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12721

General topics / Re: Tevaram - Some select verses.

« on: February 10, 2016, 08:14:06 AM »

Verse  15:


அப்பொழு தணைய வொட்டா
   தடற்களி றகன்று போக
மெய்ப்பெருந் தொண்டர் மூப்பால்
   விரைந்துபின் செல்ல மாட்டார்
தப்பினர் விழுந்து கையால்
   தரையடித் தெழுந்து நின்று
செப்பருந் துயரம் நீடிச்
   செயிர்த்துமுன் சிவதா வென்பார்.


The mammoth ran beyond his reach;
The true devotee great could not chase it;
He was too old to continue the chase; he fell down;
He struck the earth with his hand and rose up;
Indescribable was his grief; in anger he cried: ?Sivata.?   

Arunachala Siva.

12722

General topics / Re: Tevaram - Some select verses.

« on: February 10, 2016, 08:12:11 AM »

Verse  14:


மேல்கொண்ட பாகர் கண்டு
   விசைகொண்ட களிறு சண்டக்
கால்கொண்டு போவார் போலக்
   கடிதுகொண் டகலப் போக
நூல்கொண்ட மார்பின் தொண்டர்
   நோக்கினர் பதைத்துப் பொங்கி
மால்கொண்ட களிற்றின் பின்பு
   தண்டுகொண் டடிக்க வந்தார்.


This witnessing the mahouts drove the speeding tusker,
As though they conveyed a storm, and were gone.
The devotee -- the wearer of the triple sacred threads --,
Beheld this in agitated wrath; he chased
The musty elephant, to beat it with his staff.   

Arunachala Siva.

12723

General topics / Re: Tevaram - Some select verses.

« on: February 10, 2016, 08:10:14 AM »

Verse  13:


வென்றிமால் யானை தன்னை
   மேல்கொண்ட பாக ரோடும்
சென்றொரு தெருவின் முட்டிச்
   சிவகாமி யார்முன் செல்ல
வன்தனித் தண்டில் தூங்கும்
   மலர்கொள்பூங் கூடை தன்னைப்
பின்தொடர்ந் தோடிச் சென்று
   பிடித்துடன் பறித்துச் சிந்த.


The triumphant tusker with its mahouts
On its back, barged into a(different) street,
Chased him, plucked the flower-basket
That dangled from his staff and scattered the flowers.   


Arunachala Siva.

12724

General Discussion / Re: Rough Notebook-Open Forum

« on: February 10, 2016, 06:48:16 AM »

Even a Brahma Jnani is powerless in cases of prarabdha, where prarabdha, which is God's own law,
is so tough.  After learning from Vasishta all the advaita, why should Sri Rama, cry for his
wife's abduction?  After difficult battles with Ravana's army, and when Sita came back, why should
he ask her to do agni-pravesa?  There are many such things. I think, Gods also "play"
their prarabdhas, to display them to the mortals.

Arunachala Siva.

12725

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

« on: February 10, 2016, 06:45:49 AM »

If one is a realized Jnani, then he has no ego and body and hence the effect of prarabdha
is not felt by him, since he is drowned in the greater experience of bliss of the Self.
Bhagavan Ramana mentioned in Sad Darsanam, the story of three wives becoming widows
simultaneously when the husband dies.  e.g. King Dasaratha.  So all the three karma effects
are burnt lock, stock and barrel for a Brahma Jnani.  As Bhagavan
Ramana said during his cancer years, "only the body is having
pain..."


Arunachala Siva.

12726

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

« on: February 09, 2016, 05:46:29 PM »

By a steady and continuous investigation? into the nature of the mind, the mind is transformed
into That to which the 'I' refers; and that is in fact the Self.

Arunachala Siva.

12727

The teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi / Re: Our Bhagavan-Stories

« on: February 09, 2016, 05:44:59 PM »

Maharshi's sympathy gained the confidence of even crows and squirrels. These would come
with their young ones and take eatables from His palm and thrust bits of them into the young
one's mouths. Even a snake once exhibited similar confidence. Snakes were His fellow-lodgers
in several of these caves.

Arunachala Siva.

12728

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

« on: February 09, 2016, 04:42:05 PM »

Ye who wish to celebrate the birthday, seek ye first whence was your birth. That indeed is
one?s birthday, on which one is born as the birth-less and deathless Eternal Being.

Aruachala Siva.

12729

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

« on: February 09, 2016, 04:40:26 PM »

Unless and until a man embarks upon this quest of the true self doubt and uncertainty will follow
his footsteps throughout life. The greatest kings and statesmen try to rule others, when in their
heart of hearts they know that they cannot rule themselves. Yet the greatest power is at the
command of the man who has penetrated to his inmost depth

Arunachala Siva.

12730

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

« on: February 09, 2016, 04:38:07 PM »

The Ordainer controls the fate of souls in accordance with their past deeds, their prarabdha karma.
Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen, try how hard you may. Whatever is destined
to happen will happen, do what you may to stop it. This is certain. The best course, therefore, is for
one to be resigned.

Arunachala Siva.

12731

General topics / Lessons from the Brahma-Vishnu Tussle: S. Raman.

« on: February 09, 2016, 03:15:04 PM »

(The article appeared in Jan.-Mar. 2008 issue of Mountain Path)

The Sri Arunachala Puranam mentions, as he mythological origin of Arunachala, the Tiruvannamalai Hill,
the tussle that took place between Brahma and Vishnu on 'who was the greatest?'  This argument lased
from Ardra Darsanam to Maha Sivaratri.  It has always fascinated me, not the least for the numerous
lessons that it contains.  In this article, I venture to suggest that there is more to it than meets the eye,
especially when it is looked who do not know the story, let us retell it.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva. 

12732

General topics / Veda Parayanam - Eduardo Linder -

« on: February 09, 2016, 03:03:31 PM »

(The above article appeared in Aradhana 2005 issue of Mountain Path.)

The Vedas are considered the highest revelation and authority in Hinduism. Orthodox philosophical
systems and religious authorities in India acknowledge their absolute truth and validity for all time,
and revere them as ultimate authority in any controversy.  No human source can be attributed to them
and they are considered to be of divine origin, revealed to the Rishis of ancient times.  The Vedas
were a strictly oral tradition and among pundits today it is Brahma Rishi Vyasa who is considered to be
the 'compiler' of the four extant texts, Rk, Yajus, Sama and Atharvana.  For thousands of years the
four were chanted solely without being written down. The term Sruti (meaning what is heard) is used to
refer to these holy texts which ultimately communicate the nature of Absolute Truth in the metaphysical
sphere.  Sound emanates as 'the Word' (nama) and can be said to precede Rupa (form). The beginning
of the Gospel of St.John states this truth in a similar manner.   
       

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.

12733

General Discussion / Re: The Heart of Vedanta - John Grimes:

« on: February 09, 2016, 11:11:00 AM »

While individuals mistakenly superimpose various qualities (e.g. mortal, imperfect, male/female, intelligent/
stupid, and so on) upon themselves and the opposite qualities (e.g immortal, perfect, omniscience, far away)
upon the Absolute, the Advaita teaching resorts to a series of negations (neti-neti) to correct this misunderstanding. Sankara commenting on this says, 'The Absolute can never be properly denoted by any
words, including the word 'Absolute' (Atman / Brahman).  (Br. Up. 2.3.6.)

Thus, in the Advaita tradition, though there are passages like 'Everything is Brahman', 'Brahman  is Existence
Knowledge Infinitude-Absolute', (Taitt.Up. 2.1.). 'The Self is all this', (Ch.Up. 7.25.2), 'The world is an
unbroken series of perceptions of Brahmamn and hence nothing else but Brahman' until one's ignorance
is destroyed, such statements will not be correctly understood.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.   
 

12734

General Discussion / Re: The Cuckoo Spirit in Search for Wholeness: Wasyl Nimenko.

« on: February 09, 2016, 10:54:59 AM »

The inert 'spiritual' world is the glue which when shared holds groups of men and women together and so
when it is dissolved people become isolated and unhappy.  This is when they let addictions move in..
rent free.

Carl Jung was the first modern doctor to realize that the medicine, psychology, and psycho therapy do
not work for people addicted to drugs or alcohol. Recently we have seen that this insight applies to
many addictions.

On their last meeting in 1931. after many therapy sessions, Carl Jung informed his patient Rowland
Hazzard of his 'hopelessness' as far as medical or psychiatric treatment was concerned in treating his
addiction.  Bluntly Jung wrote him off, making him conscious of his powerlessness over his addiction.
However Jung advised him that there might be hope for him if he became the subject of religious or
spiritual experience an d if he placed himself in a religious atmosphere. Jung thus made Hazzard
conscious of his powerlessness and of the option to surrender to a Higher Power.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.         

12735

General Discussion / Re: The Yoga of the Uncontradictable: Meditative Absorption Vs. Ultra Mystic ....

« on: February 09, 2016, 10:43:56 AM »

The harsh ascetic who scorns it or the dreamy mystic who ignores it is always puzzled at the end
of his own path how to relate his spiritual triumph with the universal life which surrounds him.
He does not know how to do so and consequently disposes of the problem by pretending it does not exist.
All this arises because his method of approach does not attempt to deal with the problem of the world
but ignores it. He banishes reason and shuts his eyes to the supposedly material outside world. Hence he
has no means of relating it to the undoubtedly immaterial inside world which he so blissfully experiences.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.