Fwd: Bhakti and Jnanam

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advaitin , V Subrahmanian

<subrahmanian_v> wrote:

 

Bhakti and Jnanam

 

Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi was a Poorna Jnani in whom Poorna

Bhakti too manifested. To a question: Devotional music also helps

one to develop Bhakti, does it not?

Bhagavan: Yes, yes.

Q:Can the Bhakti marga be followed with advantage? Would it lead

to Jnana?

Bhagavan: Yes, yes. Bhakti is Jnana-maata, ie., the Mother of

Jnanam. The spark of Jnana will easily consume all creation as if it

were a mountain-heap of cotton. All the crores of worlds being

built upon the weak (or no) foundation of the ego, they all topple

down when the atomic bomb of Jnanam comes down upon them. All talk

of surrender is like pinching jaggery from the jaggery image of Lord

Ganesa and offering it as naivedyam to the same Lord Ganesa. You say

you offer your body, soul and all possessions to God. Were they

yours that you could offer them? At best you can only say, 'I

falsely imagined till now that all these which are Yours were

mine. Now I realise they are Yours. I shall no more act as if they

are mine.' And this Knowledge that there is nothing but God or

Self, that I and mine don't exist and that only the Self exists is

Jnanam. Thus there is no difference between Bhakti and Jnanam.

(Based on an account in the Book: Day by Day with Bhagavan by Sri

A.Devaraja Mudaliar)

*****

 

Bhagavan Ramana was 'pulled' by Lord Arunachala to Tiruvannamalai

which became his home, a permanent Home. For Bhagavan, the Saguna

Iswara was equally captivating as the Nirguna Brahman, in the

meditation of which he was lost in Samadhi for several days in the

Paathaala Lingam during his early days. Smt Suri Nagamma, a

devotee of Bhagavan, who turned out to be an excellent chronicler to

the happenings at the Ramanashram, reports in her 'Letters from

Ramanashramam':

 

The day before yesterday being full moon, the usual Deepotsava was

celebrated on a grand scale. This morning Sri Arunachaleswarar

started for giri pradakshina (going round the Hill) with the usual

retinue and devotees and accompaniment of music. By the time the

procession reached the Asramam Gate, Sri Niranjanananda Swami came

out with Asramam devotees, offered coconuts and camphor to Sri

Arunachaleswarar, and paid homage when the procession was stopped

and the priests performed Arati to the God. Just then Sri Bhagavan

happened to be going towards the Goshala (cowshed) and seeing the

grandeur he sat down on the pial near the tap by the side of the

book depot. The Arati plate offered to the Lord was brought to

Bhagavan by Asramam devotees and Sri Bhagavan took a little Vibhuti

(holy ashes) and applied it to his forehead, saying in an

undertone " Appaavukku Pillai Adakkam " = The son is beholden to the

father. His voice seemed choked with emotion as he spoke. The

expression on

his face proved the ancient saying " bhakti poornathayaa Janam " = the

culmination of Devotion is Knowledge). Sri Bhagavan is Lord Siva's

son. Sri Ganapathi Muni's saying that he is Skanda incarnate was

confirmed. It struck us that Bhagavan was teaching us that since

all creatures are children of Iswara, even a Jnani should be

beholden to Iswara.

 

Om Tat Sat

 

 

 

 

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