A Scientist Becomes A Vedantin, #6 & last

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A Scientist Becomes A Vedantin The Effect of Bhagavan's Darshan

 

 

 

This article, written anonymously in Tamil by a scientist,

was received by Ramanasramam on 15th april, 1946.

It remained unpublished until it appeared in Tamil in the

1996 Advent Centenary Souvenir. This first English translation

by T.V. Venkatasubramanian and David Godman, is a

slightly abridged version of the original article.

 

.....

(cont)

 

 

 

 

After getting a good intellectual grasp of this teaching, the young man returned home. Once again he engaged himself in the study of science, but now his aim has changed. He knew that he should use the imperfect mind to go back to its source, the Self. The young man knew that for this to be accomplished, the mind's desires and attachments - attachment to sense objects - should go. The mind should become strong; it should engage in vichara unceasingly and realize the truth. The young man also knew that for this to be accomplished, the grace of the Guru was needed. Those heroic ones who are endowed with a keen intellect will immediately engage themselves in sadhana. Others, though they live in the world, must enquire, through the power of the Guru's grace and with a discriminating intellect, into the joys and sorrows they experience and should pay close attention to what they have to learn from these various experiences. In order that the mind does not get deceived and become involved in the joys and sorrows of worldly life one should curtail one's worldly needs; one should take sattvic food in moderation; one should live in harmony with nature; and whatever one does, it should not be a hindrance to spiritual sadhana. Though this life is unreal and dreamlike, the experience we get from it will not gain in vain. We should remain alert and pay attention only to the truth learnt from this experience. All this will be very useful for sadhana. It was only with this aim that the young man continued to read science. He did not aspire to get either a higher qualification or an elevated position. Whatever subjects he learned, he did not learn them with the intention of getting high status and wealth. He first attained a good proficiency in all the subjects he had taken up for study and then went into service as a teacher. With love and respects towards everyone, and without compromising on his self-respect, he is living courageously, keeping everyone satisfied. The reason for all this is that, through the grace of the Guru and his instructions on the Self, he became a vedantin. In truth, the Guru's grace and the instructions he gives on the Self are one and the same. Vedantins do not exist without the light of Vedanta. That light of vedanta is only Iswara. that same light is now shining in the form bearing the name "Sri Ramana maharshi". Let us pray to him with all our heart, obtain his grace and abide in bliss.

~ completed

taken from The Mountain Path, Deepam 2004