LET THE GAMES (OF LIFE) BEGIN

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Swami Sadasivananda <sadasivananda

 

LET THE GAMES (OF LIFE) BEGIN!

 

 

 

The power behind every activity of nature and of man is the power of Brahman, to realize this truth is to be Immortal.“This is the truth of Brahman in relation to nature: whether in a flash of the lightening, or in the wink of the eyes, the power that is shown is the power of Brahman.This is the truth of Brahman in relation to man: in the motions of the mind, the power that is shown is the power of Brahman. For this reason should a man meditate upon Brahman by day and by

night.†- Kena Upanishad

“Om is everything. It is another name for Brahman.†(Day by Day with Bhagavan, 12-4-46 Afternoon, Question #5, p. 198) The significance of Bhagavan Ramana’s declaration that “Om is everything†and that this syllable is “another name for Brahman†should be understood fully. The devotees that lived and moved with Sri Ramana Maharshi, as well as many that followed after, saw in Him the quintessential embodiment of the Vedas, especially as their distillation of wisdom known as the Upanishads. One of the many aspects of uniqueness about

Bhagavan was that he is able to communicate the highest Truths with the simplest terminology. His method of teaching was so direct, so clear, that such an utterance as above instantly threw light on the much debated and complex opening verse from the Mandukya Upanishad:

“The syllable OM, which is the imperishable Brahman, is the universe. Whatsoever has existed, whatsoever exists, whatsoever shall exist hereafter, is OM. And whatsoever transcends past, present, and future, that also is OM.†The mystical implication of this passage is of supreme significance for us! For it verifies the much bantered, but most often misapplied, truth that “God is both transcendent and immanent.†The purpose of propounding the transcendent Nirguna, or without attributes, nature of God is well founded. God is beyond time and space, sorrow and diminishment, even birth and death. And as His Being is at the very core of our human nature, this places us, in the highest sense, beyond death. Immortal! It is for this reason that the classical definition of Moksha is permanent liberation from pain.. The paradox, and some

have gone as far as to say “God’s cruelest jokeâ€, is that we are immanently sensual creatures. We do react to external stimulus, and we all find our shelter from sorrow within external safe harbors. And being most of all vulnerable to loss, separation and the ensuing pain, we all without exception want to know WHY? Why did God, the merciful Ocean of Compassion create such a creature to live in such a place? The answer, and at once the highest operation of God’s Grace is that He is immanent. God is with us – “Emmanuelâ€. The answer is that Divine Love, in the form of man’s greatest joy has come into, and dwell within, the creation that we despairingly have called “this placeâ€. Again, we find that Sri Ramana Maharshi also embodied this truth. The 5-year old son of Arthur Osborne said it of Him: “When Bhagavan smiles, the whole world must be happy!†Upanishads declared this same eternal truth at the very

closing verses of the Taittiriya Upanishad:

“Seek to know Brahman by meditation. Meditation is Brahman. Brigu practiced meditation and learned that joy is Brahman. For from joy all beings are born, by joy they are sustained, being born, and into joy they enter after death… he who is the Self in man, and he who is the Self in the sun, are one. I am the Self! I am life Immortal! I overcome the world!†Here is the secret of life. This “place†we endure and the sufferings we live with is God’s most perfect act of creation! For God made it so, that He would overcome it, that at His bidding death itself is overcome. Our means to this glorious end, is frankly a slam-dunk sure-shot; if we would but only to it the way He did it! For those of us who grew up within a Western Religion, I do not mean that we should be nailed to a cross, but I do mean that there should be a crucifixion! Bhagavan once

explained the way for us in Talks #86:

“The Master gave the true significance of the Christian faith thus:“Christ is the ego. The Cross is the body.When the ego is crucified, and it perishes, what survives is theAbsolute Being (God), (cf. “I and my Father are oneâ€) and thisglorious survival is called Resurrection.†Nevertheless, having understood this, even in the highest mystical sense, there is one thing for sure about the world we live in, whether we call it a reality or a dream; IT bites back! And this is exactly why God made it so, or else where would be the fun in Him overcoming it. And since all the major systems of Sanatana Dharma agree that ultimately this is God’s lila, God’s sport, where would the fun be in God watching us overcome it. Here is the secret – God

does not just watch, he enjoys creation so much that He does it for us. WE JUST HAVE TO AGREE! Our agreement was established long long ago, with the emergence of the three major Semitic religions. Yes three; Hinduism, Christianty, and Islam. The word Semitic comes from the root Sanskrit, and identically Hebrew, word “shem†which means, “Name basedâ€. They are all belief systems that find the attainment of their truths within a practice based on the remembrance (meditation) of one of the Names of God. The Hindu ramifications of the reasons for, and methods of, meditation (reflection, enquiry, abidance, devotion or understanding) on God’s Name (the Self being one) are the most numerously and profoundly quoted themes in the Upanishads. Again, if we include ourselves within the devotees of the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, we should find Him accentuating

this truth in His own words. At the onset of this article Bhagavan clarified: “Om is everything. It is another name for Brahman.†If it is true that God is with us, then should it not be so that we also be told what to do with this Name? We are told, of He did say:

“The purport of prescribing meditation on the pranava (OM) is this. The Pranava is Omkara…the advaita-mantra which is the essence of all mantras such as Panchakshara. In order to get at this true significance, one should meditate on the Pranava. This is meditation which is of the nature of devotion consisting in reflection on the truth of the Self. The fruition of this process is samadhi which yields release [moksha], which is the state of unsurpassable bliss.†(Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi, Self Enquiry #28 p. 23-24) The joy of Bhrigu, the God of the Upanishads, the glory of the Resurrection, this state of unsurpassable bliss is ours for the

taking. In this drama of “creation†there is one primal thing that we must remember, and two things that we must never forget. We must remember the wisdom of the Buddha, which He declared to be the highest virtue; Patient Endurance! The two things that we must never forget while we are “taking†is that, firstly, it is God that is “givingâ€. Secondly, that God likes sports, and seemingly never gets tired of watching His favorite game; our Divine Realization. -- Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi web site: http://www.ramanateaching.orgAsk your question in relation to Bhagavan's teachings, meditation and spirituality at: http://www.ramanateaching.org/faqTo contact Swami Sadasivananda:http://www.ramanateaching.org/contact.html