KUNJU SWAMI DAY August 7

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

to-day is Kunju Swami , celebrated at Ramanasramam. He was a Jnani , Self

Realsied through the teachings and presence of Bhagavan. here is an

autobiographical not written by him.

 

Happy and auspicious Kunju Swami Day to all!

 

Alan

 

 

Kunju Swami

 

IT WAS IN 1919 that I first came to Sri Bhagavan. He was then living at

Skandasramam on the slope of the Hill Arunachala. His mother and brother lived

with him. Palaniswami used to attend to his few personal wants.

Plague had driven away most of the inhabitants of the town and consequently

visitors to Sri Bhagavan were few. I was, therefore, left alone with Sri

Bhagavan most of the time.

 

I related to him all the spiritual practices I had been doing, what I had been

studying, and what experiences I had. At that time I was very unhappy because in

spite of all I had done I was unable to experience samadhi.

 

After patiently hearing me out, Bhagavan quoted from Kaivalya Navaneeta: " If you

realize who you are, there is no cause for sorrow. " " So if you come to

understand who you are, then there is peace, " said Bhagavan.

 

Well, I did not know what was meant by " know who you are. " Bhagavan went on to

explain that the mind is only a bundle of thoughts and that if I seek the source

of all thoughts I would be drawn into the Heart. He simultaneously pointed to

his Heart.

 

Bhagavan was looking at me intently and I focused my attention in the manner he

instructed me and within a few minutes I was led into samadhi. I was thrilled.

Coming to my senses we went for lunch. Then again, I sat

before him and by a single look he put me into that blissful state. This

experience occurred again and again-during all seventeen days that I stayed with

Bhagavan. I was like one intoxicated. I was absolutely indifferent to

everything. I had no curiosity to see anything, no desire whatsoever. What I did

I did most mechanically. I would have continued to live in this state if it had

not occurred to me that it was not proper to partake of the food that was

offered to Sri Bhagavan by his devotees without paying anything. I thought that

he had initiated me into the

experience of Brahman and that I had nothing more to gain by staying in his

presence. I, therefore, returned to my native place and began to practise

meditation in a room in my house all by myself. I could succeed to gain and

retain that experience only for a few days; it started to diminish gradually and

at last one day it was lost. I could not regain the experience. I decided to

return to Sri Bhagavan. This I did, and great good fortune awaited me when I

came.

 

Palaniswami, who was rendering personal service to Sri Bhagavan, had to go on a

journey for some time. Before going he asked me to render such service. This I

considered to be my greatest good fortune. I felt extremely

happy for the grace which Bhagavan had shown me. I did not thereafter bother

myself about the spiritual experience.

 

I, however, asked Bhagavan why I could not get the experience when I meditated

in my house. Bhagavan said: " You have read Kaivalya Navaneeta, have you not?

Don't you remember what it says? " And he took up the book and read the relevant

verses.

 

Sri Bhagavan then explained to me at great length the purport of these verses.

They relate to the doubt raised by the disciple about the need to continue

spiritual practices even after one has had the supreme experience. The disciple

wonders whether the spiritual experience once gained could be lost. The Guru

says that it would be until he took care to practise sravana, manana and

nididhyasana, that is hearing from the Guru the Truth, reflecting over it and

assimilating it. The experience would occur in the presence of the Guru, but it

would not last. Doubts would arise again and again and in order to clear them

the disciple should continue to study, think and practice. These would be done

until the distinction of the knower, the object of knowledge and the act of

knowing no longer arise. In the view of Sri Bhagavan's explanation I decided to

stay always byBhagavan's side and practise sravana, manana and nididhyasana.

 

In olden days when we had the benefit of receiving personal instructions from

Sri Bhagavan, one of them was to get into meditation before going to sleep. Thus

sleep overtook one as a natural sequel to fatigue and was not induced or

preceded by lying down. Also the first thing in the morning, immediately on

getting up from bed was to go into meditation. This ensured a serenity of mind

and also a feeling of tirelessness throughout the day. The state of mind

immediately before sleep is resumed on waking. After spending about twelve years

in personal attendance on Bhagavan, I began to feel an urge to devote myself

entirely to sadhana. However, I could not easily reconcile myself to giving up

my personal service to Bhagavan. I had been debating the matter for some days

when the answer came in a strange way.

 

As I entered the hall one day I heard Bhagavan explaining to others who were

there that real service to him did not mean attending to his physical needs but

following the essence of his teaching: that is concentrating on realizing the

Self. Needless to say, that automatically cleared my doubts.

 

I therefore gave up my Ashrama duties, but I then found it hard to decide how,

in fact, I should spend the entire day in search of Realization. I referred the

matter to Bhagavan and he advised me to make Self-enquiry my final aim but to

practise Self-enquiry, meditation, japa and recitation of scripture turn by

turn, changing over from one to another as and when I found the one I was doing

irksome or difficult. In course of time, he said, the sadhana would become

stabilized in Self-enquiry or pure Consciousness or Realization.

 

Before recommending any path to an aspirant Bhagavan would first find out from

him what aspect or form or path he was naturally drawn to and then recommend the

person to follow it. He would sometimes endorse the traditional stages of

sadhana, advancing from worship (puja) to incantation (japa), then to

meditation(dhyana), and finally to Self-enquiry (vichara ). However, he also use

to say that continuous and rigorous practice of any one of these methods was

adequate in itself to lead to Realization.

 

Once some awkward problems concerning the Ashrama management came up. Without

being directly concerned, I was worried about them, as I felt that failure to

solve them satisfactorily would impair the good name of the Ashrama.

 

One day two or three devotees went to Bhagavan and put the problems before him.

I happened to enter the hall while they were talking about them, and he

immediately turned to me and asked me why I was interesting myself in such

matters. I did not grasp the meaning of his question, so Bhagavan explained that

a person should occupy himself only with that purpose with which he had

originally come to the Ashrama and asked me what my original purpose had been. I

replied: " To receive Bhagavan's grace. " So he said: " Then occupy yourself with

that only. "

 

He further continued by asking me whether I had any interest in matters

concerning the Ashrama management when I first came here. On my replying that I

had not, he added: " Then concentrate on the original purpose of your

coming here. " There are numerous photos of Bhagavan. Have you ever seen one with

his eyes closed? Bhagavan was pouring out his grace through his eyes. There

would be any number of devotees sitting before him and each one would feel that

Bhagavan was looking only at him or her.

 

There are numerous photos of Bhagavan. Have you ever seen one with his eyes

closed? Bhagavan was pouring out his grace through his eyes. There would be any

number of devotees sitting before him and each one would feel that Bhagavan was

looking only at him or her.

 

Bhagavan's dristhi (sight) was concentrated on space only. It was turned inward

and everyone felt inwardly, in their hearts, that his sight was focused on them

alone. Bhagavan cares about everyone, and his look pierces through each one's

heart, dispels our darkness, gives us peace, even some liberation.