Spiritual Stories: Post #8 “PEACE IS THE SOLE CRITERION”

[Guest guest]

MURUGA SARANAM

 

17th Sep 2006

Spiritual Stories: Post #8 " PEACE IS THE SOLE CRITERION "

 

Dear Members..

 

When we face problems, we might have heard that silence is the best solution at times. This story, 8th in the series of spiritual stories by Bhagwan Ramana Maharishi, also talks about silence. But this silence is different and higher in nature. This silence is a great solution for all our problems. It is the silence that one attains after transcending the mind. This silence comes after understanding everything. A peace that accompanies this silence is probably called as The Bliss. Without further elaboration, I feel it would be more helpful for you to directly read the story itself.

 

May All Glories be to Arumuga The Beautiful.

 

Mayil Nadamiduvon Malaradi Saranam

 

With Best Regards

Meyyappan S

 

 

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The Story begins here

 

PEACE IS THE SOLE CRITERION

When asked about the characteristics of a

jnani, Bhagavan said, " They are described in books, such as the Bhagavad Gita, but we must bear in mind that the jnani's state is one which transcends the mind. It cannot be described by the mind. Only Silence can correctly describe this state and its characteristics. Silence is more effective than speech. From Silence came the ego, from the ego came thought, and from thought came speech. So if speech is effective, how much more effective must be its original source! " Then, in this connection Sri Bhagavan related the following story.

TATTVARAYA COMPOSED A bharani (a kind of poetic composition in Tamil) in honour of his Guru Swarupananda and convened an assembly of learned pandits to hear the work and assess its value. The pandits raised the objection that a bharani was only composed in honour of great heroes capable of killing a thousand elephants, and that it was not in order to compose such a work in honour of an ascetic. Thereupon the author said, " Let us all go to my guru and we shall have this matter settled there. " They went to the guru and, after all had taken their seats, the author told his guru the purpose of their coming there. The guru sat silent and all the others also remained in mauna. The whole day passed, night came, and some more days and nights, and yet all sat there silently, no thought at all occurring to any of them and nobody asked why they had come there. After three or four days like this, the guru moved his mind a bit, and thereupon the assembly regained their thought activity. They then declared, " Conquering a thousand elephants is nothing compared to the guru's power to conquer the rutting elephants of all our egos put together. So certainly he deserves the bharani in his honour! "

 

Ends

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