Answer to Wim; Seshadri Swami

[Guest guest]

Dear Wim,

thank you so much for your detailed email and the extracts from the

archive. (Especially I like your interpretion of Shanti.) I have

joined Harsha-Satsangh only two months ago and so it helps me a lot.

Some of your thoughts are new for me. So I want to deal a little bit

with them and say nothing now. Perhaps some days later I will ask you

some questions.

 

Somehow your email reminds me of Seshadri Swami.

Seshadri Swami was also a famous realized being in Tiruvannamalai. He

tried to protect the young Ramana against the provokations of some

mischievious youth, when he lived in the Arunachaleswara-temple.

Seshadri was a Siddha with lots of Siddhis. He always liked to play

very freely with them. He did not hide them as Sri Ramana did. His

behaviour was sometimes very strange and people often said he must be

mad. Sri Ramana always showed great respect for Seshadri and confirmed

that he was an Jnani. Also Seshadri showed great respect for Ramana

and sometimes even identified himself with him.

Only to give a sample of Seshadri's Siddhis: "He had the rare faculty

of picking out evil-minded people from the crowds which would gather

around him and he would single them out by their names and tell

everyone of their past misdeeds, even though he had never seen them

before." (Natarajan: Timeless in Time, p. 56)

He also liked to enter a shop throwing all articles about and out -

and on this day the shop-owner made good business. There are lots of

similar stories about him.

 

What you say about the transmissions, translations and interpretations

of Ramana's sayings seems me to be a very hard judge.

You say:

As I have written so often before, the transmissions, translations and

interpretations of Ramana's sayings come from people who have no full

understanding of Ramana and what he is saying. (If they did, they

would not be with Ramana, would they be?) We can hardly expect

truthful renditions >from people who don't yet know what IT IS, and

WHO THEY ARE. They are only considering the question "Who am I," they

are actually not answerng to the question.

The fact that they were with Ramana indicates that they wanted

elucidation, were in need of elucidation. How can we expect 'direct'

elucidation from them... except for well meant, but often weak

translations or renditions conveying Ramana's expression of being.

 

There have been devotees answering to the questions "Who am I" and

becoming realized in the presence of Sri Ramana. We do not know how

many, but to give at least one wellknown example: there was

Muruganar. (There was also Kunju Swami, Annamalai Swami, Lakshmana

Sarma ...) It was the rare gift (if you like you can call it

"Siddhi") of Ramana, to open the spiritual hearts of those who were

ready for it, through silence and his presence. Because of the power

of his presence people came to him and stayed with him. I don't know

if it was always primarily "elucidation" what draw them to Ramana.

When I question myself: what draw me to Ramana, what is it, it is not

so much want of "elucidation". It is the power of his silent presence,

which can be felt until today - and - yes - very simply - it is love.

 

 

There is a very beautiful about Muruganar:

"One day Bhagavan was looking intently at Muruganar, who suddenly got

up and went out. Bhagavan signalled to Kunju Swami to follow him,

which he did. When asked for the reason for this hurry, Muruganar

said:

'Don't you see, he is the robber chief. He has taken three - my body,

my mind and life itself - and given in return only one, that One,

invisible Supreme! Is it not daylight robbery?'" (The Inner Circle,

p. 46)

Yes, Ramana is a robber chief. He takes the body, the mind, the heart and life itself.

You see, Ramana is my "madness". I can't stop talking about as you

can't stop your enthusiasm about your topics.

 

Supposing the translators and interpretators of Sri Ramana's sayings

had not the full understanding, does this necessarily mean that

translations and transmissions are not properly done and not correct?

- What Sri Ramana is and what his teaching is one can only grasp

directly in the heart. No transmitor, no translator and no

interpretator is needed. His true teaching and being was and is in

silence. What we have of his verbal teachings and what we know about

his life may help us on the way to this direct silence. And I am

grateful to all who have written down everything they remembered and

experienced. Of course everyone is seeing Ramana with his/her own

limited eyes - but it is interesting how much the many views fit

together. The general "Ramana-picture" is somehow very clear and not

contradictory at all.

 

Love

Gabriele

 

PS: I know the meaning of my name, but if you like to give your

explanation - why don't you do, Wim, Wilhelm, Will-I-Am?

[Guest guest]

Just a very quick and sincere thank you, my dear Gabriele.

I only had a second to read your message quickly... there is a lot of concurrence...

 

and...

yes, love, Gabriele, Wilhelm

 

PS

I have and sometimes am a Seshadri... :-)

I am very playful...