Monthly Archives: February 2009

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Nature of Reality: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. Advaita and Yoga . , ,

Nature of Reality

It seems to me that Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Taoism and other religions and spiritual traditions use different words and concepts to describe the nature of Reality.

Even within the Shiva and Shakti traditions there are great debates about the nature of the highest state of existence. If we are speaking of the highest state, then differences can only be in the words used to describe it, not in the experience or in understanding of great Sages.

My teacher once commenting on the Buddhist teaching of Shunya (Emptiness) said that the ultimate state is not “nothingness” but No-Thing-Ness.  He meant that it is empty of all things, concepts, images.

That is my experience as well. The highest reality is nothing less than our own Reality. The Reality of the Self, the Heart, that the ancient called Sat-Chit-Anand. Truly, although we call it an experience for lack of words, it is the end of all experiences.  It is it self the foundation of experience.  That is the nature of the Self.  It is simple and pure being,  both fullness itself and also empty of all things.

Even the notion of no-self and self are concepts only and cannot do the Self justice.  In order to communicate, words have to be used to indicate the experience of the Reality. What ever term one uses to describe THAT, It is what It Is. We can call it God, God Consciousness, or the Self, or the no-self or Shunya, etc.

The words we use to describe reality are not independent of our culture, language, religion, and are historically embedded.  Knowing this, we should keep the company of the Truth, or Truth seekers.  This leads to refinement and Self-Awareness.

With gentle compassion for oneself and others, one should remain aware with a feeling of surrender to Lord of the Heart within whose very nature is that of Awareness.

Whether we meditate or engage in contemplative prayer, absolute awareness dawns in perfect stillness with clarity when the mind subsides into the Heart. The Unlimited Nature of “Now – The Present Moment”, becomes fully Self-Evident. The Self Sees It Self by It Self and Through It Self.

It is the Pure Self Seeing Eye. One without a second.

Namaste

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ULLADU NAARPADU (also spelt as Ulladu Narpadu) – Verse #3

. Advaita and Yoga .

ULLADU NAARPADU
(also spelt as Ulladu Narpadu)

The famous Vedantic poem in Tamil by Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi
(consisting of two preliminary verses called Mangalam, 40 verses which form the main text , and another 40 verses called the Appendix)

Translation into English by Lakshmana Sharma
Detailed Commentary in Tamil by Lakshmana Sharma,
adapted into English by Profvk

(Continued from ULLADU NAARPADU – Verse No.2)

Introduction to Verse #3:

All Acharyas and religious scriptures do teach that this world is asat (not absolutely real), jaDam (inert) and dukhaM (full of miseries). The purpose of such teaching is for us to wean our minds away from the world, make it delve inward (*antar-mukha*), get the state of Experience of Self-Knowledge and stay there anchored to that state. Instead of making efforts through SadhanA towards that state, if we keep on simply repeating parrot-like that world is ‘asat, jaDam and dukhaM’, then we are no different from those who argue the opposite way that the world is sat (absolutely real), cit (sentient) and Anandam (pleasurable). This thought is the undercurrent in this verse by Bhagavan.

Text of Verse #3:

ulagu mey poyt-tOtRam ulagu aRivu Am anRu enRu
ulagu cugam anRu enRu uraittu en? ulagu viTTut-
tannai Orndu onRu iraNDu tAn atRu nAn atRa
annilai ellArkkum oppu Am.

Translation (Lakshmana Sharma)

Of what use is it to affirm “The world is real,” “It is an illusory appearance,” “It is consciousness,” “It is inert,” “It is happy,” “It is surely miserable”? That state of egolessness, transcending the creeds of duality and unity, which is our own by nature, and which is to be won by turning away from the world and experiencing the Real Self, is dear to all alike.

Translation (Prof. K Swaminathan)

`The World is true’; `No, it is a false appearance’; `The World is Mind’; `No, it is not’; `The World is pleasant’; `No, it is not’ — What avails such talk? To leave the world alone and know the Self, to go beyond all thought of `One’ and `Two’, this egoless condition is the common goal of all.

Translation (Osborne)

‘The world is real.’ ‘No, it is a mere illusory appearance.’ ‘The world is conscious.’ ‘No.’ ‘The world is happiness.’ ‘No.’ What use is it to argue thus? That State is agreeable to all, wherein, having given up the objective outlook, one knows one’s Self and loses all notions either of unity or duality, of oneself and the ego.

Word by word


ulagu : The world
mey: real or reality, true or truth
poyt-toTRam : false appearance
ulagu aRivu Am : the world is (nothing but) knowledge
anRu: No
ulagu cugam : the world is happiness
anRu: No
enRu uraittu en? : what is the use of arguing like this?
ulagu viTTu: throwing off the world
tannai Orndu: (by being absorbed in the heart) knowing the Self
onRu iraNDu : one, two
tAn: ego
atRu : devoid of
nAn atRa annilai: that state of I-lessness (nilai = state)
ellArkkum oppu Am : is agreeable to all.

Commentary by Lakshmana Sharma

There do exist two opposing contentions, namely, that the world is real or unreal. Again there exist two other opposing contentions, namely, that the world is conscious or inert. And, finally there exist two more, namely, that the world is happiness or a misery. These six contentions may even be classified as two: One is that the world is unreal, inert, and a misery; and the other is, that the world is real, conscious and pleasurable. The first one of these two is the contention of advaita-vedanta. In fact that is what many scholars and scriptures subscribe to and preach. In this work also this happens to be the teaching. What is the purpose of such a teaching? Just by paying lip-service to it, does one become elevated and fulfilled?

The purpose is this. The complete happiness that we seek will not come from the world. So we have to sacrifice it (that is, let go) and try to obtain the bliss of the Atma-svarUpa inside of us. If one is not interested in so trying, what if he considers the world this way or that way, says Bhagavan.

All of us want a never-changing happiness. Never have we obtained such a happiness in this world. Nor can we hope to obtain it. Worldly life becomes unhappy because of the various turbulences in our mind due to our desires and fears. Desire and Fear spring up only in our mind. The mind has its roots in our ego. Therefore we may obtain pure happiness only in an ego-less state.

Further, we think that happiness arises from the things of the world. That this is only ignorance can be seen even by worldly experience. If things of the world can produce happiness then it should follow that happiness is greater where such things of the world are in abundance and happiness is less where they are scarce. But that is not so. People who are poor and consequently lack many things of the world are seen to be happier than even the rich ones who have all the things of the world. Above all, every one obtains happiness in deep sleep where all the things of the world are absent. The person who wakes up from the sleep remembers how happily he slept. The conclusion is: It is wrong to think that happiness is from the things of the world.

Then where does the happiness we enjoy have its source? JnAnis and the Upanishads opine that only the Atma-svarUpa is Bliss. Of course we might ask; How is it then we are not enjoying that happiness always? Since we do enjoy happiness, off and on while we are awake or we dream and, continuously when we are in deep sleep, it follows that there is something which obstructs our happiness when we are awake or when we dream, and also, that obstruction is not there in deep sleep. This obstruction is called the mind and the ego. It is there in the waking state and in the dreaming state but it is not there in our state of deep sleep. This ego is the thought of ‘I’. Its nature shall be explained later.

Further, in deep sleep there is no awareness of the world. Therefore it is also clear that the appearance of the world is also an obstruction to happiness. But the world does not appear without the presence of the ego. Nor does the ego rise without the appearance of the world. Actually that the two rise and fall together will be clear from a later verse in this text.

Thus the teaching is that the world is a non-entity (*tucham*) (that is, insignificant, worthless) and is not the means for happiness; what is full of happiness is only the Atman. This teaching is also logically acceptable. Therefore what should be sought after is Self-Realisation; and what should be thrown off is the world.

Also there is no question of having that Realisation experience without throwing off the world. In order to obtain the Self we have to become inward-looking and with one-pointed mind we should seek for it. The inward look and the one-pointednes will not be possible until we cease to look outward. Ceasing to look outward is what is meant by the words ‘ulagu viTTu’ in the verse.

What does the world matter for us since anyway we have to sacrifice it. Why should we have to enquire about it? By the enquiry about the world we may come to conclude either it is real or unreal. Either way since it has been declared *tucham* we have to wean it away from us. So even without the enquiry we may throw it off even now. It follows therefore that researching about the world is not necessary. To research the world, what deserves to be thrown off, is like delving into garbage that deserves only to be thrown into the dustbin.

But the one who thus turns his mind away from the world and leads it into enquiry about the Self must have reached a high level of maturity. In other words he must have an intense bhakti in the svarUpa of the Self and a total dispassion towards the opposite – which hides it – namely, the world. That is the person who can follow the sAdhanAs mentioned here, without turning his mind to the affairs of the world. He would reach the goal of Self Realisation very soon — as is obvious from the very life story of our Bhagavan.

[Footnote: This statement about Bhagavan getting his spiritual fulfilment by sAdhanA and abhyAsa is what the world outwardly believes. The real truth is not so. But History follows only what generally appeals and appears to the world. The analogy here is in accordance with that understanding of the world.]

The complete state of happiness obtained by these highly eligible spiritual seekers who have not the least attachment towards worldly matters is something that is not amenable to argument or logic. The words ‘onRu iraNDu tAn atRu’ are indicative of this. It means that the Atman realisation is not to be talked about as either advaita (‘one’) or dvaita (‘two’); for to talk about it there does not exist an ego there. This is the meaning of ‘tAn aTRu’ (= devoid of self). Nor does the ‘I’-thought rise there. This is the meaning of ‘tAn aTra nilai’ .

It is this experience that everybody wants. There is no one who will not like it. Bhagavan’s ending words ‘ellArkkum oppu Am’ of the verse are a little puzzling. Most people don’t even know the existence of such an Atman Realisation; how then does the Bhagavan say that this is agreeable to all? Bhagavan explains the secret as follows.

All people love their sleep; because it is always an unmixed blessing. Between ‘sleep’ and the ‘egoless state’ mentioned here there are two common characteristics. In both the ‘I’-concept does not rear its head. In both there is no external or internal world. It is for this very reason that sleep is blissful. So the state of Self-Realisation is not in any sense lower than the state of sleep. Indeed that is actually far higher than sleep-state. Because the ego as well as the mind, both known to be the cause of all misery, are lost in the darkness of Ignorance. The bliss of sleep is also not significant. In Self Realisation, on the other hand, the mind is lost in the jnAna-svarUpa and is one with it; so there is no mind now. And so there is no scope for the mind to rise again, the world to appear and the samsAra to envelop you. Further, the experience of the Atman is a complete one. Consequently it is far far higher than sleep. Those who love sleep cannot say no to this higher experience. That is why it is said that it is agreeable to all. He who loves sleep but does not want Self Realisation is like one who says that I would like to have a rupee but not a gold sovereign. This is the considered conclusion of advaita vedanta.

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Jesus Christ and Sufism: By Mourad Rashad

. Advaita and Yoga . , ,

To be attached to the world means that you are not yet ready for the Divine to take hold of your heart and mind. The way or path is only a preparation for you to be ready to receive the Divine. When you become ready, God Chooses you.  You have to offer yourself to the Divine, you have to offer your heart and mind to the Divine in order that the Divine takes hold of your mind and heart. You are God’s bride. Unless you – the Bride – are ready, God will not choose you and come to take charge of you.

In the Gospel of Thomas Logion No.75 “Jesus said: “Those who are waiting at the door are many, but those who shall enter the bridal chamber are only the solitaries”. Again in Matthew 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen”.

For you to become the vehicle of God or the bride of God, you have to be solitary. You have to empty your heart and mind from everything but Him. You have to empty your heart and mind from yourself and your world. Nothing should distract you from your way and nothing should occupy your heart or mind. Anything that occupies your heart and mind is a barrier, a dam between you and the Divine.  Solitary means, you want only  God to reside in your heart and mind and to take charge of  your whole life, as if you are offering your life to him as a sacrifice or as a token for your devotion to Him. When God takes hold of you, then you have found your solitary jewel, a solitary jewel that will make your life the richest of the rich. God will not accept  from you anything less than your whole life. If your heart and mind contain anything besides God, then you are not of the solitary, you are not of the chosen and you will not be chosen.

Al Junaid, also called the glass-maker, the great Sufi Master, said: ” The Divine takes hold of man’s heart and mind, till this man experiences nothing other than the Divine, as if he was possessed by the Divine”.

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ULLADU NAARPADU (Also spelt as: Ulladu Narpadu) – Verse #2

. Advaita and Yoga . , ,

ULLADU NAARPADU

(Continued from ULLADU NAARPADU -Verse No.1)

The famous Vedantic poem in Tamil by Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi
(consisting of two preliminary verses called Mangalam, 40 verses which form the main text , and another 40 verses called the Appendix)

Translation into English by Lakshmana Sharma
Detailed Commentary in Tamil by Lakshmana Sharma,
adapted into English by Profvk

Introduction to Verse #2:

The Theory of the Self that is taught here is not to be comprehended by the smartness of the intellect or by logic or by book-knowledge. Learning it that way will not lead you anywhere. The path of Self-Enquiry that will be detailed hereafter will help to vanquish the ego, mind as well as the appearance of the world and thus establish one in the Nature of the Self. That is the Knowledge of the Self says Verse #2.

Text of #2:

Mummudalai emmadamum muRkoLLum
Or mudale mummudalaai niRkumenRum
Mummudalum mummudale yennal ahamkaaram irukkumaTTe
Yaan keTTut-tannilaiyil niTRal talai.

Translation (Lakshmana Sharma)

All the faiths that prevail in the world affirm, to begin with, (the existence of) the world, the soul and God. The two contentions, namely that One Reality is sensed as threefold, and that there are three distinct entities, are upheld (as intellectual convictions) while the sense ‘I am the body’ persists. But the highest state is that of being firmly established in one’s own real Nature (as the Real Self), by giving up that delusion.

Translation (Prof. K. Swaminathan)

On three entities — the individual, God and the world — every creed is based. That `the One becomes the three’ and that `always the three are three’, are said only while the ego lasts. To lose the `I’ and in the Self to stay is the State Supreme.

Translation (Osborne)

All religions postulate the three fundamentals, the world, the soul, and God, but it is only the one Reality that manifests Itself as these three. One can say, ‘The three are really three’ only so long as the ego lasts. Therefore, to inhere in one’s own Being, where the ‘I’, or ego, is dead, is the perfect State.

Word-by-word

Mummudalai: The three primalities
Em madamum : Every faith
muRkoLLum : takes as fundamentals.
Or mudale : Only one fundamental entity
Mummudalai : as the three entities
nirkum endRum : manifests ever;
mummudalum: all the three entities
mummudale : are really three entities
ennal : (this) statement (holds)
ahamkAram irukkumaTTe : only so long as the ego lasts.
Yaan : the ego of this self
keTTu : being lost or vanquished
tannilaiyil : in one’s own Nature
nitRal : being established, anchored
talai: is the foremost, important. (talai = head; topmost thing)

[Note by VK: Please note that my word-by-word translation matches with the translation of Osborne and not with the others].

Commentary by Lakshmana Sharma:

The individual (JIva), God (Ishvara), the Universe (Jagat) are the three things which are first talked about by every school of rligious thought. The difference between different schools arises in the question whether those three are different or the same. Two arguments exist; one that the three are the manifestations of the One and the other that the three are distinct truths. To whatever of these two one holds, his ego has not subsided. Ego is the ignorant belief that this body is the ‘I’. It is the one who has the ego that prefers the argument. So long as the ego lasts one has not understood the Truth by experience. He cannot comprehend the truth of these three. Only in the ego-less state all the truths come to light. That indeed is the state of jnAna. Therefore, whatever school one may belong to, — advaitin or dvaitin – his faith in that school is not jnAna. It is called *parokshha-jnAnaM*.

[Note by VK: ‘parokshha’ in Sanskrit means ‘invisible to the eye’;
Therefore ‘paroksha-jnAna’ means
‘second-hand knowledge’ or ‘indirect knowledge’.
‘aparokshha’ means visible, perceptible.
In other words, ‘aparokshha’ and
‘pratyaksha’ (= visible to the eye, directly perceptible)
mean the same thing)]

But the word ‘parokshha-jnAnam’ which consists of two words, is self-contradictory. The Atman is ‘nitya-aparokshhaM’, that is, ‘ever pratyakshhaM’. How can it be termed as ‘parokshhaM’?

Advaita knowledge is a Self-Experience; it is not a religion or school of thought as other schools are – this is Bhagavan’s opinion. Religion or school of thought is a creation of the mind. Other religions are objects of thought for the mind. Advaitam is not so. Only when the mind is vanquished, it becomes a direct perception. Only when the ego is vanquished, mind also vanishes; therefore until ego vanishes, there can be no jnAna. When ego vanishes, jnAna will be yours. This is the explanation of Bhagavan.

Further, to whatever school one belongs, one should try to rise up spiritually by the sAdhanas that school prescribes and encourages, rather than trying to establish by argument that the tenets of his school are the truths. Instead of concentrating the mind on the differences between different schools and religions, it is best to involve oneself in the methodologies prescribed.This will be clear from the following anecdote about Bhagavan.

Some one brought a religious work and submitted it to Bhagavan. Bhagavan scrutinised a few pages of it and then spoke to the devotee as follows:

“This work contains criticisms of many schools of religious thought, including Advaitam. Every school is glorified by a preliminary account – called ‘MaNDanaM’; and then follows a ‘khaNDanaM’ (criticism). But in writing the ‘MaNDanaM’ portion, the account instead of giving a truthful account introduces an objectionable item in it so that when the ‘khaNDanaM’ portion comes the school can be criticized. All these arguments constitute a waste of effort. What all schools and religions unanimously emphasize is: If the seeker eradicates from his mind all mental constructs like ‘I’ and ‘mine’, he can certainly obtain the highest level of spiritual evolution. There is no dispute on this. Therefore adherents of all schools and religions should devote themselves to following this universally acceptable sAdhanA. Why fight about what the nature of that salvation that may be obtained at the end of the sAdhanA would be? Let it be this way or that way! Should we have to decide now itself that it would be only this way and not that way? Why not wait to see it when you really reach it?

The punchline in this verse is its fourth line. It is the highest state obtainable. ‘To inhere in one’s own Being, where the ‘I’, or ego, is dead, is the perfect State’. There is nothing either higher than it or equal to it. This is indicated by the use of the word ‘talai’ (head, topmost part).

Qn. Relevant to Verse #1 and Bhagavan’s answer.

Recall that Verse #1 said that everything that you see is really Brahman. In Talks Bhagavan explains to a visitor who asked if the world is perceived even after Self-Realization:

M.: From whom is this question? Is it from a JnAni or from an ajnAni?

D.:From an ajnAni.

M.: Realise to whom the question arises. It can be answered if it arises
after knowing the doubter. Can the jagat or the body say that it is?
Or does the seer say that the jagat or the body is? The seer must be
there to see the objects. Find out the seer first. Why worry yourself
now with what will be in the hereafter? Sri Bhagavan continued: What does it matter if the jagat is perceived or not perceived? Have you lost anything by your perception of jagat now? Or do you gain anything where there is no such perception in your deep sleep? It is immaterial whether the world is perceived or not perceived. The ajnAni sees the JnAni active and is confounded. The jagat is perceived by both; but their outlooks differ. Take the instance of the cinema. There are pictures moving on the screen. Go and hold them. What do you hold? It is only the screen. Let the pictures disappear. What remains over? The screen again. So also here. Even when the world appears, see to whom it appears. Hold the substratum of the ‘I’. After the substratum is held what does it matter if the world appears or disappears? The ajnAni takes the world to be real; whereas the JnAni sees it only as the manifestation of the Self. It is immaterial if the Self manifests itself or ceases to do so.

(Talk 65.)

(Continued in ULLADU NAARPADU – Verse No.3)

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Lotus Land: By Madathil Rajendran Nair

. ART & POETRY, INSPIRATIONAL . ,

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India is a lotus land,
In full bloom, all white and red.
We begin our days
Saluting the Lord of the Day,
Who rises holding a white lotus
On a chariot of seven horses.

Our Goddesses of Word and Wealth
Are seated on lotuses,
One white and the other red
Oh, ours is land of lotuses.

We beat our chest
And say “I, I, I am the best”,
Our Sage says:
“That “I” is not you,
Look underneath
What you beat,
There is a lotus,
Lotus of the heart,*
Your sacred retreat,
The divine habitat.”.

India is a lotus land,
In full bloom, all white and red.
I was a boy in teens
In my native Kerala,
A land full of ponds,Who once swam a silver pool
In the early morning sun
To pluck a lotus
For his blushful girlfriend.

His feet got caught
In the mesh underneath,
In the netty knottiness
Of intricate roots.
He struggled hard to extricate
Himself in anguish and panic.

For the first time in life
Fear of death he tasted.
Lotuses all around
Looked and smiled,
They gave him hope
And enthused him to fight.

When at last the Lord
Helped him back to land
To hand the flower to the anxious lass,
He saw bees in her lashes
Hovering over red lotuses –
Her blushful cheeks,
And forgot all about
The struggle just bygone

Swinging to and fro,Between pain and smile,
He grew up to learn
About the six circles
Of the Kundalini.
Each one was a lotus again
Of different number of petals,
The last one on the crown
In full bloom with thousand leaves

Where his Ma resides
As his resplendent Self.
And when he slept
He knew he was a pond
Of countless lotuses,
In full bloom, all white and red –
A body of shining water

With blossoms smiling all over.
Oh India is a lotus land,
In full bloom, all white and red,
Listening to the lullaby of the stars.

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brahmany adhaya karmani
sangam tyaktva karoti yah
lipyate na sa papena
padma-patram ivambhasa

One who performs his duty without attachment,
surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord,
is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus leaf is untouched by water.

Bhagavad Gita, 5.10

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*Sometime in December of 2008, I had posted a request to the Advaitin elist, seeking clarification of the meaning of the phrase “lotus of my heart” as translated from the sanskrit text of Adi Shankaracharya’s Nirguna Manasa Puja quoted below. Nairji was inspired to produce the poem Lotus Land in response to my request. Smt. Vinathaji Kumar was kind enough to send me the quote from the Bhagavad Gita above. The photographs of Alan Larus lay in waiting for yet another chance to grace our senses with their inimitable beauty. Special thanks to all of you for your contributions to this post.
In His Service, Radhe

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Aaradhayami mani sannibham athma lingam,
Maayapuri hrudaya pankaja sannivishtam,
Sradha nadhi vimala chitha jalabishegai,
Nithyam samadhi kusmaira punarbhavai.

I worship that Linga,
Which is in me as my soul,
Residing in the illusory lotus of my heart,
Getting bathed by the clear water,
Of the river of my devotion,
And worshipped daily by the Lotus,
Of my meditation for avoiding another birth.
(From Nirguna Manasa Puja by Sankaracharya)
Translated by P. R. Ramachander

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The link below is to a “home video” of the Manasa Puja with the verse from Nirguna Manasa Puja as its invocation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt_Rhnl1J08

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ULLADU NAARPADU (also spelt as Ulladu Narpadu) – Verse No.1

. Advaita and Yoga .

ULLADU NAARPADU 

(Continued from ULLADU NAARPADU -Mangalam  2)

The famous Vedantic poem in Tamil by Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi
(consisting of two preliminary verses called Mangalam, 40 verses which form the main text , and another 40 verses called the Appendix)

Translation into English by Lakshmana Sharma
Detailed Commentary in Tamil by Lakshmana Sharma,
adapted into English by Profvk

Introduction

In this seminal work, Bhagavan teaches that Self-Enquiry is the best means for Mokshha. What helps that enquiry is *satya-asatya-vivekam* – that is the wisdom to discriminate between truth and falsity. And what we obtain by that enquiry is Self-Realisation. Though these three topics Discrimination, Enquiry, and Realisation appear in almost every verse, the particular order in which the verses appear suggest that verses 1 to 26 are mostly about Discrimination (Vivekam), 27 to 29 are mostly about Enquiry (Vichaaram) , and 30 to 40 are mostly about Realisation (anubhavam). So these three portions may be classified as Viveka chapter, Vichaara chapter and Anubhava chapter.

Viveka chapter (Verse nos.1 to 26)

What is viveka? The Existent Reality is the Atman; the false appearances – the triad of  JIva, Ishvara and the Universe – hide the Atman; the world that hides appears real and the Atman that is hidden appears unreal. The means of Enquiry is difficult to accomplish. What one has to do as prerequisite to this Enquiry is to decide that the falsity that hides is false and the reality that is hidden is real. This is Discrimination (Viveka). Thus this Discrimination becomes an indispensable prerequisite to the seeker. This chapter elaborately explains this discrimination.

Introduction to Verse #1

In the first verse Bhagavan takes the analogy of the movie on the movie screen in order to explain that Brahman is the Reality and the universe that hides it is a false appearance. In technical terms Brahman is adhishhTAnam (base, substratum) and the universe is Aropitam (superimposed).

Verse #1.

nAM ulagam kANDalAl nAnA AM shakti uLa
Or mudalai oppal oru-talaiye.
nAma uru cittiramum pArppAnum cEr-paDamum Ar oLiyum
attanaiyum tAn Am avan.

Lakshmana Sharma’s Translation

Since we see the world, (it follows that) there does exist a source of it, a sole Reality transcending (world and mind), of whose power all this is a becoming; this is beyond dispute. This cinema show of names and forms, their sustaining screen, the light (of Consciousness), and the spectator – all these four are only that Supreme Being, who is the Real Self within the Heart.

Prof. Swaminathan’s Translation

Since we know the world, we must concede for both a common Source, single but with the power of seeming many. The picture of names and forms, the onlooker, the screen, the light that illumines — all these are verily He.

Osborne’s Translation

From our perception of the world there follows acceptance of a unique First Principle possessing various powers. Pictures of name and form, the person who sees, the screen on which he sees, and the light by which he sees: he himself is all of these.

Word by Word

nAm ulagam kANDalAl : Since we cognize the universe (ulagam = world, universe)
nAnA Am shakti uLa: that which has the power to appear as many (nAnA = multiple)
Or mudalai: One single Primal entity
oppal : to agree, to concede
oru talaiye: can have no objection.
nAma uru cittiramum : all the picture-forms full of names (nAmam = name; cittiram = picture)
pArppAnum : and he who sees them (pAr = see, watch)
cEr paDamum : and the cloth-base
Ar oLiyum : and the Light that shows (all these) (oLi = Light, luminiscence)
attanaiyum: all these (four)
tAnAm : are the Atman (that is in the heart) (tAn = Self, (also) the egoistic self)
avan : He, the God Almighty.

Commentary by Lakshmana Sharma

Here we are taught that there exists an ever-existing Reality which is the substratum (or base, adhishhTAnam) for the visible universe. But in order to clear the question whether that Reality transformed itself into the universe, or whether without undergoing any change it only forms the base for the appearance of the universe, the words *nAnAvAm shakti uLa* are added. What shows as this multiplicity of the universe is a miraculous power called mAyA, that cannot be distinguished as distinct from that Reality. That Reality has not undergone any change or transformation – is the meaning here. In other words, the universe is superimposed on the adhishhTAnam of Brahman.The analogy for this is the movie show. But between the movie show and the show of the universe there is a major difference. In the movie show the viewer is separate from the movie. But in this show of the universe (by mAyA) the viewer is also part of it. The viewer is not distinct from the universe. He is included in it. So if the universe is false, he also is. This is an important teaching.

In the analogy, the pictures that appear and disappear are impermanent; therefore unreal. The unmoving screen that really undergoes no change is permanent; therefore real. So also, the appearances of the universe along with the viewer are both unreal. The sat-cit that is the adhishhTAnam (base) is the reality, Brahman. By the factor of ‘sat’ it constitutes the base for the false appearances; and by the ‘cit’ factor it becomes the Light that shows up those appearances.So this unreal universe appears on the real Brahman. By the very jnAna-svarUpa (Nature of Knowledge) of that Brahman the universe appears as real. The universe by itself has no claims to Existence or the Light of Knowledge. This fact will also be clear from verse #13 *jnAnamAm tAne mey*.

But the Upanishads do say the jagat (=universe) has been created by Brahman and in fact Brahman itself became the universe. How can they say it if it were not true? But wise experienced knowledgeable people say that the real intention of the Upanishads is to convey that the universe as such has no existential privilege nor the privilege of expression (=prakAshaM) ; only the sat-cit nature of Brahman which is the substratum makes it appear so.

Here it is said that neither the JIva who is the viewer, nor the show of the universe is distinct from the substratum Brahman and so they are actually Brahman itself. Thus it is clear that all names and forms are unreal. This will again be made clear in the verse #4 which begins with ‘uruvaM tAnAyin’.

Further that sat-cit Brahman is also the Atman, says this verse, through the words ‘tAnAm avan’. The Tamil word ‘tAn’ denotes the Atman here.

It is a foolish argument to say that Brahman that is the Atman has really transformed into the Universe. It is like saying that in the milk of Brahman drops of the buttermilk of Ignorance (ajnAnam) got mixed and that produced the curd of the Universe. Ignorance is not a material entity. How can it make changes in Brahman? Also, when milk becomes curd, the latter does not turn back into milk ever. So also if Brahman gets transformed into the universe in the same manner, then it cannot become Brahman again. It turns out therefore that Brahman is incapable of preserving its own nature. How can we expect such a Brahman to protect us?

If there were no such thing as a never-changing Reality, then there would be no scope for our release. It is because of the existence of something which never changes, we have a way of release, says the Buddha. All the jnAnis do clearly say that Brahman is the one which never changes; so we don’t have to accept the argument of the previous paragraph.

Finally the central meaning of this verse is to be taken like ‘this snake is the rope’. The rope in reality has not become the snake, but in our time of ignorance it appears like a snake. In the same manner, in our time of Ignorance Brahman appears as the Universe. By proper knowledge of ours the rope shows up as it is. So also when Knowledge dawns the world-appearance vanishes and Brahman shows up as it truly is, namely the Atman. Even when the snake appeared it was the rope in reality, so also even when the world appears the Atman that is Brahman is the only Truth. The Universe is never the reality. This is the substance of this verse.

Footnote: Names and Forms appear to be true only in the state of Ignorance, that is, to the ego-full mind. In the JnAna experience of a Released person (mukta) they are not true. This truth is also expressed by Bhagavan in the fifth verse of ArunAchala-ashhTakam.

Note by VK: In this verse Bhagavan has elaborated the well-known Upanishad-declaration (Chandogya Upanishad: III – 14 – 1): *sarvaM khalvidam Brahma* (All this is Brahman). Adi Shankara explains it in his commentary as: This world diversified through names and forms and which is the object of direct perception etc. has Brahman as its origin.

(Continued in ULLADU NAARPADU – Verse No.2)

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Find A Penny

. Advaita and Yoga, INSPIRATIONAL

1-0381

Find A Penny…
Pick it Up…
All the DayYou’ll Have Good Luck

I go to my bedroom where Molly ( Molly is not her real name, but she jokingly refers to herself as Molly Mop Up, because she cannot walk past dirt without cleaning it up) is busy changing the lightbulbs in the ceiling fan, and in her usual fashion, cleaning everything in her path as she goes. Molly helps around the office (my office is in my home) and also helps with general cleaning and other projects related to my home. She is my good friend and I have known her for several years now.

She is up there wiping away and then comes down, advising me as she lands on the ground that the shade was really dirty. “Gee, I thought this was an opaque shade, but it is not…it is clear.” I knew that, I think to myself, although truth is it has been so long since that shade was cleaned, I really did not remember. Wherever she has it at the moment, I am sure it is clear now.

I also could not remember how many bulbs it took, but the last one blew a few days ago and the light fixture was lost in darkness, and I need the light in the room, so I had asked her to change the bulbs for me since I cannot reach that high even on the ladder. (The ceiling is a vaulted ceiling, I have neck problems which limit my comfort in raising my arms to work above my head,  and I am short!)  As she walks down the hallway with her rag in her hand, I look up at the fixture, which has been stripped bare of the shade down to its extension rod with the little round plate attached to the bottom on which the shade rests and onto which another round plate is screwed to hold the shade in place. What would I do without her help, I think to myself, as she returns to the room and climbs back up to the fixture.

Once she gets up there, looking confused and perplexed, she looks down at me, and says to me, “Did you put this penny up here?” I process what she just said. “Of course not! What are you talking about, Molly?” I have been standing here doing my own little tasks, and why would I climb up the ladder to put a penny into a light fixture I can’t reach? In fact, WHO WOULD put a penny into a light fixture? WHY would you put a penny into a light fixture? Yet, laying on the rim of the round little plate at the end of the extension rod which she had justed finished cleaning with her rag before she left the room, she now found a penny. She picks it up and brings it down to me, handing it to me. I take a look at it…it is a shiny penny, dated 1998, with Abraham Lincoln on the front.

1-027

“I just cleaned that rim and there was no penny there. Are you sure you did not put it there?” She looks at me almost as if in accusation. She is a bit shook up by it and I am intrigued by it. I deny any involvement once again. Molly is mollified!!! She shakes her head, leaves the room and goes downstairs to work elsewhere. I look over at my pujya and the image of Lord Krishna sitting there in all His Glory, acting all innocent, and think…”What are you up to this time, O Giridhara Naagara?” No answer. Still, I cannot help but wonder. It has His Footprints all over it!

I look at it again, and play with it in my hand. Well, it sure was not put up there for me. She is the one who was working there and she is the one who found it. In fact, there is no way I would have found it because I was not going up that ladder, she was. So, the penny is for her, isn’t it? Now I get my answer…yes it is. And she not only gets the penny, but following instructions, I begin to put together a little package for her to take home with her. This includes a flower and a little clay Diwali candle holder to put it in.

I find myself putting the flower into the Diwali holder, and placing the penny into the flower. I kneel before Him. What is it you would like to ask of Me for her? I take a moment to think…I know that Diwali is symbolized by Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and it does not take a genius to make the “find a penny pick it up” connection either. While she is busy downstairs, I am busy upstairs. Dispensing with the mundane aspect of my request, I note that money is an issue in her household, so I ask that things ease up a bit there for her and her family and that they be able to pay their bills. But my real request is for her spiritual enrichment and so I make this request of Him, knowing that however awkwardly I might word it, He will know what to do with it. In fact, He already knows what He is going to do with it, but He lets me play the part. I am then sent off to finish the package with which I will send her home. Down to my office and my eyes fall on my windowsill, where there is a small image of Lord Vishnu which I had cut out from a poster at the Mission for some sort of Vaikunta celebration which had occurred at the Vrindavan Center in NJ. I liked it because it was strikingly blue and beautiful and I had no Vishnu images and I wanted one. Hey, I just framed that for me!!! It has not even been there for a full day yet. Not for you anymore:-) So I give it up and put it with the rest of her “gifts.” Then I pull out my little book from the Mission entitled “Symbols In  Hinduism” and find a short article on Vishnu, making a copy for her to take home.

Well, now what do I put it into? I go down to the basement to the laundry room where she is working. I also use that room to keep some of my wrapping paper and decorative you- don’t- have- to- wrap-it bags. She sees me looking in the drawer and pulling them out, and starts to point to a big bag hanging up near the counter. She begins to move towards it when I tell her “Stay out of it.” She gives me a look and stays out of it and continues with what she had been doing. So I find a few bags and take them up to my office where her gift is waiting.

When she leaves for the day, I give her the gift bag, and I tell her that the reason I told her to stay out of it, was because I had been looking for the bag for her. She smiles and takes the package, having no idea what I am giving her. I smile because I know what I am giving her, what He is giving her.

I talk to her a few days later and she thanks me telling me that no one has done anything for her like that to make her feel that good in a long time. She had not opened the package until later that evening when all her home chores were done and her son was in bed. Then I mention to her…”I hear Glenn gave you a computer.” Glenn is my computer tech and works on a large campus where they had just updated their computers and had a bunch of them heading for storage/disposal. He has been helping me cope with my computer meltdown, and had just guided me in purchasing a new one. During the same conversation, he mentioned that he had given one of the computers to her. I had sent him to her because her computer was refusing to boot up and she and her husband could not fix it themselves.

“Oh yes”, she says. “The motherboard on our computer was dead and we were going to have to replace it completely,or buy a new computer and we do not have the money to buy a new computer. This was a lifesaver.” I laughed (thinking…yes, He is). “Find a penny…pick it up…all the day you’ll have good luck.” I quipped. She got silent for a moment, perhaps absorbing what I had just said and then the conversation ended because we both had to get off the phone. Later, she told me she had not even made the connection until I said it to her. In fact, when she had arrived home from my house that very day, there was already a message from Glenn to her on her answering machine, telling her about the computer and offering it to her. His gift was already given before I asked for it for her.  As to the second and most important of my wishes for her, it is safely in His hands and always has been.

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Abandoning all DHARMAS of the body, mind, and intellect,
take refuge in Me alone.
I will liberate you from all sins; grieve not.
Bhagavad Gita, Ch. 18, Verse 66

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ULLADU NAARPADU (also spelt as Ulladu Narpadu) – Mangalam – 2: By Professor V. Krishnamurthy

. Advaita and Yoga . , ,

ULLADU NAARPADU

(Continued from ULLADU  NAARPADU – Comments by ProfVK)

The famous Vedantic poem in Tamil by Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi
(consisting of two preliminary verses called Mangalam, 40 verses which form the main text , and another 40 verses called the Appendix)

Translation into English by Lakshmana Sharma
Detailed Commentary in Tamil by Lakshmana Sharma,
adapted into English by Profvk

Mangalam – 2

In Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, Bhagavan explains the first
managalam to a devotee:

The first stanza is the auspicious beginning. Why should the subject
matter of the piece be brought in here? Can knowledge be other than Being? Being is the core – the Heart. How then is the Supreme Being to be contemplated and glorified? Only to remain as the Pure Self is the
auspicious beginning. This speaks of attributeless Brahman according to the jnana marga (method of knowledge).

Introduction to Mangalam – 2:

By the first verse Mangalam – 1, the nirguNa-svarUpa (nirguna =attributeless) of brahman was indicated. That itself will show up as saguNa (= with attributes) for the devotees. In the situation where there is no mind brahman is nirguNa. When the mind is there the same brahman is saguNa. Then that itself becomes God Almighty. Those who show Bhakti or Love towards Him, finally deserve His Grace when they have offered their Self to Him, and receive the Self-Realisation Experience already mentioned. This is the truth that is the content of the 2nd verse in Mangalam:

Tamil Text:

MaraNa-bhayam mikku uLa am-makkal aRaN Aha
maraNa-bhavam illaa maheshan sharaName caarvar;
tam caarvoDu taam caarvutraar;
caavu eNNam caarvarO caavaadavar.

Translation (Lakshmana Sharma):

Men of pure minds who intensely fear death surrender themselves unto the Lord of all, the blissful One, the indwelling Self, who has no death or birth. By that (surrender) their ego, along with their attachments becomes extinguished. How can they, who (thus) have won abode in Immortality, have any thought of death?

Translation (Prof. K. Swaminathan):

When those who are in dread of death seek refuge at the feet of the deathless, birthless Lord Supreme, their ego and attachments die; and they, now deathless, think no more of death.

Word-by-word:

MaraNa bhayam = Fear of Death (maraNam = death)
Mikka uLa = Who have lots of
am makkaL = those people
araN Aha = ‘to get rid of’ : in this case, the contextual meaning would be: ‘in order to get rid of that fear of death (araN = barricade for protection)
maraNa-bhavam illaa = (He) who is deathless, birthless (bhavam = birth)
maheshan = the Great Lord
sharaName caarvar = do surrender only
tam caarvoDu = along with their possessiveness (*mamakaaram*)
tAM = (their) Egoistic self
cAvutraar = dies, vanishes.
cAvu eNNam = thought of death (cAvu = death)
caarvaro = Would they?
caavaadavar = they who are beyond death.

Commentary by Lakshmana Sharma :

Every one has the fear of death some time or other. But that becomes ineffective. A temporary dispassion that follows such fear of death usually vanishes after a further experience of life’s goodies. On the other hand those with a high sense of values do not forget the fear and they look for antidotes for it.

For men steeped in ignorance and worldly mAyA to rise to salvation, the miseries of worldly life themselves are steps. Bhagavan says: “When a person is dreaming during sleep, so long as the dream experiences are pleasurable, he does not wake up. Only miserable events in the dream wake him up. So also, in worldly life, so long as things appear pleasant, the worldly man does not wake up from the mAyic world to realise the Truth. The miseries of samsAra, the fear of death – these kinds of feelings are the ones that direct him to the goal. We know death is sure to come. But so long as it does not confront you, you don’t realise the severity of that fear. Therefore it is the knowledge that comes out of experience that life is full of miseries, that turns your path towards one of nivRtti (cessation of activity)”. Rarely a blessed one in a million turns to jnAna-path the moment he becomes aware even mentally of death. Such are the Buddha and our own Bhagavan Ramana.

When the mind thus turns to nivRtti path, that soul gets into the Grace of deahtless, birthless Lord. That Grace makes him look inward and takes him on to the Supreme. That is when the Ego of ‘I’ gets extinguished along with vAsanas of all kinds of bondage. What remains is the deathless Atman.

What is this Ego? It is the false conviction that the body is the Atman. So long as that remains, the impending death of the body will be considered as one’s own death. This verse shows that when the Ego is extinguished the very concept of death is uprooted.

Here is Bhagavan’s explanation of Mangalam – 2:

The second stanza is in praise of God with attributes. In the first,
to be as one Self is mentioned; in the present one, surrender to the Lord of all. Furthermore the second stanza indicates (1) the fit reader (2) the subject matter (3) the relationship and (4) the fruit. The fit reader is the one who is competent for it. Competence consists in non-attachment to the world and desire to be liberated. All know that they must die some time or other; but they do not think deeply of the matter. All have a fear of death: such fear is momentary. Why fear death? Because of the ‘I-am the-body’ idea. All are fully aware of the death of the body and its cremation. That the body is lost in death is well-known. Owing to the I-am-the-body notion, death is feared as being the loss of Oneself. Birth and death pertain to the body only; but they are superimposed on the Self, giving rise to the delusion that birth and death relate to the Self. In the effort to overcome birth and death man looks up to the Supreme Being to save him. Thus are born faith and devotion to the Lord. How to worship Him?

The creature is powerless and the Creator is All-powerful. How to approach Him? To entrust oneself to His careis the only thing left for him; total surrender is the only way. Therefore he surrenders himself to God. Surrender consists in giving up oneself and one’s possessions to the Lord of Mercy. Then what is left over for the man? Nothing – neither himself nor his possessions. The body liable to be born and to die having been made over to the Lord, the man need no longer worry about it. Then birth and death cannot strike terror. The cause of fear was the body; it is no longer his; why should he fear now? Or where is the identity of the individual to be frightened? Thus the Self is realised and Bliss results. This is then the subject-matter: freedom from misery and gain of Happiness. This is the highest good to be gained.  Surrender is synonymous with Bliss itself. This is the relationship. Fruit is to reflect on the subject-matter and gain Knowledge which is ever-present, here and now. The stanza ends with “the immortal ones.”

(Talk no. 567)

Continued in ULLADU NAARPADU -Verse No.1

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Wisdom and Action (No. 1): By V. Ganesan

. Advaita and Yoga, TEACHERS . , , ,

This is the first part of three ‘sharings’ from Ganesan, at his house in Tiruvannamalai.

Today is the Happy Christmas day – 25th December,2008 !

When I opened the computer, the glorious, serene and the saintly picture of JESUS CHRIST blossomed before me, with the following powerful words written beneath Him :

“ TRUST in the Lord, with your Heart; and,
Don’t lean on your own understanding.
In all things acknowledge Him, and
He shall direct your way. ”

—– PROVERBS 3:5. 6

I felt blessed !

The Great Master: JESUS CHRIST thus was “directing” me the way of what with and how I should commence the ‘Morning Sharing’ with fellow-seekers !

In our last session, we quoted FOUR varied sayings of the Great Master : BHAGAVAN RAMANA, on which the mode of sharing would be taking place for a few more sessions. They are :

(1) In 1936, Paul Brunton asked the Maharshi : “Can a man of the world [ viz., one who is involved in worldly activities ] practice this Jnana Marga – Wisdom Path ? “

Sri Bhagavan’s cryptic answer was : “There is no contradiction between Work and Wisdom.”

(2) On another occasion, Sri Bhagavan said : “ The only purpose of life is to realize the SELF. All other activities are waste of time.“

(3) Yet another affirmative statement of Sri Bhagavan is : “ If one identifies oneself with the body, ‘Karma ’ [ destiny ] is inevitable
and unavoidable [ which means, one is ever bound, one is ever in bondage ]. If one’s attention is turned inwards, one is always free. One is ever a Free Man.”

(4) When asked whether his teachings could be put in one word,

Sri Bhagavan answered : “ATTENTION” [ “Unar ” ]

* * * * * * * * * * * *

For clarity in spiritual striving, Sages and Saints of yore had conveniently classified the approach to spiritual attainment into four branches : ‘Jnana’ , ‘Bhakti’, ‘Yoga’ and ‘Karma’ . The “Bhagavad Gita” deals elaborately on all the four methods. Sri Bhagavan also refers to these four paths in his original composition : “Upadesa Sara” . However, Sri Bhagavan’s ‘Direct Teaching ’ is “ To turn the outgoing mind inwards and merge it in the Inner Reality .” Any theory which gave emphasis on the ‘mind’ to move out or go outwards, Sri Bhagavan warned the seeker to be vigilant. He said : “ Constant vigilance is the price a seeker has to pay. ”

In that light, it is interesting to observe that Bhagavan gave greater importance only to TWO of the four methods : ‘JNANA’ and ‘KARMA’ . He further elucidated the reason for doing so. He said that ‘Bhakti’ and ‘Yoga’ are included, imbued into ‘Jnana’ and ‘Karma’.

Attention turned outwards is “KARMA” which is body-based and mind-based [ ‘Destiny’ ] .

Attention turned inwards is “JNANA” which is “Attention paying attention to Attention” [ “Ulladu Unar ” ] .

When one identifies with the body, one is bound by rules, regulations, do’s and don’t’s – that is ‘Karma’ . They are unavoidable if one is the body only. Sri Bhagavan raises the question : “Are you only the body ?”

Body is perceptible in the waking; and, vaguely and differently in the dreaming; and, totally absent in the deep sleep state. But, the inward awareness of “ I AM ” is continuous and uninterrupted.

Body is there, temporarily. Awareness is ever there !

Am I the body only ? The mind only ? Or, am I the awareness ? WHO AM I ? Vichara [ Enquiry ] results. Vichara takes one to the inner depths of Truth – to the threshold of TRUTH itself. All other methods are mind based. Vichara transcends mind. When Paul Brunton reported thus to Sri Bhagavan : “ I have been acquainting myself with the various teachings in India before coming to you.

Every one of them preaches the same truth. You also say the same. So, how is your teaching different from the others ?” Sri Bhagavan replied : “All other teachings are based on the ‘mind’ . Mine does not. It transcends the mind.”

Every spiritual practice is based on body & mind and thus only secondary — including meditation. Vichara alone transcends all borders of conditionings.

Listen to Bhagavan Ramana :

“ Devotee: Will Vichara alone do even in the absence of meditation ?

Sri Bhagavan : Vichara is the practice and the Goal also. “ I AM “ is the Goal and the final Reality. To hold to It with effort is ‘Vichara’ [practice] . When spontaneous and natural It is Realization [Goal] . “

— “TALKS” , No.390

The two paths that Sri Bhagavan emphasized are JNANA and KARMA. He classified them in unmistakable terms as well, which can be grasped from the following dialogue with a devotee :

“ Devotee : What is Aham Sphurana (shining) ?

Sri Bhagavan : Aham, Aham = “I AM” , “I AM” is the SELF. Aham Idam = ‘I am this’ or ‘I am that’ is the ego. Shining [ ‘I AM’ ] is there always. The ego [ body-mind ] is transitory. When the “I AM” is kept up as “I AM” alone it is SELF.

When it flies out at a tangent and says ‘this’ or ‘that’, it is the ego. “

— “TALKS” , No.363

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now, let us go back to the last session, in a brief way :

In verses 26 & 27 of the Supplement to the Forty Verses [ Ulladu Narpadu ] Bhagavan translated the instruction given to Sri Rama by his preceptor, Sage Vasishta. The theme is the right relations between awareness and heroic action. In 1944 when the proofs of the third edition of Ulladu Narpadu was being corrected in Bhagavan’s presence, some of the English Professors who had accompanied Prof.K. Swaminathan, found fault with the introductory note by the author, Lakshmana Sarma [ “Who” ] :

“To the question how the sadhaka [aspirant] is to behave in the world till he succeeds in attaining Wisdom, the answer is given in the two following verses, taken from the Yoga Vasishta. “

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Verse 26 : Supplement to the Forty Verses on Reality :

“ Having understood, i.e., by consciously experiencing the various states – like, the waking, dreaming and the deep sleep – and yet always holding firmly at Heart to the Supreme State of Inner Silence, play your part, O Hero, ever in the world. Having thus realized the Inner Silence of the Heart as the underlying Truth behind all forms of appearances, never swerve from it. Thus, play your allotted part in the world, O Hero, acting as though attached to them all ! “

Verse 27 :

“ Outwardly pretending to have enthusiasm and delight, excitement and aversion, initiative, effort and perseverance, yet without any inner attachment at all, play, O Hero, in the world. Thus, releasing oneself from all forms of bondage [attachment ] and having equanimity of mind, act outwardly, in all situations, in accordance with the part one is endowed with, play your part as ordained, O Hero, in the world. “

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now, the Professors pointed out to Sri Bhagavan the obvious absurdity of Sarma’s suggestion that Sri Rama – Incarnation of Lord Vishnu – a Self-Realized great soul — needed this teaching.

“Who has these doubts ?” enquired Sri Bhagavan. “Prof. K. Swaminathan !” said some one. The cool bright beam of the Maharshi’s glance of grace pierced through the entire being of Prof. K. Swaminathan. Sri Bhagavan said smiling : “ Look ! It is for you” [ Paar, Unakkuttaan ! ]

The “you” refers not only to Prof.Swaminathan, but so vibrantly to every one of us ! Remember, some time back, we shared how one of the Saints that I had met, had asked me to read “The Bhagavad Gita ” and actively guided me by saying : “To truly understand the import of this great spiritual masterpiece, one should read it assuming oneself to be Lord Krishna and never by identifying oneself with Arjuna !”

Likewise, one should read these two verses from the standpoint of Jnana [ Wisdom ] and never from the viewpoint of Karma. Notice how the verse begins : “ Having understood……and always holding constantly, firmly in the Heart to the Supreme State of Inner Silence, the “I AM ” ” . As a trapeze act in a circus, one is advised to keep a perfect balance between the outward and inward in one’s activities — a coherent unison — which can successfully be effected by one turning within and not having attachments to actions done.

How to do it ? Allow things to happen as it is. Do not “react” , just “act”. The Higher Power will make things happen “through” you and not “by” you. Give up the attitude of “by me”, at all times and under all circumstances ! The Vedas declare : “ Be a channel for the ‘White Light’ [ Higher Power ] to pass through.”

Look at the lives of Great Masters like the Buddha, Jesus Christ and Ramana Maharshi. How did they live ? Were they lazy ? Were they not more active than any one of us ? Was there not perfect correlation between what they taught and how they lived that very teaching themselves ? On the very first day of his arrival at Arunachala, the sixteen year old youth Ramana, declared : “THY WILL BE DONE”. Never after that there was there any ‘action’ done by himself ! “The same Higher Power which brought me from Madurai to here, has brought me from Skandashram to Sri Ramanasramam,” was Sri Bhagavan’s reply to a query: “Is it not ‘you’ who decided to climb down from Skandashram to here in 1922 ?”

In our own lifetime, we saw how Yogi Ramsuratkumar lived; very actively, yet, totally resigned to the Higher Power, which he chose to address as “Father” . Quite often he used to repeat : “This beggar died at the holy feet of his Guru in 1952.” “Yogi Ramsuratkumar is not this beggar’s name – it is Father’s Holy Name. Chant three times : ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar’ ; my Father will rush to you and help you.” When Yogiji performed remarkable ‘miracles’

for me, as he had done to his innumerable devotees, and I attributed them to him, his invariable response, every time, was : “This dirty beggar knows nothing, does nothing Ganesha. It is Father ! Out of His abundant Grace and Compassion, He responds forthwith whenever His holy name is thus called.” After a few moments of silence, he would add : “Father alone exists here, there and everywhere. Nothing else. Nobody else. It is Father, Father,

Father alone ! ” “ ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar’ is not this beggar’s name, Ganesha ! It is Father’s Sacred Name ! You know there is the “1008 Names of Lord Vishnu” which all Hindus chant – like that, this Name is also only Father’s Name !”

Plunge within and recognize the Higher Power guiding you and operating ‘through’ you. Giving up the falsehood of “by me” and holding firmly to the truth of Higher Power working “through me”, is to be “newly reborn”. The purport and significance of our celebrating the birthdays of Sages and Saints – like, our celebrating today the Birthday of the Great Master JESUS CHRIST, as “Christmas” – is to remind to ourselves that one has to be reborn to the truth : “God’s living in me and is operating through me” and to dying to the falsehood : “actions are done by a ‘me’ .” Jesus Christ said : “By dying one lives” . Die to the past and the future and live in the NOW !

Be reborn anew by dying to the age-old attachments to Karma [destiny]. Sri Bhagavan said : “ If you say that there is Karma [ prarabdha karma ] , there is Karma. If you say that there is no Prarabdha Karma, take it for certain, there is no Prarabdha Karma. ”

One is ever the SELF ; never either the body nor the mind ! Be a “Hero ” by diving within and being the SELF !

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Related posts:

Satsang with Ganesan
Self nature, Faith and Attention

V. Ganesan Bio

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Born in 1936, up to the age of 14 years old, Ganesan grew up in the presence and proximity of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. His sacred memory of the Great Master is rich in its content; and, even at that tender age he could see Sri Ramana as the greatest compassionate human being.

On April 14, 1950 – the day the Great Master chose to leave the body – the adolescent Ganesan stood near the entrance to the room where Sri Ramana was lying and was fortunate to witness the brilliant flash of Light that later moved towards the top of the Holy Hill – Arunachala.

Ganesan obtained a Master’s Degree in Philosophy; and, then came to stay permanently at “Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai” – the sacred abode of Sri Ramana Maharshi – taking care of the Old Devotees of Sri Ramana. He did it as his sole sadhana (spiritual practice). In that way, he collected the reminiscences of Sri Maharshi from those Old Devotees which have never before been recorded.

His close contacts with sages and saints, including Swami Ramdas, Mother Krishnabai, J. Krishnamurti, Nisargadatta Maharaj and Yogi Ramsuratkumar, he says, have deepened and widened his understanding of the ‘Direct Teaching’ of the Maharshi. However, he feels himself to be an insignificant ‘dust’ at the Holy Feet of Bhagavan Ramana.

He has traveled widely and spread the ‘Direct Teaching’ of Sri Ramana Maharshi, in its pristine purity, wherever he was invited to give talks.

He has authored a few books on the life and teaching of Bhagavan Ramana. Among others, “Purushothama Ramana”, “Be the Self”, “Moments Remembered”, “Direct Teaching of Bhagavan Ramana” and “Practising Self-Enquiry” , are very popular.

At the veranda of his cottage – “Ananda Ramana” – he meets earnest seekers, every Monday and Thursday, between 9.30 and 11 a.m., sharing with them the spiritual treasure entrusted with him by all these holy and sacred souls.

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I Have A Prayer: By Joyce Sweinberg

. Advaita and Yoga, INSPIRATIONAL . , , , , , , ,

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I decided early to give my life to something eternal and absolute.
Not to these little gods that are here today and gone tomorrow,
but to God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
~Martin Luther King, Jr. From “Rediscovering Lost Values,” Feb. 28, 1954

I have reproduced below a letter I delivered to the principal at my son’s elementary school on January 20, 2009. It could easily have been written in any of the many small towns in the USA, as well as in many places around the world. It could easily have addressed the first cousins of racism, such as religious intolerance or sexism.  The child who was victimized by intolerance could have been American Indian, or Eastern Indian, or Asian. It could have happened anywhere. It just so happens that it happened here, right in my hometown, the child who was victimized was my young mixed race son, and I am the one to author the letter.

I have removed some parts of the letter which make it possible to identify the child who called my 9 year old son a nigger on the school bus, to protect him, because he is only 10 or 11 years old and is much too young to bear the responsibility for what he has learned somewhere. It may have been from irresponsible lyrics and images shoved into the eyes and ears of the children of the USA by record companies more interested in making money than uplifting the listener with music rather than raucous unholy odes to violence and intolerance. It may have been from the home environment where conversations are not censored and that which is not spoken in public is freely flowing for the children to hear. It may have been from the TV where black folks are paid to refer to themselves in such a manner, supposedly as an inside joke which only one black can call another, but one which reaps financial rewards as it crushes the human compassion and spirit of all who come into contact with it. This child is not the true source of the comment, but the unwitting mirror reflecting the world in which he lives …

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January 20, 2009

It is with great sadness that I write this explanation for Jesse’s absence from school this past Friday, January 15. On Thursday evening, Jesse set the stage for his stay home the next day, telling me he did not feel well, that his belly hurt and he had a headache. When I went upstairs to wake him in the morning, he first told me that he had thrown up in my bathroom. Being an attorney provides me with the interrogation skills I need to get to the truth, so I asked him, point blank, “Where did you throw up…did you do it in the toilet?”  “Yes,”  he tells me.  “Did you flush it yet?”  He now knows where I am headed, to the toilet to sniff for the unmistakable smell of vomit. So he backs off and admits that he “almost” threw up.  Still, he persists in saying that he does not feel well..his belly hurts.  So I move on.  “Well, I have to go somewhere this morning, and I cannot change the commitment. That means you will have to stay home by yourself, or you can come with me, but I still have to go. (He does not know it but I have a friend who is coming over to work on some projects at my house, so he will not be there alone) Also, you do not go out anywhere today and no friends are allowed to come to the house, even if you happen to feel better later today. Got it?”

He thinks for a moment, and despite the thought that he might be here alone and has to stay confined to the house all day, insists that he does not feel well. Having passed my test of his veracity, I let him stay home. As has happened before, as the day wears on, he becomes “cured.” When my ex-husband stops by to visit him, he is not allowed to go out and hang out somewhere with him since he had stayed home sick that day. Observing his miraculous recovery from his belly ache as we hear him squealing down the hallway playing one of his video games, his father suggests that he will try to see the real reason behind his absence, as he is of the opinion that there is usually some motive behind the boys’ “illnesses” which cause them to miss school. While I trust my own judgment on this most of the time, this time, I could not help but wonder as well, so he goes back to hang out with him and see what he can find out.

He emerges from the room a few minutes later to tell me that Jesse says his homework was too hard. Homework? He told me he had no homework. Little liar! But he has gone to school before not having done his homework to face the consequences and has never had trouble confessing to me in the morning before school that he had homework. Still I do not think much about it as I am cooking and preoccupied with that. His dad goes back to him again. About ten minutes later, he comes out again to tell me this…The day before, Thursday, after Jesse got on the bus, he sat in the seat across from a boy and his younger brother. With his younger brother listening and anyone else in hearing range to hear it, the young boy turned to Jesse and said…”Silly rabbit, Trix are for niggers.” It was such a stupid childish statement, a silly joke really. He may not have had any conception of what he was saying, yet his message plunged itself deep into my heart with the butcher knife of racial prejudice. He does not want to talk about it, but I wonder how the knife felt as it plunged into Jesse’s heart.

At first, he was upset with his dad for telling me this, already hearing me from down the hallway saying that I wanted to have a conference with the boy and his parents and the school guidance counselor. He does not want to talk about it. He also informs me, in all my whiteness, that my ancestors probably had slaves. I laugh and tell him that my ancestors did not have enough money to be slave owners, but his thoughts and feelings do not go unnoticed towards my whiteness. Of course, he has the advantage of having a mother who is white who loves him and whom he loves, who wraps her arms around him and takes him into her heart, so he has an immediate salve to the racism around him by his very life circumstances.

[Text describing the child’s first name and bus stop removed to protect privacy of child involved]  Please determine who the child is so that we can arrange a meeting at school with him and his younger brother and at least one of his parents. Please be assured that I am not angry…I lived with racial prejudice for many years when I was married to Jesse’s father, which included my father’s inability to accept my life choices because of his own racism. I have already processed and clearly understand that many good people, my father having been one of them, are prejudiced, so I have no axe to grind. However, I do want this young boy and his parents to clearly understand the ramifications of his statement. My young son did not want to go to school Friday because of it and I am still crying tears of sadness and pain for him as I write this note to you.

When I tried to question him he did not want to talk to me about it. I asked him why and he said “Because you will try to make it right.” While I am secretly pleased that he sees me that way, I am also saddened knowing that he has no trouble coming to me to make it right when he gets into a fight with his brother, or his belly hurts, or one of the bigger neighborhood boys got too rough with him and hurt him.  His father tells me that Jesse is fine and that he is an intelligent young boy and will handle it, just like he did as he grew up.  I am not satisfied with this answer or this approach. Yesterday, we celebrated the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., to honor him and his contributions to our world. Today, our first black president will move into the White House, marking the beginning of a new era for the world around us. As he walks through those doors and sets up house, the suffering around him will not stop just because he is there. It will take much more than that to slowly erase the lines created by racism in our world, and it is not his job…under His guidance, it is ours. I await your response to my request.

Sincerely,

Joyce Sweinberg

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While Barrack Obama took the oath to serve this country as one who is considered the first black President of the US (notwithstanding the fact that he is not black, but is mixed race, just like my Jesse), I saw and heard none of it as I sat at my computer finishing the letter to deliver to the school principal so that the matter could be handled. And while it was a day for celebration for most, it was also a day for somber reflection and shedding of the tears of  sadness I felt at the irony of the circumstances giving rise to this letter on this date. Yet, this is a beginning toward the change which cries out for deliverance through our actions predicated in tolerance and universal love.

Where should we look for the answers to our pleas for peace and love in this world?  There is no one who acts without His impetus, so why not appeal to the very Source? Has He not promised to redeem us from our suffering and to maintain Sanatana Dharma? He is a Keeper of His Promises. So let us appeal to His mercy and love to Grace us with that which He has always promised and vowed to do when we need it most…to make His presence felt as He manifests to uphold dharma…Sanatana Dharma (the eternal truth of right and proper action), heralded in the Bhagavad Gita ( the Celestial Song of God), a holy gift to the world from ancient India delivered by Lord Krishna Himself.

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And what is this Eternal Truth contained in the Veda,
the Truth that shines effulgent in the eyes and burns brightly
in the souls of all sentient beings upon this earth?
What is this Truth which unites us all even when it is
obscured by the veil of our ignorance of it…?
quoted by H.H. Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati in his article “Vedic Vision of God” …

Ishavasyam idam sarvam
yat kincit jagatyam jagat

The Veda is not saying that there is one God;
it says there is only God.*

Eternally In His Service,
Radhe

* https://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/vedic_vision_of_god.pdf