Bhagawan is BHAGAWAN

One was often impressed by the tolerance and kindliness of Sri Bhagawan. It was not merely that he recognised the truth of all religions, for that nay man of spiritual understanding would do, but if any school or group or ashram was striving to spread spirituality he would show appreciation of the good it was doing, how ever far its methods might be from his own or its teachings from strict orthodoxy.

Raghavachariar, a government official at Tiruvannamali, used to visit Sri Bhagawan occasionally. He wanted to ask his opinion of the Theosophical society but whenever he went he found a crowd of devotees there and he shrank from speaking before them.One day he went and determined to submit three questions.This is how he tells of it:

The Questions were.
1. Can you grant me a few minutes of private personal talk, free from all others?

2. I should like to have your opinion of the theosophical society of which I am a member.

3. Will you please enable me to see you real form? if I am eligible to see it?

When I went and prostrated and sat in his presence there was crowd of no less than thirty persons,but one and all they soon dispersed. So I was alone with him and my first query was thus answered without my stating it. That struck me as noteworthy.

Then he asked me of his accord if the book in my hand was the Gita, and if I was a member of the Theosophical society and remarked even before I answered his questions "It is doing good work" I answered his questions in affirmative.

My second question also being thus anticipated I waited with eager mind for the third. After half an hour I opened my mouth and said, "Just as Arjuna wished to see the form of Sri Krishna and asked for darshan , I wish to have a darshan of your real form, if I am eligible.

He was seated on the pial with a picture of Dakshinamurthy painted on the wall next to him. He silently aged on as usual, and I gazed in to his eyes. Then his body and also the picture of Dakshinamurthy disappeared from my view. There was only empty space, without even a wall, before my eyes. Then a whitish cloud in the outline of the Maharishi and of Dakshniamurthy formed before my eyes.Gradually the outline with silvery lines of these figures appeared. Then eyes, nose etc other details were outlined in lightning like lines. These gradually broadened till the whole figure of the Sage and Dakshinamurthy became ablaze with very strong and unendurable light. I closed my eyes in consequence. I waited for few minutes and then saw Him and Dakshnimurthi in the usual form.. I prostrated and came away.For a month thereafter I did not dare to go near him , so great was the impression that above experience made on me. After a month I went up and saw him standing in front of the Skandashramam , I told him  ' I put a question to you and had this experience' narrating the above experience. I requested him to explain. Then after a pause, he said " You wanted to see my form you saw my disappearance, I am formless So that experience might be real truth. The furthur visions may be according to your own conceptions derived from the study of Bhagawath Gita.But Ganapati Sastri had similar experience you may consult him ' I did not in fact consult Sastri,After this Maharishi said "Find out who the I is the seer or thinker and his abode.

Sri Ramanaya Namaha

Giri Pradakshina Map and Arunachala Temple Guide

Please find below both Maps.

Guru and Disciple

Let us examine Sri Bhagawan's statements carefully.He sometimes said he had no disciples and never stated explicitly that he was the Guru, however, he used the expression " the Guru" as equivalent to "the Gnani " and is such a way as to leave no doubt that he is the Guru and he more than once joined in singing the song Ramana Sat-Guru.

Moreover, when devotee was genuinely distressed and seeking a solution he would sometimes reassure him in a way that left no room for doubt. An English disciple, Major Chadwick kept a record of such an assurance given to him in the year 1940 :


Ch: Bhagawan says he has no disciples?

Bh :Yes

Ch: He also says that Guru is necessary if one wishes to attain Liberation.

Bh:Yes

Ch: What then must I do? Has my sitting here all these years been just waste of time? Must I go and look for some Guru in order to receive initiation seeing that Bhagawan says he is not a Guru?

Bh: What do you mean think brought you here such a long distance and made you remain so long? Why do you doubt? IF there had been any need to seek a Guru elsewhere you would have gone away long ago.

The Guru or Gnani sees no difference between himself and others.For him all are Gnanis, all are one with himself, so how can Gnani say that such and such is his disciple? But the unliberated one sees all as multiple, he sees all as different from himself, so to him the Guru-disciple relationship is a reality and he needs that Grace of the Guru  to waken him to reality. For him there are three ways of initiation, by touch look and silence.
Ch: Then Bhagawan does have disciples!

Bh: As I said from Bhagawan's point of view there are no disciples, but from that of the disciples the Grace of the Guru is like an ocean.If he comes with a cup he will only get a cupful.It is no use complaining of the niggardliness of the ocean , the bigger the vessel the more he will be able to carry. It is entirely up to him.

Ch: Then to know whether Bhagawn is my Guru or not is just a matter of faith, if Bhagawan will no admit it.

Bh: ~(Sitting straight up and turning to the interpreter and speaking with great emphasis) Ask him ,does he want me to give him in written document?

Sri Ramanaya Namaha

In conversation with Bhagawan

Mr.P.C Desai introduced Mr.P.C Deanji (Rtd Sub-Judge) who was returning from Trivandrum where he had presided over a section of the Philosophical conference.Mr.Dewanji asked Bhagawan, "What is the easiest way to attain one-pointedness of mind"?

Bhagawan said " The best way is to see the source of the mind. See if there is such a thing as mind. It is only if there is a mind that the question of making one-pointed will arise. when you investigate by turning inwards, you find there is no such thing as the mind".

Then Mr. P.C Desai quoted Bhagawan's Upadesa Sara in Sanskrit to the effect "When you investigate the nature of mind continuously or without break, you find there is no such thing as the mind. This is the straight path for all".

The visitor asked again " It is said in our scriptures that God it is that creates, sustains and destroys all and that He is immanent in all. If so and if God does everything and is all what we do is according to God's niyati( Law) and has already planned in the Cosmic Consciousness, is there individual personality and any responsibility for it.

Bahagawan: " Of course, there is. The same scriptures have laid down rules as to what men should or should not do. If man is not responsible , then why should those rules have been laid down? You talk of Gods niyati and things happening according to it. If you ask God why this creation and all, He would tell it is according to karma again. If you believe in God and His niyati working out everything completely surrender yourself to Him and there will be no responsibility for you. Otherwise find out your real nature and thus attain freedom".

EXPERIENCE AND VISIONS

Rudra Raj Pande, Principal of the Tri-chandra College at Kathmandu, Nepal, went with a friend to worship at the great temple in town before leaving Tiruvannamalai.

" The inner temple gates were thrown open and my guide took us into the interior, which was rather dark. A small oiled wick-flame was flickering a few yards in front of us. the young voice of my companion shouted " Arunachala". all my intention was directed to the one purpose of seeing the Image or the Lingam in the Sanctum Santorum. But strange to say, instead of the Lingum I see the image of Maharishi Bhagawan Sri Ramana, his smiling countenance, his brilliant eyes looking at me. and what is more strange, it is not one Maharishi that I see, nor two- in hundreds I see the same smiling countenance, those lustrous eyes, I see them wherever I may look, in the Sanctum Santorum.My eyes cannot  the full figure of the Maharishi but only the smiling face, from the chin above. I am in raptures and beside myself with inexpressible joy- that bliss and calmness of mind I then felt how can words describe? Tears of joys flowed down my cheeks I went to the temple to see Lord Arunachala and I found the living Lord as he graciously revealed himself. I can never forget the deep intimate experience I had in the ancient temple".


Neverthless, Sri Bhagawan never encouraged interest in visions or desire for them, nor did they occur to all devotees or desciples.

But my personal experience is that, although these visions are not desired by Gnanis like Bhagawan, these will be a good encouragement for the Sadhakas.

ONE is Enough

A Muslim from Punjab are came to Sri Bhagawan on 31.12.1945. He was born blind ,but has learnt Arabic, Persian, Urdu and English and knows by heart the whole of Quran. It seems he heard of Bhagawan from some friend, who also translated to him in Urdu the English book Who am I? and thereupon he decided he should go and visit Bhagawan. Accordingly he has come all the way from the Punjab province all alone. Somebody suggested to him here that he should hear some other works of Bhagawan. He replied " No.It is not necessary. That one book is enough".


SRI RAMANAYA NAMAHA

TALKS WITH RAMANA MAHARISHI

Devotee: Now you  were telling me that the Heart is the centre of the Self..

Maharishi: Yes, it is the one supreme centre of the Self, You need have no doubt about it. the Real Self is there in the Heart behind the jiva or ego self.

D: Now be pleased to tell me where it is in the body.

M: You cannot know it with your mind. You cannot realise it by imagination, when I tell you here is the centre (pointing to the right side of the chest). The only direct way to realise it is to case to fancy and try to be yourself. Then you realise, automatically fell, that the centre is there.

This is the centre, the Heart, spoken of in the scriptures as Hrith-Guha (Cavity of the Heart), Arul Ullam.

D: In no book have I found it stated that it is there.

M: Long after I came here I chanced upon a verse in the Malayalam version of Ashtangahridayam, the standard work on Ayurveda, wherein the ojas sthana is mentioned as located in the right side of the chest, called the seat of consciousness (Samvit). But I know of no other work, which refers to it as being located there. 

D: Can I be sure that the ancients meant this centre by the term 'Heart'?

M: Yes, that is so. But you should try to HAVE, rather than to locate the experience. A man need not go to find out where his eyes are situated when he wants to see. The Heart is there ever open to you if you care to enter it, ever supporting all your movements even when you are aware. It is perhaps more proper to say that the Self is the Heart itself than to say that it is in the Heart. Really the Self is the Centre itself.It is everywhere, aware of itself as Heart, the Self-awareness. Hence I said; " Hear is Thy Name".

D: Has anyone else addressed the Lord thus, naming Him the Heart.

M: Long after I said this, one day I came across a hymn in  Sri.Appar's Thevaram, where he mentions Lord by name Ullam, which is the same as the Heart.

D: When you say that the Heart is the supreme centre of the Purusha, the Atman, you imply that it is not one of the six yogic centres.

M: The Yogic chakras counting from the bottom to the top are various centres in the nervous systems. They represent various steps manifesting different kinds are power or knowledge leading to Sahasrara, the thousand pettled lotus,where is seated the supreme Shatki. But the Self that supports the whole movement of Shakthi is not placed there, but supports it from the Heart Centre.