THE JNANI AND THE SIDDHA

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THE JNANI AND THE SIDDHA

Source: Spiritual Stories told by Sri Ramana

Maharshihttp://www.ramana-maharshi.org

 

One day, while speaking about hatha yoga and related

subjects, Sri Bhagavan narrated the following story from

Prabhulingalila, a well-known Tamil work by the Sage

Sivaprakasa Swamigal.

 

PRABHULINGA, THE FOUNDER of the Lingayat sect (now

mostly prevalent in Karnataka State only), was touring the land

for the uplift of the spiritually minded. He met the famous Yogi

Gorakhnath in Gokarnam (a famous place of Hindu pilgrimage

on the west coast of India). The yogi welcomed him respectfully,

but was however, proudly conscious of his own extraordinary

powers over the elements. He considered his guest more or less

his equal, expressed pleasure at meeting him, and upon greeting

him, asked who he was.

 

Prabhulinga replied that only the One who had destroyed

his ego, root and branch, and who had thereby realised himself

could know who he was, and wondered what he could say to a

non-entity, a person, who clung to his perishable body.

 

Gorakhnath, who identified his body as himself, replied,

" That person alone who has gained the immortality of the body,

by the favour of Siva and consumption of gulikas (medicinal

herbs), will never die. Therefore one who had not gained such

immortality dies. "

 

Prabhulinga remarked that knowledge consists in realizing

one's Self and not in immortalising the body and went on to

explain at length that the body cannot be the real Self. However,

Gorakhnath could not be persuaded and would not budge an

inch from his ground; he proudly challenged Prabhulinga to

try cutting his body, handing him a long, bright and sharp

sword. When the sword struck the body of Gorakhnath, it caused

him no injury but was itself blunted. Prabhulinga feigned

surprise, and asked Gorakhnath to try cutting his body. At first

Gorakhnath hesitated to do so saying that Prabhulinga would

die. But when Prabhulinga insisted, he took up the sword and

tried to cut his body. To the great surprise of Gorakhnath, the

sword passed easily through the body of Prabhulinga without

affecting it in any way. It was as if the sword was passing through

empty space! Only then was Gorakhnath, the Siddha, ready to

acknowledge the superiority of Prabhulinga, the Jnani. Thus

his pride was humbled, and he prayed to Prabhulinga, to teach

him the truth. Prabhulinga then expounded Brahma vidya to

Gorakhnath as follows: " Gorakhnath, do not think your body

to be your Self. Seek the In-dweller (the cave-dweller) and you

will once for all rid yourself of the disease of birth and death.

The cave is your heart only, the In-dweller thereof is called God

and I am That. "

GOMU <gokulmuthu