maunam

[Guest guest]

This is an illustrative anecdote about His Holiness Chandrashekhara Bharati

Sringeri Mahaswamigal

***

" On one occasion a disciple entered a room where His Holiness was seated alone.

His Holiness signed him to sit down and remained silent for about 20 minutes.

The disciple enjoyed an indescribable peace and exaltation during that time. The

disciple then thought he saw His Holiness smile and looked up. Immediately, His

Holiness asked, " Shall I tell you (why I smiled)? " The disciple naturally

replied: " If Your Holiness is so pleased " . Then His Holiness said: " I was in

perfect peace when a thought disturbed it. I realized that you were sitting near

me and perhaps expected me to speak. This led me to the further thought that if

I had to meet your expectations I must speak. I recollected that " to speak " was

a transitive verb regarding an object. I thought therefore that I must find an

object, as otherwise there could be no speech. Then I recollected that all the

objects in the universe come under either of two categories, the true and the

false. The true is

Brahman and the false is the world of form. Either of these two things must

therefore be spoken of. But the Vedanta has declared in unmistakable terms that

Brahman, the true, is beyond all speech and even all thought. So Brahman as an

object of speech was out of the question. There was thus only the world to be

talked about. But regarding the world, the Vedanta was equally emphatic, that it

was anirvachaniya or incapable of being explained in words. So the world also

seemed to be out of the question as a fit object of speech. There was no third

entity available. " " There was, therefore, no object fit to be the object of

speech. For want of an object, there could be no speech. When I came to this

conclusion, I realized that I had come back only to wherefrom I started and that

I need not have allowed these thoughts to disturb me. " " The example of a cart

man who drove his cart during the night by by-paths to avoid the toll-gate, but

found himself at break

of dawn, just in front of it, suggested itself to Me. Evidently I smiled at

Myself for all this waste of time, of thought and you looked up. " After saying

this His Holiness relapsed into silence. "

***

 

Hari OM

Shri Gurubhyoh namah

Shyam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

About speaking - here is interesting quote.

 

Speak you must. Yet ask your self:

Do you speak because you have something to say? Or

You speak because you have to say something? - Swami Iswarananda

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda