The Maharshi and the Impersonal Self

July 8, 2005

THE MAHARSHI

January/February 2004Vol. 14 - No. 1

Produced & Edited byDennis HartelDr. Anil K. Sharma

Letters and Comments

The Maharshi and the Impersonal Self

I have one question after reading this newsletter [Nov/Dec 2003 issue], and that is, what exactly does it mean to say that the Maharshi still exists as the Self. The Maharshi is there spoken of as if he had a specific identity to whom one could relate. The problem becomes obvious when one considers that if he has indeed merged with the Absolute, he could not be distinguishable from it as Maharshi. I don’t object to saying that he has merged with the Ocean of Being, or the Absolute; the confusion is that, having done so, he would no longer be Maharshi any more than any other who has thus merged. To speak of Maharshi, as opposed to Buddha, or Franklin Merrell-Wolff, etc., would be contradictory. So, does the Maharshi exist separate from the Self, or is he identified (if one can say this) as the Absolute, indistinguishable from it? To say that he still exists without a body, as if he

were different from the Self, makes little sense. I don’t see how one can have it both ways. Can you have your Maharshi and the impersonal Self? Is the Self somehow aware as Maharshi...? What do you think?

Steven, USA

Did the Maharshi extend his guidance and grace to seekers while he was embodied? If you put this question to those who earnestly sought his company and guidance, undoubtedly the answer would be a resounding “Yes”. Many felt his influence from both far and near during the years he resided at Arunachala. If that was so then, what obstructs the same guidance and grace now? The disappearance of a physical body, you say.For those with a limited vision of Reality the Maharshi ‘appeared’ to occupy a body and responded to seekers who sought his grace and guidance. This was perceived by the seekers and existed in accordance with the Divine scheme for the ultimate liberation of souls.

We must remember that the Maharshi existed as the ‘Self’ alone. With our limitations we perceived him to be embodied. He was not a body or a personality. We identify our self with our limited body and mind. He did not. “Maharshi: The error lies in the identification of the Self with the body. If Bhagavan is the body you may ask that body. But understand him whom you address as Bhagavan. He is not the body. He is the Self.”

The Maharshi was totally merged in the Absolute even before he arrived at Tiruvannamalai in 1896. There was no question of a body or personality for him then, even as there is no question of a body or personality for him now.

For their own edification, seekers sought his company while he appeared in time and space and occupied a body. This was their perception only, from their limited level of understanding. As I already said, he was not a body then nor is he now. His parting words on the matter are telling: “People say I am going away. Go! Where can I go? I am here.”

Therefore the question of the Maharshi merging in the Absolute at the time of death cannot be posed. He was and ‘is’ the Absolute now and always.

The Maharshi was very reserved in expressing any outward signs of influence upon the spiritual state of those who came to him. Nevertheless he did so, and in dramatic ways; sheltered from public gaze, he acted within the consciousness of those seekers who approached him physically, or just mentally from a distance. Since his Mahasamadhi, I have heard untold number of testimonies from those who have experienced his presence and grace in dreams or in the waking state, or stories of rapturous encounters by simply looking at his photo. I have also seen and heard of marvelous occurrences of intervention which go far beyond the barriers of coincidence or rational thinking. But normally, for most devotees, his influence remains unobtrusive though potent, just as when he walked amongst us.

So, if the Maharshi responded to those who invoked his grace in the past while he appeared to occupy a body, what is it that obstructs this same response now that there is no body?

We, as seekers and devotees, should sincerely inquire within and answer this question. Metaphysical explanations can perhaps satisfy the intellect, but not our burning need for a permanent peace, a resting place wherein mortality has lost its hold and the Eternal Being of Awareness remains unbroken.In 2003, can Sri Ramana Maharshi help you in this quest for freedom? Only you can answer that.

–Editor

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