Ramana Maharshi's Jayanthi

[Guest guest]

Today is the 123rd Birthday of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi according

to the English Calendar. Let us celebrate this event by reading a

little on him.

 

Biography

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In the ancient township of Tiruchulli in a dry, dusty corner of South

India, legend speaks of Lord Shiva saving the land from a deluge on

three separate occasions. By planting his trident into the earth,

Shiva created a hole for the water to flow into. At the place where

he planted his trident stands the large temple of Bhuminatheswara

(Lord of the Earth). Just across the street from this old temple is

the house where young Venkataraman was born in December 1879. Though

destined to become one of the great sages of modern times, there were

no outward signs that would reveal his forthcoming Realization. After

the death of his father, Venkataraman's family moved to the famous

temple town of Madurai so that they could be under the watchful eye

of a paternal uncle. It was here that the "Awakening" would take

place, that waves of spiritual fervor would overtake him while

reading the Periapuranam, the lives of the sixty-three Tamil saints.

>From his childhood, there was a continual inner throbbing

of "Arunachala, Arunachala," as if the Self — his real Being — was

reminding him of his forgotten nature. Once, when a visiting relative

recounted his recent pilgrimage to Tiruvannamalai (a temple town

where the solitary, sacred hill Arunachala rises above the South

Indian plains), young Venkataraman became astonished and overwhelmed

that Arunachala was in fact a place on earth — a place one could

actually go to.

 

Shortly after this time, during a hot July day when Venkataraman was

just sixteen, he faced his own mortality One day, when everyone else

wasI away from home, the young boy became completely overcome with

the fear of death. Rather than panic or retreat into fear,

Venkataraman had the remarkable presence of mind to face the

situation, then and there. He dramatized the death occurrence to be

able to help bring the experience to its ultimate conclusion, by

holding his breath, stiffening his body, and allowing no sound to

escape his lips.

 

To die before death is to face the void; the emptiness in which the

content of the mind has no ground on which to endure. It is rare for

one to face the void without recoiling back into form. Venkataraman,

like the Buddha, was determined to stay the course. Upon firm

investigation into the nature of his "I-sense," his former self died,

and the infinite Self, the Eternal "I," rose to take its place — the

true resurrection.

 

After this experience, Venkataraman stopped going out to play with

friends and preferred solitude. He says of this period:

 

"I would often sit alone and become absorbed in the Self, the Spirit,

the force or current which constituted me. I would continue in this

despite the jeers of my elder brother who would sarcastically call

me 'Sage' or 'Yogi' and advise me to retire into the jungle like the

ancient Rishis."

 

When his brother reprimanded him in August of that year for behaving

like a sadhu, while enjoying the amenities of home life, Venkataraman

recognized the truth of his brother's words. He rose to his feet,

claiming that he had to return to school and left for Arunachala. He

said of his state at that time:

 

"When I left home, I was like a speck swept on by a tremendous flood;

I knew not my body or the world, whether it was day or night."

 

Providence guided the young sage on his journey home. The vibration

in his heart, of "Arunachala, Arunachala," acted as a guiding light.

 

Absorbed in the bliss of Being, he sat and slept in various places

around the Hill and in the temple — sometimes moving when groups of

young rascals would pelt him with stones. Just as a light cannot be

hidden under a bushel, the light of Venkataraman's realization became

evident, attracting a few earnest seekers. Those were people who

wanted to bathe in the peace of his presence — a peace that gently

settled upon one, lifting one from the persistent cycle of thought.

 

Ganapathi Muni, a great Sanskrit scholar and yogi, had his doubts

cleared by the young sage who was then living on the slopes of the

Arunachala Hill. Deeply impressed and touched by his great wisdom,

the Muni proclaimed that Venkataraman should subsequently be known as

Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi

-----------------------

 

Just as Ramana realized the Self without prior spiritual or

philosophical instruction, he attached little importance to

theoretical study. His teachings are uniquely suited to modern life

and provide for a balanced synthesis of head and heart. Maharshi

consistently guided the seeker back to the source of abiding

happiness — one's own Self.

 

The teachings of Ramana Maharshi are among the clearest and most

direct of the advaitic (nondualistic) teachings originating from

India. Advaita simply means "not two." Ramana taught that we exist as

the Supreme Self at all times. We need only awaken to this reality by

seeking the source of the ego, or "I-thought," and abide in the Self

that we always are. He referred to this method as Self-Inquiry.

 

Ramana always encouraged people to lead life in the most natural

manner. There was no question of engaging or disengaging in activity —

all happens according to destiny. The primary consideration is to be

free from the "I-am-the-doer" illusion.

 

The path of Self-Inquiry liberates one from the never-ending fear and

disorder resulting from taking the ego to be real. By becoming free

of the

ego-illusion, one experiences true freedom and supreme peace. It is a

path

that takes one from the apparent duality of the individual and the

world to

the bliss of one's real nature.

 

Through this awakening to Self-awareness, even by imperfect glimpses,

one begins to sense a Reality not limited to the ego's world. And,

this current of Awareness, is ultimately revealed as the Self — Pure

Consciousness. Though we often refer to the teaching of Ramana

Maharshi as a "path," it is truly pathless. When we abide in our true

Being, we turn our back on time — on becoming; and consequently on

spending time purifying the very mind and ego structures that only

need to be discarded. Maharshi observes:

 

"You impose limitations on your true nature of Infinite Being, and

then weep that you are but a finite creature. Then you take up this

or that sadhana (spiritual practice) to transcend the nonexistent

limitations. But if your sadhana itself assumes the existence of the

limitations, how can it help you to transcend them?"

 

Those who surrounded Ramana during his lifetime came from very

diverse cultural and social backgrounds. What they had in common was

a sincere aspiration to experience true inner peace and freedom.

Maharshi .never saw anyone as separate from himself and had no

disciples in the I traditional sense. He regularly said that the Guru

was not the physical form, and that guidance would continue after the

demise of the Guru's body. Therefore, there was no need to create a

lineage, or provide for transmission to carry on successorship.

 

His Hermitage

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After years of living in caves upon the Arunachala hill, the Maharshi

moved down to its base, near the burial place of his mother. After a

short time, a small ashram began to take shape around him, and what

is now the current Sri Ramanasramam had its modest beginning. Seekers

from all backgrounds and religions came to bask in his presence.

 

Ramana sat in a modest hall, available day and night to answer

questions from sincere seekers. His only possessions were a loincloth

and a towel. Maharshi never asked anything of anyone. He never

traveled, gave formal talks, or wrote books. He spontaneously

answered questions asked of him and was unconcerned regarding the

comings and goings of visitors. Yet, he meticulously attended to

detail when engaged in the work that he did each day. Whether it was

preparing food in the kitchen, stitching a notebook out of leftover

paper, or going through ashram proofs, Maharshi always taught

mindfulness by example. What's more remarkable is that throughout all

the years he lived at the Ashram, he never had a private room or

separate accommodation. He slept and lived in the Hall — the same

location that visitors occupied days and evenings with him. Only much

later toward the last year of his life, when his health was frail,

was a small room constructed for his use.

 

Whoever came to the hermitage to sit in Ramana's presence — whatever

their religious or cultural background — all felt he belonged to

them. And indeed he did, for "I" is common to all people, and the

investigation into its true nature reveals a Unity that is universal —

beyond mind-made differences.

 

Throughout the more than fifty-four years that Maharshi guided

seekers from various parts of the world, he never swerved from the

essential task of bringing the questioner back to the truth of his or

her own Existence. Whatever form the question would take, Ramana

would patiently and gently lead the questioner back to the "one who

questions."

 

The legacy of Ramana Maharshi lives in his teachings. The directness

and simplicity of the approach appeal to many people, especially in

our time. Since wherever we may be our own Self is always available,

there are no special requirements for investigating who we truly are.

 

In 1949, it was detected that Maharshi had malignant sarcoma in his

left arm. In spite of intense medical care, on April 14,1950, his

physical end was evident. In the evening, as devotees sat outside the

room built specially for his convenience during this final illness,

they spontaneously began to sing the refrain to one of his stirring

hymns to Arunachala. ArthurOsborne (biographer of Ramana and editor

of his written works) writes - about that evening:

"On hearing it, Ramana's eyes open and shone, he gave a brief smile

of indescribable tenderness. From the outer corner of his eyes, tears

of bliss rolled down. One more deep breath, and no more.

At that very moment — 8:47 p.m. — an enormous star trailed slowly

across the sky passing to the northeast peak of Arunachala. The

meteor was noted as far away as Bombay."

 

Many of those who had the good fortune to benefit from his physical

presence begged him not to leave; Ramana made it very clear that he

was not the body, so there was no concern for his leaving. He told

those around him:

 

"They say that I am dying, but I am not going away. Where could I go?

I am here."

 

One of the great collections of dialogues between the Sage and his

inquirers is contained in the book you now hold in your hands.

Carefully recorded in English, by Munagala S. Venkataramiah, the

wisdom in these "talks" will certainly guide us to that profound

clarity if we open ourselves completely to it. Only the thirst for

true freedom is required. The words of Ramana Maharshi are the mirror

of wisdom; whenever we turn to them we see the reflection of our true

nature:

 

"There is no greater mystery than the following: Ourselves beingthe

Reality, we seek to gain reality. We think there is something hiding

our Reality, and that it must be destroyed before the Reality is

gained. That is ridiculous. A day will dawn when you will yourself

laugh at your past efforts. That which will be on the day you laugh

is also here and now."

 

Excerpt from the book "Talks with Ramana Maharshi" the Introduction

by Matthew Greenblatt.

 

- From www.hermetic-philosophy.com

 

Hari Aum !!!