Jubilee Souvenir

EAST AND WEST
MEET IN MAHARSHI

By

Banning Richardson, M.A., (Hons.) (Cantab), A.B. (Princeton)

Can you imagine being influenced more greatly by a man you have never spoken to than by any other man you have ever met? I am not referring merely to ideas or “representation” of personality, as may be the case for instance with Jesus Christ and sincere Christians, or Krishna, Vishnu or Shiva amongst different sects of Hindus, or of Mohamed vis-a-vis the majority of Mussalmans. It is possible, no doubt, to have a direct spiritual or psychic experience of such personalities which will completely alter one’s life. For instance, the story of St. Paul is typical; but what we are concerned with here is one’s experience of men in the flesh.

Have you, then, ever been with a man almost constantly, during the daytime, for three days and never spoken to him because speech seemed superfluous; and yet have gone away with his image imprinted more firmly in your heart and mind than those of persons you have known intimately for many years?

Had anyone asked me a similar question ten years ago, I should have doubted his sincerity, or I should have considered that the enthusiasm of a disciple was leading to poetic exaggeration. And yet, nine years ago, I had just such an experience, and the spiritual influence of him who impressed me so deeply has increased with the passing years, though I have communicated with him rarely, and then only by letter; and I have scarcely read his published works, because I felt no need to do so.

Members of my father’s family have been wanderers for many generations, as is the case with so many Scotsmen; so it is small wonder that I was born in England and educated, except for final years at Cambridge, in Canada and the United States. When I had just graduated from Princeton University I was introduced to the first Indian I had ever met. He was Dhan Gopal Mukerji, author of that moving book My Brother’s Face. A Cambridge graduate himself, he had been living in America for many years. He was a master at the Dalton School in New York; but I called on him at his summer home in one of the beautiful river-valleys of northern Connecticut. Ever since the age of nine or ten I had been deeply interested in religion, and during the years just preceding our meeting, I was more and more drawn to books on occultism and mysticism; so when he said that during one of my vacations from Cambridge I should fly to India and visit some of the centres of spiritual teaching in the Himalayas, I took the suggestion quite naturally and said I would try to do so. Therefore, when, through a series of “accidents” I was asked to come to India for two and a half years to lecture on English literature at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, I accepted immediately, as I had had no chance to carry out Dhan Gopal’s suggestion while “up” at Cambridge.

Before sailing for India I returned to spend the summer in Canada and the United States. In America there is a pleasant custom that when a friend or relation sails abroad, one gives him a book or two to read on the voyage. Among the books I was given in New York when I sailed for India was one from my godmother, a Roman Catholic by birth, and perhaps by belief, in a vague sort of way. It was A Search in Secret India by Paul Brunton.

The angels and spiritual guides who help us to fulfil our destinies must often chortle with a delight at the ironies they are instrumental in bringing about in human affairs. What could be more ironic than a Roman Catholic godmother of a devout Protestant, going out to teach in a Cambridge Mission college in India, giving him a book which effected the first big step in turning him, first, from orthodox Christianity to an heretical form, and, finally, to the “Religion of Self-Realization”, if it can be so called without doing it violence?

During the subsequent two years, up to the time of my marriage, I was soaked in Christian atmosphere. I lived in a chummery at St. Stephen’s College with four other Englishmen, of whom one was a parson, two had been theological students, and the fourth was a convert to Quakerism, and so a student of Christian mysticism. I mention this fact only to show that when, twenty months after arriving in India, I paid my first visit to Sri Ramanasramam, I had been virtually a theological student for the previous year and a half. However, though this tended to make me see Sri Ramana Maharshi through Christian eyes, it also helped greatly towards my theoretical and practical knowledge of religion, and made me more sensitive to and appreciative of mystical experience.

The India of fakirs, rope tricks and tigers had appealed to me in childhood, but as I grew up it was mystic India that made an appeal. Through my mother I had come into touch with spiritualism of the finest type, and the teaching that I received from spiritual Masters pointed eastwards, and specially towards India. Books like the Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East, by Baird T. Spalding, were recommended to me, and these developed in me the longing to sit at the feet of a great Indian sage. Therefore, when I read A Search In Secret India on the ship, I was ravished by Brunton’s description of the Sage of Tiruvannamalai; and inspite of my orthodox Christian religion I determined to seek out this great teacher at the earliest possible date.

* * *

The opportunity came in May, 1937. I had been invited to attend an inter-religious students conference at Alwaye, in Travancore, and I travelled south from Delhi during the Easter vacation, my head bursting with questions to ask Sri Maharshi. But the questions were never asked; though they have been answered, one by one, during the intervening years, by “my” Real Self. The reason the questions were never asked was that when I was in the presence of the Master I was so filled with joy and peace that the desire to ask questions disappeared. This happened throughout the brief three days I stayed at Sri Ramanasramam, though admittedly a violent reaction took place immediately after I left.

II

It has been my fate that I should meet and know great and famous men and women from all parts of the world, including saints like Sri Bhagavan Maharshi and Mahatma Gandhi, religious leaders like the late Archbishop Temple of Canterbury, Presidents of the United States, Ministers and Prime Ministers of Great Britain, France and other countries, great musicians like Toscanini, Chaliapin and Egon Petri, scientists like Fritz Haber and Lord Rutherford, and many others. In such circumstances one undergoes a process of clarification of values and of realization of human failings. I have often been profoundly shocked by the pettiness and lack of spiritual understanding of some of these “great men”.

The consequence is that one comes slowly to realize that only a saint can match one’s idealization of human thought and conduct. So when one comes into the presence of a man who is “good” not merely because he shuns “evil,” but because his love is universal and falls alike on the just and the unjust, then one experiences immediate recognition of a soul that is not great as the World values greatness, but great when compared to an absolute standard of valuesa precious stone, an emerald without flaw. It is a difference not merely of quality, but of kind.

I have never been long enough with Gandhiji to say whether my impression of his spirit is equally exalted, but in the presence of Sri Bhagavan Maharshi I felt an inward joy which suffused my consciousness and made “thinking” seem superfluous. One communes with the Divine; thought is useful only later when one seeks to analyze and understand the communion, and even then its value is much over-rated. It is over-rated because, more often than not, it leads one away from one’s super-conscious apprehension of Being into a whirlpool of egoism disguised as reality.

Such an experience was mine when I left Tiruvannamalai. So strong was my egoistic desire to explain all spiritual matters in orthodox Christian terms, that, no sooner had I read that Sri Bhagavan had as a boy attended a mission school, than I insisted on explaining away his teaching as a mere adaptation of Christ’s teaching. I realize now how near I was to the truthtruth which would have revealed itself to me then had I felt the need of discarding my pride in favour of humility.

It is of course true that Sri Bhagavan teaches what Jesus the Christ taught. sTym! is @km! and He who taught 2000 years ago that ‘I am in my Father, and my Father is in me. I and my Father are one’, said in fact the same as He who teaches today in Tiruvannamalai.

“See thyself and see the Lord”

That is the revealed word,

and hard is its sense indeed,

For the seeing Self is not to be seen,

How then is the Sight of the Lord?

To be food unto Him, that indeed is to see Him.

Only, their audiences were different, with different religious traditions and at different levels of understanding. Had Christ said “See thyself and see the Lord,” he would have been immediately attacked, even by moderate Jews for blasphemy of the worst type. Indeed, he was attacked when he went no farther than saying, “I and my Father are one.” But his very moderation has led to later misinterpretation of his message as meaning “I alone am and will be the incarnation of God.”

III

Two main criticisms are levelled by Westerners against the tradition that has produced Sri Maharshi. The first is that of the materialist and some Christians, and takes the form of a condemnation of what may be called the Sadhu or Sannyasin tradition. The second is specifically Christian and asserts that lack of the doctrine of Grace vitiates Hindu teaching.

The first argument is scarcely worth refuting, were it not for the fact that it is so widespread, specially in England and North America, and till it is effectively controverted, there is small chance of the West awakening to an understanding of spiritual values. Taken in its crudest form it simply means that unless one is doing something of utilitarian value he is a traitor to the service of humanity; and Christians underline this argument by pointing to the active workhealing and preachingwhich Christ carried on, as opposed to the passive attitude of Indian mystics, the majority of whom seem indifferent to the world. This argument is on a part with the Western saying, “Those who can, do; those who can’t teach.” In other words, those who have the ability to “succeed” in the world, do so; those who can’t, turn to teaching as a profession. Unfortunately this is to some extent true, in India as well as in Western countries. But, in the West it is connected with a utilitarian philosophy of life which has led to Nazism and Communism on the one hand, and to the self- indulgent, luxury-worshipping democracies on the other. Activity is the basis of all life, but modern civilization has taken one particular form of activitywhat may be called the “intellectual-physical”, and made it the only recognized form of activity, thus neglecting the spiritual basis of the civilization on which it is founded. This has been a gradual and cumulative process which started in the Middle Ages when the so- called re-discovery of Greek culture resulted in the raising of Aristotle to a position of intellectual dominance.

Aristotle may be termed the first scientist of Western civilization. His conception of spirit was, like that of the nineteenth century evolutionists, that of an attribute which emerges out of the primeval slime. So, when medieval European scholars turned away from the truly spiritual tradition of Plato and his Alexandrian follower Plotinus to the scientific but fundamentally anti-spiritual Aristotle, they sacrificed the basis of their civilization along with a great deal of obscurantism which admittedly had to go.

With the coming of the Renaissance the next inevitable step was taken,science was separated from religion, which meant that it became its own master, uncontrolled by spiritual direction. Finally, in the eighteenth century, which may be said to be the last peak of Christian civilization, religion was separated from philosophy and the devastation was complete.

The truly spiritual life became completely alien to the main stream of civilization. Intellect, applied to the solution of material problems, reigned supreme. Marx and Engels, Schopenhauer, Neitzsche, Spencer, Huxley, Emerson, H. G. Wells and George Bernard Shaw are the prophets of this age of doom. Man’s material condition has been raised to the position of a god, and there is no limit to the greed for ‘higher’ standards of living, even after poverty has been abolished. There could be only one logical outcome to such a false-based civilizationselfdestruction; and the atom bomb is the instrument of suicide.

This is the civilization, these are the men that condemn the Indian quietist tradition, who would point to Sri Bhagavan as “inactive.” as doing less for mankind than Christ. But, according to such standards, the artisan should be considered the highest type of man. The carpenter and the blacksmith “do” more for mankind than the teacher and the priest. And indeed we find this is becoming the case more and more. Now-a-days, in England, France and America, the factory workers are being paid more than the professional classes. By such a standard certainly Sri Bhagavan is to be considered not of much value. But such a standard, as I have tried to show, is based on a completely false view of life, which is as anti-Christ as it is anti-Sri Maharshi. “By their fruits ye shall know them,” cannot be taken to mean “by the material goods they produce,” but rather”by their thoughts and actions we shall know their true nature.” And the thoughts of Sri Bhagavan have now in his own lifetime girdled the world and set men thinking again about the real meaning of life. This is his form of service to mankind. Such truly creative activity dwarfs the feverish rush of lesser men who dare to criticize Sri Ramana’s “inactivity”.

A disciple once asked Sri Bhagavan why he didn’t go about and preach the truth to the people at large. He answered, “How do you know I am not doing it? Does

preaching consist in mounting a platform and haranguing the people around? Teaching is simple communication of knowledge; it can really be done in silence only. What do you think of a man who listens to a sermon for an hour and goes away without having been impressed by it so as to change his life? Compare him with another, who sits in a holy presence and goes away after some time with his outlook on life totally changed. Which is the better, to preach loudly without effect or to sit silently sending out Inner Force?

“Again, how does speech arise? There is abstract knowledge, whence arises the ego, which in turn gives rise to thought, and thought to the spoken word. So the word is the great grandson of the original source. If the word can produce effect, judge for yourself how much more powerful must be the preaching through silence. But people do not understand this simple, bare truth, the truth of their everyday, ever present eternal experience. This truth is that of the Self. Is there anyone unaware of the Self? But they do not like even to hear of this truth, whereas they are eager to know what lies beyond, about heaven, hell and re-incarnation.......”¹

Again, he was asked, “Does my realization help others?” And he answered: “Yes, and it is the best help that you can possibly render to others. Those who have discovered

¹. Maharshi’s Gospel, I. pp. 16-17

great truths have done so in the still depths of the Self. But really there are no ‘others’ to be helped. For the Realized Being sees only the Self, just as the goldsmith sees only the gold while valuing it in various jewels made of gold. When you identify yourself with the body, name and form are there. But when you transcend the body-consciousness, the ‘others’ also disappear. The Realized One does not see the world as different from Himself.”

The disciple then asked, “Would it not be better if the saints mix with others?” And quick the reply came, “There are no others to mix with. The Self is the only reality...... Your duty is TO BE and not to be this or that. ‘I AM THAT I AM’ sums up the whole truth; the method is summarised in ‘BE STILL.” ¹

IV

With regard to the criticism that saints in the Hindu tradition, like Bhagavan Sri Maharshi, don’t do physical healing, nor has any of them risen from the dead like Jesus the Christ, one can only say this: Jesus was certainly an exceptionally great spirit or, possibly, the greatest known to mankind. He wanted to make men realize that God was not the fierce God of the Old Testament Hebrews, but a living, merciful God. Secondly, He, like Sri Maharshi, wanted men to realize that the Kingdom of God lay within them and that if they would look within they would be given unlimited power to help their fellowmen. The

¹. Maharshi’s Gospel, I. pp. 36-47

most striking means of such power was to be the healing of the sick; but He made it clear that those who had faith in Him (i.e., in the truth of what He said and did, and of His divine nature) were to be given this gift only as a means of making men realize that the real world lies behind the barrier of the flesh and that men must remould their lives and their philosophy of life if they would enter into this world.

In other words, Christ used healing as a sign of hope and of the reality of the Spiritual Kingdom. To say that all other spiritual teachers must use the same method is, to say the least, narrow minded.

As for the resurrection of Jesus, an impartial study of the evidence suggests that it did take place. My belief is that no sincere Hindu would find any difficulty in accepting it, for it fits in with his tradition of divine beings assuming bodily form when necessary and convenient. Whether or not we accept the Christian teaching that Jesus Christ’s Resurrection is the only one known to history, we must admit that it is the only one backed by considerable historical evidence. However, that its apparent uniquenes, therefore, affirms the unique nature of Jesus Christ does not necessarily follow.

Again, we must look at Christ’s intention in the Resurrection. The Gospels are filled with prophecies of the Resurrection, and their intention in this matter is clear, when Jesus says, “Neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” (Luke, XVI, 31), as well as from other passages. The intention is, then, (i) to show finally and positively that death has no reality, and (ii) that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah whom the Old Testament Hebrew prophets had promised.

A very powerful Jewish sect, the Sadducees, at the time of Christ denied the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, and the existence of spirits. To disprove their arguments once and for all, as well as to ensure that mankind, or a part of it at least, should be turned from the worship of false ideas of God to a realization of the God of Love in their own hearts, Christ had to resurrect his physical body. It was a particular act to meet a particular need. I am not arguing that others have done or could do the same, but I would point out the logical fallacy of the opposite, the orthodox Christian argument, that therefore Jesus Christ is proved to be not only an incarnation of God, but the only incarnation of God.

This is not the place to go into this argument in detail, but one may point out that the conception of God is involved in it. I can find no fundamental difference between Jesus Christ’s conception of God and Bhagavan Sri Maharshi’s, but I find a very great difference between Christ’s conception and that of the Christian Church, in which the Jehovah of the Old Testament is inextricably confused with the Inner Spirit, who is “within” every man, of the New Testament.

V

Finally with regard to the doctrine of grace, Christian criticism of Hindu theology asserts that Hinduism advocates “pulling oneself up by one’s own bootstraps” without assistance from the love of God. Such a statement is, in my opinion, unfair; but let us look at one of Christ’s teachings”For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.” (Matthew, XIII, 12). In other words, “In accordance with each man’s own efforts for spiritual enlightenment shall he be given assistance by God; and those who make no effort shall lose even what spiritual understanding they had.” Surely this means that Divine Grace is dependent on effort; and what true Hindu, whether Shaivite or Vaishnavite, would deny such a teaching?

However, we are not concerned with a defence of “orthodox” Hinduism; in many respects it is farther from the truth than orthodox Christianity. But Bhagavan Sri Maharshi answers this riddle of self-help and grace in final fashion, in my view. In Sat-Darshana Bhashya and Talks with Maharshi we find:

“Disciple: Then I can dispense with outside help and by mine own effort get into the deeper truth by myself?

Maharshi: True. But the very fact you are possessed of the quest of the Self is a manifestation of the Divine Grace, It is effulgent in the Heart, the inner being, the Real Self. It draws you from within. You have to attempt to get in from without. Your attempt is Vichara, the deep inner movement is Grace, That is why I say there is no real Vichara without Grace, nor is there Grace active for him who is without Vichara. Both are necessary.’’

And there are several other similar examples in the same work and elsewhere in the Maharshi’s writings.

VI

To remove the blinkers from men’s eyes, to take away their spiritual crutches is a great, though painful, task. Men generally are unwilling to surrender their long-cherished illusions, whether based on nineteenth century materialismstill so widespread and, indeed, spreading in Indiaor on orthodox religion. It is painful and lonely to be told that you must strip your soul naked and depend only on yourself and the divine inner Gracewhich Christ called the Holy Ghostif you seek spiritual liberation; that no amount of prayers or saying ‘credo’ can take the place of this lone pilgrimage.

Most men are unwilling to make, or rarely feel the need of making such a search. To them one can only say “Depart in peace.” For such persons it is useless to visit Sri Maharshi’s ashram for darshan, in the hope that this in itself will liberate one. That is only a beginning, an inspirationthe long, stony path lies ahead.

It is a tenet of Hinduism that all spiritual paths lead to the same goal. In a broad sense this is true, but also it hides the truth. For if one has followed one religion or another, one yoga or another, one has still in the end to go through the process of self-analysis, of inner search and surrender which is best described in our time by Sri Maharshi. In other words, the “goal” is not a goal but a path. When one has learnt everything that one can from one’s inherited or acquired religion or spiritual discipline, he has to take this prized possession and cast it to one sidethe most painful of actsand, starting afresh, follow the simple, scientific method that the Saint of Arunachala teaches us.

VII

I have said that this saint is the greatest contemporary exponent of this age-old teaching. This is as true for the scientific-minded Western as it is for the Easterner. Elsewhere in this volume Dr. Jung, who is unquestionably the doyen of psychoanalysts, writes — “The identification of the Self with God will strike the European as shocking. It is a specially oriental Realization, as expressed in Sri Ramana’s utterances.” No doubt such identification is shocking to the Western Christian or other orthodox religionist, but as I have implied, it is consonant with Christ’s teachings, if they are approached afresh without prejudice.

If one examines the New Testament carefully one finds that Christ is trying to convince a fanatically monotheistic peopleas monotheistic as the Muslims are today that God could inhabit human form for a special purpose, and that the nature of God was not something different from man’s but that one could see the image of God in a perfect man. And He proclaimed himself to be a perfect being who had presided over human destiny since the world began. This in itself was an overwhelming dose for the orthodox Jew to swallow. One would not therefore expect that Christ would go on farther and show that this Perfect Being is latent in every man, because God is in every man. But in fact he does say this by implication, and sometimes directly, throughout his teaching. Take for instance – “The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation; Neither shall they say, Lo here! or lo there! for, behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke, XVII, 20 and 21.)¹ In other words His first lesson was, “Heaven is within you and it is a spiritual state, not a material place.”

Having made this clear, He goes on to say, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew, V, 48). Thus He was saying in fact”God dwells within you; you can become perfect like Him.” This was revolutionary teaching, and its full implications are only understood if one comes into touch with the teachings of a Ramakrishna or a Sri Maharshi.

But Christ went even farther than this. In verses 33-36 of the tenth chapter of St. John’s Gospel we read”Jesus answered them (the Jews), Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are Gods.”

“If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world. Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the son of God.”

The Authorized Version of the Bible is used in these quotations.

So we might ask today, “Do you accuse Sri Maharshi of blasphemy for saying that the True Man within us is God; when Christ was executed on the same charge by part of the Jews 2,000 years ago?” Just because the Church has petrified His teaching, as Judaism before His time had petrified the teaching of the prophets, do you expect those who feel God stirring within them to join the mob who cry ‘Blasphemy’?”

And to pursue this arguement a little farther in order to reveal the basic similarity of Jesus Christ’s and Bhagavan Maharshi’s teachings, one remembers that Christ answered the rich, young man who came to Him and asked, “Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life,” by saying “Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God.” (Mark, X, 18,). This, taken with the questions already mentioned, clearly shows that He believed that God was in all men and that all men could attain the perfection that He, Christ, Himself revealed, through following His path - i.e. actively loving God and one’s fellowmen and knowing that the Kingdom of Heaven is within each one of us.

Finally, this view is reinforced by, “For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you” (Matthew, X, 20). Could anything be clearer than this - that Christ wanted men to realize, as does Sri Maharshi, that God is not something apart from men to be worshipped and feared at a distance, but the only true reality in each man; and that man’s work is to discard the false, imaginary ego which he has allowed to deceive him and so to separate him from his true Self, which is God. If that is blasphemy, then let us acknowledge ourselves, as Christ and His followers acknowledged themselves, to be blasphemers in the eyes of the world; for that way lies salvation.

gve;[aTàaPy ùdNtr< tTptedhNta pirÉu¶zI;aR,

AwaùmNyTS)…rit àk«ò< nah'ªk«itStTprmev pU[Rm!.

On reaching the interior of the Heart through search,

The ego bows its head and falls.

Then shines forth the other I, the Self Supreme,

Which is not the ego, but verily the Perfect and

Transcendental Being.¹

But in addition to being in the true line of spiritual teaching

-the line that extends back to Gautama the Buddha and Sri Mahavir, the tenth and greatest Tirthankar of the Jains, in one branch; and to Mohammed, Plotinus, Christ, Plato, Socrates, Pythagoras and Zoroaster in anotherI believe Sri Maharshi to be the greatest living interpreter, and indeed, in a sense the fulfilment of modern psychology and psycho-analysis and that therefore he must be taken seriously even by Western or Eastern materialists.

Dr. Jung recognizes this when he says, “The wisdom and mysticism of the East have, therefore, a very great deal to tell us, provided they speak in their own inimitable speech.... The life and teachings of Sri Ramana are not only important for the Indian but also for the Westerner. Not only do they form a record of great human interest, but also a warning message to a humanity which threatens to lose itself in the chaos of its unconsciousness and lack of self-control.”

These words were written some time ago. How terrifyingly they ring in our ears todayin the ears of those who have to watch the bestiality and spiritual poverty of a world that has been through the purgatory of two world wars in scarcely more than a generation? And still rumors of war and revolution echo round the hollow shapes of bomb-blasted ruins.

Man is unquestionably at the cross-roads. He can choose the path of materialistic phantoms, seeking only better social and economic conditions, however desirable these may be

¹. Sat-Darshana Bhasya, Verse 30.

in themselves, or he can turn his face towards the old light rising anew in the East, which, while by no means scorning improved conditions of life for the masses, seeks to direct man’s inquisitive nature primarily towards the realization of his own being. Its aim is the same as Christ’s”Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you,” which has been read weekly in countless churches every week for nineteen hundred years. But faithless, worldly minded mankind has considered this to be merely a pleasant moral aphorism, not to be taken literally. Now men must take it literally or be prepared for further destruction, and indefinite chaos.

Today and for many years to come, one prays, this message in the peculiarly beautiful metaphor of Indian mysticism sings out from a small town with a huge temple in the heart of southern India, which somehow has preserved Indian thought and culture much more effectively than northern India. Not everyone can make a pilgrimage to this spot, hallowed for all time by the life of Sri Ramana Maharshi, but everyone can follow the Maharshi’s precepts which are, in a strange way, ultra-modern in form. Even the Maharshi cannot convey permanent blessedness; that we alone through our own strivings can do. But he is a guide to be trusted absolutely, whether our background be Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Parsi, Jewish, Jain, Buddhist, confucian, agnostic or rank materialist. Each will find what he needs; all essential questions are answered, if we have ears to hear. It is the path of the Razor’s Edge we are called on to tread, but in fact, “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

kraeim kmeRit nrae ivjanNba¸yae ÉveTkmR)l< c Éae´…m!,

ivcarxUta ùid kt&Rta ceTkmRÇy< nZyit sEv mui´>.

“He is bound to reap the fruit
who is fixed in the I-do-thought.
The sense of doer lost by the search in the heart,
Triple karma diesand that is Liberation.”

. si½danNdmUtI¡ rm[>.

THE GRACIOUS MASTER

Aé[igirmupet< si½danNdmUit¡rm[ #it p&iwVya< ivï&t< }ansUyRm!,ghnùdyiv*a< lIlya baexyNt<sttmhmmey< sÌ‚é< s<Smraim.

I remember constantly the Gracious Master, who is incomprehsnsible, Who has His abode on the Arunachala, Whose form is pure Existence — Consciousness — Bliss, Who is renowned throughout the world as Sage Ramana, Who is the Sun of Wisdom, and Who teaches in the simplest way the profound Lore of the Self.

ANtyRí bihivRxUtitimr< JyaeitmRy< zañt<Swan< àaPy ivrajte ivnmtam}anmuNmUlyn!,pZyiNvñmpIdmu‘sit yae ivñSy pare pr-StSmE ïIrm[ay laekgurve zaekSy hÙe nm>.

Salutations to Sri Ramana, the universal Master, the Dispeller of misery from the world, the One who chases away the darkness of His devotees and displays Himself as the Eternal Consciousness inhering in the heart, blazing both within and without, bereft of the least trace of ignorance — the One Who shines as the transcendental Truth underlying the world and beyond!

THE VEDANTIC TRADITION
IN
SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI

By

Sri Swami Siddheswarananda (Ramakrishna Mission, Paris.)

SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI represents the pure tradition in Adwaita Vedanta. In this article I propose to examine certain aspects of the life and teachings of Maharshi that have appealed to me as verifications of Vedantic truths.

In Vedanta there is a theistic as well as a non-theistic tradition, and these refer to two aspects of reality. The first treats of Saguna Brahman and the second treats of Nirguna Brahman. The Bagavad Gita says that the path of the Unconditioned,AVy´ is not for the aspirant who is still bound by the ‘bodyam-I’ - idea, (Ch. 12, verse 5). Maharshi transcended the body-idea on the very day he made the investigation into the nature of the Self. His spiritual career is of particular interest to the student of Vedanta; for, an example like his is rare to find. He is one who has acceded to the realisation of the Nirguna ideal without passing through the preliminary stages of discipline where much importance is given to devotion and worship,sgu[aepasna. In history the most brilliant example of the same line of research and realisation that Maharshi undertook is that of Lord Buddha, though he had to spend long years of meditation before he had the Awakening. We are now above the prejudice handed down through ages where Buddhism and Vedanta in their essential spiritual appeal are placed one against the other in unrelenting opposition. We now consider Lord Buddha as one of the continuators of the Vedantic tradition of the Upanishads, where the non-theistic ideal was lived and practised.

To understand Maharshi we have to place him against the cultural background of Indian philosophical tradition, which finds its perfect expression in his life and realisation. That background of his life is the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, particularly the Mandukya and the Brihadaranyaka studied in the light of the commentaries of Sri Shankaracharya and the Karikas of Sri Gaudapadacharya.

There are two Vedantic positions in conformity with two grades of seekers aspiring to know the One, Ultimate Reality; the less astute consider Brahman as Saguna, the other higher type consider it as Nirguna. The one is theological and the other is philosophical. The two stand points are not mutually exclusive; for the goal of the two methods is identical, namely, to bring the aspirant to the realisation of Brahman. It should be noted that if the theological position adopts the deductive form of enquiry, it is merely a question of emphasis on a particular aspect in the method of approach.

Brahman is posited as the first principle. There are two categories - Brahman and Maya. There is a severe and austere dialectic to establish the nature of Maya. Brahman, the Absolute, is beyond all ‘relations’, beyond the reach of all movements of thought. We have no dialectic of the Absolute, as they have it in the occident, where the Absolute is considered as possessing a thought content. According to the higher philosophical tradition of the East, Brahman is beyond the reach of thought,Ava'œmansgaecr. But in the philosophical method there is no necessity to take for granted untested universals like Brahman and Maya. Here all data of lived experience are looked into and examined to determine the truth in them. This method necessarily becomes inductive, and after a thorough analysis of experience a synthesis is arrived at. The goal of all philosophy,tTvin[Ry, is this synthesis of the totality of experience, “to know that by knowing which everything else is known.” This synthesis which Vedanta arrives at should not be confounded with philosophical researches known to us as an intellectual game. Tatvajnana surpasses the zone of intellect and leads one direct realisation of TRUTH, Aprae]anuÉUit. As such the whole procedure becomes spiritual. As all branches of lived experience are enquired into, Vedanta takes into consideration the analysis of the states of waking, ja¢t! , dream, Svß, and sleep, su;uiÝ, and their syntheses in turIy, the Supra-intellectual plane. The research starts from the sensible world of experience and merges in the Supra-sensible. When Maharshi made the first investigation “Who am I?”, evidently he had not envisaged this particular technique or any other one. He had not then any theological education. Maharshi once told me that at that time he was not even familiar with such terms as Brahman or Atman. He had not the support of any of the accepted thesis on the subject. The enquiry was his own, and the way he discovered was equally his own. He discovered much later that he had come to the same conclusion that scriptures and the experience of others in the same line had arrived at from time immemorial.

He started from the sensible world with the analysis of a factor of experience that was not a mere hypothesis. It was a burning question to him; the solution of the strongest emotion of man, — the most fearful form of fear, — the fear of Death; and he solved it without leaning on any external aid. It may also be described as a ‘suffering’ of the most intense type, since Death is the anti-thesis of Life. This fear of death took possession of young Venkataraman all on a sudden. Any ordinary lad under similar circumstances would avoid the issues by changing the predominant thought or he would seek refuge in some kind of religious consolation. But Maharshi looked the fact of this fear squarely in the face! “To whom does this fear occur? What is this fear due to? It is due to imminent death. Death of what? Who is it that is dying? If it is the physical body that is already stiff, it will be carried away presently for cremation. But this consciousness, this I-ness, with which I see the changing condition of the body losing its life, this “I” has remained totally unaffected.” That, in short, is the direct means whereby young Venkataraman knew of the reality of an inner Being which witnessed not only the changing condition of the body seized by Death but also the unchanging condition of Consciousness which is necessarily self-conscious. It is this realisation that the Gita calls ]eÇ]eÇ}yae}aRnm! , which in its highest form as revealed to the Sage of Arunachala, is more than an intuitive flash.

To resume the subject of enquiry into the Truth. The Bhagavad-Gita begins by stating clearly a dharma sankata, a conflict touching one’s very being, to kill or not to kill. When the conflict is real, one seeks its solution. To Maharshi the conflict was real. The unignorable fact of death was there. It must find a solution and that too immediately. Such a state is totally different from and has nothing to do with a theological enquiry. In a theological enquiry the aspirant has only to fit in his particular case with the conclusion the scriptures have already given. The jijnasu is not satisfied with the dicta of the scriptures. He seeks an understanding which can be related to his experience. Since Maharshi’s knowledge, when confronted with Death, was based on his experience, he was more than a jijnasu. Even of the jijnasu the Gita says ij}asurip yaegSy zBdäüaitvtRte, the enquirer after Yoga rises superior to the performer of Vedic actions. (Ch. VI, verse 44). In fact, young Venkataraman stood on the threshold of Realisation no sooner than he survived the Death-experience. He had no need for either the karma kanda of the Vedas or for Yogabhyasa involving the practice of years of self-discipline.

Let us look more deeply into the conflict of young Venkataraman that made him take up the challenge of DEATH. As I said it was the fear of imminent death that provoked the conflict in him. Maharshi became the critic of his own experience. He did not avoid the issues; rather, he lived fully that Death-experience. Ordinary beings are unable to analyse their experiences, much less a conflict, for they do not fully understand nor do they live intelligently their experiences of life. The plentitude of an experience can be known when one becomes a competent spectator of it. Even in our ordinary limited experiences of joys and sufferings in life, our self goes so much in our acts that a disinterested outlook becomes impossible. We screen truth by our hopes and fears, by our desires and disappointments. From a single moment properly lived, says the poet, a whole eternity can be known. Maharshi lived fully the moment of his Death-experience. And he became at one stroke, tTv}ain, a Knower of TRUTH.

A philosophy becomes dry and insipid when it does not solve this vital problem of death and suffering. Philosophy when it deals with concepts and percepts, that have no real bearing on life, gives stones when one asks for bread! An interest in philosophical enquiry commences the very moment when a datum of experience is placed in relief as a specimen for analysis, and an attempt is made to know what it is. Very often all that we pass through as routine experiences do not affect us: for they do not stay in our memory as possessing any particular value. Only an outstanding event serves a notice, as it were, on “attention” and makes it alert; for it surpasses the norm of our usual identification with experience, and thus helps it by its very intensity, to be projected as a factor for observation which cannot be done, so long as we are identified with it. Nothing can give us more forcibly this invitation for observation than suffering when it is really ours and not a feigned one. Of the three types of suffering tapÇy, that which is of the physical order — AaixÉaEitk, can be attended to more easily than the two others AaixdEivk, and AaXyaiTmk. These sufferings born of our subtle nature, the mental and spiritual, cannot be easily quelled. In physical suffering there is more possibility for observation and hence a greater chance of relief being administered. In the other two kinds of Ê>o the difficulty of dispassionate observation is — complicated — by the series of false identifications, AXyas, that we ourselves have woven over our nature. We are caught up in the meshes of rag (attraction) and Öe; (repulsion), and consequently we do not live an experience completely which, as I have already said, is the

complete separation of the factor of observation, the observed, from the Observer. The moment this is achieved the answer is found.

This separation has been so charmingly described in the Bhagavad Gita as one of the functions of Yoga: “Let that be known as the state called by the name of Yoga, a state of severance from contact with pain,” t< iv*a΂>o-s<yaegivyaeg< yaegs<i}tm! (Ch. VI, verse 23). Our identification, AXyas, with every successive moment of experience does not permit us to make the experiment of isolating the Spectator from the spectacle. And when a crucial moment comes, when this identification is challenged by nature through suffering, we get alarmed and desperate. In Chapter XIII of the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna gives us the proper technique to undo this junction of the Spectator and the spectacle. The Lord speaks to us of ]eÇ (the field) and the ]eÇ}! (the Knower of the field). He says in verse 3, “The knowledge of kshetra and Kshetrajna is considered by Me to be the Knowledge,” ]eÇ]eÇ}yae}aRn< yÄJ}an< mt< mm. The same technique of distinguishing of Spectator and the spectacle is also known as Drg-drsya-viveka †Gy†Zyivvek.

Later on in life, when Maharshi came into contact with such classical texts as the Drg-drsya-viveka, he instinctively found there a family-likeness to a psychological or rather trans-psychological way that he himself has followed. As Maharshi plunged into the depths of his soul during his analysis of “Who am I?” he got beyond the plane of doubts; for he had transcended the limitations set by the intellectualizing character of mind that never permits that disjunction with the nama-rupa complex which is the field of empirical experience. His method has much in common with that of Lord Buddha. When Malukya asked Buddha questions that did not touch the vital issue involvedthat of sufferingthe latter replied that one pierced by an arrow would be interested only in plucking it out and not in discussing of what substance the arrow was made, whether it had a poisoned tip or not, etc.

Maharshi put his whole being, while controlling breath and vital forces, into the trans-psychological investigation he fearlessly undertook when confronted by death, thus realising another aspect of Yoga described by the Gita, svaR[IiNÔykmaRi[àa[kmaRi[ capre, AaTms<ymyaega¶aE juþit }andIipte. “Some other Yogis let consume all the functions of the senses, breath and vital forces in the fire of self-control set ablaze by Jnana.” (Ch. IV, 27). His whole being entered into perfect concentration as he analysed himself. He did not stop midway in the enquiry. The metaphysical reality he attained allowed his buddhi to be drawn out of the slough of Sankalpa and vikalpa (the image-making faculty of the mind) and enabled him to realise another definition of Yoga in the Gita: “Evenness of mind is known asYoga,” smTv< yaeg %Cyt (Ch. II, 48). The conscious principle underlying thought joined to a volition that precipitated immediate investigation gave him the full blossoming of the cognitive faculty, the way of Buddhi Yoga all three operating in one single flash. He became a Sthitaprajna, the possessor of steady Wisdom, and in the words of the Gita “having obtained which, regards no other acquisition superior to that, and where established he is not moved even by the greatest sorrow” (Ch. VI, 22):—

y< lBXva capr< laÉ< mNyte naixk< tt>,

yiSmn! iSwtae n Ê>oen guê[aip ivcaLyte.

One does not find in Maharshi that type of Bhakti associated with devotional forms; but it can be said that if the way of Bhakti brings one to an expression of bounty and love towards all, he is that. His very nature (Svêp and SvÉav) becomes imbued with love, àem. I should not omit here to mention a scene that I myself witnessed. At my request he recited certain lines from the composition of the Saint Manikyavachakar, where the author spoke of the condition of the soul melted in love; hardly had the Maharshi pronounced a few lines when there was a brilliance in his face. He who rarely expresses in any outward form his inner emotion could not restrain a few silent tears. A slanting ray of the morning sun from the hillside made the scene still more vivid. A peace that passeth all understanding pervaded the whole atmosphere. For more than an hour there was perfect silence. It looked as if one of the fresco paintings of Ajanta had come to life! When the atmosphere was disturbed by a new visitor, I repeated before him, as a parallel to the verse from Manikyavachakar, the following lines from Wordsworth:

His spirit drank the spectacle,

Sensation, soul and form all melted into him;

they swallowed up

His animal being, in them did he live,

And by them did he live; they were his life

In such access of mind, in such high hour

Of visitation from the living God,

Thought was not, in enjoyment it expired

Rapt in still communion, that transcends

The imperfect offices of prayer and praise, His mind was a thanksgiving to the power

That made him; it was blessedness and love!

(Excursion — Wanderer)

Maharshi followed very appreciatively this selection from Wordsworth and remarked to me in Malayalam – “How nicely they too have expressed these same high sentiments.” I made then the remark that Thayumanavar, Ramalingaswami and Manikyavachakar were all saints. Wordsworth, like other poets of the Romantic Period, cannot be classed as a saint. These poets had occasional intuitions of the supra-sensible reality, they were neither Jnanis nor Jivanmuktas.

II

Maharshi told me that what he realised on the first day when he made the maiden vichara, has ever remained with him. It has neither increased nor decreased. When I asked him why he came all the way to Tiruvannamalai and why he underwent so many hardships, which we would characterize as sadhana, he only waved his hand, implying “I do not know why all that happened.” Our inquiring minds want explanations, and are easily satisfied with some such fiction as Destiny or Prarabdha, which do not exist for the Jnani. For it is said the Karmas of a person who realises Brahmajnana are all dissolved at one stroke. From the point of view of Maharshi it must be so.

To us who follow Vedanta the highest aspect of Maharshi’s Realisation is revealed in his great message of Silence. It is not that he remains without speaking a word, as he did for some years. He is now more communicative. But with regard to the things of life his attitude is best described in the words of the Gita:—

yda te maehkill< buiÏVyRittir:yit,

tda gNtais inveRd< ïaetVySy ïutSy c.

“When thy Buddhi crosses beyond the taint of illusion, then shalt thou attain to indifference regarding things heard and things worth be heard.” — (Ch. II, 52).AaTmNyevaTmnatuò> one who is satisfied in the Self by the Self (Ch. II, 52); ytaTma the self-controlled one (Ch. XII, 14);

†Finíy> one with firm determination (Ch. XII, 14); Anpe]>, the desireless one (Ch. XII, 16); svaRrMÉpirTyaig, one who has renounced all enterprise (Ch. XII, 16); sNtuòae yenken-ict! , content with anything (Ch. XII, 19); %dasInvdasIn>, sitting like one unconcerned (Ch. XIV, 23), and many such charming phrases of the Gita give a word-picture of Maharshi. In still more powerful language the following verses of the Gita give to the reader an insight into the transcendental State the Sage has realised:

ySTvaTmritrev SyadaTmt&Ýí manv>,

AaTmNyev c s<tuòStSy kay¡ n iv*te.

yae=Nt>suoae=NtraramStwaNtJyaeRitrev y>,

s yaegI äüinvaR[< äüÉUtae=ixgCDit.

“The man who revels here and now in the Self alone, with the Self is satisfied, and in the Self alone is content,for him there is no work which he must do.” (Ch. III, 17): “He who is inwardly happy, revels within and who likewise becomes the Light within, that Yogi becomes the Brahman and realises the transcendental Bliss of the Brahman.” (Ch. V, 24).

What impressed me most in reading the characteristics of the Jivanmukta in Viveka-Chudamani were the lines” — He has his mind merged in Brahman; nevertheless he is quite alert, but free from the characteristics of the waking state” — lInxIripjagitR ja¢ÏmRivvijRt> (verse 429). In remaining a few days with Maharshi, these lines of Viveka-Chudamani often came to my mind. To all outward appearance Maharshi very often looked as if he were unconscious; but his mind is ever in such a state of concentration that even during the moments when he appeared to be inert he knew all that was passing on in the hall; in repeating verses from Ribhu Gita, old Tenamma made a certain error in pronunciation. Opening his eyes he gently corrected her. In Drg-drsya-Viveka, in verse 30, there is a fine account of the concentration of a man of realisation.

dehaiÉmane gilte iv}ate prmaTmin,

yÇ yÇ mnae yait tÇ tÇ smaxy>.

“With the disappearance of attachment to the body and with the realisation of the Supreme SELF, to whatever object the mind is directed one experiences Samadhi.”

How a metaphysical experience of unity can be presented through a psychological mode where the essential characteristic of the psyche is sankalpa and vikalpa, the very opposite that produces the unitary consciousness, defies all empirical explanation. For our explanations the data of investigation is only the findings of the waking state; whereas to an enlightened man the field of research is vaster. It is all-inclusive as it englobes the experience of the waking state, plus that of the dream and sleep states. The Sthitaprajna realises the non-dual Brahman in each aspect of manifestation, not in the way a layman sees the world as fragmented units, but as one expression the same Reality that comes to us through the experience of the waking, dream and sleep states. Even to use the term ‘aspects of Reality’ with respect to a Jivanmukta’s vision of the world is a misnomer. To him the Reality ever IS and never gets conditioned into aspects, which is a feature of avidya.

To understand this spiritual outlook of a person like Maharshi, I cannot do better than quote the commentary of Sankara on the 89th Karika of the 4th chapter of Mandukya karikas.

“The word }an signifies knowledge by which one grasps the significance of the three states. The word }ey or knowable signifies the three states which should be known. The first knowable consists of the gross state of empirical experience. Then comes the state of subtle experience, in which the first state loses itself; that is, merges. And the last comes deep sleep which is beyond all empirical experience (gross or subtle) which results in the absence of the two previous states, that is, in which the two previous states merge. By the knowledge of these three, one after the other, and consequently by the negation of the three states the TURIYA, non-dual, birthless and fearless, which alone is the Supreme Reality, is realised. Thus the knower possessed of the greatest power of discrimination attains in this very life the state of omniscience, which is identical with the knowledge of the Self. He is called MAHADHI or the man of the highest intellect, as he has understood that which transcends all human experiences. His omniscience is constant and remains undiminished. For the knowledge of the SELF once realised remains forever. This is because the knowledge of the knower of the Supreme Reality does not appear and disappear like that of mere disputants.’’

In these lines Sankara expounds in a very clear manner the full implications of what I described in the beginning as the non-theistic or extra-religious tradition in Vedanta of which Maharshi is a worthy representative. In India when we speak of this tradition we do not oppose it to the theistic or religious tradition. In Europe any one expounding such a theory will be more often considered an atheist! For it is very difficult for a European, with his Judaical-Christian theology as the background of his spiritual culture, to admit or conceive of spiritual life without the idea of God. Whenever I speak to Christian audiences in Europe, I have to tell them how a highly spiritual life can be conceived of as in the Buddhistic and Adwaita Vedantic traditions without even conceding to the necessity of positing the idea of God. This is at first very startling and very uncomfortable to the theologically minded. They then think in terms of the possibility of a “mysticisme surnaturel” as opposed to a “mysticisme surnaturel.” A concession to study the subject under this perspective is only a recent advance in their spirit of generosity or, perhaps, of a scientific outlook towards the metaphysical reality. It is only after the visit of Prof. Lacombe, the author of L’Absolue selon Vedanta, (the first serious study made in France to understand from close quarters the philosophy of Sankara and Ramanuja) to Tiruvannamalai and his contact with Maharshi that we can now note a change in the outlook of one of France’s world-reputed thinkers and theologians, Mon. Jacques Maritain. In an article contributed to that well-known Catholic magazine “Les Etudes Carmelitaines”¹ 1938, Maritain has taken a sympathetic position. Influenced by Mon. Lacombe and taking an objective view of the question, he recommends to his Catholic friends a study of that experience of the SELF where all religious implications are absent.

III

The philosophical outlook of Maharshi tends very often to be confused with that of solipsism or its Indian equivalent, drishti-srishti-vada, which is a sort of degenerated idealism. That Maharshi never subscribes to that view can be known if we study his works in the light of orthodox Vedanta or observe his behaviour in life. When he says that it is the mind that has projected this universe, the term ‘mind’ should be understood in the Vedantic sense in which it is used. Unfortunately I have no books by Maharshi or works on him with me here for reference as all of them have disappeared when our library was

¹ To those who have not seen that French magazine, I would like to point out that on the elegant jacket of the journal had figured the picture of Maharshi in the midst of two Catholic saints.

looted during German occupation. What I write has necessarily to depend on my memory-impressions. The term ‘mind’ is also used by Sankara and Gaudapada in a wider sense than we are accustomed to use it in, as an antahkarana vritti. In certain places in the bhashyas of Sankara and the Karikas, the pure ‘mind’ is equated with Atman. For example, let us take verse 170 in Viveka Chudamani: “In dream when there is no actual contact with the external world the mind alone creates the whole universe consisting of the enjoyer, the objects etc. And similarly in the waking state also there is no difference. Therefore, all this phenomenal universe is the projection of mind.”

If the ‘mind’ used here is taken as identical with antahkarana vritti, Vedanta will necessarily be classed as solipsism! To understand the larger sense in which ‘mind’ is used in many such contexts we have to read the Mandukya karika. For example, take verse 29 in Ch. III.

“As in dream the mind acts through Maya presenting the appearance of duality, so also in the waking state the mind acts through Maya presenting the appearance of duality.”

Sankara in his commentary makes the sense more explicit. Let us quote that.

“How is it possible for Reality to pass into birth through Maya? It is thus replied; as the snake imagined in the rope is identical with the being of the rope when seen as the rope, so also the mind from the standpoint of knowledge of the ultimate reality is seen to be identical with Atman. (The italics are ours.) The mind in dream appears to us as dual in the forms of the cognizer and the cognized through Maya as the snake appears to be other than a rope through ignorance. Similarly the mind acts in a dual form in the waking state also through Maya. That is to say the mind appears to act.” (We have to note also that in this connection Sankara uses the term Maya, instead of Avidya; in our Vedantic theology, Avidya has more or less a reference to the individual; and when the term Maya is used it signifies the totality of the manifested universe. This is another indication that there is no scope for stigmatising the term ‘mind’ as having a solipsist significance.)

Again in Ch. IV, commenting on Karika 54, Sankara says:

“Thus for reasons already stated the mind is verily of the essence of the SELF. External objects are not caused by the mind, nor is the mind the product of external objects. That is because all (external) entities are mere appearances in Consciousness. Thus neither the so-called effect comes from the (so-called) cause nor the cause from the effect. In this way is reiterated the absolute non-evolution of causality. In other words the knowers of Brahman declare the absence of causality with regard to Atman.”

Again in verse 64 of IV chapter in the commentary Sankara says:

“These objects perceived by the mind of the dreamer have no existence outside the mind of the person who dreams about them. It is the mind alone which assumes the form of many diversified objects. Similarly the mind of the dreamer is perceived by the dreamer alone. Therefore there is no separate thing called mind which is apart from the dreamer himself.” (Swami Nikhilananda in his notes makes the point still clearer. He writes “The mind of a man is not perceived by any other being but himself. The perceiving ego is also created by the mind. The ego and the non-ego come into existence together. Therefore the charge of solipsism cannot be leveled against Vedanta.”) Sankara and Gaudapada use in many places the term ‘mind’ thus as an equivalent of Atman. In the commentary on Karika 35, chapter III, Sankara again reiterates the same idea: “When the mind becomes free from all ideas of the perceiver and the perceived the dual evils caused by ignorance, it verily becomes one with the Supreme and non-dual Brahman.”

IV

Gaudapada and Sankara speak highly of the necessity of sadhana for one who is a candidate for the highest knowledge. The lines “Nanirodho, nachonnati” etc. are not spoken with reference to the sadhakas. To those who make efforts in spiritual life the advice they give in (Karika 41, Ch. III) is very interesting.

“The mind can be brought under control only by an unrelenting effort like that which is required to empty an ocean, drop by drop, with the help of a blade of kusha grass” - 41.

The purpose of this Karika is to impress on the aspirant the immensity of the task he has undertaken, the task of transforming the jeeva bhava into Brahma Swaroopa. But he need not feel on reading this Karika that he is embarking on a hopeless adventure. We find in the life and realisation of Maharshi the fullest confirmation of the fact that the Truth Eternal is an attainable reality, and it is none other than the Self, the core of one’s own being. Maharshi declares that Realisation is not only possible but is the easiest thing to achieve, provided one has the right understanding and the true spirit of dedication. Karikas 42, 43 and 44 offer valuable hints to the aspirant, which are similar to what he finds in ‘The Talks’ in Sat-Darshana Bhashya. (Vide also Maharshi’s Gospel Books I and II.) The Karikas referred to above are as follows:

“The mind distracted by desires and enjoyments, as also the mind enjoying pleasure in oblivion (trance-like condition), should be brought under discipline by the pursuit of proper means, for the state of oblivion is as harmful as desires.” - 42.

“The mind should be turned back from the enjoyment of pleasures; remember that all this is attended with sorrow. If it be remembered that everything is the unborn Brahman, the born (duality) will not be seen.” - 43.

“If the mind becomes inactive in a state of oblivion, awaken it again. If it is distracted, bring it back to the state of tranquillity.

(In the intermediate state) know the mind containing with it desires in a potential form. If the mind has attained to the state of equilibrium, then do not disturb it again.” - 44.

It will not be out of place to quote in detail the commentary to the 43rd Karika –

“What is the way of disciplining the mind? It is thus replied. Remember that all duality is caused by Avidya or illusion, and therefore afflicted with misery. Thereby dissuade the mind from seeking enjoyments produced by desires. In other words, withdraw the mind from all dual objects by impressing upon it the idea of complete non-attachment. Realise from the teaching of the scriptures and Acharyas that all this verily is the changeless Brahman. (The italics are ours.) Then you will not see anything to the contrary, that is, duality, for it does not exist.”

It must be noted on passing that the mind that is referred to here is the individual mind which the sadhaka is to control.

A conversation I had with Maharshi about the way to interpret the 33rd verse of the third chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, brings out his attitude towards sadhana in a very clear manner. There the Lord says: “Even a wise man acts in accordance with his own nature; beings follow nature; what can restraint do?” Apparently this verse is very disheartening. Maharshi in explaining this verse made a distinction between knowledge and Jnana. Bare knowledge as an intellectual attainment will not change character. That may give a lot of ‘information’ but will not bring about any ‘transformation’; without aiming at this transformation, if one dares to confront nature, conserving all the animal appetites that flesh is heir to, that will be catastrophic for the sadhaka. The Lord has said in verse 14 of the seventh chapter, “Verily, this divine illusion of MINE, constituted by the gunas is difficult to cross over.”

Maharshi then explained that nature has two aspects and each stage has its laws. The lower is described in verse 34 of the same chapter immediately after the note of despair struck in verse 33. Here the Lord describes one of the laws that govern the lower nature. “Attachment and aversion of the senses for their respective objects are natural;” and for sadhakas the warning is forcibly given, “Let none come under their sway; they are his foes.” Jnana is the realisation that takes one to the higher plane of nature. There I asked him whether it will be appropriate to describe its functioning along the lines of the Gita,vasudev> svRimit s mhaTma suÊlRÉ> — (At the end of many births, the man of wisdom takes refuge in ME, realising that all this is Vasudeva - the innermost SELF very rare is that great soul.) Maharshi unhesitatingly said that is the truth. I then told him how Mr. V. Subrahmanya Iyer of Mysore often told me that without the explanation of this sarvam no philosophy can be valid. The life of Maharshi amply illustrates that he lives the full significance of this philosophy of Totality: in him belief and behaviour are at-one-ment. The interpretation of ‘sarvam’ of the Gita in Maharshi is through his moral outlook and conduct; and this moral appeal of Maharshi is the greatest encouragement to all those who desire to follow the spiritual path along this particular tradition, of which he is the living custodian. This moral appeal again is the fruit of his metaphysical realisation. Morality and conduct in Vedanta are inseparable from metaphysics.

We often hear it said that many of the devotees of Maharshi saw him in the state of ecstasy. I do not contradict their interpretation of Maharshi as they saw him. I would like here only to give a certain Vedantic background to his attainment of Sahajasthiti which I think should not be interpreted in terms of ecstasy. Ecstasy is a religious experience. The anubhava of Sahajasthiti is, on the other hand, metaphysical. Ecstasy is attained in the spiritual union with the Godhead. Union is possible when a difference is conceded between the units that afterwards enter into relation. But Sahajasthiti is the state natural to the SELF when all the superimpositions are thrown away, that is, in the language of the Gita when one becomes “satisfied in the SELF alone by the SELF” — AaTmNyevaTmna tuò> verse 55, Ch. I. Meister Eckhart in another language expresses the same conception thus: “For if you want the kernel you must break the shell, and therefore if you want to discover nature’s nakedness, you must destroy its symbols.” (The italics are ours.)

Let us see what Sankara has to say with regard to this topic. In the case of a Jnani the text “he is merged in Brahman,” as in the mantra in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, should be interpreted, according to Sankara, in a figurative sense. Sankara, in commenting on the passage, concludes by saying, “Therefore the Atman by itself has no difference due to bondage or liberation, knowledge or ignorance; for it is admitted to be always the same and homogeneous by nature. Those who consider the reality of the Self to be different, reduce the scriptures dealing with bondage and liberation to mere plausible statements, would dare to find the foot-prints of birds in the sky to pull it with their clenched hands........ But we can do no such thing. We hold that it is the definite conclusion of the Upanishads that we are nothing but the Atman, the Brahman that is always the same, homogeneous, one without a second, unchanging, birthless, undecaying, immortal, deathless and free from fear. Therefore the statement ‘He is merged in Brahman’

—

(this text) — is but a figurative one, — (the italics are ours)

—

meaning the cessation, as a result of Knowledge, of the continuous chain of bodies for one who has held an opposite view.”¹ Again² it is stated as follows: “The Knowledge of Brahman too means only the cessation of the identification with extraneous

¹ Page 726, translated by Swami Madhavananda, Mayavathi, 1934 edn. ² Vide Page 746.

things (such as body). The relation of identity with it has not to be established, for it is already there. Everybody has that identity with IT, for the scriptures do not enjoin that identity with Brahman should be established, but that the false identification with things other than THAT should stop. When the identification with other things is gone, the natural identity with one’s own SELF becomes isolated. This is expressed by the statement that the SELF is known. In ITSELF, IT is unknowablenot comprehended through any means.”

From the above statements we should understand that the state of Sahajasthiti or kaivalya cannot be equated with the union attained in any particular mystic condition. Whatever may be the mystic value of these transcendental states described in the ecstasies, a Jnani, - not denying of course the possibilities of these states - remains completely detached from them; for he knows that every Éav or mode of experience, material or mystic, is the same manifestation of Atman, and in every aspect of manifestation it is the same Brahman in action. His mind does not yearn for any special kind of experience. He has nothing to achieve nor has he anything to be achieved through others.¹ He is the person in whom there will be no tendency at all to proselytise. He has no mission to achieve. According to Sankara in the Nirvanashtaka he alone can say “I have no death nor fear, no distinction of rank or class. I have no father, no mother, no friend, no master nor disciple, I am Absolute Knowledge and Bliss. I am the ALL-PERVADING SELF, I am the ALLPERVADING SELF” — izvan<d-êp> izvae=h< izvhm!

In the presence of Maharshi this verily is the impression that a seeker of the Vedantic Tradition gets.

He is amongst us. We offer him our salutations.

.äüi;R rm[>.

yÚamSmr[< Sm&itÃnyit àCyavyiÖSm&it<y‘Ilavcn< vcae jnyit à}avdTya†tm!,ySsaiÚXygitgRit< klyit SvaraJyaisÏ(aidka<ydœ†iòSsmdizRta< ivtnute t< n StuvIteh k>.

Who on earth would not praise Him, Whose Name remembered removes forgetfulness and confers remembrance of Self, Whose spontaneous utterance inspire in one words highly respected and full of wisdom, approach to Whose Presence bestows sovereignty over the self and other attainments, and Whose look leads one to the Vision of Equality.

#Tw< suNdrnNdnae=é[ngSkNdaïm< ÉU;yn!iz:ya[a< srlaei´iɆRFtmae iÉNdÚmNdàÉ>,ivNdNïIrm[i;Rnam c mhanNdniBxm¶azyaeäüi;RSs ivrajte=iolnutae laekSy saEÉaGyt>.

By the good luck of the world thus shines the Brahmarishi, known as Sri Ramana, praised by all, Who was born of Sundara, Who adorned the Skandasrama on Arunachala, Who, being the Effulgence Himself, utterly destroys the massive ignorance of His disciples by His simple, direct utterances, and Who remains ever immersed in the Ocean of Supreme Bliss.

ke.Aarœ. ivñnawzaiôivrictm!

— K.R. Visvanatha Sastri

. inépmae rm[>.

THE INCOMPARABLE RAMANA

ingmavilizorezyivinveizticÄ<k…sumayuxÉ&zvEÉvpirtjRnz´m!,injsTk«itg[Ëirtjnmansmaeh<ÉjÊÄminioleòdmitmansmUhm!. 1.

1. Forever I bow to Him Who is God-incarnate and who is known to the world as Sri Ramana,¹ on whom the foremost of the learned in the Upanishads have fixed their minds, Who by His strength has completely annihilated the might of Cupid, Who shakes off the illusion affecting people's minds by dint of the multitude of His blessings the giver of everything desired to the best of His devotees, Who is beyond all attributes;

m&ÊÉa;[pirÉai;tklza<buixsar<sdrIk«tvsit< gllistamlharm!,izzutagtguétayujmrivNddla]-ÚzuÉaphvrtarkmnumÙ[dI]m!. 2.

2. Whose sayings, sweet and succinct, contain the essence of the milky ocean of wisdom, Who made a sacred cave His abode, Who from boyhood has endowed with the profound Knowledge of a Guru, Whose eyes are like the petals of a lotus, Who effectively initiates by the great Pranava Mantra (silence) that wards off all evil;

^1. The first nine slokas constitute one sentence, the principal clause of which is in the last sloka. For easy understnading, that main clause is brought into the translation of the first verse and is therefore put in distinctive type. The same clause slightly

abridged is put in the last verse also, and in distinctive type, to show that the two main clauses refer only to one and the same clause in the original.

ijtmansmitmanu;mupmanivhIn<ïuitpargnutmamyg[ùNmihmanm!,xr[Ik«tsuk«tìjpirpakzrIr<rm[Ig[ivrtaNtrmiÉramsudarm!. 3.

3. Who has conquered the mind and is a Superman beyond all comparison, Who is extolled by masters in Vedanta, Whose effulgence destroys all disease, Whose advent is due to the fructification of the merits of Mother Earth, Whose mind is turned away from women, Who is beatific and noble;

àÉvaÉvivdmazugivinraexnvNt<zuÉvasnmÉvay c É&zmu*mvNtm!,prvaidsmdvar[ivinvar[is<h<nrkavhklu;aphsugu[ailmijûm!. 4.

4. Who knows the course of creation (of the universe) and its dissolution, Who has achieved absolute control of Prana, whose nature is auspicious, Who is resolutely engaged in liberating others, Who is powerful like a lion in overcoming the proud opponents of the religion of Reality, Whose noble qualities destroy sins leading to hell, Who is straightforward;

mmtaTy}mmlazypirzaMydhNt<sumnaermÉujlailtvrd{fyut< tm!,AitmaÇktpsaiïtigirrajsutez<mitinijRtsurnaykguémStimtazm!. 5.

5. Who has renounced all sense of possession, Whose ego is lost in Pure Consciousness, Who gently carries a fine stick in His exquisitely beautiful hand, Who, by virtue of His extraordinary austerities, has dedicated himself to the Lord of Parvati, who by His intelligence excels Brihaspati, the Preceptor of gods, in Whom all desires are set at rest;

79

ÉistamliniqlaidmsklavyvaE”<hist*uitpirÉiTsRthir[a¼myUom!,SvkraipRtt&[oadnpirpae;É&de[<krraijtkrk< yitsmudayxurI[m!. 6.

6. Whose bright forehead and body are besmeared with sacred ashes, the radiance of Whose smile surpasses the beauty of moonlight, Who Himself feeds the antelopes with handfuls of grass, Who holds a beautiful gourdkm{flu and Who is the Leader of a host of ascetics;

]myaijtvsux< zuicyzs< yitdev<smdzRnpirizRtinjsÄmÉavm!,vrsuNdrjnnaNtrsutp> )lÉUt<mr[aeÑvÉvsaXvs"nvarkvatm!. 7.

7. Who by His forbearance surpasses Mother Earth, of sacred glory, the God of ascetics, Who has proved His excellence by His vision of equality, Who is the fruition of the austerity of the great man, Sundara¹ in his previous births, Who is the mighty wind dispelling the cloud of fear of samsara the endless recurrence of birth and death;

ké[arsvé[alymitmaÇms¼té[ak«itmk«taTmÊrvlaekinja¼m!,ijtmayksuk«itìjv&tmEñrmUitRimtÉaejnmvlaeknùtÉ´jnaitRm!. 8.

8. Who is the Ocean of the Nectar of Grace, Who is incomprehensible, unattached, ever youthful, Whose Form is invisible to the unregenerate, Who is surrounded by the blessed ones who have vanquished delusion, Who is abstemious, and Who by a single glance of His removes the afflictions of His devotees;

^1. Father of Sri Ramana.

zr[agtÉr[adrmé[aclvas<té[aé[ikr[aviljypi{ftÉasm!,Évsagrtr[avhcr[a<bujpaet<à[maMyhmsk«Ñ‚iv rm[aþymetm. 9.

Who is intent on supporting those who seek refuge in Him, Who abides in Arunachala, Whose splendour of Self-Knowledge dazzles the rays of the brilliant sun, and Whose Lotus-feet serve as the boat to cross the ocean of samsara — to that God-incarnate Sri Ramana, I bow for ever.

ke.Aarœ. ivñnawzaiôivrictm! —K.R. Visvanatha Sastri

BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA
AND
THE MODERN AGE

By

B. Sanjiva Rao, B.A. (Cantab), I.E.S., (Retired)

The profoundest need of the human spirit is the desire to know. Beyond the need for food, clothing, shelter, is the urge of the soul to seek for Self-knowledge. All human effort is that; all art, all literature, all science, has but one purpose, the gaining of knowledge. Man in his struggle to understand the world around him, the world of men and things, is dimly conscious of a faculty within him, which is not content with anything less than knowing and seeing that world as an inalienable part of himself. The mystic seeks a knowledge which enables him to see God as the Principle of Unity in all things. The artist and poet seeks the same knowledge by the apprehension of Beauty in all things, while the scientist seeks to discover the hidden law of being, the innermost Truth of all things. The entire sum of human effort has had this primal urge to knowledge. Towards the satisfaction of this urge, men and women have sacrificed the fundamental and primary needs of the physical and vital, and, in some cases, even life itself. The highest impulse in man, the supreme urge, which can never be suppressed is this desire for Self-knowledge. For all knowledge is ultimately Self-knowledge. To the illumined Sage, there is neither an outer world nor an inner world, and the world of Reality is but himself, an inalienable part of his own being.

The satisfaction of this urge towards the discovery of Truth, of Beauty, of Love, is the highest happiness of man. Because the secret core of his being is Eternal joy, he is ever seeking for happiness. All his efforts are directed towards the attainment of this goal. Even the satisfaction of the most transient pleasures of the senses, is due to the possession of an instinctive knowledge of the fundamentally blissful nature of the Self. But there are other needs besides the need for pleasure. Is not man fighting for Liberty, Equality and Fraternity? Is not the entire political and social history of man but a record of his struggles for the achievement of these fundamental rights? Men have given up all the things that they value most, sacrificed life itself in their struggle for these primary things of life. Because man in his innermost being is free, he fights against domination by his environment or by his fellow human beings. Because the Divine is in everything, he asserts equality as the fundamental principle of every rightly ordered society. Because there is the principle of unity in all things, he seeks to impose the ideal of Brotherhood as the underlying principle of all human relationships. Because the Kingdom of God exists within Himself, man constantly seeks to establish that Kingdom in the outer world.

This is the original wisdom which is implicit in every individual life; every child of man shares in this heritage of the soul. But there is also an original Ajnana characteristic of all self-conscious existence which is the cause of all sorrow. Buddha declared that ‘self-conscious’ existence is sorrow. The Christian believed in an original sin which has brought about the fall of man. When from an original unconsciousness man developed a self-conscious individuality, he lost his innocence and gained a knowledge of good and evil. Good and evil exist only in the mind of the man who suffers from this Ajnana. The innocent child does not know good and evil, neither does the perfected Jnani. What is this Ajnana, this original sin, which is the root-cause of all sufferings? It is Egoism. Egoism is essentially the limitation of life to an individual body, life and mind. Such limitation brings about a psychological isolation by the mind of the individual from the Universal Life and is the root-cause of a fundamental loneliness in the heart of man.

THE MALADY OF THE MODERN AGE

This is the fundamental Ajnana which is the background of life in the world of to-day. The isolation of the individual from the sources of Life is responsible for the malady which we know as modern civilisation. Its symptoms are fear, insecurity, a general feeling of the utter meaninglessness of life, loneliness, etc. Man to-day is deeply afraid, afraid of his neighbour, even more afraid of himself, afraid of death and even more afraid of life. What is the underlying cause of this fear? There is a death more terrible than the death of the physical body. It is psychological death, the death of the ego. Man is aware that such a death is imminent and so there is a panic in his system. He cannot face the appalling poverty and emptiness of an existence deprived of the joys of the egoistic life. Threatened with the destruction of all that has constituted for him ‘life’, he has thrown himself into a feverish activity for the gaining of wealth, sensation and power. He seeks in external wealth a compensation for the inner poverty of his egoistic life. Because he has lost the power of Love he seeks consolation in excitement and sensation, in the gratification of a false love. His inner soul is in bondage, powerless, insignificant and, therefore, he seeks to give a false significance to his life by the vain trappings of power and position. Wealth, sensation and power become the pre-occupations of the modern man.

But in spite of this clouding of his vision by ajnana, man can never lose his instinctive wisdom, the knowledge of the truth of his own being. Out of the depths of despair, out of a consciousness of bondage comes man’s cry for liberation. Such

- a prayer is its own answer. The consciousness of bondage is the beginning of freedom. What is true of the individual is true of the collective life of Humanity. In the darkest hour of her despair, Humanity throws up individuals embodying in themselves the response to her own needs.

Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi is a significant answer to the world’s cry for liberation. He is a strange figure - one of the strangest and yet one of the most fascinating and striking personalities of all times. As a matter of fact, he belongs not to any age, but to all ages, not to time but to eternity. He has renounced as valueless all that the modern world values most. He has no use for money, he is no respecter of rank and position, he reacts to men and women in exactly the same way. His detachment is as complete as it is perfect. Nothing seems to possess the power to disturb his superb poise, his marvellous tranquillity and peace. Tragedy does not move him in a personal way. He has lived publicly for 50 years at the foot of Arunachala, that mystic Hill, the Heart of the world, the secret and sacred Heart-centre of Siva. That Hill is the only symbol, the only adequate representation of his spiritual realisation. More ancient than the Himalayas, forming part of the very foundations of the earth, this bare Hill, the relic of an age which easily runs into a thousand million years or even more, has stood and witnessed the rise and fall of many forms of life of which human history is but a recent and small chapter. Pilgrims who come to witness the yearly festival of the lighting of the Beacon on the top of the Hill and who worship it as the symbol of Siva, instinctively recognise the presence of that same power in the Sage and give to him a like worship. There is little doubt that an ageless Wisdom, as old as the Heart of the Hill, aye even older than that, shines through those wonderful eyes which look with such perfect tranquillity and yet such deep compassion upon the suffering world.

What is the significance of a life like this? What is its relation to a world lost in the primal darkness of a total Ajnana? What message can he give to us, he who seems to live in a world so completely detached from all the human interests which form the background of our lives?

THE EGO-LESS STATE

There are three well-marked stages in human evolution, the unconscious, the self-conscious and the self-less or ego-less state. Through countless ages, man lived and struggled to become an individual, a completely integrated self-conscious individual. That state has yet to be reached by the vast majority of the human race. But there are indications, especially in Western countries, that self-conscious individualism has been attained by the modern man. In fact modern civilisation is the fullest expression of the second stage of human evolution. It is essentially an ego-centric civilisation; its highest concern is the welfare of the individual. Associated or group life is a mere means towards the achievement of the highest possible freedom and well-being of the individual. States exist for the individual man. This is the democratic ideal. Yet there is a vague, indistinct suspicion that there is something inadequate in such a conception of individual freedom, that it is only a half-truth. The totalitarian concept of the subordination of the individual to the State represents the other half-truth, that individual life has no significance except in relationship to the whole. Man in isolation has no meaning, and when he lives only for himself, he stultifies his inner life. The Universal exists and fulfils itself in and through an individual. That is what Democracy and the democratic ideal are seeking to realise. The individual can achieve the perfect life only by harmonising himself with the Universal. That is the second half of the Truth. Communism has only a vague and distorted conception of this view of life. Dialectic materialism regards the entire process of human evolution as a perpetual swing from individualism to collectivism and from collectivism back to individualism on a higher plane. Will this rhythmic, cyclic process never come to an end? Must man ever remain within the domain of dualities? Modern civilised man as represented by the Marxian communist says that this dualistic movement is implicit in Nature and man cannot rise above Nature. Ancient thought has again and again proclaimed self-transcendence, the reconciliation of the Dwandwas in a higher synthesis not only as an ideal to be worked for, but as a fact of Super-Nature. The Ego-less state is the final term of human evolution. Birth, childhood, adolescence, manhood, old age and death, these are inevitable to the body. These have their counterparts in the evolution of the Ego. But the death of the Ego is not annihilation; it is a regeneration, a rebirth. To the Jnani, who lives simply and completely in the Natural, the Sahajasthiti, evolution of the Ego is as illusory as the Ego itself. There is no evolution for that which is Eternal.

The Maharshi is a living proof of the ancient Advaitic thought. He demonstrates the reality of Self-transcendence, of Nirvana, that it is not a negative condition, not a nothingness, but a positive, dynamic state of the human consciousness. The Maharshi states that the Ego-less state is the natural, the real state, that the Ego-state is the unnatural and the false state. The natural condition of the physical body is health, the unnatural condition is disease. Individual self-consciousness is a false imposition on the Real and is therefore a disease and a disorder. Modern civilisation, which is the expression of this disordered condition of the psyche, is therefore itself a disease. Edward Carpenter thought of it and described it as a ‘malady’ and sought for its cause and cure.

It is not easy to describe the Ego-less state. To one who has not loved, how can one tell what love is? It is easy to analyse mentally, break up the integrity of love and describe the manifestations of love in human behaviour. But love is something more than, other than merely the sum of the symptoms of love. So it is with the Ego-less state. Because that the state is natural to us, we instinctly recognise that state. Our instant and immediate response to the radiations of Maharshi’s Ego-lessness is the proof of the existence within ourselves of a standard of evaluation of spiritual quality of the Ego-less state. It is impossible to break up mentally that which is indivisible and which can be apprehended only by the whole of our being. Any fission, any conflict of the elements of our being, is a definite obstacle to such apprehension.

Yet an effort must be made to make such a state intelligible to the mind. What, then, are the characteristics of the Ego-less state? What is the quality of the life that expresses itself through that condition of the consciousness?

The Ego is not an entity. It is much more a symptom of the obstruction of the free flow of life. It is like the ache that manifests itself where there is any functional disorder in any part of the body. Such obstruction to the expression of the real Life is the ‘I’, the false ‘I’. To that disorder of the system, we have given the independent status of a being. It has no Real objective existence. It comes into being when we limit our consciousness. It disappears whenever we work with the whole of our being. We enjoy a temporary liberation when we are doing truly creative work. When we are wholly absorbed in an activity which involves the co-operation of all the elements of our being, we say we forget ourselves. It is more correct to describe it, not as a momentary forgetfulness of Ego, but as a flash of true Self-awareness. For, there is in us an ‘I’, a true ‘I’, which is the true subject, and for the true subject, there is no object. To be that true ‘I’ is to cease to be limited to an individual consciousness. It is to become a focus of the Universal Consciousness. It is the whole, the Totality that is acting continuously through such a focus, the true ‘I’ in man. As Plotinus said, true virtue is this unimpeded activity of the Sprit. This true ‘I’ is in a sense, impersonally personal, because it is the manifestation of the Universal and Eternal, of timeless Being through a finite body, life and mind. But the Force that acts is the Power of the Supreme Universal.

LIFE OF THE EGO AND THE LIFE OF THE TRUE ‘I’

Egoistic life is a series of reactions to external impacts. Through the gateways of the surface mind and the senses there arrive sensations, feelings and thoughts to which the Ego immediately reacts. It is to such reactions that we ascribe a semblance of Reality; we call it incorrectly our life. With the data given to us by our senses, we construct with our mind a picture, a representation of the outer world, the universe of objective forms; and in the region of the psyche, we create a network of human relationships which pictorially describe our own egoistic reactions, mental, vital and physical, to other Egos, the network which we call samsara. To such a mentally constructed universe physical and psychic, we ascribe an independent Reality, because there is a certain measure of agreement in the descriptions of different individuals, though what is known as the personal equation enters largely into our concentration of the world of things as they are. The psychic Universe is unique to each ego. That is fairly recognised, but that the physical universe itself, i.e., our conception of it, is entirely mental is now becoming fairly well accepted by some of our most distinguished scientists. Knowledge derived by the mind of such a universe, called by us ‘Science’, is really an analysis of the law of our own minds.

The super-personal mind considers such a mentally constructed universe as unreal. That the world-appearance, as conditioned by the reports of the present existing senses, is different from the Real world is at least recognised by metaphysicians as valid. Avidya is the name given to any science or knowledge based upon a description of Reality by one who wears the spectacles of the Ego. It is illusory only in the sense that the Real world is different from what it appears when looked at from the standpoint of the Ego.

In the Ego-less condition, the true ‘I’ stands apart from the apparent reactions of the mind. The Sage watches the movements of the mind with the same objective detachment and impersonality as that of the scientific investigator of a physical phenomenon. The immediate effect of such self-scrutiny is a quieting and stilling of the mind. Such a slowing down of mental processes leading to complete inhibition of thought brings to the front a Mind which is self-luminous and which is then capable of being reflected without distortion in the tranquil waters of the moveless kind. This Light of the Divine Mind is like the light of the Sun. Itself invisible, it reveals the inner structure of everything upon which it falls. It enables us to see the Real World, the world of things in themselves. The blind, egoistic or lower mind is like the blind man trying to create a mental picture of a drawing-room, its furniture, and the relations of the several pieces one to the other. Painfully, by prolonged contacts and calculations, he forms a rough idea of that drawing-room and its contents. Such exactly is the condition of the human individual. He sees through the dark glasses of the Ego. He uses all the apparatus of scientific and mathematical formulae. Let him, however, be given the gift of vision, then all the speculations and calculations of the mind cease; and in a flash, he sees more swiftly, more accurately, without the shadow of uncertainty that which he has never known before. He no longer argues, because he sees. With the help of the light of the Divine Mind, he sees into the innermost nature of things. His mind and consciousness attain by a process of identification, i.e., by a process of being that which you wish to know, a swift illumination of the secret being that is implicit in the heart of things.

No Jnani can, therefore, possibly enter into an argument or discussion. He knows because he is that which he desires to know, and how can there be anything but the most absolute certitude in his knowledge of things? He would say to us: “Do not argue, but remove glasses of Ego through which you see everything, every problem.” In the light of that Supreme Knowledge, all your mentally constructed problems cease to have validity. We are reminded of the wonderful words of the Buddha: “You close your eyes and cry that it is dark and that you cannot see; open your eyes and see.”

This impersonal scrutiny and examination of our mental reactions is a standing aside from the mind. We gradually realise that the ‘I’ is not the mind. It is the beginning of real self-knowledge. I have reversed the usually accepted technique of Self-knowledge of the Maharshi, because, in a way, it is easier to destroy the sense of our being the mind than to remove physical-body-consciousness.

The super-personal Mind when it reflects itself in the quiescent lower mind is the light of genius. The condition for such a manifestation is the utter surrender of the lower mind, its utter cessation of all personal demands and ambition. Intuitional truth is never arrived at in any other way. The highest intuitions of the human mind have been manifested when the lower mind has had to face a crisis and has had to accept its own complete inadequacy in the face of such a breakdown of the normal functioning of the mental machinery. The aspiration towards a true understanding is the true prayer of the human soul. When the soul seeks for Truth and nothing but the Truth, strips itself naked of every other desire, then the need of the human soul never fails to bring an automatic response from the depths of its own being. Truth is an answer to the cry of the soul for enlightenment. That the answer is from Itself, the One Reality which forms the core of its own self does not make it less of a prayer. Genius, then, is nothing less than the cosmic mind shining momentarily in the tranquil waters of the quiescent mind, the illumination by the Inner Sun of the individual mind.

When the Oversoul shines through the mind, It is genius. When It shines through the feelings, It is a Supreme Love. When It shines through the body, It is Beauty. Man’s deepest intentions are an awareness of the existence of Truth, Goodness or Love and Beauty as the central truth of Life. His need for these absolute values is even more urgent and profound than his need for food, clothing and shelter.

GOODNESS OR LOVE

Love is the simplest manifestation of the Oneness of the Absolute. Every one who has loved knows that man forgets himself in loving others, nay, that for the time being, there is the complete absence of an other. All evil arises from an idea of the separate self. The separate self is a fiction, a figment of the egoistic mind. The external world is that which is alien to us, that which we have not understood and so brought within the circle of our own consciousness. To the Supreme Lover, there is no other, no world outside the range and scope of his all-embracing Love. A great Teacher was asked: “Are you not bored with me?” He answered simply; “How can I be bored are you not myself?” Yes, Love is the apprehension through the feelings of the utter unity, the non-duality, of the entire universe of manifested beings. ‘All souls are all things’, said Plotinus. ‘Goodness is unification and unification is goodness’. The love of our fellow human beings or philanthropy is not the end of morality, but its consequence. We should love our neighbours because they are ourselves. It is a simple awareness of an existing unity in Nature, a unity in being. Love, then, is not different from or other than Truth. It is the Truth of the oneness of all Life, apprehended through our emotions. Love is utterly spontaneous. There can be no compulsion, no duty in Love.

BEAUTY

When the Oversoul shines through the Physical, It is Beauty. Beauty is the Universal and the Spiritual, announcing itself through the senses to the soul of man. The Poet Rabindranath called Beauty the Messenger of God, His signet ring by which the soul can recognise its Beloved. All aesthetic pleasure is the pleasure of recognition of the Beloved. It is a reflection of the supreme Ananda.

The ideal of the perfect life is made manifest to us by the presence of the Sage in our midst. When we see Sage Sri Ramana, we are reminded of the words of Christ who placed before man as his ideal the life of the Lily that toils not: ‘Behold the lilies of the field, they toil not, neither do they spin, yet Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.’ Why does the great Christian Teacher find the best symbol of the perfect life in the Lily? The growth of the flower into beauty is utterly unconscious. It exists for itself and no other purpose than to manifest the hidden Beauty of God embodied in its brief but perfect life. It gives of its fragrance to all alike. It asks for no gratitude, solicits no appreciation or praise. You may pass it by in utter unconsciousness of its rare and exquisite charm. Yet it is content to live and enrich life all around with no sense of effort, no feeling of toilsomeness in all the silent work it does, though the work is ceaseless. It is a work which releases an infinite joy at every moment of its existence. Therefore it is that the flower is the most fitting symbol of perfect work, of the ceaseless creation of things of Beauty which are a joy for ever. The Ego-less state therefore is not a negative condition, is not a nihil. It is a state of intense spiritual activity constantly releasing and radiating the Power of Truth, of Love and the gracious influence of an exquisite Beauty.

CREATIVE SILENCE

The Maharshi represents a very perfect instance of the Ego-less state. He speaks little and only when he finds it necessary to do so. Silence is to him the most powerful expression of Being, which speech only hinders. Asked to define ‘Mouna’ he said, “That stage which transcends speech and thought is Mouna; it is meditation without mental activity. Deep meditation is Eternal speech. Silence is ever speaking; it is the perennial flow of language. It is interrupted by speaking, for words obstruct this mute language. Silence is unceasing eloquence. It is the best language.”

It is obvious that the Silence of the Maharshi is something more than the inhibition of speech. It is the expression of the Ego-less state. Egoism is a state of tension, of conflict. The mind reacts constantly, almost continuously, to the impact of sensations, thoughts and ideas. The cessation of this continuous reaction is the real Silence. In that Silence, man becomes creative. The Integrated Self becomes a focus of Universal Life which uses the individual as Its agent or tool. Whether such an individual works on the physical plane or not is immaterial. The absence of physical expression means a concentration of Power, as there is no frittering of energy on comparatively lower levels of being, and, therefore, the silent man is the powerful man especially when the Silence is of the mind, a cessation of its continuous chattering. Sri Maharshi uses the Power of this Silence in a most effective fashion. When any visitor presents him with a problem for solution, he vouchsafes no answer but retires into the depths of his own being. He becomes the embodiment of the very essence of Silence, and in that tranquil quietness, the visitor finds his mind becoming still under an over-powering radiation from the Sage. In that Stillness, the problem dissolves and the visitor leaves the august presence marvelling what mysterious power has come to his aid.

MAHARSHI’S PHILOSOPHY OF WORK

How does the Sage who has reached this Ego-less state work? What does he do to help his fellow human beings? Many have been frankly puzzled by the Maharshi’s apparent indifference to what is happening in the world around him. He reads the papers and is familiar with the social and political events. But even a great catastrophe like the war evokes no visible response from him. He is not oppressed by the burden of the world’s sorrow, and yet it would be stupid ignorance not to realise that he is one of the most compassionate of men. He seems to deny that God’s world is being mismanaged by Him and, therefore, needs the assistance of the political and social philanthropist to set it right. There are so many experiments being made to create new societies, with new ideologies, new movements for human welfare. His view is simple and direct. Find out who is working in you and through you. When you know who and what the Power is which acts, feels and thinks through you, then then you will realise that that Power is equally at work in and through all things, that It is a supremely wise and intelligent Principle guiding and shaping men and events to a Divinely appointed end. The divine order already exists. The society of just men made perfect is an eternal fact of Nature. The moment you have gained Self-knowledge and cast off the fetters of egoism, you become aware of that Divine order and of your place in it as an integral part of the Universal Life. The dream of every idealist, of every social reformer, of every great worker and servant is fundamentally true, for it is a dim intuitive perception of that Archetypal state which is an eternal fact of Super-nature. So, man’s great fulfilment consists in realising his own inner nature, status and function and then fitting himself into his divinely appointed place in such a state. If all men fulfilled their Dharma, then there would be no place for the philanthropist or the social dreamer. Philanthropy is the subtlest form of egoism born out of a false sense of superiority. It is, therefore, necessary to be aware that to do good, one must be good; only the pure in heart can do good. For, out of an evil heart, no good deed can come. It must for ever be stained by the wrong motive which causes the deed to be born.

It is easy to understand that this view of social work and service will fail to appeal to the modern man who sees in it an implied condemnation of what he considers to be an important part of the good life. Yet there is little doubt that the Sage is essentially right. What he says is the teaching of every one who has attained the Ego-less condition. In spite of a visible demonstration of the reality of the Ego-less state, the physical mind has a certain fear of this self-annihilation. The Silence of the mind is confused with a total destruction of the capacity to think and the void of the Ego-less state is equated by the mind with non-existence. This Emptiness is the result of, to use Sri Aurobindo’s words, “the emptying of the cup of our natural being, a liberation of it from its turbid contents, so that it may be filled with the wine of God. It is the passage not to nonexistence, but into some vast ineffable of spiritual being or the plunge into the incommunicable superconscience of the Absolute.”

When the Ego-less condition has been reached, there is a complete reversal of all our ideas and values. The discipline or sadhana, which the individual imposes upon himself in order to attain self-transcendence, becomes the spontaneous expression of the Ego-less state. Virtue is no longer a struggle demanding continuous vigilance and control, but an effortless joyous living. We no longer seek to create movements, societies for attaining universal brotherhood, for imposing a common unity upon a group; but we live together because we have realised our essential oneness, a common life and interest. We no longer serve in order to love, but because we love. We do not need law to control our anti-social tendencies and impose standards of decency and good behaviour; law becomes the expression of the way in which liberated men and women behave towards each other. The moral man is the self-controlled man who observes in his conduct a certain code of good behaviour. The spiritual man is the self-less man. He has no moral codes; he is a law unto himself, for that morality which has for its objective the control of egoistic passions and impulses ceases to have meaning to a man who has no self to control, who has attained self-transcendence. The moral man does not do evil; the spiritual man cannot do evil. The moral man controls anger and lust and covetousness. The spiritual man is incapable of anger, lust and covetousness.

THE EMERGENCE OF THE EGO-LESS OR
SPIRITUAL MAN

With the development and emergence of mind out of inconscience, the evolution of forms came to an end. In animals and lower forms, there is a continuous adaptation of the organism to the pressure of the environment or what may be vaguely described as an evolutionary demand. Animals learned to fly by the development of wings. But man is essentially a tool-using and a tool-making animal. He does not grow wings but invents aeroplanes. He does not burden himself with a defensive armour. He builds forts or underground shelters to defend himself. With the growth of the scientific intellect, the manufacture of tools and weapons has reached vast proportions. The atom bomb represents the latest weapon discovered by scientific genius. With the enormous growth of the mind, man’s physical body has become more and more vulnerable, less and less capable of defending itself against attacks both from external enemies, as well as the invisible enemies like disease. Man is also living more and more in his vital and mental bodies than in the physical. So, in a sense, physical evolution has come to an end for man. Mental and psychic development has taken the place of physical evolution. There are signs that mental development has practically reached its highest peak of attainment in the present age. The discovery of the atom bomb places before man two alternatives (1) total self-destruction on a global scale; (2) the discovery by man of a higher form of living which makes war impossible in the future. Eastern Teachers like the Buddha and the Christ have taught us that the use of force as a weapon of defence or offence is essentially evil. “Hatred ceaseth not by hatred, but hatred ceaseth by love,” so said the Lord Buddha. The use of violence strengthens the desire of the enemy to resist. So violence itself forges the weapons of a counter-violence. There are two ways by which we can defend ourselves against aggression; one is the discovery of more powerful weapons of offence so as to enable us to compel the aggressor to be on the defensive. The Second way is to disarm the enemy by Love.

Doubts have often been expressed about the possibilities of this latter method proving effective. But we have had no means of examining this technique of moral disarmament and its effectiveness. The selfless man is still a rare and isolated phenomenon. We have given him our love and worship. But we have never examined his psychic influence, its nature and range. When scientists were investigating the nature of the nucleus of the atom, a thrill, a feeling of awe, greeted the discovery of Radium. A whole new world of wonder, of beauty and power was revealed to the gaze of the scientist. The atom bomb has discovered sources of almost infinite energy in the heart of the atom. The disintegration of the atom has released the primal energy locked up in its being.

The Ego is the atom of the psychic world. If the disintegration of the atom has given us so much power, what may not be accomplished by the annihilation of this ego-self?

The Sage of Tiruvannamalai can answer this question.

HE HIMSELF IS THE LIVING ANSWER.

BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA
THE EMBODIMENT OF
SPIRITUAL POWER

By

Dewan Bahadur K. Sundaram Chettiar, B.A., B.L., Retired High Court Judge

With mute wonder, and contemplation deep, do I venture to contribute my humble thoughts of admiration and reverence about Bhagavan Sri Ramana, for the Souvenir to be published on the unique occasion of the celebration of the Golden Jubilee, in recognition of the completion of 50 years since the date of his having set his foot on the sacred soil of Tiruvannamalai, in quest of his Divine Father, Sri Arunachala.

In the galaxy of spiritual Stars who have shone forth from time to time spreading lustre over the land of Bharata Matha, Sri Ramana Maharshi is one of the brightest. No wonder that this great Sage of modern times has been the cynosure for the eyes of a vast multitude of people, who have been fortunate enough to come under his divine gaze during the course of the past half a century. During all these years, it is a matter for wonder that he never allowed his physical body to go beyond the ambit of Tiruvannamalai, wherein the sacred temple and the Hill of Arunachala are situated. This is a unique feature in his life. Young as he was, a boy of 16, when he first came to this town, there was nothing to tempt him to visit any other place; he had the firm resolve to abide firmly in Atmanishtha, in communion with the Supreme Being, at some secluded spot or other, even at his tender age, quite unmindful of the troubles, pains and privations of the physical body. The austerities to which he subjected himself, while he was so young and was not understood by the lay public in the proper perspective, are really telling. From the time of his arrival at the sacred town he was in a state of Mouna (silence), forgetful of his body and the external world and was immersed in mystic contemplation of the Divine, fully absorbed in the Cosmic Consciousness and rapt in Bliss ineffable. That supreme State was attained by him, without any preliminary Sadhanas in this incarnation, and it resembled a full-grown bud ready to blossom forth before the rising sun. There was even in his boyhood the culmination of Selfrealisation, and Beatific Vision. In communion with the Eternal Spirit, he merged his Individual consciousness in the Universal Self, with the result, that he saw the world was as a shadow of or an emanation from Brahman.

It was only after the lapse of some years in a state of Silence, despite the severe ordeals for his body, which were all endured with perfect calmness and patience, that he chose to break the ice of silence, and allow the benefit of the sweet flow of his speech to those who approached him with devotion and love. During the time of his abode on the Hill of the Holy Beacon, Arunachala, with no more than a small piece of loin-cloth as his garment, several persons were eager to visit him and drink the nectar of the spiritual teachings imparted by him in a homely fashion. Having perfected the Nirvikalpa Samadhi (the continuous state of absorption in the Supreme Self ) and prompted by his deep love for humanity to sublimate it from its spiritual darkness caused by the Veil of Maya, he made himself the benefactor of mankind without showing any distinction of caste, creed or race, and treating alike the rich and the poor, learned and ignorant, man and woman. He imparted wisdom to all who sought for it, adapting his teachings to the capacity of the inquirer. In this way his glory spread itself far and wide.

Having realised the Self as the all-pervading Sat-chit-Ananda (immanent and transcendent), his Wisdom and Knowledge flowed directly from the Atmic or trans-intellectual regions and filtered down unimpeded into his physical brain consciousness. That being so, he needed not the spectacles of books to read ‘Nature’, nor was any course of academic training necessary for him. When the flash of intuition revealed the Reality to him, the process of doubtful intellectual reasoning need not be resorted to by him. In many a conversion with him even savants of great learning were struck with wonder at the nature of his answers replete with rare wisdom. Sometimes, his answers would be cryptic, so as to go beyond the grasp of an ordinary mind.

When this great Sage was easily accessible to the devotees, during the period of his stay in the Virupaksha cave on the sacred Hill, I had the opportunity of having his Darshan and of listening to some of his soul-elevating talks. The years 1909 and ’10 and the earlier part of 1911, when I was the District Munsif of Tiruvannamalai, I deem to be auspicious in my life, for the only reason that I had the privilege of sitting at the feet of Sri Bhagavan now and then, and learning what my limited mind could grasp from the great Tree of his spiritual Knowledge. The more I came in contact with him, the greater was my devotion to him. In those days, Kavyakantha Ganapati Sastrigal, a great savant in Sanskrit literature, and also a Yogi, was struck with admiration on finding the greatness of Sri Bhagavan. In the booklet, styled as “Sri Ramana Gita” composed by the Sastrigal, as Slokas in Sanskrit, are found gems of spiritual teachings given by Sri Bhagavan more than 30 years ago, in reply to questions put by seekers after Truth. I can only say that Sri Bhagavan is a mine of Wisdom. Questions on many abstruse subjects, have been answered with a clarity and directness, which would not be possible except for a realized soul or Jivanmukta.

For instance, in reply to a query about the Self, Sri Bhagavan has stated that the primal state of the Self is the flame of Consciousness, pure and simple, apart from the objective world.

The Spiritual lessons, which Sri Bhagavan was imparting to earnest inquirers for over four decades would be legion. They have been incorporated in several treatises written in English and Tamil, in the form of prose and verse, and this precious literature has been widely read all over the civilized world. About 3000 years ago, a Greek Philosopher was bombarded with some knotty questions. To the question “What is the easiest thing in the World?” his answer was “To give advice to others”. To another question, viz., “What is the most difficult thing in the world”, he answered “To know one’s own true Self”. Sri Bhagavan’s main teachings were directed towards the attainment of that knowledge which is otherwise called “Self-Realization.”

To this search, Sri Bhagavan has given the key from his own experience. All the conundrums connected with this inquiry, have been solved by him in a masterly way as shown in the precious booklets, such as “Who am I?” A Catechism of Enquiry, A Catechism of Instruction, Ulladu Narpadu or Sad-Vidya and Maharshi’s Gospel (Books I & II). The primary sadhana is portrayed in “Who am I?” as a contemplation in the following manner: “I am not this physical body, nor am I the five organs of sense-perception; I am not the five organs of external activity, nor am I the five vital forces nor am I even the thinking mind. Neither am I that unconscious state of nescience.... That which then remains separate and alone by itself, that pure Awareness verily am I. This Awareness is by its very nature, Sat-chit-Ananda, Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.” This is the direct path indicated by Sri Bhagavan to all aspirants for jnana, which leads to Moksha or Liberation. What I was able to grasp from the words of Sri Bhagavan about the practice of this Yoga (if I may call it so), I have described in a crude way in my Foreword to that excellent book styled as “Self-Realisation” (Life and Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi) which was written in 1930 by my revered friend Sri B. V. Narasimha Swamy and first published in 1931. The relevant passage in that Foreword runs thus: “Retreat ever within thine own self; seek the Source whence the restless mind spins out an unceasing web of thoughts; brush aside the springing thoughts, concentrate at the root of thought; and take repose in that stillness and quietude. So much is thy effort, and what next is one for experience and inner realisation, and does not admit of exposition in words”. A strenuous practice of this kind of meditation or contemplation will lead to the experience of one’s natural and primal State, which is beyond the three lower states of consciousness, viz., waking, dream and deep sleep. That transcendental State is pure Knowledge, which is not conscious of any object, but not unconscious itself. In that state, there is unconditioned Bliss. If the enjoyment of Bliss should depend upon any extraneous condition, it cannot be unchanging and permanent. Such a condition is liable to changes, many and varied, and what depends on it should also share the same fate. After realizing the Truth, if one wakes up in this phenomenal world, he will not be affected by its illusion. Having perceived the Unity, he would feel that there is nothing distinct from himself and that what he has realized shines forth as all the phenomena of the objective world. Though the things appear to be changing, his state remains unchanged. This is the natural eternal state according to Sri Bhagavan’s teaching.

Having thus obtained perfection in this incarnation even at an early age of his physical body, it is no wonder that in Sri Bhagavan all sense of personality (“I”) dissolved itself in the Self-Impersonal. What is the result of his abiding in the Majesty of the cosmic Self? The sense of separateness is non-existent. He sees everything in himself and himself in everything. Whatever seems to happen in the world, whether good or evil from the worldly standpoint, is incapable of affecting his peace, which passeth understanding. He has gone beyond the pairs of opposites, and looks at events in the light of the Absolute. At no time has this Sage done anything on his own initiative as if he had a particular desire for something nor has he directed others to do anything in fulfilment of any purpose. He has all the characteristics of a Sthitaprajna described in Srimad Bhagavat Gita.

Being one with the Divine Self, he manifests the highest traits of Iswara, such as love, compassion, equanimity, patience, and detachment. His love and compassion are shown not only towards the human kingdom but also towards the sub-human. The State he attained has made it natural for him to observe the dictum: “Weep with those who weep rejoice with those who rejoice”. Is not this a noble feature in the conduct of Sri Rama (the incarnation of the supreme Lord Narayana)? As for equanimity, his very presence generates an atmosphere of peace which is felt by several devotees who go to visit him with sincerity and faith. His look is steady and gracious. Some of those who approached him with a few questions in their minds found that the answers were given, anticipating their questions. Some find their doubts cleared while sitting silently within his aura, without any speech by him.

It may be asked, what is the secret of such power. By the most difficult practice of the stilling of the mind, the lifting of the veil of Maya has been accomplished. Consequently, he has seen into the heart of creation, and perceived his oneness with the rest of mankind. The fundamental teaching of all the Upanishads is that the self of each man is not different from and, when freed from the veil of Maya (Prakriti), is identical with the Universal Self. It is beautifully explained by Edward Carpenter, in his book The Teachings of the Upanishads. The following quotation from it will not be out of place: “The cistern is the great Reservoir of the Universe which contains the pure and perfect Spirit of all life. Each one of us and every mortal creature represents a drop from that reservoir - a drop indeed which is also pure and perfect (though the phial in which it is contained may not always be so). When we, each of us, descend into the world and meet the great Ocean of Life which dwells there behind all mortal forms, it is like the little phial being poured into the great Reservoir. If the tiny canful, which is ourselves, is pure and unsoiled, then when it meets the World, it will blend with the Spirit which informs the world perfectly harmoniously, without distress or dislocation. It will pass through and be at one with it. How can one describe such a state of affairs? You will have the key to every person that you meet, because indeed you are conscious that the real essence of that person is the same as your own. You will have the solution of every event which happens. For every event is (and is felt to be) the touch of the great Spirit on yours.” The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says, “If a man worships the Self only as his true state, his work cannot fail, for whatever he desires, that he obtains from the Self.” On this passage, the comment by Edward Carpenter is “What a wonderful saying and how infallibly true! For obviously if you succeed in identifying your true being with the great Self of the Universe, then whatever your desire, the great Self will also desire and therefore every power of Nature will be at your service and will conspire to fulfil your need.” Such will be the glory of one who has attained this state of Perfection.

India, which is called “Bharatha Bhumi”, is the heart of the World, as the great Rishis of hoary antiquity had set their holy feet on its sacred soil. They were great Seers. They have left a rich legacy of spiritual literature for the good of posterity. Even in modern times, such Sages and Saints do exist, though the materialistic and sceptical minds have not the good fortune of understanding and appreciating their worth. In their jaundiced vision, they can only see the apparently inactive physical condition of these saints, and jump to the conclusion, that no activities for the service of the world are done by them in any tangible form. In this connection, I have to indent upon a lecture on “Hindu Culture” recently published in a book containing selections from the writings and speeches of that repository of remarkable and versatile talents, Dr. Sir C. P. Ramaswamy Aiyar. He, therein, refers to the estimate of the Western literary world of such Sages, by quoting the following lines of a modern Poet, on the “Spirit of the East”:

“Reposeful, patient, undemonstrative,

Luxurious, enigmatically sage,

Aloof from our mutations and unrest;

Alien to our achievements and desires,

Another brain dreaming other dreams,

Another heart recalling other Loves.”

The idea underlying these lines (with which the learned lecturer does not agree) is explained by him to be that Eastern thought and Eastern spirit are so aloof from the realms of activity that they need not be taken seriously by the world’s workers. It is well that such minds are disillusioned. They ignore the fact that the World is an emanation of the Supreme Spirit, according to its great and marvellous design, and that there is an inner and spiritual Government conducted by the great Occult Hierarchy, mighty Intelligences wielding enormous powers and forces, conducive to the progress of evolution according to the plan of Iswara (the Supreme Lord of the Universe). The physical activities of selfless workers for the god of humanity need not always be regarded as their own original or unaided work. They are frequently inspired by the spiritual forces generated on the super-physical planes, by great Sages and Saints, not perceptible to the physical senses of mankind. Great scientists, philosophers, and poets, have had such an illumination, which they could not account for with the aid of the known laws of the physical world. My belief is, that by reason of the sprinkling here and there of such Saints and Sages in India, it has escaped the dire catastrophe of being actually a war zone in the recent devastating World War. Divine Justice keeps the balance even, in dispensing the fruits of Karma, collectively or individually, and India has had its share of sufferings in proportion to the evil Karma of its population as a whole. Such suffering should be a corrective either to an individual or to a nation.

What I have stated in the preceding paragraph may seem to be a digression, but it is relevant to the purpose of this article. After having his abode on the sacred Hill for some years and then in “Skandasrama” on the Hill itself, a beautiful garden near Palithirtham at the foot of the Hill, became the place of his residence, which with the imposing structures therein came to be known as “Sri Ramanasramam”. In its early days, a small building only could be sighted in this garden, where Sri Bhagavan used to allow the daily stream of devotees to have his Darshan and listen to his teachings. In the course of more than two decades, this Asramam developed itself into a charming and splendid colony, like the silvery moon expanding in size and increasing in brilliance during the bright fortnight. The spiritual glory of the Maharshi has been demonstrated by him in the conduct of his life. The drama of worldly life was played by him not in the fashion of the ordinary earth-bounded soul, but in the most extraordinary fashion of a liberated soul. Those incidents are exhaustively described in a telling manner in the book of Sri Narasimhaswamy, already referred to. That book has now undergone four editions. It seems to me that the first publication of this book in the English language was the means of spreading the greatness of this Sage in the Western world. It must have attracted the attention of several aspirants born and brought up in western civilisation, with the result that some of them undertook the long journey to Sri Ramanasramam, prompted by their eager desire to visit Sri Bhagavan. Some of them became staunch devotees and took their residence in buildings nearby the Asramam itself. Besides these men and women from foreign countries, innumerable are the Indians, rich and poor, prince and peasant, learned and ignorant, who have been resorting to this Asramam during all these years. When a big fountain of fresh, limpid water is approached by several people, the quantity which each can carry away is in proportion to the size of the vessel he takes there. They must have understood the greatness of this Sage, each according to the extent of his capacity.

Both by precept and example, Sri Bhagavan has been imparting moral and spiritual lessons. His love and tenderness made him very familiar to squirrels, monkeys, dogs and cows. They used to be fondled by him, and he had response from them. The remarkable affection he had for the cow “Lakshmi” used to find expression almost daily. This cow was, as it were, the mistress in the Goshala (cow-house) built in the Asramam. Need I say how much his love is towards humanity? As a daily routine, the feeding of those who visit the Asramam will go on, and Sri Bhagavan would sit in the midst of the devoted guests and take his food. Even before serving the varieties of food prepared in the Ashramam, the leaf spread before Sri Bhagavan should have placed in it some food prepared by two privileged elderly women (one Brahmin and the other non-Brahmin), for they were the women who were giving food to Sri Bhagavan with love and devotion from the early stages of his life, before the establishment of this colony. Does this not show gratitude and condescension on the part of Sri Bhagavan? Can there be a more striking instance of patience and forgiveness than the occasion when some ruffians broke into the Asramam at night, with intent to commit robbery, and belaboured some of the inmates including Sri Bhagavan himself, being disappointed by reason of the small booty available there? The whole behaviour of Sri Bhagavan in connection with that incident serves to illustrate the famous Sermon on the Mount.

In another sense, Sri Bhagavan, who has realised the true Self, may be said to be free from qualities. The Self is not a bundle of qualities, but is the Being that transcending those qualities perceives them. The Self is the one Witness, throughout the Universe, but is hidden in all living beings. In everything that has consciousness it is the Self which watches over all operations and moves in the depths of our hearts. The Self is the Perceiver, the only Being that is cognisant of all and yet free from all. This is the highest philosophical teaching of the Upanishads. The happiness experienced by one who has entered into the Self is of an extraordinary kind beyond the power of words to describe.

About the beginning of January 1942, I had once again the privilege of visiting the Asramam, which by that time had become a fullfledged colony. My impressions of that visit were noted by me which were also published in the Sunday Times. My description pales into insignificance, when the glowing accounts given by European and American savants are read. However, I shall give a gist of my own account.

On seeing Sri Bhagavan seated in the spacious hall in the midst of several devotees squatting on the floor, I was impressed with his silence, which was more potent than his speech. Those who sat in the hall within his aura have a splendid opportunity for the practice of Dhyana especially when Sri Bhagavan is in a state of silent Samadhi. This is in conformity with the saying: “In the quiet of the senses, in the tranquillity of the mind, man beholds the majesty of the Spirit”. I was also impressed with the system and discipline adopted there. A sense of brotherhood is felt. Sri Niranjanananda Swamigal, who has been in management of the Ashram affairs, as Sarvadhikari, is full of zeal and devotion. The workers in the Ashram evince great interest in the discharge of their duties as an act of dedication to Sri Bhagavan.

On the eve of my departure from the Asramam, the Grace of Sri Bhagavan prompted him to illumine my mind with the torch of spiritual light thus: The Eternal and Universal Self, which is all-pervading and all-sustaining, is the only Reality, whereas to those who are subject to the influence of Avidya, it is something hidden, something inaccessible. They remain oblivious to the self-evident Reality and labour under the illusion of its shadows. Each individual identifies himself with the fragmentary ego, the little “I” which functions with a sense of separateness, confounding the knowledge of the external world derived through the senses in the wakeful state with the Reality. Such knowledge is entirely absent in the state of dreamless sleep. That which is real is unchanging in all the three states of consciousness and our quest is not for something new but for what is always present, which however is not recognised on account of the veil of Maya covering it. It is that Reality which is declared by the first Mahavakya (Prajnanam Brahma).

May Sri Bhagavan bless the World. May he bless humanity with his all-embracing love, for its peace, prosperity, and progress in the path of righteousness! May Sri Ramanasramam continue as a flourishing centre of Vairagya, Bhakti and Jnana!

SPIRIT OF PEACE

(HUMBLY OFFERED TO SRI RAMANA)

O living God, O Spirit Blest,
Father of all, in Thee I rest.
Thou art my tender, gentle calm,
Thou art my sorrow’s healing balm.

Spirit of Peace, Supernal Source,
Wisdom divine that guides my course,
Light of the World, that lightens me,
Thou dost redeem and set me free!

Over my heart Thy hand is laid,
And Revelation comes to me;
Discord dissolves, and unafraid
I realize my Self in Thee!

— Veronica Eyton (California)

ÉaNt< ÉgRimv àzaNtùdy< äüaTmiv*ablat!

XvStXvaNtmt< intaNtivmlSvaNt< k«taNtaNtkm!,

A}anav&itmaecnen k«pya à}ans<pTkr<

jNm]eR rm[< injaTmrm[< ÉÔay vNdamhe.

Sri Ramana Who shines like Siva and remains withdrawn into the Heart; in the light of Whose realisation of the Self to be the Supreme being the darkness of duality has fled away; Who oversides Death itself; Whose Grace tears off the veil of ignorance, and bestows the good fortune of Knowledge; Who delights in the Self alone; to Him for our own well-being, let us prostrate this happy day!

vdaNyae in:[at> kivrip gué> kÃvdn>

k«t}ae lúmIvaNsrlsrlSsvRsulÉ>,

vre{y> àŸÚZzuicrip buxSs<yimvrae

jyNtIpu{yahe rm[ #h maed< ivtrit.

Munificent, skilful in every way, Seer as well as Master, of blooming face, correct in conduct [or mindful of past good], prosperous, transparent in simplicity, easy of manners, adorable, happy, though pure like Fire (Agni) yet pleasing like Budha, the son of Soma (hence soumya = pleasing), perfectly self-controlled — Ramana of such fame gives us joy this blessed day.

AaTmiv*aÉU;[m!AtmavidyabhushanamïI jgdIñrzaiôivrictm! — Sri Jagadiswara Sastri

SRI RAMANA
AND
HIS MESSAGE TO MODERN MAN

By
Dr. C. G. Jung, (Zurich)

(Being Extracts from Dr. C. G. Jung’s Introduction to Dr. Zameer’s Der Weg Zum Selbst, The Way to the Self or The Life and Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.)

SRI RAMANA is a true son of the Indian earth. He is genuine and, in addition to that, something quite phenomenal. In India he is the whitest spot in a white space.

What we find in the life and teachings of Sri Ramana is the purest of India; with its breath of world-liberated and liberating humanity, it is a chant of millenniums. This melody is built up on a single, great motif, which, in a thousand colorful reflexes, rejuvenates itself within the Indian spirit, and the latest incarnation of which is Sri Ramana Maharshi himself.

The identification of the Self with God will strike the European as shocking. It is a specifically oriental Realization, as expressed in Sri Ramana’s utterances. Psychology cannot contribute anything further to it, except the remark that it lies far beyond its scope to propose such a thing. However, it is clear to the Indian that the Self as spiritual Source is not different from God; and in so far as man abides in his Self, he is not only contained in God but is God Himself. Sri Ramana is quite clear in this respect.

The Goal of Eastern practices is the same as that of Western Mysticism: the focus is shifted from the ‘I’ to the Self, from Man to God. This means that the ‘I’ disappears in the Self, and Man in God. A similar effort is described in the exercitia spiritualia, in which the ‘personal property’, the ‘I’ subjugate to the highest possible degree to the possessorship of Christ. Sri Ramakrishna adopted the same position in regard to the Self, only with him the dilemma between the ‘I’ and the Self comes a little more closely to the foreground. Sri Ramana declares unmistakably that the real purpose of spiritual practice is the dissolution of the ‘I’. Ramakrishna, however, shows a somewhat hesitating attitude in this respect. Though he says “As long as the I-sense lasts, so long are true Knowledge (Jnana) and Liberation (Mukti) impossible”, yet he must acknowledge the fatal nature of ahankara. He says “How very few can obtain this Union (Samadhi) and free themselves from this ‘I’? It is very rarely possible. Talk as much as you want, isolate yourself continuously, still this ‘I’ will always return to you. Cut down the poplar tree today, and you will find tomorrow it forms new shoots. When you ultimately find that this ‘I’ cannot be destroyed, let it remain as ‘I’ the servant.” In relation to this concession, Sri Ramana is certainly the more radical.

The changing relations between these two quantities, the ‘I’ and the Self, represent a field of experience which the introspective consciousness of the East has explored to a degree almost unattainable by the Western human being. The philosophy of the East, which is so very different from ours, represents to us a highly valuable present, which, however, we “must obtain in order to possess.” Sri Ramana’s words once again sum up the principal things which the Spirit of India has accumulated during thousands of years in contemplation of the Inner Self; and the individual life and work of the Maharshi exemplifies once more the innermost striving of the Indian people to find the liberating original Source. I say “once more”, because India stands before the fatal step of becoming a State, and with that to enter the community of nations, the leading principles of which have everything on their programme except just the ‘solitude’ and the peace of the soul.

The Eastern nations are threatened by a quick disintegration of their spiritual goods, and what comes into their place cannot always be considered to belong to the best of the Western mind. Therefore, one may look upon sages like Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Ramana as modern prophets. They not only remind us of the thousands of years’ old spiritual culture of India, but also directly embody it. Their life and teachings form an impressive warning not to forget the demand of the soul in all the new things of Western civilization and their materialistic-technical and commercial concerns of the world. The breathless impulse to obtain and possess in the political, social and intellectual fields, which is rummaging the apparent, unappeasable passion in the soul of the Westerner, is also spreading continuously in the East and threatens to bear consequences not yet to be overlooked. Not only in India but also in China, much has already been lost in which once the life of the soul lived and flourished. The externalization-culture of the West can truly clear away many evils, the destruction of which seems to be very desirable and advantageous. But, as experience has shown, this progress is bought too dearly with a loss of spiritual culture. It is undoubtedly more comfortable to dwell in a well-ordered and hygienically furnished house, but that does not answer the question as to who is the dweller in this house, and whether his soul enjoys a similar state of order and purity, that is, like that of the house serving for external life. Once man is set to the pursuit of external things, he is never satisfied, as experience shows, with the mere necessities of life, but always strives after more and more, which, true to his prejudices, he always seeks in external things. He forgets entirely that in spite of all external success inwardly he remains the same, and therefore complains of his poverty when he owns only one motor-car instead of two like others around him. Certainly, the external life of man can bear many improvements and beautifications, but they lose their significance to the extent to which the inner man cannot keep up with them. The provision with all “necessities” is, without doubt, a source of happiness Which is not to be under-estimated. But above and beyond it, the inner man raises his claim, which cannot be satisfied by any external goods: and the less this voice is heard in the hunt for ‘the wonderful things’ of this world, the more the inner man becomes a source of inexplicable bad luck and ununderstandable unhappiness in the midst of conditions of life from which one would expect something quite different. The externalization leads to an incurable suffering, because nobody can understand how one could suffer because of one’s own nature. Nobody is surprised at his own insatiability, but looks upon it as his birthright; he does not realize that the one-sidedness of the diet of his soul ultimately leads to the most serious disturbances of balance. It is this which forms the illness of the Westerner, and he does not rest till he has infected the whole world with his greedy restlessness.

The Wisdom and Mysticism of the East have, therefore, a very great deal to tell us, provided they speak in their own inimitable speech. They should remind us of what we possess in our own culture of similar things and have already been forgotten, and direct our attention to that which we put aside as unimportant, namely the destiny of our inner man. The life and teachings of Sri Ramana are not only important for the Indian but also for the Westerner. Not only do they form a record of great human interest, but also a warning message to a humanity which threatens to lose itself in the chaos of its unconsciousness and lack of self-control.

HEART’S HOMAGE TO SRI RAMANA

To Bhagavan Sri Ramana the Sage of Arunachala,
In whom Lord Siva, the Maha-Guru, shows Himself in truth
As light in the pure mirror of Sakthi, His own,
To that incomparable Maharshi, the father and mother of all,
In whom Siva and the Goddess are ever united in Bliss,
To that Sage, whose presence delights the heart,
And whose leela is the wonder of all,
To him be offered mind, heart, body,all creation!.....
It’s often said, there’s nothing new
In this old world of ours, that history
Repeats itself in endless variations of the self-same tunes;
Yet, I say O Ramana! thou art singing a new Melody;
For it’s the first time in the life of our so ancient earth,
That people of all races and all creeds
Are coming to the self-same Source to find the Truth;
For Hindus, Parsees, Buddhists, Jews,
And Christians, Muslims, Atheists, from all the world
Are flocking to thy feet, to pay their homage
In silence, or prostrations, as heart and custom teach;.....
In spite of distance and of great sacrifice
They come drawn irresistibly,they know not how,
By the magnet of thy being, to which they bow
Their head, in which they plunge and lose themselves
To find themselves, O happy lot!.....
If future generations will ask what was
The special note of Ramana the Sage,
I shall reply: If any, it is certainty;
The certain safety of a Rock, unmoved,
Unchallenged in a storm-swept sea,
The immovable solidity of a Mountain
In an ever-wavering world of doctrines, and philosophies,
Yea, truly art thou the Sage of ‘Arunachala’!.....

Swami Ekarasa (Dr. G. H. MEES, M.A., LL.D.)

ïI rm[mhi;RStaeÇm!

A HYMN TO SRI RAMANA

vNde rm[mhi;¡ vsuxatlvtRmandevi;Rm!,mUtIRÉvTàbaex< muotejaexUtÉ´ÊbaeRxm!. 1.

1. Salutations to Sri Ramana Maharshi, the Sage divine, now dwelling on earth as knowledge Incarnate, the Radiance from whose face dispels the darkness of ignorance in his devotees’ mind.

vedaNtaidiné´ae vedaNt}ainùdys<s´>,zaNtaersae=Xy†òae rm[mhi;RSvêpmal<By. 2.

2. That quality of serenity described by the Vedanta as dwelling in the heart of Knowers of the Truth propounded by the scriptures, is here seen embodied in the human form of Sri Ramana Maharshi.

AvdÚupidzitiht< mag¡s<dzRyittwa=pZyn!,ïey>kraeTyk…vRn! rm[i;R iíÇmaTmÉ´ay. 3.

3. He speaks not yet he teaches the highest Good. He looks not, yet he points the Path. He toils not, yet he fulfils the highest beneficence. How wonderful are the ways of Sri Ramana!

ivNdeiÖ*a<mUFae ÊòmitSsaxuzIlta<clÉet!,m¶ae bihriÉgCDet! rm[mh;eR> kqa]iv]epat!. 4.

4. By Ramana’s Grace, the fool turns wise; the wicked walk in the path of virtue; and even the sunken swim ashore.

ANtZzÇuivjeta jIvNmu´aTmÉaviv}ata,pu:krplazviÚ ilRÝaTmanNdyaeigrm[i;R>. 5.

5. Victor over the inner foes, knowing the Truth of Liberation in life, Sri Ramana stays in the Bliss of Self, untainted by the world as the lotus-leaf by water.

Aé[aclezvasa dé[aclnam Éarte VyaÝm!,rm[mi;Rinvasa dxuna o{faNtre;ucVyaÝm!. 6.

6. Lord Arunachala being here, Arunachala has been famous in India. Ramana Maharshi being here, its fame has spread to all the continents.

ïI m‘aid sUyRnaray[zaiôivrictm!

— Sri Malladi Suryanarayana Sastri

. vNde àÉu< sÌ‚ém!.

vNde ïIrm[< pivÇùdym< ;fœvgRivXv<isn<ve*< yaegivzardE àitidn< vN*< sta manvE>,tuyaRtItpdaiSwt< ské[< dIÝai¶zEliSwt<m¾NmaNtrpu{ypakvzt> àaÝ< àÉu< sÌ‚ém!.

Salutations to Lord Sri Ramana, the Compassionate One who dwells on the Hill of bright fire, the Slayer of the six inner foes,* understood only by adepts in yoga and worthy of daily worship by all men for ever, to Him who is firmly established in the State Transcendent and Whom I have obtained as my Sad-Guru by virtue of the accumulated merits of past lives.

mhamhaepaXyayMahamahopadhyayaïI k…PpuSvaimzaiôivrictm! Sri Kuppuswami Sastri

* Desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride and envy.

BHAGAVAN
SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI

B for Bliss of the Beyond,
H for Holiness of the Heart,
A for Abode of the Absolute,
G for Glory of the Great,
A for All-ness of the ALL,
V for Vision of the Verity,
A for Action of the Accomplished,
N for Nectar of the Naked.
S for Self of the self,
R for Radiance of the Real,
I for Immortality of the Immutable.
R for Rhythm of Revelation,
A for Abundance of the Almighty,
M for Mystery of the Marvellous,
A for Annihilation of ahankar,
N for Negation of nescience,
A for Assertion of the Atman.
M for Manifestation of the Most High,
A for Alertness of the Awakened,
H for Humility of the Heroic,
A for Attestation of Antiquity,
R for Resplendence of Realisation,
S for Silence of the Supreme,
H for Harmony of Heaven,
I for Illumination of the Incomprehensible.

Sri Rajeswarananda

OUR HOMAGE
TO
SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI

By
PROF. B. L. Atreya, M.A., D. Litt.

(Professor of Philosophy & Psychology, Benares Hindu University.)

A saint is as great a necessity of human society as a great scientist, a great thinker and a great leader, - nay even greater. For a scientist discovers the secrets of life and of the universe; a thinker tries to understand the meaning and purpose of existence; and a leader tries to shape and transform humanity or a portion of it according to his own notions of what is ought to be; whereas a saint is one who makes whole-hearted effort to realise in himself, in his own life, the highest and furthest possibilities of human life, which in a natural course of evolution may take centuries to actualize. A saint is a man perfected, a fulfilled hope of humanity, a successful experiment in human sublimation, and a source of inspiration and guidance to the travellers on the path to perfection. He is the embodiment of the highest values of humanity, an indubitable indication that ideals can be made real, that man can be what he ought to be, here and now. His life is a measure of man’s manhood, when it is lived in the midst of humanity and not in sanctified seclusion. It is a practical solution of the various puzzles of life, provided it is a comprehensive one. Considered from various points of view, a saint is the greatest asset of human society. A perfected being, he is the eternal beacon-light to the sadhakas all the world over.

I have read the biographies of many a saint, seen a number of them and have come in contact with some. I have had the privilege of being at the Ashrama of Sri Ramana Maharshi for a short time in March 1940 and since then in correspondence with him.¹ He made a deep impression upon my mind, a mind that has been moulded by a study of scientific and philosophic writing of the East as well as of the West. The greatest peculiarity and merit of Sri Ramana Maharshi’s life is that although he has moulded and perfected his personality on the lines of Advaita Vedanta, a purely Indian way of Self-Realization, he is highly appreciated and resorted to by Western seekers and by those Indians who have been educated on Western lines. One of the reasons for this fact may be that some English and French writers² happened to praise him highly in their books. But the fact remains to be explained why these Western seekers were themselves so well impressed by the Maharshi. Mere publicity does not in the least establish the greatness of saints, although it may make them known, as in the case of Jesus Christ, to wider public. Ramana Maharshi’s greatness is more deeply founded. It is based on his actual living by the creed of the Advaita Vedanta which holds that Reality is One without a second, that everything in this universe is but that Reality which is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. True to his creed, he regards nothing alien, none as other, no event as undesirable. For him the ideal is the real and the real is the ideal. He has no other relation with anybody but that of Love. He thinks as much of others as he

1. While the Sage Sri Ramana peruses such correspondence as is placed before him, he himself does not reply to it in writing.

2. The first Englishman to come into contact with Sri Maharshi was Mr. Frank Humphreys, and that took place about the year 1910. For an inspiring account of the three interviews Mr. Humphreys had with Maharshi, the reader is directed to

Self Realisation or the Life and Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharsh (4th Edn.) Chapters XVII & XVIII.

thinks of himself. Love, affection, kindness, mercy etc. which are expressions of one and the same thing, and the feeling of unity with all, ever flow from him. This is the secret of Maharshi’s unique greatness and consequent popularity. The whole of humanity owes its homage to this great Sage amidst us.

THE TEAR-DROPS IN MY EYES, I OFFER

There's little left here, Bhagavan,
To offer Thee — too poor am I:
There's nothing left at all to give,
For all acheivements vanish at Thy Feet
And all things dwindle to mere nothingness,

— So trivial are all forms of life —, There's one thing only that with faltering heart

I dare to offer Thee —, If Thou wilt graciously accept: It is the tear-drops in my eyes Which ever manifest themselves In silent contemplation of Thy Grace. They spring from Thee: They are the Elixir of Bliss — Let them return to Thee, Their Source, the Ocean of Pure Love, As a symbol of my heart.

— Sadhu Ekarasa.

(Dr. G. H. Mees, M.A., LL.D.)

WHY WE COME TO THEE SAGE SRI RAMANA

Can we, Sage, ever give a name
To the Self that in our depths we want?
Can we, Fate's puppets, own to shame
Because we are so ignorant?

Not knowing of life’s goal supreme
We thrill in Vanity’s displays,
With tongue deny the heart-lit Gleam!
When have fools worshipped Wisdom’s ways?

In such an age of darkness Thou
Art come to meet us with Thy Light
Inscrutable — which is Thy plough
Wherewith wilt Thou disturb our Night

Of make-believes and vanities
And sow the seeds of ultimate Sight!
We say ’tis mad, yet bend our knees
To Thee, and, awed by Thy lone height,

We sing: “Truth wins to victory
Through aspiration’s hopeless climb;
Life's din melts in soul’s symphony
Through disciplines which seldom rhyme

With Reason’s feeble yes and no
Or weakling safety’s whisperings;
Only strong faith may take in tow
The storm tossed mind's imaginings.”

We, life's dupes, tremble when comes Thy
Unfaltering courage to tell us this
That the ego achieves white harmony
When it leaves concupiscence for bliss.

Yet the blue of bliss we crave, when dark
Looms this our world of chains and bars
And then our gloom implores Thy Spark
That burns the clouds, unveiling stars.

— Dilip Kumar Roy.

MY HUMBLE TRIBUTE
TO
SAGE SRI RAMANA

By
Manu Subedar, M.L.A. (Central)

It is a privilege to be invited to say something in praise of the great Sage and Teacher of Arunachalam and I shall be glad to pay my humble tribute to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. It will do great good to me to concentrate my thoughts on him and his teachings, because, for the Sage who is a Brahmanishta, censure and praise as well as all the other dualities and the intricate hold of the gunas, from which the common man cannot get free, have lost all meaning. In his case it is the same as Dattatreya, who says in the beginning of the Avadhoota Gita:

yened< pUirt< svRmaTmnEvaTmnaTmin,

inrakar< kw< vNde ýiÉÚ< izvmVyym!.

“How can I bow to Him, Who is Formless,

Undifferentiated and Indestructible, Who is the essence of

Bliss, and Who has through Himself by Himself and in

Himself filled up everything.”

The Maharshi’s Realisation being of this order, what we say about him is of little concern to him. In his person, he has revealed the highest teachings that we have inherited. He has gone beyond not only the limits of thought, but the limits of experience.

For over three years I resisted the invitation of my friend, Mr. Shankerlal Banker, to go to Ramana Ashram. I pleaded with him that I was not ready; that “if I went into a very large shop, I would feel ashamed to come out with my hands empty.” At last I decided that I would pay a visit and I prepared myself for about two months prior to that visit by reading nothing else except those two very outstanding books, viz. the Ashtavakra Gita and the Avadhoota Gita. After finishing some work, which I had at Cochin, I set out for Tiruvannamalai. I decided that I should ask a few questions in order to solve some of my doubts and framed a few questions. I was alone in a car from Katpadi and wanted to go over my questions and revise them if necessary. As I formulated each question, I found that I knew the answer! So when I went and had the Darshan of the Maharshi, I had really no question to ask. I permitted myself to observe others and to absorb the elevating atmosphere of the Ashrama.

I presented to the Maharshi a commentary on the Gita by the sage Dnyandeo, a great Marathi classic, which I had rendered in English after eight years of effort. He was much pleased with it. I had with me extra copies of the Avadhoota Gita and the Ashtavakra Gita published by the Sastu Sahitya Mudranalaya Trust of Ahmedabad, of which I am the Chairman. I presented these also to the Maharshi. I mentioned that I had been reading these books and I drew his attention to the very first verse in the Avadhoota Gita, which is as follows:

$ñranu¢hadev pu<samÖEtvasna,

mhÑypirÇa[a ivàa[amupjayte.

“It is only through the Grace of God that in men with knowledge is born a desire to experience cosmic unity (Advaita), a desire which protects them from the great dangers of samsara.”

I further drew his attention that most of the matter in these books was for the advanced Siddha, i.e., the adept. For new seekers, who were attempting to learn, there was not much of direct guidance. With infinite compassion in his eyes, the Maharshi looked at me and instructed one of the followers to bring a book. This was the Maha Bhakta Vijayam of Nabhaji.

Bhagavan opened the book and began to read. (I noted with awe that the book opened exactly at the page where he intended to read.) This is a discourse between Dnyaneshwar Maharaj and his father, in which the young son, who has achieved Realisation, is arguing with his father, who is still afraid, still seeking, and still groping. The Maharshi seemed to relish reading the discourse. Those who were present thoroughly enjoyed the reading and I discovered that I was given exactly what I needed.* I am for ever grateful to the Sage for what he taught me. The best Teacher is he, who takes you from where you are to the next stage. It is not the totality of the Teacher’s knowledge, which the pupil must consider, but the appropriateness of that which is imparted at the proper moment.

As a rule, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi speaks little. But there is spiritual communication and kindliness in his look, eliciting what is best in a person. His presence during the silent hour acts as a catalyst, enabling the concentration of every person’s spiritual yearning and zest. There is grace and benignity in the way he looks at the devotees as a mother looks at her children.

In the Indian tradition there is a silent look known as kªmR†iò (Kurma Drishti). The full meaning of this is realised only by those who have benefited themselves by a visit to Ramanasramam. The look, which the Maharshi gives you, is a question. At least I felt like it so. The question is: “I see a unity, but you keep grasping at the variety. Why don’t you know yourself properly and realise your true Self? You can then march on to the realisation of the unity of self with the Self.” Nothing is so helpful as the august presence of the Maharshi for those who seriously intend to progress in the spiritual path. The Grace

* The third edition of “Gita Explained” by Dnyaneshwar Maharaj (translated into English by Manu Subedar. Kodak House, Hornby Road, Bombay) contains an English translation of this discourse as an appendix.

of God, without which progress is impossible, comes not merely invisibly, but through the presence of the pure and great sages, who during the balance of their physical life have no other purpose than the dissemination of knowledge, offer of kindly help and friendly guidance. It is the Maharshi’s teachings and his presence, which proclaim to the world that knowing oneself and realising the Truth is the highest purpose and function of life. Self-knowledge deserves exclusive pursuit in preference to everything else. It is infinitely more important than anything else.

To be in the Sage’s presence is for most of us to have a kindly rebuke that progress on the spiritual path is regarded as an intermittent hobby to be undertaken when there is leisure from worldly pursuits. To put it mildly, it is a reproach to our moral being to take interest in spiritual matters only as a pose, and to indulge in it as if it were a supplement to our activities in life. Even when a man slackens in his pursuit of selfish objects for the advancement of his own career and attends partly to the service of others, he stands justly reprimanded in the presence of the Maharshi for dereliction of the highest duty, namely, the gaining of true knowledge of oneself.

Spiritual realisation is not less difficult than the accomplishment of any other task in life, and the general experience is that people content themselves with a superficial performance of outside duties and ceremonials. If they go a little further, they are tired and they are in search for some excuse to stop. They often make an attempt in the wrong direction half-heartedly and without concentration, and then they get exhausted. They have a vague idea that there is something high and noble, but they modestly disclaim fitness for the great task. The final excuse, in which the slackness of many devotees expresses itself, is that they are now engaged in the service of others! They owe it to others to raise their status.

They argue that those who have an advantage in the matter of health, intelligence and resources must help others who are not equally well-placed in life. This is also the form which doubt (s<Zy) often takes. It is fatal. The Maharshi, in his teachings, has made it quite plain that the pretence of doing good to others is a snare. It is more important, he teaches, to know oneself and to realise the true meaning of that which is. Who is asking the question, “Should I not serve the world at large?” Who is watching in you, while you put the question? Who is to answer the question? It is the final ‘I’, which is the self, and it stands in direct relation with the universal Self. The Maharshi has said “There are no others.” The Maharshi teaches that there is a cosmic existence with the common thread of life running through all individuals, persons and things. There is only one Element. There is only one Power,That which a seeker feels he is out to accomplish, for the welfare of others is but a phase of this common existence. That Power, which is functioning here, is functioning everywhere. That, which animates one person, animates the whole universe. That Being is supreme. He is the repository of all accomplishments. He encompasses all ends. It is better to pursue the path of the Self than to seek other ends, because nothing happens except through the Will of the Paramatman.

Or sometimes that seeker has a sort of spiritual experience, which he seeks to understand and stabilize. He formulates a question and puts it to the Maharshi. The Sage clarifies the position in such a way that he not only removes all doubt from the seeker’s mind but also imparts new faith and conviction. Let me illustrate the above by a quotation from “Maharshi’s Gospel” (Book I). Question: One has at times vivid flashes of a consciousness whose

centre is outside the normal self, and which seems to be

all-inclusive. Without concerning ourselves with

philosophical concepts, how would Bhagavan advise me to work towards getting, retaining and extending those rare flashes? Does Abhyasa in such experience involve retirement?

Maharshi: Outside! For whom is the inside or outside? Those can exist only so long as there are the subject and object. For whom are these two again? On investigation you will find that they resolve into the subject only. So, who is the subject? This enquiry leads you to pure Consciousness beyond the subject. The normal self is the mind. This mind is with limitations. But pure Consciousness is beyond limitations, and is reached by investigation as above outlined. Getting The Self is always there. You have only to remove the veil obstructing the revelation of the Self. Retaining. Once you realise the Self, it becomes your direct and immediate experience. It is never lost. Extending. There is no extending of the Self, for it is as ever, without contraction or expansion. Retirement. Abiding in the Self is solitude. Because there is nothing alien to the Self. Retirement must be from some one place or state to another. There is neither the one nor the other apart from the Self. All being the Self, retirement is impossible and inconceivable. Abhyasa is only the prevention of disturbance to the inherent peace. You are always in your natural state whether you make abhyasa or not..... To remain without question or doubt is your natural State.

Compare the following from the Ashtavakra Gita:

ïÏSv tat ïÏSv naÇ maeh< k…é:v Éae>,

}anSvêpae ÉgvanaTma Tv< àk«te> pr>. 15 (8)

My son, have faith, have faith. Don’t get confused. You are above creation. You are in the form of Realisation, you are the Lord, you are the Self.

There are teachers who mystify in order to impress the pupil. Sri Ramana Maharshi on the contrary has the direct method. He discloses the truth and the whole truth in the simplest form in which he has not only formulated it as a thought, but lived it as an experience. Consider carefully the following: Question: Does my Realization help others? Maharshi: Yes, and it is the best help that you can possibly render

to others. Those who have discovered great truths have done so in the still depths of the Self. But really there are no ‘others’ to be helped. For the Realized Being sees only the Self, just as the goldsmith sees only the gold, while valuing it in various jewels made of gold. When you identify yourself with the body, name and form are there. But when you transcend the body-consciousness the ‘others’ also disappear. The Realized One does not see the world as different from Himself.

Question: Would it not be better if the Saints mix with others? Maharshi: There are no ‘others’ to mix with. The Self is the

only Reality. Question: Should I not try to help the suffering world? Maharshi: The power that created you has created the world as

well. If It can take care of you, It can similarly take care of the world also........ If God has created the world, it is His business to look after it, not yours.

Question: Is it not our duty to be patriots?

Maharshi: Your duty is TO BE, and not to be this or that. ‘I AM THAT I AM’ sums up the whole truth; the method is summarized in “BE STILL”. And what does Stillness mean? It means ‘Destroy yourself’; because every name and form is the cause of trouble. ‘I-I’ is the Self. ‘I am this’ is the ego. When the ‘I’ is kept up as the ‘I’ only, it is the Self. When it flies off at a tangent and says, ‘I am this or that, I am such and such,’ it is the ego.

Question: Who then is God?

Maharshi: The Self is God. ‘I AM’ is God. If God be apart from the Self, He must be a Self-less God, which is absurd. All that is required to realize the Self is to BE STILL. What can be easier than that? Hence Atma-vidya is the easiest to attain.

Compare with this the following from the Ashtavakra Gita:

Ahae Éuvnk‘aelEivRicÇEÔaRicÇEÔaRKsmuiTwtm!,

mYynNtmhaMÉaexaE icÄvate smu*te. 2(23)

In me, who am the ocean of infinity, the wind in the form of the mind is blowing and suddenly numerous waves arise in the form of this world.

mYynNtmhaMÉaexaE icÄvate àzaMyit,

AÉaGya¾Ivvi[jae jgTpaetae ivnñr>. 2(24)

In me, who am the ocean of infinity, the wind in the form of the mind stops blowing and the ship in the form of this world belonging to the merchant in the form of jiva is, unfortunately wrecked.

mYynNtmhaMÉaexavaíy¡ jIvvIcy>,

%*iNt ¹iNt oeliNt àivziNt SvÉavt>. 2(25)

It is marvellous that in me, who am the ocean of infinity, many waves in the form of jiva, arise through their own tendency, rise, dash against one another, play and subside.

mYynNtmhaMÉaexaE ivñpaet #tStt>,

æmit Sva<tvaten n mmaSTylih:[uta. 7(1)

In me, the ocean of infinity, the ship in the form of this universe, moves hither and thither impelled by the wind in the form of the mind.

mYynNtmhaMÉaexaE jgÖaeic> SvÉavt>,

%detu va=Stmayatu n me v&iÖnR c ]it>. 7(2)

133

I am neither increased nor diminished when waves in the form of this world arise or calm down in me, who am the ocean of infinity.

mYynNtmhaMÉaexaE ivñ< nam ivkLpna,

AitzaNtae inrakar @tdevahmaiSwt>. 7(3)

In me, who am the ocean of infinity, the world is born of imagination. But I stand where I am, perfectly calm and formless.

It is the high distinction of India to have produced sages who have risen to the highest stature in this land, because the atmosphere created by the old traditions and teachings is favourable to such growth. The West has failed in its thought-processes beyond a certain point, with the result that the moral direction needed both for individuals and for human groups, has been lacking there. This conclusion is clearly indicated in the age of the atom bomb. The relation of man with his Maker is better understood in India than anywhere else in the world. In one sense, during the last five thousand years, there is very little new, which has been added to what can be called the Brahma Vidya. It cannot be otherwise, since truth to be the Truth is eternal; when realised, it is realised in its perfection. But books and book-knowledge alone will not help. A man may die in a chemist’s shop, if he does not know which medicine is good, though he is in the midst of every kind of medicine. But even the knowledge of the right medicine is not enough; he must take it in and make it a part of his system. Then alone will the ailment go.

Every age produces in India its outstanding Yogis and Teachers. They shed their light wherever they are and guide others to the true path. They keep the torch of spiritual experience burning and pass the light to others just as they received it. Every student of Adhyatma Vidya knows that at every stage he needs the kindness and the blessings of someone who is advanced. It is really a divine favour, but it is given through someone. Sri Ramana Maharshi is one who bestows this favour on whoever is ready to take it. Seeds may be sown all over, but they will sprout only where other conditions are favourable.

Is Sri Ramana an Avatara? It is a tempting question to put, but who is to decide? How many recognized Sri Rama and accepted him as an Avatara in his life-time? In the case of Sri Krishna, was it not the humbler men like Sudama, Vidura and Uddhava who knew him, rather than his lofty contemporaries? is but a truism. Those who wish to benefit themselves, do not need anything more than what the Sage of Arunachala offers. As for those whose curiosity is irrepressible, let them remember that the final knowledge of all that He (paramatman) is, is only known to Himself. Let me quote from Avadhoota Gita:

mnae vcae yÇ n z´mIirtu< nUn< kw< tÇ guêpdezta,

#ma< kwamu´vtae guraeSt*u´Sy tÅv sm< àkazte. 2(40)

Where words and mind cannot reach and

encompass, there how can the Teacher teach the Truth? It

is only when a Teacher, who has been through the

experience and who has realised, tells his story, that the

light of the Self, Who is acting simultaneously and is

common in all, shines forth.

This would be realised by any one who has “prepared” himself and who pays a visit to Sri Ramana Maharshi. I humbly bow to this great Sage.

TO SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI

A face that's still like silent cloudless blue,
And eyes that even as stars drip holiness
Won from a Source beyond our ken — a new,
Messenger Thou, in this age, of a grace

Men ache for and, withal, are terrified
When it shines near wan puppets of fool senses,
They would disown the soul's faith — even deride
The Peace they crave yet fear — for Life's false dances

And siren rhythms beguile the multitude!
And there they woo Time's whirls and wheels — for what?
At best a reeling moment — an interlude
Of half-lit laughter dogged by tears — of Fate!

O Son of Dawn! who only knowest the Sun,
And through His eye of Light see'st all that lies
Revealed — a flawless Plentitude which none
But Sun's own children ever might surmise!

For only the chosen few so far have won
The Truth that shines beyond world’s wounds and cries;
Who see Thee, throned in the high dominion
Of Self's invulnerable Verities.

Enjoy a glimpse of Bliss of the Beyond,
Thou singest: “Nay, ’tis here” — yet without Thy
Lone sight-born pledge — how few would understand!
Homage to Thee, O Bard of Clarity!

— Dilip Kumar Roy.

THE GRANDEUR OF ADVAITA

By
Olivier Lacombe

(L’Attache Culturel, Consulat General de France, Calcutta.)

The visit I had the honour to pay in May 1936 to Tiruvannamalai was only a short one. It was long enough, anyhow, to impress me with a strong feeling that I had met there, for a few moments, with a genuine Vidvan, an exceptionally true representative of Hindu spirituality.

As my souvenirs from this visit have already been published in a French catholic review, Les Etudes Carmelitaines, I shall have to give to the present reflexions a more impersonal character.

* * * *

Any student of the history of Indian thought is bound to be struck by the congeniality of the Maharshi’s experiences to the traditional advaitic doctrine. But more remarkable even is the almost purely spontaneous character of this congeniality, without a guru, without any regular ‘sastric training, without study’¹, Sri Ramana Maharshi has, from his early years, gone through a series of psycho-spiritual experiences that are as old as the Upanishads: and after having rediscovered by himself these traditional data, he later was in no difficulty to express them in terms essentially consonant with the most strict advaitavada.

1. The deslike of the child Ramana for all knowledge learnt from books is a well-known fact, and, even now, although the Maharshi answers the definition of a vidvan, he has none of the characters of a pandit or a sastrin.

Now, the power of appeal of the advaitic doctrine is mainly to be found in the uncompromising, nay drastic, purity with which it declares absolute Being and Consciousness to be infinitely above the possibility of any internal division or external dependence, and spiritual life to spring from within ourselves.

I would like to stress that the teaching of the Sage Ramana, by its aphoristic character, as well as because of the intense personality of its author, enhances to the highest pitch this common feature of the whole advaitic tradition.

Let us compare, in this respect, the Maharshi’s spiritual way with a passage from the Chhandogya Upanishad in which Prajapati endeavours to lead Indra to the supreme spiritual goal by skillfully using a method of gradual approach and successive removals of all obstructive illusions.

Indra, from among the Devas and Virochana in the name of the Asuras come “into the presence of Prajapati, fuel in hand”² in order to “search out that Self, the Self by Searching out whom one obtains all worlds and all desires”³,..... “the Self which is free from evil, is ageless, deathless, sorrowless ..... “⁴

For thirty-two years the two live the life of brahmacharya. Then Prajapati says to them: “That Person who is seen in the eye (or in water or in a mirror) - He is the Self..... That is the immortal, the fearless. That is Brahman.”⁵

The disciples are satisfied and go. But Indra, even before teaching the gods, saw this danger: “Just as, indeed, that one (i.e., the supposed self that can be perceived in a mirror) is well-ornamented when this body is well-ornamented....., even so that one is blind when it is

1. Chhandogya Upanishad, VIII. 7—2—Hume’s translation 2nd edition, 1934.

2. Chhandogya Upanishad, VIII. 7—2—Hume’s translation 2nd edition, 1934.

3. Chhandogya Upanishad, VIII. 7—1—Hume’s translation 2nd edition, 1934.

4. Chhandogya Upanishad, VIII. 7—4—Hume’s translation 2nd edition, 1934.

blind..... It perishes immediately upon the perishing of this body. I see nothing enjoyable in this.”⁶

He comes back to Prajapati and lives with him for another thirty-two years. He is then taught that “He who moves about happy in a dream he is the Self...... That is the immortal, the fearless. That is Brahman.”

Indra takes leave with tranquil heart. But a few moments later a doubt creeps in his mind. The self of the dream is free from the defects of the gross body, but he is not free from the miseries he dreams of. He cannot be the true Self.

Thirty-two years later, Prajapati addresses him again: “Now, when one is sound asleep, composed, serene, and knows no dream that is the Self.”⁷

Indra is not yet satisfied with this doctrine. This self of the dreamless sleep-state appears to him as unconscious and therefore as not blissful.

Prajapati promises to teach him the ultimate truth about the Self after five years, at the end of which, that is to say, one hundred and one years since the first visit of Indra, he so speaks:

“O Maghavan, verily, this body is mortal. It has been appropriated by Death. (But) it is the standing ground of that deathless, bodiless Self. Verily, he who is incorporate has been appropriated by pleasure and pain. Verily, there is no freedom from pleasure and pain for one while he is incorporate. Verily, while one is bodiless, pleasure and pain do not touch him.….⁸ He obtains all worlds and all desires who has found out and who understands that Self.”⁹

Such is the traditional way through which all infatuations and illusions are gradually cancelled, with the result that, in the

1. Chhandogya Upanishad, VIII. 9—1—Hume’s translation 2nd edition, 1934.

2. Chhandogya Upanishad, VIII. 11—1—Hume’s translation 2nd edition, 1934.

3. Chhandogya Upanishad, VIII. 12—1—Hume’s translation 2nd edition, 1934.

4. Chhandogya Upanishad, VIII. 12—6—Hume’s translation 2nd edition, 1934.

end, the Self alone remains, unique and without a second. Let us now listen to the report of young Ramana’s realization of the Self.

“Who or what is it that dies? It is this visible body that dies; the kinsmen come and take it away and burn it to ashes. But when this body dies, shall I also die? That depends on what I really am. If I be the body, then when it dies, I also would die; but if I be not this, then I would survive.” ¹⁰

Such were Ramana’s reflexions at the age of sixteen.

“Then there arose in his mind an over-powering desire to find out, then and there, whether he the real Self of him would survive after the death. And it occurred to him that the surest way to find it out would be to enact the process of death. This he did by imagining that the body was dead. A dead body does not speak nor breathe; nor has it any sensation; all this he imagined with such perfect realism, that his body became inert and rigid just like a corpse; his vital energies were withdrawn from it and gathered into the mind, which now turned inwards, animated by the will to find the real Self....... At this moment a mysterious power rose up from the innermost core of his being and took complete possession of the whole mind and life; by that power he that is to say, his mind and life - was taken inwards...... All this happened while he was wide awake, and therefore he became aware of his own Real Self, free from all thought-movement; this Self was free from the bondage of desires and fears and therefore full of peace and happiness.”¹¹

Undoubtedly, this is a genuine advaitic realization, but how much condensed¹² and full of energy: one stroke of will, if I may so, and all that is not the Self is eliminated.

1. Maha Yoga or the Upanishadic Lore in the light of the teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana, p.6.

2. Maha Yoga p.p. 6.7.

3. Notice the expression “then and there” that we have italicised in the above quoted text.

The Maharshi’s method, in its entirety, is comprised within this simple interrogation: “Who am I?” With him, three words only are enough to sum up the long traditional description of the way to liberation. “Lo, verily, it is the Self that should be seen, that should be hearkened to, that should be thought on, that should be pondered on...”¹³. In conformity with this Upanishadic text, the Vedantic tradition insists on the preparatory stages of the spiritual quest, and considers mediate knowledge, reflexion (manana) upon the major utterances of the sruti, either positive (aham Brahmasmi, tattavamasi) or negative (neti, neti...), as a normal if not always necessary step towards the realization of the Self. The Sage of Arunachala admits, or rather concedes that “to meditate ‘This is not I’ or ‘That I am’ may be an aid...”¹⁴. But, as he himself reached the goal almost without such an aid, he does not feel bound to stress its importance or to deem it as a normal stage in the process of salvation.

It is, perhaps, the startling simile of the “driver” that expresses most vividly the Maharshi’s original method:

“As one who dives, seeking to find something which has fallen into water, so must one dive inwards with one pointed mind, checking the speech and breath, and find the place from which the uprising ‘I’ originates.”¹⁵

“The path of Knowledge (Jnana-marga) is only to dive inwards with the mind, not uttering the word “I” and (with the mind) to question whence as I it rises...”¹⁶

The diver does not linger scrutinizing the horizon; he is not interested in the changing scene that plays on the surface of

1. Brihad Aranyaka Up. II. 4, 5 Hume’s transl.

2. Ulladu-Narpadu, or Sad-Vidya, page 29. We have italicised the words: may be in aid.

3. Ulladu-Narpadu, Page 28.

4. Ulladu-Narpadu, Page 28.

the sea. He knows only one dimension: the dimension of depth; one movement: the vertical dive; one environment: the “innerness” of the infinite abyss; one goal on which he totally concentrates (ekagra): the extensionless spot, the absolute non-duality of the Self, wherefrom surges the principle of the finite “ego” and of all mundane misery.

* * * *

The advaitavada is a grand doctrine; Sri Ramana Maharshi’s advaitic message is, at the same time, true to that grandeur and original. As an historian of Indian culture, I have tried, by the above few remarks, to throw light on this twofold merit, with full intellectual and human sympathy. As a Christian philosopher, I feel still more deeply moved when recognizing in their teaching some momentous metaphysical truths so earnestly pursued, so sincerely realized by the greater advaitavadins throughout ages: I cannot, therefore, but regard that, for fear of a relapse in the dreaded nets of multiplicity, they deliberately overlook the no less supreme and absolute character of some other truths and values the provisional acknowledgement of which is valid on the superior plane of Bhakti but not on the supreme plane of Vidya, is after all only a delayed cancellation.

.ïIrm[nvrÆmailkaStaeÇm!.

A NECKLET OF NINE GEMS
IN PRAISE OF SRI RAMANA

JyaeitilR¼myaé[aiÔkqke icÇ< mhamaiÙk>kiíÎIPyit si½daTminrtae ivñaTmvZy> suxI>,mayae½aqn-maehmaehn-jfaivÖ¾nst<Én³aexÖe;[-jNmmar[-mhas<pTsmak;R[E>. 1.

1. Marvellous is the Great Magician Who lives on the sides of Arunadri resplendent as the ’Jyotirlinga’! Absorbed in the Self of Being-Consciousness, He shines forth in all His glory. By wise incantation He subdues the whole world; drives away illusion (’maya’); charms away delusion; arrests the foolishness and ignorance of men; makes anger hate itself; destroys rebirths; and attracts the highest affluence to His presence!

klavPyetiSmn! rm[muinpu{yaïmpdeiÖja*a ivñaNta> ]Udphr[avZymns>,inkam< sNt&Ýa> ]iptklu;a vNdnvzat!k«tawaR gCDiNt àitidnmvaÝaiolsuoa>. 2.

2. Even in this age of ’Kali’, here in the holy ’Asrama’of Sage Sri Ramana all beings from the twice-born* down to the lowest in creation eager to appease their hunger are daily fed to their satisfaction. By prostrating themselves before Sri Bhagavan

* The phrase ‘twice-born’ refers to Brahmins as well as to birds.

they become free from desires, are contented and are made free from blemishes.

Aé[aigirintMbadzRs’œ³aNtnak-
àitk«it rmi[ye suNdre miNdre=iSmn!,
surpitirv data nNdne maNymanae
rm[muinvrae=y< Éait laekaeÄraTma. 3.

3. As though the mirror of Arunachala’s slopes, reflecting heaven on earth, the Sage’s lovely ’Asrama’looks like a heavenly pleasure-garden; and here the divine Sage Sri Ramana shines supreme in his munificent glory like Indra there in heaven.

maehXvaNtinvar[e tpntama’adne cNÔta<]eme m¼lta< ivnèjntasNdzRne saEMytam!,sCDaôe guéta< ivvadkivta< dae;¢he mNdta<iv}ane sit ketuta< c rm[ae yaegI ÉjNÉaste. 4.

4. The great Yogi Sri Ramana shines with the glory of all the planets in controlling the destiny of men,<197>as the Sun in driving away the darkness of ignorance, the Moon for imparting joy, Mars for giving security, Mercury for making himself known to the humble, Jupiter for right knowledge, Venus for right argument, Saturn slow in fault-finding, and Ketu for Supreme Knowledge.

#tae=é[igrIñr> sklvStupU[aeR mha-
int> k…sumvaiqka pirmlàsUit]ma,
#t> zuÉjlazy> skldahzaNTya gué>
S)…q< rm[sÌ‚rae tv ivÉait pu{yaïm>. 5.

5. O Master, Ramana, Your holy ’Asrama’is well- situated,— flanked on one side by the bounteous, magnificent Aruna Hill; on another side by a garden rich in lovely and fragrant flowers; and yet on another side by a pure water-tank to quench the thirst of all.

gtagit;u ivþl< mm klebr< ÊbRl<
mnaeip b÷miNdt< ïuitg[a> pr< ivSm&ta>,
praSwivrta gta nynmpkaz< ttae
jfae=iSm ivbuxaePyh< rm[ŝrae paih mam!. 6.

6. As for myself, my body is weak and shakes while walking; my mind has grown very dull; the Vedic ’mantras’I have forgotten; old age has overtaken me; and my eyes are dim. Though learned, I remain ignorant. O ’Sad-Guru’Ramana, save me!

%pyuRpir mans< iv;yvasnae¾&<É[a-
dnaTminrt< ñvÄt #tae v&wa xavit,
inbXy ké[agu[E> Svvzm* k«Tva ][<
Svy< rm[sÌ‚rae inytmaTms<Sw< k…é. 7.

7. Owing to its latencies being unfolded more and more, in vain the mind runs after worthless objects like a dog going here and there. Bind it instantly, O ’Sad-Guru’Ramana with cords of love, subdue it and take it to firm fixity in the Self.

mnae dhrs<iSwt< injvpu>àÉu< ne]te
v&wEv skleiNÔyaixpitÉavgvaeRÏtm!,
Ah< n injjIivt< prmveúy isiÏ< gt>
kda rm[ŝrae mm injaTmsNdzRnm!. 8.

8. Wantonly inflated by the pride of being the lord of all the senses, the mind does not see its true Lord seated in the heart. Till now, looking upon life as the ultimate, I have not achieved the Goal. Ah! when, Sad-Guru Ramana, shall I realise the Self?

#ò< y*Ñ‚iv suomuo< vStu tÄiÖnò<
i¬ò< cet> sttiv;yanNdmaÇaepivòm!,
izòaraXy< rm[Égvn! äü naÝ< ivizò<
æò< jNmaeCDœvsit mm ha ik< ikmSmadinòm!. 9.

9. In the world what was pleasing has always perished. But the miserable mind ever runs after sense-pleasures only. O Ramana Bhagavan, I have not yet realised the Supreme Brahman adored by the eminent.This life is lived in vain. Alas! what greater misfortune can there be?

ïI suNdranNdSvaimivrictm! — Sri Sundarananda Swami

MY HUMBLE AND HEART-FELT HOMAGE
TO
SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI

By

William S. Spaulding (Jr.), New York City.

Though quite a few years have elapsed since I had the privilege of being in the presence of Sri Maharshi, the tremendous impression made on me at that time has remained undimmed.

I shall not discuss Maharshi’s method of approach to full realisation, for that is well-known, though undoubtedly little understood. Rather, I would like to attempt to describe the impression that came over me as I sat in His presence for the first time. The most powerful impression was that of what I can only call an almost palpable “golden radiance”, the visual effect of a tremendous spiritual force. There was an intense and subtle radiation that seems to flow from Him continually, - and once having sensed this, words, questions, technique of meditation, etc., seemed to dissolve immediately.

And to those unable to hear that ‘ultimate Voice of Silence’, their questions are answered with simple yet shattering clarity, sweeping away all dialectic and verbalism, uncovering the way that leads to the ultimate Source - the Self.

Maharshi also possesses to a high degree that quality described as “divine indifference”, attributed to certain saints of the Christian church. This must not be taken to mean what is generally associated with the term “indifference”, but rather as a beneficent, unfettered out-pouring of the healing radiation of a realized Being.

Additional words would in no way give a clearer conception of that great person, Sri Maharshi. Let those who can not fail to take advantage of the blessed opportunity of going to the Holy Hill of Arunachala to experience the rare instance of contact with One who has reached the high pinnacle of pure Being.

SRI MAHARSHI THE ALCHEMIST

What Maharshi knew at seventeen, we do not know at

seventy. Why? Ah! We lack the fire; our hearts are cold and our

heads are hard. Alas! what shall we do?

Go to Maharshi? Yea; He'll lend us fire, warm our hearts— now cold—and turn the stones in us into Gold.

That is Maharshi, the Alchemist.

* * * *

Him that Gods do praise
Men do not recognise:
—Nay, even crucify!
How long the world cared not for Him,the Maharshi!
How few now too are they that care for Him?
They that dare ignore the Self
Wouldn't they ignore all else?
But then, God knows and cares,
Himself in Gita so declares.

—Girdharlal.

(Shri Aurobindo Ashram)

MY VISIT TO MAHARSHI
THE GREATEST EVENT IN MY LIFE

By
Grant Duf (Douglas Ainslie.)

I had first become interested in India on perusing my grandfather’s History of the Mahrattas, which is still read by many and is regarded as a classic of its kind. Though not actually, I believe, styled Governor, he practically ruled that part of the ancient land for some years and became very much attached to the Mahrattas and to the Indian tradition in general.

In the early days of the ‘eighties of last century, my uncle, the late Sir Mountstaurt Grant Duff, who was then Governor of Madras, asked me to come out to his place and stay there as long as I liked. This was just what I should have wished to do. But when I had read my uncle’s letter triumphantly to my parents, after a brief consultation my father told me, to my amazement, that they could not allow me to go to India, owing to the climate of that country!

I mention these facts as they may serve to explain to some extent my curious mental position as regards India. I was on the one hand surrounded with the usual crowd of materialists and followers of Herbert Spencer when I was eighteen, and on the other I felt an obscure longing for something else which I knew existing somewhere else, but where I was not sure precisely, owing to the influences of Oxford teaching. There, at Oxford, I wasted my time taking a degree and doing little else but play about as I had done the previous four years at Eton with groups of shallow-minded youths one would often find in the higher classes in a school. Soon after I commenced my studies at Oxford, I felt the urge to write down some of the poetry that was surging within me, and published several volumes of verse besides sending poems to the magazines of the day. In the matter of attending social parties, etc., I was not quite as bad as Robert Browning, though I wasted lots of time that way.

Though the torch be inverted the flame

Will burn upward the same:

Though the name no longer be flame

But just man-in-the-mire,

He too will burn upward aspire

To the place whence he came:

For he too is fire

Of a quenchless desire.

Though the torch be inverted the flame

Will burn upward the same.

A good deal later there occurred an episode which has some bearing on the present subject of my quest for the Truth, how and where I ultimately found IT. I was a member of the aristocratic Union Club at Naples, where for the first time I came into contact with Benedetto Croce’s writings. His philosophy of art and of the practical as also his logical studies interested me intensely. Unacquainted with anyone who could introduce me to the philosopher, I called upon him myself, to see what would happen next! Everything went splendidly when I had explained who I was and my love for philosophy of the idealistic sort which he practised. In the course of a few weeks I was already at work on his Aesthetic as Science of Expression and General Linguistic.* This intercourse, though verbal and intellectual, with a great thinker did stimulate my interest in the things of the spirit, and I was always looking about for someone with a definite solution to the problem of the universe.

* Since then published, together with the rest of his philosophical works, by Macmillans.

While I was in this state of mind, a thirst for a deeper understanding about life, the world and what they mean, I came to know of the Sage of the Hill of the Holy Beacon. It was the good Mr. Raphael Hurst who told me of the Holy One and the Ashram at Tiruvannamalai.

Eventually I found my way out there and had the greatest adventure of my life. Mark my words. I do not know what happened when I saw Maharshi for the first time, but the moment he looked at me, I felt he was the Truth and the Light. There could be no doubt about it, and all the doubts and speculations I had accumulated during the past many years disappeared in the Radiance of the Holy One.

It is very difficult to describe in words the unanticipated change that came over me. Suffice it to say that, though my visits to the Ashram were brief, I felt that every moment I was there I was building up within me what could never be destroyed. Whatever may happen to this body and mind.

A careful reading of the admirable biography of Sri Ramana Maharshi by B. V. Narasimhaswami revealed to me what I could never hope to know otherwise. I will only mention here just a very few of the points in which the Maharshi has particularly appealed to me. One of these is the extreme politeness and gentleness which always surrounds his least act. It is as though he is actually conscious of the frail beings whom he is addressing and avoiding the words that may cause them to be ashamed or to regret something that they had done. All the incidents in the above mentioned biography seem to me to illustrate this fact in relation to Maharshi, - his extraordinary insight into other beings combined with his marvellous gentleness. He sees and knows everything about all those who come before him but he is gentle to a degree that surpasses gentleness, whereby he reaches his end with perfect ease and to the utmost benefit of the visitor.

The visit of Humphreys to the Maharshi is one of the most interesting incidents for us Europeans. It occurred over thirty-five years ago, yet the account he left of his visits to the Sage supplies all the details that are necessary. His concluding words are highly significant, - “It is wonderful what a difference it makes to have been in his Presence!” I must say the same from my personal experience. My visit to the Sage of Arunachala has been the greatest event in my life.

Any of those of the West who are still waiting and wondering would do well to pack their sack as quickly as possible and be off to India while there is yet time. What I feel personally is that so much has been done during the last ten years in the way of making known the Saviour of mankind that further comment is simply otiose.

. ïIrm[Stv>.

SRI RAMANA-STAVA

ijvNmu´STvmekae rm[muinvr ïeójNmaé[aÔavekaNte di][aSyae Évis smtya pamràai[vgER>,xNyE> iz:yE> SvÉ´EivRnimtvdnE raùtaharvStu-SvIkaraÏIrxIr> srsbuxmi[> SvaTminóaxurI[>. 1.

1. The unique Being, liberated during life, O Ramana, you are the foremost among sages and the best of men. Living in solitude on the slopes of Arunachala and looking on all with equality you become Lord Dakshinamurthi. Surrounded by fortunate disciples and devotees and graciously accepting the food respectfully offered by them, you remain the most valiant among heroes, the wisest of the wise, the jewel among blissful Knowers and the chief among those fixed in the Self!

y> zuÏSvaTmtej> àit)iltizvÖEtiv*aSvêpesae=h<ÉavanuÉUTya Jvlit pirv&it pirv&tae É´s<“EriÉ}E>,AaTmaram> s @kae rm[ #it mhan! Éasmanae=é[aÔaEitóNTyNye mhaNt> kit kit k«itn> isÏisiÏ>

k«tae=Ny>. 2.

2. His own pure Self being clearly reflected in the transcendental Self of non-dual Knowledge, realising “I am He”, and surrounded by groups of discerning devotees, Ramana, the Great One, shines peerless, rejoicing in the Self. There are also many other worthy men living on the slopes of Arunachala. But who else but he has realised the Self?

Xyana¾Iv> izvñeÔm[guéigra sTymSTvevmNy>sa]I kae=savh< s> pr #it sit cedœÖNÖÉave àÉUte,sTyaeTwananuÉUTya m&id knkimvaparcEtNymek<ik< va sÎzRnae®ya sdsÊÉyg< nEkmÖEtmNyt!. 3.

3. According to the words of the Master, Ramana, by meditation the jiva is identified with Siva. Be it so. When duality arises as “I am this and He is Siva”, who can be their witness? Like gold recovered from sand, Infinite Knowledge arises from experience of Reality. Is it one? As said in Sat-Darshana, It pervades both the real and unreal, It is neither one nor dual, but beyond.

SvaTm}an< purStaiÖritmw mhavaKysaranuÉUit<isÏ¢aýa< smaix< pirùtsklairòzaiNtàsadm!,saepanae®ya mh;eR> iàyvcnrsaTsTyimTw< stIvàayae mae]às<ge ïuitrixivx< magRmahàvI[a. 4.

4. First discriminating the Self from the non-self; then practicing dispassion and, according to the holy texts, gaining direct knowledge of the identity of the Self with the Supreme Being, thus passing into Repose (Samadhi) the state realised only by sages, pain-free and of perfect peace - such is the order of development according to the sweet and loving words of the Maharshi. In the matter of Liberation the Vedas also say the same thing, in greater detail and more comprehensively (e.g., karma, yoga, upasana, Jnana, pitriloka, devayana, satyaloka etc.)

iv*alaÉàh;aRdsmsuoiñäüinóanuÉUityRSyaiv*aàk;aR¾inttnujg¾IvmaehanuÉUit>,@tdœÖNÖà[aze sit rm[pr<Jyaeitrek< smaxaEtSyaixóanmaÇ< SvymymhimTyÖy< Éait pU[Rm!. 5.

5. The Joy of Supreme Knowledge arising, to be fixed in the unequalled Bliss of transcendental Brahman - or in ignorance to have the illusion of body, jiva and jagat when both these states disappear, the substratum alone is left and it is perfect Repose (Samadhi). There then the unique, non-dual, perfect, transcendental Glory - called Ramana - shines forth as “I am This!”

JyaeitilR¼adh< àa¢m[ pirv&t> zaiNtlaÉaTsuoaF(>sNtae;aStiÚv&ÄSTvdnumitvzaÖyasrMyaïme=iSmn!,sÝTyayu> spÂàiwtmipgt< ik< ikmaSte inxan<sUúmà}aàvezaÅvmymhimit Vyaeiç kal< nyaim. 6.

6. Seeing Ramana and Arunachala, I gained peace and was overcome with joy. With your permission happily I returned to this fine place, Vyasasrama. Now I am 75, but have not practised any kind of sadhana. Yet some unknown light has entered into me. Possessed by it, in Chidambaram I am passing my days, feeling “Thou art this I.”

mÄ> kaevaé[aÔaE rm[muinvr Vy´saraepdez-Spò}anaMbusekàiziwlkiQnaparmayaJvrae=Ny>,sae=h< h<sSTvdIy< prmizvsuoàaiÝmUl< pd< ÔaiGvNySyaNtguRhayamuictk«itmit> suNdrSTvNmyae=iSm. 7.

7. Who else but me can have the hard and impassable illusion destroyed, as it is washed away by the inspiring words of wisdom pronounced unequivocally by the great Sage, Ramana, of Arunachala? O Self Supreme, enshrining at once in my heart your holy feet, the source of Supreme Bliss, and with a well-disciplined mind, I, Sundara, have been transformed into your Being.

ySy äü{fÉa{faNtirtrivzizSvgRsTyaeXÖmayaJyaeitlaeRkaNtralæm[vzgt¬eznazSp&haiSt,tSy JyaeitigRrINÔiSwtrm[ùdakazmXySwvStu}anavaiÝàsadS)…q”iqt†FSvaTmivS)ªitRrStu. 8.

8. To him who is eager to be free from migrating after death to the regions of the Sun, the Moon, Brahma, etc., may there arise Knowledge of the Self in the heart-cavity, by the Grace of Sri Ramana of shining Arunagiri, and unbroken fixity in the Self!

ye ye zae[aiÔisÏ< rm[mnusrNTywRvaŠmRkayESte te mu´a ÉviNt àblÉvÉyaCDaôiv}anhIna>,k> sNdeh> pre;a< "nmnnvta< àai[na< mae]mageRÊ>oapaye visóaNvyÉvam[äüinóe viróe. 9.

9. Those who by body, mind and possessions serve Sri Ramana, the Sage of Sonagiri, are, not withstanding their ignorance of scriptures liberated from the great fear of transmigration. What doubt can there be for liberation from the misery of transmigration for others who can steadily meditate upon the most excellent scion of Vashishtha’s line, Ramana, ever fixed in Brahman?

Éae Éae iÉ]ae k…taeva=é[igirkqkaÄÇ kaeva ivze;>kiíiTsÏae dyalU rm[ #it sta< Éui´mui´àdata,kSmadev< gu[ae=saE †FinjtpsEveñr}anisÏ(amuGxae Ôòu< gim:yaMyhmip trsa ta†z< yaeigrajm!. 10.

10. Question: O Bhikshu, wherefrom are you coming? Answer: From the slopes of Arunagiri.

Q. What special attraction is there?

A. There lives Ramana, a Sage, very kind, who bestows on the deserving prosperity in this life and liberation after death.

Q. How did he become so?

A. Only by Supreme Knowledge gained through great tapas. Till now ignorant, I too shall directly go there to see so great a Sage.

ðaekEreiÉ> sm¢< dziÉriÉnv< suNdrae´< StveNÔ<say<àat> pQNt> pirùtklu;a> isiÏmNtae mnu:ya>,yav¾Iv< xr{yampirimtsuo< àaPy dehavsaneJyaeitilR¼aiïtïIrm[muinvràaÉvaÑaiNt isÏa>.

Those who everyday in the morning and evening read this excellent stotra of ten verses composed by Sundara, will be made free from sins, will gain Self-Knowledge, will live here absolutely happy and, after death, by the Grace of Ramana of Arunachala, they will shine forth perfect.

ïI suNdranNdSvaimà[Itm! — Sri Sundarananda Swami

AabÏaÃilp‘vEStévrEr_yCyRman< sumErasÚm&tcaénIrlizt< iz:yErzUNyaNtrm!,AabÏamlrajyaegmiol¬ezaNxkariCDd<vNde iniNdtsTylaekivÉv< idVyaïm< dev te.

Surrounded by plants and creepers lovely with bunches of flowers raised in worship of You; flanked by springs of nectar-like water; always crowded with disciples and rajayogis; remover of the darkness of misery; more glorious than satya-loka, Sri Ramanasrama, I bow to You.

. ïIrm[Iym!.

In Praise of Sri Ramana

vNde=é[igirizore iÖtIymé[aclezimv ÉaNtm!,AanNdtuiNdl< ïI rm[mh;IRNÔyaegINÔm!.

1. Salutations to Sri Ramana who, being the best of Maharshis and yogins and overflowing with Bliss, shines on the heights of Arunagiri even like another Lord Arunachala.

s jyit rm[ytINÔae injanuÉUTya àsÚaTma,ivyidv ySy n cetae ÉaEitkdae;anubiNxinmuR´m!.

2. Victorious is He, Ramana, the Prince of Ascetics, lit up with His own experience of Reality with His mind free, and, like space, untainted by matter.

igirirv igirmUxRNyàkMPySvÉavaehr #v hrpañeR Sve]yaPluòkam>,sttmip guhaya< ÉavyNSv< guhaSwjyit rm[yaegI ïeyse Svaiïtanam!.

3. On the height of a hill and with nature firm as a hill, like another Siva by the side of Siva, by whose sight Kama was burnt to ashes, in the Cave and ever at one with the Lord of the Heart-Cave, Ramana lives glorious, for the highest good of those who seek shelter in him.

mhamhaepaXyay mhakivMahamahopadhyaya MahakaviïI-lúm[sUirivrictm! Sri Lakshmana Suri

SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI

By

Sri Dilip Kumar Roy

(Shri Aurobindo Ashram)

It has been said that only a Christ could understand a Christ. And it is true. So I have felt I am essentially an anadhikari

- that is to say, I have not a shadow of right to write about the message or philosophy of a Sage of the type of Maharshi Ramana. For an ego-bound soul can hardly be expected to write anything worth while about an ego-emancipated soul, such as the great Maharshi is. So I hesitated when I was asked to write something on a figure which shines to-day as one of the few light-houses in this global darkness which is the shadow of our primary ignorance of just the things that matter, or, shall I say, the one thing that matters: the last clue to Immortality? Put it whatever way we will, Sri Ramana Maharshi stands out as one of the great Guides to the Harbour for which we all hanker - from prince to pauper - tossed incessantly on the bursting crests of our new-foaming ego. Go where we will, we find men are puppets ultimately of desires in some form or other, gross or subtle. We hear doctrines preached by doctrinaires of life and operations recommended by surgeons of the soul to say nothing of panaceas advocated by politicians and scientists, artists and philosophers. But in vain. The soul thirsts to be rid of the curse of suffering, the badge of all sentient life. To put in the language of the Upanishad, to lay hold of the final remedy for the ills of life we appeal in vain to the mantravit instead of the Atmavit.¹

1. Vide Chhandogya (7. 1. 3.), where Narada says to Sanatkumara: “Soham Bhagavo mantravidevsmi natmavit” which means “All my erudition notwithstanding I am only a man of science and not a sage.”

Mantravit, in modern English would correspond, roundly, to those who possess scientific knowledge. But only the Atmavit, the Sage, can take us beyond the frontiers of darkness, he being by definition the Treasurer of the House of Light, the Light of Self in full swing, stripped finally from the veils of the individual ego. So Narada who went to Sanatkumara approached him as a mantravit must approach an Atmavit. To his question about the riddle of the universe Sanatkumara’s answer comes to this, that, in the last analysis, the motive of all terrestrial action is to attain happiness; so the searchlight of enquiry must be focussed on the secret of happiness: “suo< Tvev ivij}aist-Vym”². Whereupon Narada wanted to be enlightened again. It was only then that the great Atmavit told the mantravit that nothing short of the Infinite will give the key to Happiness: (yae vE ÉUmatTsuo< naLpe suomiSt) “— only That which is in its nature inexhaustible, has the power to deliver the goods, nothing cribbed and cabined, can be a boon-giver of the supreme Happiness our soul hungers for,the deathless Bliss, the cloudless Light.”

Narada was convinced, because the one who talked to him about Bhuma, the Infinite, did know what he was talking about. But when we, the modern Naradas, want to be so convinced we seldom find an Acharya who is an indweller of the Mansion of the Infinite. That is why we remain for ever unhappy disciples of the mantravits, the men of science or, in the last resort, spoon-fed children of philosophers and poets, because these satisfy us perhaps a wee bit more. Nevertheless, a time must come when we have all to sigh in chorus with the great alankaric Ananda Bardhanacharya who, after having dealt with all the thrills that art and philosophy can supply sang dolefully:

ya VyaparvtI rsan! rsiytu< †iò> kivna< nva

†iòyaR piriniòtawRiv;yaeNme;a c vEpiítI,

2. It means: only the lore of Happiness deserve to be studied.

te Öe APyvl<By ivñmiol< invR[RyNtae vy<

ïaNta nEv tu lBxmiBxzyn TvÑi´tuLy< suom!.

Which may be translated somewhat as follows:

We scanned life with the poet’s scrutiny

And thrilled in Beauty’s little flickerings,

Then searched with rushlights of philosophy

And roared: “Now stands revealed the core of things,”

Till O thou Vast, couched in the Primal Ocean,

Our hearts surmised in deep world-weariness:

We missed Thy highest boonthe heart’s devotion

To Thee, a bliss of everlasting Grace.

In recent times how often have we not overheard this muffled cry in truth-seekers who approach the lesser fry lusty with their gospel of sonorous ‘isms till in the end we find ourselves groping in the same labyrinth of semi-darkness.

But fortunately for us, the ancient tradition of Sagehood is still continued in our land of hoary wisdom, be it by ever so small a number. And when one meets one of these one discovers that even old words acquire a new ring, when for example one hears a Ramana Maharshi exclaim before Arunachala Shiva:

Thou mad’st me mad to cure me finally

Of madness for this world of fantasy.³

The words are moving because of the love the great Sage bore for Shiva, the Lord of his heart, the Lord to whom his surrender was so total, so unconditional. What can be more moving than a love which was free and yet so compelling that it made him sing:

As a spider thou wouldst watch me, Lord,

To trap me in thy web of Grace

3. FIVE HYMNS TO SRI ARUNACHALA, by Sri Ramana Maharshi.