Sri Ramana

[Guest guest]

November/December 2002

Vol. 12 - No. 6

THE MAHARSHI NEWSLETTERS

 

http://www.ramana-maharshi.org/publish/janfeb03.htm

 

Madhavi Ammal

 

Srimati Madhavi Ammal was the sister of K.K. Nambiar. She, like her

brother, was an earnest devotee who looked upon Bhagavan as her Master

and Lord.

K. K. Namabiar writes in his book, The Guiding presence of Sri Ramana:

"My sister, K. K. Madhavi Ammal, was deeply religious. She went to the

Ashram quite often, much against the will of her husband, who sometimes

even scattered the fruits, flowers, etc., got ready by her for being

taken to Bhagavan. One day Bhagavan had some tooth trouble and one tooth

had to be removed. My brother-in-law, the doctor in charge of the

hospital nearby, was sent for. He went inside Bhagavan's hall fully clad

in a suit, approached Bhagavan's sofa and asked him to open his mouth.

'Bhagavan, Vayi thora!' was what he said, to the amusement of devotees

gathered in the hall. The tooth was extracted and the doctor left, a

changed man. He no longer stood in the way of my sister visiting the

Ashram as often as she wished. He even felt that the hand which had

touched Bhagavan was able to perform surgery more successfully

thereafter. He, too, now visited the Ashram, prostrated before Bhagavan,

and sat in the hall like other devotees in meditation."

 

Madhavi Ammal's own words

> I knew full well that Sri Bhagavan gave no formal upadesa but I kept

> on asking for it whenever an opportunity presented itself. Invariably

> Sri Bhagavan used to reply, "Who is the Guru and who is the sishya

> (disciple)? They are not two. There is but One Reality. It is in you

> and It can neither be given nor taken. But you may read books for

> intellectual understanding."

>

> On March 12, 1934 after prayers at the Shrine of Sri Mathrubhuteswara,

> I went to the old hall. Only the attendant Madhava Swami was with Sri

> Bhagavan. When I made my usual request Sri Bhagavan laid aside the

> newspaper he was reading and sat in padmasana, quite absorbed. I then

> recited a general hymn of praise to the Guru in Telugu and also

> "Aksharamanamalai" in Telugu (the hymn on Sri Arunachala by Sri

> Bhagavan). Sri Bhagavan turned to Madhava Swami and said, "She has

> prayed to Sri Arunachala." This struck me as meaning that Sri

> Arunachala will give the initiation and also that Sri Bhagavan and Sri

> Arunachala are not two. Sri Bhagavan resumed his state of absorption

> and I had my persistent request for upadesa. But he continued to sit

> motionless. Finally I begged of him, "Am I not a competent person to

> receive upadesa? Sri Bhagavan should himself tell me about this. Even

> if Sri Bhagavan confirms this how is it that I adopted him as my Guru

> immediately on hearing of him (she was just told that a rishi lived at

> the foot of the Hill)? Will it all be in vain?" Immediately on my

> speaking thus I found a bright light emanating from Sri Bhagavan's

> holy face, and the effulgence filled the whole Hall. I could not see

> Sri Bhagavan's body but only the brilliance. I shed tears in

> profusion. The whole incident could have lasted just two seconds! I

> prostrated to Sri Bhagavan. There was a smile on his face but no

> movement otherwise. After a while Sri Bhagavan turned to me as if to

> ask, "Are you rid of your mania?" Yes, I was. He then took a piece of

> paper, wrote a sloka (verse) on it and gave it to me saying, "You can

> make use of it in meditation."

>

> This is the sloka: "I adore Guha the Dweller in the Cave of the Heart,

> the Son of the Protector of the Universe, the Pure Light of Awareness

> beyond thought, the Wielder of the weapon of Jnana Sakti and the

> Remover of the ignorance of blemishless devotees."

>

> And again he smiled graciously.

>

> This was wonderful upadesa indeed by a Master rare to see. My Master

> taught me the great truth that there is only ONE. The proper Guru is

> one who shows what is. This was but a practical demonstration of the

> saying, "The Master's face reveals Brahman. You attain Brahman through

> Grace."

>

> -from The Silent Power (see page 7)

 

 

http://www.ramana-maharshi.org/publish/newslet3.htm

[Guest guest]

, Harsha wrote:

> > make use of it in meditation."

> >

> > This is the sloka: "I adore Guha the Dweller in the Cave of the

Heart,

> > the Son of the Protector of the Universe, the Pure Light of

Awareness

> > beyond thought, the Wielder of the weapon of Jnana Sakti and the

> > Remover of the ignorance of blemishless devotees."

> >

> > And again he smiled graciously.

 

Namaste Harsha,et al,

 

Jnana-Sakti....yes that describes the synthesis of Jnana-Bhakti

perfectly........ONS.......Tony.