Bhagavan Ramana Teachings

[Subramanian.R]

WHO AM I? INQUIRY:

continues....

Who am I? is not a mantra.  It means that you must find out where in you, the 'I'-thought arises, which is the source of all
other thoughts.  But if you find that Vichara marga (path of inquiry) is too hard for you, you go on repeating 'I'-'I' and that
will lead you to the same goal.  There is no harm in using 'I' as a mantra.  It is the first name of the God.

I ask you to see where the 'I' arises in your body. But it is not really quite correct to say, that the 'I' rises from and merges
in the Heart n the right side of the chest.  The Heart is another name for the Reality, and it is neither inside nor outside the
body.  There can be no in and out for it, since It alone is. I do not mean by Heart any physiological organ, any plexus of
nerves, or anything like that, but so long as one identifies oneself with the body and thinks he is the body, he is advised to see
in the body where the 'I-thought' rises and merges again.  It must be the Heart at the right side of the chest, since every man,
of whatever race, and religion, and in whatever language he may be saying 'I' points to the right side of his chest to indicate
himself.  This is true all over the world. So that must be the place, And by keenly watching the constant emergence of the
'I'-thought on waking and its subsiding in sleep, one can see that it is in the Heart on the right side.

First know who you are.  This requires no sastras or scholarship. This is simple experience.  The state of being is now and here
all along.  You have lost hold of yourself and are asking others for guidance.  The purpose of philosophy is to turn the mind
inward.  'If you know yourself, no evil can come to you.  Because you asked me I have told you this.; (See Kaivalya Navaneetham).
The ego comes up only by holding you (the Self).  Hold yourself and the ego will vanish.  Until then the sage will be happy
saying, 'There is', and the ignorant will be asking 'where?'

Regulation of life, such as getting up at a fixed hour, bathing, dong mantra japa, etc., all this is for people who do not feel
drawn to Self Inquiry, or not capable of it.  But for those who can practice this method, all rules, and disciplines are
unnecessary. 

Undoubtedly, it is said in some books, that one should go on cultivating one good quality after another and thus prepare
for Moksha.  But for those who follow the Jnana or Vichara marga, their sadhana is itself quite enough for acquiring all daivic
qualities.  They need not do anything else. 

What is Gayatri?  It really means 'Let me concentrate on That which illumines all.'

concluded.

Gems from Bhagavan
Devaraja Mudaliar.

continued..

Arunachala Siva.                         

[Subramanian.R]

JNANI:

A  Jnani has attained liberation even while alive, here and now.  It is immaterial to Him as to how, where and when 
He leaves the body.  Some Jnanis appear to suffer, others may be in Samadhi, and still others may disappear from
sight before death.   But that makes no difference to their Jnana.  Such suffering is only apparent, something real to
the onlooker, but not felt by the Jnanai, for He has already transcended  the mistaken  identity of the Self with the body.

The Jnani does not think He is the body. He does not even see the body.  He sees only the Self in the body.  If the body
is not there, but only the Self, the question of its disappearance in any form does not arise.

In books, it is mentioned that the greatest malady we have is the body, the bhava rogam - disease of birth), and if one
takes the medicine to strengthen and prolong its life, it is like a man taking medicine to perpetuate his disease.  A Sanskrit
verse in Canto XI of the Bhagavata says that the body is not real, impermanent.  Whether it is at rest, or moves about, and
whether by reason of prarabdha it clings to Him or falls off from Him, the Self Realized Siddha is not aware of it, even as
the drunken man blinded by intoxication is unaware whether his cloth is on his body or not.

Illustrations are given in the books as how a Jnani who is in the Sahaja state, and who always sees the Self, can move
about and live in the world like everyone else.  For instance, you see a reflection in the mirror, you know the mirror to be
the reality, and the picture is a mere reflection.  In order to see the mirror, is it necessary that one should cease to see
the reflection in it?

contd.,

Gems from Bhagavan.
Devaraja Mudaliar.

Arunachala Siva.                 

[Nagaraj]

?It is due to weakness of mind
that peace once gained is later lost.?

[Subramanian.R]

JNANI:

continues....

Or again, take the screen illustration.  There is a screen. On that screen, first there appears the figure of a king.  He sits
on a throne.  Then before him in that same screen, a play begins with various figures and objects and the king on the screen
watches the play on the same screen.  The seer and the seen are mere shadows on the screen, which is the only reality
supporting these pictures.  In the world also, the seer and the seen together constitute the mind and the mind is supported by,
or based on, the Self.

You are under the impression you are the body.  So you think the Jnani also has a body. Does the Jnani say that He has
a body?  He may look to you as having a body and doing things with the body as others do.  The burnt rope still looks like
a rope bu it cannot serve as a rope. If you try to bind anything with it. As long as one identifies oneself with the body, all this
is difficult to understand.

Examine all the three kinds of states. Take hold of that State which is alone is the Supreme One and True One and engage
yourself in action in the world, regarding your life there as  mere sport.  You have discovered That which is the Reality inside
your Heart  behind all the appearances of this world.  So, without ever letting That out of your sight, disport yourself as you
like in the world.  Seeming to have enthusiasm and gratification, anxieties and aversions (but really having none of them),
seeming to begin and persevere in endeavors (but really having no attachment to such efforts), engage yourself in the
affairs of the world, without any detriment to yourself.  Freeing yourself from all sorts of bonds, maintaining the same
equanimity and doing work externally in conformity with the environment in which you find yourself, disport yourself as
you like in the world.

He whose mind is not attached to any desires, does no action in reality, though his body may act.  He is like one who hears
a story with his mind elsewhere.  Similarly, the man whose mind is full of desires is really acting through his body may be
actionless.  A man may be sleeping here with his body inert, and yet he may be climbing hills and falling from them in dream
at the same time.

contd.,

Gems from Bhagavan.
Devaraja Mudaliar.

Arunachala Siva,                   

[Subramanian.R]

Devotee:  How to destroy the mind?

Maharshi: Seek the mind. On being sought, it will disappear.

Devotee: I do not understand.

Maharshi: The mind is only a bundle of thoughts.  The thoughts arise because there is a thinker.  The thinker is the ego.
The ego, if sought, will vanish automatically.  The ego and the mind  are the same.  The ego is the root thought from
which all other thoughts arise.

Devotee: How to seek the mind?

Maharshi: Dive within. You are now aware that the mind rises up from within.  So sink within and seek.

Devotee: I do not yet understand how it is to be done.

Maharshi: You are practicing breath-control.  Mechanical breath control will not lead one to the goal.  It is only an aid.
While doing it mechanically, take care to be alert in mind and remember the 'I'-thought and seek its source.  Then
you will find that where breath sinks, there 'I'-thought arises. They sink and rise together.  The 'I'-thought also will
think along with the breath.  Simultaneously, another luminous and infinite "I-'I' will become manifest, which will be
continuous and unbroken.  That is the goal.  It goes by different names - God, Self, Kundalini Sakti, Consciousness,
Yoga, Bhakti, Jnana etc.,

Devotee: Not clear yet.

Maharshi: When the attempt is made, it will of itself take you to the goal.

(V, Ganesan,  Direct Teachings of Bhagavan Ramana.)

Arunachala Siva.
           

[Subramanian.R]

JNANI

continues...

It is all the same to one who is fast asleep in a cart, whether the cart moves, or stops, with bulls left yoked or unyoked.
Similarly for the Jnani who has gone to sleep in the cart of His physical body,  it does not matter whether He works or is
in deep meditation (samadhi) or is asleep.

The statement that the Jnani retains prarabdha while free from sanchita and agamya karmas, is only a formal answer
to the questions of the ignorant.  Of several wives none escapes widow hood when the husband dies. Even so, when the
doer goes all the three karmas vanish.

The non action of he Sage is really unceasing activity.  His characteristic is eternal and intense activity.  His stillness is like
the apparent stillness of a very fast rotating top. Its extreme speed cannot be followed by the eye and so it appears to be
still. This must be explained, as people generally mistake the stillness of the Sage for inertness.

concluded.

Gems from Bhagavan.
Devaraja Mudaliar

continued...       

[Subramanian.R]

An examination of the ephemeral nature of external phenomena leads to Vairagya.  Hence inquiry (Vichara) is
the first and foremost step to be taken.  When Vichara continues automatically, it results in contempt for wealth,
fame,  ease, pleasure, etc., The 'I'-thought becomes clearer for inspection.  The source of 'I' is the Heart -- the
final goal.  If, however, the aspirant is not temperamentally suited to Vichara Marga, (to the introspective analytical
method), he must develop Bhakti (devotion) to an ideal -- may be God, Guru, humanity in general, ethical laws,
or even the idea of beauty.  When one of these takes possession of the individual, other attachments grow weaker,
i.e. dispassion (Vairagya) develops.  Attachment for the ideal simultaneously grows and finally holds the field.  Thus
Ekagrata (concentration) grows simultaneously and imperceptibly -- with or without visions as direct aids.

Bhagavan Ramana Teachings.
V. Ganesan.

Arunachala Siva.     

[Subramanian.R]

Miscellaneous Teachings:

No one can be out of sight of the Supreme Presence.  Since you identify one body with Bhagavan and another body
with yourself, you find separate entities and speak of going away from here.  Wherever you may be, you cannot leave me.

Sri Ramakrishna is said to have seen life in the image of Kali that he worshipped. That life was perceived by him, not by all.
The vital force was due to himself.  It was his own vital force which manifested as if it were outside and drew him in.
Were the image really alive it must have appeared so to all.  On the other hand, everything is full of life.  That is the fact.
Many devotees have had the experience similar to Sri Ramakrishna. 

Christ is the ego and the Cross, the body.  When the ego is crucified and it perishes, what survives is the Absolute Being.
(God);  Compare, 'I and my Father are one.'   This glorious survival is called the Resurrection. God and Father represents
Isvara, the Son is the Guru and the Holy Ghost is the Atman. 

The Bible says, 'Be still and know that I am God', Psalm 46.  Found in the Ecclesiastics: 'There is one alone and there is no
second.' and 'The wise man's heart is at the right hand and a fool's heart is at the left.'

No thought will go in vain.  Every thought will produce its effect sometime or other.   Thought force will never go in vain.

Some have maintained that the body can be made immortal and they give recipes, medical or other, for perfecting  this
body and making it defy death.  The Siddha School (as it is known in the South) has believed in such a doctrine.  Venkasami
Rao in Kumbakonam started a school which believed the same.  There is a society in Pondicherry too.  There is also the
school of Divine Power.  But all the people, after writing long treatises on the indestructibilty  of their bodies, after giving
medical and yogic recipes to perfect the body and keep it alive for ever, pass away one day.

contd.,

Gems from Bhagavan.
Devaraja Mudaliar.

Arunachala Siva.               

[Subramanian.R]

'Is a Master necessary for realization?' Mrs. Piggot asked first.

Master: The realization is the result of the Master's Grace more than teaching, lectures, meditation, etc., They are only
secondary aids, whereas the former is the primary and the essential cause.

Bhagavan Ramana Teachings.
V. Ganesan.

Arunachala Siva.   

[Nagaraj]

[Subramanian.R]

Name of God and God are not different.  The Bible also has it.  'IN the beginning there was the Word and the Word was with
God and the Word was God.'

In the name of Rama, 'Ra' stands for the Self,. 'ma' for the ego.  As one goes on repeating Rama, Rama, the 'ma' disappears,
getting merged in the 'Ra' and then 'Ra' alone remains.  In that state, there is no conscious effort at dhyana but dhyana is
always there, for dhyana is our real nature.

The Yogi may be definitely aiming at rousing the Kundalini and sending it up the Sushumna.  The Jnani may not have this
as His object.  But both achieve the same result that of sending the life force up the sushuman and severing chit jada granthi.
Kundalini is another name for Atma or the Self or Sakti.  We talk of it as being inside the body because we conceive ourselves
as limited to the body.  But it is in reality both inside and outside,being no other than the Self, or Sakti.  In Jnana marga,
when by self inquiry the mind is merged in the Self, the Self, its Sakti or Kundalini rises automatically.

contd.,

Gems from Bhagavan
Devaraja Mudaliar.

Arunachala Siva.        ,     

[Subramanian.R]

The present difficulty is that the man thinks he is the doer.  But it is a mistake.  It is the Higher power which does
everything and the man is only a tool.  If he accepts that position, he is free from troubles.  Otherwise he courts
them.

Bhagavan Ramana Teachings:
V. Ganesan.

Arunachala Siva.
 

[Ravi.N]

Talk 273.
Dr. Syed asked: I have been reading the Five Hymns. I find that the hymns are addressed to Arunachala by you. You are an Advaitin. How do you then address God as a separate Being?
M.: The devotee, God and the Hymns are all the Self.
D.: But you are addressing God. You are specifying this Arunachala Hill as God.
M.: You can identify the Self with the body. Should not the devotee identify the Self with Arunachala?
D.: If Arunachala be the Self why should it be specially picked out among so many other hills? God is everywhere. Why do you specify Him as Arunachala?
M.: What has attracted you from Allahabad to this place? What has attracted all these people around?
D.: Sri Bhagavan.
M.: How was I attracted here? By Arunachala. The Power cannot be denied. Again Arunachala is within and not without. The Self is Arunachala.
D.: Several terms are used in the holy books - Atman, Paramatman, Para, etc. What is the gradation in them?
M.: They mean the same to the user of the words. But they are understood differently by persons according to their development.
D.: But why do they use so many words to mean the same thing?
M.: It is according to circumstances. They all mean the Self. Para means ?not relative? or ?beyond the relative?, that is to say, the Absolute.
Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi

[Ravi.N]

27th October, 1936 Talk 274.

The Muslim Professor asked how Vaishnavism can be reconciled to Advaitism.
M.: The Vaishnavites call themselves Visishtadvaitins. This is also Advaita. Just as the individual body comprises the soul, the ego and the gross body, so also God comprises Paramatma, the world and the individuals.
D.: Does not bhakti imply duality?
M.: Swa swarupanusandhanam bhaktirityabhidheeyate (Reflection on one?s own Self is called bhakti). Bhakti and Self-Enquiry are one and the same. The Self of the Advaitins is the God of the bhaktas.
D.: Is there a spiritual hierarchy of all the original propounders of religions watching the spiritual welfare of the humans?
M.: Let them be or let them not be. It is only a surmise at the best. Atma is pratyaksha (self-evident). Know it and be done with speculation. One may admit such a hierarchy; another may not. But no one can gainsay the Atma.
D.: What does Sri Bhagavan think of Pravritti and nivritti margas?
M.: Yes. Both are mentioned. What of that?
D.: Which is the better of the two?
M.: If you see the Self - pure and simple - it is nivritti; if you see the Self with the world, it is pravritti. In other words, inward turned mind (antarmukhi manas) is nivritti; outward-going mind (bahirmukhi manas) is pravritti. Anyway, there is nothing apart from the Self. Both are the same.Similarly also, with the spiritual hierarchy; they cannot exist apart from the Self. They are only in the Self and remain as the Self. Realisation of the Self is the one Goal of all.
Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi

[Subramanian.R]

"The 'I' casts off the illusion of 'I' and yet remains as 'I'. Such is the paradox of Self Realization."

"If you give up 'I' and 'mine', all are given up at one stroke.  The very seed of possession is lost.  Thus the evil is
nipped in the bud or crushed in the germ itself."

Bhagavan Ramana's Direct Teachings.
V. Ganesan.

Arunachala Siva.