Today is the Sivaratri Day

[Guest guest]

T.K. Sundaresa IyerIT WAS SIVARATRI DAY. The evening worship at theMother's shrine was over.The devotees had their dinner with Sri Bhagavan, whowas now on his seat; the devotees at His feet sittingaround him.At 8:00 p.m. one of the sadhus stood up, did pranam(offered obeisance), and with folded hands prayed:"Today is the Sivaratri Day; we should be highlyblessed by Sri Bhagavan expounding to us the meaningof the Hymn to Dakshinamurthy (stotra)."Says Bhagavan: "Yes, sit down."The sadhu sat, and all eagerly looked at Sri Bhagavan;Sri Bhagavan looked at them. Sri Bhagavan sat in hisusual pose, no, poise. No words, no movement, and allwas stillness! He sat still, and all sat still,waiting. The clock went on striking, nine, ten,eleven, twelve, one, two and three.Sri Bhagavan sat and they sat. Stillness, calmness,motionless-not conscious of the body, of space ortime.Thus eight hours passed in Peace, in Silence, inBeing, as It is. Thus was the Divine Reality taughtthrough the speech of Silence by Bhagavan SriRamana-Dakshinamurthy.At the stroke of 4:00 a.m. Sri Bhagavan quietly said:"And now have you known the essence of theDakshinamurthy Hymn?" All the devotees stood and madepranam to the holy form of the Guru in the ecstasy oftheir Being.=====