" Significance Of 'Mantras' "by Sri Ganesan

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Sri Ganesan has passed on a letter he has written to a Devotee which I am free

to share with you

all .Regards,Alan

 

 

 

>

> Namaskar.

>

> Thank you for your kind letter, bearing a spiritual query therein ! I am

aranging to send you

> by separate post, two books :

> (i) Teachings of Maharshi In His Own Words and (ii) Maharshi's Gospel , which

please go

> through, before taking up study of

> Talks With Sri Ramana Maharshi , in all seriousness. ' Talks ' is a

veritable Ocean ! Most of

> the answers given there, are particularly directed to that specific

individual's needs. So, to

> generalise an answer may not be the right way to approach it.

> I am glad you asked !

>

> The specific reference gives the question as : "Can anyone get any benefit by

repeating sacred

> syllables (mantras)

> picked

up casually ? "

> (underlining, mine)

>

> My understanding goes like this : The questioner should have been really

casual in putting

> this question ! So, Sri Bhagavan

> gave a specific and universal answer. That is, He is referring to a great

'mantra' like

> "Gayatri" or "Mrutyunjaya" mantra, which

> naturally, has to be taken under proper initiation, by a proper guru; he can

be one's own father

> or mother or teacher, too !

> Sacred Names, like 'Rama' , 'Krishna' , 'Shiva' can be done at any time and

by any body.

> Moreover, for us seekers, our

> Heart is our Guru. It is that Guru, residing in the Heart ( 'as Heart' ) who

initiates us into

> the sacred nama (from within), in the presence of His picture (outwardly) :"

Om Namo Bhagavathae

> Sri Ramanaaya " . Do not have any hesitation to take to this

> sacred mantra , which Sri Bhagavan Himself gave in writing to a great

lady-devotee,

> Smt.Kamakshi, as recorded in the

> Pictorial Biography , p.81. It is given therein, along with a photo of this

fortunate, pious

> lady :

>

> " In 1945, Sri Munagala Venkataramiah's daughter, Smt.

Kamakshi,

> came to reside with him at the Ashram, for a

month. One morning,

> she entered the Hall at about 4.30 a.m. No one

else was there

> except Sri Bhagavan. Kamakshi paid her respects

to Sri Bhagavan

> and when she got up, Sri Bhagavan called her and

showed her

> a small slip on which he had written OM NAMO

BHAGAVATAE SRI

> RAMANAAYA.

> then he told her to chant it always, which she did

throughout her

> life. "

>

> (What is not mentioned therein is, that after that, he got the slip from her

and put it into the

> 'fire' in the small charcoal kiln

> that was always kept next to him, in winter months. Offering into the 'fire'

symbolises that

> it is 'given' to 'ALL' .)

>

> To explain to you, how Sri Bhagavan gave entirely different, more over

diametrically opposite,

> mode of teaching to two different individuals - both, serious seekers, is

revealed from the

> following incident, narrated by the old devotee, who was a lawyer,

> Sri T.P. Ramachandra Iyer :

>

> " About a blind devotee, Kannappan, Sri Bhagavan remarked, 'If you hear

him render bhajans,

> you would not

> know if it is day or night' . At my request, Kannappan sang the

songs of Saint

> Arunagirinathar, most touchingly.

> Every one was moved to tears. The dinner gang went and Sri Bhagavan

rose slowly. 'What

> bhakti ! How soulful !'

> I said. Bhagavan went a few steps further towards the dining hall,

looked at me and

> said, 'Yes ! He sang well.

> But what is it to you ? One may get lost in it and find it difficult

to go beyond.'

>

> On another occasion, Dilip Kumar Roy of Sri Aurobindo Ashram was

singing enchantingly

> before Bhagavan, when

> the dinner bell rang. Dilip got up and said, 'I have not done Yoga.

I know no

> Vedanta. All that I am aware of is

> to sing God's praise. I pour out my heart through music as an

offering to Him. Is

> there any hope for me ?'

> Bhagavan told him, 'That is enough. It would lead you' . Dilip was

greatly

> encouraged. Bhagavan also added,

> 'Bhakti is the mother of Jnana' . Hearing this Dilip was

overwhelmed.

>

> In the case of Kannappan, Bhagavan had cautioned me lest I should

think that bhakti

> suited me. At the same time,

> he encouraged Dilip, for, he knew that his natural temperament was

oriented towards it.

> Whatever path suits

> the particular devotee, Bhagavan would advice that path to him, as it

was the most

> appropriate one for him.

> That advice was not intended for universal application. "

>

> May the Grace of Sri Bhagavan be with you, protect you, guide you and lead you

unto Himself, is

> my prayer to Him !

>

> Love to ALL !

>

> Namaskar.

> Ganesan.

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

 

 

=====

alan

 

 

 

 

 

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