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)