept the bifocals. I took them again to Bhagavan, but he refused to touch them. I was rather anxious to please Chinnaswami and pleaded with Bhagavan to use the bifocals. He looked at me intently and said, "When I do not want them, why do you press it"? I went away disheartened. This happened just before Bhagavan's birthday celebrations.<br /><br />
From the moment I left Bhagavan I felt a burning sensation
inside, and although I was busy with preparations, I was racked with pain. On the third day it became so unbearable that I ran into the hall, packed at that time with devotees, and fell flat on my face before Bhagavan and cried, "Bhagavan, forgive me. I blundered when I tried to force those glasses on you. You got angry with me and it burns like fire. I can bear it no longer. I know it is my <i>karma</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#karma"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="action, work, deeds; also fruits of action accumulating in three ways as sanchita, prarabdha, and agami ; destiny "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> and not your will that punishes me, but have mercy and help me". Bhagavan, who was gazing into space immersed in bliss, turned his luminous eyes on me and said calmly, "What is all this? Who is angry? Sit down quietly; everything will be right with you". I wept like a child, and within a few minutes the pain disappeared.<br /><br />
One day I asked my wife to prepare some rice pancakes and
added in fun that all the broken ones should be offered to God. It is not difficult to make rice pancakes and usually they come out whole. My wife was a good cook, yet when I came home I found all the cakes in pieces. To please my conscience I took them to Bhagavan and told him the story of Lord Shiva who took the shape of a <i>coolie</i> and undertook to work and be paid in crumbled rice cakes. From that time there were no whole cakes to be had until he had been worshipped. Bhagavan enjoyed the story, tasted some of the cakes and had the remainder distributed to all.
<h4>The Broken Egg</h4>
The attendant, Madhavaswami, used to dry Bhagavan's towel
on a bamboo tied between two trees. On one end of this bamboo a bird had built a nest. One day, while removing the towel, Bhagavan dislodged the nest, which fell down. One of the three eggs rolled out and cracked but did not break. Bhagavan told Madhavan that a grievous sin had been committed and examined the egg with pity and repentance. "The poor mother will think that the egg is broken and will weep bitterly. She will surely curse me for having broken her egg. Can this egg be mended to hatch a young one"? He wrapped the damaged egg in a piece of cloth and put it back in the nest, and every few hours he would take the egg in his hands, look at it for some time and then put it back, wrapped in its piece of cloth. All the time he was murmuring to himself, "Will the crack heal? Will the egg hatch"? With such care and compassion Bhagavan nursed the egg for a week. On the eighth day Bhagavan exclaimed like an excited child, "Look, the cracks have gone. The mother will be glad. Let us watch and see when the little one will come out". The egg was watched all the time and the little thing finally appeared. Bhagavan took it in his hand tenderly beaming with joy, showed it to everybody and finally gave it back to its mother.<br /><br />
One <i>Amavasya</i> (new moon day) all the Ashram inmates were
sitting down for breakfast in the dining room. I was standing and looking on. Bhagavan asked me to sit down for breakfast. I said that I had to perform my late father's ceremony on that day and would eat nothing (Usually the ceremonies are performed to enable the ancestors to go to heaven). Bhagavan retorted that my father was already in heaven and there was nothing more to be done for him. My taking breakfast would not hurt him in any way. I still hesitated, accustomed as I was to age-old tradition. Bhagavan got up, made me sit down and eat some rice cakes. From that day I gave up performing ceremonies for ancestors.
<h4>Bhagavan makes Iddlies</h4>
Once Chinnaswami got very cross with me and I felt quite
nervous about it. I could not eat my dinner and the next morning,
feeling unreconciled and yet hungry, I told Bhagavan, who was preparing rice cakes, that I was in a hurry to go to town as some pupils were waiting for me. "The cat is out of the bag", said Bhagavan. "Today is Sunday and there is no teaching work for you. Come, I have prepared a special <i>sambar</i> for breakfast and I shall make you taste it. Take your seat". So saying, he brought a leaf, spread it before me, heaped it with <i>iddlies</i> and <i>sambar</i> and, sitting by my side, joked and related funny stories to make me forget my woes. How great was Bhagavan's compassion!<br /><br />
My wife used to prepare some food every afternoon and bring
it to the Ashram. Bhagavan often asked her to break this habit, but she would not. One day he said, "This is the last time I am eating your food. Next time I shall not". The same day Bhagavan was telling us how a certain dish should be prepared. The next day my wife brought it all ready. Bhagavan remembered what he had told her, but what could he do against her imploring look? He tasted her dish and said that it had been prepared very well. Such was his graciousness towards his devotees.<br /><br />
My second son was lazy and not at all good at school. The
time for his final high school examinations was rapidly approaching and the boy's sole preparation was the purchase of a new fountain pen! He brought it to Bhagavan and asked him to bless the pen with his touch so that it would write the examination papers well. Bhagavan knew his lazy ways and said that having hardly studied, he could not except to pass. My son replied that Bhagavan's blessings were more effective than studies. Bhagavan laughed, wrote a few words with the new pen and gave it back to him. And the boy did pass, which was a miracle indeed!<br /><br />
In those days I was attending to the foreign correspondence
of the Ashram. I used to show Bhagavan the draft of every reply, get his approval, give it the final shape and despatch it. We used to receive some very intelligent and intricate questions. These questions and the answers would have formed a very
enlightening volume. One day an office copy of such a reply was used for wrapping some sweets and it fell into Bhagavan's hands. He raised a storm, sent for me and told me plainly what he thought about such misuse of spiritual records. I was very frightened and at the same time sorry for the condition of the foreign correspondence files. I tried to find out who took the old files to the dining hall, but nobody would confess. All blamed me, the last man in the chain!<br /><br />
Chinnaswami started building something and needed money
to complete the work. He made a plan that the Maharaja of Mysore should be approached by some senior members of the Ashram, introduced by Sri Sundaram Chettiar, the retired Judge. I was asked to put the matter before Bhagavan and obtain his blessings. Knowing Bhagavan's dislike of such things, I was very much afraid of him, but still more of Chinnaswami. Finally I did it indirectly, by drafting a letter to the Judge and explaining the matter to him. This draft I took to Bhagavan for perusal. Bhagavan read it and threw it away, saying with scorn, "Always asking for money. We think of money every moment and waste our lives for it. What have I to do with money"?<br /><br />
The town municipality was divided in its attitude towards
the Ashram. There was a group supporting the Ashram and another group vilifying the Ashram and creating trouble. A tax was imposed on the Ashram and we protested. At every meeting of the municipality the matter was raised, hotly discussed and left undecided. One day when the subject of the tax was to come up again for discussion, I was asked to attend and defend the Ashram's interests. I could only pray to Bhagavan, "You are the ruler in the hearts of all including those who abuse the Ashram". To my surprise not a single person opposed me at the meeting and the tax was repealed.<br /><br />
Individually these incidents may appear trivial and insignificant, but collectively they are impressive. They created the atmosphere in which he lived, in which every day would bring new mircales of power, wisdom and love. Bhagavan gave us a tangible demonstration of God's omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence. Our sense of `I' would burn up in wonder and adoration on seeing his unconditional love for all beings. Though outwardly we seemed to remain very much the same persons, inwardly he was working on us and destroying the deep roots of separateness and self-concern, the greatest obstacles on our way to him. A day always comes when the tree of the `I', severed from its roots, crashes suddenly and is no more.
<h4>Birth Place - By T.P.R.</h4>
It was the command of Sri Bhagavan that I should go to
<a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw033.html">Tiruchuzhi</a> and see the house where Bhagavan was born. It was then in someone else's possession. Sri Bhagavan gave me all minute details about Tiruchuzhi and what places I should see: the temple, the tower on which he played, the <i>mantapam</i>, the school, the tank. He particularly instructed me to meet some very old people there who would still remember him. Bhagavan also wanted to know whether <i>pujas</i> in the temple there continued to be performed with <i>prasadams </i> and other offerings on the customary scale. I had the unique experience of visiting these places and noting down all details required by Sri Bhagavan. On my return, when I gave my report in writing, Bhagavan took enormous interest in reading it aloud to devotees in the hall. In the last paragraph of that report I had made an appeal to Sri Chinnaswami, Bhagavan's brother and Sarvadhikari, that his duty would not be complete if that house did not come into the possession of the Ashram and that it should be renovated and kept as a pilgrim centre for all Ramana devotees. Sri N.R. Krishnamurthi Iyer was of great help to me in all these undertakings. Thereafter Sri Chinnaswami took a lot of interest and the house was eventually bought and now it is in the possession of Sri Ramanasramam. The house was named by Sri Bhagavan as Sundara Mandiram.<br /><br />
<HR />
<b>Referred Resources:</b>
<a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw033.html">Tiruchuzhi</a>
<div class="links"><b>OTHER LINKS</b>: <b>Links to letters:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter051.html">Madhavaswami: (Chapter 51: Death of Madhavaswami</a> <br/><b>Links to rl:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl018.html">Virupaksha: (Chapter 18: The Peerless Hill</a> <br/><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl023.html">1908: (Chapter 23: Ramaswami Iyer</a> <br/><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl034.html">Sundaresa Iyer: (Chapter 34: Followers</a> <br/><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl040.html">Madhavaswami: (Chapter 40: Withdrawal of the Manifestation</a> <br/><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl022.html">Nayana: (Chapter 22: Ganapati Muni</a> <br/><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl045.html">Chinnaswami: (Chapter 45: What Next ?</a> <br/><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl005.html">Periya Puranam: (Chapter 5: Earlier Attachment</a> <br/> <b>Links to gems:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/gems/gem011.html">destiny: (Chapter 11: Fate and Freewill</a> </div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-55073927082199960662007-07-21T18:05:00.000+05:302007-07-21T18:13:08.683+05:30MAHARSHI'S TEACHINGS AND MODERN SCIENTIFIC THOUGHT<h4>By K. K. NAMBIAR</h4>
BHAGAVAN Sri Ramana Maharshi has taught us that eternal happiness is one's real nature and the best way for realising it is for the Self to be itself. In other words one has just to be. Abiding as the Self, which is Pure Consciousness, is the greatest happiness, perfect and permanent. Any other form of so-called happiness, obtained from external sources is illusory and evanescent. It might go the way it came. So, the pursuit of the Self by the continuous quest "<a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw004.html">Who am I?</a>" is the safest and surest way to dispel ignorance and remain as the Self.<br /><br />
I had once approached Bhagavan and asked him about the
different locations suggested for concentration in various <i>srutis</i>, e.g., between eyebrows, tip of the nose, heart centre, <i>muladhara</i>, etc. Bhagavan who was reclining on the couch, got down and took out a copy of <i><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw046.html">Sri Ramana Gita</a></i>, from the rotating shelf nearby and opened it right on the page containing the sloka:<br /><br />
If the Heart be located in <i>anahata chakra</i> (heart chakra), how does the practice of <i>yoga</i> begin in <i>muladharas?</i><br /><br />
In <i>yoga shastra</i>, <i>anahata chakra</i> is the fourth, and <i>muladhara</i>
(root) is the first and lowest of the six centres in the spinal chord.<br /><br />
It looked like a miracle when the book opened on the right
page; but such experiences are common to devotees of Sri Bhagavan. He added in Malayalam, "Why should one desirous of coming to Tiruvannamalai first go to Kasi (Banaras) or Rameswaram and then come here? Why not straight to Tiruvannamalai instead of the long detour"? I felt a great sense of remorse when Sri Bhagavan had to point out this sloka from <i>Sri Ramana Gita</i> to me. Though I had with me a sacred treasure, a volume of Sri Ramana Gita in Malayalam in Sri Bhagavan's
own handwriting, given to me with his blessings, I had not closely studied it, or tried to put into practice the instructions contained therein. The whole of the fifth chapter entitled <i>hridaya vidya</i> deals with the technique of meditation and elucidates points regarding the respective functions of nerve centres, <i>nadis</i>, etc.<br /><br />
Also, at the daily <i>vedaparayana</i> at the Ashram in Sri
Bhagavan's presence, the verse appearing in <i>Mahanarayana anuvakam</i> at the end of <i>Purushasuktam</i> underlines the above instructions:<br /><br />
The <i>Hridayam</i> (the heart which is the place of meditation) resembles an inverted lotus bud. A span below the throat and above the navel. . .<br /><br />
So, the continuous quest Who Am I?, guided by the grace
of Sri Bhagavan, who is always with us, will lead one to the Heart centre, the seat of Consciousness, which is neither within nor without, all pervading and eternal This supreme awareness is all that IS, and abiding therein is the ultimate goal.<br /><br />
Let us now have a look at recent developments in scientific
knowledge At one time the world around us was supposed to consist of matter, made up of molecules and atoms. Physicists chased them further and broke them down to nucleus, electrons, quanta, waves, particles and fields. Einstein said that the universe of our experience consists of matter and energy in a space-time-continuum He established the famous equation E= MC2, where C is a constant representing the velocity of fight. Matter and energy became interchangeable. Max Planck, famous for his quantum theory, added a further dimension to this, stating that it is consciousness that is fundamental and that matter is derivative of consciousness As a corollary even space and time are only concepts of our consciousness. Thus scientists are veering round to the conclusion that since every object is a sum of its qualities and these qualities are perceived by us the whole objective
universe of matter and energy, atoms and stars does not exist except as a construction of consciousness.<br /><br />
<i>Yoga Vashista</i> says:<br /><br />
All things that exist everywhere are experienced by us; there is nothing here anywhere which has not been experienced by us.<br /><br />
Bhagavan has told us that the world as such is not real It is
real as Brahman or Consciousness. The world we see and experience with our senses is a product of the mind; the mind is part of the ego, which rises from Pure Consciousness, which is the same as Reality. One has to realise That and just BE.
<h4>The Other Worlds</h4>
Someone enquired of Bhagavan: "People talk of Vaikunta,
Kailasa, Indraloka, Chandraloka, etc. Do they really exist?" <br/>Bhagavan replied: "<span style="font-weight:bold;">Certainly. You can rest assured that they all exist.</span> There also a <i>swami</i> like me will be found seated, and disciples like this will also be seated around. They will ask something and he will say something in reply. Everything will be more or less like this. What of that? If one sees Chandraloka, he will ask for Indraloka, and after Indraloka, Vaikunta and after Vaikunta, Kailasa, and then this and that, and the mind goes on wandering. Where is <i>shanti?</i> If <i>shanti</i> is required, the one correct method of securing it is by Self-enquiry and through Self-enquiry Self-realisation is possible. If one real- ises the Self, one can see all these worlds within one's Self. <span style="font-weight:bold;">The source of everything is one's own Self</span>. Then this doubt will not arise. There may or may not be a Vaikunta or a Kailasa but it is a fact that you are here, isn't it? <span style="font-weight:bold;color:maroon;">How are you here? Where are you?</span> After you know about these things, you can think of all these worlds".<br /><br />
- <i>Letters from Sri Ramanasramam</i>, By Suri Nagamma, p.46.<br /><br />
<HR />
<b>Referred Resources:</b>
<br /><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw046.html">Sri Ramana Gita</a>
<br /><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw004.html">Who am I?</a>
<div class="links"><b>OTHER LINKS</b>: <br /> <b>Links to rl:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl027.html">Ramana Gita: (Chapter 27: Sri Ramana Gita</a> <br /><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl034.html">Suri Nagamma: (Chapter 34: Followers</a> <br /><b>Links to gems:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/gems/gem004.html">Who Am I?: (Chapter 4: ‘Who am I?’ — Enquiry</a> <br /><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/gems/gem002.html">Consciousness: (Chapter 2: The Self and Non-Self</a> </div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-82945951220472051842007-07-21T17:48:00.000+05:302007-07-21T18:02:37.545+05:30BHAGAVAN IN THE KITCHEN<h4>By Sampurnamma</h4><br />
IN 1932 I went to Tiruvannamalai with my sister and her husband Narayanan. We found Bhagavan in a palm leaf hut built over his mother's <i>Samadhi</i>. Dandapani Swami introduced me to Bhagavan saying, "This is Dr Narayanan's wife's sister". The days that followed were days of deep and calm happiness. My devotion to Bhagavan took firm roots and never left me. I was able to sit for long hours in Bhagavan's presence without any mental activity and I would not notice the passing of time. I was not taught to meditate and surely did not know how to stop the mind from thinking, It would happen quite by itself, by his grace. I stayed for twenty days. When I was leaving, Bhagavan took a copy of <i><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw004.html">Who am I?</a></i> and gave it to me with his own hands.<br /><br />
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A thing done well, with love and devotion, is its own reward. What happens to it later matters little, for it is out of our hands.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"> I came back to Ramanasramam after a period of absence
and I was asked to help in the kitchen. Bhagavan helped us in the kitchen, I soon learnt with his guidance the Ashram way of cooking. Bhagavan's firm principle was that health depended on food and could be set right and kept well by proper diet. He also believed that fine grinding and careful cooking would make any food easily digestible. So we used to spend hours in grinding and stewing.</div></DIV><br /><br />
He paid very close attention to proper cooking. He was
always willing to leave the hall to give advice in the kitchen. He would teach us numberless ways of cooking grains, pulses and vegetables. He would tell us stories from his childhood, or about his mother, her ways and how she cooked <i>sampurnam</i> (sweet filling).<br /><br />
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Yes, Arunachala is our only refuge. Keep your mind on him constantly. It is His light that fills all space.
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<div style="text-align: justify;">He was very strict with us in the kitchen. His orders were
to be obeyed to the last detail. No choice was left to us to guess or try on our own. We had to do blindly as he taught us and by doing so, we were convinced that he was always right
and that we would never fail if we put our trust in him. When I think of it now, I can see clearly that he used the work in the kitchen as a background for spiritual training. He taught us that work is love for others, that we never can work for ourselves. By his very presence he taught us that we are always in the presence of God and that all work is His. He used cooking to teach us religion and philosophy.</div> </DIV> <br /><br />
In the kitchen he was the master cook aiming at perfection
in taste and appearance. One would think that he liked good food and enjoyed a hearty meal. Not at all. At dinner time he would mix up the little food he would allow to be put on his leaf -- the sweet, the sour, and the savoury -- everything together, and gulp it down carelessly as if he had no taste in his mouth. When we told him that it was not right to mix such nicely made up dishes, he would say, "Enough of multiplicity, Let us have some unity".<br /><br />
It was obvious that all the extraordinary care he gave to
cooking was for our sake. He wanted us to keep good health and to those who worked in the kitchen, cooking became a deep spiritual experience. "You must cover your vegetables when you cook them," he used to say, "Then only will they keep their flavour and be fit for food. It is the same with the mind. You must put a lid over it and let it simmer quietly. Then only does a man become food fit for God to eat".<br /><br />
One day he gave me a copy of <i>Ribhu Gita</i> and asked me to
study it. I was not at all anxious to pore over a difficult text good only for learned <i>pandits</i>, and asked to be excused, saying that I did not understand a single word of it. "It does not matter that you do not understand," he said, "Still it will be of great benefit to you".<br /><br />
He would allow nothing to go to waste. Even a grain of
rice or a mustard seed lying on the ground would be picked up, dusted carefully, taken to the kitchen and put in its proper
tin. I asked him why he gave himself so much trouble for a grain of rice. He said, "Yes, this is my way. I let nothing go to waste. In these matters I am quite strict. Were I married no woman could get on with me. She would run away". On some other day he said, "<span style="font-weight:bold; color:maroon;">This is the property of my Father Arunachala. I have to preserve it and pass it on to His children</span>". He would use for food things we would not even dream of as edible. Wild plants, bitter roots and pungent leaves were turned under his guidance into delicious dishes.<br /><br />
Once someone sent a huge load of brinjals on the occasion of
his birthday feast. We ate brinjals day after day. The stalks alone made a big heap which was lying in a corner. I was stunned when Bhagavan asked us to cook the stalks as a <i>curry</i>. Bhagavan insisted that the stalks were edible and so we put them in a pot to boil along with dry peas. After six hours of boiling they were as hard as ever. We wondered what to do and yet we did not dare to disturb Bhagavan. But he always knew when he was needed and he would leave the hall even in the middle of a discussion. As usual he did not fail us, and appeared in the kitchen. He asked, "How is the <i>curry</i> getting on"? "Is it a curry we are cooking? We are boiling steel nails", I exclaimed laughing. He stirred the stalks with the ladle and went away without saying anything. Soon after we found them quite tender. The dish was simply delicious and everybody was asking for a second helping. Everybody except Bhagavan praised the<i> curry</i> and the cook. He swallowed one mouthful like medicine and refused a second helping. I was very disappointed, for I had taken so much trouble to cook his stalks and he did not even taste them properly. The next day he told somebody, "Sampurnam was distressed that I did not eat her wonderful <i>curry</i>. Can she not see that everyone who eats is myself? And what does it matter who eats the food? It is the cooking that matters, not the cook or the eater. A thing done well, with love and devotion, is its own reward. What happens to it later matters little, for it is out of our hands".<br /><br />
In the evening before I left the Ashram for the town to
sleep, he would ask me what was available for cooking the next day. Then, arriving at daybreak the next morning, I would find everything ready -- vegetables peeled and cut, lentils soaked, spices ground, coconuts scraped. As soon as he saw me he would give detailed instructions as to what should be cooked and how. He would then sit in the hall awhile and return to the kitchen. He would taste the various dishes to see if they were cooked properly and go back to the hall. It was strange to see him so eager to cook and so unwilling to eat.<br /><br />
As a cook, Bhagavan was perfect. He would never put in
too much or too little salt or spices. As long as we followed his instructions, everything would go well with our cooking. But the moment we acted on our own we would be in trouble. Even then, if we sought his help, he would taste our brew and tell us what to do to make the food fit for serving. Every little incident in our kitchen had a spiritual lesson for us. We thus learnt the art of implicit obedience while perfecting our culinary skills under Bhagavan's guidance.<br /><br />
On my way from the town to the Ashram and back, I had
to walk in the dark along a jungle path skirting the hill and I would feel afraid. Bhagavan knew this and once said to me, "Why are you afraid, am I not with you"? Chinnaswami, Bhagavan's brother and the manager of the Ashram once asked me whether I was not afraid to travel alone in the dark. Bhagavan rebuked him saying, <span style="font-weight:bold;">"Why are you surprised? Was she alone? Was I not with her all the time?"</span><br /><br />
Once Subbalakshmiamma and myself were going round the
hill early in the morning chatting about our homes and relatives. We noticed a man following us at a distance. We had to pass through a stretch of forest, so we stopped to let him pass and go ahead. He too stopped. When we walked he also walked. We were quite alarmed and started praying, "Oh Lord! Oh Arunachala! Only you can save us"! The man said suddenly,
"<span style="font-weight:bold;">Yes, Arunachala is our only refuge. Keep your mind on him constantly. It is His light that fills all space</span>". We wondered who he was. Was he sent by Bhagavan to remind us that it was not proper to talk of worldly matters when going round the hill? Or was it Arunachala Himself in human disguise? We looked back but there was nobody on the path. In so many ways Bhagavan made us feel that he was always with us, until the conviction grew and became part of our nature.<br /><br />
Those were the days when we lived on the threshold of a
new world -- a world of ecstasy and joy. We were not conscious of what we were eating, of what we were doing. Time just rolled on noiselessly, unfelt and unperceived. The heaviest task seemed a trifle. We knew no fatigue. Commenting on our early completion of work in the kitchen on one occasion, Bhagavan pointed out, "<span style="font-weight:bold;">The greatest spirit, Arunachala is here, towering over you. It is He who works not you</span>".
<h4>Bhagavan's Sayings</h4>
A traveller in a cart has fallen asleep. The bullocks move,
stand still or are unyoked during the journey. He does not know these events but finds himself in a different place after he wakes up. He has been blissfully ignorant of the occurrences on the way, but the journey has been finished. Similarly with the Self of a person. The ever-wakeful Self is compared to the traveller asleep in the cart. The waking state is the moving of the bulls; <i>samadhi</i> is their standing still (because <i>samadhi</i> means <i>jagrat-sushupti</i>, that is to say, the person is aware but not concerned in the action; the bulls are yoked but do not move); sleep is the unyoking of the bulls for there is complete stopping of activity corresponding to the relief of the bulls from the yoke.<br /><br />
<HR />
<b>Referred Resources:</b>
<a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw004.html">Who am I?</a>
<div class="links"><b>OTHER LINKS</b>: <br /><b>Links to letters:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter182.html">Ribhu: (Chapter 182: Ribhu and Nidagha)</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter259.html">childhood: (Chapter 259: Boyhood Days</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter049.html">Samadhi: (Chapter 49: What is Samadhi</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter138.html">Samadhi: (Chapter 138: Samadhi</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter163.html">Samadhi: (Chapter 163: Six Kinds of Samadhis</a> <br /><b>Links to rl:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl045.html">Chinnaswami: (Chapter 45: What Next ?)</a> <br /><b>Links to gems:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/gems/gem006.html">jagrat: (Chapter 6: The Three States</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/gems/gem006.html">sushupti: (Chapter 6: The Three States</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/gems/gem006.html">waking state: (Chapter 6: The Three States</a> </div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-87893402571758095592007-07-20T17:02:00.000+05:302007-07-20T17:19:45.175+05:30HEALING GRACE<h4>By M. V. Ramaswami Iyer</h4>
IN the year 1907 I went to Tiruvannamalai to have <i>darshan</i> of Bhagavan. I climbed up to the Virupaksha cave. In order to safeguard Bhagavan from the intruding pilgrims of the <i>Kartikai </i> festival, one Krishnayya kept guard at the gate of the cave. So I had to wait outside till Bhagavan came out. He soon came out and went away without even glancing at me. I followed and overtook him. He stopped and looked at me. Words poured out of my mouth, "I am suffering, beset with many diseases. Have mercy on me". He replied, "I am neither a physician nor a magician. What can I do or tell you". Anguish welled up from the depths of my heart, and I said, "I came because I heard of your greatness. Will not my good luck be as great"? He looked at me for a long moment and said, "Go home, have courage. No harm will come to you". And he waved his hand in a peculiar way. Somehow it gave me hope.<br /><br />
Soon I settled at Tiruvannamalai and thus began my daily
visits to Bhagavan, sometimes staying for the night with him. One day Bhagavan was sitting all alone in front of Virupaksha cave. A strange emotion got hold of me and I asked him in English, "My Lord, Jesus and other great souls have come down to earth to save sinners like me. Is there hope for me"? Bhagavan seemed moved by my cry of distress. He came closer and said in a quiet voice, "Yes, there is hope, there is hope."<br /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.google.com/arunachalesha/RmZSnFngjxI/AAAAAAAAA04/xRbYTa_6RTs/arch-14_5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://lh3.google.com/arunachalesha/RmZSnFngjxI/AAAAAAAAA04/xRbYTa_6RTs/arch-14_5.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
<span style="font-style:italic;font-size: 85%;text-align:center;">Bhagavan and Yogi Ramaiah</span></div><br/>
When I returned home a song welled up in my mind and I
wrote it down. Since then I wrote songs by Bhagavan's grace. When I brought my first song to Bhagavan and recited it before him, he gave me some instructions in prosody and illustrated them with examples from great Telugu poets. Since them I wrote songs and poems without much thought or effort all the
years until Bhagavan's <i>samadhi</i>. Then the spring dried up, for it was not a gift I brought with me. It was all His grace.<br /><br />
My physical ailments tormented me so much that on a
festival day I was plunged in deep dejection. When Echammal brought some special food in the evening, all except me went to the nearby waterfall to have their meal. Everything was pleasant and joyous but my mind was full of darkness and my body full of pain. Bhagavan sent Vasudeva Sastri to call me. I said that the rich food did not agree with me and that I had to stick to my diet. As I spoke my head turned towards Bhagavan as if impelled by some superior force and I saw him beckon to me. I went near and sat down. I was served various dishes. I had no courage to eat and was sitting gloomily when Bhagavan said, "Eat". All fear gone, I started eating and had my first hearty meal in many years. That night I had a sound sleep.<br /><br />
In the morning I felt strong and healthy. My dyspepsia had
disappeared completely and my heart overflowed with gratitude. Bhagavan's grace continued to manifest in my life and helped me overcome all family problems. When I was transferred to Berhampore I was afflicted with boils on my legs. The pain was terrible and all medication failed. I had a fixed idea that only Arunachala could help me. One day I was surprised to find two Brahmins from Tiruvannamalai standing at my door. When I asked who knocked they replied, `Arunachala'. They were on their way to the North and had been asked by Bhagavan to break journey at Berhampore and meet me. When they saw my pitiable condition they made a paste of tamarind mixed with some fragrant gum and smeared my legs with it. The next day there was no trace of boils. It was then that I composed the song <i>Saranagati</i> in praise of the Holy Feet of Bhagavan, my only refuge. This famous song has often been sung by devotees for invoking the grace of Bhagavan.<br /><br />
<HR />
<b>Referred Resources:</b>
<div class="links"><b>OTHER LINKS</b>:<br/> <b>Links to letters:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter015.html">Echamma: (Chapter 15: Echamma’s Demise</a> <br/> <b>Links to rl:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl027.html"><br/>1907: (Chapter 27: Sri Ramana Gita</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl018.html"><br/>Virupaksha: (Chapter 18: The Peerless Hill</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl021.html"><br/>Echamma: (Chapter 21: Echammal</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl040.html">, (Chapter 40: Withdrawal of the Manifestation</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl023.html"><br/>Ramaswami Iyer: (Chapter 23: Ramaswami Iyer</a> </div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-60501970397004168172007-07-20T16:52:00.000+05:302007-07-20T17:10:00.489+05:30MY LIFE MY LIGHT<h4>By Varanasi Subhalakshmiamma</h4>
ONCE we went on a pilgrimage to Kaveri Pushkaram and on our way back we stopped at Arunachala. We were told that a young <i>Brahmin</i> saint was living on the hill for the past ten years. The next morning we went up the hill along with the others. We found the young swami near Virupaksha cave. As soon as I saw him I was convinced that God Arunachala Himself had come in human form to give salvation to all who approached him.<br /><br />
The next time I visited Bhagavan he was living at the foot
of the hill. He was seated on a couch and about a dozen devotees were sitting on the bare floor. We sat in silence for ten minutes and returned to the town. Bhagavan's presence gave me the experience of inner silence and mental stillness, but away from him I could not regain it and I spent a year vainly trying to free myself from all thought. But soon I got a chance to visit Tiruvannamalai. I met Bhagavan the same day. The next day after the midday meal Bhagavan was explaining a verse from the <i>Bhagavad Gita</i> to Sri Yogi Ramaiah. As no one else was in the hall, I gathered courage and asked, "What is <i>Atma</i>? Is it the limitless ether of space or the awareness that cognizes everything"?
<br/><br/> Bhagavan replied, "To remain without thinking this is <i>Atma</i> and that is <i>Atma</i>, is itself <i> Atma</i>". He looked at me and I felt my mind melt away into nothing. No thought would come, only the feeling of immense, unutterable peace.<br /><br />
Several times I was invited to work in the kitchen, but I felt
that the Ashram ways were not orthodox enough for me. One day Bhagavan's own sister asked me to take her place in the Ashram kitchen as she had to leave for some time. I could not refuse. Though I was very happy to work in the kitchen directly under Bhagavan's supervision I wanted to go home. I left and after a year returned to Ramanasramam to discover that I
belonged there. Yet I would feel restless, thinking that I should spend my time in meditation.
<br/><br/> One day Bhagavan looked at me intently and said "It looks as if you are still hankering after meditation". I replied, "What have I got except endless work in the kitchen"? Bhagavan said with deep feeling, "Your hands may do the work but your mind can remain still. You are that which never moves. Realise that and you will find that work is not a strain. But as long as you think that you are the body and that the work is done by you, you will feel your life to be an endless toil. In fact it is the mind that toils, not the body. Even if your body keeps quiet, will your mind keep quiet? Even in sleep the mind is busy with its dreams".<br /><br />
Regarding the need to fast as enjoined by scriptural texts
Bhagavan explained, "It does not mean that you should starve. You need not torture the body. It only means not giving the body more than it needs. With your mind, hold on to enquiry and just keep the body going so that it does not become a hindrance. For this, pure and fresh food, simply prepared and taken in moderation is a great help".
<br/><br/><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.google.com/arunachalesha/RmZTCFngj-I/AAAAAAAAA2g/Lqzu7V4mZ28/arch-18_4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://lh3.google.com/arunachalesha/RmZTCFngj-I/AAAAAAAAA2g/Lqzu7V4mZ28/arch-18_4.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br/> Once I prepared curds and served it to Bhagavan alone while all the others were served buttermilk. The moment he saw the curds on his leaf he looked at me. That look scorched me to the very depths of my soul! When we went to take leave of him in the evening he turned away his face from me. He stopped taking buttermilk. I suffered agonies and remorse for disobeying Bhagavan. At last I got a chance to ask for his forgiveness and prayed that he should start having his buttermilk again. He said, "No, no, why do you worry? I happened to have a cold and is not buttermilk bad for colds"? That very afternoon Echammal brought some curds and Bhagavan said, "Tell Subbalakshmi not to suffer. I shall have my buttermilk".<br /><br />
Once five or six devotees sat down before Bhagavan and
sang a hymn in praise of the <i>Guru</i>. He got up in the middle of the recitation and went away, saying, "Prayers and praises will not take one far. It is the merciful look of the teacher that
bestows true knowledge". I felt elated. But the next day he said, "Unless one becomes a six-month old baby, there is no hope for him in the realm of Self-knowledge". My heart sank. Although I lived in the presence of Lord Arunachala Himself, I was far from becoming an infant.<br /><br />
I made a habit of offering him a few dry grapes whenever I
came from the town. He disliked all formal devotion. One day when I gave him the grapes, he started scolding us, "Why all this show of respect and devotion? Who taught you all this hypocrisy? Can't you just be natural? What is needed is a heart, pure and sincere. How can you please me with a show"? It went on for quite a long time. Addressing Muruganar, he complained that our devotion was shallow and its expressions cheap. He told some stories about false disciples, "They take their <i>Guru</i> in procession and parade him before the crowd. When they have done with him, they dig a pit and ask him, `Will you get into the pit yourself or shall we push you in'"? That day even Muruganar was afraid to do the usual prostrations to Bhagavan, who continued, "When people come here they are quite sincere, but as soon as they settle down they become the masters of this place. The <i>swami</i> must do their bidding and ignore their mischief; in return for their prostrations the <i>swami</i> has to put up with all the mess they create around him. They think it is his duty to carry them on his head".<br /><br />
During the meal I would pour <i>rasam </i> (soup) into
Bhagavan's hands. He would sip it slowly and when his palms were empty I would fill them again. One day he asked me to pour <i>rasam</i> over the rice and go. He would not cup his hands as before. I thought I had offended him in someway and asked Santammal to find out the reason. Bhagavan told her, "When she serves me, she makes others wait". Despite my remonstrations he never took <i>rasam</i> again in his palms.<br /><br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.google.com/arunachalesha/RmZTD1ngj_I/AAAAAAAAA2o/PaI7f5kiK-w/arch-18_8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://lh6.google.com/arunachalesha/RmZTD1ngj_I/AAAAAAAAA2o/PaI7f5kiK-w/arch-18_8.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br/>
Bhagavan wanted us to learn well the lesson that God is
present in every being in all his glory and fullness and must be
given equal reverence. He would ruthlessly sacrifice the little comforts we so loved to provide for him, as soon as he noticed a trace of preference. The law that what cannot be shared must not be touched was supreme in his way of dealing with us. Separative and exclusive feelings are the cause of the `I' and therefore the greatest obstacles in the realization of the One. No wonder he was exterminating them so relentlessly.<br /><br />
One day I saw him grinding black gram. We always felt
ashamed when we saw him working, but when we offered to take over, he would get cross and stop coming to the kitchen, which would make us sad; for in the hall he belonged to everybody but in the kitchen he was our own. That day I summoned courage and asked him to let me grind the gram. To my astonishment he got up and said, "Yes, finish it. I was waiting for you to come". When I finished grinding and went back to the kitchen I saw him boiling pumpkin in a huge cauldron. The day was hot, the fire and the steam rising from the cauldron were hot and Bhagavan was bathed in perspiration. So it was to save me from this tiresome work that Bhagavan invited me to grind for him! The stew was boiling vigorously and a piece of pumpkin fell on Bhagavan's finger. The next day we saw a big blister and when somebody asked about it he replied, "Oh, it is only a ring. I wanted some jewellery". Thus I learned not to interfere.<br /><br />
Nothing brought to the Ashram could be wasted, not even
when it was obviously useless. In this Bhagavan was adamant. A pious offering was Arunachala's own property and had to be looked after. Even the water in which bitter gourd was boiling could not be thrown away. With salt added it would be taken to the cows.<br /><br />
One had to live and work with him to know what a great
teacher he was. Through the trifles of daily life he taught us <i>Vedanta</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#Vedanta"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="the absolute Truth as established by the Upanishads , Brahma Sutras , and Bhagavad Gita as interpreted by Sri Vyasa; the end or consummation of the Vedas "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> in theory and practice. He led us with absolute wisdom and infinite kindness and we were changed to the very root of
our being, not even knowing the depth and scope of his influence. Sri Krishna in his mercy became a cowherd to teach simple milkmaids the way to salvation. Similarly Bhagavan, the same supreme being in another form, took to cooking in order to save a few ignorant women.
<h4>The Lost Sheep</h4>
<B>Poovan</B>, a shepherd, says that he knows Sri Bhagavan since
thirty years ago, the days of Virupakshi cave. He used at times to supply milk to the visitors in those days.<br /><br />
Some six years ago he had lost a sheep, for which he was
searching for three days. The sheep was pregnant and he had lost all hopes of recovering her, because he thought that she had been set upon by wild animals. He was one day passing by the Asramam, when Sri Bhagavan saw him and enquired how he was. The man replied that he was looking out for a lost sheep. Sri Bhagavan kept quiet, as is usual with Him. Then He told the shepherd to help in lifting some stones, which he did with great pleasure. After the work was finished, Sri Bhagavan told him, "Go this way", pointing the footpath towards the town. "You will find the stray sheep on the way". So he did and found the lost sheep with two little lambs.<br /><br />
He now says, "What a Bhagavan is this! Look at the force
of his words! He is great! He never forgets even a poor man like me. He remembers my son Manikkam also with kindness. Such are the great ones! I am happy when I do any little work for Him, such as looking to the cows when they are in heat".<br /><br />
--From <i><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/talks/toc.html">Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi</a></i>, <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/talks/talk296.html">No.296</a>, 16th December 1936.<br /><br />
<HR />
<b>Referred Resources:</b>
<a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/talks/talk296.html">No.296</a>
<div class="links"><b>OTHER LINKS</b>: <br/><b>Links to letters:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter015.html">Echamma: (Chapter 15: Echamma’s Demise)</a> <br/> <b>Links to rl:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl034.html"><br/>Muruganar: (Chapter 34: Followers)</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl038.html"><br/>Santammal: (Chapter 38: The Method of Teaching)</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl018.html"><br/>Virupaksha: (Chapter 18: The Peerless Hill)</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl021.html"><br/>Echamma: (Chapter 21: Echammal</a>) <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl040.html">, (Chapter 40: Withdrawal of the Manifestation</a>) <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl034.html"><br/>Yogi Ramaiah: (Chapter 34: Followers</a>) </div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-69576435601723686242007-07-19T14:47:00.000+05:302007-07-19T15:05:01.356+05:30THE BHAGAVAN I KNOW<h4>By Voruganti Krishnayya</h4><br />
A strong, desire to meet Sri Ramana Maharshi was born in my heart after my unforgettable meeting with Nayana -- Kavyakantha Ganapati Sastri. During my first visit to Ramanasramam I spent three days with Bhagavan. He was a great <i>Mahatma</i> but his ways were very simple. Most of the cooking was done by him in those days. The Ashram lived from hand to mouth and usually only rice and vegetable soup were prepared. When I was about to leave I asked the Maharshi, "Bhagavan kindly show me a good path".<br /><br />
"What are you doing now"? he asked.<br /><br />
"When I am in the right mood, I sing the songs of Tyagaraja and I recite the holy <i>Gayatri</i>. I was also doing some <i>pranayama</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#pranayama"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="breath control"><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> but these breathing exercises have upset my health".<br /><br />
"You had better stop them. But never give up the <i>advaita drishti</i> (non-dual vision)".<br /><br />
At that time I could not understand his words.<br /><br />
I went to different places and I found that people placed
conditions for my spiritual progress. Only Bhagavan asked for nothing, found fault with nothing. In 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', for him to do the rest. In that way he was unsurpassed. Those who gave themselves to him and trusted him and did his bidding were overwhelmed by his immense solicitude and kindness.<br /><br />
In 1930 I visited Ramanasramam for the second time and
stayed a month. Our life was very simple at that time. Bhagavan would talk quite freely with us every night after food. The
devotees 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 sat all around him, either silently or singing songs. The silence and peace at those hours were quite remarkable. At night after dinner all the inmates of the Ashram 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 and give us signs that it was time to allow Bhagavan some rest.<br /><br />
<h4>Who is chanting mantra?</h4>
Once I asked him, "You told me to repeat the <i>Gayatri</i>. It is
too long. Also I am expected to know its meaning and to meditate on it". Bhagavan said, "Who asked you to bother about the meaning and all that? I have only asked you to see who is repeating the <i>Gayatri</i>, or who is the <i>japi</i>". Bhagavan did not limit his teaching to the one question `<a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw004.html">Who am I?</a>'. 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".<br /><br />
<h4>Give me your sins</h4>
Once a visitor started weeping suddenly and cried out that
he was a horrible sinner who could not reform himself. He asked Bhagavan if there was any hope for him and declared that Bhagavan was his <i>Guru</i> and as his Master he must save him. On his insistence Bhagavan told him that fees were due to the Master. The man said he would give him all his merit and whatever good he had done. Bhagavan told him that was
not enough and demanded his sins too. The man was aghast and refused to offer his sins. But Bhagavan was adamant. He said, "Either give me your sins along with your merits, or keep both and don't think of me as your Master". Finally the visitor surrendered and declared that he was giving away all his sins and their results to Ramana. Bhagavan said, "From now on there is no good or bad in you. You are just pure, Go and do nothing, neither good nor bad. Remain yourself, remain what you are". A great peace fell over the man and over us all. He was never seen in the Ashram again.<br /><br />
This was not an isolated incident. To everyone who
deplored his sins Bhagavan said, "What do you know about yourself? What do you know about good and evil except what is in your mind? When you see that the mind invents everything, all will vanish. The good will vanish, the evil will vanish and you will remain as you are". Thus Bhagavan was most tender with people who thought themselves for some reason or other to be miserable sinners, and went to him torn by repentance.<br /><br />
<h4>Mr and Mrs Syed</h4>
Bhagavan's grace and compassion for his devotees was
evident in impossible situations. For instance Dr Syed a great Muslim scholar and his wife were devotees of Bhagavan. Mrs Syed continued to follow her faith in the ways and conventions of the Muslim religion. She would hide herself in one of the rooms and implore her husband to ask Bhagavan to come and see her. It was an unusual request but such was Bhagavan's grace and compassion that even this was granted. One day Mrs Syed felt a deep desire to invite Bhagavan to their house for food. Syed was not brave enough to utter his wife's prayer to Bhagavan. It was unthinkable. But his wife did not leave him in peace. Unable to resist her pressure Dr Syed hinted her wish to Bhagavan who smiled and kept quiet. She was certain that Bhagavan would grant her wish if the matter were put before him in the proper spirit and form. At last, while
Bhagavan was going up the hill, Syed and his wife stood before him and told him her desire. Bhagavan just laughed and went up the hill.<br /><br />
Disappointed, both Doctor and Mrs Syed started a row in
their house, each accusing the other that the request was not made in the proper manner. Finally Dr Syed told her, "The truth of the matter is that your devotion is deficient. That is the reason why Bhagavan refused". She was deeply affected by those words and she sat in meditation throughout the night. She wanted to bring Bhagavan to dinner by sheer intensity of prayer. During the early hours of the morning she must have dozed. Bhagavan appeared to her in a dream or vision and told her, "Why are you so obstinate? How can I leave the Ashram and come to your house for food? I must dine along with others, or they won't eat. Besides, as you know, people are coming from distant places, facing a lot of trouble to see me and to have food with me. How can I leave all these guests and come to your place? Feed three devotees of mine and it will be the same as feeding me. I shall be fully satisfied." In her vision she saw the three devotees whom she had to invite.
<br/><br/>One was Dr Melkote, the second Swami Prabudhananda and the third was myself. She told Dr Syed about her vision and he invited all three of us for dinner to his house. We had to accept the invitation when we heard the whole story. At the same time we were assailed by doubts and anxiety as it was a serious breach of convention for us Brahmins to dine in a Muslim house. Dr Melkote spoke brave words to me and said he took it as Bhagavan's direct order. Despite these brave words Dr Melkote was perplexed. We were worried about the cleanliness of the kitchen and the utensils, about the authenticity of the dream, about the reaction of the Ashram <i>Brahmins </i> and so on and so forth. The next day when the bell for dinner rang we three went before Bhagavan and
bowed. Bhagavan did not ask us the reason, but merely looked at us. Instead of going to the dining hall with others we marched out of the Ashram, passing in front of Chinnaswami who, O wonder! did not ask us why we were going out without taking food.<br /><br />
Mrs Syed had taken great trouble over the dinner. She
would not allow the servant girl to enter the kitchen. The food was excellent, prepared with great love and devotion. After the meal she offered us betel with her own hands. This was something unusual, for a Muslim lady offers betel only to her husband or a <i>fakir</i>. As Dr Melkote said, "In her eyes we were <i>fakirs</i>, the forms Bhagavan took to go to her place". When we returned to the Ashram, we were astonished that nobody enquired why we had not been present in the dining hall, where we had gone or what we did in a Muslim house. How wonderfully does Bhagavan protect those who obey him!<br /><br />
<h4>Funds for Mother's Temple</h4>
When the construction of the big temple over Bhagavan's
mother's <i>Samadhi </i> was about to be started, Bhagavan was asked to give his permission and blessings for collection of funds. He replied, "I am a hermit. I do not want money to be collected in my name for the purpose of building temples. I am not in need of temples, nor do I wish to see them built. If you want a temple, do not go and beg for money. If funds come unasked entirely on their own then go ahead". Bhagavan never asked for anything and did not like his name being used for collecting money, however praiseworthy the purpose.<br /><br />
Thus there was never an incident or occasion when we
were not reminded of the supreme truth that only the Self remains. Whether it was a matter of cooking or of kindness to dumb animals and birds or a case of philosophic discussion, Bhagavan always impressed upon us the unity of all Being.<br /><br />
<HR />
<b>Referred Resources:</b>
<br /><a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw004.html">Who am I?</a>
<div class="links"><b>OTHER LINKS</b>: <br /><b>Links to letters:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter051.html">Madhavaswami: (Chapter 51: Death of Madhavaswami</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter049.html">Samadhi: (Chapter 49: What is Samadhi</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter138.html">Samadhi: (Chapter 138: Samadhi</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter163.html">Samadhi: (Chapter 163: Six Kinds of Samadhis</a> <br /><b>Links to rl:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl040.html">Madhavaswami: (Chapter 40: Withdrawal of the Manifestation</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl022.html">Kavyakantha: (Chapter 22: Ganapati Muni</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl022.html">Nayana: (Chapter 22: Ganapati Muni</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl045.html">Chinnaswami: (Chapter 45: What Next ?</a> </div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-77797342397324167842007-07-19T14:30:00.000+05:302007-07-20T17:36:56.520+05:30TALES OF BHAGAVAN<h4>Recounted by Chalam</h4><br />
<h4>Chinnappayya</h4>
1. This happened about two years before Bhagavan's <i>Maha</i>
<i>Nirvana</i>. One morning Bhagavan was in the hall surrounded by devotees from many lands. It was time for lunch and everybody was hungry. Some were already in the dining hall, waiting for Bhagavan to come. At that time Bhagavan was suffering from severe rheumatism in his knees, which were swollen and gave him severe pain; to get up he had to rub them first to remove the stiffness and it would take some time. At last he got up slowly from the sofa, and leaning on his walking stick, was about to go through the doorway when he noticed a village milkman, wrapped in a cotton shawl, with a mudpot hanging on a strap from his shoulder.
<br /><br />Bhagavan stopped, looked at him and exclaimed, "Look, is it not <span style="font-weight:bold;">Chinnappaya</span>"? "Yes, it is me, <i>Swami</i>," the villager replied with devotion and respect. Bhagavan asked him, "How are you? Are you well? You have come to see me? Very well. But what is in your pot? Have you brought some <i>koolu</i> (gruel)"? "Yes Swami, I have brought some <i>koolu</i>", replied the milkman shyly. "Then come on, let me have it". Bhagavan put away his stick, cupped his two hands together and bent forward holding his hands near his lips. The milkman started pouring the porridge from his pot in a thin stream into Bhagavan's hands, as he sipped it with his chin between his wrists. The poor man's face was beaming with joy and Bhagavan was drinking steadily, as if the grey porridge was nectar to him.<br /><br />
The dining hall was full of hungry and somewhat angry
people. One of them came out to see what could be the cause of the delay in Bhagavan's coming, and when he saw what kind of lunch Bhagavan was taking, he exclaimed, "How unfair, Bhagavan. We are all waiting for you and you are late
for the sake of this peasant"! Bhagavan grew indignant. "What, do you all think that I am here for your sakes only? Do I belong to you? Did you care for me when I was on the hill? Nobody wanted me then, only the shepherds, who would share their <i>koolu</i> with me." And he went into the dining hall followed by the milkman and his pot.<br /><br />
<h4>Leopard jnani</h4>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.african-safari-pictures.com/image-files/baby-leopard-pictures.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.african-safari-pictures.com/image-files/baby-leopard-pictures.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br/>
2. On a moonlit night some devotees were going round the
holy Arunachala Hill, chanting the Vedas. Suddenly they saw a <span style="font-weight:bold;">leopard</span> standing right in the middle of the road and looking at them. The singers were paralysed with fear. They could neither sing nor walk ahead or run away. The leopard looked at them quietly for quite a long time and then slowly crossed the road and disappeared into the jungle. The devotees thanked their stars, completed their round of the hill and, after returning to the Ashram, related their adventure to Bhagavan, who listened carefully and said, "There was no reason for fear. The leopard is a <i>jnani</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#jnani"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="a Self-realized person, a sage; one who has attained realization by the path of knowledge "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> who came down from the hill to listen to your chanting the Vedas. He went away deeply disappointed because out of fright you broke off singing. Why were you afraid"?<br /><br />
<h4>Stone statue of Bhagavan Ramana</h4>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JAC_rn8bJxw/RqCkz2FlmcI/AAAAAAAAAEM/d_J3pT22iys/s1600-h/asr-34_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JAC_rn8bJxw/RqCkz2FlmcI/AAAAAAAAAEM/d_J3pT22iys/s320/asr-34_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089248789527894466" /></a><br/>
3. In front of the temple dedicated to Bhagavan's mother a
magnificent hall was built and a gorgeous sofa carved from a single block of black granite was placed in the hall for Bhagavan to sit on. When all was ready he was requested to move from the old hall to the new one. Bhagavan refused. A stone statue of him was being carved and he said, "The stone <i>swami</i> will sit on the stone sofa". And it came true. Bhagavan used the stone sofa very little and only for the sake of the large gatherings which were brought by the news of his fatal illness. When he was no more in the body, the statue was enthroned in the new hall and there it is now.<br /><br />
<h4>Wounded Dove</h4>
4. Once somebody brought Bhagavan a <span style="font-weight:bold;">wounded dove</span>.<br /><br />
Bhagavan held it in his hands for some time and then asked the devotees gathered in the hall, "Who will take good care of this bird until it is quite well"? No offer came. Some time
back the Maharani of Baroda had presented a white peacock to the Ashram and everybody was eager to take charge of it. Bhagavan looked around and started talking to the dove, "What a pity you are not a peacock. You are a mere dove, a useless little thing, not a costly bird presented by a Maharani. Who wants you? Who will care for you"? The dove was kept in the Ashram in a clumsy cage, became well and flew away. But the lesson of universal compassion remained.<br /><br />
<h4>Bhagavan's protection</h4>
5. An old Telugu man with a long beard, an iron pot and
chopper for cutting wood made his abode in the Draupadi temple. He would beg some food in the town, boil something or other in his iron pot on a small fire of wood cut with his chopper and eat it during the day. For hours together he could be seen standing and looking at Bhagavan. He would spend the night in the temple, which was dilapidated and abandoned and surrounded by jungle. Once Chalam found him standing all alone in front of the temple and gazing at Arunachala. "I sleep here", he said when Chalam asked him what he was doing in the forsaken temple. "What, sleeping here all alone? Are you not afraid"? exclaimed Chalam. The old man seemed indignant. "Afraid of what? Bhagavan throws his light upon me. All through the night I am surrounded by a blue radiance. As long as his light is with me, how can I be afraid"? The incident made Chalam deeply humble. Bhagavan's love and light was given in full measure to a poor old beggar, while those who pride themselves on being his chosen disciples are left high and dry because they have themselves to attend to.<br /><br />
<h4>Bhagavan and Nayana</h4>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.google.com/arunachalesha/ReKdx6nu2kI/AAAAAAAAAXU/Npxj8REsHj0/arch-33_16.jpg?imgmax=512"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://lh4.google.com/arunachalesha/ReKdx6nu2kI/AAAAAAAAAXU/Npxj8REsHj0/arch-33_16.jpg?imgmax=512" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />
6. A devotee wanted to take a photo of Bhagavan together
with Ganapati Muni. Bhagavan consented, and a carpet was spread near the well, on which a sofa was put for Bhagavan to sit on. Ganapati Muni sat down at his feet, but Bhagavan asked him to sit by his side. Ganapati Muni was reluctant, but Bhagavan lifted him up and made him sit on the sofa. The photo was taken, and some prints were made and distributed among
the devotees. The Ashram authorities came to know about it when it was all over and, quite naturally, were indignant, for sitting on the same level with one's <i>Guru</i> was a serious breach of custom, implying a claim for spiritual equality. The negative and the prints had to be given up. But the man who had taken the photo refused to surrender his copy. It did not bring him any luck; shortly after he committed suicide. The question why Bhagavan forced Ganapati Muni to sit on the sofa was never answered. Maybe it was his way of bringing the deeply hidden weaknesses of everybody to the surface.<br /><br />
<h4>The blind Muslim visitor</h4>
7. We were sitting one morning in the hall in deep
meditation. Suddenly there was the sound of the tap-tap of a stick. A tall blind Muslim was trying to find the entry to the hall with his stick. I helped him to come inside. He asked me in Urdu where Bhagavan was sitting. I made him sit right in front of Bhagavan and told him, "You are now sitting just in front of Bhagavan. You can salute him". The Muslim told his story. He lived near Peshawar and he was a <i>moulvi</i> (teacher) of repute. Once he happened to hear somebody reading in Urdu about Bhagavan and at once he felt that Bhagavan was his spiritual father and that he must go to him. Blind as he was, he took the next train and travelled thousands of miles all alone, changing trains many times, till at last he reached Ramanasramam. When asked what he was going to do next, he said. "Whatever Bhagavan tells me, I shall do". His immense faith made me ashamed of myself. How little did the man hesitate to place his life in the hands of a South Indian <i>swami</i>. And what a mountain of doubts and hesitations I had to wade through before I came to Bhagavan's feet in earnest!<br /><br />
8. Echammal was one of Bhagavan's earliest devotees. She
regularly brought food to him when he was living on the hill. Her property went to help his devotees. She practised <i>yoga</i> assiduously and died when in a <i>yogic</i> trance. When Bhagavan heard the news, he said, "Oh, is it so"? After Echammal's
body was burnt, Shantamma came into the hall and told Bhagavan that the cremation was over. He said, "Yes, it is all right". And he added after a while, "I warned her not to practice <i>yoga</i>. She would not listen. Therefore she had to die unconscious and not in full awareness".<br /><br />
<h4>A sadhu visits Bhagavan</h4>
9. During Bhagavan's last days, just after an operation, he
was kept in a room under doctor's strict orders that he should not be disturbed. A guard was placed to enforce the orders. A <i>sadhu</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#sadhu"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="an ascetic or one who has renounced the world in quest of liberation "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> arrived asking for an audience. The guard explained the situation and assured him that his request could not possibly be granted. The <i>sadhu</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#sadhu"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="an ascetic or one who has renounced the world in quest of liberation "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> went to the office and pressed for an audience, saying that he must leave the same day and that he could not wait for Bhagavan's recovery. The staff also could do nothing against doctor's orders. The <i>sadhu </i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#sadhu"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="an ascetic or one who has renounced the world in quest of liberation "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> sadly started walking from the office towards the gate, when to his amazement and great joy he saw Bhagavan standing on the narrow veranda in front of his room. The <i>sadhu</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#sadhu"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="an ascetic or one who has renounced the world in quest of liberation "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> came nearer and they gazed at each other silently for about ten minutes. The <i>sadhu</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#sadhu"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="an ascetic or one who has renounced the world in quest of liberation "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> went his way and Bhagavan returned to the room.<br /><br />
<h4>Jnani conduct</h4>
10. People who expected the Supreme to be uniformly
monotonous, acting in an invariable and stereotyped way, could not find their bearings when they had to deal with Bhagavan. He never reacted twice in the same way. The unexpected with him was inevitable. He would deny every expectation, go against every probability. He seemed to be completely indifferent to whatever was going on in the Ashram and would give an immense amount of care to some apparently insignificant detail. He would be highly critical of the Ashram manager's passion for improvement and expansion and yet take personal interest in the work of the carpenters and masons. He would scold his younger brother soundly, but would rebuke anybody who came to him with some complaint against him. He did not even want to hear about the money coming to the Ashram, but would read carefully the incoming and outgoing letters. He would refuse his consent
to a certain work, but if it were done against his wishes, he would earnestly cooperate. When asked to agree to the building of the temple, he said, "Do as you please, but do not use my name for collecting money". <br /><br />Yet he would closely watch the progress of the work and wander in the night among the scaffolding, with his torch in one hand and his stick in the other. When the<i> Sri Chakra</i> was placed in the sanctum of the temple, he went there at midnight and laid his hands on it. He would deny all responsibility for starting and developing the Ashram, would refuse to claim it as his property, but signed a will creating a hereditary managership for the Ashram. He would refuse all treatment when asked, but would swallow any medicine that was given to him without asking. If each well-wisher offered his own remedy, he would take them all at the same time. He would relish some rustic dish and would turn away from costly delicacies. He would invite people for food, but when asked for a meal he would plead his helplessness in the matter. Sometimes he would take a man to the kitchen and cook and serve him with his own hands. He insisted that beggars should be fed first, but would say that the Ashram was for visitors, not for beggars. He would be tender with a sick squirrel and would not outwardly show any feeling when an old and faithful devotee was dying. A serious loss or damage would leave him unconcerned, while he may shout warnings lest a glass pane in a cupboard should break. Greatness, wealth, beauty, power, penance, fame, philanthropy -- all these would make no impression on him, but a lame monkey would absorb him for days on end. He would ignore a man for a long time and then suddenly turn to him with a broad smile and start an animated discussion. To a question about life after death he would retort, `Who is asking'? but to another man he would explain in great detail what death was and what the state of mind was after death. It was clear that all he did was rooted in some hidden centre to which none of us had any access. He was entirely self-directed, or rather, Self-directed.<br /><br />
<h4>No freedom for Bhagavan</h4>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JAC_rn8bJxw/Rp8ub2FlmbI/AAAAAAAAAEE/rj2zBExOUnk/s1600-h/arch-29_9.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JAC_rn8bJxw/Rp8ub2FlmbI/AAAAAAAAAEE/rj2zBExOUnk/s320/arch-29_9.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088837159862245810" /></a>
<br />
11. Once Bhagavan fell down and was injured. The Ashram
people wanted to call a doctor, but he would not allow it. A woman in the hall started weeping. "Why do you cry"? he asked. "I am sorry that you do not allow us to call for a doctor", she said. Bhagavan sighed, "Oh well, call in the doctor. In this place I have no freedom".<br /><br />
12. Bose and Yogi Ramaiah were accompanying Bhagavan
up the hill. While they were waiting for him to return, Yogi Ramaiah told Bose that a cement platform would be useful for Bhagavan to rest on. On his return Bhagavan was told of the idea and he said, "Don't. If you construct a platform, somebody will erect a temple".<br /><br />
13. Once Suryanarayana's wife asked Bhagavan whether
he had ever seen God. He replied, "You see your Self just as you see me". Suryanarayana complained bitterly, "I am spending every minute of my time in the repetition of your name and yet I am without peace". Bhagavan gently rebuked him and said, "Come on, you do not expect me to hide your peace under my pillow"!<br /><br />
14. Once a devotee asked Bhagavan, "Have you seen Shiva,
Nandi and Kailas?" Bhagavan replied, "No, never. But the Self I see every moment".<br /><br />
<h4>Somerset Maugham</h4>
15. Somerset Maugham, the famous English writer, came
to the Ashram to meet Bhagavan. He fell ill, probably due to heat, and Chadwick arranged a comfortable bed for him in his room. Bhagavan heard about it and came to see Maugham. They just looked at each other silently for about an hour. When Bhagavan got up, Chadwick asked Maugham whether he would like to ask anything. "What is there to speak about"? he answered. "Yes, there is no need for words", said Bhagavan, who then returned to the hall. Maugham too departed soon.<br /><br />
<h4>Bhagavan always listens</h4>
16. Bhagavan was very ill. Hundreds of people had come
to see him, but he would not look at anybody. Nartaki was
saying that Bhagavan looked at her each time she came. Chalam asked her how it happened. She said, "Each time, before coming to Bhagavan, I said within myself, `Bhagavan, do look at me'. And he would always look at me". Chalam tried the same and it worked!<br /><br />
17. A man was telling Bhagavan that he learnt one type of
<i>yoga </i> under one master, some other type under a different master and so on. The dinner bell started ringing. "Now learn the <i>yoga </i> of eating under this master", said Bhagavan, and took the man to have his dinner.<br /><br />
<h4>Turning to stone</h4>
18. A lady devotee prayed to Bhagavan, "My only desire
is that you may always be with us". Bhagavan exclaimed, "Look at her, she wants us all to turn into stones, so that we may sit here forever".<br /><br />
<h4>Mother and Onions</h4>
19. Bhagavan's mother had a hard life when she came to
live by the side of her glorious son. She was a very orthodox lady, full of prejudices, superstitions and possessive pride. Bhagavan would be ruthless in destroying all that stood in the way of her emancipation from ignorance and fear. He succeeded wonderfully and gave his mother <i>videha mukti</i> (liberation at the moment of death), which is by far the most common form of realization with the majority of earnest aspirants.<br /><br />
One of her pet aversions was onions, which are taboo to
<i>Brahmin</i> widows. She would refuse to cook onions. Bhagavan would show her an onion and say, "How mighty is this little bulb, that it can stop my mother from going to heaven"! The mother would cry her heart out in some corner. But he would only say, "Cry, cry, the more you cry, the better". It was supreme love, eager to bestow the supreme good, and merciless with every obstacle, however sacred or rooted in tradition.<br /><br />
<h4>The Norwegian</h4>
20. A friend from Bombay came to have a look at the Ashram
and to find out what it was all about. He had little faith himself, but wanted to know what exactly drew people to Bhagavan.<br /><br />
He would get hold of this man and that and keep on asking all sorts of questions. A Norwegian <i>sadhu</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#sadhu"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="an ascetic or one who has renounced the world in quest of liberation "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> lived at that time near the Ashram and we went one evening in search of him. He lived in a small cubby hole, meant for a bathroom. He slept and cooked his food there. It was wonderful to think that an educated European had accepted this kind of life just to be near Bhagavan. With his beard, long hair and weather-beaten face he looked old, but in reality he was quite young. During his university years he had studied comparative religion and thus was attracted to India and to Indian philosophy. Even in Norway, whenever he would meet an Indian he would question him eagerly, only to discover that Indians on the whole knew very little of their glorious heritage. This had only strengthened his desire to go to India, meet the people who knew, and learn from them. He tried hard and got a job as a lecturer in religion in one of the North Indian colleges. He joined and in his spare time was searching for a <i>Guru</i>. He was told that he could find one only in the Himalayas. He roamed the mountains and at last he found somebody who agreed to guide and instruct him. The Norwegian was very reticent about his <i>Guru</i> and would tell neither name nor place. But he gave up his job, joined his <i>Guru </i> in the mountains, learnt <i>sankhya yoga</i> under him and was told to do <i>sadhana</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#sadhana"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="a spiritual quest or path towards liberation; the technique of spiritual effort "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> for four years and then come back. How was he to live for these four years? Again he got a job, this time in Bangalore. A fellow traveller in the train advised him strongly to go and meet Bhagavan before he took up his duties. He broke his journey, saw Bhagavan and could not leave. In Bhagavan's presence his <i>sankhya sadhana</i> became very vigorous and speedy. He had no money and just stretched every copper. He did not feel the need to return to the Himalayas. He said he would go on till the goal was reached. We returned wondering at Bhagavan's mighty power which attracted all, however small or great. Our Bombay friend felt that there might be something in the Ashram beyond his ken and grew very humble.<br /><br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.google.com/arunachalesha/ReLXUqnu3kI/AAAAAAAAAfc/GE2_pCAQ8Zw/rest-42_1.jpg?imgmax=512"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://lh3.google.com/arunachalesha/ReLXUqnu3kI/AAAAAAAAAfc/GE2_pCAQ8Zw/rest-42_1.jpg?imgmax=512" border="0" alt="" /></a>
<h4>Monkey King</h4>
21. When Bhagavan was living on the hill, a big monkey
came one day when he was having his food, and sat near him. Bhagavan was about to put a morsel of food into his mouth, but when he saw the monkey he gave it the morsel. The monkey took it, put it on the plate and gave Bhagavan a square slap on the cheek. "What do you mean, you fellow? Why are you angry? I gave you the first morsel"! exclaimed Bhagavan. Then he understood his mistake. It was a king monkey and he had to be treated in the right royal manner. Bhagavan called for a separate leaf plate and a full meal was served to the king, who ate it all with dignity and proudly went away.<br /><br />
<HR />
<b>Referred Resources:</b>
<br /><div class="links"><b>OTHER LINKS</b>: <br /><b>Links to letters:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter018.html">leopard: (Chapter 18: Leopards and Snakes</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter015.html">Echamma: (Chapter 15: Echamma’s Demise</a> <br /><b>Links to rl:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl022.html">Ganapati Muni: (Chapter 22: Ganapati Muni</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl021.html">Echamma: (Chapter 21: Echammal</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl040.html">Echamma: (Chapter 40: Withdrawal of the Manifestation</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl036.html">Chadwick: (Chapter 36: Light of the World</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl034.html">Yogi Ramaiah: (Chapter 34: Followers</a> </div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-36397559688335233642007-07-18T17:28:00.000+05:302007-07-18T17:33:40.984+05:30POOSALARIN Tinnanur, an ancient town in Tondai district, there dwelt a Brahmin, Poosalar by name. His mind forever fixed on Siva's feet, he grew in love and learning day by day and spent his all in service to His devotees.<br /><br />
Wishing to build a temple to the Lord, he tried to raise
funds. But try as he might, he failed. In grief he pondered, "What shall I do?" He resolved at last to raise within his heart a temple to his Lord. From far and near he fetched in fancy, little by little, stone and metal and other building material. Skilled masons and sculptors too he engaged and instructed in thought. And at an auspicious hour, he dug the ground and laid the foundation stone. Devoted, busy, sleepless even by night, he watched the temple grow, part by part and layer by layer, gateway, tower and central shrine, all planned according to the rules of <i>Agama</i>, and wrought in detail with the minutest care. On top of the domed turret over the holy of holies he installed a stone a cubit long. And so with hard, steady effort of the mind, he completed the structure, plastered chinks with lime, dug wells and tanks, put up the outer walls and fixed in
his mind the auspicious day and hour for consecrating the shrine and installing the Presence.<br /><br />
The Pallava King had built in the city of Kanchi a mighty
granite temple and appointed a day for the grand ceremony of its consecration. But, on the night preceding, the Lord appeared to the King in his dream and said, "Poosalar, my friend, has laboured lovingly for many months and raised a temple for me in his heart, and I must be there tomorrow at its consecration. So postpone your temple ceremony to some later day".<br /><br />
The King awoke, eager to visit Tinnanur and greet this
favoured servant of the Lord. He reached the place and enquired of the people, "Whereabouts is this temple built by Poosalar"? But they all said, "We know of no such temple". Then he sent for the leading <i>Brahmins</i> of the town and asked them, "Who is this pure and perfect man, this Poosalar"? They answered, "A <i>Brahmin</i> of that name does dwell in this town. We shall go and bring him, Sire". But the King would have none of it. Instead he went himself to the man's house and falling at his feet, asked, "Where is your famed temple? Today, I know, the Lord comes there to dwell. And at His bidding I too have come, to meet you and greet you on this day".<br /><br />
Staggered by this speech, the <i>Brahmin</i> said, "If the Lord
pleases, the world shall know," and told the King the story of the building of the temple thought by thought. The King heard it all, fell again at the good man's feet, and marched back to Kanchi, accompanied by his army with drums and trumpets.<br /><br />
Poosalar regularly performed the daily <i>pujas</i> in his ideal
temple in the prescribed manner and in the end attained the feet of the Lord.annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-52240269865435411652007-07-18T17:13:00.001+05:302007-07-18T17:26:05.259+05:30VISITOR'S GUIDE<h4>By K. Padmanabhan</h4><br />
<b>1. TIRUVANNAMALAI</b><br /><br />
<h4>A. THE TOWN</h4><br />
TIRUVANNAMALAI is a medium sized South Indian
town in the North Arcot district of the state of Tamil Nadu. It is situated at 544 feet above mean sea level and has an average rainfall of twelve inches. The town is surrounded by rocky hills and the climate is generally hot except for the rainy season between November and January. The area of the town is about eight square miles and the population nearly a lakh. Besides being a pilgrimage centre, it is a commercial centre famous for brass vessels, chillies and groundnuts.<br /><br />
Tiruvannamalai is a railway station almost midway on the
Katpadi-Villupuram section of the Southern Railway. Though the railway connection is not very convenient, the town is connected to various important places by a good network of roads. It is a hundred and twenty miles to the South-West of Madras, a hundred and twentyfive miles South-East of Bangalore, seventy miles from Pondicherry, and one hundred miles from Salem. Regular bus services are available from each of these towns, the journey from Madras taking approximately five hours.<br /><br />
The town has a municipal guest house, a number of lodges,
<i>dharmashalas</i> and choultries, and a few retiring rooms attached to the Temple of Arunachaleswara. Limited accommodation is also available at the Ashram.<br /><br />
The primary language spoken in the area is Tamil. Speakers
of other Indian languages can also be found, but the second most commonly spoken language is English. Speakers of other European languages also live in and around the Ashram.<br /><br />
The town takes its name from the hill. The prefix <i>Tiru</i>
means blessed or auspicious, like the Sanskrit prefix <i>Sri</i>. <i>Malai</i> means mountain and <i>Anna</i> supreme or high, so the name of the town signifies the Auspicious Supreme Mountain.<br /><br />
<b>B. ARUNACHALA, THE HILL</b><br /><br />
It is the hill that has brought importance to Tiruvannamalai.<br /><br />
Arunachala is a Sanskrit word, whose Tamil equivalent is Annamalai. <i>Aruna</i> means free from bondage, free from action, righteous, silent, brightening or red, Siva, and beneficent. <i>Achala</i> means motionless or steady. Arunachala is therefore the red mount or the effulgent mount. It is also called the hill of the holy beacon and hill of the holy fire. The philosophical interpretation is that <i>Aruna </i> as force or <i>shakti </i> represents Parvati, the consort of Siva, and <i>Achala</i> is Siva, Arunachala being both Siva and Parvati. Sages have said that one can attain liberation by being born in Tiruvarur, by meeting death in Benares, by worshipping at Chidambaram and by merely thinking of Arunachala (<i>Smaranath Arunachalam</i>).<br /><br />
The hill has a high status in the Hindu sacred tradition and it
is held that it is far more ancient than the Himalayas. It is made up of igneous rock and has little vegetation. The hill is 2668 feet in height with a basal circumference of nearly eight miles, and stands in prominence amidst picturesque surroundings. <i>Pradakshina</i>, or circumambulation of the base of the hill, which represents the constant circling of the ego around the Self in the Heart, is a common practice, especially on full-moon nights and at festival times. The hill displays different shapes from different directions and is visible for miles around. The temple with its stately towers, combined with the background of the tall hill in the West, gives an awe-inspiring and magnificent picture.<br /><br />
Besides Goddess Parvati and Lord Muruga, the Nayanmars
and Arunagirinathar, some prominent devotees of Arunachala were Gautama Rishi, Guru Namashivayar, Isanya, Desikar
Mana, and Virupaksha Devar. In recent years these have included such great saints as Sri Seshadri Swamigal, Sri Ramana Maharshi, Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni, Jatini Shanmuga Yogi and Iswara Swamigal.<br /><br />
<h4>C. TIRUVANNAMALAI AS A PILGRIMAGE CENTRE</h4><br />
Besides the religious significance of the hill, the town has
one of the biggest temples in the South, where two important festivals -- the Arunagirinathar festival in the month of August and the <i>Kartikai deepam</i> festival for ten days in November- December -- take place, drawing large crowds. The sight of more than a lakh of people circumambulating the hill on the night when the beacon light is lit on the top of the hill during the <i>Kartikai Deepam</i> festival beggars description.<br /><br />
A number of great <i>Saivite </i> saints have lived in
Tiruvannamalai over the centuries. Here Sambandar, Appar and Sundarar have sung sacred hymns known as <i>Thevaram</i>, and <i>Tiruvachakam</i> and Sri Arunagirinathar has praised God with his <i>Tiruppugazh</i>. The importance of the town as a pilgrim centre has grown with the arrival of Sri Ramana Maharshi and the establishment of Sri Ramanasramam. Sri Ramana has said that even today many saints are on the hill, living in caves.<br /><br />
The proximity of other places of pilgrimage like
Chidambaram, Tirukoilur and Tirupati has also contributed to the town's importance. Tiruvannamalai is one of the five <i>Saivite</i> shrines known as <i>Panchabhuta Sthalams</i>. Each of these is a form of Siva as one of the five elements. The hill is regarded as the <i>Tejolingam</i> or <i>Jyotilingam</i>, the Fire symbol of God. These five together constitute the Heartseat of Siva and the world.<br /><br />
<b>D. THE ARUNACHALESWARA TEMPLE:</b><br /><br />
The temple, situated to the east of the hill and on its base,
about half a mile from the railway station and covering twentyfive acres, is one of the biggest amongst the South
Indian temples. The <i>Rajagopuram</i> on the east of the temple, 217 feet in height and comprising eleven stories, is the second tallest temple tower in South India. The earliest of the inscriptions in the temple is of 850 A.D. The Chola kings who ruled the area between 850 A.D. and 1280 A.D. were probably responsible for the construction of the temple, though some of the earlier kings of the Vijayanagara dynasty must have constructed the inner shrine. The towers and the pillars in the <i>mantapams</i> and <i>vimanams</i> contain figures of sculptural excellence. The temple is also of epigraphical importance. The inscriptions in the temple contain a wealth of information on various subjects.<br /><br />
The main deity in the temple is Arunachaleswara or
Annamalai and the Goddess is Apeethakuchamba or Sri Unnamulai Nayaki. The temples of Lord Subramanya and of Arunagirinathar are within the compound of the main temple. The latter is situated at the place where Lord Subramanya gave liberation to Arunagirinathar. The <i>Patalalingam</i> shrine where Sri Bhagavan spent a few months shrouded in the vault and several other spots where he stayed during his first few years in Tiruvannamalai, are situated within the temple precincts. The <i>Patalalingam</i> is where a great sage is supposed to have done penance many centuries ago.<br /><br />
<h4>E. TRADITIONS AND LEGENDS ABOUT TIRUVANNAMALAI</h4><br />
Even the Gods of the Trinity do not seem to be devoid of
the ego-sense of `I' and `mine'. A quarrel arose between Brahma and Vishnu about their relative superiority, which forced them to go to Lord Siva for a settlement. Siva took the form of a blazing column of light, and challenged them to find either the top or bottom of it. They both failed in their attempts, and surrendered themselves to Siva, the Supreme Being. Vishnu, however, was judged by Siva to be the superior of the two. Both of them prayed to Siva that the blazing pillar
should establish itself as a small hill, that He should take the form of a <i>lingam</i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#lingam"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="a vertical column of stone with a rounded end, symbol of the unmanifest Siva "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> on the east of the hill, and that a <i>jyoti</i> or light should appear every year on the top of the hill as a remembrance of the fiery column. This is the legend about the hill, the temple, and the beacon light which is lit during the <i>Kartikai deepam</i> festival.<br /><br />
Another story tells of the day that Goddess Parvati, in sport,
shut the eyes of Siva for a moment, which resulted in the whole universe plunging into darkness and suffering. Lord Siva banished Her to atone for the sin She had committed. Accordingly, She did penance and worshipped Lord Siva at Tiruvannamalai. Pleased with Her deep and ardent penance, Lord Siva absorbed Her as the left half of His body. Thus came the form <i>Ardhanareeswarar</i>, and the deity by that name is taken out of the temple at the time of the <i>Kartikai deepam</i> festival.<br /><br />
Legends also say that Tiruvannamalai was a fire (<i>Agni</i>)
mountain in <i>Krithayuga</i> (the earliest age), a gold (<i>Suvarna</i>) mountain in <i>Threthayuga</i>, a copper (<i>Thamra</i>) mountain in <i>Dwaparayuga</i>, and a rock mountain in this <i>Kaliyuga </i> (the present age).<br /><br />
<b>2. BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI</b><br /><br />
<h4>AND SRI RAMANASRAMAM</h4><br />
<b>A. THE TEMPLE, THE HILL, AND BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA</b><br /><br />
The word Arunachala had symbolised something great and
mysterious for Sri Ramana since his early childhood, and he was quite surprised when in his fifteenth year he found out from a relative that it was an actual place. After his experience of death and realization of the Self the following year, he intuitively felt the call of Arunachala. He left his home on 29 August, 1896, not even fully conversant with the route he had to take, and reached Tiruvannamalai on 1 September,
travelling by train and on foot. The note he wrote when he left his house in Madurai read, "I have in search of my Father, according to His command, started from this place", and in it we can see the great significance the hill had for him.<br /><br />
He is Arunachala and Arunachala is Lord Siva. The hill
and Ramana Maharshi have come to be recognised as inseparable. There was something essentially static and rocklike in the Maharshi. He was <i>achala</i>, as he never moved out of the orbit of Arunachala from the day he reached the place. His first entry into the temple is of striking importance. He had a natural rain bath after having his head shaven. He was all alone in the temple, whose doors were kept open as if Sri Arunachaleswara was eager to receive him. As Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh has said, "The holy hill was the <i>moola vigraha</i> (stationary image of a deity) and Bhagavan Ramana was the <i>utsava murti</i> (image of the same deity that is taken in procession during festival times)".<br /><br />
During his first few years in Tiruvannamalai Sri Ramana
lived at a number of different places, always seeking a place where he could remain absorbed in the Self without disturbance. His most well-known residence in the temple is the <i>Patalalingam</i> shrine, though he also stayed at other places such as in the thousand pillared hall and under an <i>Iluppai</i> tree within the temple grounds. He lived at various places nearby before he settled in Virupaksha cave in 1901 -- such as Namashivaya cave above the temple, Pavalakunru, on a spur of the hill, where his mother first came to visit, and Gurumurtam, which is south of the town near the Vettavalam Road. He stayed in the Virupaksha cave most of the next sixteen years, though the hottest parts of the year were spent in the Mango Tree cave. A couple of times in this period he moved to the Pachaiamman temple on the east side of the hill when the town was afflicted by plague. Soon after his mother came for good, they all moved up to Skandashram, which
was built by a devotee called Kandasami. Regular housekeeping was set up by the Mother, and they remained there until after her death in 1922. All these places can be easily reached from either the Ashram or the temple.<br /><br />
Bhagavan's devotion to the hill was great, and he was
reputed to know every inch of it. He also had a great fondness for <i>pradakshina</i>, which he did as long as he was able to, and he always encouraged devotees to do it. Referring to its value, he said, "My fire is at the bottom of the hill".<br /><br />
<h4>B. SRI RAMANA AND THE GROWTH OF SRI RAMANASRAMAM</h4><br />
When his mother passed away in 1922 she was a liberated
being, and her body had to be buried in accordance with Hindu tradition. As no burial was allowed on the sacred mountain, the body was buried at the southern foot of the hill near an already existing cemetery. He visited her <i>Samadhi</i> daily from Skandashram, a distance of about a mile, and one day he chose to remain there. This is the present site of Sri Ramanasramam.<br /><br />
At first there was just a shed with bamboo uprights and a roof
of palm leaves. There was no organisation of an Ashram as such, and Sri Bhagavan was able to live a relatively unfettered existence. But, as he became more widely known, donations and visitors started pouring in, and some of the visitors stayed there itself. The hub of Ashram life for many years, until just before his death, was the old meditation hall, where devotees sat with the Maharshi. There was a couch there where he sat in the day time and slept at night. Feeling that he should be accessible to all, he never left the Ashram except for his daily walks on the hill, and, in the early years, an occasional <i>pradakshina</i>.<br /><br />
The Ashram office and bookstall, a large dining hall and
kitchen, a branch Post Office, the meditation hall, residential quarters on a limited scale, the <i>gosala</i> (cowshed), <i>Veda patasala</i> (<i>Vedic</i> school), a hospital, and the imposing temple over the Mother's <i>Samadhi</i> with a stone pillared hall -- all these were
established by 1950, when Sri Bhagavan attained <i>Nirvana</i>, after declaring that the Ashram was to remain a spiritual centre. Sri Niranjanananda Swami, the brother of Sri Bhagavan, served as <i>Sarvadhikari</i> or general manager of the Ashram for many years, and it was primarily his efforts that resulted in the establishment and growth of the Ashram. New buildings have been added since 1950 -- a spacious hall round the <i>Samadhi</i>, a number of new guest units, a separate office, etc. But true to the Maharshi's statement shortly before his death, "They say that I am going away, but where could 1 go? I am here", his presence is still felt as the guiding force of the Ashram. The Ashram continues as a spiritual centre known around the world, and there are now a number of branches in India and other countries.<br /><br />
There is no spiritual head of the Ashram in human form.<br /><br />
The presence of the Maharshi is powerful and pervasive and instructions for meditation are given in his writings and sayings. Spiritual support comes directly from him and all that is needed is sincere practice with firm faith. Sri Ramanasramam is not a place visited by large crowds in search of transient gains. It is for the serious aspirant who has understood that liberation is the supreme goal and therefore chooses to seek the grace and support of the Master to guide him on his way. Devotees of the Maharshi living there permanently or in other places pledge their lives to silent, unobtrusive <i>sadhana </i> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#sadhana"><span style="font-size: 10pt;background-color: yellow;" title="a spiritual quest or path towards liberation; the technique of spiritual effort "><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> while performing their obligations in the world. They follow the path set out by the Master to find out their true identity. He used to say, "The purpose of the outer <i>Guru </i> is only to awaken the inner <i>Guru </i> in the heart; when the <i>Guru</i> has awakened, he is free to leave the body".<br /><br />
<h4>C. CURRENT LIFE AT THE ASHRAM</h4><br />
The bulk of the Maharshi's instructions to devotees
concerned direct inner discipline. So there is a minimum of ritual and organisation at the Ashram. People go and sit silently in meditation before the Maharshi's shrine or in the old hall
where he sat for so many years with his devotees. They walk on the sacred mountain, Arunachala, or sit in their rooms.<br /><br />
Every morning portions of the Vedas and a few hymns of
praise are chanted in front of Sri Maharshi's shrine, just as they were chanted before him in his time. This is followed by <i>puja</i>, which is done both at the Maharshi's shrine and at the Mother's shrine. The programme is repeated in the evening and on both occasions lasts for less than an hour. On the days of the <i>Sri Chakra puja</i> at the Mother's shrine, worship is more elaborate and lasts longer. Certain days during the year are days of large crowds and greater celebrations. The most popular are the <i>Kartikai deepam</i> festival, the <i>Jayanti </i> or birthday of Sri Maharshi, which falls in December -January, and the <i>Aradhana</i>, or the day on which he passed away, which falls in April-May. Participation in any of these functions is purely voluntary.<br /><br />
As there is considerable shortage of accommodation,
visitors are not permitted to stay for long periods. Ordinarily they are allowed to stay only for three days. The stay can, however, be extended in special cases. Intending visitors are advised to write to the President of the Ashram sufficiently in advance to ascertain whether accommodations are available. The Ashram maintains a kitchen for serving simple South Indian meals to the residents and visitors. Some vegetable dishes without condiments and spices are also served to those who are not accustomed to take South Indian dishes. No charges are levied for boarding or lodging, but voluntary donations are gratefully received.<br /><br />
As the teaching of the Maharshi is contained in the works
composed by him as well as the books written by his devotees, the Ashram has brought them out in English, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and other languages. They are moderately priced and are kept for sale in the bookstall. Books may also be borrowed from the Ashram library. The library consists of nearly five thousand books in various languages, mostly on religious and
spiritual subjects. The Ashram also publishes a quarterly journal in English named <i>The Mountain Path</i>, dedicated to the propagation of the traditional wisdom of all religions and ages.<br /><br />
<b>3. OTHER PLACES TO VISIT</b><br /><br />
<h4>A. PLACES CONNECTED WITH SRI RAMANA</h4><br />
The birthplace of Sri Ramana is <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw033.html">Tiruchuzhi</a>, which is about
thirty miles south of Madurai. The house in which he was born is being maintained by the Ashram, as Sundara Mandiram. Just across the street is the Bhoominatha temple, and a few blocks away the primary school he attended. The house in Madurai where he had his death experience is also being maintained by the Ashram, as Ramana Mandiram. Down the street is the imposing Meenakshi temple, to which he went many times after this experience. The high school he attended is near the bus and train stations. Madurai can easily be reached by bus from Tiruvannamalai, and then Tiruchuzhi is a convenient day's journey. The train still runs on the same line that Sri Bhagavan took to Villupuram on his way to Tiruvannamalai. Other spots on his journey there can also be visited. The temple of Arayanainallur is about a mile from Tirukoilur. These latter spots are probably best visited by bus.<br /><br />
<h4>B. OTHER PLACES</h4><br />
Famous pilgrimage spots like Kanchipuram,
Chidambaram, Tirupati and Tirukoilur are not very distant and can be easily visited by rail or road. The ancient fortresses in Gingee and Vellore are quite near and are of historical and archaeological importance. The Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry about seventy miles distant is a place on the itinerary of pilgrims visiting Tiruvannamalai.<br /><br />
<HR />
<b>Referred Resources:</b>
<a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw033.html">Tiruchuzhi</a>
<br /><div class="links"><b>OTHER LINKS</b>: <b>Links to letters:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter189.html">Appar: (Chapter 189: Appar (A Saint)</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter259.html">childhood: (Chapter 259: Boyhood Days</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter041.html">Pradakshina: (Chapter 41: The True Nature of Pradakshina</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter041.html">pradakshina: (Chapter 41: The True Nature of Pradakshina</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter273.html">1950: (Chapter 273: Brahmanirvana</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter201.html">Ardhanareeswara: (Chapter 201: Ardhanareeswara (A Form of Siva — Half Man and Half Woman)</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter049.html">Samadhi: (Chapter 49: What is Samadhi</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter138.html">Samadhi: (Chapter 138: Samadhi</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter163.html">Samadhi: (Chapter 163: Six Kinds of Samadhis</a>
<br /><br /><b>Links to rl:</b> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl022.html">Ganapati Muni: (Chapter 22: Ganapati Muni</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl009.html">Katpadi: (Chapter 9: Farewell</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl018.html">Virupaksha: (Chapter 18: The Peerless Hill</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl010.html">Villupuram: (Chapter 10: The Great Journey</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl025.html">Seshadri: (Chapter 25: Seshadri Swami</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl029.html">Seshadri: (Chapter 29: Giripradakshina</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl010.html">1896: (Chapter 10: The Great Journey</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl006.html">1896: (Chapter 6: Rebirth</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl015.html">Gurumurtam: (Chapter 15: Yoga Siddhi</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl013.html">thousand pillared hall: (Chapter 13: Place of Tapas</a> <a href="http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/rl/rl029.html">Pradakshina: (Chapter 29: Giripradakshina</a>
</div>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-33506302532035135292007-07-16T13:07:00.000+05:302007-07-16T13:30:56.277+05:30THE PATH TO SURRENDER<b>(From Teachings of Bhagavan</b><b> Sri Ramana Maharshi in His Own Words.)</b>
<p>There are only two ways to conquer destiny or to be
independent of it. One is to enquire whose this destiny is and
discover that only the ego is bound by it and not the Self, and
that the ego is non-existent. The other way is to kill the ego
by completely surrendering to the Lord, realizing one's
helplessness and saying all the time, `Not I, but Thou, oh
Lord', giving up all sense of `I' and `mine' and leaving it to
the Lord to do what he likes with you. Surrender can never be
regarded as complete so long as the devotee wants this or
that from the Lord. True surrender is the love of God for the
sake of love and nothing else, not even for the sake of
salvation. In other words, complete effacement of the ego is
necessary to conquer destiny, whether you achieve this
effacement through Self-enquiry or through <i>bhakti</i> <a href="http://www.benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#bhakti"><span class="glosslink" title="devotion and love"><sup>[?]</sup></span></a> marga.</p>
<p>The spark of spiritual knowledge (<i>jnana</i> <a href="http://www.benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#jnana"><span class="glosslink" title="knowledge of the Absolute transcending form and formlessness"><sup>[?]</sup></span></a>) will consume all
creation. Since all the countless worlds are built upon the
weak or non-existent foundation of the ego, they all
disintegrate when the atom-bomb of knowledge falls on them.
All talk of surrender is like stealing sugar from a sugar image
of Ganesha and then offering it to the same Ganesha. You say
that you offer up your body and soul and all your possessions
to God, but were they yours to offer? At best you can say, `I
wrongly imagined till now that all these, which are Yours,
were mine. Now I realise that they are Yours and shall no
longer act as though they were mine'. And this knowledge
that there is nothing but God or Self, that `I' and `mine' do
not exist and that only the Self exists is <i>jnana</i> <a href="http://www.benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/coll/cw068.html#jnana"><span class="glosslink" title="knowledge of the Absolute transcending form and formlessness"><sup>[?]</sup></span></a>.</p>
<p>It is enough that one surrenders oneself. Surrender is giving
oneself up to the original cause of one's being. Do not delude
yourself by imagining this source to be some God outside
you. One's source is within oneself. Give yourself up to it.
That means that you should seek the source and merge in it.
Because you imagine yourself to be out of it, you raise the
question, `Where is the source'? Some contend that just as
sugar cannot taste its own sweetness and that there must be
someone to taste and enjoy it, so an individual cannot both be
the Supreme and also enjoy the bliss of that state; therefore
the individuality must be maintained separate from the
Godhead in order to make enjoyment possible. But is God
insentient like sugar? How can one surrender oneself and yet
retain one's individuality for supreme enjoyment?</p>
<p>Furthermore they also say that the soul, on reaching the divine
region and remaining there, serves the Supreme Being. Can
the sound of the word `service' deceive the Lord? Does He
not know? Is He waiting for these people's services? Would
He not -- the Pure Consciousness -- ask in turn, `<span style="font-weight: bold;">Who are you</span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">apart from Me that presume to serve Me</span>'?</p>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-67029485523670009842007-07-16T13:04:00.000+05:302007-07-16T13:35:52.065+05:30TRANSLITERATION OF SARANAGATHI SONG<b>(Raga: Navaroj -- composed by Manavasi V.</b>
<b>Ramaswamy Iyer in 1914)</b>
<a name="Pallavi" a=""></a><h4><a name="Pallavi" a="">Pallavi</a></h4><a name="Pallavi" a="">Saranagathi Un Para Nan
<br/>Inippugathunaithan Yedu
<br/>Nee Pugalai --
<br/>
<br/>(Saranagathi)
</a><a name="Anupallavi" a=""></a><h4><a name="Anupallavi" a="">Anupallavi</a></h4><a name="Anupallavi" a="">Smaranath Gathi Phala Arunachala Nirai
<br/>Ramana. . . Karuna. . . Varuna
<br/>(Saranagathi)
</a><a name="Saranam" a=""></a><h4><a name="Saranam" a="">Saranam</a></h4><a name="Saranam" a="">Tharunam Idu Vanro Karunai Nokkave
<br/>Kalaharanam Aakkidil Haa Haa En Seiven
<br/>Thunbai Neekki Inbai Alikka En Anba
<br/>Innam Paramukham Ennal Thaladayya
<br/> Sri Vediya
<br/>(Saranagathi)</a>annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6299587210811383668.post-62693020070299986182007-07-16T12:50:00.000+05:302007-07-16T13:39:50.646+05:30TRANSLATION OF THE SARANAGATHI SONG INTO ENGLISH<h4>Pallavi (Refrain)
</h4>I surrender -- unto you
<br/>Where else am I to surrender myself tell me
<br/>(I surrender)
<h4>Anupallavi</h4>
Who is perfect in Arunachala
<br/>Which endows one with ultimate Release
<br/>O Ramana, Raincloud of Compassion!
<br/>
<br/>(I surrender)
<h4><a name="Saranam" a="">Saranam</a></h4>Is this not the appropriate time
<br/>For granting me your glance of Grace?
<br/>If you delay, Lo! What am I to do?
<br/>My beloved, remove my sorrow
<br/>and grant me Bliss
<br/>I can't bear indifference any further,
<br/>O Vediya (One who is Brahman Itself)
<br/>(I surrender myself unto you)annamalaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700796914802815318noreply@blogger.com0