Guest guest Posted December 27, 2006 Report Share Posted December 27, 2006 Twilight A flock of gulls, the surf is loud So perfectly and yet No trace on the grey clouds Preparations for a new year To an illusion hanging on: "in this life i may realise", lines up the ingredients and fortunate happenings If first awareness like the sun does rise, with some days cloudy, some days bright. How close, ' of ' nothing All Alone Silent, Shining, Never Gone is Presence Sri Ramana Maharshi in the kitchen You must cover your vegetables when you cook them. Then only will they keep their flavour and be fit for food. It is the same with the mind. You must put a lid over it and let it simmer quietly. Then only does a man become food fit for God to eat. G.V. Subbaramayya, a college professor and poet, used to visit the Ashram regularly during his college vacation. Whilst staying there from April to June 1940 he helped Sri Ramana with the preparation of breakfast in the kitchen. “The hours of duty were between 2.30 a.m. and 4 a.m. Sri Bhagavan would come punctually at 2.30 a.m. and first spend some time in cutting vegetables with the workers and devotees. Then He would enter the kitchen and prepare sambar or chutney for breakfast, and occasionally some extra dishes also. … At first I was an ignoramus in the work. … I did not know at first how to hold the pestle and grind. Sri Bhagavan placed His hand upon mine and turned the pestle in the proper way. Again what a thrill ! … After the work was finished, Sri Bhagavan would take out a bit from the dish, taste a little of it and give us the remainder to taste, and sometimes when our hands were unwashed, He would Himself throw it into our mouths with His own hand. That would be the climax of our happiness. Then He would hasten back to the Hall and lie reclining on the couch and appear dozing as the Brahmins arrived for parayana [singing of the Vedas].”65 Work with Sri Ramana had both its difficult moments and its pleasant moments. Although he was full of kindness he was also a strict disciplinarian and would not tolerate the slightest negligence. Everything had to be done perfectly and with full awareness. He demanded that his instructions be followed to the letter. One evening a disciple who was a solicitor, insisted on helping with the work. He was asked to move a vessel containing sambar. As he moved it some drops spilled over the sides. At once Bhagavan said, “You are fit only for arguing before the Court. This work is not for you.” Kunju Swami narrates, “Sri Bhagavan used to go into the kitchen by 4 a.m. and start cutting vegetables; one or two of us would also join and help. Sometimes the amount of vegetables used to startle us. Bhagavan managed to cut much more and more quickly than the rest of us. At such times we would look up at the clock in our impatience to finish the job and try and have another nap. Bhagavan would sense our impatience and say: ‘Why do you look at the clock?’ We tried to bluff Bhagavan saying: ‘If only we could complete the work before 5, we could meditate for an hour.’ Bhagavan would mildly retort: ‘The allotted work has to be completed in time. Other thoughts are obstacles, not the amount of work. Doing the allotted work in time is itself meditation. Go ahead and do the job with full attention.” The Song of the Poppadum No need about the world to roam And suffer from depression; Make poppadum within the home According to the lesson Of 'Thou art That', without compare, The Unique Word, unspoken 'Tis not by speech it will declare. The silence is unbroken Of Him who is the Adept-Sage, The great Apotheosis, With His eternal heritage That Being-Wisdom-Bliss is. Make poppadum and after making fry, Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy. The grain which is the black gram's yield, The so-called self or ego, Grown in the body's fertile field Of five-fold sheaths, put into The roller-mill made out of stone, Which is the search for Wisdom, The 'Who am I?'. 'Tis thus alone The Self will gain its freedom. This must be crushed to finest dust And ground up into fragments As being the non-self, so must We shatter our attachments. Make poppadum and after making fry, Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy. Mix the juice of square-stemmed vine, This association With Holy Men. With this combine Within the preparation Some cummin-seed of mind-control And pepper for restraining The wayward senses, with them roll That salt which is remaining Indifferent to the world we see, With condiment of leanings Towards a virtuous unity. These are their different meanings. Make poppadum and after making fry, Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy. The mixture into dough now blend And on the stone then place it Of mind, by tendencies hardened, And without ceasing baste it With heavy strokes of the 'I-I' Delivered with the pestle Of introverted mind. Slowly The mind will cease to wrestle. Then roll out with the pin of peace Upon the slab of Brahman. Continue effort without cease With energetic élan. Make poppadum and after making fry, Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 Thank you Alan and Happy Holy Days...Sam - Alan Thursday, December 28, 2006 12:38 AM Twilight preparations Twilight A flock of gulls, the surf is loud So perfectly and yet No trace on the grey clouds Preparations for a new year To an illusion hanging on: "in this life i may realise", lines up the ingredients and fortunate happenings If first awareness like the sun does rise, with some days cloudy, some days bright. How close, ' of ' nothing All Alone Silent, Shining, Never Gone is Presence Sri Ramana Maharshi in the kitchen You must cover your vegetables when you cook them. Then only will they keep their flavour and be fit for food. It is the same with the mind. You must put a lid over it and let it simmer quietly. Then only does a man become food fit for God to eat. G.V. Subbaramayya, a college professor and poet, used to visit the Ashram regularly during his college vacation. Whilst staying there from April to June 1940 he helped Sri Ramana with the preparation of breakfast in the kitchen. "The hours of duty were between 2.30 a.m. and 4 a.m. Sri Bhagavan would come punctually at 2.30 a.m. and first spend some time in cutting vegetables with the workers and devotees. Then He would enter the kitchen and prepare sambar or chutney for breakfast, and occasionally some extra dishes also. . At first I was an ignoramus in the work. . I did not know at first how to hold the pestle and grind. Sri Bhagavan placed His hand upon mine and turned the pestle in the proper way. Again what a thrill ! . After the work was finished, Sri Bhagavan would take out a bit from the dish, taste a little of it and give us the remainder to taste, and sometimes when our hands were unwashed, He would Himself throw it into our mouths with His own hand.. That would be the climax of our happiness. Then He would hasten back to the Hall and lie reclining on the couch and appear dozing as the Brahmins arrived for parayana [singing of the Vedas]."65 Work with Sri Ramana had both its difficult moments and its pleasant moments. Although he was full of kindness he was also a strict disciplinarian and would not tolerate the slightest negligence. Everything had to be done perfectly and with full awareness. He demanded that his instructions be followed to the letter. One evening a disciple who was a solicitor, insisted on helping with the work. He was asked to move a vessel containing sambar. As he moved it some drops spilled over the sides. At once Bhagavan said, "You are fit only for arguing before the Court. This work is not for you." Kunju Swami narrates, "Sri Bhagavan used to go into the kitchen by 4 a.m. and start cutting vegetables; one or two of us would also join and help. Sometimes the amount of vegetables used to startle us. Bhagavan managed to cut much more and more quickly than the rest of us. At such times we would look up at the clock in our impatience to finish the job and try and have another nap. Bhagavan would sense our impatience and say: 'Why do you look at the clock?' We tried to bluff Bhagavan saying: 'If only we could complete the work before 5, we could meditate for an hour.' Bhagavan would mildly retort: 'The allotted work has to be completed in time. Other thoughts are obstacles, not the amount of work. Doing the allotted work in time is itself meditation. Go ahead and do the job with full attention." The Song of the Poppadum No need about the world to roam And suffer from depression; Make poppadum within the home According to the lesson Of 'Thou art That', without compare, The Unique Word, unspoken 'Tis not by speech it will declare. The silence is unbroken Of Him who is the Adept-Sage, The great Apotheosis, With His eternal heritage That Being-Wisdom-Bliss is. Make poppadum and after making fry, Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy. The grain which is the black gram's yield, The so-called self or ego, Grown in the body's fertile field Of five-fold sheaths, put into The roller-mill made out of stone, Which is the search for Wisdom, The 'Who am I?'. 'Tis thus alone The Self will gain its freedom. This must be crushed to finest dust And ground up into fragments As being the non-self, so must We shatter our attachments. Make poppadum and after making fry, Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy. Mix the juice of square-stemmed vine, This association With Holy Men. With this combine Within the preparation Some cummin-seed of mind-control And pepper for restraining The wayward senses, with them roll That salt which is remaining Indifferent to the world we see, With condiment of leanings Towards a virtuous unity. These are their different meanings. Make poppadum and after making fry, Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy. The mixture into dough now blend And on the stone then place it Of mind, by tendencies hardened, And without ceasing baste it With heavy strokes of the 'I-I' Delivered with the pestle Of introverted mind. Slowly The mind will cease to wrestle. Then roll out with the pin of peace Upon the slab of Brahman. Continue effort without cease With energetic élan. Make poppadum and after making fry, Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 *Dear Alan, After reading your post about Sri Ramana in the kitchen, I took out the small book, "Unforgettable Years" which is a memoir of 29 devotees of Sri Ramana who spent time with him. There are several stories from the "kitchen ladies devotees" and these are wonderful and fun to read. I forget now where I saw it once...it was an account of one of Sri Ramana's devotees, I believe a lady who used to work in the kitchen. She like many other women devotees did not understand the subtleties of nonduality. You may know that most women in India in the 1920s and 1930s usually did not have much education and could barely read. Well, one thing this lady devotee said about Bhagavan stood out for me.... Talking about the early years with Sri Ramana when there were only 10-15 devotees around, ....She said something like, "He used to make us like himself." She explained that the experience of Heart which escapes pundits and scholars and which yogis have after many years of intense meditation, many devotees got without much effort at all. Some of these early women devotees were illiterate and one of them Sampoornamma told Bhagavan that she could not make heads or tails out of the Ribhu Gita. They did not have to because as this lady devotee said in her complete innocence, by his mere presence and look, "He used to make us just like himself." Love to all Harsha* Alan wrote: > > ** > > > Sri Ramana Maharshi in the kitchen > > > You must cover your vegetables when you cook them. > Then only will they keep their flavour and be fit for food. > It is the same with the mind. > You must put a lid over it and let it simmer quietly. > Then only does a man become food fit for God to eat. > > > G.V. Subbaramayya, a college professor and poet, used to visit the > Ashram regularly during his college vacation. Whilst staying there > from April to June 1940 he helped Sri Ramana with the preparation of > breakfast in the kitchen. "The hours of duty were between 2.30 a.m. > and 4 a.m. Sri Bhagavan would come punctually at 2.30 a.m. and first > spend some time in cutting vegetables with the workers and devotees. > Then He would enter the kitchen and prepare sambar or chutney for > breakfast, and occasionally some extra dishes also. ... At first I was > an ignoramus in the work. ... I did not know at first how to hold the > pestle and grind. Sri Bhagavan placed His hand upon mine and turned > the pestle in the proper way. Again what a thrill ! ... After the work > was finished, Sri Bhagavan would take out a bit from the dish, taste a > little of it and give us the remainder to taste, and sometimes when > our hands were unwashed, He would Himself throw it into our mouths > with His own hand. That would be the climax of our happiness. Then He > would hasten back to the Hall and lie reclining on the couch and > appear dozing as the Brahmins arrived for parayana [singing of the > Vedas]."^65 > > Work with Sri Ramana had both its difficult moments and its pleasant > moments. Although he was full of kindness he was also a strict > disciplinarian and would not tolerate the slightest negligence. > Everything had to be done perfectly and with full awareness. He > demanded that his instructions be followed to the letter. > > One evening a disciple who was a solicitor, insisted on helping with > the work. He was asked to move a vessel containing sambar. As he moved > it some drops spilled over the sides. At once Bhagavan said, "You are > fit only for arguing before the Court. This work is not for you." > > Kunju Swami narrates, "Sri Bhagavan used to go into the kitchen by 4 > a.m. and start cutting vegetables; one or two of us would also join > and help. Sometimes the amount of vegetables used to startle us. > Bhagavan managed to cut much more and more quickly than the rest of > us. At such times we would look up at the clock in our impatience to > finish the job and try and have another nap. Bhagavan would sense our > impatience and say: 'Why do you look at the clock?' We tried to bluff > Bhagavan saying: 'If only we could complete the work before 5, we > could meditate for an hour.' Bhagavan would mildly retort: 'The > allotted work has to be completed in time. Other thoughts are > obstacles, not the amount of work. Doing the allotted work in time is > itself meditation. Go ahead and do the job with full attention." > > > > *The Song of the Poppadum* > > > No need about the world to roam > And suffer from depression; > Make poppadum within the home > According to the lesson > Of 'Thou art That', without compare, > The Unique Word, unspoken > 'Tis not by speech it will declare. > The silence is unbroken > Of Him who is the Adept-Sage, > The great Apotheosis, > With His eternal heritage > That Being-Wisdom-Bliss is. > > Make poppadum and after making fry, > Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy. > > The grain which is the black gram's yield, > The so-called self or ego, > Grown in the body's fertile field > Of five-fold sheaths, put into > The roller-mill made out of stone, > Which is the search for Wisdom, > The 'Who am I?'. 'Tis thus alone > The Self will gain its freedom. > This must be crushed to finest dust > And ground up into fragments > As being the non-self, so must > We shatter our attachments. > > Make poppadum and after making fry, > Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy. > > Mix the juice of square-stemmed vine, > This association > With Holy Men. With this combine > Within the preparation > Some cummin-seed of mind-control > And pepper for restraining > The wayward senses, with them roll > That salt which is remaining > Indifferent to the world we see, > With condiment of leanings > Towards a virtuous unity. > These are their different meanings. > > Make poppadum and after making fry, > Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy. > > The mixture into dough now blend > And on the stone then place it > Of mind, by tendencies hardened, > And without ceasing baste it > With heavy strokes of the 'I-I' > Delivered with the pestle > Of introverted mind. Slowly > The mind will cease to wrestle. > Then roll out with the pin of peace > Upon the slab of Brahman. > Continue effort without cease > With energetic élan. > > Make poppadum and after making fry, > Eat, so your cravings you may satisfy. > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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