The Ashram Prasadam

 

The Maharishi was very particular that visitors to the Ashram should take food there. In fact, on the Jayanthi day, he did not take his meal till the last man had had his food. When I asked him about this, he said in effect, that when, in his early boyhood, he set out from the house to Tiruvannamalai, he had actually to starve for days together.

 

In those days, one Muslim family refused to give him food as he was a " kafir". Then when he was in the Patala Lingam cave, he subsisted mainly on plantains and panchamrita that were thrust down into the cave. He lived on these things for years and his body differed for want of food. Things took an opposite turn thereafter and it had been his experience that wherever he went some one or other greeted him with food. At one time when he was in deeps of the forest, some ten people were waiting for him each with separate food! And so he has been very particular that nobody should suffer the pangs as he did.

 

It is also a fact that food in Sri Maharishi's ashram is not merely food. It is definitely something more; people get better appetite there and the does not lie heavy.

 

 

SRI RAMANAYA NAMAHA

 

  

SOULABHYA AND SAHAJATHA

Among the qualities that endeared Sri Ramana to thousands, was his soulabhya-easy accessibility. He sacrificed all privacy of time and sat in the hall day in and day out, and even slept in the presence of all. He did everything possible to make himself available to the devotees. With advancing age, the Ashram management thought of some rest for him after lunch by closing the doors of the hall for two hours. When Bhagawan learnt about it , he sat outside the hall after lunch saying " to see me, people come from different parts of the world. they may have some other urgent work. The management is welcome to close the doors but I am free to meet the visitors outside. It took a lot of persuasion to make him relent.

 

 

Equally charming was his sahajata- the utter normality of behaviour. His manners were so natural that the new comer immediately felt at ease with him. by a single glance, nod of the head or by a simple enquiry from him, the visitor felt that Sri Ramana was his very own and that he cared for him . He was extremely humble and unassuming. There was no pontifical solemnity in his expositions, on the contrary his speech is lively. When a devotee asked why his prayers were not being answered , Bhagawan replied laughingly said " If they were , you might stop praying".

 

 

SRI RAMANA

SOULABHYA AND SAHAJATHA

Among the qualities that endeared Sri Ramana to thousands, was his soulabhya-easy accessibility. He sacrificed all privacy of time and sat in the hall day in and day out, and even slept in the presence of all. He did everything possible to make himself available to the devotees. With advancing age, the Ashram management thought of some rest for him after lunch by closing the doors of the hall for two hours. When Bhagawan learnt about it , he sat outside the hall after lunch saying " to see me, people come from different parts of the world. they may have some other urgent work. The management is welcome to close the doors but I am free to meet the visitors outside. It took a lot of persuasion to make him relent.

 

 

Equally charming was his sahajata- the utter normality of behaviour. His manners were so natural that the new comer immediately felt at ease with him. by a single glance, nod of the head or by a simple enquiry from him, the visitor felt that Sri Ramana was his very own and that he cared for him . He was extremely humble and unassuming. There was no pontifical solemnity in his expositions, on the contrary his speech is lively. When a devotee asked why his prayers were not being answered , Bhagawan replied laughingly said " If they were , you might stop praying".

 

 

SRI RAMANA

SOULABHYA AND SAHAJATHA

Among the qualities that endeared Sri Ramana to thousands, was his soulabhya-easy accessibility. He sacrificed all privacy of time and sat in the hall day in and day out, and even slept in the presence of all. He did everything possible to make himself available to the devotees. With advancing age, the Ashram management thought of some rest for him after lunch by closing the doors of the hall for two hours. When Bhagawan learnt about it , he sat outside the hall after lunch saying " to see me, people come from different parts of the world. they may have some other urgent work. The management is welcome to close the doors but I am free to meet the visitors outside. It took a lot of persuasion to make him relent.

 

 

Equally charming was his sahajata- the utter normality of behaviour. His manners were so natural that the new comer immediately felt at ease with him. by a single glance, nod of the head or by a simple enquiry from him, the visitor felt that Sri Ramana was his very own and that he cared for him . He was extremely humble and unassuming. There was no pontifical solemnity in his expositions, on the contrary his speech is lively. When a devotee asked why his prayers were not being answered , Bhagawan replied laughingly said " If they were , you might stop praying".

 

 

SRI RAMANA

WHO AM I --PART 2

Who am I , Questions by Sivaprakasam Pillai and Bhagawan answering forming the essence of His Teachings.

 

8. Sivaprakasam Pillai: What is the nature of the mind?

 

Bhagawan : Mind is merely thoughts. It is a form of energy. It manifests itself as all the objects (i.e. the world). When the mind sinks within the Self i.e. the Sivaswarupa, then the SELF is realised. When the mind issues out the world appears, and the Self is no realised.

 

9.S.P : How will the mind vanish?

 

Bhagawan : Only by the pursuing the enquiry ' Who am I?'. Though this enquiry is a mental operation , it destroys all other mental operations and finally itself vanishes, just as the stick with which the funeral pyre is kindled, is reduced to ashes after the pyre and corpses are burnt. Then we attain knowledge or realisation of Self. Then the thought 'I' (personality) is dissolved; breathing and other activities of prana are subdued. Both personality and breathing have a common source. Whatever you do, do without egoism, without the feeling, "I" am doing this ". When one reaches that state, even ones wife will be seen by him as the Mother of the universe. True Bhakthi is the surrender of ones ego into the Self.

 

10.S.P: Are there not other methods to make the mind disappear?

 

Bhagawan : Except enquiry, there is no other adequate method. If the mind is lulled by other means ,it keeps quiet for awhile, and again jumps up and leaps back to its former activity.

 

11. S.P: But these instincts and innumerable self-preserving and other latent tendencies in us , when will they be subdued?

 

Bhagawan : The more often you withdraw into the Self, the more these tendencies pale off ; and finally they leave you.

 

12: S.P: Is it indeed possible to root out all these tendencies, which have soaked into our minds, generation after generation?

 

Bhagawan : Never yield room for doubts of that sort in your mind. But firmly resolve and dive into the Self. The mind constantly directed by the above inquiry into the Self, becomes dissolved , and transformed in the end into the Self. Whenever you feel any doubt, do not try to clear the doubt , but try to know him who feels the doubt.

 

13: S.P: How long should go on with this inquiry?

 

Bhagawan : It is needed so long as there is the least traces of tendencies in the mind to create thoughts. So long as your enemies occupy a citadel, they will be issuing out. If you kill each, as he issues out, the citadel will be captured by you in the end. Similarly each time thoughts rear their heads and issue out , crush them by the above enquiry. This process of crushing out all thoughts a their birthplace or place of origin is termed vairagya. Hence inquiry is needful right up to the time of Self-realisation. what is required is a continuous and uninterrupted "thought" of real Self.

 

14: S.P : Is not all this , the universe and all that takes place therein , the result of Iswara's will ; and if so why should God will thus?

 

Bhagawan : God has no purpose. He is not fettered by any action. The world's activities cannot affect him. Let us take the analogies of the sun and space to make this clear. The sun arises without desire, purpose or effort. But directly the sun rises , numerous activities take place on the earth. The lens placed in the rays produces fire in its focus; the bud of the lotus blossoms, water evaporates, and every living object on earth enters upon , maintains and finally drops its activity. But, the sun is not affected by all such activity , as he merely  maintains is nature, acts by fixed laws, has no purpose, and is , merely a witness. So it is with God. Again take the case of space or ether. Earth, water, fire

and air are all in it and have their motions and modifications therein. Yet none of these affects ether or space. the same is the case with God. God has no desire or purpose in his acts of creation, maintenance, destruction, withdrawal and salvation , to which beings are subjected. As beings reap the fruit of their acts in accordance with his laws. the responsibility for such fruit is theirs, not God's . God is not affected or bound by any acts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SRI RAMANAYA NAMAHA

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHO AM I --PART 1

The fourteen questions and answers elicited in 1902, or soon after from the Swami are

1. Sivaprakasam Pillai: Swami, Who am I? How is salvation attained?

Bhagavan: By incessantly pursuing within yourself "Who am I" , you will know your true Self and thereby attain salvation .

2.Sivaprakasam Pillai: Who am I?

Bhagavan: the real "I" or true Self is not any of the five senses, nor the Prana, nor the mind nor even the deep sleep state when there is no cognisance of any of these.

3. S.P : If I am not any of these, what else am I?

Bhagavan: After excluding each of the above , saying ' This is not I' that which remains alone is 'I' , and that is consciousness.

4. S.P: What is the nature of that consciousness ?

Bhagavan: It is ' Sat Chit Ananda' , where there is not even the slightest trace of the thought 'I' at all. this is also called mouna, atman. The only thing that exists is that. The three, World, God, Ego) if considered separate entities are mere illusions like the appearance of silver in the mother of pearl .But God jivas and world are one Sivaswarupa or the Atmaswarupa are Real.

5. S.P: How are we to realise that Real?

Bhagavan:  When external objects vanish then the true nature of the seer or subject is realised.

6. S.P : Can we not realise that while we see objects also?

Bhagavan:  No, because, the seen and the seer are like the rope and the serpent. Unless you get rid of the superimposed illusion of a serpent m you cannot believe that what exists is only the rope.

7. S.P : When will the external objects vanish?

Bhagavan:  If the mind which is the cause of all thoughts and all activity vanishes , the external objects will vanish.

SRI RAMANAYA NAMAHA 

SELF ENQUIRY

In conversations with Bhagawan 

Devotee : By practising the disciplines taught by Sri Bhagawan on may get rid of the obstacles that are in the mind like ignorance, doubt, error etc ., and thereby attain quiescence of mind. Yet, there is one last doubt. After the mind has been resolved in the heart , there is only consciousness shining as the plenary reality. when thus the mind has assumed the form of the Self, who is there to enquire? such enquiry would result in self worship. It would be like the story of the shepherd searching fro the sheep that was all the time on his shoulders.

Bhagawan : The jiva itself is Siva; Siva himself is the jiva. It is true that the jiva is non other than Siva. When the grain is hidden inside the husk it is called paddy;when it is de-husked, it is called rice. Similarly , so long as one is bound by karma one remains jiva. when the bond of ignorance is broken , one shines as Siva , the Deity. Thus declares a scriptural text. Accordingly, the jiva which is mind is in reality the pure Self; but forgetting the truth, it imagines itself to be an individual soul and gets bound in the shape of the mind. So it search for the Self, which is itself, is like the search for the sheep by the shepherd. But still, the jiva which has forgotten its self will not become the Self through mere mediate knowledge. By the impediment caused by the residual impressions gathered in previous births, the jiva forgets again and again its identity with Self , and gets deceived , identifying itself with the body etc. Will a person become a high officer merely looking at him? Is it not by steady effort in that direction that he could become a highly placed officer? Similarly , the jiva which is in bondage through mental identification with the body etc should put forth effort in the form of reflection on the Self, in a gradual and sustained manner; and when the mind gets destroyed, the jiva would become the Self. 

The reflection on the Self which is thus practised constantly will destroy the mind and thereafter will destroy itself like the stick that is used to kindle the cinders burning a corpse. It is this state that is called release.

NAMO BHAGAWATHE SRI RAMANAYA