ACTION AND WISDOM a Sharing from Sri V.Ganesan

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ACTION AND WISDOM

 

There are FOUR varied sayings of the Great Master : BHAGAVAN

RAMANA,. They are :

 

(1) In 1936, Paul Brunton asked the Maharshi : " Can a man of

the

world [ viz., one who is involved in worldly

activities ] practice this

Jnana Marga – Wisdom Path ? "

 

Sri Bhagavan's cryptic answer was : " There is no

contradiction between

Work and Wisdom. "

 

(2) On another occasion, Sri Bhagavan said : " The only purpose

of life is to realize the SELF. All other activities are waste of

time. "

 

(3) Yet another affirmative statement of Sri Bhagavan is : " If

one

identifies oneself with the body, `Karma ' [ destiny ] is

inevitable

and unavoidable [ which means, one is ever bound, one is ever

in bondage ]. If one's attention is turned inwards, one is

always free. One is ever a Free Man. "

(4) When asked whether his teachings could be put in one word,

Sri Bhagavan answered : " ATTENTION " [ " Unar " ]

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

For clarity in spiritual striving, Sages and Saints of yore had

conveniently classified the approach to spiritual attainment into

four branches : `Jnana' , `Bhakti', `Yoga' and `Karma' . The

" Bhagavad Gita " deals elaborately on all the four methods.

Sri Bhagavan also refers to these four paths in his original

composition : " Upadesa Sara " .

 

However, Sri Bhagavan's `Direct Teaching ' is " To turn the

outgoing mind inwards and merge it in the Inner Reality . " Any theory

which gave emphasis on the `mind' to move out or go outwards, Sri

Bhagavan warned the seeker to be vigilant. He

said : " Constant vigilance is the price a seeker has to pay. "

 

In that light, it is interesting to observe that Bhagavan gave

greater importance only to TWO of the four methods : `JNANA'

and `KARMA' . He further elucidated the reason for doing so. He

said that `Bhakti' and `Yoga' are included, imbued

into `Jnana' and `Karma'.

 

Attention turned outwards is " KARMA " which is body-based and

mind-based [ `Destiny' ] .

Attention turned inwards is " JNANA " which is " Attention paying

attention to Attention " [ " Ulladu Unar " ] .

 

When one identifies with the body, one is bound by rules,

regulations, do's and don't's – that is `Karma' . They are

unavoidable if one is the body only. Sri Bhagavan raises the

question : " Are you only the body ? "

 

Body is perceptible in the waking; and, vaguely and differently in

the dreaming; and, totally absent in the deep sleep state. But, the

inward awareness of " I AM " is continuous and uninterrupted.

Body is there, temporarily. Awareness is ever there !

 

Am I the body only ? The mind only ? Or, am I the awareness ? WHO

AM I ? Vichara [ Enquiry ] results. Vichara takes one to the

inner depths of Truth – to the threshold of TRUTH itself. All

other methods are mind based. Vichara transcends mind. When Paul

Brunton reported thus to Sri Bhagavan : " I have been acquainting

myself with the various teachings in India before coming to you.

Every one of them preaches the same truth. You also say the same.

So, how is your teaching different from the others ? " Sri Bhagavan

replied : " All other teachings are based on the `mind' . Mine does

not. It transcends the mind. "

 

Every spiritual practice is based on body & mind and thus only

secondary -- including meditation. Vichara alone transcends all

borders of conditionings.

 

Listen to Bhagavan Ramana :

 

" Devotee: Will Vichara alone do even in the absence of

meditation ?

 

Sri Bhagavan : Vichara is the practice and the Goal also. " I

AM " is

the Goal and the final Reality. To hold to It

with effort

is `Vichara' [practice] . When spontaneous and

natural

It is Realisation [Goal] . "

---

" TALKS " , No.390

 

The two paths that Sri Bhagavan empbasised are JNANA and KARMA.

He classified them in unmistakable terms as well, which can be

grasped from the following dialogue with a devotee :

 

" Devotee : What is Aham Sphurana (shining) ?

 

Sri Bhagavan : Aham, Aham = " I AM " , " I AM " is the SELF.

Aham Idam = `I am this' or `I am that' is the

ego.

Shining [ `I AM' ] is there always.

The ego [ body-mind ] is transitory.

When the " I AM " is kept up as " I AM " alone it is

SELF.

When it flies out at a tangent and says `this'

or `that' ,

it is the ego. "

--- " TALKS " ,

No.363

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Now, let us consider, in a brief way :

In verses 26 & 27 of the Supplement to the Forty Verses [ Ulladu

Narpadu ] Bhagavan translated the instruction given to Sri Rama by

his preceptor, Sage Vasishta. The theme is the right relations

between awareness and heroic action. In 1944 when the proofs of the

third edition of Ulladu Narpadu was being corrected in Bhagavan's

presence, some of the English Professors who had accompanied Prof.K.

Swaminathan, found fault with the introductory note by the author,

Lakshmana Sarma [ " Who " ] :

" To the question how the sadhaka [aspirant] is to behave in the world

till he succeeds in attaining Wisdom, the answer is given in the two

following verses, taken from the Yoga Vasishta. "

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Verse 26 : Supplement to the Forty Verses on Reality :

 

" Having understood, i.e., by consciously experiencing the various

states – like, the waking, dreaming and the deep sleep – and yet

always holding firmly at Heart to the Supreme State of Inner Silence,

play your part, O Hero, ever in the world. Having thus realized the

Inner Silence of the Heart as the underlying Truth behind all forms

of appearances, never swerve from it. Thus, play your allotted part

in the world, O Hero, acting as though attached to them all ! "

 

Verse 27 :

 

" Outwardly pretending to have enthusiasm and delight, excitement and

aversion, initiative, effort and perseverance, yet without any inner

attachment at all, play, O Hero, in the world. Thus, releasing

oneself from all forms of bondage [attachment ] and having

equanimity of mind, act outwardly, in all situations, in accordance

with the part one is endowed with, play your part as ordained, O

Hero, in the world. "

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Now, the Professors pointed out to Sri Bhagavan the obvious absurdity

of Sarma's suggestion that Sri Rama – Incarnation of Lord Vishnu – a

Self-Realised great soul -- needed this teaching.

" Who has these doubts ? " enquired Sri Bhagavan. " Prof. K.

Swaminathan ! " said some one. The cool bright beam of the Maharshi's

glance of grace pierced through the entire being of

Prof. K. Swaminathan. Sri Bhagavan said smiling : " Look !

It is for you [ Paar, Unakkuttaan ! ]

 

The " you " refers not only to Prof.Swaminathan, but so vibrantly to

every one of us ! Remember, some time back, we shared how one of the

Saints that I had met, had asked me to read " The Bhagavad Gita " and

actively guided me by saying : " To truly understand the import of

this great spiritual masterpiece, one should read it assuming oneself

to be Lord Krishna and never by identifying oneself with Arjuna ! "

 

Likewise, one should read these two verses from the standpoint of

Jnana [ Wisdom ] and never from the viewpoint of Karma. Notice

how the verse begins : " Having understood……and always holding

constantly, firmly in the Heart to the Supreme State of Inner

Silence, the " I AM " " . As a trapeze act in a circus, one is

advised to keep a perfect balance between the outward and inward in

one's activities -- a coherent unison -- which can successfully be

effected by one turning within and not having attachments to actions

done.

 

How to do it ? Allow things to happen as it is. Do not " react " ,

just " act " . The Higher Power will make things happen " through " you

and not " by " you. Give up the attitude of " by me " , at all times

and under all circumstances ! The Vedas declare : " Be a channel

for the `White Light' [ Higher Power ] to pass through. "

 

Look at the lives of Great Masters like the Buddha, Jesus Christ and

Ramana Maharshi. How did they live ? Were they lazy ? Were they

not more active than any one of us ? Was there not perfect

correlation between what they taught and how they lived that very

teaching themselves ? On the very first day of his arrival at

Arunachala, the sixteen year old youth Ramana,

declared : " THY WILL BE DONE " . Never after that there was

there any `action' done by himself ! " The same Higher Power which

brought me from Madurai to here, has brought me from Skandashram to

Sri Ramanasramam, " was Sri Bhagavan's reply to a query: " Is it

not `you' who decided to climb down from Skandashram to here in

1922 ? "

 

In our own lifetime, we saw how Yogi Ramsuratkumar lived; very

actively, yet, totally resigned to the Higher Power, which he chose

to address as " Father " . Quite often he used to repeat : " This

beggar died at the holy feet of his Guru in 1952. " " Yogi

Ramsuratkumar is not this beggar's name – it is Father's Holy Name.

Chant three times : `Yogi Ramsuratkumar' ; my Father will rush to

you and help you. " When Yogiji performed remarkable `miracles'

for me, as he had done to his innumerable devotees, and I attributed

them to him, his invariable response, every time, was : " This dirty

beggar knows nothing, does nothing Ganesha. It is Father ! Out of

His abundant Grace and Compassion, He responds forthwith whenever His

holy name is thus called. " After a few moments of silence, he would

add : " Father alone exists here, there and everywhere. Nothing else.

Nobody else. It is Father, Father,

Father alone ! " " `Yogi Ramsuratkumar' is not this beggar's name,

Ganesha ! It is Father's Sacred Name ! You know there is the

" 1008 Names of Lord Vishnu " which all Hindus chant – like that,

this Name is also only Father's Name ! "

 

Plunge within and recognize the Higher Power guiding you and

operating `through' you. Giving up the falsehood of " by me " and

holding firmly to the truth of Higher Power working " through me " ,

is to be " newly reborn " . The purport and significance of our

celebrating the birthdays of Sages and Saints – like, our celebrating

today the Birthday of the Great Master JESUS CHRIST, as " Christmas " –

is to remind to ourselves that one has to be reborn to the

truth : " God's living in me and is operating through me " and to

dying to the falsehood : " actions are done by a `me' . " Jesus Christ

said : " By dying one lives " . Die to the past and the future and

live in the NOW !

 

Be reborn anew by dying to the age-old attachments to Karma

[destiny]. Sri Bhagavan said : " If you say that there is Karma

[ prarabdha karma ] , there is Karma. If you say that there is no

Prarabdha Karma, take it for certain, there is no Prarabdha Karma. "

 

One is ever the SELF ; never either the body nor the mind ! Be

a " Hero " by diving within and being the SELF !