Then miracle of Dakshinamurti and Ramana

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Miracle of Dakshinamurti

 

"Who is the youthful guru beneath the banyan tree?

Very old [spiritual ripe] are the pupils who seek him.

The handsome teacher's speech is silence.

Cleared are all the pupils' doubts.

 

Under the wonderful banyan tree shines the youthful guru.

Aged pupils come to him.

Silence is the teacher's speech.

Gone are the doubts in pupils's minds.

 

(Ramana Maharshi in: Collected Works)

 

Dakshinamurti (the god facing the south) is the Guru of all Gurus who

teached only through silence. His image is found in every South

Indian Siva temple. The story of Dakshinamurti is as follows

(according to Chadwick: A Sadhu's Reminiscences):

"Brahma was tired of creating and wanted to retire, so he created the

four Kumaras to take his place. But these did not in the least wish

to take over but demanded instead initiation from him into the secret

to how to gain liberation. This their father refused. So they left him

and went in search of this somewhere else. They eventually encountered

an awe-inspiring figure seated under a banyan tree. Here they remained

and received the instruction they were seeking, which was given in

silence. In silence, because no word can express that which is beyond

all words and no mind can grasp that which is beyond mind. Silence is

the most perfect teaching of all."

 

Sri Ramana teaching is often compared to that of Dakshinamurti and he

himself quite often refered to the Guru of all Gurus.

"On one Maha Sivarathri night devotees requested Bhagavan to explain

the meaning of Dakshinamurti Ashtakam. The devotees waited for

Bhagavan to commence His explanations. Bhagavan remained silent.

There was no movement whatever. The entire atmosphere was surcharged

with the Power and Peace of Bhagavan's presence. No one noticed the

passage of time. Suddenly Bhagavan got up.Then only every one was

aware that the night had elapsed and Bhagavan was going out for His

morning walk on the Hill! They understood not only that silence alone

was the true meaning of those verses but also that Bhagavan was all

the night giving a silent commentary on them. The next day when He

was asked Bhagavan replied;

'True Silence means abiding in the Self.'

 

One day it was known that a broadcasting society was planning to

record Bhagavan's voice and sought permission. Bhagavan gave a big

smile and said:

'Oh! Is that so? But my voice is Silence, isn't it? How can they

record Silence? That which IS is Silence. Who could record it?'

On hearing this 'nectar', devotees sat quiet, exchanging glances of

awe and ecstasy and the Hall became absolutely silent!"

 

(V. Ganesan: Perushottama Ramana)