Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) - Sage of Arunachala Hill

[Guest guest]

, " my2 pai " <my2pai

wrote:

>

> Shri Mataji has also mentioned in earlier days when She was in

> England that Shri Ramana Maharshi (1879 - 1950) was an incarnation

> of Shiva.

>

 

Ramana Maharshi

 

" Distracted as we are by various thoughts, if we would continually

contemplate the Self, which is Itself God, this single thought would

in due course replace all distraction and would itself ultimately

vanish;. The pure Consciousness that alone finally remains is God.

This is Liberation. To be constantly centered on one's own all-

perfect pure Self is the acme of yoga, wisdom, and all other forms of

spiritual practice. Even though the mind wanders restlessly, involved

in external matters, and so is forgetful of its own Self, one should

remain alert and remember:

 

'The body is not I.'

 

'Who am I?' Enquire in this way, turning the mind backward to its

primal state. The enquiry 'Who am I?' is the only method of putting

an end to all misery and ushering in Supreme Beatitude. Whatever may

be said and however phrased, this is the whole truth in a nutshell. "

 

 

Ramana Maharshi

On This Page:

 

Who is Ramana Maharshi

Ramana Maharshi, Life Summary

Advent and Early Years

Maya (Illusion) Falls Away

Arrival at Tiruvannamalai

Complete Absorption in the Self

Back Into the World

Ramana Maharshi, In the Words of Devotees

Ramana Maharshi, Love of Animals

Ramana Maharshi and the Sacred Hill, Arunachala

More Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi

Ramana Maharshi, the End and After

 

 

Who is Ramana Maharshi?

 

Ramana Maharshi (Maha or great, Rishi or Enlightened Being) was the

awe inspiring sage who's presence graced the renowned sacred

Arunachala hill during much of the 20th century. He was known

throughout India and to many in the rest of the world as the silent

sage whose peaceful presence and powerful gaze changed the lives of

the many who came into his presence. In silence he radiated peace and

contentment like a powerful beacon, effecting a change in anyone who

came within his sphere. He encouraged people to look within and

decide whether they were actually the body or the changeless eternal

self within. His powerful example and inner influence led many people

to experience this inner self as the same self behind all awareness,

above the transient mind, emotions, and body.

 

Like so many Great Ones who come down to this Earth on a divine

mission, he was born a seemingly ordinary mortal, and at a certain

point in his life, the illusion or Maya of individuality fell away

from him and in an instant of realization he grasped that his inmost

awareness was actually that of the Universal Self, the ageless Atma,

or Eternal Awareness within all. There was no desire for or struggle

for enlightenment. Instead, the sun of Self Awareness arose

spontaneously, without an external guru and without the usual period

of spiritual striving.

 

 

Advent and Early Years

 

He was born to a devout father and mother in a small village near

Madurai in the south of India on December 30th, 1879. That day the

Arda holiday was being celebrated. The Nataraja or dancing Shiva

image was displayed to commemorate the event. In this image, God

Shiva, symbolic of the Absolute Awareness, is dancing the dance of

life and creation as he beats on his drum the tempo of alternating

universal manifestation (birth) and pralaya (death or withdrawal);

the cycle that is reflected in the coming and going of all forms from

the largest cosmic forms to the seemingly insignificant and minute.

Just as the Nataraja image was being put away, the future Maharshi

was born. It is said that a blind midwife attending his birth saw a

brilliant light just as the baby emerged.

 

The child was formally named Venkateswaram after the family deity and

was called popularly Venkataraman. He grew into youth a seemingly

normal boy. He was strong and liked sports more than his studies and

he had a very special characteristic. When he slept, he went into

such a deep sleep that he could not be woke up in any manner. His

fellow students took advantage of this by carrying him off to various

places and even thrashing him in his sleep since they were afraid of

his strength while awake.

 

When Venkataraman was sixteen a significant incident occurred which

began the stirring of a deep slumbering spiritual force within him.

One of his elderly relatives one day happened to mention the holy

hill called Arunachala in passing. The mere hearing of the name

Arunachala had a magical effect on the boy and generated an internal

excitement which he could not understand. He asked where this holy

hill was and was told it was in the area known as Tiruvannamalai. The

image of the holy hill impressed itself on his psyche and later the

image of that hill drew him to itself after a turning point in his

life.

 

Shortly after that, the boy read a book on the lives of saints who

were devotees of God Shiva. Reading of their exemplary lives of

saintliness and renunciation he was thrilled and vowed to emulate

their ways in his own life. This thought took root in his mind and

began to fill his consciousness. A year later it culminated in an

experience that forever changed his life and the lives of all who

came to know him.

 

 

Maya (Illusion) Falls Away

 

In his seventeenth year, in full health and in normal waking state he

was suddenly overwhelmed with the fear of death and fully convinced

that death was imminent. The inexplicable feeling would not leave so

the boy began to ponder on the meaning of death. He was alone in his

upper story room at the time so he decided to act out death and

inquire into the meaning of it. He laid down with his arms stiffly at

his sides as if dead, held his breath and said to himself; " Now death

has come but what does it mean? What is it that is dying? The body

dies and is carried off to the cremation ground and reduced to ashes.

But with the death of the body, am I dead? Am I the body? This body

is now silent and inert but I feel the full force of my personality

and even the voice of the 'I' within me, apart from the body. So I am

the Spirit transcending the body. The body dies but the spirit that

transcends it cannot be touched by death. That means that I am the

deathless Spirit " . The awareness of this knowledge took full

possession of him, not at the level of mere mental awareness but at

the deeper level of complete spiritual self-awareness. He suddenly

became the Spirit and knew himself as That, no longer identifying

himself as merely the body form that had been called Venkataraman.

Self realization was instantaneous, complete, and irreversible. His

ego was lost in a flood of pure Self awareness.

 

Ramana at 21 " From that moment onwards the 'I' or Self focused

attention on itself by a powerful fascination. Fear of death had

vanished once and for all. Absorption in the Self continued unbroken

from that time on. Whether the body was engaged in talking, reading

or anything else, I was still centered on 'I'. "

 

The young sage told no one of his inner conversion and for a while

continued to carry on the role of student and family member. But

others around him noticed a complete change in his outlook. He

completely lost interest in sports, studies and his former friends.

Rather than the strong personality that inspired fear in his

compatriots, he now became meek, humble, indrawn, and indifferent to

his surroundings. He avoided company and preferred to sit alone,

absorbed in the complete concentration of the universal Self.

 

Almost every evening he went to the Minakshi temple at Madurai and

stood in quiet exaltation before the images of saints and gods

depicted within the temple. Waves of emotion overcame him and tears

flowed profusely from his eyes as he stood contemplating the images

before him.

 

His elder brother, Nagaswami, noticed his inner absorption and

criticised him for his laziness and indifference . His teachers too

observed his lack of interest in his studies. One day, approximately

two months after his awakening, as he was copying a lesson given to

him as a punishment for his poor performance he was suddenly struck

by the futility of continuing with the charade. He pushed his books

aside and sunk into the contemplation of the inner Self. His brother

who was watching him made the following remark: " What use is all this

to one like you " . Like an arrow proceeding to its target the remark

stuck in his mind and caused the young Venktaraman to evaluate his

life in relation to his new state of egolessness. He realized that as

a sadhak who wanted to give up everything, he had no right to accept

the hospitality of hearth and home. Internally he made the decision

to leave his home and his former life behind and proceed onward to a

life of spirituality.

 

The image of the Holy Hill of Arunachala and Tiruvannamalai fixed

itself before his mind's eye, beckoning him to the life of a solitary

sage. Taking only the clothes on his back and a few rupees for

railway fare, he stealthily left home on August 29th, 1896 leaving

the following note behind:

 

" I have set out in quest of my Father in accordance with his command.

This (referring to himself) has only embarked on a virtuous

enterprise. Therefore no one need grieve over this act and no money

need be spent in search of this. "

 

On the second day of traveling by rail he arrived at the town of

Mombalappattu and walked another ten miles in the direction of the

holy hill on foot until darkness set in. He first went to a nearby

temple called Arayaninallur which was built on a large rock. As he

sat within the pillared hall he had a vision of an intensely bright

light enveloping the entire place. Absorbed in samadhi he stayed

until he was aroused by the temple priests who wanted to lock the

place for the night. He followed some worshipers to another temple

nearby and there became lost in samadhi once again. When the priests

had finished their duties food was served to the other worshipers but

none was offered to him. However the temple drummer was impressed

with his devout appearance and shared some rice with him and directed

him to go to a Shastri's house nearby for water.

 

Tired and thirsty he left the place and walked a distance to the

Shastri's house and there fainted from exhaustion. He was given water

and slept the night at that place. The next day was the highly

auspicious holiday Gokulastami day commemorating the birth of Avatar

Krishna. Venktaraman wanted first to procure some food and then

proceed the final thirty miles to Tiruvannamalai by train if

possible. But by then his money was gone. The only possession he had

of value were his gold Brahmin ear rings with small inlaid rubies. He

stood outside a house and asked the owner for some food. In India it

is customary to give food to wandering sadhus and the lady of the

house was glad to give food to the noble and pure looking Brahmin lad

on the auspicious day of Sri Krishna's birth. After eating, he

offered to sell the valuable gold earrings to the owner of the house

but he would accept only enough rupees to pay for the train fare to

carry him on the final leg of the trip to Tiruvannamalai. The good

lady of the house bid him take the Gokulastami offerings of sweets

with him on his journey and he departed for the train station.

 

 

Arrival at Tiruvannamalai

 

He finally arrived in Tiruvannamalai on September 1st, three days

after having started. With joy rising up inside him he proceeded

directly to the great temple dedicated to the Creator manifested as

Arunachala. Normally there would have been other people about and the

inner temple doors would be closed but he found the place desolate of

people and all the doors were standing open as if in silent welcome.

He finally stood overcome with bliss before his Father Arunachaleswar.

 

After a while he wandered into town and someone called out and asked

if he wanted to have his head shaved in the tradition of a sanyasi.

Without hesitation he had his beautiful long black hair shaved off.

He threw away his remaining rupees and from that day onward, never

again handled money. He also threw away the packet of sweet offerings

the kind lady had sent him off with. " Why give sweets to this block

of a body? " he thought to himself. He removed the sacred thread given

to him as a sign of the Brahmin caste and threw away all of his

clothing except for a small loin cloth he made from his cast off

clothes.

 

He returned to the temple, having completed these acts of

renunciation. He remembered that the scriptures enjoined a bath after

having the head shaved but he thought; " Why give this body the luxury

of a bath? " . Just then there was a brief shower so that before he

entered the temple he had had his ceremonial bath - given by

providence.

 

 

Complete Absorption in the Self

 

He now began his life of complete inner absorption in the great

Universal Self. He sat in various places within the temple complex,

avoiding contact with people as much as possible. For days, and weeks

on end he was lost in samadhi, unconscious of the world and his body.

Insects and vermin crawled over his legs and chewed his flesh but he

was completely unaware of it. His consciousness was swimming in the

vast ocean of Universal Awareness. His body began to lose weight and

weaken but he took no notice of it.

 

" I knew nothing, had learned nothing before I came here. Some

mysterious power took possession of me and effected a thorough

transformation. I knew nothing and planned nothing. When I left home

in my 17th year, 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. It was

difficult even to open my eyes. The eyelids seemed to be glued down.

My body became a mere skeleton. Visitors pitied my plight as they

were not aware how blissful I was. It was after years that I came

across the term Brahman when I happened to look into some books on

Vedanta brought to me. Amused, I said to myself, 'Is this known as

Brahman!?! "

 

One of the sadhus in residence at the temple noticed the fine young

brahmin lad, lost to the world in samadhi and adopted him into his

care. A few pious souls came occasionally and forced him to eat food

from their hands. The young Maharshi was barely aware of their

presence or what he was eating, and never spoke or appeared to take

any notice of what was going on. Seeing the frightful condition of

his body, finally a group of devotees picked him up bodily and

carried him out of the damp, dark temple recesses and to the nearby

shrine to Subramaniam. Here he continued to sit motionless in

samadhi, dead to his surroundings.

 

Occasionally, the Brahmana Swami, as the young Venkataraman had been

dubbed, would wander about in an apparent trance. In one of these

states, he moved into the temple gardens and sat among the tall

bushes, lost in samadhi. He would occasionally come to partial

consciousness and wonder where he was and how he had gotten there.

 

" Sometimes I opened my eyes and it was morning, sometimes it was

evening. I did not know when the sun rose and when it set. "

 

Less than a year after the Maharshi's arrival in Tiruvannamalai he

acquired his first permanent devotee, one Palaniswami, who was

destined to stay with him the rest of his life. The devotee had

formerly totally committed himself to the worship of God Vinyaka

(Ganesh) in the form of a statue, but when he saw the Brahmana Swami

lost to the world in samadhi with no attendant, he was thrilled to

his core and vowed to offer his life to taking care of the living

Swami instead.

 

Daily, Palaniswami would take the food offerings of the many visiting

devotees who came to view the sadhu in deep samadhi and offer some

food to the Maharshi. The Maharshi would consent to accept a small

mouthful of food each day and the rest was returned to devotees as

prasad (offerings of a holy person). Even so he would eat only if the

food was put in his hand or mouth.

 

By now the young Maharshi's body was neglected and unkempt. His hair

was matted, his fingernails grew long and started to curl. His body

had become weak. Still, he spent all his time in trance, hardly

knowing what was going on around him. One of the visiting devotees

decided to perform ceremonial worship of the Maharshi using camphor

lights, sandal paste, flowers and other ritual offerings. He

succeeded the first day but when he returned to repeat the

performance the Maharshi had written in charcoal on the walls above

him " This is service enough for this " , meaning that the food was all

that should be offered to the body.

 

The many devotees were extremely surprised to know that the young

swami could read and write as most of them had not even ever heard

him speak. Many had assumed he had taken a vow of silence, but in

reality, he was so indrawn in samadhi that he had no desire to speak

or communicate with others.

 

 

Back Into the World

 

About this time, in order to shield the Maharshi from the many

visitors who were coming daily, Palaniswami moved him to a nearby

mango orchard whose gates could be locked. It was here that the

Maharshi began to come back to a more normal waking consciousness,

though still ever centered in the Absolute. Palaniswami used to

always have spiritual books in the Indian Tamil language with him

which he attempted to study. But he had difficulty doing so because

of his weak grasp of the Tamil language. After seeing Palaniswami

struggling to understand the scriptures, the Maharshi finally

consented to reading the Tamil books himself and then giving

Palaniswami a summary of the teaching contained in the books. The

Maharshi's deeply rooted intuitive wisdom from being in constant

touch with the Inner Self allowed him to understand even the most

abstruse scriptural passages at a glance. His phenomenal memory

retained the passages so that even years later he could quote from

them.

 

Besides the Tamil books, Palaniswami sometimes brought books in the

ancient Sanskrit (the so called language of the gods) and in two

other Indian languages, Telegu and Malayalam. Thus besides Tamil and

English, the Maharshi gained familiarity with many languages.

 

From the mango orchard, the Maharshi moved to a small temple on the

outskirts of Tiruvannamalai. Here he decided to stop relying on

others for food and in the ancient tradition of sanyasis he went out

daily to beg for his own food. He was still maintaining silence so he

would stand in front of a house and clap his hands and if brought

food, he would eat it then and there. He never begged at the same

house twice and never accepted any invitations to come into a house.

 

Shortly after that at the beginning of the year 1899, he began living

in a cave on the sacred hill of Arunachala itself. From that point on

he spent the next 23 years living in one cave or another on the

mountain.

 

" It was in 1908 that I first contacted Sri Ramana Maharshi, then in

the Virupaksha Cave, when I was a boy of twelve. Had you seen him in

those days, you would hardly have taken him for a mere human being.

His figure was a statue of burnished gold. He simply sat and sat, and

rarely spoke. The words he spoke on any day could easily be counted.

He had an enchanting personality that shed a captivating luster on

all, and a life-giving current flowed from him charging all those

nearby, while his sparkling eyes irrigated those around him with the

nectar of his Being. "

 

T. K. Sundaresa Iyer, At the Feet of Bhagavan

 

 

In 1922 Ramana Maharshi moved down to a lower spur of the hill and

there an ashram slowly grew up around him. Throughout this period the

number of devotees that came to him increased in number until,

eventually the ashram had people living there all year round.

 

The earliest devotees seldom heard him speak but over time he gave

occasional guidance or answered questions. When people began to live

at the ashram full time, several women started to come daily to

prepare meals. The sage was highly skilled at cooking and used to

help out early each morning to get the day's food ready. Really his

contact was only to bless and guide the lives of the people around

him. Later in the day, he would recline in the hall and the devotees

would sit around him in silent meditation. He never called himself

guru or even admitted the guru disciple relationship. Who is to teach

and to whom when all are the very same Self.

 

 

Teachings of Ramana Maharshi

 

Destroy the power of mind by seeking it. When the mind is examined

its activities cease automatically. Look for the source of mind. That

source may be said to be God or Self or Consciousness. Concentrating

on one thought, all other thoughts disappear; finally that thought

also disappears.

 

Daily he would take an afternoon walk along the rocky paths of the

Arunachala hills, and this continued for many years. After his walk,

devotees would gather around to ask questions, sing sacred songs or

repeat vedic chants. The people who came to him had very diverse

backgrounds and beliefs but all got whatever teachings were most

appropriate for their own stage of spiritual ripeness. The Maharshi's

highest teaching was pure non dualistic Advaitha philosophy. He

taught people to enquire: " Who are you " and to follow this inquiry

back to the very source of thoughts, the source of the I, which was

the Universal Self. This inquiry is called Vichara and the Maharshi

said on several occasions that it was the best course for senior or

ripe spiritual aspirants. For others the path of Bhakti (devotion) or

Karma (action) was more suitable to them.

 

 

How the Maharshi got his name

 

Ganapati Sastri quivered with emotion as he walked up to the

Virupaksha cave. Luckily for him the Swami was seated alone on the

outer pial. Sastri fell flat on his face and held the Swami's feet

with both hands and his voice trembled with emotion as he cried: " All

that has to be read I have read. Even Vedanta Sastra I have fully

understood. I have performed japa (repetition of a holy name) to my

heart's content. Yet I have not up to this time understood what tapas

is. Hence have I sought refuge at thy feet. Pray enlighten me about

the nature of tapas. " For fifteen minutes the Swami silently gazed at

Sastri as he sat at his feet in anxious expectation. None came to

interrupt them at the time. Then the Swami spoke in short and broken

sentences in Tamil: (translation)

 

" If one watches whence this notion of 'I' springs, the mind will be

absorbed into that. That is tapas. If a mantra is repeated, and

attention directed to the source whence the mantra-sound is produced,

the mind will be absorbed in that. That is tapas. "

 

This instruction filled Sastri's heart with joy. He stayed for some

hours and ascertained the Swami's name from the attendant Palaniswami

to be Venkatarama Ayyar. Sastri immediately composed five stanzas in

praise of the Swami in which he contracted his name to Ramana which

has stuck to the Swami ever since. In the letter which Sastri wrote

next day he added that he must henceforth be called 'Maharshi' since

his teaching was quite original.

 

 

Bouquet of Spiritual Instruction by Viswanathan Sri

Ramanasramam

 

The people who were drawn to Ramana Maharshi had very diverse

spiritual and religious backgrounds. If anyone worshipped a deity or

followed a particular religion that person was encouraged to pursue

perfection in their own chosen religion. Many who came to him saw in

his presence vivid visions of their own beloved Deity or favorite

form of worship. Although miracles took place all around the

Maharshi, they took place in a most natural and straight forward

fashion. He said on many occasions that there was no separate ego

within him to perform a miracle therefore whatever happened occurred

naturally through divine will. Although healings sometimes took place

among devotees, the Maharshi himself took no notice of his own body.

As he grew older, the body exhibited many maladies but he only said

he was not the body and refused to identify himself with any of the

ills. In 1950, a malignant cancer brought the incarnation to a close.

Although many devotees requested him to cure himself, and there is no

doubt he could have if he had the independent will and desire to do

so, he only said that everything would come alright soon. Even during

the final days when an ordinary mortal would have been in the most

intense writhing pain, the Maharshi continued to give darshan to

devotees, himself remaining in bliss of samadhi, far above the trials

of the body. At the very moment of his final breath, a majestic

meteor floated slowly above the Arunachala hill lighting the night

sky. Thus the earthly sojourn began with a flash of light witnessed

by the blind midwife at the moment of birth, and ended with the light

of an unearthly meteor gliding through the night sky.

 

Bhagavan lived for fifty-four years in full awareness of his

pristine, immortal Self. Only by seeing this with our own eyes could

we understand that such a state, or ideal, existed and was attainable.

 

From time to time, God, in his mercy, ushers into the world

messengers to guide and awaken mankind to the ultimate goal of life.

 

N. Balaram Reddy, My Reminiscences

 

 

Ramana Maharshi - In The Words of Devotees

 

Any factual account of the Maharshi's life is bound to be dry and

lifeless compared to the first hand descriptions of those fortunate

devotees who were drawn to his presence. Therefore let their words

paint a true picture of the Ramana Maharshi they knew and loved.

 

Note that the majority of the books referenced below can be purchased

either from Ramanashram in India, or from the Arunachala Ashram in

New York. There are also downloadable books, additional stories,

excerpts, and newsletters on the Ramanashram web site.

 

..................................

 

How He Received People

 

Nobody could guess about the way Bhagavan would meet people. The high

and mighty of the land would not get even a blank look, while some

insignificant looking wanderer would become the object of his

concentrated attention for hours and days. On the other hand eminent

people would sometimes be taken up by him and given the immense

blessing of being the center of his interest. Once Pranavananda Swami

came to the Ashrama. He was utterly exhausted. He sat on the steps of

the temple and could not move any further. Bhagavan was told about

it. He came out at once, sat at the feet of Pranavananda Swami and

started rubbing his legs, saying: " You had a long way to walk,

Grandpa. Your legs must be paining you very much. " The old swami

protested in vain; Bhagavan had his way and massaged the swami's feet.

 

Sri Ramana Leela by Krishna Bhikshu,

 

 

..................................

 

His Look Sent Us Into Samadhi

 

Bhagavan's look was real magic. You could not do anything but just

look into his eyes, which would transform you into Samadhi. Everyone

in the hall used to feel Bhagavan was looking at them alone. This was

the true experience of each one of us. In his inimitable way he was

giving the glance of grace to each and everyone seated in the hall.

Bhagavan's look used to take us deep into Samadhi. Just by looking

into his eyes, we came to know what meditation is. This was, and is,

the common experience of all devotees. You ask anyone and you will

get the same reply.

 

Once he gave me such a look and for a very long time I was absorbed

in Samadhi. Bhagavan was reading the newspaper, letters were being

brought in, normal activity was going on, but I was oblivious of the

happenings outside of me. In fact, I was unaware of my body.

 

Ramani Ammal

 

 

..................................

 

Between two thoughts there is an interval of no thought. That

interval is the Self, the Atman. It is pure Awareness only.

 

Jnana Vasishtha

 

 

..................................

 

Just Being With Him, My Mind Would Stop

 

When I was able to sit for long hours in Bhagavan's presence my mind

would just stop thinking and I would not notice the time passing. I

was not taught to meditate and surely did not know how to stop the

mind from thinking. It would happen quite by itself, by his grace. I

would sit, immersed in a strange state in which the mind would not

have a single thought and yet which would be completely clear. Those

were days of deep and calm happiness. My devotion to Bhagavan took

firm roots and never left me.

 

Sampurnamma

 

 

..................................

 

I believe the most unique characteristic of Bhagavan was the power of

his presence. In Bhagavan we found a being that was surcharged with

the Reality to such an extent that coming into his presence would

effect a dramatic change in us. This Divine Power of his presence was

something remarkable, entirely outstanding in this century. But why

just this century? It must be so for many centuries.

 

N. Balaram Reddy, My Reminiscences

 

 

..................................

 

The Memory is Ever Present in My Heart

 

Bhagavan was one day reading and explaining Tirupuhazh in Tamil to

Alamelammal of Madura. I did not know Tamil and I could only look on.

I saw a change in Bhagavan. A light was shining from within him. His

face was radiant, his smile was beaming, his eyes were full of

compassion. His words reverberated in the mind and were instantly and

deeply understood. All my being was carried upwards on a current of

strange vibrations. The memory of this experience is ever present in

my heart. A great joy has remained with me that I was privileged to

sit at the feet of the Divine Being.

 

Varanasi Subbalakshmi

 

 

..................................

 

His Body Radiated Spiritual Power

 

Bhagavan's attendants had told me that his body was like a furnace.

Only then, when he sat so close to me, did I understand what they

meant. I felt spiritual power emanating from his body like an

electric dynamo. I was thrilled to the core of my being.

 

N. Balaram Reddy, My Reminiscences

 

 

..................................

 

In His Presence, Doubts Were Automatically Cleared

 

Apart from the greatness of Bhagavan's Presence and the tremendous

power of His silence, I noticed the strange way the doubts in one's

mind got answered through someone else present in the Hall. The doubt

you had, somebody in the Hall would express to Bhagavan and Bhagavan

would not only give the answer but look at you with a smile, as if to

say, 'Has your doubt been cleared?'

 

From Moments Remembered, by M.G. Shanmugam

 

 

..................................

 

Teachings of Ramana Maharshi

 

God, Who is immanent, in His Grace takes pity on the loving devotee

and manifests Himself according to the devotee's development. The

devotee thinks that he is a man and expects a relationship as between

two physical bodies. But the Guru, who is God or the Self incarnate,

works from within, helps the man to see his mistakes and guides him

in the right path until he realizes the Self within.

 

 

..................................

 

Only The Maharshi Asked for Nothing

 

I went to Arunachala for the first time with Sri Rami Reddi. We had

our food in the town and then went to the Ashrama. In those days

there was very little there-a hut for Bhagavan and another over his

mother's samadhi (place of burial). Bhagavan had just finished his

food and was washing his hands. He looked at us intently. " Did you

have your food ? " He asked. " Yes, we had it in town. " " You could have

had it here, " he replied. I stayed with him for three days. He made a

great impression on me. I considered him to be a real Mahatma,

although his ways were very simple. Most of the cooking was done by

him in those days. The Ashrama lived from hand to mouth and usually

only rice and vegetable soup were prepared. When I was about to

leave, I asked Bhagavan: " Bhagavan, kindly show me a good

path. " " What are you doing now? " he asked. " When I am in the right

mood, I sing the songs of Thyagaraja and I recite the holy Gayatri. I

was also doing some pranayama but these breathing exercises have

upset my health. " " You had better stop them. But never give up the

Advaita Dristhi (non dual vision). " At that time I could not

understand his words. I went to Benares for a month, returned to

Pondicherry and spent five months there. Wherever I would go people

would find some fault or other with me: " You are too weak, not fit

for yoga, you do not know how to concentrate, you cannot hold your

breath, you are unable to fast, you need too much sleep, you cannot

keep vigils, you must surrender all your property... " Only Bhagavan

asked for nothing, found fault with nothing. As a matter of truth,

there was nothing in me that entitled me to his grace. But it did not

matter with Bhagavan. He wanted me, not my goodness. It was enough to

tell him " I am yours, " and for him to do the rest. In that way he was

unsurpassed.

 

Krishna Bhikshu

 

 

..................................

 

Teachings of Ramana Maharshi

 

Our real nature is mukti (the liberated state). But we are imagining

that we are bound and are making various strenuous attempts to become

free, while we are all the time free.

 

Our wanting mukti is a very funny thing. It is like a man who is in

the shade voluntarily leaving the shade, going into the sun, feeling

the severity of the heat there, making great efforts to get back into

the shade and then rejoicing 'How sweet is the shade. I have after

all reached the shade!'

 

 

..................................

 

The Blissful Atmosphere of Ramana

 

My first darshan of Bhagavan Sri Ramana was in January, 1921 at

Skandashrama, which is on the eastern slope of Arunachala and looks

like the very heart of the majestic hill. It is a beautiful quiet

spot with a few coconut and other trees and a perennial crystal-clear

spring. Bhagavan was there as the very core of such natural beauty.

 

I saw in him something quite arresting which clearly distinguished

him from all others I had seen. He seemed to live apart from the

physical frame, quite detached from it. His look and smile had

remarkable spiritual charm. When he spoke, the words seemed to come

out of an abyss. One could see immaculate purity and non-attachment

in him and his movements. I sensed something very refined, lofty and

sacred about him. In his vicinity the mind's distractions were

overpowered by an austere and potent calmness and the unique bliss of

peace was directly experienced. This I would call Ramana lahari, 'the

blissful atmosphere of Ramana.' In this ecstasy of grace one loses

one's sense of separate individuality and there remains something

grand and all-pervading, all-devouring. This indeed is the spirit of

Arunachala which swallows up the whole universe by its gracious

effulgence.

 

Swami Viswanatha

 

 

..................................

 

The Young Brahmin Saint

 

I lost my husband when I was sixteen. I went back to my mother's

house and lived there as a widow should, trying to pray to and

meditate on God. My mother's mind too was devoted to the spiritual

quest and religion was the main thing in her life. Once we went on a

pilgrimage to Kaveri Pushkaram and on our way back we stopped at

Arunachala. There we were told that a young Brahmin saint had been

living on the hill for the past ten years. The next morning we went

up the hill along with others with whom we were traveling. At

Mulaipal Tirtha we cooked our food, ate and had some rest. Then we

went further and found the young Swami near Virupaksha Cave. There

was a brick platform at the entrance of the cave and he was sitting

on it. As soon as I saw him, I was at once convinced that God

Arunachala Himself had come in human form to give salvation to all

who approached Him. He was about thirty at the time, and wonderful to

look at; he was bright and shining like burnished gold, his eyes were

blooming and clear, like the petals of a lotus. He looked at us for a

long time. The peak of Arunachala was towering over our heads, the

huge towers of the temple were below and an immense silence

surrounded the Swami. Then the ladies started whispering. One wanted

to pray for a child for her daughter-in-law who was barren, but

another was saying that the Swami was too exalted for such worldly

matters. Finally the Swami was told of the young wife's sorrow. He

smiled and lifted his folded hands to the sky as if saying : " All

happens by the will of the Almighty. "

 

Varanasi Subbalakshmi

 

 

..................................

 

In the evening he would sit on a wooden cot near the well and gaze at

Arunachala in deep silence. His face would glow with an inner

radiance which would appear to increase with the deepening darkness.

 

Krishna Bhikshu

 

 

..................................

 

A Pool of Peace

 

In the morning I had darshan of Sri Bhagavan in the old Hall. As our

eyes met, there was a miraculous effect upon my mind. I felt as if I

had plunged into a pool of peace, and with eyes shut, sat in a state

of ecstasy for nearly an hour. When I came to normal consciousness, I

found some one spraying the Hall to keep off insects, and Sri

Bhagavan mildly objecting with a silent shake of his head.

 

G.V.Subbaramayya

 

 

..................................

 

" Peace can reign only when there is no disturbance by thought. When

the mind has been annihilated there will be perfect peace. "

 

 

..................................

 

His Love for a 'Worthless' Devotee

 

His great love for me, a worthless devotee, bound me firmly to his

feet. Again and again I wanted to leave the Ashrama, but he held me

for my good, more powerfully than I held on to him. Whenever I was

collecting courage to tell Bhagavan about my desire to leave, he

would seem to read my thoughts and forestall me by giving me

something special to do. I felt I had too much to do and that my life

was being wasted.

 

One day Bhagavan was looking at me intently and said: " It looks as if

you are still hankering after meditation. " I replied: " What have I

got except endless work in the kitchen ? " Bhagavan said with deep

feeling: " Your hands may do the work but your mind can remain still.

You are that which never moves. Realize that and you will find that

work is not a strain. But as long as you think that you are the body

and that the work is done by you, you will feel your life to be an

endless toil. In fact, it is the mind that toils, not the body. Even

if your body keeps quiet, will your mind keep quiet too? Even in

sleep the mind is busy with its dreams. "

 

I replied: " Yes, Swami, it is as natural for you to know that you are

not your body as it is for us to think that we are the body. I had a

dream recently in which you were explaining this very point. I was

dreaming that I was working in the kitchen and you were having your

bath in your usual place behind the bamboo mat partition. You

asked: 'Who is it?' I replied: 'Who shall I say I am ?' You

said: 'Exactly so, you are nothing of which something can be said.'

Now, just remember that was my dream and it was quite clear.

 

" Why can't I remember always that I am not the body? "

 

" Because you haven't had enough of it, " he smiled.

 

Varanasi Subbalakshmi

 

 

..................................

 

Bhagavan Radiated Tremendous Peace

 

Bhagavan was a very beautiful person; he shone with a visible light

of aura. He had the most delicate hands I have ever seen with which

alone he could express himself, one might almost say talk. His

features were regular and the wonder of his eyes was famous. His

forehead was high and the dome of his head the highest I have ever

seen.

 

Bhagavan always radiated tremendous peace, but on those occasions

when crowds were attracted to the Ashram such as Jayanthi, Mahapooja,

Deepam and such functions, this increased to an extraordinary degree.

The numbers seemed to call up some reserve of hidden force, and it

was a great experience to sit with him at such times. His eyes took

on a far-away look and he sat absolutely still as if unconscious of

his surroundings, except for an occasional smile of recognition as

some old devotee prostrated.

 

A. W. Chadwick, A Sadhu's Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi.

 

 

..................................

 

S. S. Cohen, First Darshan of Ramana Maharshi

 

The third of February 1936, early morning, saw my horse-cart rolling

on the uneven two-and-a-half-mile road from Tiruvannamalai railway

station to Ramanashram. I was led to a small dining room, at the door

of which I was asked to remove my shoes. As I was trying to unlace

them, my eyes fell on a pleasant looking middle-aged man inside the

room, wearing nothing but a kaupin, with eyes as cool as moonbeams,

sitting on the floor before a leaf-plate nearly emptied, and

beckoning me with the gentlest of nods and the sweetest smile

imaginable.

 

I was alone in the Hall with him. Joy and peace suffused my being -

such a delightful feeling of purity and well-being at the mere

proximity of a man, I never had before. My mind was already in deep

contemplation of him - him not as flesh, although that was

exquisitely formed and featured, but as an unsubstantial principle

which could make itself so profoundly felt despite the handicap of a

heavy material vehicle.

 

S.S. Cohen, Memoirs and Notes

 

 

..................................

 

There is no floor! Where can I sit?

 

The older German woman, whose name is Ilse, then started to tell us

that she visited the Master in the mid 1940s and had been coming to

the Ashramam since then. Being of Jewish descent, she had fled Nazi

Germany and was teaching in India. After hearing of Bhagavan she

traveled by train to Tiruvannamalai and then took a bullock cart to

the Ashramam. She said, " I was wearing a frock, and was dirty from

the long journey. I felt that I should wash and change into more

appropriate attire before going to see the sage. I was standing at

the door of the Old Hall (that is the southern door that is now

closed and leads into the Samadhi Hall) when someone urged me to go

to him right away. I walked in and stood in front of the sofa, when

He made the gentlest of gestures, inviting me to sit down. That is

when everything disappeared. There was no sofa, no hall, no Maharshi,

no me. The thought came 'There is no floor. Where can I sit?' I don't

know how long I stood there, but eventually I did sit down. "

 

Geeta Bhatt

 

 

..................................

 

Ramana Maharshi's Love of Animals

 

Origin of Lakshmi the Ashram Cow

 

A villager had a dream in which he was told to offer his next calf to

Ramanasramam. He brought his cow and the calf to Bhagavan. The jungle

around the Ashram was thick at that time and there were cheetahs. The

Ashram people were perplexed and refused the offer, but the villager

was taking his dream seriously and would not take the calf away. The

mother cow had to remain with the calf to feed her. Finally, the cow

and the calf were entrusted to a devotee in the town. The calf became

the famous cow Lakshmi. She grew up and had three calves within a few

years. She would come daily to the Ashram to have her meals, graze on

the Ashram land, enter the Hall and sit contentedly near Bhagavan. In

the evening, she would go back to the town as other women did.

 

Once Lakshmi came into the Hall. She was pregnant at that time. It

was after lunch time when Bhagavan was reading the newspapers.

Lakshmi came near and started licking the papers. Bhagavan looked up

and said: " Wait a little, Lakshmi. " But Lakshmi went on licking.

Bhagavan laid his paper aside, put his hands behind Lakshmi's horns

and his head against hers. Like this they stayed for quite a long

time. I stood nearby looking at the wonderful scene. After some ten

minutes or so, Bhagavan turned to me and said: " Do you know what

Lakshmi is doing? She is in Samadhi. "

 

I looked at her and tears were flowing in streams down her broad

cheeks. Her breathing had stopped and her eyes were fixed on

Bhagavan. After some time Bhagavan changed his position and

asked: " Lakshmi, how do you feel now? " Lakshmi moved backward, as if

reluctant to turn her tail towards Bhagavan, walked round the Hall

and went out.

 

Shantammal, Eternal Bhagavan

 

 

..................................

 

Animals Treated as Equals

 

I looked around. Squatting on the floor or sitting in the Buddha

posture or lying prostrate face down, a number of Indians prayed-some

of them reciting their mantras out loud. Several small monkeys came

into the hall and approached Bhagavan. They climbed onto his couch

and broke the stillness with their gay chatter. He loved animals and

any kind was respected and welcomed by him in the ashram. They were

treated as equals of humans and always addressed by their names. Sick

animals were brought to Bhagavan and kept by him on his couch or on

the floor beside him until they were well. Many animals had died in

his arms. When I was there he had a much-loved cow who wandered in

and out of the hall, and often lay down beside him and licked his

hand. He loved to tell stories about the goodness of animals. It was

remarkable that none of the animals ever fought or attacked each

other.

 

Mercedes de Acosta, Here lies the Heart

 

 

..................................

 

The Maharshi Nurses Newborn Squirrels

 

In the roof of the Old Hall, squirrels would build nests. Once, some

new-born squirrels dropped on Bhagavan's sofa. Their eyes remained

yet unopened and the size of each baby may not have been more than an

inch; they were very red in color with fresh flesh, absolutely tender

to touch. The mother squirrel ignored them. Now what to do? How to

feed and attend to such tender things?

 

The baby squirrels were in the palm of Bhagavan. Bhagavan's face

glowed with love and affection for them. While there was a question

mark in the faces of those who surrounded Bhagavan, He Himself was

happy and cheerful. He asked for some cotton to be brought. He made a

soft bed for them. He also took a bit of cotton and squeezed it to

such a tiny end, the end portion looked like a sharp pin. He dipped

it in milk and squeezed milk into the tiny mouths. At regular

intervals, Bhagavan repeated this act of compassion. He tended them

with great care and love till they grew up and ran around. They did

not run away, only ran around their 'Mother'. Kinder far than their

own mother!

 

V. Ganesan, Moments Remembered

 

 

..................................

 

Keeps Company with Dying Deer

 

Once an Ashram deer was attacked by some animal and the wounds turned

from bad to worse. Sri Bhagavan sat near the deer and held its face

in his hands, looking at its tearful eyes. Sri Bhagavan sat like that

for a couple of hours. Chinnaswami asked my uncle who was standing

close to look after the deer and relieve Sri Bhagavan. Sri Bhagavan

heard this but did not make any response. Sri Bhagavan sat there till

the deer breathed its last. That was the compassion that Sri Bhagavan

had for that deer. Soon after, Sri Bhagavan went to the hall. There

is a Samadhi for the deer in the Ashram.

 

Dr. K. Subrahmanian, A Tribute

 

 

..................................

 

Ramana Maharshi and the Sacred Hill, Arunachala

Arunachala, Home to Many Siddhas

 

Arunachala is one of the oldest and most sacred of all India's holy

places. Sri Bhagavan declared that it is the 'Heart of the earth, the

spiritual center of the world.' Sri Shankara spoke of it as Mount

Meru. The Skanda Purana declares, " Of all, Arunachala is the most

sacred. It is the heart of the world. Know it to be the secret and

sacred Heart-center of Shiva. " Many saints have lived there, merging

their sanctity with that of the hill. It is said, and confirmed by

Bhagavan, that to this day Siddhas (Sages with supernatural powers)

dwell in its caves, whether with physical bodies or not, and some are

said to have seen them as lights moving about the hill at night.

 

Arthur Osborne, Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self Knowledge

 

 

..................................

 

Ocean of Nectar, Full of Grace,

Engulfing the universe in Thy Splendor!

O Arunachala, the Supreme Itself!

be Thou the Sun

and open the lotus of my heart in Bliss.

 

Hymn to Arunachala, five Stanzas to Arunachala

 

 

..................................

 

The Legend of Arunachala

 

In the legend of Arunachala, Vishnu represents the ego or

individuality and Brahma the mentality, while Shiva is Atma, the

Spirit. The main purport of the legend is that Shiva once appeared as

an infinite column of light. Because the column of Light was so

dazzling and impossible to look upon, both Brahma and Vishnu prayed

to Shiva to take a more benevolent and accessible form so that all

beings could worship Him and realize the goal of life. Shiva

accordingly took the form of the Arunachala Hill, declaring: " As the

moon derives its light from the sun, so other holy places will derive

their sanctity from Arunachala. This is the only place where I have

taken this form for the benefit of those who wish to worship me and

obtain illumination. Arunachala is OM itself. I will appear on the

summit of this hill every year at Kartikai in the form of a peace

giving beacon. " Kartikai is that day of the year when the

constellation of Kartikai (the Pleiades) is in conjunction with the

full moon - usually in November. On that night each year a huge

bonfire is built on top of the hill and appears from a distance as a

great fiery beacon. It is observed throughout the area and especially

by the thousands of devotees who circumambulate the hill, like a

living garland, slowly moving along the eight mile trail that

surrounds the base of the holy hill.

 

 

..................................

 

Am I Not Always With You?

 

In my coming and going I sometimes had to walk in the dark along a

jungle path skirting the hill and I would feel afraid. Bhagavan

noticed it once and said: " Why are you afraid, am I not with you? "

Bhagavan's brother, Chinnaswami, the manager of the Ashrama, asked

me, when I came at dusk: " How could you come all alone? Were you not

afraid? " Bhagavan rebuked him: " Why are you surprised? Was she alone?

Was I not with her all the time? "

 

Once Subbalakshmiamma and myself decided to walk around the hill. We

started very early, long before daybreak. We were quite afraid of the

jungle-there were snakes and panthers and evil-doers too. We soon saw

a strange blue light in front of us. It was uncanny and we thought it

was a ghost, but it led us along the path and soon we felt safe with

it. It left us with daylight.

 

Another time we two were walking around the hill early in the morning

and chattering about our homes and relatives. We noticed a man

following us at a distance. We had to pass through a stretch of

lonely forest, so we stopped to let him pass and go ahead. He too

stopped. When we walked, he also walked. We got quite alarmed, and

started praying: " Oh, Lord! Oh, Arunachala! Only you can help us,

only you can save us! " The man said suddenly: " Yes, Arunachala is our

only refuge. Keep your mind on Him constantly. It is His light that

fills all space. Always have Him in your mind. " We wondered who he

was. Was he sent by Bhagavan to remind us that it is not proper to

talk of worldly matters when going around the hill? Or was it

Arunachala Himself in human disguise? We looked back, but there was

nobody on the path! In so many ways Bhagavan made us feel that he was

always with us, until the conviction grew and became a part of our

nature.

 

Sampurnamma the Ashram Cook

 

 

..................................

 

Bearing and tending me in the world

in the shape of my father and mother,

Thou didst abide in my mind,

and before I fell into the deep sea

called Jaganmaya (universal illusion) and was drowned,

Thou didst draw me to Thee, Arunachala, Consciousness Itself,

.... such is the wonder of Thy Grace!

 

The Necklet of Nine Gems

 

 

..................................

 

Arunachala is Shiva Himself

 

Our happiness in the presence of Sri Bhagavan was comparable to the

joy of the hosts of Shiva on Mount Kailasa. Sri Bhagavan used to

say, " Kailasa is the abode of Shiva; Arunachala is Shiva Himself.

Even in Kailasa things are as they are with us here. Devotees go to

Shiva, worship Him, serve Him, and hear from him the interpretation

of the Vedas and Vedanta day in and day out. " So it was Kailasa at

the foot of the Arunachala Hill, and Arunachala Paramatma in human

form was Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

 

T.K. Sundaresa Iyer

 

 

..................................

 

What is the Way to Salvation?

 

My parents were farmers and my village is thirty miles from

Tiruvannamalai. Yearning for male progeny my mother and father

offered prayers to Lord Vinayaka (Ganesh). Thereafter, I and my

younger brother were born.

 

In my twentieth year, I came to know that the Kartikai Festival in

Tiruvannamalai was a grand affair. I became restless with a longing

to see it and left home for Arunachala. The night before I left I had

a dream of a sanyasin clad in only a loin cloth and surrounded by

brahmacharins. Adjacent to the hill was his hermitage where he gave

me darshan seated on a tiger's skin.

 

The next day I started off for Arunachala, but was not used to

walking long distances. I stopped in a village on the way and went to

the house of a family I knew. When they saw my haggard looks they

restrained me from continuing. I was locked in a room.

 

The time of the festival was running out. Because of my persistent

demands I was finally released. Only two hours were left before the

lighting of the deepam (light) on the hill and I had yet fifteen

miles to cover. In a frenzy, totally unconscious of my body, I ran. I

felt as if I floated in the air. I reached Arunachala at 5:30 p.m.

and had darshan of the deepam when it was lit at 6 p.m. Afterwards I

went to the Esanya Mutt and the people there welcomed me and asked me

to stay.

 

The next morning I started off for giripradakshina (circumambulation)

of Arunachala. Sri Ramanasramam was on the way and, as everyone was

going into the Ashrama to have darshan of Bhagavan, I followed. The

moment I saw him I was overcome with emotion and cried out, " When

will I be rid of this bondage? " I was visibly shaken. Bhagavan kindly

gestured to me that I should sit. I sat down for an hour and was

unconscious of my body. I had an urge to stay on there and asked

Chinnaswami (the Ashrama manager) for permission. He said, " You are

young. What can you do? Go back home. " But I did not leave. I

said, " Please give me any work. Bhagavan will give me the strength. "

As I would not leave, Chinnaswami relented and finally asked me to

remove the weeds from the flower garden. With much enthusiasm I did

the work of two people. Bhagavan also praised my work.

 

I would daily attend to the work given to me and when free would sit

in meditation. That was my only routine. One day I asked

Bhagavan, " Swami, what is the way to salvation? "

 

" The way you came, " was his simple reply. The moment I heard him say

this my mind froze.

 

Rangaswamy, Ramana Jyothi Journal

 

 

..................................

 

A Visit to Ramanashram

 

I left the hall (of the Maharshi's Samadhi) and walked onto the

sacred mountain, up the rocky paths towards the summit of Arunachala.

There, kneeling in the sun in a secluded circle of rocks, I did what

thousands of pilgrims through the ages have done before me and will

do after: I praised the God of Light and asked for liberation in this

life, so as to serve God in the body.

 

Andrew Harvey, Hidden Journey

 

 

..................................

 

More Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi

Know Who You Are !

 

It was in 1919 that I first came to Sri Bhagavan. He was then living

at Skandasramam on the slope of the Hill Arunachala. His mother and

brother lived with him. Palaniswami used to attend to his few

personal wants. Plague had driven away most of the inhabitants of the

town and consequently visitors to Sri Bhagavan were few. I was,

therefore, left alone with Sri Bhagavan most of the time. I related

to him all the spiritual practices I had been doing, what I had been

studying, and what experiences I had. At that time I was very unhappy

because in spite of all I had done I was unable to experience

samadhi. After patiently hearing me out, Bhagavan quoted from

Kaivalya Navaneet

 

" If you realize who you are, there is no cause for sorrow. "

" So if you come to understand who you are, then there is peace, " said

Bhagavan.

 

Well, I did not know what was meant by " know who you are. " Bhagavan

went on to explain that the mind is only a bundle of thoughts and

that if I seek the source of all thoughts I would be drawn into the

Heart. He simultaneously pointed to his Heart. Bhagavan was looking

at me intently and I focused my attention in the manner he instructed

me and within a few minutes I was led into samadhi. I was thrilled.

Coming to my senses we went for lunch. Then again, I sat before him

and by a single look he put me into that blissful state. This

experience occurred again and again-during all seventeen days that I

stayed with Bhagavan. I was like one intoxicated. I was absolutely

indifferent to everything. I had no curiosity to see anything, no

desire whatsoever. What I did I did most mechanically. I would have

continued to live in this state if it had not occurred to me that it

was not proper to partake of the food that was offered to Sri

Bhagavan by his devotees without paying anything.

 

I thought that he had initiated me into the experience of Brahman and

that I had nothing more to gain by staying in his presence. I,

therefore, returned to my native place and began to practise

meditation in a room in my house all by myself. I could succeed to

gain and retain that experience only for a few days; it started to

diminish gradually and at last one day it was lost. I could not

regain the experience. I decided to return to Sri Bhagavan. This I

did, and great good fortune awaited me when I came.

 

Kunju Swami

 

 

..................................

 

The Stillness of His Mind Haunted Me

 

1939. " Bhagavan, " I said on a day then near my hut, " I feel a strong

urge to go on Yatra (pilgrimage). I feel that I need a change for

some months, which I intend spending in holy places. " He smiled

approval and enquired about the date and time of my starting and

whether I had made arrangements for my stay in the various places I

was to visit. Extremely touched by his solicitude, I answered that I

was going as a sadhu, trusting to chance for accommodation.

 

For three months thereafter I lay on a mat in Cape Comorin, immensely

relieved of the mental tension which the Master's physical form had

caused me. In solitude I plunged into reflections on his blissful

silence and calm repose. The stillness of his mind haunted me

everywhere I went - in the beautiful, gem-like temple of the youthful

virgin goddess, on the shores of the vast blue ocean around me and

the sand dunes, in the fishing villages and endless stretches of

coconut groves, which ran along the seashore and the interior of the

Cape. I felt his influence in the depth of my soul and cried: " Oh

Bhagavan, how mighty you are and how sublime and all pervasive is the

immaculate purity of your mind! With what tender emotions do we, your

disciples, think of your incomparable qualities, your gentleness;

your serene, adorable countenance; your cool, refreshing smiles; the

sweetness of the words that come out of your mouth; the radiance of

your all-embracing love; your equal vision towards one and all.

 

S.S. Cohen, Guru Ramana

 

 

..................................

 

A Jnani has No Separate Will of His Own

 

In the evening Sri Bhagavan recalled a marvelous occurrence. He

said, " Some time ago, a paralytic was brought in a conveyance and

brought into the Hall in the arms of some persons and placed before

me. I was looking at him as usual. After about half an hour, the man

with some effort got up by himself, prostrated, and rising came

forward and handed to me a notebook. I found it to be his horoscope

wherein it was stated that he would have darshan of a Mahatma by

whose Grace he would be cured miraculously. The man after expressing

his fervent gratitude walked by himself to his conveyance outside the

Hall. All people present were struck with wonder which I also shared

because I had not consciously done anything for him. " Now Sri

Bhagavan again repeated that a Jnani could not have any sankalpa

(will) of his own.

 

Subbaramayya, My Reminiscences of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi

 

 

..................................

 

Bhagavan once remarked, referring to himself, " In this state it is as

difficult to think a thought as it is for those in bondage to be

without thoughts. " I also remember him telling us, " You ask me

questions and I reply and talk to you. If I do not speak or do

anything, I am automatically drawn within, and where I am I do not

know. "

 

N. Balaram Reddy, My Reminiscences

 

 

..................................

 

Initiated into the Search for the Self

 

In 1927, three other ladies and I went to Tiruvannamalai. By that

time Bhagavan had come down from the hill and was living in a hut

near his mother's samadhi (grave). We rented a place in the town, had

a bath and went to see him. He was seated on a cot in a grass-

thatched shed. Muruganar was by his side. As soon as I saw him I knew

he was God in human form. I bowed to him and said, " The dream of my

life has come true. Today I am blessed. Grant that my mind does not

trouble me anymore. "

 

Bhagavan turned to Muruganar and said: " Ask her to find out whether

there is such a thing as mind. If there is, ask her to describe it. "

 

I stood still, not knowing what to say. Muruganar explained to

me, " Don't you see? You have been initiated in the search for the

Self. "

 

Shantammal

 

 

..................................

 

Teachings of Ramana Maharshi

 

Don't entertain thoughts of imperfection, the lack of desirable

qualities, etc. You are already perfect. Get rid of the idea of

imperfection or the need for development. There is nothing to realize

or annihilate. You are the Self. The ego does not exist. Pursue the

Enquiry and see if there is anything to be realized or annihilated.

See if there is any mind to be controlled. The effort is being made

by the mind which, in reality, does not exist.

 

 

..................................

 

Ramana Maharshi - An Avatar of Skanda

 

In 1908, from January to March, Nayana (Ganapati Muni) lived with the

Maharshi at the Pachai Amman Temple. One early morning Nayana and

other disciples were all sitting in front of the Maharshi who was, as

usual, indrawn. The Muni saw a sparkling light come down from the sky

and touch the forehead of the Maharshi six times. The Maharshi also

was aware of what was happening. Immediately the Muni had the

intuitive realization that the Maharshi was none other than an

incarnation of Lord Skanda.

 

Sri K. Natesan

 

This was later confirmed in an indirect way by the Maharshi himself.

Skanda by tradition was a son of God Shiva. He presides over the

process of enlightenment and is also called Subramanium, Karttikeya

(Child of the Pleiades), Murugan and other names.

 

 

..................................

 

An Invisible Being Accompanies Him

 

During those days I had a dream. A resplendent lady with a luminous

face was seated by Bhagavan's side on the sofa and Bhagavan was

adorning her with meticulous care. Another lady, as beautiful and

full of light and splendor, was moving about the Ashram, doing all

kinds of service. I asked Bhagavan how it was that he was giving so

much attention to one and none to the other. Then I woke up. When I

told my dream to Muruganar, he told me that it was true that an

invisible being was always near Bhagavan. She was the Goddess of

Salvation and Muruganar had composed several songs about her.

 

Shantammal

 

 

..................................

 

Gives Boon of Vision of Rama

 

In May 1933 on my 36th birthday, after the usual bath and prayers, I

sat in Sri Bhagavan's presence in a pensive mood. I addressed a

prayer in the Tamil viruttam style to Sri Bhagavan complaining, " O

Bhagavan, I have completed three-and-a-half decades and yet have not

had the experience of the real you. Pray let me have this day the

touch of your grace. " Handing over this slip of paper I prostrated

before him. Bhagavan bade me sit down and gazed steadily at me; I was

still in a pensive and meditative mood. All of a sudden I lost body-

consciousness and was absorbed in Sri Maharshi. I was turned inward

and the voice of Bhagavan bade me see whatever I desired. I felt that

if I could have the darshan of Sri Rama my life would be fruitful, as

I was very much devoted to Sri Rama. I had then immediately a darshan

of Sri Rama, with Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Satrughna and Hanuman.

The ecstasy of the vision defied description; I simply sat on with

Maharshi perhaps gazing on me without my being aware of his gaze. Two

hours may thus have passed in pin-drop silence, lost in the vision,

until it vanished. I prostrated at the feet of Sri Maharshi, with

tears of ecstasy in my eyes and my hair standing on end. To

Bhagavan's enquiry I replied that I, of course, had seen my dear Rama.

 

T.K.Sundaresa Iyer

 

 

..................................

 

Meeting a " Long Distance " Devotee

 

After reaching London, I took an early opportunity to go to Epsom,

which was about three quarters of an hour journey by train to meet

Mrs. Victoria Doe at her quiet residence, at 17, St. Martins Avenue.

It was on May 19, 1946, Mrs. Doe, who was nearing 80, lived with her

only daughter, Miss Leena Doe. She had never come to India, never

seen Bhagavan Sri Ramana in flesh and blood. Yet I was deeply moved

by her devotion to Him. She had read about Him, prayed to Him,

meditated on Him and lived in Him day in and day out. There was

something trans-mundane, something related to a sphere other than the

physical world that occasioned my visit to this elderly lady, who was

a recluse to the social life in England. It seems she had written to

the Ashram that much as she would have liked to go over to India to

have a darshan of Sri Bhagavan, her circumstances did not permit it,

and that she was very desirous of at least meeting some one who had

seen him and had the good fortune to sit at his feet. Hence, the

visit I paid her on the suggestion from the Ashram, was, in fact, the

fulfillment of her long cherished desire.

 

Mrs. Doe, with shaking hands, took from her shelves sheaves of

letters received from the Ashram and after kissing them with great

reverence handed them over to me for perusal. All those were letters

from the Ashram and had been meticulously preserved by her for many

years. She had also with her all the English Publications of Sri

Ramanasramam. She opened one of the books and running her shaky

finger along the inscription on the first page " with Gracious

Blessings from Sri Bhagavan " , burst into tears of joy and devotion.

When she composed herself, she said " Mr. Nambiar, how lucky you are

to have been able to be with Him, to see Him and hear Him speak. Here

we treasure these books and letters as representing Him. Now He has

sent you here. I feel that He is with us now " . Such love, such

devotion to the Sage, so tenderly expressed, moved me to the depths

of my being. Verily His Kingdom is the Heart of the devotee, and I

have always found Him there enthroned.

 

K. K. Nambier

 

 

..................................

 

In the Self There is No Space-Time

 

Mr. and Mrs. S. were visitors from Peru to the Ashram. The couple

narrated all their story to Bhagavan, all the privations they had

undergone to have a look at Sri Maharshi. Bhagavan was all kindness

to them; He heard their story with great concern, and then

remarked: " You need not have taken all this trouble. You could well

have thought of me from where you were, and so could have had all the

consolation of a personal visit. " This remark of Sri Bhagavan they

could not easily understand, nor did it give them any consolation as

they sat at His feet like Mary. Sri Maharshi did not want to disturb

their pleasure in being in His immediate vicinity, and so He left

them at that.

 

Later in the evening Sri Maharshi was enquiring about their day-to-

day life, and incidentally their talk turned to Peru. The couple

began picturing the landscape of Peru and were describing the sea-

coast and the beach of their own town. Just then Maharshi

remarked: " Is not the beach of your town paved with marble slabs, and

are not coconut palms planted in between? Are there not marble

benches in rows facing the sea there and did you not often sit on the

fifth of those with your wife? " This remarks of Sri Maharshi created

astonishment in the couple. How could Sri Bhagavan, who had never

gone out of Tiruvannamalai, know so intimately such minute details

about their own place? Sri Maharshi only smiled and remarked: " It

does not matter how I can tell. Enough if you know that in the Self

there is no Space-Time. "

 

 

..................................

 

Ramana Maharshi's Detachment from the body

 

Once at Skandasramam, after Bhagavan and I had a bath and he was

drying his body with a towel, I noticed that down from his knee to

his ankle the skin had peeled off and blood was oozing. I asked him

what the matter was with his leg. He said he did not know. I

asked, " Is it not from your legs that blood is oozing? You seem to

know nothing about it! " He replied very casually, " When I was sitting

down, the fire from the charcoal brazier in which incense powder was

being burnt might have burnt my skin and caused this sore. " I at once

sent for some ointment and applied it to his legs. From this I

learned how, completely detached from his body, Bhagavan lived only

in the Self

 

Yogi Ranganathan

 

 

..................................

 

Ramana Maharshi, End of the Body, and After

Visit From District Medical Officer

 

I was left alone with Bhagavan. As usual, he did not speak with me. I

was also silent. But the vibrations that emanated from him were

celestial. His body must have been in terrific, mortal pain, but his

heavenly spirituality was unaffected by it. A rapturous thrill

electrified my entire being.

 

I administered to his body; but I was hardly conscious that I was a

District Medical Officer. I was conscious only of an intense desire

to worship this illumined soul. I had learned that Bhagavan did not

allow devotees to touch his feet. But I felt a deep urge within me

not only to touch his blessed feet but to press them lovingly. I took

courage in both my hands and pressed them. The wonder of wonders!

Bhagavan let me do so! His grace was abounding. I considered myself

in the seventh heaven. I glorify those few minutes of my life.

 

Dr. Lt. Col. P. V. Karamchandani

 

 

..................................

 

Final Darshan

 

The end came on the 10th of April, 1950. That evening the sage gave

darsana to the devotees that came. All that were present in the

Asrama knew that the end was nearing. They sat singing Ramana's hymn

to Arunachala with the refrain Arunachala-Shiva. The sage asked his

attendants to make him sit up. He opened his luminous and gracious

eyes for a brief while; there was a smile; a tear of bliss trickled

down from the outer corner of his eyes; and at 8:47 p.m. the

breathing stopped. There was no struggle, no spasm, none of the signs

of death. At that very moment, a comet moved slowly across the sky,

reached the summit, of the holy hill, Arunachala, and disappeared

behind it.

 

T.M.P Mahadevan, Bhagavan Ramana

 

 

..................................

 

Departure from the Body

 

On the final evening, thousands were cramped into the ashram grounds

around Bhagavan's room. A gloomy mood enveloped the area, as

Bhagavan's end was anticipated at any moment. The fan being waved

over Bhagavan's body by the attendant was visible through the door,

and all eyes were fixed on it. knowing that when it ceased moving,

Bhagavan's heart would have ceased beating.

 

Shortly there after, the fan stopped, the famed meteor slowly floated

across the heavens, and it was all over. The light that illumined the

earth as Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi had now merged with the Eternal

Light, the source of all creation.

 

N. Balaram Reddy, My Reminiscences

 

 

..................................

 

A Big Star in the Sky!

 

Later in the evening, after dinner, my wife and I with children came

out into the courtyard and were discussing among ourselves where to

sit, when suddenly my younger son, Vijayan started looking at the

sky. " Papa, see what is in the sky, a big star? " We all looked up.

Somewhere in the western sky was a bright meteor moving at an unusual

speed, too slow for a shooting star, and too fast for an aircraft. My

immediate intuition was about Bhagavan and I exclaimed, " It is

Bhagavan passing away " .

 

K. K Nambiar, Guiding Presence of Sri Ramana

 

 

..................................

 

A Luminous Shooting Star Unlike Any Other

 

At about 9 p.m., Monsieur Cartier-Brassen, the French photographer,

who has been here for about a fortnight with his wife, related an

experience of his to me. " It is a most astonishing experience, " he

said. " I was in the open space in front of my house, when my friends

drew my attention to the sky, where I saw a vividly-luminous shooting

star with a luminous tail, unlike any shooting star I had before

seen, coming from the South, moving slowly across the sky and,

reaching the top of Arunachala, disappeared behind it. Because of its

singularity we all guessed its import and then raced to the Ashram

only to find that our premonition had been only too sadly true: the

Master had passed into Mahanirvana at that very minute. " Several

other devotees in the Ashram and in the town later told me that they

too had seen the tell-tale meteor.

 

S. S. Cohen, Memoirs and Notes

 

 

..................................

 

Where Shall I Go? I Shall Always Be Here

 

When Sri Ramana lay dying, people went to him and begged him to

remain for a while longer as they needed his help. His reply is well

known.

 

" Go! Where can I go? I shall always be here. "

 

A.W. Chadwick, A Sadhu's Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi

 

 

..................................

 

Was He Not Purna (Complete) From Birth?

 

I have often wondered about the great event which formed a turning

point in Bhagavan's life, the dramatisation of the act of death he

conducted about six weeks before he left Madurai (his childhood home)

for good. Was it this dramatisation alone that transformed the school

boy into a sage? Was he not purna (complete) even from the instant of

His birth on December 30th, 1879? Did not the blind lady who

delivered Him see a bright light as he was born? Was there not a link

between this light and the meteor that cut a golden path across the

sky and faded over Arunachala at the moment of His passing? Did He

not at the age of ten contemplate on death when His father died? Was

it not a fact that in His youth nobody could wake Him up from sleep,

even by severely beating Him? I sincerely feel that out of compassion

for us, and so we may not swerve from His teachings, he chose to hide

the Supreme State He was experiencing from the very day of His birth.

His decision to wear only a kaupina (loin cloth) after throwing away

all his possessions on September 1st, 1896 was not for His own

edification. It was for us He did this. He Himself later

observed " Some power acts through the body of a Jivanmukta (realized

being) and uses his body to get the work done. "

 

Sri V.S. Ramanan

 

 

..................................

 

Teachings of Ramana Maharshi

 

If a man considers he is born he cannot avoid the fear of death. Let

him find out if he has been born or if the Self has any birth. He

will discover that the Self always exists, that the body which is

born resolves itself into thought and that the emergence of thought

is the root of all mischief. Find where from thoughts emerge. Then

you will abide in the ever-present inmost Self and be free from the

idea of birth or the fear of death.

 

 

..................................

 

I Am Not the Body

 

At first people felt lost (after his passing), they had relied too

much on the personal form, though Bhagavan himself had repeatedly

warned them: " You attach too much importance to this body, I am not

the Body. "

 

Still it was only natural that this body should be missed, though as

time went on the loss became gradually less keen, his presence was

felt so strongly in the Ashram, and daily the feeling of this actual

presence grew. A visitor remarked to me lately, " One does not miss

the presence of Bhagavan in the Ashram, he is there just as he was

before. " And this is true. He is there and he is surely working and

the Ashram will grow in strength and renown as time goes on.

 

There have been dark days since that night three years ago. But,

those days are past. The Ashram has taken on a new life. There is a

new feeling in the air and the stagnation is over. The Veda Patasala

school has been revived and pujas are now performed so carefully and

enthusiastically that the whole place rings up with the vibrations

thus set up. I went away never to return, but he brought me back. And

now I thank him every day that I have been allowed to take part in

this renaissance. It is thrilling to the core to feel it happening.

One should have known that it was bound to be like this all the time,

for how could anything happen to the place he had sanctified with his

presence for so long. The whole of India was blessed by his life, how

much more so the place in which he made his home.

 

Major Allen Chadwick

 

 

..................................

 

If You Look Within, I Am There

 

(At the time of Bhagavan's passing) I was at Rajapalayam. That night

I saw a blue light beautifully rising up into the sky. I knew

Bhagavan had left the body. I felt that I did not want to live after

that and started a fast. By fasting I wanted to drop the body. After

five or six days of not touching food I had several visions. In one

of them I was taken inside the Arunachala Hill and saw there rishis

performing yagnas and yoga. I also saw Sri Bhagavan seated there.

Some munis or rishis offered some prasad to Bhagavan. Then Sri

Bhagavan himself gave it to me, and I was made to eat. I remembered

that I was fasting, but couldn't refuse Bhagavan's prasad. How can I

say that it was a dream? I consider it was Bhagavan's grace alone. He

also said to me, " You say and repeat 'I have gone away, I have gone

away'. Where have I gone? I am right here. You are not looking

inward. If you look within, I am there. "

 

For many days afterwards the smell of that prasad lingered. The aroma

even spread all through the house. My brother and sisters kept

talking about it. When I was fasting, my brother and sister were also

fasting with me. The morning following that vision we started taking

food again.

 

In the dream I also remember Bhagavan was seated near a tank and

rishis and munis were serving him. He looked splendid, gracious,

magnanimous, and magnificent. It was a beautiful sight. I saw there

Kamadhenu, the celestial cow, the celestial tree, and many other

wonderful things. It was a divine sight indeed. From that day onwards

I had no thought at all that Bhagavan had left us. He is all

pervading, and I experienced him particularly in my heart. I no

longer felt sorrow. He is even here now. When I came again to

Tiruvannamalai I was filled with bliss. You can feel Bhagavan's

presence every minute. Right this very minute I feel his Divine

Presence. I have no unhappiness. I am happy all the time. Sri

Bhagavan's Presence is so overpowering.

 

Rajapalayam Ramani Ammal

 

 

..................................

 

A Devotee in Romania

 

First, I would like to tell you a little story which made me wonder

how life can be sometimes unpredictable and yet so beautiful. There

is a friend of mine in Romania who is a fully qualified medical

doctor. She earns about $50 a month, which is almost less than what a

person needs to live on in Romania. She is working about two hundred

miles from Bucharest in the only office which services a group of

villages. Everyday she wakes up at 5 a.m., takes an unheated train,

changes two buses, or hitchhikes on trucks to travel to those remote

villages. Her husband left her and went to France four years ago.

Lately, she had been suffering with headaches, anxiety and increasing

moments of depression. One day she happened to read a book wherein

something about Bhagavan was mentioned. Other names were also

mentioned in that book, but somehow only Ramana Maharshi's name kept

coming back to her. When she told me briefly about this experience I

had the sudden idea to send her my photo of Sri Ramana. And one day

(this was when she had just started to take some anti-depressant

medicine), exhausted, she felt like sitting on the floor. She then

shifted into the padmasana position-without really knowing what she

was doing-and gazed at that photo of Ramana, which she had come to

love dearly. She then gave over all her pain and suffering to

Bhagavan and was immediately filled with so much peace and love that

she at once quit the medicine and felt at peace and at ease. She now

gathers the necessary courage and strength each day by simply gazing

into the eyes of Bhagavan.

 

I wanted to write this to you and share my wonderment at how a

sincere call of the heart can be responded to even when the person

lives far away in a remote area, knows no English, knows nothing of

the spiritual teachings which have been, in fact, forbidden in her

country for almost fifty years. She didn't really talk much about

what she experienced. She said with these things it is better to

remain silent, with which I totally agree.

 

Yolanda Levi, letter sent to New York Arunachala Ashram

 

 

..................................

 

" If we progress the world progresses. As you are, so is the world.

Without understanding the Self what is the use of understanding the

world? Without Self-knowledge, knowledge of the world is of no use.

Dive inward and find the treasure hidden there. Open your heart and

see the world through the eyes of the true Self. Tear aside the veils

and see the divine majesty of your own Self. "

 

Ramana Maharshi - Sage of Arunachala HillRamana

http://www.cosmicharmony.com/Sp/Ramana/Ramana.htm