If one watches whence the notion of 'I' springs

[Guest guest]

It was on the ninth day of the Kartikai festival in 1907

when Ganapati Muni (Sastri) went up the Hill to see Ramana.

It is an important event in Sri Ramana's life as he gave

at this day his first oral teaching.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"Sastri quivered with emotion as he walked up to the

Virupaksha cave. Luckily for him the Swami [Ramana]

was seated alone on the outer pial.

Sastri felt flat on his face and held the Swami's feet with

both hands and his voice trembled with emotion as he cried:

 

"All that has to be read I have read,

Even Vedanta Sastra I have fully understood.

I have performed japa to my heart's content.

Yet I have not up to this time understood what tapas

[spiritual practice, austerity] is.

Hence have I sought refuge at thy feet.

Pray enlighten me about the nature of tapas."

 

For fifteen minutes the Swami silently gazed at Sastri

as he sat at his feet in anxious expectation. None

came to interrupt them at the time. Then the Swami spoke

in short and broken sentences in Tamil:

 

"If one watches whence this notion of 'I' springs,

the mind will be absorbed into that.

That is tapas.

 

If a mantra is repeated, and attention directed to

the source whence the mantra-sound is produced,

the mind will be absorbed in that.

That is tapas."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Narasimha Swami: Self Realization

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~