Messages

11521

General topics / Re: Tevaram - Some select verses.

« on: March 27, 2016, 09:34:29 AM »

Verse 44:


அந்த ணாளர் தமைவிடைகொண்
   டந்தி தொழுது மனைபுகுந்து
வந்த பழியொன் றெனநினைந்தே
    மகனார் தமக்கு வாய்நேரான்
இந்த நிலைமை அறிவேனென்
   றிரவு கழிந்து நிரைமேய்க்க
மைந்த னார்தாம் போயினபின்
    மறைந்து சென்றான் மறைமுதியோன்.


He took leave of the Brahmins, performed the rites
Of the evening and went into his house;
He pondered over the stigma;
He would not discuss it with his son; he chose
To verify it himself; the night passed away and when
His son went forth to graze the cows, the one grown ripe
In the mastery of the Vedas, shadowed his son.   

Arunachala Siva.

11522

General topics / Re: Tevaram - Some select verses.

« on: March 27, 2016, 09:31:35 AM »

Verse  43:


மறையோர் மொழியக் கேட்டஞ்சிச்
   சிறுமா ணவகன் செய்தஇது
இறையும் நான்முன் பறிந்திலேன்
   இதற்கு முன்பு புகுந்ததனை
நிறையும் பெருமை அந்தணர்காள்
   பொறுக்க வேண்டும் நீங்களெனக்
குறைகொண் டிறைஞ்சி இனிப்புகுதில்
   குற்றம் எனதே யாம்என்றான்.


When the Brahmins spoke thus, struck with fear
He said: "Not a whit of this was known to me so far;
O Brahmins of absolute glory! Forgive the past evil."
Thus he implored them and prayerfully added:
"If this deed repeats, I'll hold myself guilty."   

Arunachala Siva.

11523

General topics / Re: Tevaram - Some select verses.

« on: March 27, 2016, 09:28:38 AM »

Verse 42:


அந்தண் மறையோர் ஆகுதிக்குக்
   கறக்கும் பசுக்க ளானவெலாம்
சிந்தை மகிழ்ந்து பரிவினால்
   திரளக் கொடுபோய் மேய்ப்பான்போல்
கந்தம் மலிபூம் புனல்மண்ணி
   மணலில் கறந்து பாலுகுத்து
வந்த பரிசே செய்கின்றான்
   என்றான் என்று வாய்மொழிந்தார்.


"The cows meant to supply milk for the sacrifices
Of the Brahmins, are in love driven by your son
To the pasture, as if he would graze them.
On the bank of the Manni river rich in fragrant flowers
He milks them, pours it on earth and does all
That pleases his fancy; thus we are told."   

Arunachala Siva.

11524

General topics / Re: Tevaram - Some select verses.

« on: March 27, 2016, 09:26:03 AM »

Verse 41:


ஆங்கு மருங்கு நின்றார்கள்
   அவ்வந் தணன்தன் திருமனையின்
பாங்கு சென்று மற்றவனை
   அழைத்துக் கொண்டு வரப்பகர்ந்த
ஓங்கு சபையோர் அவனைப்பார்த்
   தூர்ஆன் நிரைமேய்த் துன்மகன்செய்
தீங்கு தன்னைக் கேளென்று
   புகுந்த பரிசு செப்புவார்.


The Brahmins who stood there, proceeded
To his father?s house and called him; when he came
The assembly spake to him thus: "Hearken to the evil
Your son does in the guise of grazing the cows of townsmen."
Thus they began their narration.   

Arunachala Siva.

11525

The teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi / Re: Bhagavan Ramana Teachings

« on: March 27, 2016, 07:52:26 AM »

Question:  It is said that the Self is beyond the mind and yet the realization is with the mind.
The mind cannot think it. It cannot be thought of by the mind and the mind alone can
realize it.  How are these contradictions to be reconciled?

Bhagavan:  Atman is realized with the Mruta Mind [dead mind].  That is, devoid of all thoughts
and turned inward. Then the mind sees its own source and becomes That [Self]. It is not as the
subject perceiving an object.  When the room is dark, a lamp is necessary to illumine and eyes to
cognize the objects.  But when the sun has risen, there is no need of a lamp to see objects.
To see sun, no lamp is necessary. It is enough if you turn your eyes towards the self-luminous
sun.  Similarly with the mind.  To see the objects reflected light of the mind is necessary.  To see
the Heart, it is enough that the mind is turned towards it.  The mind loses itself and the Heart shines forth.

                                                          - Talks

Bhagavan:  The real 'I' in which the activity of thinking and forgetting has perished, alone is pure
liberation.  It is devoid of 'pramada' [forgetfulness of the Self], which is the
cause of birth and death.

                                   - Guru Vachaka Kovai Verses 722 & 731

Arunachala Siva.

11526

The teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi / Re: Bhagavan Ramana Teachings

« on: March 27, 2016, 07:49:08 AM »

Question:  Is the mind control induced by pranayama also temporary?

Bhagavan:  Quiescence of mind lasts only so long as the breath is controlled.  So it is transient. 
The goal is not clearly pranayama.  It extends on to pratyahara, dharana etc., etc., These stages
deal with the control of mind.  Such mind control becomes easier for a person who has earlier practiced pranayama.  Pranayama therefore leads one to higher stages. Because these stages involve controlling
of mind, one can say that mind control is the ultimate aim of yoga.  A more advanced man will naturally
go direct to control of mind without wasting his time in practicing control of breath.

                                                           Talks

Question:  Pranayama has three phases -- exhalation, inhalation and retention.  How should they
be regulated?

Bhagavan:  Completely giving up identification with the body alone is exhalation, [rechaka]; merging
within through the inquiry 'Who am I?' along is inhalation [puraka]; abiding as
the one reality 'I am That' alone is retention, [kumbhaka].  This is the real pranayama.

                                             - Guru Vachaka Kovai, Verse 701

Question:  I find it is said in Maha Yoga that in the beginning of meditation one may attend to the
breath, that is, its inspiration and expiration, and that after a certain amount of stillness of mind is
attained, one can dive into the Heart seeking the source of the mind.  I have been badly in want
of some practical hint.  Can I follow this method?  Is it correct?

Bhagavan:  The thing is to kill the mind somehow.  Those who have not the strength to follow the
inquiry method are advised to adopt pranayama as a help to control the mind.  This pranayama is
of two kinds, controlling and regulating breath, or simply watching the breath.

                                    - Day by Day, Devaraja Mudaliar.

Arunachala Siva.   

11527

General Discussion / Letting Go - Mandodari's Quest for Sita - Neera Kashyap:

« on: March 26, 2016, 02:28:26 PM »

(The article is from Mountain Path, October - December 2015)


In Valmiki's Ramayana, Ravana's wife Mandodari surfaces with a single soliloquy only when her husband
has been slain by Rama - his body clothed in yellow garments and dazzling bracelets like a dark blue cloud
once riven by lightning  -- now riven by so many arrows that she cannot embrace it.  Her address to her dead
husband is a rich mixture of grief, attachment, horror, regret, awareness and acceptance.  It also echoes
the recognition of a woman -- a chief queen - who felt she was invincible through protection of her father-
King of danavas, her consort - the Lord of the Titans, and her son -- the conqueror of Indra, but in end must
stand alone, stripped of all protection barring the strength of her awareness as witness to the implacable turn
of Destiny. 

In her soliloquy, Mandodari swings between grief and pride, disbelief and objectivity, nostalgia and awareness,
-- an acute awareness of the salient causes that led to a tragedy so colossal that it wiped out an entire race.
She had taken pride in the boons that her husband won through hard penance from Brahma, the Creator
himself.  But she also displays pride in her husband's excesses, protected as he was from the power of these
boons: to instill terror in the great sages and illustrious Gandharvas, to use magic in battle, to utter insolent
threats in the presence of enemy, to rob the Gods, Asuras, and men of their daughters, to plunge the widows
of foes into mourning.  All this she tolerates because she believes in Ravana's unlimited valor and strength
-- as unsurpassed conqueror, as a support of family and attendants, as guide of the people, as savior of
the Titan race.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.                     

11528

General Discussion / Re: Spiritual Insights For the Seeker - Lalitha Krishnan:

« on: March 26, 2016, 10:25:04 AM »

The above verses presented in The Ascent of Mount Carmel, one of the most profound poems ever written,
give clear instructions for those who dare to undertake the spiritual journey with the goal of Divine Union.
These verses bear reference to the sensory part in the first stage of the journey, and can be interpreted
in relationship to the spiritual part in the second stage of the journey.

In order to understand the writings of Saint John of the Cross, one has also to have clear ideas of what
mysticism and mysteries represent. 'If anyone thinks that mysticism consists in useless dreaming or in
idle and selfish enjoyment of wonderful experiences, without any practical and valuable effect in life, he
has his answer.  It is the universal testimony of those who know that mystical experience transforms
human life and alters character often from the squalid and mean to the noble and selfless.'

Mysticism as both attempt and attainment comprises the three stages of purgation, introspection and
mystic union or direct intuition of God.  It is a singular attitude of mind dedicated to the spiritual quest
for union with God.  It is the fulfillment of man's aspirations as an integrated being, satisfying the eternal
values of truth, goodness, beauty and love.  In the mystic the union is conscious, personal, and unique.
He or she enjoys, says Saint John of the Cross, a certain contact with divinity, and is touched by God,
not merely by His manifestation in life.  'This is what makes him different from the most outstanding
of men, and makes his science, the science of self evident reality.'

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.           

     

11529

General topics / Re: Abhirami Andati - verses and meanings:

« on: March 26, 2016, 10:20:25 AM »

Verse  8:


8: சுந்தரி எந்தை துணைவி, என் பாசத்தொடரை எல்லாம்
வந்து அரி சிந்துர வண்ணத்தினாள், மகிடன் தலைமேல்
அந்தரி, நீலி, அழியாத கன்னிகை, ஆரணத்தோன்
கம் தரி கைத்தலத்தாள்-மலர்த்தாள் என் கருத்தனவே

என் அபிராமி அன்னையே பேரழகானவள். அவள் என் தந்தை சிவபெருமானின் துணைவி. என்னுடைய அகம், புறமாகிய அனைத்து பந்த பாசங்களையும் போக்கக் கூடியவள். செந்நிறத் திருமேனியாள். அன்றொருநாள் மகிஷாசுரனின் தலை மேல் நின்று, அவனை வதம் செய்தவள் (அகந்தையை அழித்தவள்). நீல நிறமுடைய நீலி என்னும் கன்னியானவள். தன்னுடைய கையில் பிரம்ம கபாலத்தைக் கொண்டிருப்பவள். அவளுடைய மலர்த்தாளையே என்றும் என் கருத்தில் கொண்டுள்ளேன்.

My mother Abhiram is beautiful beyond compare.  She is the wife of my Lord and Father Siva. She will
remove the bondages both inside and outside.  She is of red hue.  On the other day, she destroyed
Mahishasuran, by placing her leg on him.  (She removed his ego).  She is of blue hue and is called Neeli
the virgin.  She holds on her hand Brahma's head.  I always, on all days, place her flower like feet in my mind.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.

11530

The teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi / Re: Guru Vachaka Kovai - some select verses. -David Godman and others:

« on: March 26, 2016, 10:14:30 AM »

738.    Meditation is only the mental imagination of conceiving oneself to be the Supreme Reality that
shines as Sat Chit Ananda.  Inquiry is to establish the mind in the Self such that seed of false delusion
(the mind) perishes. 

740.    How can one's source, which can be experienced only after the ego-self has been completely
annihilated, be thought of, via, the ego, as 'I am That'?  To remain silent in one's Heart, with the ego
destroyed, is the proper course.

749.     The external universe, beginning with the world, exists in the absence of inquiry into oneself
and does not exist when properly scrutinized.  If, instead of paying attention to the world, a person
inquires within and conclusively realizes the reality in the Heart, then he need not think again of birth.

756.      Other than superior Atma Vichara, there exists no other spiritual practices whatsoever that are
capable of quelling the mind.  If the mind is subjugated by other methods, it will appear to have subsided,
but it will revive and rise again.

759.      Since reality shines radiantly within you as the Self,  only that Self deserves to be known by you.
For inquiry into your real nature as it actually is in the Heart, the best guide is the true light of the Self
(I am) that cannot be rejected.

764.      Those excellent seekers who have completely renounced desires, realizing that more and more 
afflictions result from them, will attain, through the direct path of self inquiry that they embark on, the
endless and supreme experience of the essence of the Self in the Heart.

771.      Realizing clearly that there is no permanence in any state other than that of resting in pure Being,
let your heart and soul abide in that pure being consciousness, the supreme, with desires totally eliminated,
and without animosity towards anything.

773.      The method of true and supreme tapas that our Lord Ramana declares to be worthwhile and which
the mind should firmly hold onto is this, and no more:  'Being Still'.  Other than this there are absolutely
no thoughts to think, nor any duties to be contemplated by it (the mind).

concluded.

Arunachala Siva.       
             

11531

The teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi / Re: Guru Ramana Vachana Malai - by Lakshmana Sarma - 'WH0'

« on: March 26, 2016, 09:58:19 AM »

166.  By fixity of the mind on the Real Self you should conquer both the pleasure and the pain arising
from the good and evil deeds of your past in the course of life in the world.

167.  True subjugation of the mind is being the pure consciousness (which one really is), by the dissolution
of the delusion 'I am the mind', which comes when the mind's activities are stilled.

168. Real breath regulation is the being of the Enlightened One in his own real Nature, by rejecting the
mind's habit of seeing the world as real and persisting in the Quest of the Self.

169.  Those who have devoted themselves to the Quest of the Self never stray aside from the path
through error; the path of the Quest leads them on to the Supreme State by its own light, like the Sun.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.   
 

11532

The teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi / Re: Viveka Chudamani - Sri Sankara:

« on: March 26, 2016, 09:51:46 AM »

Verse  430:

The noise of the world is pacified in him.  Though with part, yet is he without part; whose heart is without
anxiety ( it receives no impression), he is called a Jivan Mukta, free even in this body.

Verse 431:

He who follows the body as one follows a shadow, and yet with no idea of 'me' or 'mine' in this body --
he is called a Jivan Mukta, free even in this world.

Verse 432:

He who does not inquire about things past, does not take thought for the future, and in the present
remains indifferent and unattached -- that is the sign of a Jivan Mukta, free even in this body.

Verse 433:

In this nature that is composed of good and evil, one who sees the sameness everywhere -- he is a
Jivan Mukta, free even in this body.

Verse  434:

He who remains unchanged in pleasure or pain, -- that is the sign of a Jivan Mukta, free even in this body.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.
     

11533

General Discussion / Re: Rough Notebook-Open Forum

« on: March 26, 2016, 08:24:59 AM »

Today is Karaikkal Ammaiyar's Liberation Day.

Panguni - Swathi star day.


I have already covered the history of Karaikkal Ammaiyar.  Please see my earlier round of Siva devotees
mentioned elsewhere.

Arunachala Siva.

11534

General topics / Re: Tevaram - Some select verses.

« on: March 26, 2016, 08:19:41 AM »

Verse  40:


அச்சொற் கேட்ட அருமறையோர்
   ஆயன் அறியான் என்றவற்றின்
இச்சை வழியே யான்மேய்ப்பேன்
   என்றெம் பசுக்கள் தமைக்கறந்து
பொச்சம் ஒழுகு மாணவகன்
   பொல்லாங் குரைக்க அவன்தாதை
எச்ச தத்தன் தனையழைமின்
   என்றார் அவையில் இருந்தார்கள்.


Hearing him, the Brahmins of the rare Vedas said:
"He said the cowherd did not know how to tend them
And so he would do it; thus he came to be in charge
Of the herds; now he milks them and plays false;
Call the boy's father to whom we'll report."  Thus they.   

Arunachala Siva.

11535

General topics / Re: Tevaram - Some select verses.

« on: March 26, 2016, 08:17:27 AM »

Verse  39:

செயலிப் படியே பலநாளும்
   சிறந்த பூசை செய்வதற்கு
முயல்வுற் றதுவே திருவிளையாட்
    டாக முந்நூல் அணிமார்பர்
இயல்பில் புரியும் மற்றிதனைக்
   கண்டித் திறத்தை யறியாத
அயல்மற் றொருவன் அப்பதியில்
   அந்த ணாளர்க் கறிவித்தான்.


Thus as a game divine, the wearer of the sacred-thread
Did this for many a day; a man who was
Unaware of the true greatness of this service
Apprised the Brahmins of the town of the happening.

Arunachala Siva.