The Guru is always within you.
- Ramana Maharshi
Showing posts with label Ramana Maharshi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ramana Maharshi. Show all posts
Wednesday, 5 July 2017
Wednesday, 8 June 2016
తల్లి కోతికి పళ్ళిచ్చి పంపిన భగవాన్
భగవాన్ రమణులు జీవుల పట్ల ఎనలేని కారుణ్యం చూపేవారు. మనుష్యులతో సమానంగా జంతువులను, పక్షులను ఆదరించేవారు. ఆయన దగ్గరకు రావాలని, ఆయన చేతి స్పర్శ తగలాలని జంతువులన్నీ తహతహలాడేవి.
ఒకసారి ఎవరో భక్తులు పళ్ళబుట్టను రమణాశ్రమానికి తెచ్చారు. దారిలో ఓ కోతి అడ్డు తగిలి కొన్ని పళ్ళను ఎత్తుకుపోయింది. అది చూసిన భగవాన్ రమణులు, ఇక్కడి వరకు వస్తే తనకు దక్కవేమోనని భావించి, తన వాటానే తానే చొరవ చేసి తీసుకుందని చమత్కరించారు. ఇంతలో మరో ఆడకోతి, పొట్టన కరుచుకున్న బిడ్డతో పళ్ళ దగ్గరకు ఆశగా వచ్చింది. ఆ కోతిని జనం తరుముతుంటే, రమణ మహర్షి వారించారు. నిజమైన సన్యాసి వస్తే, అన్యాయంగా తరిమేస్తున్నారు. ఏళ్ళ తరబడి తినడానికి గోదాముల్లో ఆహారం దాచుకుంటాం. పాపం అది చూడండి! ఇల్లా, వాకిలా? ఎక్కడైనా ఏమైనా దొరికితే తింటుంది. ఏ చెట్టు మీదో పడుకుంటుంది. పైగా చంటిపిల్లతో ఉంది. అటువంటి సన్యాసిని ఆదరించాలి - అని ఆ తల్లికి కొన్ని పళ్ళిచ్చి పంపించారు.
ఒకసారి ఎవరో భక్తులు పళ్ళబుట్టను రమణాశ్రమానికి తెచ్చారు. దారిలో ఓ కోతి అడ్డు తగిలి కొన్ని పళ్ళను ఎత్తుకుపోయింది. అది చూసిన భగవాన్ రమణులు, ఇక్కడి వరకు వస్తే తనకు దక్కవేమోనని భావించి, తన వాటానే తానే చొరవ చేసి తీసుకుందని చమత్కరించారు. ఇంతలో మరో ఆడకోతి, పొట్టన కరుచుకున్న బిడ్డతో పళ్ళ దగ్గరకు ఆశగా వచ్చింది. ఆ కోతిని జనం తరుముతుంటే, రమణ మహర్షి వారించారు. నిజమైన సన్యాసి వస్తే, అన్యాయంగా తరిమేస్తున్నారు. ఏళ్ళ తరబడి తినడానికి గోదాముల్లో ఆహారం దాచుకుంటాం. పాపం అది చూడండి! ఇల్లా, వాకిలా? ఎక్కడైనా ఏమైనా దొరికితే తింటుంది. ఏ చెట్టు మీదో పడుకుంటుంది. పైగా చంటిపిల్లతో ఉంది. అటువంటి సన్యాసిని ఆదరించాలి - అని ఆ తల్లికి కొన్ని పళ్ళిచ్చి పంపించారు.
Wednesday, 4 May 2016
రమణుల మహాసమాధి చిత్రాలు
1950, ఏప్రియల్ 14, శ్రీ వికృతి నామ సంవత్సరం చైత్ర బహుళ త్రయోదశి నాడు భగవాన్ రమణ మహర్షి భౌతిక దేహాన్ని విడిచి అరుణాచలేశ్వరునిలో ఐక్యమయ్యారు. నేడు చైత్ర బహుళ త్రయోదశి, భగవాన్ రమణులు మహాసమాధి చెందిన రోజు, ఆ సందర్భంగా ఉదయం రమాణాశ్రమంలో భగవాన్ ఆరాధానోత్సవాలు నిర్వహించారు.
మహాసమాధి చెందేనాటికి రమణుల దేహం చాలా బలహీనపడింది. అసలు లేవలేకపోయింది. ఆహారం కూడా స్వీకరించలేదు. రాత్రి 8 గంటలకు, తమని కూర్చోబెట్టమని రమణులు అన్నారు. (కూర్చోబెట్టడమంటే దిండుని ఆనుకుని కూర్చోవడమే. శరీరం సహకరించలేదు). మూతపడి ఉన్న కుడి కన్ను నుంచి చెంపైపైకి ఎందుచేతనో నీళ్ళు ధారగా కారసాగాయి. పక్కనే ఉన్న స్వామి సత్యానంద వాటిని తుడుస్తూ ఉన్నారు. భగవాన్ నోటి నుంచి కూడా ఊపిరి గ్రహించటం కష్టంగా ఉంది. ఇంతలో హాలులో కూర్చున్న జనం 'అరుణాచల శివ, అరుణాచల శివ, అరుణాచల శివ, అరుణాచలా' అంటూ పాడసాగారు. ఆ నామం వినగానే స్వామి ముఖం దివ్యంగా వెలిగిపోయింది. (తన తండ్రి అరుణాచలేశ్వరుని వద్దకు వెళ్ళిపోతున్నానే ఆనందం ఏమో!) ఇంతలో ఆకాశంలో ఒక దివ్యమైన, ప్రకాశవంతమైన కాంతి పుంజం అద్భుతకాంతులు విరజుమ్ముతూ ఆ చోట (ఆ ఆశ్రమం నుంచే) నుంచి పైకి లేచి, ఈశాన్యం దిశగా అరుణాచాల శిఖరం దిశగా పయనించి వెళ్ళిపోయింది. దీన్ని దేశదేశాల ప్రజలు దర్శించారు. అదే సమయంలో 8-47 నిమిషాలకు (రాత్రి) భగవాన్ దేహం శ్వాస తీసుకోవడం ఆపేసింది. అరుణాచలేశ్వరుడు వెలిగించి జ్ఞానజ్యోతి (భగవాన్ రమణులు) తన సహజ రూపంలో (జ్యోతి రూపంలో) జనులందరూ చూస్తుండగా, వెళ్ళి అరుణాచలేశ్వరునిలో ఐక్యమయ్యారు. అవధూత, అవతారమూర్తి, జీవన్ముత్కుడు, దక్షిణామూర్తి స్వరూపమైన రమణులు భౌతిక దేహాన్ని విసిరివేశారు.
రమణుల మహాసమాధి చిత్రాలను ఫోటో తీసింది హెర్ని కార్టిర్ (1908-2004), ఈయన ప్రపంచ ప్రఖ్యాత ఫ్రెంచ్ ఫోటొగ్రాఫర్, ఆధునిక ఫోటోజనర్లిజం పితామహుడు. ఆశ్చర్యం ఏమిటంటే ఈయన రమణుల మహాసమాధికి ముందు ఏప్రియల్ 1950 లో అరుణాచలం వచ్చారు. ఆయనే ఈ చిత్రాలను తీసు భద్రపరిచారు. ఈ సృష్టిలో ఏదీ కాకతాళీయం ఉండదు. కార్యముంటే కారణముంటుందని వేదాంతం ప్రకటించింది. బహుసా రమణులే ఈ సమయానికి వీరిని ఇలా ఇక్కడకు రప్పించి, మనలాంటి వారిని అనుగ్రహించడానికి ఈ కార్యం జరిపించారేమో!
ఓం నమో భగవతే శ్రీ రమణాయ
మహాసమాధి చెందేనాటికి రమణుల దేహం చాలా బలహీనపడింది. అసలు లేవలేకపోయింది. ఆహారం కూడా స్వీకరించలేదు. రాత్రి 8 గంటలకు, తమని కూర్చోబెట్టమని రమణులు అన్నారు. (కూర్చోబెట్టడమంటే దిండుని ఆనుకుని కూర్చోవడమే. శరీరం సహకరించలేదు). మూతపడి ఉన్న కుడి కన్ను నుంచి చెంపైపైకి ఎందుచేతనో నీళ్ళు ధారగా కారసాగాయి. పక్కనే ఉన్న స్వామి సత్యానంద వాటిని తుడుస్తూ ఉన్నారు. భగవాన్ నోటి నుంచి కూడా ఊపిరి గ్రహించటం కష్టంగా ఉంది. ఇంతలో హాలులో కూర్చున్న జనం 'అరుణాచల శివ, అరుణాచల శివ, అరుణాచల శివ, అరుణాచలా' అంటూ పాడసాగారు. ఆ నామం వినగానే స్వామి ముఖం దివ్యంగా వెలిగిపోయింది. (తన తండ్రి అరుణాచలేశ్వరుని వద్దకు వెళ్ళిపోతున్నానే ఆనందం ఏమో!) ఇంతలో ఆకాశంలో ఒక దివ్యమైన, ప్రకాశవంతమైన కాంతి పుంజం అద్భుతకాంతులు విరజుమ్ముతూ ఆ చోట (ఆ ఆశ్రమం నుంచే) నుంచి పైకి లేచి, ఈశాన్యం దిశగా అరుణాచాల శిఖరం దిశగా పయనించి వెళ్ళిపోయింది. దీన్ని దేశదేశాల ప్రజలు దర్శించారు. అదే సమయంలో 8-47 నిమిషాలకు (రాత్రి) భగవాన్ దేహం శ్వాస తీసుకోవడం ఆపేసింది. అరుణాచలేశ్వరుడు వెలిగించి జ్ఞానజ్యోతి (భగవాన్ రమణులు) తన సహజ రూపంలో (జ్యోతి రూపంలో) జనులందరూ చూస్తుండగా, వెళ్ళి అరుణాచలేశ్వరునిలో ఐక్యమయ్యారు. అవధూత, అవతారమూర్తి, జీవన్ముత్కుడు, దక్షిణామూర్తి స్వరూపమైన రమణులు భౌతిక దేహాన్ని విసిరివేశారు.
రమణుల మహాసమాధి చిత్రాలను ఫోటో తీసింది హెర్ని కార్టిర్ (1908-2004), ఈయన ప్రపంచ ప్రఖ్యాత ఫ్రెంచ్ ఫోటొగ్రాఫర్, ఆధునిక ఫోటోజనర్లిజం పితామహుడు. ఆశ్చర్యం ఏమిటంటే ఈయన రమణుల మహాసమాధికి ముందు ఏప్రియల్ 1950 లో అరుణాచలం వచ్చారు. ఆయనే ఈ చిత్రాలను తీసు భద్రపరిచారు. ఈ సృష్టిలో ఏదీ కాకతాళీయం ఉండదు. కార్యముంటే కారణముంటుందని వేదాంతం ప్రకటించింది. బహుసా రమణులే ఈ సమయానికి వీరిని ఇలా ఇక్కడకు రప్పించి, మనలాంటి వారిని అనుగ్రహించడానికి ఈ కార్యం జరిపించారేమో!
ఓం నమో భగవతే శ్రీ రమణాయ
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Saturday, 30 May 2015
Saturday, 19 July 2014
silence be so powerful
Q: Why does not Bhagavan go about and preach the truth to the people at large?
Maharshi : How do you know I am not doing it ?
Does preaching consist in mounting a platform and haranguing the people around ?
Preaching is simple communication of knowledge;
it can really be done in silence only.
What do you think of a man who listens to a sermon for an hour and goes away without having been impressed by it so as to change his life ?
Compare him with another, who sits in a holy presence and goes away after some time with his outlook on life totally changed.
Which is the better, to preach loudly without effect or to sit silently sending out inner force?
Again, how does speech arise?
First there is abstract knowledge.
Out of this arises the ego, which in turn gives rise to thought, and thought to the spoken word.
So the word is the great-grandson of the original source.
If the word can produce an effect, judge for yourself,
how much more powerful must be the preaching through silence.
~ Be as you are
Maharshi : How do you know I am not doing it ?
Does preaching consist in mounting a platform and haranguing the people around ?
Preaching is simple communication of knowledge;
it can really be done in silence only.
What do you think of a man who listens to a sermon for an hour and goes away without having been impressed by it so as to change his life ?
Compare him with another, who sits in a holy presence and goes away after some time with his outlook on life totally changed.
Which is the better, to preach loudly without effect or to sit silently sending out inner force?
Again, how does speech arise?
First there is abstract knowledge.
Out of this arises the ego, which in turn gives rise to thought, and thought to the spoken word.
So the word is the great-grandson of the original source.
If the word can produce an effect, judge for yourself,
how much more powerful must be the preaching through silence.
~ Be as you are
Q: How can silence be so powerful?
Maharshi : A realized one sends out waves of spiritual influence which draw many people towards him.
Yet he may sit in a cave and maintain complete silence.
We may listen to lectures upon truth and come away with hardly any grasp of the subject, but to come into contact with a realized one, though he speaks nothing, will give much more grasp of the subject.
He never needs to go out among the public.
If necessary he can use others as instruments.
The Guru is the bestower of silence who reveals the light of Self-knowledge which shines as the residual reality.
Spoken words are of no use whatsoever if the eyes of the Guru meet the eyes of the disciple.
Maharshi : A realized one sends out waves of spiritual influence which draw many people towards him.
Yet he may sit in a cave and maintain complete silence.
We may listen to lectures upon truth and come away with hardly any grasp of the subject, but to come into contact with a realized one, though he speaks nothing, will give much more grasp of the subject.
He never needs to go out among the public.
If necessary he can use others as instruments.
The Guru is the bestower of silence who reveals the light of Self-knowledge which shines as the residual reality.
Spoken words are of no use whatsoever if the eyes of the Guru meet the eyes of the disciple.
Source: Sri Ramana Maharshi Teachings. श्री रमण महर्षि के उपदेश
Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Realisation is not acquisition of anything new
The real ‘I’ is always there. It is here and now. It never appears anew and disappears again. That which is must also persist for ever. That which appears anew will also be lost. Compare deep sleep and waking. The body appears in one state but not in the other. Therefore the body will be lost. The consciousness was pre-existent and will survive the body. In fact, there is no one who does not say ‘I am’. The wrong knowledge of ‘I am the body’ is the cause of all the mischief. This wrong knowledge must go. That is Realisation. Realisation is not acquisition of anything new nor it is a new faculty. It is only removal of all camouflage.
Maj. Chadwick: I try to shake off the body.
M.: A man shakes off his clothes and remains alone and free. The Self is unlimited and is not confined to the body. How can the body be shaken off? Where will he leave it? Wherever it is, it is his still.
Maj. Chadwick: (Laughter.)
M.: The ultimate Truth is so simple. It is nothing more than being in the pristine state. This is all that need be said. Still, it is a wonder that to teach this simple Truth there should come into being so many religions, creeds, methods and disputes among them and so on! Oh the pity! Oh the pity!
Talk 96
Maj. Chadwick: I try to shake off the body.
M.: A man shakes off his clothes and remains alone and free. The Self is unlimited and is not confined to the body. How can the body be shaken off? Where will he leave it? Wherever it is, it is his still.
Maj. Chadwick: (Laughter.)
M.: The ultimate Truth is so simple. It is nothing more than being in the pristine state. This is all that need be said. Still, it is a wonder that to teach this simple Truth there should come into being so many religions, creeds, methods and disputes among them and so on! Oh the pity! Oh the pity!
Talk 96
Friday, 18 April 2014
Surrender - Ramana Maharshi
"Surrender is to give oneself up to the original cause of one’s being … One’s source is within oneself. Give yourself up to it. That means that you should seek the source and merge in it." From "Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi" Talk 208.
Comforting the devotee who said that destiny prevented her from having peace, Bhagavan replied, "What is destiny? There is no destiny. Surrender, and all will be well. Throw all the responsibility on God. Do not bear the burden yourself. What can destiny do to you then?” (Talk 244). Bhagavan in Talk 244 (Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi). In this beautiful dialog, Bhagavan was comforting a lady devotee and teaching her the power of surrender to the Lord for peace of mind.
Comforting the devotee who said that destiny prevented her from having peace, Bhagavan replied, "What is destiny? There is no destiny. Surrender, and all will be well. Throw all the responsibility on God. Do not bear the burden yourself. What can destiny do to you then?” (Talk 244). Bhagavan in Talk 244 (Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi). In this beautiful dialog, Bhagavan was comforting a lady devotee and teaching her the power of surrender to the Lord for peace of mind.
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
Dietary concerns - Ramana Maharshi
Q: Has the body any value to the Self?
M: Yes, it is through the body's help that the Self is realized.
Q: What about diet?
M: Food afFects the mind. The right food makes it more g sattvic. For the practice of any kind of yoga, vegetarianism is absolutely necessary.
Q: What about those not accustomed to a vegetarian diet?
M: Habit is only adjustment to the environment. It is the mind that matters. The fact is that the mind as been trained to think certain foods tasty. Nourishment may be obtained from vegetarian food no less than from flesh. But the realized person's mind is not influenced by the food eaten. However, get accustomed to vegetarianism gradually.
Q: But if it is a matter of non-killing, then even plants have life.
M: And so do the tiles which you are sitting on!
Q: Could one receive spiritual illumination while eating meat?
M: Yes, but abandon it gradually and accustom yourself to sattfyic food. Once you have attained illumination, what you eat will make less difference, just as on a great fire it is immaterial what fuel is added.
Conscious Immortality
M: Yes, it is through the body's help that the Self is realized.
Q: What about diet?
M: Food afFects the mind. The right food makes it more g sattvic. For the practice of any kind of yoga, vegetarianism is absolutely necessary.
Q: What about those not accustomed to a vegetarian diet?
M: Habit is only adjustment to the environment. It is the mind that matters. The fact is that the mind as been trained to think certain foods tasty. Nourishment may be obtained from vegetarian food no less than from flesh. But the realized person's mind is not influenced by the food eaten. However, get accustomed to vegetarianism gradually.
Q: But if it is a matter of non-killing, then even plants have life.
M: And so do the tiles which you are sitting on!
Q: Could one receive spiritual illumination while eating meat?
M: Yes, but abandon it gradually and accustom yourself to sattfyic food. Once you have attained illumination, what you eat will make less difference, just as on a great fire it is immaterial what fuel is added.
Conscious Immortality
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
Celebration of Bhagavan’s Birthday
'Verses on the Celebration of Bhagavan’s Birthday'[Bhagavan was born on December 30, 1879. His birthday, however, is observed according to the Tamil calendar in dhanurmasa when the moon is with the star Punarvasu. According to the Western calendar this day falls in the months of December-January. When it was first proposed in 1912, Bhagavan expressed his objection in the form of the following two verses. Even so, his disciples were not deterred and the Jayanti day festival continues to be one of the great annual events at the Ashram]
1. You who wish to celebrate a birthday, inquire first who was born. One’s true birthday is when one enters into the Eternal Being which shines forever without birth or death.
2. Of all days on one’s birthday one should mourn one’s fall (into samsara). To celebrate it as a festival is like adorning and glorifying a corpse. To seek one’s Self and merge in it is wisdom.
Courtesy: Evan Keith
Monday, 11 November 2013
Varnasrama - Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi
Another visitor asked Bhagavan if it was not necessary that the varnasrama differences should go if the nation was to progress.
Bhagavan: “How can one say whether it is necessary or not necessary? I never say anything on such subjects. People often come and ask me for my opinion on varnasrama. If I say anything they will at once go and publish in the papers, ‘So and so also is of such and such an opinion.’ The same scriptures which have laid down varnasrama dharma have also proclaimed the oneness of all life and abheda buddhi as the only reality. Is it possible for anyone to teach a higher truth than the Unity or oneness of all life? There is no need for anyone to start reforming the country or the nation before reforming himself. Each man’s first duty is to realise his true nature. If after doing it, he feels like reforming the country or nation, by all means let him take up such reform. Ram Tirtha advertised, ‘Wanted reformers - but reformers who will reform themselves first.’ No two persons in the world can be alike or can act alike. External differences are bound to persist, however hard we may try to obliterate them. The attempts of so-called social reformers, to do away with such classes or divisions as varnasrama has created, have not succeeded, but have only created new divisions and added a few more castes or classes to the already existing ones, such as the Brahmo-Samajists and the Arya-Samajists. The only solution is for each man to realise his true nature.”
Bhagavan: “How can one say whether it is necessary or not necessary? I never say anything on such subjects. People often come and ask me for my opinion on varnasrama. If I say anything they will at once go and publish in the papers, ‘So and so also is of such and such an opinion.’ The same scriptures which have laid down varnasrama dharma have also proclaimed the oneness of all life and abheda buddhi as the only reality. Is it possible for anyone to teach a higher truth than the Unity or oneness of all life? There is no need for anyone to start reforming the country or the nation before reforming himself. Each man’s first duty is to realise his true nature. If after doing it, he feels like reforming the country or nation, by all means let him take up such reform. Ram Tirtha advertised, ‘Wanted reformers - but reformers who will reform themselves first.’ No two persons in the world can be alike or can act alike. External differences are bound to persist, however hard we may try to obliterate them. The attempts of so-called social reformers, to do away with such classes or divisions as varnasrama has created, have not succeeded, but have only created new divisions and added a few more castes or classes to the already existing ones, such as the Brahmo-Samajists and the Arya-Samajists. The only solution is for each man to realise his true nature.”
God is guiding us - Ramana Maharshi
A visitor asked: Sri Bhagavan said last night that God is guiding us. Then why should we make an effort to do anything?
M.: Who asks you to do so? If there was that faith in the guidance of God this question would not have arisen.
D.: The fact is that God guides us. Then what is the use of these instructions to people?
M.: They are for those who seek instructions. If you are firm in your belief in the guidance of God, stick to it, and do not concern yourself with what happens around you. Furthermore, there may be happiness or misery. Be equally indifferent to both and abide in the faith of God. That will be so only when one’s faith is strong that God looks after all of us.
Mr. Chopra asked: “How shall I secure that firm faith?”
M.: Exactly. It is for such as these who want instructions. There are persons who seek freedom from misery. They are told that God guides all and so there need not be any concern about what happens. If they are of the best type they at once believe it and firmly abide by faith in God. But there are others who are not so easily convinced of the truth of the bare statement. They ask: “Who is God? What is His nature? Where is He? How can He be realised?” and so on. In order to satisfy them intellectual discussion is found necessary. Statements are made, their pros and cons are argued, and the truth is thus made clear to the intellect. When the matter is understood intellectually the earnest seeker begins to apply it practically. He argues at every moment, “For whom are these thoughts? Who am I?” and so forth, until he is well-established in the conviction that a Higher Power guides us. That is firmness of faith. Then all his doubts are cleared and he needs no further instructions.
Talk 596
M.: Who asks you to do so? If there was that faith in the guidance of God this question would not have arisen.
D.: The fact is that God guides us. Then what is the use of these instructions to people?
M.: They are for those who seek instructions. If you are firm in your belief in the guidance of God, stick to it, and do not concern yourself with what happens around you. Furthermore, there may be happiness or misery. Be equally indifferent to both and abide in the faith of God. That will be so only when one’s faith is strong that God looks after all of us.
Mr. Chopra asked: “How shall I secure that firm faith?”
M.: Exactly. It is for such as these who want instructions. There are persons who seek freedom from misery. They are told that God guides all and so there need not be any concern about what happens. If they are of the best type they at once believe it and firmly abide by faith in God. But there are others who are not so easily convinced of the truth of the bare statement. They ask: “Who is God? What is His nature? Where is He? How can He be realised?” and so on. In order to satisfy them intellectual discussion is found necessary. Statements are made, their pros and cons are argued, and the truth is thus made clear to the intellect. When the matter is understood intellectually the earnest seeker begins to apply it practically. He argues at every moment, “For whom are these thoughts? Who am I?” and so forth, until he is well-established in the conviction that a Higher Power guides us. That is firmness of faith. Then all his doubts are cleared and he needs no further instructions.
Talk 596
Saturday, 9 November 2013
Stories of Ramana Maharshi
I once remember a Harijan lady who for the past twenty-five years was gathering honey to send to Sri Bhagavan. On every occasion she was unable to bring the honey herself and had to send it with someone. After waiting for twenty-five years, she finally found the opportunity to come. The poor lady was in tattered clothes, standing before Bhagavan. Her eyesight was poor and I still vividly recall the unusual way she looked at Sri Bhagavan, calling out "Oh Darling, where are you? I want to see you." Bhagavan in all his graciousness said, "Grandmother, look this way. I am here." Looking at the honey she had brought with her, he said to me, "They are Brahmins, they won't eat this. We will share it, and eat it.
"It is often said, Bhagavan did not give direct Upadesa (spiritual teaching), but what else is all this? Although Bhagavan repeatedly pointed out human frailty, people were not prepared to rectify themselves. As if talking to himself, he looked at this poor old woman in ragged clothes and said, "Poor lady, she must be hungry. And where will she go for clothes? Who will offer her food and clothes?" Upon hearing this, Ondu Reddiyar got up and said, "We will give her food and also see that some clothes are purchased." Then Reddiyar took the woman to the Dining Hall and fed her sumptuously. He also sent someone to town to buy her a sari. As the old woman had no money, she had walked a great distance to come here. Bhagavan knowing this, said in an impersonal way, "Would anyone be interested in getting her a bus ticket?" Reddiyar again came forward and said, "We will provide her with a bus ticket and see her off." When this lady returned from the Dining Hall she was touching the ground, and then touching her eyes. That is a way of prostration and thanksgiving.
It is noteworthy that whenever the poor or untouchables came, Bhagavan took a very personal interest in them, which was a moving sight to see.
-Rajapalayam Ramani Ammal, Story of Harijan Lady, Stories of Ramana Maharshi
"It is often said, Bhagavan did not give direct Upadesa (spiritual teaching), but what else is all this? Although Bhagavan repeatedly pointed out human frailty, people were not prepared to rectify themselves. As if talking to himself, he looked at this poor old woman in ragged clothes and said, "Poor lady, she must be hungry. And where will she go for clothes? Who will offer her food and clothes?" Upon hearing this, Ondu Reddiyar got up and said, "We will give her food and also see that some clothes are purchased." Then Reddiyar took the woman to the Dining Hall and fed her sumptuously. He also sent someone to town to buy her a sari. As the old woman had no money, she had walked a great distance to come here. Bhagavan knowing this, said in an impersonal way, "Would anyone be interested in getting her a bus ticket?" Reddiyar again came forward and said, "We will provide her with a bus ticket and see her off." When this lady returned from the Dining Hall she was touching the ground, and then touching her eyes. That is a way of prostration and thanksgiving.
It is noteworthy that whenever the poor or untouchables came, Bhagavan took a very personal interest in them, which was a moving sight to see.
-Rajapalayam Ramani Ammal, Story of Harijan Lady, Stories of Ramana Maharshi
God, Guru and Self by Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi
That calm expanse is the Self.
The Guru is both ‘external’ and ‘internal’. From the ‘exterior’ he gives a push to the mind to turn inward; from the ‘interior’ He pulls the mind towards the Self and helps in the quieting of the mind. That is guru kripa. There is no difference between God, Guru and the Self.
- Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi
Wednesday, 6 November 2013
PAVANA CHALANA RODHAT
PAVANA CHALANA RODHAT' (By controlling the movement of the breath)
- from Ramana Yoga Sutras, by Krishna Bhikshu
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1. Bhagavan explains how one can enter the heart or the state of thoughtlessness. He says it can be done by controlling the movements of the breath. It is said that the word 'pavana' here is used in a technical sense. It means 'prana' or the vital force. The vital force in the body works mainly in five ways, and also in another five ways that are subsidiary. The first five movements are called the pancha pranas. The first force makes one breathe in and the second enables one to talk. Another enables one to expel things out of the body. Still another aids digestion, and the fifth spreads all over the body, keeping it alive. The pavana of the vital force here intended is that which makes one breathe in and out. It is called the 'mukhya prana.'
2. When the breath is held, it is observed that the thoughts also decrease and finally, when the breath movement is brought to a standstill, the thoughts also completely subside. This is a practical tip given by Bhagavan. He explains this rationale in a couplet of "Upadesa Saram" where he says, "Force divides into two branches. One is the mind and the second is the prana." [Verse 12] They are like two horses harnessed to a carriage. When the reins of one are held tight, it naturally has to stop, thereby rendering the other unable to proceed.
Contrary to what medical science says, stoppage of breath does not result in an increase of carbon dioxide in the blood, which should weaken one. Yogis have been said to prolong their lives for hundreds of years by completely stopping their breath (by adopting what is called 'lambikayoga'). Now, completely stopping the breath is not possible in the beginning; it is a matter of practice. Certain other things are helpful (such as remaining fixedly in an asana) for effecting control of breath.
By controlling any one prana it is seen, in practical life, that you control the other pranas also.
3. When the movements of the vital force are controlled, this vital force no longer gives any scope for the sense organs to reach out towards worldly objects. Consequently the vital force fills the body and returns to its source, the Atman, where the mind also dissolves at the same time. It is, so to speak, as if a dam were raised across a rushing torrent, which would inevitably reverse the direction of its flow.
4. It is said that if one stops talking for a dozen years the mind will be rendered fairly calm, at which time the silencing of the thoughts altogether can be practiced. With a dozen years of practice of the latter variety, the silence attained will be profound and deep, and that is the state of samadhi. Sri Rama Yogi, a well known disciple of Sri Bhagavan, practiced the silence of the first variety and the progress he made is described in Paul Brunton's book, A Search in Secret India.
IV, "satata pratyavekshanat"
BY CONSTANT WATCHING (OF THE BREATH)
1. There are several methods advocated in the practice of breath control. The method the Maharshi teaches is a rare one: if one merely watches the breath and no attempt to control it is made, the breath of itself slows down almost to the vanishing point. This is a practical tip and is the essence of several types of yoga sadhana.
2. Normally in hatha yoga the nostrils are closed and opened with the fingers for definite intervals. Some say that if the time taken for inhalation is one unit, the retention of the breath should be for four units and breathing out for two units. The sadhaka practicing in this way is fighting a battle, as it were, with the force of the breath. Were this battle to be conducted the wrong way, dangers or disasters might follow, particularly if it were to be lost. Forced effort may end in various kinds of diseases; it may even cause madness, and in some cases, if the kundalini or life force rises uncontrolled, the body gets almost burnt up and death can result. So this practice needs to be done with great care and circumspection under the personal supervision of a Master, adopting easy techniques from time to time and different restrictions as to diet, time and posture. The
Maharshi bids us strictly to avoid this method of hatha yoga.
Do not fight with the natural flow of the breath. Only watch it as if you were a witness to a process. This is called the 'sakshi bhava' in philosophical terminology,
3. The advantages of the Maharshi's method are many. It automatically turns the thoughts away from the ideas and objects of the world, effecting a severance of the world and one's self. The world of affairs will amount to zero for the practitioner of this method. All the tribulations that naturally follow any contact with the world cease, so that all disturbing factors are brought to an abrupt end. Not for him are the emotional surges and fits of despair found in the bhakti marga, nor are the anxieties of the karma marga present. The dangers of the yoga marga will never touch him; not even the troubles of the path of raja yoga will face him. One is almost the Divine, the kootastha, who is said to be the witness of the three states of consciousness – jagrat, swapna and sushupti.
4. The result will be the slowing down of the speed at which thoughts arise; they become slower. In the end, a thought arises and sinks, an interval ensues, and only then another thought arises. That means, since the thoughts arise in consciousness, the thoughts sink back again into consciousness, and before another thought ensues, there is only the consciousness free from thought. In reality, one is that consciousness, in which there is no idea of the manifested world, either gross or subtle. One is almost in the state of Divinity. It is the 'hrid' state of consciousness, which is thoughtless. One has reached the highest possible goal of individual effort in which the little self is not known; it is almost the attainment of the Atman.
5. The practice of this method needs no niyamas (observances); differences in time, circumstances, clime, personality, sex, race and religion are all extinguished. The moment you begin this practice you are taken away from the world's dualities. There, no more sastras, no more discussions trouble you. Others need not even know that you are a sadhaka of this sort. Generally people praise a sadhaka for his consistency, good nature and high spiritual attainment. This praise is the greatest danger to a sadhaka. In "Ulladu Narpadu" [Supplement, Verse 37] Bhagavan has clearly pointed out this danger. In this method, even the vanity of being a sadhaka is given up.
6. Above, I said, "almost the Divine". The reason for this reservation is that the Self, even in this state, is shrouded by the avarana sakti of Maya. No one can remove this shroud by their own effort. For when one is in the state of 'hrid', there is no individual left to make any effort for the removal of this veiling. Then what is the way? Nothing but Divine Grace can help you now. The state of 'hrid' contains in itself the unmanifested seeds which later manifest. The force of those seeds is weakened by the efflux of time and by the experience of their results in various worlds, both subtle and gross. When the force of those seeds becomes negligible, the Atman of itself emerges in all its glory. The state of 'hrid' is a negative experience. The state of the Atman is a positive one, entirely dependent upon its own Grace. So say the Kathopanishad Upanishad: "To him whom It chooses, It reveals Itself."
- from Ramana Yoga Sutras, by Krishna Bhikshu
1. Bhagavan explains how one can enter the heart or the state of thoughtlessness. He says it can be done by controlling the movements of the breath. It is said that the word 'pavana' here is used in a technical sense. It means 'prana' or the vital force. The vital force in the body works mainly in five ways, and also in another five ways that are subsidiary. The first five movements are called the pancha pranas. The first force makes one breathe in and the second enables one to talk. Another enables one to expel things out of the body. Still another aids digestion, and the fifth spreads all over the body, keeping it alive. The pavana of the vital force here intended is that which makes one breathe in and out. It is called the 'mukhya prana.'
2. When the breath is held, it is observed that the thoughts also decrease and finally, when the breath movement is brought to a standstill, the thoughts also completely subside. This is a practical tip given by Bhagavan. He explains this rationale in a couplet of "Upadesa Saram" where he says, "Force divides into two branches. One is the mind and the second is the prana." [Verse 12] They are like two horses harnessed to a carriage. When the reins of one are held tight, it naturally has to stop, thereby rendering the other unable to proceed.
Contrary to what medical science says, stoppage of breath does not result in an increase of carbon dioxide in the blood, which should weaken one. Yogis have been said to prolong their lives for hundreds of years by completely stopping their breath (by adopting what is called 'lambikayoga'). Now, completely stopping the breath is not possible in the beginning; it is a matter of practice. Certain other things are helpful (such as remaining fixedly in an asana) for effecting control of breath.
By controlling any one prana it is seen, in practical life, that you control the other pranas also.
3. When the movements of the vital force are controlled, this vital force no longer gives any scope for the sense organs to reach out towards worldly objects. Consequently the vital force fills the body and returns to its source, the Atman, where the mind also dissolves at the same time. It is, so to speak, as if a dam were raised across a rushing torrent, which would inevitably reverse the direction of its flow.
4. It is said that if one stops talking for a dozen years the mind will be rendered fairly calm, at which time the silencing of the thoughts altogether can be practiced. With a dozen years of practice of the latter variety, the silence attained will be profound and deep, and that is the state of samadhi. Sri Rama Yogi, a well known disciple of Sri Bhagavan, practiced the silence of the first variety and the progress he made is described in Paul Brunton's book, A Search in Secret India.
IV, "satata pratyavekshanat"
BY CONSTANT WATCHING (OF THE BREATH)
1. There are several methods advocated in the practice of breath control. The method the Maharshi teaches is a rare one: if one merely watches the breath and no attempt to control it is made, the breath of itself slows down almost to the vanishing point. This is a practical tip and is the essence of several types of yoga sadhana.
2. Normally in hatha yoga the nostrils are closed and opened with the fingers for definite intervals. Some say that if the time taken for inhalation is one unit, the retention of the breath should be for four units and breathing out for two units. The sadhaka practicing in this way is fighting a battle, as it were, with the force of the breath. Were this battle to be conducted the wrong way, dangers or disasters might follow, particularly if it were to be lost. Forced effort may end in various kinds of diseases; it may even cause madness, and in some cases, if the kundalini or life force rises uncontrolled, the body gets almost burnt up and death can result. So this practice needs to be done with great care and circumspection under the personal supervision of a Master, adopting easy techniques from time to time and different restrictions as to diet, time and posture. The
Maharshi bids us strictly to avoid this method of hatha yoga.
Do not fight with the natural flow of the breath. Only watch it as if you were a witness to a process. This is called the 'sakshi bhava' in philosophical terminology,
3. The advantages of the Maharshi's method are many. It automatically turns the thoughts away from the ideas and objects of the world, effecting a severance of the world and one's self. The world of affairs will amount to zero for the practitioner of this method. All the tribulations that naturally follow any contact with the world cease, so that all disturbing factors are brought to an abrupt end. Not for him are the emotional surges and fits of despair found in the bhakti marga, nor are the anxieties of the karma marga present. The dangers of the yoga marga will never touch him; not even the troubles of the path of raja yoga will face him. One is almost the Divine, the kootastha, who is said to be the witness of the three states of consciousness – jagrat, swapna and sushupti.
4. The result will be the slowing down of the speed at which thoughts arise; they become slower. In the end, a thought arises and sinks, an interval ensues, and only then another thought arises. That means, since the thoughts arise in consciousness, the thoughts sink back again into consciousness, and before another thought ensues, there is only the consciousness free from thought. In reality, one is that consciousness, in which there is no idea of the manifested world, either gross or subtle. One is almost in the state of Divinity. It is the 'hrid' state of consciousness, which is thoughtless. One has reached the highest possible goal of individual effort in which the little self is not known; it is almost the attainment of the Atman.
5. The practice of this method needs no niyamas (observances); differences in time, circumstances, clime, personality, sex, race and religion are all extinguished. The moment you begin this practice you are taken away from the world's dualities. There, no more sastras, no more discussions trouble you. Others need not even know that you are a sadhaka of this sort. Generally people praise a sadhaka for his consistency, good nature and high spiritual attainment. This praise is the greatest danger to a sadhaka. In "Ulladu Narpadu" [Supplement, Verse 37] Bhagavan has clearly pointed out this danger. In this method, even the vanity of being a sadhaka is given up.
6. Above, I said, "almost the Divine". The reason for this reservation is that the Self, even in this state, is shrouded by the avarana sakti of Maya. No one can remove this shroud by their own effort. For when one is in the state of 'hrid', there is no individual left to make any effort for the removal of this veiling. Then what is the way? Nothing but Divine Grace can help you now. The state of 'hrid' contains in itself the unmanifested seeds which later manifest. The force of those seeds is weakened by the efflux of time and by the experience of their results in various worlds, both subtle and gross. When the force of those seeds becomes negligible, the Atman of itself emerges in all its glory. The state of 'hrid' is a negative experience. The state of the Atman is a positive one, entirely dependent upon its own Grace. So say the Kathopanishad Upanishad: "To him whom It chooses, It reveals Itself."
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