Self-enquiry as taught by Sri Bhagwan is enough

[eranilkumarsinha]

Quote from sri Subramanian Sir:
“What does it mean?  Sri Bhagavan knows whose bhakti is intense and is itself sufficient to attain Jnana. That is why He approved
it in case of Dilip Kumar Roy.  As soon as Sri Dilip left, Devaraja Mudaliar asked: Bhagavan! Can I also sing Tirupugazh songs
and attain mukti? Sri Bhagavan said: No. For you it is only self inquiry or self surrender!”

Dear Sri Subramanian Sir,

There is no doubt that Sri Bhagwan had the ability to discern which path would suit a particular devotee best, depending upon his maturity, etc. For instance, the blind devotee Sri Kannappa as well as the famous musician, Sri Dilip Kumar Roy, both sang beautifully before Sri Bhagwan. But Sri Bhagwan approves of Sri Roy devotion, but in the case of Kannappa He cautions us against devotional emotion.

Sri Roy says, “I do not practice any yoga, nor do I know any philosophy. All I know is singing. MY HEART AND MY EMOTIONS HAVE MERGED IN THIS MUSIC. I want to reach God’s Feet by following this path. Do I have any hope? All I have is this little devotion, and that too I get only through devotion.”
Sri Bhagwan responds, “Yes, it is enough. It will take you to higher levels.” And he adds, “Bhakti is the mother of Jnana. Tell him that.”
Sri Roy merged his heart and emotion in the music which was his only sadhana for reaching the Feet of God. His was, in my opinion, unwavering and steadfast devotion to the Feet of the Lord by his sublime sadhana through the music.

In the case of Sri Kannappa, Sri Bhagwan says, “Yes, he sang beautifully. But what is it to us? If we get immersed in that devotion we will be carried away. Then it will be difficult for us to get out of it.”
Obviously Sri Bhagwan cautions us against getting immersed in devotional emotion, for one may get carried away by that emotionalism which may lead one astray, and then it will be difficult to get out of it.     

Thank you so much, sir.

Regards,
  Anil

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear Devotees,

When everything is perceived as the Atma-swarupa, pure love, love of the Self, arises naturally towards everything. This pure love is absolutely different from the intoxicating, transitory and illusory love that arises in the mind for the sense objects.
Sri Muruganar: The state of ecstasy in which one is caught in this love, known as bhakti or prema, is demonstrated by Manikkavachagar’s experience, [recounted in] ‘Tiruvandappahudi’, which thrills the hearts of devotees.

Clad graciously in a brahmin’s  glorious form,
He [Siva] summoned me and graciously ruled me.
At once my very bones melted through undying love.
I called aloud, roaring, roaring like the heaving sea,
rose to my feet, collapsed again all in a daze,
rolling over, wailing,
raving like a madman, raging like a drunk,
frightening those who saw, amazing those who heard,
in a state of total derangement
that even a rutting elephant would find unbearable.
Then, when I could bear it no longer,
he fashioned my limbs with a delightful sweetness,
like honey fresh from  the bough.
Just as, with flame lit by his beauteous smile,
He brought low the cities of his demon foes,
He did that day, without exception,
destroy in the great fire of His grace
the humble [bodily] dwellings of us His devotees.
To me He became as a nelli fruit in the palm of the hand.
Blessings upon you; I can find no words to express it!
Is this justice? I cannot endure it, dog that I am.
What You have done to me, I do not understand.
For pity, this death itself.
This grace You have granted me, I cannot comprehend!
I have drunk of it, yet still I am not sated.
I have swallowed it down, yet I cannot tolerate it!
Like waves upon the rich, cool Sea of Milk,
Like the ocean when the moon is at the full,
in a way that cannot be described,
He filled my heart to overflowing,
distilling and collecting nectar
in my body’s every pore.
Within the body of this cur, taking up His abode,
He caused ambrosia sweet to flow
through every conduit of my sinful fleshly form,
sending effusive streams of wondrous nectar
rushing up through the hollow of every bone.
Taking my melting heart and making it one [with Him],
He made for me a form saturated [in His grace].
Like an elephant inspecting a field of bright sweet sugar cane,
He came at last, even to me, and transformed me into pure being.
His nature neither Mal nor Brahma knows,
yet with grace He transformed into supreme ambrosia,
making the pure honey of His compassion merge with me.
           Tiruvachakam, Tiruvandappahudi

My Goodness! I had not seen anywhere, in any language, such ecstatic expression of Prema and Bhakti!

Thank you,
  Anil


   

[Subramanian.R]

Dear Anil,

Tiru Andapahudi is the third long poem of Tiruvachakam, called ahaval in Tamizh. There are four such long poems in Tiruvachakam
in the beginning.

In lines 131 and 132, the Saint says:

ith thanthirathiR kAndum enRu irunthorkku
ath thanthirathin avvayin oLithu.....

People try to find  in many many paths the Consciousness-Bliss. (Bhakti, Jnana, Yoga and Karma etc.,)
He hides Himself in the same path but cannot be fathomed (unless you are having efforts and perseverance)!

People try to get Him through  Vedic rites.
Through Yoga.
Through other karmas
Through devotion
Through Jnana.

But unless one is full of great painful efforts and perseverance, He cannot be fathomed.

Such a great Sivam, (for Manikkavachagar) came in the guise of a brahmin and showed him the way.
He had come as easily  as an amla fruit on his palm!

Arunachala Siva.

[eranilkumarsinha]

Quote from Sri Subramanian Sir:
“People try to find in many many paths the Consciousness-Bliss. (Bhakti, Jnana, Yoga and Karma etc.,)
He hides Himself in the same path but cannot be fathomed (unless you are having efforts and perseverance)!

People try to get Him through Vedic rites.
Through Yoga.
Through other karmas
Through devotion
Through Jnana.

But unless one is full of great painful efforts and perseverance, He cannot be fathomed.”


Dear Sri Subramanian sir,

The poem ‘Tiruvandappahudi’ is simply the spontaneous and ecstatic gushing forth of nectar—of Prema and Bhakti. I had not seen such wonderful expression of divine love and devotion anywhere. I would have liked to savour the other three long poems in the ‘Tiruvachakam’ you have mentioned in your post.

Ji. Yes. In my view, with ego throwing its weight around, merely the intellectual knowledge of the scriptural revelation, such as ‘I am Brahman’ is of no great use. ‘He hides Himself in the same path but cannot be fathomed’ without effort with perseverance. He hides Himself on all paths. But one needs to tread the path, however greatly painful and torturous the journey is, one needs to penetrate deeper and deeper till He ends His hiding and reveals Himself. Ji. Yes. One must be full of efforts with perseverance.

Dear Sir, You once informed that there is an English translation of the ‘Tiruvachakam’ available and even a new English translation of the same work was published in the Mountain Path sometime back. You even mentioned that you would give me the source of the book as well as the issue nos. of the Mountain Path, as soon as you found them. This is just to remind you that if possible, kindly post the necessary information so that I am able to have a genuine English translation of the great work.   

Thank you so much, sir.
Regards,
  Anil

[Subramanian.R]

Dear Anil,

Yes. Not all the Tiruvachakam verses, but only a select few were published in Mountain Path, in different issues. The translation
was by Robert Butler. I shall trace out the dates of these issues and let you know.

Another gem from Tiruvachakam:

This is from panDaya nAnmaRai, (the ancient four Vedas), from Song 48 of Tiruvachakam, verse 3.

kAttahathu vedan kadalil valai vANan
nAttiR paripAkan nam vinaiyai - veeti
aruLum perunthuRaiyAn ankamala pAdam
maruLum keda nenje vAzthu.

kAttahathu vedan...

He is like a ferocious hunter in the jungle.....
  (Siva is severe with those with rajasic gunas and kills those rajasic gunas like a hunter kills a tiger.)

kadalil valai vANan....

He is like a fisherman who catches the fish in the sea.     
  (Siva is not so severe and so catches the fish without wounding it, it is for those who are having only tamasic guna.
He removes the tamasic gunas without killing)

nAttiR paripAkan

In the town He is like a good horse rider......
  ( A good horse rider ably manages the horse, since it is humble and listen to what he says. Siva manages those
   with only sattvic guna very easily.)

nam vinaiyai  veetti...

He removes all our karma fruits

aruLum perunthuRaiyAn.....

He graces, He is the Lord of tiruperunduRai - the great shore of liberation.

ankamala pAdam .....

His lotus like feet,

maruLum keda nenje vAzhthu.

- O the mind with delusion, please pray to.

Arunachala Siva.

       
.....

[eranilkumarsinha]

Quote from Sri Subramanian Sir:
“He is like a ferocious hunter in the jungle.....
  (Siva is severe with those with rajasic gunas and kills those rajasic gunas like a hunter kills a tiger.)

He is like a fisherman who catches the fish in the sea.     
  (Siva is not so severe and so catches the fish without wounding it, it is for those who are having only tamasic guna.
He removes the tamasic gunas without killing)

In the town He is like a good horse rider......
  ( A good horse rider ably manages the horse, since it is humble and listen to what he says. Siva manages those
   with only sattvic guna very easily.)

He removes all our karma fruits


He graces, He is the Lord of tiruperunduRai - the great shore of liberation.

His lotus like feet,


- O the mind with delusion, please pray to.

Arunachala Siva.”

Dear Sri Subramanian Sir,

Ji.. Yes. Mind with delusion must pray to Sri Arunachala who is the Lord of Tiruperundurai, that great Shore of Liberation.. Sublime and beautiful! Thank you so much, sir.

Regards,
  Anil

[eranilkumarsinha]

Sri Bhagwan :

When the ‘I’-thought does nor arise,
and I unite [as pure being] with Him
He remains merged with me
shining out as my very own fullness.
However, the very moment
I raise my head [thinking ‘I’],
to perceive his ancient form
He sees my oddness, scorns me,
And conceals from me.

If I then bow my head and die,
He flourishes within me,
shining His light as before.
Thus, the majesty of the Lord
will shine forth
only before the ‘I’ arises,
and after the ‘I’ subsides.
Who, then, will have the power
to tell of His greatness,
which can only be known
through the God-consciousness
in which the ‘I’ is absent,
and not through the awareness
in which the ‘I’ is experienced.
               Ramana Puranam



Dear Devotees,

Sri Bhagwan says that when the ‘I’-thought does not arise, there is no other, and He shines as my own Fullness. But the very moment, the ‘I’-thought arises to see His form, in a subject-object duality, He conceals and hides from me seeing my oddness.

If I then bow down my head and die, the majesty of the Lord shines forth as my very own Fullness.
Therefore, His greatness cannot be described, for as soon as the pseudo story teller ‘I’-thought rises to see His ancient form, He sees my oddness, scorns me and conceals from me.

Dear devotees, Sri Bhagwan says that He can only be known through the God –consciousness, that is, the Pure Awareness ‘I am’ in which there is absolutely no ‘I’-thought.

Thank you,
   Anil       
   

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear Devotees,

What follows is very instructive for all of us.

Bhagwan expected devotees to be equally unconcerned with the ashram’s finances. Though he permitted devotees to donate to the ashram if they felt like it, he did not want the donors to become involved in the ashram’s financial affairs. Once, for example, when Bhagwan was very sick, Maurice Frydman gave Rs. 1000 to Chinnaswami and asked him to use it to buy fruit for Bhagwan. In those days this was a very large amount of money. Chinnaswami , knowing that Bhagwan would not eat fruit unless everyone else was given an equal share, decided that it would be a waste of money to buy fruit every day for everyone in the ashram. A few months later Frydman came and asked Chinnaswami if the money had been spent as he requested. Chinnaswami got angry with him and told him that the ashram expenditures were none of his business. On this occasion Bhagwan supported Chinnaswami.

When Frydman came to the hall to complain that his donation had not been properly spent, Bhagwan said, rather angrily, “WHEN YOU GIVE SOMETHING, YOU SHOULD REGARD THE MATTER AS CLOSED. HOW DARE YOU USE THIS GIFT TO FURTHER YOUR EGO?
                                                            Living by the Words of Bhagwan   

Thank you,
   Anil

[eranilkumarsinha]

Sri Rama asks, “Brahman being Pure, how can maya arise from Him and veil Him also.”
The Sage, Sri Vasishta replies, “In pure mind associated with strong dispassion this question will not arise.”

Dear Devotees,

Oneself seeking, finding and sinking into the Self, the vasanas or inherent tendencies disappear entirely. It is true that there is no place for jiva, God and maya in Advaita and therefore no room for question, such as one asked by Sri Rama above. Sri Bhagwan also teaches that answer to such question as asked by Sri Rama can be given only in accordance with one’s capacity.

For example:

It is taught in the second chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita that no one is born and no one dies.
But in the fourth chapter Sri Krishna says that numerous incarnations of Him as well as Sri Arjuna had taken place, all known to Him but not to Sri Arjuna.
Now, dear devotees, Sri Bhagwan asks, “Which of the above two statements is true?”
Sri Bhawan teaches that both statements are true but from different standpoints.
Therefore, when such a question is raised as to how can jiva rise up from the Self, what answer can be given ?
Sri Bhagwan says, “I MUST ANSWER. ONLY KNOW YOUR REAL BEING, THEN YOU WILL NOT RAISE THIS QUESTION.”

Therefore, it follows that the REALITY is One and only One and that is Oneself. And that is the Absolute Silence of the Self. Obviously there can be no room and place for question, discussion, nay, words, in It.

Sri Bhagwan : “Why should a man consider himself separate? How was he before being born or how will he be after death? Why waste time in such discussions? What was your form in deep sleep? Why do you consider yourself as an individual?”

Dear devotees, these Words and Utterances of the Maha Guru are great hints and great clues, following which we can merge in our being, or following which we can be aware of our Atma-swarupa.

Thank you,
  Anil       

 

[eranilkumarsinha]

That which is does not even say ‘I am’.
                                      Sri Bhagwan

What exists is Oneself—‘I am’—Sat-Chit-Ananda— Silence of the Self—Pure Awareness—Presence.

Dear Devotees,

Sri Annamalai Swami reminisces:
Before my arrival, when there had not been much activity in the ashram, Bhagwan had spent most of his time sitting in the hall. He had regularly worked in the kitchen and had gone for walks on the hill but for most of the day he had led a fairly sedentary existence. All this changed once the building programme started. He frequently came out to see what we were doing, he bombarded us with advice and instructions, and he occasionally joined in the work himself. Some people have the idea that the ashram spontaneously grew up around Bhagwan, without any intervention from him. These people would have soon changed their views if they had seen Bhagwan at work in the 1930s. It was Bhagwan, and Bhagwan alone, who decided when buildings should be built, on what scale they should be constructed, what materials should be used, and who should be in charge of the construction.
Bhagwan used to say, ‘I AM NOT CONCERNED WITH ANY OF THE ACTIVITIES HERE. I JUST WITNESS ALL THAT HAPPENS.’
From the standpoint of the Self this might be true. But from the relative standpoint I can say that no stone was ever moved in the ashram without his knowledge and consent. As I have mentioned before, the only are he refused to get involved in was finance. He would start projects when there was no money available to pay for them, blithely ignoring all Chinnaswami’s predictions of eminent financial doom. He never asked anyone for money and he forbade Chinnaswami from begging for donations in the name of the ashram; yet, somehow, enough donations came to complete every building.
Chinnaswami, who felt that he was ultimately responsible for all the ashram’s finances, tended to worry a lot when Bhagwan embarked on schemes which had no proper financial foundation.
On such occasions I often heard Bhagwan remark, ‘I AM HERE, IT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR HIM TO WORRY.’
                                             Living by the Words of Bhagwan

Sri Annamalai Swami observes elsewhere in the same book that although it may sound strange, in many ways Sri Bhagwan and Sri Chinnaswami were like two sides of the same coin. Sri Bhagwan was Siva, the still, silent Centre of the ashram, whereas Sri Chinnaswami was the Sakti, the power which comes from Siva and organises all the activities around Him.

Thank you,
   Anil             

[eranilkumarsinha]

Dear Devotees,

Sri Ganapati Muni translated the Ulladu Narpadu and Sri Kapali Sastri wrote a commentary on it and shortly afterwards the two works were published under the title ‘Sat Darshana Bhashya.

Dear devotees, In ‘The Power of the Presence, Part three, on page 168, it has been mentioned that all possible efforts were made in the above book to appear that Sri Bhagwan did not teach Advaita. That standpoint was negated in every possible way. It reflected from the book that Sri Bhagwan did not teach the unreality of the world, whereas Sri Bhagwan taught not only the unreality of the world but also, like all Advaita Teachers, taught that the individual soul is illusory. According to the Power of the Presence, this teaching was deliberately ignored and in its place, their own (Sri Muni’s and Sri Sastri’s’) teachings were conveyed that the individuality survives in the state of deliverance as an entity distinct from God. THAT THERE IS NO PLACE FOR THIS TENET IN SRI BHAGWAN’S REVELATION IS WELL KNOWN TO GREAT MAJORITY OF SRI BHAGWAN’S DEVOTEES.

When these aberrations were brought to Sri Bhagwan’s notice, Sri Bhagwan explained that Sri Muni and his disciples were ardent adherents of the Sakta cult, implying that they were unwilling to allow Advaita teachings as the genuine teachings of Sri Bhagwan.

When Sri K. Lakshman Sarma (WHO) read Sri Muni’s and Sri Sasti’s works, he was distressed to see that it gave a very distorted picture of Sri Bhagwan’s Teachings.
Sri Sarma approached Sri Bhagwan and said, ‘If your teachings are misinterpreted like this in your very lifetime, what will become of them in future? Will not people think that you have approved this book? Should not such a wrong interpretation be openly condemned?’
But Sri Bhagwan replied, ‘ACCORDING TO THE PURITY OF THE MIND OF EACH PERSON, THE SAME TEACHING IS REFLECTED IN DIFFERENT WAYS. If you think you can expound the teachings more faithfully, you may write your own commentary.’ And so, ‘Who’ writes his own commentary.
                                   Source-The Power of the Presence, Part Three

Dear devotees, SUCH IS BHAGWAN SRI RAMANA!

We must understand that the same teaching is reflected in different ways according to the purity of the mind of the devotee and therefore there is no place for heated arguments essentially in spiritual matters. IF ONE IS SINCERE AND HONEST, EVERYONE IS RIGHT IN HIS OWN CAPACITY.

Thank you,
  Anil     
 

[Subramanian.R]

Dear Anil,

To the discerning mind, it will be clear that what Sri Bhagavan had taught is Ajata Vada, as mentioned in Mandukya Karika
of Gaudapada.  'No birth, no death, no bondage, no freedom, no one bound, no one to be released......

Arunachala Siva.
 

[eranilkumarsinha]

Through the venba verse that begins, ‘Because we perceive the world……,’ Guru Ramana-who has the one true beneficial attainment [Jnana] that is needed by the people of the world-declared, out of love for us, the doctrine of illusory appearance to be the truth that bestows the ultimate benefit, avoiding the consideration of other doctrines.
                                V. 83, GVK, Edited by Sri D. Godman

Dear Sri Subramanian Sir,

Ji. Yes. The Ajata is depicted in V.32 of Sri Gaudapada’s Karika:
“There is no bondage, no one doing spiritual practices, no one seeking spiritual liberation, and no one who is liberated. One who is established in the Self sees this by his knowledge of reality.”
The book explains that Ajata means ‘non-creation’ or ‘no causality’. Therefore, according to Ajata Sidhanta, CREATION NEVER HAPPENED AT ALL. Sri Bhagwan time and again declared that this was His experience, and the true experience of all who have realised the Self.

Thus it follows that though His experience of Truth can only be adequately expressed by the Ajata Sidhanta, Sri Bhagwan uses the ‘Vivarta Sidhanta or the ‘doctrine of illusory appearances’ for His Teachings as is taught in V. 83 of the GVK, as cited above.

Sri Bhagwan says that because we perceive the world, there is certainly absolute agreement that there exists a first cause, which has a creative energy capable of manifesting diversity.

Therefore, Though Sri Bhagwan was established in the ‘Supreme Excellence of Ajata’, in Sahaja Nishta,He actually taught the doctrine of Vivarta Sidhanta or the Doctrine of Illusory Appearance as an explanation for the world manifestation since He knew that this would provide maximum practical benefit. When the devotee truly understands that the world is an illusory projection of the mind, his mind no longer moves towards it.

Sri Sadhu Om writes:
“Bhagwan Sri Ramana therefore comes down condescendingly and, setting aside ‘Ajata’ and the two lower doctrines, He advocates through His Forty Verses on Reality the ‘Doctrine of Vivartha’ which is suitable for the ripe aspirants who have no faith in the lower doctrines , yet do not have the maturity to grasp the highest, ‘Ajata’.     

Thank you so much, sir.

Regards,
  Anil

[Subramanian.R]

Dear Anil,

There is one book called Epistles of Light, the book containing letters of Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni from Karagpur, Sirsi and
other places where he was touring. In one of the letters he says: "Bhagavan approves my Srishti-Drishti Vada and I am happy,
by interpreting  (misinterpreting) one of the verses of Ulladu Narpadu! 

Sri Bhagavan laughed at this letter and said: See Maya deludes even highly learned people!

Arunachala Siva.
 

[Subramanian.R]

Dear Anil.

The Drishti Srishti Vada and Srishti Drishti vada are explained vis-a-vis Ajata, in two beautiful verses (but the explanation is
discreet) by Basavanna, a Veera Saiva Saint:

They plunge
wherever they see water

They cirucmambulate
every tree they see.

How can they know You
O Lord
who adore
waters that run dry
and trees that wither?

*

In a brahmin house
where they feed the fire* (Agnihotram and yajna)
as a god

when the fire goes wild
and burns the house

they splash on it
the water of the gutter
and the dust of the street,

beat their breasts
and calls the crowd.

These men then forget their worship
and scold their fire
O Lord of the meeting rivers!  (Kudala Sangama Deva)

*
Arunachala Siva.