FROM SWAMI RAMDAS

[Guest guest]

Any symbol of God that you place before you for adoration should,

through a  gradual process, awaken within you a sense of immortality;

and when the ultimate state of sustained God- consciousness is attained,

there should not be any need for an external symbol to hand on.

God as teacher from outside can only awaken you to the Reality;

but the necessary condition for such an awakening has to be created

by your own aspiration, struggle and discipline.

The teachers point to the path that leads to the highest goal of human life. 

But it lies in the aspirant to walk the path.

A discipline of self-control can alone

grant you the necessary strength for moving boldly on this path. SWAMI RAMDAS

 

The following is a beautiful story.

>

> The Mountain Path

> Vol. 2 - JANUARY 1965 - No. 1

>

> How I Came to The Maharshi - V

> By Swami Ramdas

>

> In his early autobiography, In Quest of God, (published by

> Anandashram,

> Kanhangad) Swami Ramdas (for an article on whom see our

> issue of January

> 1964) describes how he attained the Divine Vision through

> the Grace of the

> Maharshi. Years later he told this story to Dilip Kumar Roy

> who reproduced

> it in his latest book, The Flute Calls Still (published by

> Indira Niloy,

> Hari Krishna Mandir, Poona, and reviewed in our issue of

> October 1964).

> Since some parts of the story are more detailed in one

> account and some in

> the other, we have here combined them. We are grateful to

> both ashrams for

> permission to quote from their

> publications.

>

>

> " Papa, " I said, " would you mind telling us about your

> final Realization

> which they call 'Vishvarupa Darshan'? "

>

>

> He readily acquiesced and gave a long description of his

> burning aspiration

> and yearning which had led him to Arunachala Hill, hallowed

> by the tapas of

> the peerless saint Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. I can give

> here only the gist

> of his long narration ....

>

>

> One day the kind Sadhuram took Ramdas for the darshan of a

> famous saint of

> the place named Sri Ramana Maharshi. His Ashram was at the

> foot of

> Arunachala. It was a thatched shed. Both the visitors

> entered the ashram

> and, meeting the saint, fell prostrate at his holy feet. It

> was really a

> blessed place where that great man lived. He was young but

> there was on his

> face a calmness and in his large eyes a passionless look of

> tenderness which

> cast a spell of peace and joy on all those who came to him.

> Ramdas was

> informed

> that the saint knew English, so he addressed him thus:

> " Maharaj,

> here stands before thee a humble slave. Have pity on him.

> His only prayer to

> thee is to give him thy blessing. "

>

>

> The Maharshi turned his beautiful eyes towards Ramdas and

> looked intently

> for a few minutes into his eyes as though he was pouring

> into Ramdas his

> blessing through those orbs, then shook his head to say he

> had blessed. A

> thrill of inexpressible joy coursed through the frame of

> Ramdas, his whole

> body quivering, like a leaf in the breeze ....

>

>

> Now at the prompting of Ram, Ramdas desired to remain in

> solitude for some

> time ... The sadhuram was ever ready to fulfil his wishes.

> Losing no time,

> he took Ramdas up the mountain behind the great temple.

> Climbing high up he

> showed him many caves. Of these, one small cave was

> selected for Ramdas,

> which he occupied next day. In this cave he lived for

> nearly a month in deep

> meditation of

> Ram. This was the first time he was taken by Ram into

> solitude

> for his bhajan. Now he felt most blissful sensations since

> he could hold

> undisturbed communion with Ram. He was actually rolling in

> a sea of

> indescribable happiness. To fix the mind on that fountain

> of bliss, Ram,

> means, to experience pure joy ... He went on taking the

> Name in an ecstasy

> of longing when, lo, suddenly his Lord Rama ... appeared

> before him and

> danced and danced ...

>

>

> " Did you see him with closed eyes or open? " I interjected,

>

>

> " With open eyes, as Ramdas is seeing you, " Papa answered.

> " But it was not

> this momentary vision that Ramdas's heart craved. For he

> knew that a vision

> like this, was unlikely to last and so, when the Lord would

> vanish, Ramdas

> would revert to his darkness. Therefore he prayed for the

> great darshan, the

> Vision of visions, which comes to stay for ever so there is

> no more parting,

> namely the Vishvarupa

> Darshan, longing to see Rama always in everything;

> that is nothing less would satisfy Ramdas. "

>

>

> Papa paused and then resumed with a beatific smile: " And it

> came one morning

> apocalyptically - when, lo, the entire landscape changed:

> All was Rama,

> nothing but Rama - wherever Ramdas looked! Everything was

> ensouled by Rama -

> vivid, marvellous, rapturous - the trees, the shrubs, the

> ants, the cows,

> the cats, the dogs - even inanimate things pulsated with

> the marvellous

> presence of the one Rama. And Ramdas danced in joy, like a

> boy who, when

> given a lovely present, can't help breaking out into a

> dance. And so it was

> with Ramdas: he danced with joy and rushed at a tree in

> front, which he

> embraced because it was not a tree but Rama Himself! A man

> was passing by,

> Ramdas ran towards him and embraced him, calling out:

> 'Rama, O Rama!' The

> man got scared and bolted. But Ramdas gave him chase and

> dragged him back to

> his

> cave. The man noted that Ramdas had not a tooth in his

> head and so felt

> a little reassured: at least the loony would not be able to

> bite him! " He

> laughed out and we swelled the chorus.

>

>

> " And then? " I asked, after the laughter had subsided.

>

>

> " The bliss and joy came to be permanent, like a torrent

> rushing downhill

> till it finds a placid level of limpid purling stream. This

> experience is

> called sahaja samadhi, in which you can never be cut off

> from the

> consciousness of being at one with the One who has become

> all, in which you

> feel you are one with all because you have perceived that

> all is He, the

> One-without-a-second. "

>

>

> Finally we end with a comment made by Swami Ramdas - In

> 'Vision', the

> monthly journal published by Anandashram, about forty years

> later.

>

>

> Ramdas went to Ramana Maharshi in a state of complete

> obliviousness of the

> world. He felt thrills of ecstasy in his presence. The

> Maharshi made the

> awakening permanent in Ramdas.

>

>

> Some people told Ramdas: " You went to Maharshi and you got

> illumination.

> Give us illumination like that. " Ramdas said, You must come

> to Ramdas in the

> same spirit and in the same state as he went to Maharshi.

> Then you will also

> get it. Where was his heart? How intense was his longing?

> What was the world

> to him at that time ? If you come in that state it is all

> right. "

>

>