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SRI RAMANA
The Sage of Arunagiri
The Sage's Abode at Arunagiri
( Sri Ramanasramam )
BY
AKSHARAJNA
FIRST
Published on the Occasion jof the
JAYANTI
OF
BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI
ON
24th Dectmber, 1942.
Printed at The Jupiter PreBB, M ad ras1 1-48 3000.
SRI RAMANA
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI
Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramana Murtaye
This Fresh Flower Offering is most respectfully
laid at the Feet of
BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI
as a humble token of devotion
by his most ardent disciple
AKSHARAJNA
(G. R. SUBBARAMAYYA)
CONTENTS
PAGE
Foreword ... ... i to iii
Sri Ramana, the Sage of Arunagiri ... 1 to 40
Supplement ... ... ... 41 to 47
The Teachings of Sri Ramana ... .-48 to 88
I. God Guru & Grace ... 48 to 52
II. The Heart ... ... 53 to 56
III. Self-Enquiry ... ... 57 to 63
IV. Knowledge and Devotion 64 to 66
V. Work and Wisdom ... 67 to 75
VI. The Mind ... ... 76 to 80
VII. The Three States of the
Mind and the Mindless
State ... ... 81 to 88
Appendix ... ... ... 89 to 92
SAVANTS' HOMAGE UNTO THE SAGE
It the world is to be saved it can only be by the intrusion of
another world into it, a world of higher truth and greater reality, . . .
Our failure to develope contact with this world of Reality is the
cause of our malady. Men like SRI RAM AN A recall us to that
larger dimension of Reality to which we really belong.
Sir S. Radhakrishnan.
*
BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI is a significant
answer to the world's cry for liberation. . . . He has renounced as
valueless all that the modern world values most. His detachment
is as complete as it is perfect. Nothing seems to possess the
power to disturb his superb poise, his marvellous tranquillity and
peace. . . . He has lived publicly for fifty years at the foot of
Arunachala, that mystic Hill, the Heart of the world> the secret
and sacred Heart-centre of Siva. That Hill is the only symbol,
the only adequate representation of his spiritual realisation. . . .
There is little doubt that an ageless Wisdom* as old as the Heart
of the Hill, aye even older than that, shines through those wonderful
eyes which look with such deep compassion upon the suffering
world.
B. Sanjiva Rao.
* * #
RAMANA MAHARSHI'S greatness is based on his actual
living by the creed of the Advaita Vedanta which holds that Reality
is One without a second, that everything in this universe is but
that Reality which is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, True to his
creed, he regards nothing alien, none as other, no events undesir-
able. For him the ideal is the real and the real is the ideal
Love, affection, kindness, mercy etc., which are expressions of one
and the same thing, and the feeling of unity with all, ever flow
from him. This is the secret of Maharshi's unique greatness and
consequent popularity. The whole of humanity owes its homage
to this great Sage amidst us.
Prof. B. L. Atreya.
* *
I do not know what happened when I saw MAHARSHI for
the first time, but the moment he looked at me, I felt he was the
Truth and the Light.
Grant Duff.
* *
I believe SRI MAHARSHI to be the greatest living inter-
preter, and indeed, in a sense, the fulfilment of modern psychology
and psycho-analysis and that therefore he must be taken seriously
even by Western or Eastern Materialists.
A. B. Richardson.
* * *
What we find in the life and teachings of SRI RAMANA
is the purest of India ; with its breath of world-liberated and
liberating humanity, it is the chant of millenniums.
Dr. C. G. Jung
FOREWORD
I deem it a pleasure and a privilege to write a fore-
word to this brief and bright book about a very great
Personage. It is difficult to define Greatness, and it is
yet more difficult? to comprehend and evaluate supreme
greatness in any field. The difficulty is greatest when we
have to shed our petty but powerful passion of identity
with our body which cuts the joyous Infinite into painful
finiteness. And yet we must conquer the * difficulty, at
least in some measure as a matter of intellectual assent,
if we wish to comprehend and evaluate the greatest spiri-
tual genius known as BHAGAVAN SRI RAMAN A
MAHARSHI; I have met the Sage of Tiruvannamalai
off and on, and after considerable intervals of time, a fact
which, I flatter myself, has enabled me to combine the
two somewhat inconsistent angles of vision viz., attach-
ment and detachment. I was first puzzled and then
fascinated by him, as naturally happens when a person
passionately seeking peace comes across one who has
passed that probationary stage and has touched the
innermost core of peace and found it to be not mere calm-
ness but also radiance and rapture ; because those who
reach the incandescent centre of things have
" No shade of doubt,
But utter clearness, and through loss of self
The gain of such large Life as matched with ours
Were Sun to spark unshadowable in words,
Themselves but shadows of a shadow-world ! "
Sri Ramana Maharshi has had to pay the usual
penalties of greatness, He has been pursued by many
interpreters and admirers. Many have merely admired
him and some have interpreted him, and very very few
have understood him* That is inevitable in the case of a
great genius of an unusual type, because how many are
there or can there be, who feel an imperious inner urge
for the realization of the Infinite while yet a boy ? Sri
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had a similar urge. An admirer
from the West has given a luminous pen-picture of the
Sage as he found him at the first interview : " His body
is supernaturally quiet, as steady as a statue, Not once
does he catch my gaze, for his eyes contrive to look into
remote space, and infinitely remote it seems." The writer
then interrogates himself : " Does this man, the Maharshi,
emanate the perfume of spiritual peace as the flower
emanates fragrance from its petals ? '* He eventually gets
a kinship of mood which enables him to glimpse Maha-
rshi's mood and says, " I have drunk the platonic cup of
Lethe, so that yesterday's bitter memories and tomor-
row's anxious cares have disappeared completely. I
have attained divine liberty and an almost indescribable
felicity, for I understand in the deepest possible way that
to know all is not merely to pardon all, but to love all*
My heart is remoulded in rapure."*
If thus a person who was born in alien milieu can
enter into a new mood as remote as it is rapturous and as
rapturous as it is remote, we can expect Hindu disciples
to show a clear and convincing comprehension. And in
fact this class of literature has grown to vast proportions.
Mr. B. V. Narasimha Swamy has given us an intimate
study. The present author who hides himself behind the
mysterious and magnificent name Aksharajna has entered
very deeply into the spirit of the great Master. He gives
to us clear and bright picture of the robust boyhood of
the Master. But even^ in such boyhood the passion of
meditation brought its *unusual and rapturous interrup-
tions of the normal life. The boy exercised a strange
fascination over all who met him. The casual hearing of
the word ARUNAOHALAM fanned some unknown
central heat in him into flame, and he fled from his
temporary home to this eternal Home where he lives in
the fulness of Peace to-day. The author has narrated
the story of the great awakening in a gripping way.
* Paul Brunton in A Search in Secret India* published by M/s
Rider & Co., London,
Ill
Remain Rolland says that in Europe such a child
would be placed in a mental hospital. But India to use
the. language of the Gita knows that what is darkness to
all beings is radiance to the Samyt&mi* The author
appropriately adds to his work a brief but comprehensive
exposition of the teachings of the Sage, adopting, as far
as possible, the same expression and language used in
other books published by the Asramam, thus represent-
ing accurately the different aspects of the Eternal Truth,
of which the Sage of Arunagiri is himself the living
Embodiment*
The work is thus attractive and illuminating. It
brings before my mind's eye very vividly the Maharshi as
I saw him a few months ago during the Karthigai Deepam
season, sitting on his couch with eyes Visioning the
Light of lights which is inside the inside and yet beyond
the beyond, while the surging crowds poured in and
bowed and sat in reverential awe, a subtle incense spread
all round us, and the full moon shone at its zenith in the
azure sky.
MADRAS, ) < sd -) K - s - RAMASWAMY SASTRY, B.A., B.L.
V Dewan Bahadur
5th March 1937. ) Retired District Judge*
SRI RAMANA
The Sage of Arunagiri
It is attempted herein to give the reader an account
of the leading characteristics and incidents of the life of
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, who now adorns Tiru-
vannamalai (Arunagiri or Arunachala, in Sanscrit), a
small Municipality in the present North Arcot District.
The brief exposition of his teachings is intended merely
to direct the reader to the original teachings of the Sage
as contained in the books published by Sri Ramanas-
ramam, the present abode of the Sage.
In the latter part of the nineteenth century, there
lived in the village of Tiruchuli (or, Tiruchuzhi which
means literally the sacred Cypher, representing Sabda
Brahma 1 ), about thirty miles south of Madura, a Brahmin
couple, Sundaram Aiyar (lit: the Beautiful Sire) and
Alagamma (lit : Madame Beautiful) by name. Devoted,
pious attd loving, the latter had the personality to mould
the character of her children. She was a very devout
woman, a sort of Hindu St. Elizabeth, fasting, giving alms
The whole world is pervaded by
Pranava" (Jnanotthama.) "In the beginning there was the word,
the word was, with God, the word was God " St. John'g Gospel, L 1
2 SRI RAMANA
to the poor and nursing the sick. She was the right hand
of her husband, Sundaram Aiyar, * who was also pious
and God-fearing, was following the legal profession and
was in fairly affluent circumstances; and, without enter-
taining the 'sordid lust of pelf he spent all his ancestral
and self-earned income in dping good to humanity.
The virtues of charity, goodness and non-attachment
are ingrained in the members of this family. One of
Sundaram Aiyar 's grand-uncles donned the gerrua (the
seamless ochre-coloured robe), and with the staff and
bowl in hand * looked upon the world as his oyster/
Sundaram Aiyar's elder brother, Venkatesa Aiyar, years
ago started from the village professing to visit
Tirupparamkunram and never came home again. Nor
could any know where he went, though it was said later
on that he was once seen at Chidambaram, engaged in
removing the weeds and thorns from the grounds of the
outer courts of the temple to keep them soft for the
tread of pilgrims and visitors to the shrine. He was a
Sannyasin of the advanced type and a great BhaJcta who
spent his time in incessant prayer.
The temple of Bhuminatheswara and Sahayamba at
Tiruchuli was resorted to by a constant stream of
bhaktas from far and near at all seasons of the year, and
more 'especially in the month of Margasirsha, during the
festival of Arudra-darsanam. At 1 a.m. on the
Arudradarsanam day of the year, Pramadi (correspond-
ing to the 30th of December, 1879), when God Siva of the
Temple procession stood at the tower entrance* whea
the asterism Punarvasu was in the ascendant in Tula
msi, Alagamma gave birth to a souk-entrancing boy,
who was afterwards named Venkataramana. He was
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 3
the second of her three boys, Nagasami being the first
and Nagasundaram the last. 3
Of all those who, by their own efforts and without
any usurpation of the rights of others, have raised them-
selves to the acme of perfection, the State of Realization
through Benunciation, the Goal of human evolution
there is no one whose history presents so great a continuity
from its commencement as that of Venkataramana^
universally known as BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA
MAHARSHI. Ever since his birth he had * latent mental
modifications ' of Lord Arunachala, sure to become
potent at no distant date. Though he did not exactly
know who, what and where Arunachala is, his heart
panted after Him, even "as the hartpanteth after water-
brooks." The thought of the Lord was ingrained in Mm.
He lwed t moved and had his being in Arunachala. He
lisped Arunachala and he became the speaking Embodi-
ment of Lord Arunachala.
From his very birth Venkataramana exerted a
fascinating influence upon his parents and in others. Fair,
charming, and always smiling, he soon became *the
cynosure of neighbouring eyes.' It may well be said that
the Wordsworthian saying " Child is father of the man "
proved true in his case. For the great ancient evolu-
tionist, Patanjali, declares 3 that the true secret of
evolution is the manifestation of Perfection which is
already there in a potential condition in every being, that
a The house in which Venkataramana was born, was built by
Sundaram Aiyar* After his death it was lost to the family, but has
been^ecently acquired by Sri Ramanasramam with the generous
help of devotees, and is now maintained as a temple of worship,
known ts SRI SUNDARA MANDIRAM* 3 See next
4 SRI RAMANA
his Perfection is merely barred, while the infinite tide
behind struggles to express itself. This struggle is but
the result of our ignorance, because we do not know the
proper way to unlock the gates that let in the flood.
This infinite tide behind must express itself. Venkata-
ramana grew up into a robust boy and his exquisite grace
pleased everybody. He soon became a leader of boys
of equal age and, sometimes of his seniors too. As he
was of a very active temperament, his father thought it
unwise to allow him to indulge in his boyish " Quips and
Cranks and Wanton Wiles," and sent him to the village
school, where he soon became a pet to both the pupils
and the teacher. He learnt the three Rs at Tiruchuli
and Dindigul. Later on he reached Madura and joined
the Scott's Middle School and afterwards the Mission
High School. Often on bright moon-lit nights he and
his comrades, unseen by their elders, would go to the
river Vaigai and play on the sand dunes there till 3 or
4 a.m. Then they would wend their way homeward and
silently rest themselves on their beds, as if nothing had
happened the previous night to check the regular course
of human life.
During the holidays he would go with a number of
boys of his age who were strong in limb to a hill close to
the town, for recreation purposes, free from the babblings
of a busy world. He would jump from rock to rock over
deep ravines. He was skilled in boxing, wrestling and
other manly sports, which he would practise with his
Yoga Aphorisms iv. 2 & 3.
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 5
friends. He would teach his playmates how to escape ia
times of danger and emergency. His feats were so quick
and daring that it would appear he cared a fig for life*
The whole batch would proceed to the big lake adjoining
the hill, but he would invariably go ahead of them to jump
in and swim across the waters. When the Vaigai was in
loud torrents, he would boldly swim across the rapid
river amidst whirlpools, when it would appear dangerous
even for an expert swimmer to ford it. Many a time and
oft he was drawn into the vortices of deep encircling
whirlpools, but with an effort he would get free from
them and swim to the opposite bank. In sports like
these he spent his boyhood and none would have dreamed
that, under ordinary circumstances, a lad so volatile, so
fond of mirth and youthful jollity, and apparently so little
drawn to the higher aspects of life, would shortly become
a Mahapurusha 4 shining as a lodestar to many a man
seeking freedom from the bondage of world. 5
He showed no aptitude at all for the acquisition of
mere book-lore, though he was bright and could have
easily taken high rank in the class. He was not without
4 The Great Self,
6 The powers that work in a Mukta Purusha are cosmic and,
therefore, his conduct #iore often baffles our moral estimate by its
overpower ingness and incalculability. The Chandogya gives a des*
cription of the complete autonomy of will of the Liberated Souls.
Their will is .unfailingly effective, not only on the physical but also
on the psychic and higher planes of existence. It is immediately
creative : and in this respect has supernatural bent, in as much as it
'does not require the intervention of any other thing to give it proper
shape and effective expression. Though this autonomy . of will, is a
source of uncommon power, Liberated Souls do not disturb the
cosmic harmony, because the world-harmony reflects the greatest
wisdom and highest power of Iswara. / ^
6 SRI RAMAN A
determination and effort, but be did not care to apply
himself to the lessons taught at school. Though he
would somehow get through his examinations, his pro-
gress was not considered satisfactory either by hi&
teachers or guardians, Venkataram ana's mind, which
had a peculiar aversion to the study of English Grammar*
Algebra and Geometry, did not feel particularly attracted
towards the higher problems of life. In any case, he was
not for the acquisition of that kind of learning for which
parents generally send their boys to school, the learning
intended for earning a livelihood. At Madura when he
casually saw a copy of Periyapuranam and read it, he
was enraptured by the ideal of selfless devotion that
inspired the lives of the Saints therein described, With-
out his knowing it, the study of this book threw him into-
deep meditation.
But the chief characteristic of the boy was his
fascinating influence over everybody he came into
contact with. The boys with whom he * deported on the
margent green ', though they were in constant dread of
him in his waking hours, could not bear the pangs of
separation from him even for a minute. Only during his-
sleeping hours would they dare to handle him roughly in
playful vengeance. In play and games a sturdy and
fearless boy, in intellectual pursuits an aristocrat, in
active life a kind and generous friend of one and all, was
Venkataramana, unique amongst his companions.
This state of affairs did not last long. His schoolboy
activity gave place to tranquillity and indifference to all
mundane matters. But when one thinks of the robust
schoolboy Venkataramana, about to enter the realm of
spiritual life, one is tempted to recall the advice given by
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 7
Swami Vivekananda to his Alwar disciples :-" Above all;
be strong and manly ! Physical weakness is the cause oi
at least one-third of our miseries.'*
It is said " From sixteen to eighteen is an awkward
age/' It is regarded as the age when a boy or girl rises
to man's or woman's stature. All Hindu parents carefully
watch their children at this critical period. It is the
period for the * blossoming ' of the AntahJcarana (internal
sense). Nature is yet pliant and soft. Habits have not
as yet established their domain. * Whatever direction is
then given to one's Desires and passions, it is most likely
to continue,
11 Youth, therefore, is the most appropriate time for
one to renounce. It is the fresh and unsmelt flower that
is laid at the feet of the Lord/ 1
It was in or about the month of November 1895,
that the * unconscious cerebration ' Venkataramana had
of Lord Arqnachala raised its head. That latent thought
or feeling acted as a * spur to prick the sides of intent',
One day while going to school, he met an elderly relation
of his on the way. As a previous acquaintance in child-
hood, the youth accosted the relative with the ujsual
question, " Whence are you coming?" "FromArutia*
chalam " was the laconic reply. But as soon as the word
"ARUNACHALAM" fell on the ears of Venkftor
ramana, he had a vision of Something Great and Magni-
ficent. His mortal eyes were closed to ail extepial
things, and for a moment he remained transfixed to the
spot; When soon he regained normal consciousness, he
exclaimed with evident bewilderment " What, from
Arunachalam! Where is it?" The relative, though sur-
prised, pitied his youthful ignorance and softly replied
8 SRI RAMANA
11 Don't you kn6w Tiruvannamalai ? That is Atuna-
chalam." The spark that glowed for a time in the
youth's breast seemed to be chilled by the reply ; really it
was the calm that precedes the storm.
Th Great Awakening that converted Venkata-
ramana's listless life into one of lofty realization and
devotion to ideals, came about the middle of 1896. The
Great Transformation may be stated substantially in his
own words. 4I It was^ about six weeks before I left
Madura for good that the great change in my life took
place. It was so sudden. One day I sat'up alone on the
first floor of my uncle's house. I was in my usual good
health. But a sudden and unmistakable fear of death
seized me. I felt I was going to die, and at once set
about thinking what I should do. I did not care to
consult anyone, be he a doctor, elder or friend. I felt I
had to solve the problem myself then and there. The
shock of the fear of death made me at once introspective
or 'introverted'. I said to myself mentally, i. e., without
littering the words, 'Now death is come, what does it
mean ? Who is it that is dying ? This body dies.' I at
once dramatized the situation. I extended my limbs and
held them rigid, as though rigor-mortis (death stiffening)
had set in. I imitated a corpse to lend an air of reality
to my further investigation. I held my breath and kept
my mouth closed, pressing the lips tightly together, $o
th&t no sound could escape. * Well then, ' said I to myself,
'this body is dead; It will be carried stiff to the crema-
tory and there burnt and xeduced to ashes. But with the
death of the body am "I" dead? Is the body " I" ? This
body is silent and inert. But I am still aware of the full
forte of; toy personality and ; even of the sound of **I M
myself as apart from the body. So "I" am a
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 9
Spirit transcending the body. The material body dies,
but the Spirit transcending it cannot, be touched by
death. I am, therefore, the deathless Spirit.' All this
was not a feat of intellectual gymnastics, but came as a
flash before me vividly as living TRUTH, something
which I perceived immediately, without any argument
almost. ** I "was something very real,*he only real thing
in that state, and all the conscious activity that was con-
nected with my body was centred on that. The " I " or
myself was holding the focus of attention with a powerful
fascination. Fear of death vanished at once and forever.
The absorption in the Self has continued front that moment
right up to now?/* 6
That is what Patanjali calls Nirvikalpa or Asampra-
jnata or Nirbeeja Samadhi, to attain which Sages spent
their whole lives or series of lives ; as the Gita says M It is
the result of the toil of many lives." 7
This Nirvikalpa Samadhi, this Great Ecstasy, is the
absolute transfixing and transformation of the human
personality into Divinity. It is the falling into pieces of
the very foundations of personality, the tremendous
bursting of Effulgence which annihilates all the darkness
due to sense and thought. It is the drowning and dis-
solution of personality in the Ocean of Pure Being, which
is the All. Like the awesome stillness after a violent
tropical storm, like the majestic silence reigning in the
6 The particular house (now No* 11, Chokkappa Naicken St.)
in Madura, in which young Venkataramana had this transcendental
Experience of the f I ' Eternal, has been acquired recently for Sri
Ramanasramam, and is now maintained as a place of worship and
pilgrimage. It is known as SRI RAM AN A MANDIRAM.
10 SRI RAMANA
glorious solitude of mountain fastness, like the great still*
ness of the sea after a mad breaking of the waves with
thundering noise on rocky shores, like the eternal silence
of the stars, and like unto the peace of all these, is the
inexpressible State of Nirvikalpa Samadhi. The body
is lifeless. So is the mind. Samadhi is one, unbroket*
Stillness. It is the all-surpassing Stillness, that side t>f
Maya. On this side, the structure of thought and form
built through the time and effort vt innumerable lives,
tumbles to pieces, into a heap of ruin. It is the breaking
down of the ridgepole of that tabernacle of thought and
form iti Vhich the soul has made its abode for unaccount-
able ages. But on the other side of Maya, it is Efful-
gence, Sublime Effulgence, the Infinite Effulgence of
Pure Being. When the phenomenon of personality
becomes extinct, that which eternally IS, alone remains.
That is BRAHMAN.
This is the goal, the seeing, the knowing which i&
vision, the seeing and knowing which are the actual
becoming, and, finally the actual Being. The youthful
Maharshi attained this goal. The State of Super-Cons-
ciousness is what he sought of Lord Arunachala. To feel
and be one with the Divinity within ; to find the whole of
nature erazed from the tablets of perception ; to deny the
* little- 1 ' which creates bondage ; to destroy any and every
objective characteristic and attitude of individual being ;
to plunge into the Ocean of True, Universal Being
beyond thought, and to realize it as identical with the
Self, such was his prayer to the Lord.
After this event a definite change came over the
schoolboy life of Venkataramana, His attention was so
powerfully drawn to the Self within, that life and its
THE SAGE OF ARUNAG1RI 11
activity ceased to interest him; and he lost even the
superficial contact he had with his companions. Often
times he would sit alone, close his eyes and soon be lost
in the all-absorbing concentration on himself. He would
seldom miss an opportunity to shove aside his books, to
shirk the petty social duties and sit up in his congenial
occupation of Atma-dhyana. The only thing that had
any attraction for him besides such meditation, was his
almost invariable, daily visit to Meenakshisundareswara
temple. He would go alone and stand for a long time
before Siva, Meenakshi, Nataraja or before the august
array of the sixty-three Saints, in silent prayer for the
descent of Lord's Grace. Free from thought and speech
while he stood in silent prayer before His Lord, tears
would gush down his cheeks in torrents. He had no use
for words to commune with the Supreme Being ; and the
thought of seeking consolation from worldly things or
attaining worldly objectives was completely absent from
his mind. Indeed, it was this experience of Bliss of the
ever-present Self within, that expressed itself as silent
prayer to the Lord for the descent of His Grace.
Because, young Venkataramana knew little about
theology and religion, and nothing of philosophy and its
theories about Brahman, Maya, samsara etc. In this
context of Venkataramana's new life we can understand
the true meaning of Hamiltonjs^mous dictum, U A
learned ignorance is the ^SST^p^ anBTThe
found that: the path to the
discovery of the Real Self lies through the crucifixion of
selfishness on selflessness. It did not take long for him
to recognize the unsuitability of his Madura home for the
task he was intent on. These far-reaching changes
12 SRI RAMANA
which came over Venkataramana's life coupled with the
chastisement he received from his brother, uncle and
teacher for the neglect of his studies, pointed to the
coming of the crisis.
The crisis did actually come on Saturday, 29th
August 1896, that is, four years after the demise of his
father, when he lived under his paternal uncle's roof at
Madura. He had failed to study properly some lesson
an Bain's Higher English Grammar, and was given as
imposition to copy that lesson thrice. When he did some
part of this soulless job, he got disgusted with it and could
go no further. He quietly put aside the books and sat
bolt upright for his congenial meditation. His brother,
who happened to be there, turned out to be an uncon-
scious agent of Lord Arunachala. With intent to make
the younger brother mend his ways, the elder one
remarked sarcastically 4I Why should one who behaves
thus retain all this ? " The rebuke was that one, who
would put aside the books with such easy indifference and
take to meditation, need not make a show of undergoing a
course of study in a high school. The shot went home.
44 Yes," thought Venkataramana, " What my brother says
is the bare truth. What business have I here any
longer ?'* Forthwith the innate thought of Arunachala
came to the fore and wholly absorbed him. Immediately
he got up from his seat of meditation and told his
brother that he had to go to school at noon to attend a
special class on electricity, when the latter asked the
former to take five rupees from the box below and pay
the latter's college-fees. Here was another instance of
help from the Unseen. Venkataramana went downstairs
to take his meal. But when his cousin-sister served the
lie could hardly relish even the firfrt morsel of food.
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 13
Some silent emotion had already begun to work within
the youthful breast of Venkataramana, and his* eyes were
red as fire with weeping ! He left unfinished Iris meal,
but took five rupees from the box. He hastily turned
over the pages of an antiquated school atlas; which did
not disclose the new branch line opened in 1892 and
running from Villupuram to Katpadi via Tiruvannamalai.
He thought that Tindivanam must be the nearest railway
station to Tiruvannamalai; and surmising that three
rupees would suffice to take him to Tindivanam, left the
balance of two rupees with a slip of paper in a
conspicuous corner of the box. He did not attend the
class but went straight to the railway station. His heart
" did not drag at each remove a lengthening chain."
Indeed, the chain of bondage was rent asunder. What
was then a seeming loss to the family was destined
to become an immense gain to the whole f wide world,
The parting note on the slip of paper (which Providence
has preserved to this day) runs thus :
I have, in search of my Father, according to His
command, started from this place. On a virtuous
enterprise indeed has this embarked. Therefore, for this
act none need grieve ; nor to trace this out need money
be spent*
Your College-fees ^ Thus,
yet not paid. Rs. 2 >
are herewith, )
The note throws a lucid light on the question oi
all absorbing interest, namely: what was Venkata-
ramana's state of mind when he left Madura for good
and what was the ethical and spiritual progress he had
already made? The outstanding features are:
14 SRI RAM AN A
Venkataramana was fully conscious of a Divine
Command ; it came from his Father. That command he
implicitly obeyed. The purpose was noble, he was quite
sure ; it was a thing which should make one happy and
not cause grief. Since there could be no turning back
once the hand was set to the plough, why make a search ?
And for whom was the search, when the one sought had
become merged in the Nameless One? Glory be unto
them that have such conviction ! The immortal words
of Pascal, ** Thou wouldsfc not have looked for ME if
thou hast not found ME " are never so true as for those
who, possessed by the hidden God, surrender unto Him
with a happy heart in order to fulfil the secret mission
with which they are charged.
"This was the Great Departure. Like a diver he
plunged into the Ocean of Cosmic Consciousness, and
that Ocean covered his track. Among its flotsam and
jetsam he seemed nothing more than one nameless youth
among a thousand others. But the fires of Genius
burned in his eyes."
Venkataramana reached the railway station at
twelve noon. The train, which was timed to arrive at
11-45 a.m. was late that day by over an hour. Here was
yet another proof of Providence smiling on his enterprise.
He looked up the fare to Tindivanam in the fare-lists
suspended near the booking-counter, and found it to be
rupees two and annas thirteen. He did not care to look
a few lines lower down and see that Tiruvannamalai was
itself a railway station and that the fare to it was three
rupees, which was just the amount he took with him to
the station* He purchased a ticket for Tindivanam,
tied the balance of three annas in the hem of his
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 15
garment, got into a compartment and became .wrapped
in deep meditation. He had no burden to carry,
physical or mental; there was nothing for him to be
anxious about. He had all the security and peace of
mind, which the absence of worldly possessions and the
presence of the Lord within could give. He was blind
and deaf to what passed around him, and did not care
for the cheap acquaintance with fellow passengers. In
his compartment was an old Moulvi (i e. a Moham-
medan religious scholar) with a long, grey beard, freely
discoursing with other passengers on the lives and
sayings of many a saint. He saw the Brahmin youth
fully absorbed in himself and not participating in the
discourse. He broke the ice and asked " Whither are
you going, Swami?" ** To Tiruvannamalai " was the
laconic reply. ** I am also going there " said the Moulvi.
"What! to Tiruvannamalai ?" asked the Swami. "No,
to the next station" said the Moulvi. "Which is the
next station? queried the Swami. " Tirukoilur " the
Moulvi replied. " What I does the train go to Tiruvanna-
malai? 11 asked the innocent youth, a little bewildered.
"A strange passenger you are to be sure" said the Moulvi.
44 What route should I take ?" queried again the youth.
" Via Villupuram " replied the Moulvi. Evidently, it
was some divine personage that appeared in the guise of
the Moulvi, in order to direct the youth on his way to
Tiruvannamalai. For, the old man, who offered to go up
to Tiruvannamalai and beyond, quietly disappeared in a
short time and was never seen again.
Venkataramana, who had thus come to know the
route, sank back into deep meditation, which kept off the
imperious sensations of hunger and thirst. It was only
when the train reached Trichinopoly Junction at
16 SRI RAMANA
eventide, that he felt their pinch. He purchased
stone*pears and tried to eat one of them. Hardly had he
swallowed a bit when his hunger was appeased and, to
his surprise, he felt disinclined to eat more. The trir>
reached Villupuram at 3 a.m. the next morning, and he
alighted there. At dawn he perambulated the streets of
the town, found a mess-house which he entered, and
asked the proprietor for food. He was told to wait till
noon for his meal. The youth sat on the pial (that is,.
a raised verandah before the main entrance of the house),
and was soon absorbed in himself. The hotel-keeper
watched with curiosity the Brahmin youth wich fair
complexion, long, black locks, ruby-set ear-rings, a face
beaming with intelligence, with no worldly goods of any
sort and sitting at ease, heedless of what was passing
outside, wrapt in Samadhi from early hours .in the morn-
ing till meal time in the noon. After the meal, when
two annas were offered by the lad, the proprietor asked
him " How much money have you ?" " Only two annas
and a half " came the straight reply. " Keep it yourself ' '
gafd the proprietor sympathetically.
Venkataramana started immediately to the railway
station. With the little money he had he purchased a
ticket to Mambalapattu, which place he reached that
evening. He then walked on for about ten miles reach-
ing Araianinallur by sunset. Not being accustomed to
walk such a long distance at one stretch, he felt jaded
and exhausted. He sat quietly in front of the temple of
Sri Atulyanatheswara. A little later came the temple
archaka, cook and others to perform the evening pufo
to the Deity. Opening the doors of the temple they went
in. The young Saint, Venkataramana, followed them
and sat in a corner near the Holy of Holies. Meditation
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 17
bad by then become his natural state ; on the swift wings
of the spiritual ecstasy that entranced him from tfae
moment he left his home at the command of his Father^
he flew above Dhyana and Dharana and beyond tbera^
into Samadhi, where thought itself is dead and all sense
of separateness is destroyed ; where man that was
becomes the GOD that IS. Venkataramana had then a
Vision of a dazzling Light emanating from himself
and enveloping him. It grew effulgent, and his mind
merged into it. What then transpired in that State of
Super-Consciousness is beyond expression. The highest
Consciousness had come upon him, of its own accord.
The Effulgence came with such Omnipotence that it
absorbed the consciousness of personality ; and the " I "
in him became merged in Divinity. The exalted State of
Transpersonality is by its nature incomprehensible to tfae
mind and inexpressible in words. The spot on which
the young Saint Venkataramana sat, where he had the
Vision of Inner Light, was the very spot on which Saint
Tirujnana Sambandar installed the Deity, Arunachales-
wara. This is the way in which Saints and Sages have
had the shower of Jnana of Perennial Bliss, known as
Dkarmamegha Samadhi 8 . When the feeling of ecstasy
passes away and is lost in a higher equanimity, there
occurs the State called Dharmamegha, in which the
Isolation of the Self, its complete severance from insenti-
ent matter (the body), is realized ; and karma operates no
more. According to Vedanta it is the State in which
Wisdom expresses itself in the form of virtuous Ideas
based <^jujiv^ values, and
8 Pattnjali : Kpf^P ffJiflWt " Samtdhi (which is) the rain
cloud of (all) Virtues " iv. 20
2
18 SRI RAMANA
flowing in the clearest manner. It is called Dharma-
megha, because it is full of Dharma or Truth and
Righteousness, just as clouds are full of rain. Dharma-
megha thus showers its blessings on the lower planes of
feeling, mind and intellect, while the Sage himself remains
transcendent, basking, as it were, in the light of the Eter-
nal Sun of Pure Being, raised above all reflections (that is,
thought-activity ranging from perception to deep contem-
plation) and beyond all the karmas. Contemplators call
this the highest intellection (prasamkhyanam). The
Effulgence seen by the young Sage may be considered
also as an objective vision of God. When he opened his
mortal eyes to see if the Light had come from the
Sanctum Sanctorum and went in, he saw nothing more
than a stone image of the Deity set within stone walls of
the temple.
When Venkataramana came out of the Samadhi,
hunger pressed him hard. He was not accustomed to ask
anything of anybody; however, he approached the temple
cook for a morsel of food, who directed him to the
archaha. By then the evening ritual of temple worship
was over, and Venkataramana was asked to come out
along with others, so that the temple doors might be
closed. The priest and others, closing the doors, started
for the Kilur temple which was about six furlongs away,
in order to conduct puja there also. Venkataramana
accompanied the party and on reaching the Kilur temple
fell again into a state of Self-absorption, from which he
was roused by the priest who wanted to close the doors.
The temple drummer, who had all along been watching
the youth, said to the archaJca " Give him my share of
prasadam" It was accordingly given. The youth was
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 19
then led to a Sastry's house close by to get some drinking
water. But before it could be fetched, he fell into a
state of deep Samadhi, which was rapidly forming itself
into a fixed habit. When he regained normal conscious-
ness, he found himself at some distance from where he
originally stood, with his food scattered and a crowd
watching him intently. He picked up some of the
scattered food but could eat only a little. The next
morning he went to the house of one Muthukrishna
Aiyar, a Brahmin Bhagavathar and asked him for a meal
He was referred to the dame inside. The good lady
rejoiced to see the lad arrive on the day of Sri Krishna's
nativity (for, that was the Janmashtami day), gave him
aj>ounteous rural repast and insisted on his eating it all
despite his satiety. He then went to the Bhagavathar
and, in order to get the* necessary railway fare, offered to
pledge his gold ear-rings for rupees four. The Bhaga-
vathar at first hesitated, but finally advanced him the
amount. Before he left the house, the good dame who
fed him sumptuously gave him a packet of sweets which
were part of the naivedya she was yet to offer to the
household deity. Then the youth wended his way to the
railway station, where he had to wait till next morning
for his train to Tiruvannamalai, which he reached on the
first day of September, 1896.
On the fourth day after he left Madura, he alighted
at Tiruvannamalai station, and beheld from afar his
1 promised land ' with the Hill of Arunagiri rising majesti-
cally from earth to heaven. There at the foot of the Hill
he saw the magnificent edifice of oriental design, with its
towers and symbolic spires tapering into the sky, grey
with age and surrounded by an atmosphere of ancient
20 SRI RAMANA
dignity akin to a Venerable Presence before wmcn one
would find peace and inward joy. For Venkatarai&ana,
who from early childhood had been k unconsfeiously
conscious* of Arunachala, the whole place vibrated with a
mystical, spiritual fire, with which he felt strangely fami-
liar.
He rode sublime
Upon the Seraph Wings of Ecstasy.
The Secrets of Abyss to spy.
He passed the flaming bounds of place and time;
The Living Throne, the Saphire Blaze,
Where angels tremble while they gaze,
He saw."
With lightness of foot and exhilaration of spirit, witn
the ' rich stream of Ecstasy winding along, deep, majestic,
smooth and^strong', he proceeded to the great temple.
The doors of the three outer enclosures and those of the
Sanctum Sanctorum were all wide open, though no person
could be seen anywhere on his way into the interior of the
temple ; it seemed as if the Lord was thus preparing to
welcome His 'Much Beloved Son', who marched straight
to the innermost Sanctuary, theHoly of Holies, without
let or hindrance, and stood before Lord Arunachala and
said
" O Lord ! here have I come, obedient to Thy call ;
Thou canst use me in the way Thou ffleatest."
That moment the youth was * Trans-humanized into
God', and reached the Realm of Perennial Bliss of Life,
Ever-lasting and of Glory Never-ending, He felt as one
with God* Bedta Solitude Sola ^BeatU^de g . From that
<k "" *.*, ' !'"*-.' .ii>wi',wi(ttw^'''" - *' ****^^ '"* ^wnta^gj
* Blessed Solitude, the only Blessedness;
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 21
moment all sense of duality vanished for ever. He became
the Liberated One.
In his yivekaGhudamani Sri Sankaracharya says :
" Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya, nor by work, nor
by learning, but by realization of one's identity with Brah-
man is Liberation possible, and by no other means, For one
bitten by the serpent^of ajnana (nescience) the only medi-
cine is knowledge of Brahman ; of what use are the Vedas
and Scriptures, Mantras and other medicines? The Supreme
Brahman is like the sky, pure, absolute, infinite, motionless
and changeless, devoid of interior and exterior, devoid of
otherness, the One without a second, and is one's own Self.
Is there any other object of knowledge ? To realize oneself
as the Self of the whole universe is the means of getting rid
of bondage ; and there is nothing higher than the realiza-
tion of one's identity with the whole universe. This is
attained by excluding the objective world through steadfast
abidance in the Self Universal. Brahman alone is, the One
without a second, the Essence of Existence, Consciousness
and Bliss Eternal, and devoid of activity ; there is no duality
whatsoever in it. Brahman alone is, the One without a
second, which is the Self of all, homogeneous, perfect,
infinite and all pervading; there is no duality whatsover in
[t Brahman alone is, the One without a second, the Reality
in perfection, self-existent, pure, intelligent and incompa-
rable ; there is no duality whatsoever in It. In the one 5W-
vastu, full unto perfection, motionless like the ocean,
changeless, formless and absolute without qualities, whence
can there be diversity? In the great Ocean of Brahman
filled with the nectar of Bliss Absolute, what is"to be shun-
ned and what accepted, where is the other and where is
difference ? He who through his Illumination never knows
22 SRI RAMANA
any difference between the Self and Brahman, and
ween Brahman and the universe, is known as
mukta,:
The total loss of the sense of difference and differen-
tiation is a grand and noble trait in the character of the
Great Ones, who witness everything good or bad, sunshine
or rain, with the same vision and with an equanimity of
temper which is comparable only to the ocean, which
neither swells because so many rivers flow into it, nor
dries up because its vast expanse is exposed to the sun.
Like a flash is presented to the Jnani's Consciousness-
a clear vision of the meaning and drift of the universe. He
does not merely believe but sees and knows that the Cos-
mos, which to the self-conscious individual seems to be-
made up of dead matter, is verily a Living Presence. He
sees that, instead of men being as it were patches of life
scattered through an infinite sea of inert substance, they
are, in reality, specks of death in an infinite Ocean of Life.
He sees that man's true Being is eternal, 11 that Atroan
alone exists and nothing else and that it is one's own Self.
The Enlightened One learns in a few seconds that which
no study has ever taught or can teach, Especially does he
obtain such a conception of the whole as dwarfs all imagi-
nation inherent to ordinary, self-conscious, multifarious,
individual existence, and makes all intellectual attempts to
understand the universe in the light of the mind as petty
and ridiculous.
10 Verses 56, 61, 393, 339, 465, 466, 370, 401, 484 & 439 of
chudamani.
n Skandopanishad 6 S
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 23
In the spirit of Mundakopanishad this truth may be
expressed as follows :
41 When a man attains Cosmic Consciousness, all the
knots or grasping desires of the heart (all the veils"that
hide the mystery of the universe from his inward gaze) are
rent asunder, all his doubts are dispelled and all his karmas
perish ; his vision being rendered keen, he knows in a flash
that which no study ever did or could teach him. 1 * 12
After returning from the temple Venkataramana
walked to the Aiyyankulam (tank), where on the steps he
threw away the packet of sweets saying " To this block
(that is, the body) why give any sweetmeat?" Truly
the physical body has become a futile appendage to-
the Light of Pure Being he realized spontaneously.
Before he re-entered the temple some one accosted him
saying " You want your tuft of hair to be removed, eh?"
On replying in the affirmative, he was forthwith taken to
a barber and had his head clean shaven. He then removed
his sacerdotal thread (yajnopavita). This was a sign of his
parting for ever with all the vanities of the world, that he
had risen above the realms of Bhuh, Bhuvah and Suvah,
and of his being established in the life of the Spirit. He
tore a piece of his cloth and wearing it as a codpiece
(kaupina) 'cast away the rest along with the balance of
three rupees and a half he had with him. 13
12 ^M
srtarcT ^^w*rf fa vftuwKli swft H IL a, s.
13 ^rWw^rt'^JfW'^jStt who treats mud, stone and gold equally
alike. (JBhagavad- gita)
Cf, * Let none admire
That riches grow in Hell, that soil may best
Deserve the precious bane' Milton, Paradise Lost Bk, 1
lines 690-2.
24 SRI RAMANA
He consequently became not a Mnnya&in> (tor tie
was indifferent to formal adoption of Sannyma, and,
perhaps, even the thought of it did not enter his mind)
but an Avadhuta. An Avadhuia is one who has become
an embodiment of that Vairagya, (Dispassion) which i$
synonymous with Jnana (Knowledge), who has reached
the pinnacle of spiritual attainment, that is, has realised
the Self, who, therefore, has risen above all the associa-
tions of the world, who has rent asunder the chains of
birth and d^ath, for whom all the bondages of karma are
destroyed, who has become one with the Eternal truth
and who is submerged in the Ocean of Perennial Bliss.
The word, Avadhuta, is made up of four letters, a, t?&,
dhu, and ta. Each letter has its own significance, and
the meaning of the word consists of the combined
significance of the four letters. The first letter, a, stands
for aksharatva or imperishability ; va stands for varen-
yatva or acme of perfection ; dhu stands for dhuta-
sam&ara-bandhana or the shattering of the trammels of
samsara ; and ta stands for tattvamasyadi lakshyatva or
the realization of the Truth conveyed by tattvammi
(That thou art) etc. mahavakyas u .
Ever since the young Sage went into the temple of
Arunachala, unswerving abidance in the Bliss of Atman
has become his one constant attitude. His outward life
for several months to come wais peculiarly uncommon.
" In Europe " as Remain Holland observes, 4t the case
would have been fore-doomed, and the child would have
been placed in a lunatic asylum under a daily douche of
u
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 25
psychotherapy. Consciously day by day the flame would
have been quenched.... The magic-lantern would hjavc
been no more, The candle is dead. Sometimes the
child also dies. 11 In India, the land of Sages, it is
however otherwise; here the Sage is venerated for
having realized That for which all else exists The
place at which, in the first instance, Venkatarat^ana sa
in meditation within the temple precincts was the raised
dais in the thousand-pillared mantapam, the dais on
which the Idol of Sri Nataraja is placed on certain
festival occasions before being taken in procession round
the temple. He soon found that a better place for
spiritual communion would be the pit-like cave in the
same hall He would be left undisturbed, because no
Dne would willingly get into the pit. Thus undisturbed
the young Sage should have spent several days, quite
unconscious of the world and its existence. So totally
unaware was he of his physical being and its surroundings
that while he was immersed in Samadhi in the cave of
Patala Linga, vermin and blood-sucking insects, the
rightful denizens of that damp, dark pit, ate away the
lower part of his thighs. The temple Sadhus (mendi-
cants) tried to rouse him out of his state of Self-absorp-
tion, but it was all of no avail His body had to be
carried stiff in its sitting posture, and it was deposited
near the Subramanya temple. Later, he moved to
different parts of the bigger temple and its gardens. But
these states of Super-consciousness recurred day after
Jay, reducing the physical body to a condition of tempo-
rary petrifaction and suspended animation. This kind
:>f physical existence brought about physical troubles in
ts train. Moreover, he was utterly indifferent to the
physical needs of the body; he just gulped down what
26 SRI RAMANA
was brought to his mouth by the Sadhus of the temple :
that was his only food for the day, and his only raiment
was the cod-piece round the loins. Some months later
he went to Gurumurtham. Even there his food consisted
of just a cup of milk mixed with miscellaneous fruits,
given once a day. Except for the few minutes when he
went out to answer the calls of nature, all the rest of the
day and night he was fixed to his seat, a wooden bench
set close to the wall which served as a support for his
back. Whether it was day or night, whether he was
alone or amidst a crowd of devotees who came to him
daily, it was all the same to the young Sage, who was
still in his teens, with a dust-laden, emaciated body,
matted hair and long nails. He was fixed to his seat so
rigidly and for such a long time day after day for several
months in succession, that the wall in Gurumurtham
bears even to this day, after the lapse of nearly half a
century, the impression of his back!
In 1898 Alagammal and others came to know of their
Venkataramana and his singular life of austerity at the Hill
of the Holy Beacon. In the month of May his uncle came
to Tiruvannamalai. He could just recognize his nephew
in the strange-looking youth with a cod-piece round
the loins of an emaciated body. He could hardly muster
courage and press upon the silent youth that he should
return home. Taking up this mission the mother herself
came to Tiruvannamalai in the month of December, Far
from achieving anything of the kind, she could not even
make her son utter a word in reply to all her entreaties-
At last he wrote on a bit of paper that she must accept
destiny taking its course "and stop persuading him to do
this or that.
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI
At the age of 21 when He wrote the tiny brochure ' Who am I?'
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 27
Later the young Sage moved ' from place to place
around the Hill and finally settled down at the Virupak-
sha cave, His fame had already spread in the surround*
ing country, so that wherever he might go round the
Hill-side, visitors flocked to him for Darshan. Some
sought him out for spiritual guidance and instruction,
and among the earliest of such disciples were Gambhiram
Seshayya and Sivaprakasam Pillai. The oral and written
instructions given to the former have come down
to us in the form of Vichara Sangrahant or Self-
Enquiry ; those given to the latter form the brochure
" Who am I?" In 1904 Kavyakantha Ganapati Sastry, an
erudite Sanscrit scholar and poet became his disciple.
Several questions were put by Ganapati Sastry and other
disciples between 1913 and 1917. These questions as well
as the replies given by Maharshi were versified in
Sanscrit by Ganapati Sastry under the title Sri Bamana
Gita.
One of. the earliest Western devotees to visit Sri
Maharshi was Frank H. Humphreys. During his short
stay in India, he sought the Sage's presence thrice, and on
the second visit he received spiritual instruction at some
length. He set it down in writing and sent it to a friend
in London, who published it in The International Psychic
Gazette in 1911 and, soon after, as a separate booklet,
relevant parts of which have been incorporated as
Chapters XVII & XVIII in the fourth edition of Self-
Realisation, to which the reader is referred for a fuller
biography of the Sage of Arunagiri.
About the year 1914 Maharshi wrote his first Tami
poem at the request of his devotees. It is a Hymn of ter
28 SRI RAMANA
verses on Lord Arunachala/inculcating supreme faith and
devotion. Without such faith and devotion one's search
for Knowledge would only be a sort of intellectual
diversion. The rest of the four Hymns, one of which
is a poem of five slokas in Sanskrit, were composed by
the Sage on different occasions later on.
In 1917 came Alagammal ; this time she decided to
settle down by the side of Maharshi. About the same
time he moved to Skandashram which lies a little above
the Virupaksha cave and is more spacious than the latter.
Food for the Sage as well as his disciples was cooked at
Skandashram itself, and the mother who was a Mother
for all the disciples took up arduous duties of the Ashram
life. During this period, that is between 1917 and 1922
while she lived and toiled along with other devotees,
Maharshi taught her to tread the spiritual path by word
of mouth, by action, by association and, above all, by his
mere Silence which alone can teach the inward way of
annihilating the ego. In 1922 she attained Maha Samadhi
and during her last hours Maharshi sat beside her and,
placing his right hand on her heart and his left hapd on
ber head helped her to attain the Supreme State* The
Sage also graced with his presence the occasion of the
interment of the body of the Mother near Pali-thirthan*
where now the Asramam stands. 15 Some time later in
1922 while Maharshi was on one of his usual visits to the
Samadhi, he decided to stay away there and not return to
Skandashram. Thus the abode at Skandashram was given
tt Since 1939 a Temple has been u rider construction over the
sacred Shrine. The fore part of the Temple is planned to contain a
spacious hall to accommodate the Maharshi and the visitors who
seek his Darshan. The Date of Kumbhabhishekam of the Temple
is 1731949.
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 29
tip, and around Sage Sri Ramana grew up Sri Raman-
asramam, tohicti looks to the needs of the numerous
Visitors who cotoe throughout the year seeking the betligh
presence df the Sage. They come, the earnest seekers,
ftrdm distant countries big and small, from the tiny island
df Fiji far way in the Pacific or ftom the mighty continent
tif America still farther away.
Such are some of the leading characteristics andinci-
deiits in the life of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, who
has realized the Truth in his teens, whose life and
teachings reveal that Self-Realization is the Miracle
of miracles, thdt it is at once a simple thing and a mighty
achievement, indeed the simplest of the simple
things a man may do by virtue of the wisdom in-
herent to his being, as also the mightiest of mighty
achievements he toay aspire to accomplish through
sfelf-denial and self-dedication, Maharshi's life reveal*
an extraordinary attainmEnt uniting, as in a triple
sheaf ofJaoriva * strong wiTParTd 1 high-
character. He scatters ttTOillBts tnac breathe and
^dfrds that bttrn*" His is a life of prestlir'pority; ~ttf
which the three essential requisites ate Jicui^ht-cotltrpt
Hitought-purificatidn and thou&ht-co-orairiation. He hai
gathered the thifee beautifuTTteWWs Gf the Tree of
nainely. Cow$g>s$ion, DewtwnJ(gi rather
and Renunciation. Of fiese Senunciatiofo
isaid to be the means and Realizati&n* the etid r
sittd the Most glorious end too. But really the three
qualities are essentially iniepiirable. " The worid " says
Herbert Sp^tifefer "is govttfied not by ide^s but by
Ittgs, to ^hich ideafe serve only as guides/ 1 In other
it is not ttiere acquisition of intellectual knowledge thar
30 SRI RAMANA
should be the aim* but the actual realization of the virtues
of the. heart.) Sri Sankaracharya quoting Tejobmdupa-
nishad enjoins renunciation of worldly forms, which is
the key-stone for all the lower types of sadhana. When
man, not content with the physical appearance of things,
probes deep into its nature, and sees introspectively that
he is the SptrtT" w ^(5tlcretized, nay pe&iigd. by virtue of
his bodily vesture, and withdraws from the things-^ef^be
world js also from his distracting' physical activities in
order to realize the Self, then begins for him Renuncia-
tion, the dawn of real Knowledge,
The Maharshi is no miracle-worker, in the sense in
whkh the term is generally understood. He is not a
magician to build up appearances before a bewildered
humanity. He does not play a flashlight on the pebbles
that lie on the path of the ignorant and deluded man of
the world and make them glitter like diamonds. The
truth the Sage has realized shines in him like the sun, in
the light of which one may see things properly and
therby free oneself from worldly entanglements. Miracle-
workers are really wanderers from the path of Truth,
They delude themselves as well as the innocent public ;
their minds become entangled in the meshes of psychic
powers, which lie as obstacles on the path of Self-Reali-
zation. These psychic powers seduce the aspirant,
but are mere toys and trifles to the Sage. Patanjali
strongly deprecates the pursuit of siddhis and warns the
seeker not to aspire for them saying " These are obstacles
to Sawadhi, but they are powers in the worldly state/*
He observes also " The Yogi should not feel allured or
flattered by the overtures of Celestial Beings for fear of
evil again* 1 * Siddhis or thaumaturgic powers are a snare
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 31
to the aspiring soul, but to the Illumined One they are
harmless playthings, which, however, he neither seeks to
possess nor even to display* Though he has no desires
of any kind, it is said, these powers come to him sponta-
neously. The very desire for siddhis implies a want and
an implicit subordination of oneself to the powers sought;
whereas true Emancipation is the state of perfect Free-
dom, of complete transcendence of all desires and all
limitations. '* Emancipation puts* us beyond the limitations
of life, ethical and spiritual as commonly understood.
He that is emancipated is above all sense of personality
or agency. He moves but really moves not. He has the
vision of completeness, and therein he is fixed. He has
no desire, he has no end, either personal or cosmic, in the
true sense of the word/ 1 There is, therefore, a funda-
mental difference between the Jivanmukta, who may
have siddhis unsought, and a Siddha who seeks and
possesses powers but who, for this very reason, is ignorant
of the Truth. A Siddha is apt to become a despot and
"as a despot he is conscious of his powers; a Jivanmukfa
is not. The latter is not a product of long evolution
through which he might have acquired powers. Powers
he does not seek, powers seek him. And, therefore, no
virtue can be attributed to him. He has transcended
both activism and quietism. He is free from the impelling
of life, individual or cosmic. There is, therefore, a
difference between the person moved by a cosmic
impelling and a Jivanmukta serving a cosmic end. The
former is conscious as an agent and the latter is not.
The former is conscious of his responsibility and the latter
is not; the former may be attuned with the cosmic
life, the latter transcends it. Hence, if the latter moves
tor a cosmic end of humanity, he is not essentially cons-
32 SRI RAM AN A
cious of it. He is conscious of the completeness 01 the
timeless Eternal ; and, therefore, what is limited by time
and space has no meaning for him. This detachment,
absolute detachment to both the denials and assertions of
life, is what makes the Jivanmukta different from
spiritual personalities who are only conscious of the ends
of their powers. The Jivanmukta therefore, becomes
more and more transcendent, not only in wishes but in
adaptation ; for* the mote complete is the vision of
transcendence, the greater is the freedom from psychic
powers. Silence is the ideal ; and in the complete
fruition of individual life, the Adept leaves aside the
psychical and physical complex and passes into the
Calm". 16
All the characteristics of a Jivanmukta are clearly
discernible in the Maharshi, whose life and teachings vin-
dicate the ancient Truth propounded by the Upanishad^
But to know this one need not be a pandit in Vedanta.
Giving her impression, Pascaline Mallet writes iaJTwrn
Eastwards, 1<r u My whole attention was fixed on that
central figure, whose calm majesty, serene strenph and
perfect poise sewed to fill the whole place with unutter-
able peace. Jo look into bus eyes, &ihihjt 'liter' stars, was
perhaps for the first time to know the meaning of Eternity
and to be caught up into a Bliss that passed understand-
ing. Who Was this Great One ? On what rung of the
ladder of human or super-human evolution did he stand ?
Such questions have but little value* When the sun
tt For a detailed study of the State of a Jivanmukta, the reader
k rfefetted to Dr. B. L. Atteya's exposition based on thfc
Pasishtha. See Appendix,
W Published by Messrs. Rider &Co.,
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 33
shines does one need to know why and how it shines ? I
opened my heart to the Spiritual Life which radiated so
intensely in the Silence. I had the impression of being,
as it were, surrounded by a sea of fiery Power, welding
all present into a great Flame rising Heavenwards. N&t
once did the silent figure turn or move or show any sign
of interest in the proceedings (that is, the recitation
of the Vedas conducted as evening prayers in the
Asramam). It was as if he had been living in a sphere
beyond the limitations of time and space." On the next
morning she saw the other, complementary side of the
picture which revealed the perfection in the Sage's
Attainment, namely, his realization of that Being which
is at once transcendent and immanent. " As we entered,
Maharshi was busy writing, and reading letters and
newspapers. * He seems to take a keen interest in
everything that happens in the world, but somehow
I had the feeling that all the while he was living in
a State where time and space do not exist, neither rela-
tive knowledge nor ignorance, above the l pair of
opposites', in the region of the Absolute, at the very
Heart of the Universe. His utter Impersonality and
supreme detachment did not in the very least exclude an
all-embracing compassion f sympathy , and understanding
of the many problems and difficulties which were con-
tinually being submitted to him by all the weary, sorrow-
stricken people who come to him in the hope of finding
comfort and help. Rich and poor, men, women and
children, Brahmins and outcasts, he looked upon all
alike.' 1
The tranquillity of Maharshi's intrepid soul ana nis
heroic humility have taught him to look the most terrible
3
34 SRI RAMANA
realities in their face with a sweet smile of calmness and
self-composure. His passion for the * Divine Gulf * was
satisfied, wherein the individual self renounces itself and
is entirely absorbed without any thought of return. He
professes a faith that has proved true in the experience
sf many an aspirant who has sought his Presence, the
faith that the Spirit can help others without *he aid
3f bodily activity, and that the most intense action is
that of incessant and steadfast abidance in the Self,
transcending thought,
The life of Maharshi briefly told is that of one who
nas attained Liberation or Cosmic Consciousness, and
remains in the world after that as a beacon-light to show
the path of Liberation to all others and to uplift them to
;he attainment of this Super-consciousneSs. Universal
Selfhood is what he has realized, and he teaches oneness
with everything, the oneness with the Infinite that is the
All. He declares the inherent Divinity of man, that
everything in life is a manifestation of the Divine and
that Self-Realization is the one, supreme Goal. (The
Upani shads are his scriptures and the Advaita Vedanta
is his message. 17-A While the attainment of Brahman
is the goal, introspective enquiry is the means. The
quintessence of his teachings is contained in the brochure
sntitled " Who Am I?" That is the core of the whole
of Advaita "philosophy and religion. The Socratic teach-
ing "Man, know thyself! " expresses the initial aspect of
Self-enquiry. When the Editor of The Brahmacharya
called it " Ramana Vidya ", it should not be understood
17- A, The reader will find a good exposition of the Sage's teach-
ings in Maha Yoga by * Who * published by Sri Ramanasramam.
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 35
that Bhagavan Sri Ramana introduced an innovation in
the Advaitic realm of thought. ( But by virtue of his
spontaneous Realization, whereby be became the very
Embodiment of the Truth at the Hill of the Holy
Beacon, he could express, on the basis and ultimate
authority of his own experience and in very simple
language, the sublime and subtle teachings of Advaita
philosophy and religion, and convey to us and to
posterity the highest scientific thought of Vedanta in
colloquial nursery dialect comprehensible to tyros.
" It seems to one " says a Western admirer 1S that
one must accept the fact that a Sage like the Maharshi
comes to reveal something to us, not to argue anything
with us. At any rate his teachings make a strong appeal
to me ; for his personal attitude and practical method,
when understood, are quite scientific in their way. He
brings in no supernatural power and demands no blind
religious faith. The sublime spirituality of the Mahar-
shi's atmosphere and the rational self-questioning of his
philosophy find but a faint echo in yonder temple. Even
the word f God ' is rarely on his lips. He avoids the
dark and debatable waters of wizardry, in which so
many promising voyages have ended in shipwreck. He
simply puts forward a way of self -analysis, which can be
practised irrespective of any ancient or modern theories
and beliefs which one may hold, a way that will finally
lead man to true self-understanding.
" He is at once a man of the head and the heart.
His genius rises to the sublimest heights of inspiration and
Dr. Paul Brunton in A Search in Stcrtt India, published by
Messrs* Rider & Co,, London.
36 SRI RAMANA
he can reach Truth by sheer force and flight of analysis
and synthesis, as also the virtues of love, devotion, kind-
ness, gentility, sympathy and the like qualities of th* 3
beart which are developed in him in an abundant measure
The result is that his feelings make him one in spirit with
-he poorest of the poor and his intellect makes him think
:>f the way to redress their drawbacks. The natural
dryness which is the general accompaniment of a mighty
intellect is cured in him by a warm heart, and naturally
therefore the religion of the Maharshi is, to use the
expressive words of Macaulay, * reason fused and made
red-hot with passion 1 . It is a harmonious combination
of the head and the heart."
Si;i Ramana is verily a spiritual power of the first
magnitude. He is the Man of Realization. He is the
living illustration of the truth declared in the Gita that
when a man has reached the highest State, the God-state,
all hi& Karma ends in Knowledge. Here is One, before
our very eyes f who literally breathes Divinity. Looking
at his face, into his eyes, we can read worlds of Reality
therein. He is himself the Book of Reality.
He is an avalanche of spiritual force. We can see the
name of God spelled into the personality of Maharshi
with the everlasting letters of actual Realization. Here
is the speaking Embodiment of Lord Arunachala. Here
is the Presence of Divine Life in the living Realization
of the Maharshi himself. With him, all around him and
about him is the simplicity of saintly atmosphere. The
Personality of Maharshi and the Heart of things are con*
vertible terms. In his sympathy and love for all, he
is the embodiment, the incarnation, of human striving
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 37
human realization concerning Divine nature. He is
a God-man and therefore the Man-God. He is the Seer
who speaks with the Object of all-seeing, who enters into
the infinite contents of that Object, aye, who literally
becomes the Subject of that Object when his SamadM
Consciousness rises to its highest level, (He is the
veritable * Banyan Tree ' under whose spreading branches
the weary and heavy-laden in soul find rest and perfect
peace. He is the Fountain from which many a soul has
drunk deep the Waters of Life.)
Ancient Sages like Suka and Vamadeva, and Sri
Elamana Maharshi in modern times, were able to control
the mind and completely destroy its vagaries. Theirs is
the Eternal Life for which there is no death or decay,
just as there is no darkness for light, With their intro-
verted concentration they enjoy the perennial Bliss
Df the Atman. This is what Kathopanishad says
'* Whoever realizes Paramatma in the mind this-wise, 19
becomes free from the agonies of death/ 1 Death means
the flight of the Pranas from the body. For the Realized
Souls there is no such flight of the Pranas, as is
evidenced by the Brihadaranyaka text, 20 " The Pranas
af the Brahmavit (the Realized One) do not fly away.
They merge in him only."
From the lives of the great Sages it will be seen that
they put on the human vesture only to enjoy the Bliss of
Self-Realization, not that they have to toil during this
mundane existence. Whatever activity they may under-
19
* r ww srwrr auRnrfcr i & writer
38 SRI RAMANA
take, they do so not for themselves, but for the good of
the world. By their mere presence'they deluge the earth
with the pure Waters from the perennial Fountain of
spiritual Truth.
Greater things are done by Silence than by tall talk.
The Maharshi, who blesses one and all who seek hi&
presence, purges them of their sins. As the fish, tortoise
and birds protect their young ones by mere sight,
thought and touch respectively, so the Maharshi blesses
the ' mild ' disciples by sight, the midling by thought, and
the advanced by touch.
Maharshi's life is truly representative of the great
Hindu ideal of teaching through life and not through
words, of the ideal that Truth bears its fruit in the life
of him alone who is ready to receive It and the yoke.
Sages like Maharshi are entirely averse to preaching
from the pulpit, for they know that it is internal disci-
pline alone that leads to Truth and not hearing sermons
poured from the pulpit. Religion for them is no motive
to social conduct, but an intense search within for the
Realization of Truth in this life. 21
Maharshi is always in Sahaja Samadhi, in the un-
interrupted State of Realization and as such is able to
attend to multifarious work without feeling disturbed
and distracted in any manner whatsoever. It is" impos*
sible to gauge the depth of his mind or to describe its
21 On this very point, years after I had written the above lines ^
Mr. Duncan Greenlees put some questions to the Sage. My views as
stated above are fully borne out by the answers given by him to the
Englishman, The reader is referred to Chapter II i
Gospel B*ok I.
THE SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI 39
state in so many words. He is a Master from whose
inexhaustible store of eternal and abiding Truth it is
more important to draw what one can for inspiration and
without loss of time than to examine the depth and
range of his mind. He has the rare gift of gauging in a
moment the mental reach of the most self-confident
visitor, the power to raise him to the plane suitable
to him, and the benevolence to give him the benefit of
his guidance and inspiration. The most remarkable
thing about Maharshi is that he seems to give something
of himself while speaking from his Super-experience.
It is in vie^w of this inestimable blessing conferred by the
Sage on the earnest seeker, that Mr. Grant Duff wrote
" The Sage is still living, alert, easy of access and willing
to confer the ineffable boon of his presence and of
answering any questions put to him by the seeker. What
more can be required ? Very many thousands of his own
countrymen have already sought Arunachala and a few
Europeans have also been initiated. Should these who
have in their power to visit the Asramam delay, they will
have only themselves to blame in future lives ". Many
an astute thinker had his insoluble problems solved
in the presence of Maharshi. The most abstruse points
of Advaita are retrieved from the domain of barren
speculation by a vital something which seems to emanate
from his person. His teachings are as instructive and
inspiring as they are dynamic and constructive.
(To give form and content to the abstract notions of
the Truth and to present that Truth in a manner that It
comes within the reach of,the most ordinary intellect is
the mission of Maharshi. To the erudite scholar of a
tmiversitv or to a man in the street, he exnounds the
40 SRI RAMANA
Truth with equal felicity ; for the store-house of know-
ledge for him is his own Experience. And, above all, his
spiritual Presence radiates ineffable peace and happiness
towards all around him, nay, even to those far away,
if even once they have heard of him, the Sage of
Arunagiri ! aa
If really you want to see God in flesh and blood, go
to Bhagavan Sri Ramana, have his Darshan and be
blessed.
22 I cannot do better than to supplement this small sketch with
the concise and scholarly exposition of the supreme, spiritual signifi-
cance of the Maharshi's Presence, of his life and teachings, from the
pen of a Prince of the Cochin State, late Rama Varma.
SUPPLEMENT
SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI
BY
Rama Varma Appan Thampuran
There is no limit to the surging rise or to the sub-
siding tranquillity of the mind. Nor is there any limit to
its powers to chastise or control and to confer a blessing.
It is indeed the cause of both happiness and misery," of
enjoyment and of Liberation. If we can only understand
the original and changing states of the mind, we shall be
able to know the real nature of the illusory dream of the
so-called waking state which deludes us. If it is recog-
nized that Samsara is nothing but a work of the mind,
then the mystery of the cycle of births and deaths of the
soul will be revealed.
i"
' Mind alone is the (root-) cause of man's bondage and Libera-
tion."
" He who has subdued his mind is awake in that which is night
to all beings. 1 *
It is this essential nature of the mind that has been
conclusively established by hundreds of such authori-
tative texts, the truth whereof can be grasped only
by experience.
42 SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI
There is no one who does not desire to eradicate
misery and attain happiness, nor is there any who does
not strive to this end. Nor are the metaphysicians, who
investigate into the active and passive states of the
mind, so scarce. But they are rare indeed who know
that the search for the truth about the mind has to be
made within oneself and not in others, and that happi-
ness and misery are of one's own making. Few are those
who enquire after the truth about the Self; fewer
still are the Self-realized,
* 1 [*! *ft
*' Hardly one among the Siddhas who strive, ever understands Me
aright."
Thus said Lord Krishna ; it cannot be otherwise*
The path to Self-realization is not easily accessible,
and it is extremely difficult to tread. And except that
path there is no other access to the Mansion of Eternal
Bliss. Mind-control is the indispensable discipline for
those who seek to obtain the knowledge of the Self. It
is for this reason that yama is reckoned as the first step
in the eightfold yoga. Without attaining perfection
in yoga, thaumaturgic powers cannot be achieved. It is
quite possible that even the siddhas, who had achieved
such powers, might not have realized the Truth. So
then, whom would it not benefit to laud the Saint
who has realized It ?
Such Self-realization dawned all at once for the
Maharshi. The Light of the Self shone forth suddenly
like the flash of lightning. When it was time for karma*
SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI 43
to fulfil itself, the meritorious past made the ripe fruit of
enquiry into the Truth, which was latent in him easily
fit for enjoyment. The casual hearing of the holy name
of Sri Arunachaleswara and the subsequent conscious
experience of the state of death were merely the imme-
diate and efficient cause purely incidental, a slender
contrivance to release the Flood of Inner Light. It was the
flow of Pure Consciousness of the Self into the jiva-nadi
(life-duct) ensheathed in the inert physical body, like the
transmission of the subtle current from the wire into the
filament in the electric bulb ; it was the separation of the
Embodied One from the body.
For him there was no need of any disciplines, nor
had he the pain and anguish of the journey to reach the
axle-centre of Pure Being from the rim of the wheel of
samsara. -The Supreme Lord of the Universe lifted
him up with His sacred hand and established him at the
very Centre and Source of Sat-Chit-Ananda. Then, as
he opened his eyes, the world was seen resplendent with
Light. ' Life in solitude, non-attachment to society,
abidance in the Self, direct perception of the Truth ' and
such other signs of Enlightenment became handmaids to
the pure Soul who in a trice attained eternal Liberation.
Though the seed of the meritorious past sprouted in
the place of his birth, it grew and bore fruit at the sacred
place of Arunachala. What more disciplines are needed
than the presence of a perfect seed, the sacred soil of
Arunachala, the showering nectar of the Lord's Grace and
the sustaining power of austerity to make the Imperish-
able Tree of Spirit firm rooted and to enrich it with an
abundance of divine fruits ? Let the tempest rage, the
44 SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI
ocean rise up, or the earth quake, the Tree of Knowledge
rooted on the summit of Sri Arunachala stands immut-
able. Many pilgrims on life's journey repose in Its shade,
and countless devotees like birds pour forth their songs
from Its branches. This is indeed the Kingdom of Bliss
or Vaikuntha.
The aim is one, but many are the angles of vision ;
the goal is one, but many are the steps leading thereto.
The eyes that may mark the aim have no sight, and the
ways are dark: the paths trodden by great men are not
easily known, and they are diverse. It is arduous and
difficult to regulate one's life (conscientiously) after
examining and finding out what is happiness and what
s misery, what is dharma (duty) and what is adharma
^dereliction of duty), what is karma (work) and what is
^karma ( not-work ). It is next to impossible for ordinary
nen to proceed one step without getting entangled in the
meshes of illusion. The physical body is heir to disease ;
fickle is the mind* and narrow the intellect.
fiwftn* ^Rwfts^mw^ " [n. tfterr]
" That which in the beginning seems like poison, is
in the end like nectar/' is not said in vain. No need to
wonder that the One Real is seen as many and in diverse
ways. It is understood by those who have experienced
this felicity ( of a life of ease ) and that agony ( of a life
of discipline). It is known only to those who have the
experience. In this respect the life of the Maharshi is
unique. Lord Arunachala blessed the meritorious Soul
with His glance so full of Mercy, lifted him up with His
holy hand, and made him share half His seat in the
SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI 45
Kingdom of Heaven. Only then did Maharshi open his
eyes towards the light outside. He had only to look
below with commiseration, had never to look above and
toil.
It is, perhaps, for this reason we find in the teachings
of Maharshi that the Fruit of Knowledge is vindicated for
the most part rather than the paths towards It signa-
lized, giving pre-eminence to the end rather than to the
means. It is also doubtful if he considers the eight-fold
yoga to be a temporal discipline pertaining merely to the
attainment of thaumaturgic powers. Surely he regards
it as a spiritual method intended for the realization of the
Supreme State, This is indeed the highest end and aim
of yoga. Otherwise it would not be the path of quietude
and emancipation but one of activity and attachment*
Desire and dispassion are indeed poles apart, and how can
Liberation come from bondage ? They are fit to receive
his instruction who, with faith and devotion, earnestly
seek Truth and ardently aspire for Liberation. Save
through one's own experience, Self-Knowledge is not to
be achieved and realized, never through scholarship.
That the expositions of the subtle Truth by the Masters
who have realized the Self are clearer and more easily
grasped than the dialectics of scholars, is due to the fact
that the former is the Radiance of Pure Consciousness
caught on a crystal-clear mind and the latter is but a
dance of ignorance (avidya) aided by intellectual brilliance.
In the case of Maharshi, on attaining perfect Self-realiza-
tion and with the loss of the ego, scholarship evolved
spontaneously as a component part of Wisdom. Can
there be anything undisclosed, any hidden principle to
those who, on the dawn of Knowledge, see the entire
46 SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI
universe as clearly as a crystal held in the palm and discern
the One in many and many in the One ? For those who
see at a glance the entire Essence of everything, can there
be paucity of illustrations that appeal direct to the heart ?
What are scholars and poets before the Self-Realised One
and the seraphic poet ?
The sorrows of the distressed who surrender them-
selves to him, the doubts of the earnest seekers, the
disbelief of the sceptics who come to test him, and even
the pride of the high and mighty, verily perish in the mere
Presence of Maharshi. His sacred abode confers Peace
and even induces that spiritual trance which yields the
Bliss of Self-Realization.
** Behold, the marvel at the foot of the Banyan tree ! Aged are
the disciples, and young the Guru* The Guru's exposition is
SILENCE, but the disciples are freed from all doubts!"
That Divine Power of Dakshinamurthy, the Embodi-
ment of Knowledge, working through the inner being of
Maharshi is within the ken and experience of such insig-
nificant devotees as myself. Who, then, would not long
to taste the nectar of the story of such a Hallowed One ?
w \ ^vsn^^ f
" Who but the cruel-hearted would desist from singing the praise
of Hallowed Souls, which is chanted by people past desire,
which is the remedy for the * disease of birth ' and which is
pleasing to the ear and the mind alike. 1 '
SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI 47
The praise of Maharshi like that of Yogeswara
Sri Krishna is relishable and beneficial alike to the sen-
suous who are sunk in the whirlpool of egoistic attach-
ment and wallow in the ditch of blind infatuation, as well
as to those who seek Liberation and to the Liberated. It
is indeed our good fortune to live in the life-time of such
a distinguished great Sage and to reside, in the same
country. Blessed are the devotees who spend their time
in his Presence.
If in this consecrated offering made for self-purifica-
tion by the humblest of his devotees, should there be
defects of form or want of taste,
O Supreme Lord of the Universe^!
Bear with the errors of Thy children,
Wko cannot even scrawl the letters of Thy name* Hari,
On the customary layers of rice.
The Life of Maharshi, who has attained Liberation,
is not the biography of an individual but the Radiance of
the Universal Self, not the expression of body's acts but
the Manifestation of the Spirit within.
(Translated from "Prabuddha Bharatam ")
THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
I
God Guru & Grace
1. The Guru is God Himself.
God and the Guru (Master) are really one and iden-
tical. He that has earned the Grace of the Guru shall
undoubtedly be saved and never forsaken, just as the prey
that has fallen into the jaws of a tiger will never be
allowed to escape. Nevertheless, the disciple, for his
part, must unswervingly follow the path shown by the
Master. (Who am I?)
2. The Guru is the Self of the self of all.
The Guru is one who at all times abides in the pro-
found depths of the Self. He never sees any difference
between himself and others, and he is not in the least
obsessed by false notions of distinction that he himself is
tjbe Enlightened One, while those around him are immer-
sed in Cimmerian darkness of ignorance. His firmness or
self-possession can never be shaken under any circum-
stances ; he is never perturbed. (Spiritual Instruction)
The idea that a Master is simply one who has attained
power over various occult senses or faculties by long
practice and prayer or anything of the kind, is absolutely
false. No Master ever cared a rap for occult powers, for
he has no need for them in his daily life.
(Instruction to Mr. Humphreys)
GOD GURU AND GRACE 49
The Master fixes his attention so firmly on That
Which Sees' that, even though his eyes and ears be open,
he neither sees nor hears nor has any physical conscious-
ness at all, nor mental either, while he is in meditation.
He has only the Spiritual Consciousness, and is merged in
that Light of Pure Being. * (Ibid)
And he cannot help being perpetually in this state
with only this difference, that in some, to us, incompre-
hensible way, he can use the mind, body and intellect
too, without falling back into the delusion of having
separate consciousness. (Ibid)
A Master when instructing is far from any thought of
instructing ; but to feel a doubt or a difficulty in his pre-
sence is to call forth at once, before you can express the
doubt, his marvellous words which will clear away that
doubt. His words never fail, and he makes no claim to
have either originated the thoughts or to have been the
means of destroying a doubt. He feels no surprise at
your question, feels no exultation in himself for having
allayed your doubt. (Ibid)
A Master sacrifices his whole self, lets it down as an
artificial idea into the Ocean of GOD, Who is literally
the Substance and the Cause of everything. He becomes
GOD, becomes the Embodiment of Happiness whicfr is
GOD. No one can come near him without being
blessed. (Ibid)
Scriptures state explicitly that through his Grace the
Master helps and enables the disciple to lose himself utterly
in and become like or identical with the Master. The
Master should, therefore, be recognised as none other
than the Supreme Being, (Spiritual Instruction)
50 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
3. In the presence of the Guru the disciple attains
the Primal State.
It is true, indeed, that in the spiritual sense the Being
of the Master is identical with that of the disciple. It is,
however, very seldom that a person can realize his true
Being without the Grace of -the Master. Mere book-
learning, however profound and extensive, or doing
rare, meritorious and apparently impossible deeds, does
not enable one to obtain true Enlightenment. Ask such
a scholar or hero " Do you know yourself?" He will be
constrained to admit his ignorance. Therefore, except at
the Feet of the Master and in his divine Presence, it
is quite impossible for the seeker to reach and abide in
that primal state of pure Being or the Self, where the
mind is entirely subdued and all its activity has completely
ceased. Hence it is said that the Master's Grace is
essential for the spiritual Awakening of the disciple.
(Spiritual Instruction)
If one would but seek God or the Guru, one will find
that all the while they have been seeking the seeker with
a solicitude greater than what one can ever imagine.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. I)
4. The Guru guides the disciple both from
within* and * without.'
Sometime in his life a man becomes dissatisfied with
it ; and, not content with what he has, he seeks the satis-
faction of desires, through prayer to God etc. His mind
is gradually purified, until he longs to know God, more to
obtain His Grace than to satisfy his worldly desires.
Then God's Grace begins to manifest* God takes the
form of a Ouru and appears to the devotee, teaches him
GOD GURU AND GRACE 51
Truth and also purifies his mind by association etc. The
devotee's mind gains strength and is then able to turn
inward. By meditation it is further purified, and finally
ift the presence of the Master it becomes still, without
the least ripple. That calm Expanse is the Self.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. I)
The Guru is both ' external ' and * internal '. From
the * exterior ' he gives a push to the mind to turn in-
ward ; 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. (Ibid)
The Master is within ; meditation is meant to remove
the ignorant idea that he is only outside. But as long as
man thinks he is the body, so long is the Master ' with-
out 1 also necessary, and he will appear as if with a body.
When the wrong identification of oneself with the body
ceases, the Master will be found as none other than the
Self. (Ibid)
5. Unto Him the ego must surrender itself.
Man thinks that the world can be conquered by his
own effort. When he is frustrated externally and is
driven inwards, he feels " Oh ! there is a Power higher
than man." (Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. I)
The ego is like a very powerful elephant, which
cannot be brought under control by any less powerful
than a lion, which, in this instance, is no other than the
Guru, whose very look makes the elephant-like ego trem-
ble and die.
52 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
One of two things must be done : either surrendei
yourself, because you realize your inability and need a
Higher Power to help you ; or investigate into the cause
of misery, go into the Source and so merge in the Self,
Either way you will be free from misery. God or Guru
never forsakes the devotee who has surrendered himself.
(Ibid)
Conclusion
Know that your glory lies where you cease to exist.
In order to gain that State, you should surrender
yourself. Then, the Master sees that you are in a fit
state to receive guidance and he guides you.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Book ty
II
THE HEART
11
O Arunachala ! in Thee the picture of the universe
is formed, and has its stay and is dissolved; in this
enigma lies the miracle of Truth. Thou art the Self,
Who dancest in the Heart as ' I-I '. HEART is Thy
name, O Lord 1 (Five Hymns to Sri Arunachala)
1. Heart is the Self Supreme.
That everyone points to the chest when referring to
himself by gesture is sufficient proof that the Absolute
resides as the Self in the Heart. Sage Vasishtha also
says that searching for the Self as being external to one-
self, oblivious of its constant shining as * I-I ' within the
Heart, is similar to throwing away an invaluable, celestial
gem and coveting a sparkling pebble. (Self-Enquiry)
The Sanscrit term for ' Heart ' is f Hridayam \ The
word Hridayam consists of two syllables, Hrit and
Ayam, which signify " I am the Heart. " Heart is the
very Core of your being ; It is that with which you are
really identical * whether you are awake, asleep or
dreaming, whether you are engaged in work or immersed
in Samadhi. (Maharshi's Gospel, BJc. II)
54 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
2. Heart comprises all, yet It has to be sought
within.
From the absolute stand-point the Heart, Self or
Consciousness, can have no particular place assigned to
it Because pure Consciousness is indivisible ; it is with-
out parts. It has no form and shape, no 'within' and
* without '. There is no ' right * or ' left ' for it. Pure
Consciousness, which is the Heart, includes all; and
nothing is outside or apart from it* That is the!" ultimate
Truth. (Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. II)
Wh^n the mind in the form of the ego, which takes
the body for the Self and strays out, is curbed within the
Heart, the sense of 'I' in the body relinquished, and
enquiry made with a still mind in tune with the Self as to
who it is that dwells in the body, a subtle Illumination
will be experienced as " I-I " which is no other than the
Absolute, the Self, seated in the lotus of the Heart, in
the city of the body, the tabernacle of God* Then one
should remain still, with the conviction that the Self
shines as everything yet nothing, within, without and
everywhere, and as also the transcendental Being. By
long, continuous and steady practice of this meditation
on the Self as " The Supreme I am ", the evil of
ignorance will be removed, and Wisdom in perfection
will result. Knowing in this manner the Real indwelling
in the cavity of the Heart, in the tabernacle of the body,
is indeed realizing the Absolute, which is inherent in all ;
because the Heart, comprises all that exists.
(Self.EnquiryJ
Only for the purpose of pointing out that the whole
objective world is within and not without, have the
THE HEART 55
scriptures described the cosmos as being shaped like the
lotus of the Heart. But that is no other than the Self*
(Ibid)
3. The Heart is pure Consciousness which gives
Its Light to the mind which then sees the world/
Only when the mind is externalized does the world
of gross name and form appear. When the mind abides
in the Heart, the world disappears. (Sri Ramaria Gita)
The world is not other than the mind; the mind is
not other than the Heart ; that is the whole truth. The
Heart is to the body as the sun is to the universe ; the
mind in the brain shines by the Light it receives from the
Heart. The Enlightened One, ever inhering in the
Heart, notices the light of the mind lost in the Light of
the Heart, just as the light of the moon is lost in the
daylight. The Wise understand that Prajnana (Con-
sciousness) means really the Heart, and only apparently
the mind. God is not other than the Heart. (Ibid)
4. The spiritual Heart-centre in the body is
towards the right in the chest.
Pure Consciousness wholly unrelated to the physical
body and transcending the mind is a matter of direct
experience. Sages know their bodiless, eternal Existence
just as the layman knows his bodily existence. But the
experience of Consciousness can be with bodily
awareness as well as without it* In the bodiless experi-
ence of pure Consciousness, the Sage is beyond time and
space. Since during this bodiless experience of the
Heart as pnre Consciousness the Sage is not at all aware
of the body, ithat absolute Experience is localized by
56 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAM AN A
him within the limits of the physical body by a sort of
feeling recollection made while he is with bodily
awareness. (Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. II)
Thus localized, the Heart-centre is in the chest, two
digits to the right from the median, and it is quite
different from the blood-propelling, muscular organ
known by the same name. (Ibid)
Sages having investigated all the different versions of
the innumerable scriptures have rightly and briefly stated
the whole truth in the following manner, that it is the
experience of every-one that the Heart is primarily the
seat of the ' I *. (Self-Enquiry)
The very same Self shines unaffected in the Heart of
all. It is the Light unlimited and infinite like space. It
is selfluminous as pure Consciousness f as the One without
a second ; and manifesting universally as the same in all
individuals; it is known as the Supreme Being or Brah-
man. * Heart ' is merely another name for the Supreme
Lord, because He is in all Hearts. (Ibid)
Conclusion
II
In the interior of the cavity of the Heart the One
Supreme Being alone shines as the ' I-I ', verily the
Atman. Entering into the Heart with one-pointed
mind either through Self-enquiry or by diving within
or by breath control, abide thou in Atmdn^htha.
Gita)
Ill
SELF-ENQUIRY
1. Self -enquiry is the only direct means to realize
the Truth transcending mind and thought.
Self-enquiry is the one infallible means, the only
iirect one, to realize the unconditioned, absolute Being.
tt alone can reveal the truth that neither the mind nor the
world really exists, and enables one to realize the pure,
^differentiated Being or the Self Absolute.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. II)
*
The Self is pure Consciousness, whence arises the
^thought and the mind ; and unless the mind subsides,
the Self is not realised. (Ibid)
For the subsidence of the mind there is no other
means more effective and adequate than the enquiry in
quest of the Self. Even though by other means the mind
subsides, that is only 'apparently so; it will rise again. (Ibid)
Every kind of sadhana except that of Atma-vichara
presupposes the retention of the mind as the instrument
for carrying on the sadhana, and without the mind it
cannot be practised. The ego may take different and
subtler forms at different stages of one's practice, but is
itself never destroyed* The attempt to destroy the ego
or the mind through sadhanas other than Atma vichara,
is just like the thief turning out a policeman to catch the
thief, that is, himself. (Ibid)
58 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
2. The world is an illusion formed on the Self,
This illusion must go before the Self is realized,
That which arises in this physical body as * I ' is the
mind. If the mind, which is the instrument of knowledge
and is the basis of all activity subsides, the perception of
the world as an objective reality ceases. (Who am 1?)
Unless you give up 'the *idea that the world is real,
your mind will always be after it. If you take the appear-
ance to be real, you will never know the Real itself,
although it is the Real alone that exists. This point is
illustrated by the analogy of ' the snake in the rope \ As
long as you see the snake, you cannot see the rope as
such. The non-existent snake becomes real to you, while
the real rope wholly non-existent as such. Similarly,
unless the illusory perception of the wdWd as an objective
reality ceases, the Vision of the true nature of the Self,
on which the illusion is formed, is not obtained.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. II}
3, The Self is the one, eternal Truth; the ego
.is but a spurious manifestation.
Since every other thought can occur only after the
rise of the I-thought and since the mind is nothing but a
bundle of thoughts, it is only through the enquiry * Who
am I ? * that the mind subsides. (Who am It)
WHO AM I? WHENCE AM I ?
It is not the physical body that proclaims itself as ' I ',
and no one says that in deep sleep, when the * body-am-I '
idea ceases, one ceases to be. When the one thing ' I '
appears, all else appears. With one-pointed mind seek
whence this ' I ' arises. (Sat Darshan & Truth Revealed)
SELF-ENQUIRY 59
In between the two, namely, the Self of Pure Con-
sciousness and the inert, physical body, there arises most
mysteriously the ego-sense or I-notion. It is a hybrid t
which is neither the Self nor the physical body, and
flourishes as jiva or individual being- This is the ego,
and it identifies itself with some gross object simultane-
ously with its rise. It cannot remain without such
association. (Sat Darshan & Truth Bevealed)
This association is due to ajnana or nescience, whose
iestruction is the objective of one's efforts. If this ten-
3ency of the ego to identify itself with the objects is des-
troyed, it (the ego) becomes pure ; and then, it also merges
into its Source* The false identification of oneself with
the body is known as dehatma-buddhi or * I-am-thebody '
idea. It must go before good results can follow. This
dea, however, is a false super-imposition, because one
exists in deep sleep without being associated with the
x)dy and the mind. This separation is possible because
you are not identical with your body and mind. You can
separate yourself from what is external to you, but not
Erom That (the real I) which is one with you. Hence the
real I or the Self cannot be the body or the mind. This
must be realized in the waking state.
(Mahar ski's Gospel, Bk. I)
Therefore, lay aside the inert, corpse-like body, as
rhough it were truly a corpse. Do not even murmur * I V
nit enquire keenly within as to what it is that now shines
vithin the Heart as * I '. Transcending the intermittent
low of diverse thoughts there arises the continuous,
inbroken awareness, silent and spontaneous, as ' I-I ' in
:he Heart. If one catches it and remains still, It will
rompletely annihilate the sense of ( T in the body. Sages
ind scriptures proclaim this to be Liberation.
(Self-Enquiry)
60 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAM AN A
4. Crucifixion of the ego is the purport of the
scriptures of all religions. Mere study of the scrip,
tures is futile.
The body is the cross. Jesus, the son of man, is the
ego or ' I-am-the-body ' idea. When the son of man
is crucified on the cross, the ego perishes, and what
survives is the Absolute Being. It is the Resurrection of
the Glorious Self, of Christ, the Son of God.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Bh. I)
All scriptures, without any exception, proclaim that
for attaining Salvation the mind or ego must be des-
troyed. What is required to bring about such destruction
is actual enquiry regarding oneself by self-interrogation,
1 Who Am I ? ' How can this enquiry in quest of the Self
be made merely by means of a study of the scriptures ?
(Who am I?)
Doubts and misconceptions are dispelled by Realiza-
tion only, never by the study of numerous scriptures.
Unless the seeker be fixed in the Self, free from the out-
going tendencies of the mind, the Self can never be
realized, certainly not by seeking knowledge though
from hundreds of books. Spontaneous inherence in the
Self is indeed Liberation; that is the State Supreme, the
State of Realization. (Spiritual Instruction)
5. To be ever aware of the Self is the acme of
spiritual Sadhana: and Self-realization is God-reali-
zation.
The Self is self-effulgent. One need give it no
mental picture, anyway. The thought that imagines is
itself bondage, because the Self is the Effulgence tran-
SELF-ENQUIRY 61
scending darkness and light. One should not think of it
with the mind; such imagination will end in bondage,
whereas the Self is spontaneously shining as the Abso-
lute. This enquiry into the Self in the form of devotional
meditation, evolves into the state of absorption of the
mind into the Self and leads to unqualified Bliss.
(Self-Enquiry)
One should by all possible means try ever to be aware
of the Self. Everything is achieved if one succeeds in
this. Let not the mind be diverted to any other object.
One should abide in the Self without the sense of
doership even when engaged in work born of destiny.
(Ibid)
Firm and disciplined inherence in the Atman (that is
abiding in Atmanishtha), without giving the least scope
for the rise of any thought except the deep contem-
plative remembrance (Smriti) of the Self, does verily
constitute self-surrender to the Supreme Lord. (Who
Am If) If one continually contemplates on the Self,
which is Itself God, this single thought will in due course
replace all distraction, and itself ultimately vanish ; the
pure Consciousness that alone finally remains is the
Realization of God. This is Liberation. Never to be
heedless of one's own all-perfect, pure Self is the acme of
yoga, Wisdom and all other forms of spiritual practice,
(Self-Enquiry)
The Self is God. I AM is God. .
(Mahar ski's Gospel. Bk. I)
To see God, leaving aside oneself, the Seer, is but
seeing a purely mental image. Only he who sees the
Self, first having lost the ego self, is said to have seen
God, because God is none other than the Self.
(Sat Darshan & Truth Revealed)
62 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
To see oneself free from limitations is to see the
Lord as verily the Self. (Upadesa Saram)
The One Self, the Sole Reality, alone exists eternally*
When even the Ancient Teacher, Dakshinamurthi, re-
vealed It in Silence, who else could have conveyed it
by speech ?
(Ekatma Panchakam)
6. Self-realization is Supreme Beatitude*
That which is Bliss is verily the Self. Bliss and the
Self are not distinct and separate, but are one and identi-
cal : and that alone is the Real. (Sri Bamana Gita)
This phenomenal world is nothing but thought.
When the world recedes from one's view, that is, when
the mind is free from thought, it (the mind) enjoys the
Bliss of the Self. Conversely, when the world appears,
that is, when thought occurs, the mind experiences pain
and anguish. ( Who am I ?)
The enquiry * Who am I ? ' is the only method of
putting an end to all misery and ushering in Supreme
Beatitude. Whatever and however it may be said, that
is the whole truth in a nutshell. (Self-Enquiry)
7; The Self is not only the easiest thing to know,
but beyond It there is nothing else to know.
All that is required to realise the Self is to BE
STILL, And what can be easier than that? Hence,
Atma-vidya is the easiest to attain.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. I)
But people do not understand this simple, bare truth
of their everyday, ever-present, eternal experience. This
SELF-ENQUIRY 63
truth is that of the Self. Is there anyone unaware of the
Self? But people do not like even to hear of this Truth*
whereas they are eager to know what lies beyond, about
heaven, hell and reincarnation. (Ibid)
Because they love mystery and not the Truth
religions cater to them, so as eventually to bring them
round to the Self. Whatever be the means adopted, you
must at last return to the Self : so, why not abide in the
Self here and now ? (Ibid)
He who is forgetful of the Self, mistaking the physi-
cal body for It, and goes through innumerable births, is
just like one who wanders all over the world in a dream.
Realising the Self thereafter would only be like the
waking up from one's dream-wanderings.
(Ekatma PanchaJcam)
Knowledge of the Self, which knows all, is Know-
ledge in perfection. (Ibid)
Conclusion
* I
The body is insentient like an earthen pot, and to
it there is not the I-sense. And even in deep sleep,
when there is no body (that is, when unaware of the
body), we do exist as the self-established Atman.
Therefore, the ' 1 ' is not the body. Enquire, then,
'Who am I?, Whence am I ?' In the Heart of those,
who, seeking thus with keen insight, Etay in
Atmanishtha (that is, remain in the State of steadfast
and tranquil abidance in the Self), there shines forth
Lord Arunachala Siva as * I-am-That '- Conscious-
ness, which is self-luminous and perfect.
(Truth Revealed)
IV
KNOWLEDGE AND DEVOTION
1. Jnana and Bhakti are one.
Self is the dearest of all : there is nothing dearer than
the Self. Love unbroken like a stream of oil is Devotion
The man of Wisdom realizes through Love that the Lord
is none other than the Self* The devotee, though consi-
dering Him to be apart, still merges in the Self. One
whose Love of the Lord is continuous and unbroken like
a stream of oil, is sure to be merged in the Self, though
not desired byjbim. (Sri Ramana Gita}
The eternal, unbroken, natural State of abiding in
the Self is Jnana. To abide in the Self one must love
the Self. Since God is verily the Self, Love of the Self is
Love of God ; and that is Bhakti. Jnana and Bhakti are
thus one and the same. (Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. I)
2. A life of Devotion is a life without the I ' and
mine.*
Devotion consists in leading a life of absolute purity
in thought, word and deed, considering oneself as merely
a servant of the Lord and acting always with that faith
and devotion which has no desire to enjoy the fruits of
one's labours. Such a devotee finally comes to realize
(not as a matter of intellectual ratiocination, but by direct
and indubitable experience and by submergence in the
Divine) the truth that all his acts are really the acts of
KNOWLEDGE AND DEVOTION 65
(be Supreme Ordainer. He does not feel as having an
individual will of his own, or as having any initiative in
tbe acts he does or even an independent being separate
from that of the Lord. He is entirely free from the sense
of * I ' (ahamkara) and ' mine ' (mamakara), no matter
what his body may appear to do or what he may appear
to possess. Thus he shines in the resplendent glory of
selfless existence.
(Spiritual Instruction)
3. Liberation is the one Goal to which all paths
lead.
Liberation consists in the utter annihilation of the
ego or ahamkara and the entire destruction of * my *
and 'mine 1 or mamakara, by any possible means*
Further, as these are found to flourish together, being
entirely interdependent, the destruction of either
ahamkara or mamakara causes also the destruction of
the other. In order to attain that state of supreme
Quiescence or Mbuna transcending speech and thought,
either the path of Knowledge or Vedanta Marga, which
leads to the annihilation of the ego, or the path of Devo-
tion or Bhakti Marga which results in the destruction of
* my ' and * mine ', is equally effective. Therefore, there
can be no doubt that the Goal according to either path
is one and the same. (Ibid)
4. The Self or God is all.
To see God in all you must think of God. .Keeping
God in your mind becomes dhyana, and dhyana is a
stage before Realization. Realization can only be in and
of the Self, It can never be apart from the Self; and
dhyana must precede it. Whether you practise dhyana
66 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
on God or on the Self, it is immaterial ; for the result is-
the same. You cannot, by any means, escape the Self. It
is impossible for you to see God in all without seeing Him
in yourself. If all is God ; are you not included in that
all ? Being God yourself, is it a wonder that all is God?
This is the method advised in Srimad-Bhagavata, and
elsewhere by others. (Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. /)
5. Self-Knowledge or self-surrender, either imply
the annihilation of the ego.
Either seek the Source of the ego, so that it may
vanish, or surrender yourself so that it may be struck
down. Self-surrender is the same as Self-Knowledge,
and either of them necessarily implies self-control. The
ego submits only when it recognizes the Higher Power.
(Ibid)
Surrender can take effect only when it is done with
full knowledge as to what real surrender means. Such
knowledge comes after enquiry and reflection, and ends
invariably in self-surrender* There is no difference bet-
ween Jnana and absolute surrender to the Lord, that is*
in thought, word and deed. To be complete surrender
must be unquestioning ; the devotee cannot bargain with
the Lord, or demand favours* at His hands. Such entire
surrender comprises all: it is Jnana and Vairagya,
Devotion and Love. (Ibid}
Conclusion
II
Subsidance of the mind in the Heart, the Source* is
verily the significance of Karnta $ Bhakti, Yoga and
Jnana. \ (Upadesa Saram)
V
WORK AND WISDOM
1* Selfless service and solitary communion are the
two kinds o! austerity prescribed for the earnest
aspirant.
There are two kinds of self-discipline appropriate to
mature aspirants. The first is giving up worldly activity
for the sake of solitary communion. The second is render-
ing selfless service for the benefit of others.
(Sri Ramana Qita)
Among the former kind of aspirants, he who realizes
Sahajatmanishtha abides by virtue of his innate dis-
position in incessant tapas, which is very difficult to
attain. (Ibid)
Concerning the other aspirants, it is stated that
their acts of devotion and service to society greatly
purify their mind, provided they have taken up Self-
enquiry and have developed dispassion (vairagya). (Ibid)
2. Atma-vichara is indispensable for every aspi-
rant, to whichever Asrama he may belong*
The adoption of Sannyasa Asrama is not indis-
pensable for realizing Atmanishtha, What is required
is the sustained effort to get rid of one's attachments to
the body. This is the only means for realizing the state
of firm and tranquil abidance in the Self. , Through
Atma-vichara one attains Atmanishtha.
(Spiritual Instruction)
68 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
Anyone may take up Atma*vichara % a Brahmachari,
Grihastha, Vanaprastha or Sannyasi, a Sudra or a
woman or any other person fit for it. Brahmackarya is
really enquiry into the nature of Brahman, that is, the
Atman or Self. The strength gained in Brahmacharya
by means of discipline, study and wisdom manifests later
on in splendour. . (Ibid)
Without ripeness and purity of mind and without
Atma-vichara, the mere adoption of any of the four
Asramas does not remove one's attachment to the body.
Because this attachment is really a complex of the mind,
whereas, the symbols of Asrama life and their respective
rules of conduct, except in so far as the latter go to
purify the mind, pertain merely to the body and are
external. Certainly, mere conformity to external rules of
conduct, much less the 'wearing of the symbols of a parti-
cular Asrama, cannot remove the attachments that are of
the mind. (Ibid)
One who truly renounces actually merges in the
world and expands his love so as to embrace the whole
world. He who renounces the immediate ties, actually
extends his affection and love to the whole of creation.
Great souls who have given up secular life did so not
out of mere aversion to family life, but because of the
large-hearted and expanded love towards all humanity
and to all creation. When you really feel that equal
love for all, when your heart has expanded so as to
embrace the whole of creation, you will certainly not feel
like giving up this or that. You will merely drop off
from secular life as the ripe fruit does from the stem of a
tree. You will have the conviction that all the world is
your home. (Self-Realisation)
WORK AND WISDOM 69
Since one's attachments are really due to the mind
being unripe and impure, which, in its turn, is due to
want of Atma-vichara, they can be removed only when
the mind becomes ripe and pure, and when one takes up
the practice of Atma-vichara. (Spiritual Instruction)
Sannyasa truly consists in getting rid of sankalpa
and vikalpa which busily engage the mind and which
constitute really the 4 family of attachments '. In other
words, Renunciation consists in renouncing family attach-
ments of the mind, so that the mind can be made to abide
firmly in the Self. . (Ibid)
3. The true significance of Sannyasa or Renuncia-
tion is to deny the ego -self.
If you understand that the world you seek to
renounce is only in your mind, you will also understand
what true Renunciation is. The world is unreal and
impermanent. It does not speak out saying ' Here I am
the world '. If it does so, it would be ever there, making
its presence felt by you even in your sleep. Since, how-
ever, it is not there in sleep, it is impermanent. Being
impermanent it is also unreal. Since it has no reality
apart from the Self, it is easily subdued by the Self, The
Self alone is real and permanent. Renunciation is the
non-identification of the Self with the not-Self. When
the ignorance which identifies the Self with the not-Self
is removed, not-Self ceases to exist, and that is true
Renunciation. (Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. Z)
Therefore, Sanny&sa or Renunciation is not the
discarding of external things, but the cancellation of the
uprising of the ego. To such true Renouncers there is
no difference between solitude and active life. (Ibid)
70 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
4. True solitude is within, and work is no hind*
ranee to serenity of mind.
Solitude is in the mind of man. One might be in the
thick of the world and yet maintain perfect serenity of
mind. Such a person is always in solitude. Another may
stay in the forest but still be unable to control his mind.
He cannot be said to be in solitude.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. I)
Solitude is an attitude of the mind ; a man attached
to the things of life cannot get solitude, wherever he may
be, A detached man is always in solitude. (Ibid)
The Atman or Self is all-pervasive. Therefore no
particular place can be allocated for leading a life of
solitude. To abide in the tranquil state which is devoid
of thought is verily leading a life of solitude and seclu-
sion. (Ibid)
The Self is all ; you are not apart from it, and all
actions will go on whether you strain yourself to be
engaged in them or not. Because you now identify your-
self with the body, you think that the work is done by
you. But the body and its activities, including the work
you do, are not apart from the Self. ( Ibid)
Truly, it is not the world or the work that is the
hindrance to Atmanishtha. The feeling * I work ' is the
hindrance. Ask yourself ' Who works? ' Remember who
you are. Then the work will not bind you ; it will go on
automatically. (Ibid)
Make no effort either to work or to renounce ; your
effort is the bondage. What is destined to happen will
WORK AND WISDOM 71
happen* If you are destined not to work, work cannot
fee had even if you hunt for it ; if you are destined to
work, you will not be able to avoid it ; you will be forced
tb engage yourself in it. So leave it to the Higher Power \
you cannot renounce or retain as you choose. (Ibid)
Work performed with attachment is a shackle,
-whereas work performed with* detachment does not
affect the doer. He is, even while working, in solitude.
(Ibid)
To be engaged in your duty is true namaskar, and
abiding in God or Self is the only asan. (Ibid)
Nor is it necessary for you to go into seclusion in
order to carry on meditation. Because* meditation is
your true nature. You call it meditation now, since you
are distracted by other thoughts. When these thoughts
are dispelled, you remain alone, that is, in the state of
meditation free from thoughts; and that is your real
nature, which you are now trying to gain by keeping
away other thoughts. Such keeping away of other
thoughts is now called meditation. But when the practice
becomes firm, the real nature shows itself as true medi-
tation. (Ibid)
S. Through selfless activity the wise Grihastha
destroys the ego.
The ego is the source of thought. It creates the
body and the world, and it makes you think of being a
Brahmachari, Grihastha etc. If you renounce, It will
only substitute the thought of Sannyasa for those of
72 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
forest for that of the household. But the mental
obstacles are always there for you. They even increase
greatly in the new surroundings. It is no help to change
the environment. (Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. 1)
The one obstacle is the mind ; it must be got over
whether in the home or in the forest. If you can do it
in the forest, why not in the home ? ( Ibid)
Your duty is TO BE, and not to be this or that. " I
AM THAT I AM " sums up the whole truth ; the
method is summarised in BE STILL. (Ibid}
And what does Stillness mean ? It means * Destroy
yourself * ; because every name and form is the cause of
trouble. (Ibid)
* I I ' is the Self. ' I am this 1 is the ego. When
the * I' is kept up as the * I 1 only, it is the Self. When it
flies off at a tangent and says * I am this or that ', * I am
such and such', it is the ego. (Ibid)
It is quite possible for the wise Grihastha to
discharge his duties in life, (which, after all, fall to his lot
due to his prarabdha or destiny), without any attach-
ment, considering himself as merely instrumental for the
purpose. Only to the on-looker would the enlightened
householder appear, to be thus busily engaged in his
household activity. Really, he is not engaged in any
kind of activity whatsoever. (Spiritual Instruction)
Any activity as such is not an obstacle in the way of
attaining Jnana. Nor does Jnancf&tand in the way of dis
charging one's duties in life. Jnana and karma ate never
WORK AND WISDQM 72
*
mutually antagonistic ; Realization of the one is not an
obstacle for the performance of the other, and vice versa.
Indeed, an Atma-jnani alone can be a good karma-yogi.
(Ibid)
Therefore, the outward activity of a wise house-
bolder does not at all stand in his way of realizing, even
while he is thus busily engaged, the perfect peace of
retirement. (Ibid)
6. Peace is the goal to be realized, whether it is
for the individual or for the society.
Peace is for self-purification; power is for the
improvement of the society. Having advanced the inte-
rests of the society by means of power, peace should be
established there later. (Sri Bamana Gita)
Society is the body ; its constituent members are the
limbs, and their duties are its functions. A member of a
society thrives when, through selfless service, he is loyal
to it, just as the limbs thrive, when by sound co-ordina-
tion they function well within the body. (Ibid)
While serving the society faithfully in thought, word
and deed, a member of it should also promote its cause
among the other members of his community by awaken-
ing them to similar service. (Ibid)
The promotion of universality and brotherhood is
the high ideal of society. (Ibid)
But the highest benefit that can be conferred on
man is Happiness and Happiness is born of Peace. Peace
can reign only when there is no disturbance, and distur-
74 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAM AN A
*
bance is due to thoughts that arise in the mind. When
the mind itself is absent, there will be perfect Peace.
Unless a person annihilates the mind, he cannot gain
Peace and be Happy. And unless he himself be Happy,
he cannot bestow Happiness on * others/ Since, however,
there are no ' others ' for the Sage, who has no mind, the
mere fact of His Realization is itself enough to make
1 others ' Happy. (Makarshi's Gospel, Bk. I)
There is no explaining these things. The existence
of a separate, individual consciousness is not a necessary
postulate for helping * others.' You are the world and
the world is you. You do not help the world at all
by wishing or trying to do so, but only by helping your-
self, that is, by realizing your Perfection. (Ibid)
It is useless to speculate, useless to try and take a
mental or intellectual grasp and work from that. That is
only formal religion* a code for children and for social
life, a guide to help us to avoid shocks, so that the inside
Eire may burn up the nonsense in us and teach us a little
sooner common sense, the knowledge of the delusion of
separateness. Religion, whether it is Christianity, Bud-
dhism, Hinduism, Theosophy or any other kind of * Ism '
or 'Sophy' or system, can only take us to the one point
where all religions meet and no further. (Ibid)
Truly, your own Realization is best help you caa
possibly render to * others/ Those who have discovered
great truths have done so in the still depths of the Self.
(Ibid)
In fact, there are no 4 others ' to be helped. For, the
realized being sees only the Self, just as the goldsmith
WORK AND WISDOM 75
sees only the gold while valuing it in various jewels made
of gold. When you identify yourself with the body
name and form are there. But when you transcend the
body-consciousness, the * others ' also disappear. The
Enlightened One does not see the world as different from
himself. " (Ibid)
Conclusion
It is within the power of every individual to make
the earnest and incessant endeavour to eradicate
the ego the cause of all misery by cancelling all
mental activity born of the ego.
Can obsessing thought arise without the ego, and
can there be illusion apart from such thought ?
(Self-Enquiry)
VI
THE MIND
4
1. One cannot overcome illusion or maya unless*
one knows the true nature of the mind.
The term 4 mind' truly signifies the universal prin-
ciple underlying the correspondence between the ideas
* within ' and the objects ' without. 1 Therefore, the body
and the world, which appear as external to oneself are in
fact mere mental reflections. (Self -Enquiry)
It is only the Self or Heart that manifests in all these
forms. In the core of the all-comprehensive Heart there
is the self-luminous * I I ' ever shining. (Ibid}
According to Hindu Scriptures the entity known as
the 'mind' is derived from the subtle essences of the
food consumed, and it flourishes as love, hatred, lust t
anger and so on. It is really the totality of mind, intel-
lect, memory, will and ego: and although it has these
diverse aspects, it bears the generic name 'mind.' It
is this very same mind that becomes objectified a$
insentient objects cognized by us. Though itself insen-
tient, it (the mind) appears sentient being associated with
Consciousness, like the red-hot iron appearing as fire.
(Ibid)
The mind is located in the Heart, like sight in the
eye, hearing in the ear etc. The principle of differentia-
tion is inherent in it. It is also the mind that gives
THE MIND 77
its character to the individual ; and when it cognizes an
object already associated with the conscious principle of
intellection, it assumes a thought form. It gets into
contact with the object through the five senses operated
by the brain, and appropriates such cognizance to itself
with the feeling 'I am cognizant of such and such a
thing.' It then enjoys the object and is satisfied, or
suffers from the object and is dissatisfied. (Ibid)
The senses, being located externally as aids to the
cognition of objects, are exterior; the mind being
internal, is the inner sense. (Ibid)
Such are the nature and functions of the mind : and
this mind must be metamorphosed into the Self. (Ibid)
2. The sense of individuality is the result of im-
purity of the mind.
The mind is no other than the I~thought. The mind
and the ego are one and the same* Intellect, will, ego
and individuality are collectively the same mind. It
is like a man being variously described according to his
different activities. The individual is no other than the
ego, which, again, is only the mind. Simultaneously with
the rise of the ego, the mind appears associated with the
reflected nature of the Self. (Self-Enquiry)
Just as water in the pot reflects the enormous sun
within the narrow limits of the pot, even so the vasanas
or latent tendencies of the mind, acting as the reflecting
medium, catch the all-pervading, infinite Light of Con-
sciousness arising from the Heart, and present in the
form of a reflection the phenomenon called the mind.
78 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
Seeing only this reflection, the ajnani is deluded into the
belief that he is a finite being, the jiva.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. JJ>
3. Rajas and tamas are the contaminating quali-
ties of the mind : but the quality of sattva is its reat
nature.
Mind is, in reality, only Consciousness, because it te
pure and transparent by nature ; in that pure state, how-
ever, it cannot be called mind. The wrong identification
of one thing with another (for instance, of pure Cons-
ciousness with the ego-self and the body), is the work of
the contaminated mind. That is to say, when the mind
becomes oblivious of its primary nature, it is overpowered
by tamas (the quality of darkness) and manifests as the
physical world; similarly, overpowered by rajas (the
quality of activity), it identifies itself with the body, and
appearing in the manifested world as ' I ', mistakes it to
be real. Swayed by love and hatred, it performs good
and bad actions, and, as a result, is caught up in the cycle
of births and deaths. (Self-Enquiry)
Because the quality of purity, sattva, is the real
nature of the mind, clearness like that of the sky is the
characteristic of the mind-expanse.
(Since the mind derives its qualities partly from the
food consumed), regulation of the diet restricting it to
simple and nutritious food taken in moderate quantities,
is considered the best of all rules of conduct. Such diet**
regulation is most conducive to the development of the
satvic qualities of the mind. These, in their turn, assist
the aspirant in his practice of Atma-vichara.
("Who amir')
THE MIND 79
There are not two minds, one good and the other
evil. Only the vasanas or tendencies of the mind are of
two kinds, good and favourable, evil and unfavourable.
When the mind is associated with the former, it is called
good ; when it is associated with the latter it is called
evil. (Ibid}
4. The mind must become pure (satvic) before it
can realize the Truth.
Just as fine silk threads cannot be woven with the
use of a heavy iron shuttle, or the delicate shades of a
piece of art be distinguished in the light of a lamp agita-
ted by the wind, so is realization of Truth impossible
with the mind rendered gross and obtuse by tamas, and
restless and unsteady by rajas. Because, Truth is
exceedingly subtle and serene. (Self Enquiry)
The mind will be cleared of its impurities only by a
desireless performance of man's duties during several
births, getting a worthy Master, obtaining his instructions
and incessantly practising meditation on the Supreme.
Then the mind regains its subtlety and composure. The
Bliss of the pure Self can manifest only in a mind that has
become subtle and steady through assiduous practice of
meditation. (Ibid)
Because the mind alone constitutes the root-princi-
ples manifesting as the individual, God and the world, its
absorption and dissolution in the Self as pure Conscious-
ness is the final emancipation known as R&ivalya, and it
is the Realization of the Supreme Universal Being, the
Brahman. (Ibid)
80 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
Conclusion
The world is nothing more than a collection of the
objects of the five-fold sense-perception. Since
it is the mind alone that sees the world through the
five sense-organs, is the world anything but the
mind ? {Sat Darshan)
Although the world and knowledge thereof rise and
set together, by knowledge alone is the world
made apparent. That perfection whence the
world and knowledge thereof rise, wherein they set,
and which Itself shines without rising and setting,
that pure Consciousness is the one Reality. (Ibid)
VII
THE THREE STATES OF THE MIND
AND
The Mindlesi State
1. The Self is absolute and transcends the three
states of the mind.
The ever-luminous Self is one and universal. Not-
withstanding the individual's experience of the three
states, waking, dreaming and deep sleep, the Self remains
pure and changeless. It is not limited by the three bodies,
physical, mental and causal ; and it transcends the triple
relation of the seer, sight and the seen.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. II)
The apparent subjectivity of the Self as the Seer
exists only on the plane of relativity and vanishes in the
Absolute, because there is, in truth, no other than the
Self or pure Consciousness. (Ibid)
2. Owing to one's ignorance of the Self the
wakeful world appears real during the waking state,
just as the dream-world appears real during the
dream state. Both are but projections of the mind.
The mind is a unique power (sakti) in the Atman,
whereby thoughts occur to oneself. When the .subtle
mind forsakes its identity with the Self, and becomes
externalized in the form of thought etc., it sees the world
6
82 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
as an objective reality. When the world is thus per-
ceived, the true nature of the Self is not revealed ; con-
versely, when the Self is realized, the world ceases to
appear as an objective reality. ("Who am I?")
There is no such thing as physical world apart from
and independent of thought. In deep sleep there are no
thoughts, nor is there ttie world. In the wakeful and
dreaming states thoughts are present, and there is also-
the world. Just as the spider draws out the thread of the
cobweb from within itself and withdraws it again into
itself, even so out of itself the mind projects the world
and absorbs it back into itself. Except that the wakeful
state is long and the dream-state is short, there is no-
difference between the two. In the wakeful as well as in-
the dreaming state thoughts on the one hand, and name
and form on the other, occur simultaneously. (Ibid}
The world of wakeful experience as well as the
dream-world are but creations of the mind; and so long
as the mind is engrossed in either, it finds itself unable to
deny the reality of the dream-world while dreaming, and
of the wakeful world while awake.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. JJ>
While you were dreaming, the dream was a perfectly
integrated whole. That is to say, if you felt thirsty in a
dream, the illusory drinking of illusory water did quench
your illusory thirst. But all this was real and not illusory
to you so long as you did not know that the dream itself
was an % illusion. Similarly it is with the wakeful world :
the sensations you now have get co-ordinated to give you
the impression that the world is real. In other words, the
THE THREE STATES OF THE MIND 83
dream as a dream does not permit you to doubt its
reality, even so, you are unable to doubt the reality of the
world of your wakeful experience. (Ibid)
If you withdraw your mind completely from the
world, turn it within and abide thus, that is, if ybu keep
awake always to the Self alone, which is the Substratum
of your experience, you will find the world, of which you
are now aware, just as unreal as the world in which you
lived in your dream. (Ibid)
3. When the mind is absorbed in the pure Light
of Consciousness the world ceases to appear as an
objective reality.
The Jnani is always steadily fixed in the grandeur of
the Self only, the world not being considered unreal or
different from the Self. The sense of differentiation is
characteristic of the mind, whereas to those who abide in
the Heart, the seer and the seen merge and unite as one.
(Sri Bamana Oita)
Not realizing the Self as the true Source of con-
sciousness, the ignorant man is led by the mind to differen-
tiate the world and is thus deluded. He sees only the
mind which is a mere reflection of the Light of pure
Consciousness arising from the Heart. Of the Heart
Itself he is ignorant, because his mind is extraverted and
has never sought its Source. (Ibid)
When the mind gets absorbed in the Heart, the ego
or the ' I ' which is the centre of the multitude of
thoughts vanishes, and pure Consciousness or the Self,
which subsists during all the states of the mind, alone
84 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAtyf ANA
remains resplendent. It is this State, where there is nor
the slightest trace of the I-thought, that is the true Being
of oneself. It is the undifferentiated Light of pure Con-
sciousness into which the reflected light of the mind is
completely absorbed. (MaJiarsMs Gospel, BJc. II)
4. The three states of the mind are of no value or
significance to the Enlightened One.
The Reality or pure Consciousness is eternal by its*
nature and, therefore, subsists equally during what are
called the waking, dreaming and sleep states. To him
who is one with that Reality, there is neither the mind
nor the three states, and, therefore, neither introversion
nor extraversion. His is the Ever- Waking State, because
he is Awake to the eternal Self; his is the ever-dreaming
State, because to him the world is no better than a
dream ; his is the ever-sleeping State, because he is at all
times without the * body-am-I ' consciousness.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. II)
As a matter of fact, actions and states are according
to one's view-point. A crow, an elephant, and a snake,
each makes use of one limb for two alternate purposes.
With one eye the crow can look on either side : for the
elephant the trunk serves the purpose of both a hand and
a nose, and the serpent sees as well as hears with its eyes*
Whether you say the crow has an eye or eyes, or refer to
the trunk of the elephant as its hand or nose, or call
the eyes of the serpent its ears, it means all the same*
Similarly in the case of Jnanis attitude towards the
world, sleep-waking or waking-sleep or dream-sleep or
dreaming-wakefulness, are all much the same thing. It is
quite immaterial whether the world is seen by the Jnani
THE THREE STATES OF THE MIND 85
or ajnani. It is seen by both, but their view-points
differ. (Mahar ski's Gospel, Bk. I)
5. To the Jnani the world appears like a picture-
show.
Seeing the world the Jnani sees the Self, which is
the Substratum of both the seer and the teen ; the ajnani,
whether he sees the world or not, is ignorant of his true
Being, the Self. ' (Mahar 'shi's Gospel, Bk. ID-
Take the instance of moving pictures on the screen
in the cinema-show. Before the play begins, what do
you see in front of you? Merely the screen. On that
screen you see the entire show, and for all appearances,
the pictures are real. But go and try to take hold of
them. What do you take hold of ? Merely the screen,
on which the pictures appeared so real. After the play*
when the pictures disappear, what remains ? The screen
again (Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. I)
So with the Self. That alone exists ; the pictures
come and go. If you hold on to the Self, you will not be
deceived by the appearance of the pictures. Nor does it
matter at all if the pictures appear or disappear. Ignoring
the Self, the ajnani thinks the world is real just as ignor-
ing the screen, he sees merely the pictures, as if they
existed apart from it* If one knows that without the Seer
there is nothing to be seen, just as there are no pictures
without the screen, one is not deluded. The Jnani
knows that the screen, the pictures and the sight thereof
are but the Self. With the pictures the Self is in its
manifest form, without the pictures it remains in the
unmanifest form. To the Jnani it is quite immaterial if
the Self is in the one form or the other. He is always the
Self. (Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. II>
86 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAM AN A
6. As long as man is aware of the mincj only* he
cannot but consider that sleep is a state of ignorance,
because mind does not function during sleep . If one's
true Being beyond the mind is realized, sleep ceases to
be a state of ignorance*
+
Sleep is not ignorance, it is one's pure state ; wakeful -
ness is not knowledge, it - is ignorance. There is full
awareness in sleep and total ignorance in waking.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Bk . I)
Your sense of ignorance during sleep is due to the
absence of mind at that time. Now while awake, who
speaks of your unawareness in sleep? It is your mind. But
in your sleep your mind could not function. How can it
speak about your awareness or otherwise during the
sleep-state ? (Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. II)
What you were really unaware of in sleep, is your
bodily existence, not 4 of your own existence, which is
eternal. Your real nature covers both knowledge and
ignorance and extends beyond them also. It is Prajnana
which ever subsists, unaffected by the three transitory
states of the mind, It is also beyond them, because It
can subsist without them and in spite of them. (Ibid)
Sleep, dream and waking states are only modes
passing before the Self ; they proceed whether you are
aware of them or not. That is the state of the Jnani,
in whom pass the states of Samadhi, waking, dream and
deep sleep, like the bulls moving, standing or being
unyoked, while the passenger in the cart is asleep.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. I)
THE MINDLESS STATE 87
7. The Jnani is ever awake to the Self alone, and
looks at the world with unconcern.
A traveller in a cart has fallen asleep. The bulls
move, stand still or are unyoked during the journey. He
does not know these events, but finds himself in a
different place after he wakes up. He has been blissfully
ignorant of the occurrences on the way, but the journey
has been finished. Similarly with the Self of a person.
The ever-wakeful Self is compared to the traveller asleep
in the cart. The waking state is the moving of the bulls ;
Samadhi is thfeir standing still, (because Samadhi means
Jagrat-sushupti, that is, the person is aware of but
not concerned with the action ; the bulls are yoked but
do not move) ; sleep is the unyoking of the bulls, for
there is complete stopping of activity corresponding to
the relief of the bulls from the yoke. The traveller
sleeping in the moving cart is not aware of the motion of
the cart, because his mind is sunk in darkness. Whereas,
the Sahaja Jnani remains unaware of his bodily acti-
vities, because his mind is dead having been resolved into
the ecstasy of Chidananda or Bliss of the Self.
(Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. I)
8. Kevala Nirvikalpa Samadhi (the State in which
the world is not perceived) is only a stage leading to
Sahaja Nirvikalpa Samadhi, which is the highest
Realization.
In Kevala Nirvikalpa Samadhi the mind lies immer-
sed in the Light of the Self (whereas the same, that is,
the mind, lies in the darkness of ignorance in deep sleep) ;
and the subject makes a distinction between Samadhi
and activity after waking up from Samadhi. Moreover,
activity of the body, of seeing, hearing etc., and of the mind,
88 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
all these are obstructions for one who seeks to realize
Kevala Nirvikalpa Samadhi. (Maharshi's Gospel, Bk. I)
In Sahaja Nirvikalpa Samadhi the mind is resolved
into the Self, and thus totally lost. The differences and
obstruction mentioned above do not, therefore, exist here.
The activities of such a Being are like the feeding of a
somnolent boy, perceptible to the on-looker but not to
the subject. (Ibid)
By its very nature, the state of Kevala Nirvikalpa
Samadhi is not continuous and unbroken ; that is, it does
not subsist while the senses and the mind are active. It
cannot, therefore, be the ever-existent, natural State.
Due to prarabdha this state of Kevala Nirvikalpa
Samadhi occurs to some with a limited duration, or may
even subsist until death ; ,'but in any case it cannot be
called the final State of Realization. Moreover, since
that state, as is admitted, cannot subsist when the body,
mind and the senses are active, how can it be called
Perfect ? Really, prarabdha alone is responsible for the
activity or otherwise of a Jnani. Great Sages have,
therefore, declared that the natural, spontaneous and
changeless State of Abidance in the Self or Sahajatma-
nishtha is the supreme and final State.
(Spiritual Instruction)
Conclusion
Realization is nothing to be gained afresh. It is
already there. Stillness or Peace is Realization.
There is never a moment when the Self is not. It is
ever-present, here and now. If it were not so,
but attainable by some effort at some time, and if
it were new and had to be acquired, it would not
be worth pursuit Because, what is got afresh will
also be lost, What is not natural (Sahaja) is not
permanent either,
So, I say the Self is not reached* You are the Self.
You are already and eternally That.
( MaharsMs Gospel, Bk. /)
APPENDIX
THE JIVANMUKTA
An Extract from Brihat Yoga Vasishtha
Below is given an extract from the clear and
scientific analysis of Brihat Yoga Vasishtha (with the
references omitted) from the pen of the eminent scholar
Dr. B, L> Atreya, M.A., D. Litt. of the Benares Hindu
University.
" The life in which a Sage experiences the last stage
of Self-realization is the last life of individuality, which,
from the stand-point of his subjective experience, he has
already transcended and negated, but which, objectively,
still continues as a material effect of his previous willing
in the form of his life. It is a shadow in the material
world, as it were, of the previous subjective individuality
which is no longer in existence. Thoughts, it seems, take
time to be materialised in the objective world, like the
light of distant stars in reaching our eyes. It is possible
that a star, whose light is reaching us now, and so giving
us the impression of its present existence, may have been
long ago effaced out of its existence, if it was distant
enough* To us the existence of such a star is* a fact, but
in the world where the star actually was, it is no longer
in existence and no longer to be perceived as such. So is
the case with the individuality of a Jivanmukta, a Sage
whose individuality has been totally dissolved and who
actually does not feel to be an individual in the world of
90 ,,THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMANA
Spirit and Thought, but who appears' to be living, nay,
actually lives in the physical world, as an effect, as a
passing shadow, of his previous individuality. His
life is a reality to others, but an appearance in his mind,
and unreal for his Self in which he now has his conscious
being. This, in brief, is the idea of Jivanmukti, the
Liberation of One who is yet living, according to Yoga
Vasishtha. A large number of verses is devoted to the
description of such a life. We give below a brief descrip-
tion of how such a Sage lives and behaves in the world.
"Pleasures do not delight him, pains do not distress.
There is no feeling of like or dislike produced in his mind
eveft towards serious, violent and continued states of
pleasure or pain. Although externally engaged in the
worldly actions, he has no attachment in his mind to any
.object whatsoever. His conduct does not annoy anybody,
he behaves like an ideal citizen and a friend of all. Out-
wardly he is very busy, but very calm and quiet at heart.
He is free from the restrictions of caste, creed, stages of
life (asrama), custom and Scriptures. He rests unagitated
in Supreme Bliss. He does not work to get anything
for himself. He is ever happy and never hangs his joy on
anything else. His face is never without the lustre of
cheerfulness on it, He behaves with other fellow-beings
as the occasion and the status of the -person demand,
without the least stain on his mind. He plays as a child
in the company of children ; he is a youth among the
young ; arid he acts as an old man in the company of the
aged ones. He is full of courage in the party of coura-
geous people, and shares the misery of the miserable
ones. There is nothing which he has to achieve* He
therefore performs and gives up actions without much
concern like children. In spite of his being cxcu^ted with
, > - * . ' " p ' * '",,':.
actions appropriate to the time, place and circumstances,
he is" untouched by pleasure or v pain arising from them.
He never feels' despondent, proud, agitated, cast down,
troubled of elated. He is full of mercy or paagnanitnity
even when surrounded by enemies. He regards his actt-
vities as a part of the Cosmic Movement and performs
them without any personal desire. He never hankers for
th? pleasures that are not in his hand, but enjoys all
those he has. The idea of "I" and "Mine" of some-
thing to be achieved and something to be avoided,
has died in him. For the Sage himself, no purpose
is served by any activity, nor abstaining from acti-
vity. He therefore, acts as the occasion suits him.
Even doing all sorts of actions, the Liberated One is
always in Samadhi. He is a Maha Karta, (Great
Worker), He works without any anxiety, egoistic feel-
ing, pride or impurity of heart He is- a Mfrha Bkokta
(Gre^t Enjoyer). He does not discaj^f the pleasures he
has got, nor desite for the pleasures he has not got.
He finds equal pleasure in old age, death, .misery, poverty
or in jruling over an empire. He eats with equal gusto
the eatables of all tastes, of ordinary or superior quality.
He does not make any of the natural functions of his
body paralyse for want of proper exercise. His body is a
kingdom unto him, over which he rules wisely and welL
He keeps it healthy and does not starve it of the
appropriate requirements. So far as the external be-
haviour (vyavahara) is concerned, no difference appears
between the Liberated and the ignorant. The difference,
however, consists in the presence of desire in the case of
the latter and its total absence in the former. The life of
a Liberated Sage is really the noblest and the happiest
life, From him Goodness is scattered all round. Having
92 THE TEACHINGS OF SRI RAM AN A
seen him, having heard about him, having met him, and
having remembered him, all creatures feel delighted* He
has no longer any struggle for livelihood. The guardian
angels of the world protect and support him, as they do
the entire Cosmos/'
Books mentioned on pp. 48 to 88
as the Sources of the extracts contain*
ing the Teachings of the Sage are Sri
R&manasramam Publications, [Ed.]
