RAMANA SADGURU

[Guest guest]

Ramana Sadguru

 

 

Om Vinayaka Namah Om

Om Namah Bhagavate Shri Ramanaya

 

"You can expect devotees to tell you why they go to Ramana when the

lover can tell why he loves."

 

Paul Brunton

 

 

Guru Ramana Arunachala, you drew your attention to me in 2003. Since

then, I have visited on pilgrimage your shrine often but not for

more than 1 or 2 days at a time; with time divided into giri

pradakshina, visit to your temple and meditation at your ashram

lasting not more than 2 to 3 hours. On the first visit itself, you

showered a rain of grace on us and drenched us. Subsequently, you

showed us how three lights of heaven merge in you: Oh, Arunachala.

You waved a victory flag made of a few strips of colorful clouds at

me when you sang my mantra in my ears. And God, you have shown that

I am nothing but an exquisitely sweet chorus conducted by agni deva -

- your messenger and your form. And you always make me shed tears of

love with your remembrance.

 

God Ramana, you have taught me the simple truth that you are the

consciousness that says "I" in `me and in all other beings,

including in the intervening medium' and you have taught that to

realize this truth, I simply have to drop the imagination `I am

this' from the mind, which itself is nothing but consciousness

burdened with a thought `I am this'.

 

But God Ramana, this is the hardest part. No one can ever drop the

imagination, without you pulling one in, by extending a helping hand.

 

My visits to the ashram and the enquiry therein have always been

preceded by restlessness: whether you will embrace me? Away from

your ashram, the enquiry: Who am I? almost always leads to sleep,

and sometimes to breathlessness or impatience; but rarely to eternal

waking sleep that you enjoin us to achieve. In the ashram, barring

the initial period of restlessness on account of the anticipation,

the enquiry has always been more fruitful – at least leading to a

considerable calming of the turbulent mind.

 

There has been a long gap after the last pilgrimage and the two

hour visit this summer, started no differently but with a more

severe doubt that whether you are all pervading and beyond kala and

whether you will help this lowly one at all? My lowly mind, what

better it can do, except create doubts?

 

I sat down in the ashram in the evening and began the enquiry. For a

very long time the mind danced gleefully causing frustration and

anguish. I persisted and by the time the Rudram chanting began, calm

was apparently gaining victory. But as soon as the Rudram was

finished the mind began its dance again. The effort made me

breathless and caused constricting pain here and there. I did some

japa on the mantra and I persisted in the enquiry. Then the devotees

began singing. I heard `Ramana sadguru, Ramana sadguru, Ramana

sadguru, Ramana sadguru' --- and memory came up welling. I

recollected reading, how you, God Ramana, sang `Ramana sadguru'

yourself along with the devotees. I remembered, how my wife laughs

lovingly at remembrance of you, wearing nothing but a kaupina,

lending your voice to `Ramana sadguru' along with the devotees.

 

Bhole Nath. My heart started gasping. I felt that the heart would

crack and I feared that I would cry out loud. I only sobbed and

tears streamed with a choking lump in my throat. Bhole Nath. Then

the body constrictions and choking disappeared. The body sense

itself disappeared. I disappeared. Separate existence disappeared. I

was the cadence of the song `Ramana Sadguru - Ramana Sadguru -

Ramana Sadguru - Ramana Sadguru'. I was fully awake and aware but

there was only the cadence and I was that. Time had stopped. No

future; no past; and no worries.

 

God Ramana, you gave this gift only for 3-4 minutes. But, in

gratitude, the lump in the throat and tears reappeared and I gave

out a few sobs.

 

God please stop the cat and mouse game with me and grant me the gift

of the highest state of eternal sahaja samadhi. What is beyond your

powers?

 

 

 

 

 

Om Namah Bhagavate Shri Ramanaya

Om Namah Sivayya