From Portrait of a Guru:
One day the Sarvadhikari came accompanied by a man
who was limping, whom he introduced to Bhagavan. He brought an electric lamp with a big mother of pearl shade and presented it to Bhagavan. Bhagavan said that he had been reading an illustrated Tamil encyclopaedia just an hour before, and a doubt had come whether a big mother of pearl could exist. He was surprised at the coincidence. Some people took it and examined it and it was sent to the office. Suri Nagamma came and Bhagavan asked her whether she had seen it. Then it was sent for. Bhagavan was saying: "Let her see, let her see!" At that time his mood and expression were like those of a child exhibiting his toys to another child.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Bhagavan's Humor
From: Surpassing Love and Grace
WHEN I asked whether Bhagavan ever made jokes and whether he was ever in a lighter mood, Sri Kunju Swami jumped at me, as it were, to correct me and went into an ecstatic mood. With tears in his eyes he said: "Bhagavan is the most natural man you can ever conceive of. He had a very subtle sense of humour; it never hurt anyone and was never aimed at anyone. He also appreciated others' jokes, even those at his cost!" I became impatient and wanted him to tell me a few instances. He narrated the following:
Once, a boy was seated in front of Sri Bhagavan. Flies were troubling him and he was killing them. Seeing this Bhagavan told him: "Don't kill them; it is wrong." After some time the boy looked at Bhagavan intensely and remarked: "You say killing is wrong. I was only killing little flies which were giving me trouble, but you have killed a big tiger and you are sitting on its skin. How can it be?" Bhagavan laughed and said: "Yes, what he says is quite right!"
The same boy had the habit of wasting food served on his leaf-plate while seated with others. Once Bhagavan told him that he should not leave anything on the plate when he finished eating. That day too the boy could not eat everything, but stuffed something into his mouth and took out the empty leaf. Bhagavan saw him take out the empty leaf. However, the boy after throwing away the leaf also spat out the food that he had stuffed in his mouth. It was reported
to Bhagavan. He enjoyed the trick of the boy and gave a hearty laugh.
WHEN I asked whether Bhagavan ever made jokes and whether he was ever in a lighter mood, Sri Kunju Swami jumped at me, as it were, to correct me and went into an ecstatic mood. With tears in his eyes he said: "Bhagavan is the most natural man you can ever conceive of. He had a very subtle sense of humour; it never hurt anyone and was never aimed at anyone. He also appreciated others' jokes, even those at his cost!" I became impatient and wanted him to tell me a few instances. He narrated the following:
Once, a boy was seated in front of Sri Bhagavan. Flies were troubling him and he was killing them. Seeing this Bhagavan told him: "Don't kill them; it is wrong." After some time the boy looked at Bhagavan intensely and remarked: "You say killing is wrong. I was only killing little flies which were giving me trouble, but you have killed a big tiger and you are sitting on its skin. How can it be?" Bhagavan laughed and said: "Yes, what he says is quite right!"
The same boy had the habit of wasting food served on his leaf-plate while seated with others. Once Bhagavan told him that he should not leave anything on the plate when he finished eating. That day too the boy could not eat everything, but stuffed something into his mouth and took out the empty leaf. Bhagavan saw him take out the empty leaf. However, the boy after throwing away the leaf also spat out the food that he had stuffed in his mouth. It was reported
to Bhagavan. He enjoyed the trick of the boy and gave a hearty laugh.
Friday, February 09, 2007
The Tremendous Flood
When I left home (in my seventeenth year), I was like a speck swept on by a tremendous flood. I knew not my body or the world, whether it was day or night. It was difficult even to open my eyes; the eyelids seemed to be glued down. My body became a mere skeleton. Visitors pitied my plight as they were not aware how blissful I was. It was after years that I came across the term `Brahman [?]' when I happened to look into some books on Vedanta [?] brought to me. Amused, I said to myself, `Is this known as Brahman'! "
-- To read full story, See Surpassing Love and Grace, recounted by Sri Vishwanath Swamy.
-- To read full story, See Surpassing Love and Grace, recounted by Sri Vishwanath Swamy.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Bhagavan on Surrender
GOD WILL BEAR WHATEVER BURDENS WE PUT
on Him. All things are being carried on by the omnipotent
power of a Supreme God. Instead of submitting ourselves
to It, why should we always be planning, `We should do this
or that'. Knowing that the train carries all the load, why
should we, travelling therein, suffer by carrying our small
bundle on our heads, instead of leaving it on the train and
being happy.
The story of Ashtavakra teaches that in order to experience
Brahma Jnana all that is necessary is to surrender yourself
completely to the Guru, to give up your notion of `I' and
`mine'. If these are surrendered, what remains is the Reality.
There are two ways of achieving surrender.
One is looking into the source of the `I' and merging into that source.
The other is feeling, `I am helpless myself, God alone is all
powerful, and except by throwing myself completely on Him,
there is no other means of safety for me '; and thus gradually
developing the conviction that God alone exists and the ego
does not count. Both methods lead to the same goal. Complete
surrender is another name for jnana [?] or liberation.
Bhakti is not different from mukti [?]. Bhakti is being as the Self.
One is always That. He realizes It by the means he adopts.
What is bhakti [?]? To think of God. That means only one thought
prevails to the exclusion of all other thoughts. That thought is
of God, which is the Self, or it is the self surrendered unto
God. When He has taken you up, nothing else will assail you.
The absence of thought is bhakti [?]. It is also mukti [?].
Source: http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/gems/gem005.html
on Him. All things are being carried on by the omnipotent
power of a Supreme God. Instead of submitting ourselves
to It, why should we always be planning, `We should do this
or that'. Knowing that the train carries all the load, why
should we, travelling therein, suffer by carrying our small
bundle on our heads, instead of leaving it on the train and
being happy.
The story of Ashtavakra teaches that in order to experience
Brahma Jnana all that is necessary is to surrender yourself
completely to the Guru, to give up your notion of `I' and
`mine'. If these are surrendered, what remains is the Reality.
There are two ways of achieving surrender.
One is looking into the source of the `I' and merging into that source.
The other is feeling, `I am helpless myself, God alone is all
powerful, and except by throwing myself completely on Him,
there is no other means of safety for me '; and thus gradually
developing the conviction that God alone exists and the ego
does not count. Both methods lead to the same goal. Complete
surrender is another name for jnana [?] or liberation.
Bhakti is not different from mukti [?]. Bhakti is being as the Self.
One is always That. He realizes It by the means he adopts.
What is bhakti [?]? To think of God. That means only one thought
prevails to the exclusion of all other thoughts. That thought is
of God, which is the Self, or it is the self surrendered unto
God. When He has taken you up, nothing else will assail you.
The absence of thought is bhakti [?]. It is also mukti [?].
Source: http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/gems/gem005.html
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Glimpses into Bhagavan's state
Day by Day with Bhagavan gives fascinating insights into Sri Bhagavan's state. A short excerpt:
Bhagavan later shared two reminiscences from his early days, one amusing and one touching. Here is one:
Then Bhagavan narrated, very dramatically as is usual with him, an incident which occurred when he was about 22 and living in the Virupakshi Cave. It seems he was sitting on a rock near the cave and a boy of about 8 or 10 years came there,
looked at Bhagavan and, not being able to bear the sight of such a young and bright person taking to such a hard life of penance, was so moved to compassion that he started to sob and sobbed violently for some time. Bhagavan said, "Who could say what was the reason for his sobbing and why tears flowed out of him merely at his seeing me?"
For more please see this.
After all this talk Bhagavan drank a little water from his kamandalam and turning to his attendant enquired whether he had already drunk some water (i.e., after he returned to the hall about 3-30 P.M.). The attendant said `yes', and thereupon Bhagavan said he had forgotten it, and to make sure he drank some again.
He further added, almost in an unguarded moment, as he rarely gives expression to such experiences of his, that sometimes he does not even know whether it is morning, mid-day or evening and has to look at the clock and try to remember before he knows what time of day it is. On one occasion, he has told me that he scratched his skin, where there was eczema once, as we scratch during sleep. And once when I was concerned over some physical pain of his, he told me he feels that pain, i.e., it was a passing and faint experience like that in a dream. These are clues to the sort of life Bhagavan leads in our midst, seeming to act and move and feel as we do, but really living in a world of his own where the things we experience don't exist.
Bhagavan later shared two reminiscences from his early days, one amusing and one touching. Here is one:
Then Bhagavan narrated, very dramatically as is usual with him, an incident which occurred when he was about 22 and living in the Virupakshi Cave. It seems he was sitting on a rock near the cave and a boy of about 8 or 10 years came there,
looked at Bhagavan and, not being able to bear the sight of such a young and bright person taking to such a hard life of penance, was so moved to compassion that he started to sob and sobbed violently for some time. Bhagavan said, "Who could say what was the reason for his sobbing and why tears flowed out of him merely at his seeing me?"
For more please see this.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Web versions of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi Books
http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/books.html
Several web versions of the Ramana Maharshi's books are available at this location with more appearing in end January. Some works have been hyperlinked for ease of reading and research, and hyperlinking will continue when the team returns from Arunachala.
If you like the format, and would like to request some titles to be put up, please leave a comment here. Feedback may be posted here, too.
Wishing you the best of bhakti in the new year.
Several web versions of the Ramana Maharshi's books are available at this location with more appearing in end January. Some works have been hyperlinked for ease of reading and research, and hyperlinking will continue when the team returns from Arunachala.
If you like the format, and would like to request some titles to be put up, please leave a comment here. Feedback may be posted here, too.
Wishing you the best of bhakti in the new year.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Bhagavan on Moksha
Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi responds to a request from a lady, "Will you give me moksha (liberation) now? I must be going"
Bhagavan remarked,
Letter 42 Moksha, Html
"If you renounce and give up everything, what remains is only moksha. What is there for others to give? It is there always. That is."Subbalakshmi Amma replied "We don't know all that. Bhagavan himself must give us mokhsa."
Bhagavan remarked,
"I should give them moksha, they say. It is enough if moksha alone is given to them. Is not that itself a desire? If you give up all the desires you have, what remains is onlySee Letters from Sri Ramanasramam by Suri Nagamma (Letter 22, p38, 8 Jan 1945)
moksha. And you require sadhana to get rid of all those desires."
Letter 42 Moksha, Html
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Sampurnamma's memories of Bhagavan
The lives of the very fortunate devotees who got to serve during Bhagavan's mortal life continue to be a deep inspiration to devotees today. Reading accounts and memoirs is a great way of understanding Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi's life, as well His teachings. It is often said that His life itself was a teaching.
Some words of Bhagavan that she recollects are:
Bhagavan would allow nothing to go to waste. He once explained,
One another occasion:
Once when Bhagavan noticed that she was afraid walking along along the jungle path, he told her, "Why are you afraid? Am i not with you?". He later told the ashram manager, "Why are you surprised? Was she alone? Was i not with her all the time?"
Once during her periods, when she sat hungry in the mantapam outside the ashram, Bhagavan ordered that she be brought in and fed decently. When people protested that she was impure Bhagavan replied, "Who is pure and who is impure? All are one, all are the same!"
This was Bhagavan's lesson of compassion towards all.
See Ramana Smriti
Some words of Bhagavan that she recollects are:
You must cover your vegetables when you cook them. Only then will they keep their flavor and be fit to eat. 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.
Bhagavan would allow nothing to go to waste. He once explained,
"Yes, this is my way. Everything is in my care, and I let nothing go to waste. In these matters I am quite strict."
One another occasion:
"This is the property of my father Arunachala. I have to preserve it and pass it on to His children"
It is the cooking that matters, not the cook or the eater. A thing well done, with love and devotion, is its own reward. What happens to it later matters little, for it is out of our hands.
Once when Bhagavan noticed that she was afraid walking along along the jungle path, he told her, "Why are you afraid? Am i not with you?". He later told the ashram manager, "Why are you surprised? Was she alone? Was i not with her all the time?"
Once during her periods, when she sat hungry in the mantapam outside the ashram, Bhagavan ordered that she be brought in and fed decently. When people protested that she was impure Bhagavan replied, "Who is pure and who is impure? All are one, all are the same!"
This was Bhagavan's lesson of compassion towards all.
See Ramana Smriti
Remembering Sri Natesa Iyer
Very much reminiscent of the deeply dedicated devotee Sri Ramanatha Brahmachari was Sri Natesa Iyer of Chidambaram. He served Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi from the 1930's till his final day. (He first saw Bhagavan in 1922). Sri Natesa Iyer served devotees in the dining hall at all hours of the day or night.
Once in a state of deep surrender after having a vision of Bhagavan in Villupuram, he said to Swami Ramanananda,
Sri Natesa Iyers worldly collections consisted of a spare dhoti, a cloth to wrap around his shoulders and 2 books, Bhagavan's Collected Works and the PeriaPurAnam.
He left his body in the most interesting and touching circumstances. He had confided the date and time of death to Swami Ramanananda. He would say "Bhagavan is calling me. I am going in n days". As the days approached his eyes shone, and he looked happy as if going home. One day prior to leaving, he said, "Only one more day! I am going to merge with Sri Ramana Paramatman"
His final words, minutes before passing away were, "Has Bhagavan come? I am coming".
Once in a state of deep surrender after having a vision of Bhagavan in Villupuram, he said to Swami Ramanananda,
"Bhagavan is not something or someone we can fathom with our minds. We have to admit our ignorance and our inability to say anything about him that is true. When we accept that Bhagavan is unfathomable, when we surrender our compulsion to understand and explain him, we fall into a deep silence that is the experience of the real Bhagavan within us."
"Bhagavan was like Dakshinamurthi to me. The inner feeling of his presence was so stilling, I rarely had any desire to open my mouth in His presence, For most of the time, no thoughts or desires for answers could survive the power of that presence."
Sri Natesa Iyers worldly collections consisted of a spare dhoti, a cloth to wrap around his shoulders and 2 books, Bhagavan's Collected Works and the PeriaPurAnam.
He left his body in the most interesting and touching circumstances. He had confided the date and time of death to Swami Ramanananda. He would say "Bhagavan is calling me. I am going in n days". As the days approached his eyes shone, and he looked happy as if going home. One day prior to leaving, he said, "Only one more day! I am going to merge with Sri Ramana Paramatman"
His final words, minutes before passing away were, "Has Bhagavan come? I am coming".
An End To Suffering
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Obedience to Bhagavan - the only rule
As part of today's sadhana we look at a few moments from the life of Sri Sundaram (aka Sadhu Trivenigiri):
Standing before the deity in the Sri Subrahmania shrine in Tiruchendur in 1932, the following words flashed in his mind " Here i am, a God who does not talk. Go to Tiruvannamalai. There is a God who talks, the Maharshi"
He later received a reply from the Sri Ramanashramam telling him that the joys and sorrows of life are inevitable, and can be borne easily, if placed at the feet of God.
When he was choked with tears reading the Sri Ramana Vijayam his mother said:
God is calling you. Go to Him. This path will result in the salvation of 27 generations of our family. This is the upadesha of Mother Truth. Go along this path. If you meet any obstacles, regard it as maya. You will soon be liberated.
Sundaram: At first I merely thought Him to be a good man, but after some time, I came to understand that I was dealing with God Himself, my supreme Master, in whose hands lay my life and salvation.
One must master this art of instantaneous and unquestioning obedience, for the secret of realization lies in the utter surrender and renunciation of one's own judgement.
Blessed are those who had no other rule than obedience to Bhagavan.
Some words of Bhagavan to Sri Sundaram:
Regarding the welfare of Major Chadwick:
Once when meditating in the presence of Bhagavan, the mind persisted in wandering. I couldn't control it. So I gave up meditation and opened my eyes. Bhagavan at once sat up and said,
by Sadhu Trivenigiri Swami. See this (Jan 1997).
Standing before the deity in the Sri Subrahmania shrine in Tiruchendur in 1932, the following words flashed in his mind " Here i am, a God who does not talk. Go to Tiruvannamalai. There is a God who talks, the Maharshi"
He later received a reply from the Sri Ramanashramam telling him that the joys and sorrows of life are inevitable, and can be borne easily, if placed at the feet of God.
When he was choked with tears reading the Sri Ramana Vijayam his mother said:
God is calling you. Go to Him. This path will result in the salvation of 27 generations of our family. This is the upadesha of Mother Truth. Go along this path. If you meet any obstacles, regard it as maya. You will soon be liberated.
Sundaram: At first I merely thought Him to be a good man, but after some time, I came to understand that I was dealing with God Himself, my supreme Master, in whose hands lay my life and salvation.
One must master this art of instantaneous and unquestioning obedience, for the secret of realization lies in the utter surrender and renunciation of one's own judgement.
Blessed are those who had no other rule than obedience to Bhagavan.
Some words of Bhagavan to Sri Sundaram:
Eat to appease hunger and not to satisfy taste or craving
Sundaram! Attend to what I said first. It is from me that everything arises. Attend to it first.
Oh! you have made a sankalpa (resolution). Sankalpas lead to samsara.
Regarding the welfare of Major Chadwick:
How is he now? ... Please go and see him at once. He left his country and travelled thousands of miles, staying with us and making us his own. Should we not take care of him and look to his needs?
Once when meditating in the presence of Bhagavan, the mind persisted in wandering. I couldn't control it. So I gave up meditation and opened my eyes. Bhagavan at once sat up and said,
"Oh! You abandoned it thinking it is the swabhava (habit) of the mind to wander. Whatever we practise becomes the swabhava. If control is practised persistently that will become the swabhava."- From the January, 1971 Mountain Path: "How Bhagavan Came To Me,"
by Sadhu Trivenigiri Swami. See this (Jan 1997).
Monday, December 18, 2006
A shloka on the benefits of water
Bhagavan on the benefits of drinking water:
Water acts as a medicine, when indigestion.
Water serves as a tonic, when no indigestion.
Water serves as nectar, taken at the end of the meal
Water acts as poison, taken before a meal.
Memories of Bhagavan
He was about 30 at the time, and wonderful to behold. His eyes were blooming and clear, like lotus petals, and he shone brightly like burnished gold.
See Ramana Smriti (pdf 511kb)
Also see List of Reminiscenses
"You hands may do the work but your mind can remain still. You are that which never moves. Realize this 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..."
"Why do you imagine that I am pleased only when I am full of rasam? ... Is my grace proportionate to the amount of rasam I take?"Varanasi Subhalakshmiammal
"Unless one becomes a 6-month old baby, there
is no hope for one in the realm of Self-knowledge"
"God wants us to make a fire of our past evil deeds and burn our karma in it. ... Clearing the mind of thoughts, and remaining steady in the peace of Self: that is the only offering worthy of the
Lord."
See Ramana Smriti (pdf 511kb)
Also see List of Reminiscenses
Saturday, December 16, 2006
His Feet are everywhere
Devaraja Mudaliar once gently scolded GV Subbaramayya for missing the Jayanthi celebration, and concluded saying: I believe that Sri Bhagavan expects His children to gather at His Feet especially on such special occasions.
Bhagavan smiled and said:
Bhagavan smiled and said:
The feet of Bhagavan are everywhere. So where can we gather except at His feet? Time and space are no barriers to the gathering of hearts.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Be like me ... remember me
Bhagavan Ramana spoke these words to G V Subbaramayya (p155):
Why can't you be like me ... this ashram has grown around me but I am ever the same. The sun rises and sets. To me there seems no other change. Through all the ups and downs of life, be like me, and ever you are prone to sadness, remember me.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Compassion for trees
A man was once chopping dead leaves off an almond tree to the north of Bhagavan's hall. Bhagavan seeing him, winced with pain and called out:
Hey, what are you doing? You are hurting the tree so much, Don't you know it is alive?
You people can do nothing without causing pain. Imagine what would happen if I suddenly grabbed you by the hair and pulled. Your hair my have no life, yet you would feel it. Better leave the tree alone and go away!
Name superior to form
Once a devotee (p 71) said to Bhagavan: Bhagavan, earlier whenever I thought of you, your form would appear before my eyes. But now it does not happen. What am i to do? Bhagavan advised:
You can remember my name and repeat it. Name is superior to form. But in the course of time, even the name will disappear. Until then repeat the name.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Offer yourself to God
Echammal once wished to perform a puja which required a very large number of tulsi (similar to basil) leaves.
One day (circa 1942) Bhagavan told her:
One day (circa 1942) Bhagavan told her:
People will not allow the leaves to remain where they are, beautiful and alive. They pick them, pierce them, thread them. The poor leaves and flowers and mercilessly maimed and killed. Does God need such worship? Don't they belong to him when they are on their trees? We do these horrible things to flowers, but we would not offer our own selves to God(Letters, letter 42. Also p88)
Bhagavan Ramana and previous births
A devotee (p 103) once asked Bhagavan, We have met at Your Feet. Was it good luck, or is there a link between us from our previous births?
Bhagavan replied,'Were it not for old links, how could you all have come here.'
One other occasions too Bhagavan gave a similar reply. Those who loved Him in previous births come to Him again in this. However far they would be born, Bhagavan would pull them to Himself. Invariably, they would find their way to Him
Bhagavan replied,'Were it not for old links, how could you all have come here.'
One other occasions too Bhagavan gave a similar reply. Those who loved Him in previous births come to Him again in this. However far they would be born, Bhagavan would pull them to Himself. Invariably, they would find their way to Him
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Leave it to the Guru
Once a visitor wept to Bhagavan that he felt no improvement in himself despite coming to Bhagavan. Bhagavan replied:
On this road there are no milestones. How can you know in which direction you are going? Why dont you do what the first-class railway passenger does? He tells the guard his destination, locks the doors and goes to sleep. The rest is done by the guard. If you trust your Guru as much as you trust the railway guard, it would be enough to make you reach your destination. Your business is to shut the door and windows and sleep. The guard will wake you up at your destination.
Remembering Bhagavan
Sambasiva Rao once overheard Bhagavan telling someone: If you must get angry, get angry with good people. For if you get angry with bad people, you may get it back with interest.
He asked Bhagavan whether there was really no danger in abusing good people.
Bhagavan replied smiling: "When good people are abused, they may not retaliate. However, they are hurt, and so the abuser may have to suffer. There is also a saying that he who curses good people, gets all the bad that may still be left in them. If you want to curse at all, curse Bhagavan. He will not be hurt and he is without sin. You are safe in cursing Him.
"He wants only to be remembered. The mood in which you remember Him is of less importance. Were it otherwise, how could Ravana and Sishupala get salvation?" (p91)
He asked Bhagavan whether there was really no danger in abusing good people.
Bhagavan replied smiling: "When good people are abused, they may not retaliate. However, they are hurt, and so the abuser may have to suffer. There is also a saying that he who curses good people, gets all the bad that may still be left in them. If you want to curse at all, curse Bhagavan. He will not be hurt and he is without sin. You are safe in cursing Him.
"He wants only to be remembered. The mood in which you remember Him is of less importance. Were it otherwise, how could Ravana and Sishupala get salvation?" (p91)
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