Ramana Maharshi's Mahanirvana

 

The French photographer Cartier-Bresson was visiting Ramanashram as Bhagavan neared death. He noted the following astronomical event which appeared in the night sky over the sacred mountain Arunachala as Ramana Maharshi died:

I saw a shooting star with a luminous tail unlike any I had ever seen before moving slowly across the sky and reaching the top of Arunachala, the mountain, disappearing behind it. We immediately looked at our watches. It was 8:47. We raced to the ashram only to find that the master had passed in to Mahanirvana at that exact minute. Nor was this experience only documented by a select few … All the English and Tamil papers which arrived this morning from Madras referred to the meteor which had been seen in the sky over the entire state of Madras at 8:47 on the night of April 14 by a large number of people in different places. These eyewitnesses had been struck by its peculiar look and behavior.

Ramana Maharshi who often circumambulated the sacred mountain as an act of worship seemed to be making his final arc around the mountain as a blazing light in the night sky.

அன்னை ஸ்ரீ ஆண்டவன் பிச்சி - வாழ்க்கைக் குறிப்பு.. ஐந்தாம் மற்றும் நிறைவுப் பகுதி

1951 ஆகஸ்ட் 28, காயத்ரி ஜபம். மரகதம்மா அன்று சமையலை தான் கவனித்துக் கொள்வதாகக் கூறி சமையல் செய்பவரை வீட்டில் உள்ள மற்ற ஆண்களுடன் காயத்ரி ஜபம் செய்ய அனுப்பினார். நைஷ்டிக பிரம்மசாரியான அவர் காபி போடுவதற்காக ஒரு பெரிய பாத்திரம் நிறைய தண்ணீரை அடுப்பில் வைத்துவிட்டு மாடிக்கு சென்றுவிட்டார். கொல்லைப்புறத்தில் உள்ள பூஜையறை முற்றத்தில் கோலம் போடுவதற்காக மரகதம்மா சென்றார். அங்கேதான் அனைவரும் அமர்ந்து பஜனை செய்வது வழக்கம். அங்கு இரு மரங்களுக்கிடையே ஒரு மேடை இருந்தது. முற்றத்தின் கதவை திறந்ததும் கண்ட காட்சியானது அவரை சிலையாக்கியது. தன் கண்களையே அவரால் நம்பமுடியவில்லை. அங்கே மேடையில் தண்டபாணியின் கையை பிடித்துக்கொண்டு சாக்ஷாத் ஸ்ரீ ரமண பகவானே தான் எப்போதும் அமர்ந்திருப்பதுபோல் சாய்ந்து உட்கார்ந்திருந்தார்.

அன்னை ஸ்ரீ ஆண்டவன் பிச்சி - வாழ்க்கைக் குறிப்பு.. நான்காம் பகுதி - ஸ்ரீ ரமண தரிசனம்

திருவண்ணாமலை விஜயம்

1950ம் வருடம் மார்ச் 27ம் தேதி மரகதம்மாவின் நாத்தனாரும் இன்னும் சில பெண்களும் திருவண்ணாமலை சென்று அண்ணாமலையாரையும் ரமண மஹரிஷியையும் தரிசிக்க திட்டமிட்டு மரகதம்மாவையும் உடன் வர அழைத்தனர். திருவண்ணாமலையை அடைந்தபோது இரவு பத்து மணியாகிவிட்டது. கோயிலுக்குச் சென்றபோது அவர்களை வெளிப் பிரஹாரத்தில் சந்தித்த சிவாச்சாரியர்கள், அர்த்தஜாம பூஜை முடிந்து நடை சாத்தியாகிவிட்டதை தெரிவித்தனர். மரகதம்மா குழுவினரோ கோயில் விளக்குகள் அணைக்கப்படும் முன் தாங்கள் சாளரத்தின் வழியாக இறைவனை தரிசிக்க வேண்டினர். குழுவில் பாதி பேர் உள்ளே சென்று அண்ணாமலையாரை தரிசித்துவிட்டு உண்ணாமுலையம்மன் சன்னதிக்குச் சென்றனர்.

Azhagammaal

Sri Ramana Maharshi stayed at various places in Thiruvannamalai and then in several caves on the Arunachala Hill  until he finally settled at what came to be called Sri Ramanasramam where he lived until his Mahanirvana in April 1950.  He never took formal sannyasa nor did he claim to have any disciples. From the day he arrived in 1896 until his Mahanirvana,  Ramana never left his beloved Arunachala.

The first place that Ramana stayed in Thiruvannamalai was the great temple. For a few weeks he remained in the thousand-pillared hall. But he was soon troubled by the urchins who pelted him with stones as he sat silently. He shifted  to an underground vault known as Patala Lingam, where the sunlight never penetrated. Without moving he sat deeply absorbed in the Self and was unaware of being bitten up by the ants and vermin living there.

The Significance of Karthigai Maha Deepam

The Significance of the Beacon that is yearly lighted on the top of Arunachala.

Sri Ramana Maharshi wrote:

To make the intellect rid of the sense

‘I am the body’, and to introspect

By fixing it securely in the Heart,

And so perceive the true light of the SELF,

The one ‘I-I’, which is the ABSOLUTE,

This the significance of witnessing

The Beacon Light of Arunachala,

The centre of the earth.

Deepavali Tattvam

There are a total of twenty-seven separate verses of upadesa (spiritual teaching) that Sri Ramana composed, which are not included in the Upadesa Nunmalai section of ஸ்ரீ ரமண நூற்றிரட்டு (Sri Ramana Nultirattu), the Tamil ‘Collected Works of Sri Ramana’, but which could appropriately be included there.

Sri Sadhu Om gathered these twenty-seven verses together and arranged them in a suitable order to form a work entitled உபதேசத் தனிப்பாக்கள், the ‘Solitary Verses of Spiritual Teaching’, and he included this work at the end of his Tamil commentary on Upadesa Nunmalai, which is a book called ஸ்ரீ ரமணோபதேச நூன்மாலை – விளக்கவுரை (Sri Ramanopadesa Nunmalai – Vilakkavurai).

சிவானந்த லஹரீ சாரம் - Essence of Shivananda Lahari

Sri Ramana Maharshi selected ten verses from Shivananda Lahari, the famous composition of Adi Shankaracharya in Sanskrit consisting of one hundred verses in praise of Lord Shiva and arranged them in a specific order (Verse 61, 76, 83, 6, 65, 10, 12, 9, 11, 91). These verses are very potent in invoking the Grace of Lord Siva. They also contain spiritual ideas which are revealing, inspiring and insightful. One of the verses asks “Kim Durlabham” meaning what is impossible for one who worships Lord Siva. The verses also cautions readers against fruitless worship of superficial gods.

Once Kanchi Sri Paramacharya was giving a series of upanyasams in Chennai on Shivananda Lahari (during 1930's). A devotee approached Paramacharya seeking his opinion on reciting the selected ten slokas of Shivananda Lahari. (Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi has prescribed these 10 slokas from Shivananda Lahari in a specific order for devotees who find it difficult to recite all the hundred slokas daily). Endorsing this, Paramacharya replied..."Yes, you can do so... Why question when Sri Ramana Maharshi himself  prescribed this?"

Vegetarian food & Sattvic Diet

Vegetarian food & Sattvic Diet importance in Spirituality


Question : What about diet?

Ramana Maharshi : Food affects the mind. For the practice of any kind of yoga, vegetarianism is absolutely necessary since it makes the mind more sattvic [pure and harmonious].


Question : Could one receive spiritual illumination while eating flesh foods?

Ramana Maharshi : Yes, but abandon them gradually and accustom yourself to sattvic foods. However, once you have attained illumination it will make less difference what you eat, as, on a great fire, it is immaterial what fuel is added.

HRIDAYA

HRIDAYA (Sanskrit for Heart)

hrid=center
ayam=this

Most people, yoga adherents as well, think of the heart as being on the left side. When Mercedes De Acosta met with the Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi at his ashram the Maharshi placed his right hand in the form of a fist on her right breast and said:

"Here lies the Heart, the Dynamic, Spiritual Heart. It is called Hridaya and is located on the right side of the chest and is clearly visible to the inner eye of an adept on the Spiritual Path. Through meditation you can learn to find the Self in the cave of this Heart." (see)

Few grains of rice

One day, as Ramana Maharshi was strolling in his Ashram, he noticed a few grains of rice lying on the ground near the kitchen. He immediately started collecting all the grains. Seeing that the Saint was carefully picking up the few grains, His devotees were surprised and gathered around Him. They could not believe that the great Saint, who had left His home and worldly ties for the sake of God, cared so much for a few grains of rice. Finally, one of His devotees had the courage to ask Him, Gurudev, we have many bags of rice in the kitchen. Why do you take the trouble to pick up these few grains?"

The Saint replied, "You see only these few grains of rice, but try to see what has gone into these grains. The hard work of the farmer, who ploughed the field and sowed the seeds, the water of the ocean, the clouds and the rain, the cool air and the warm sunshine, the soft soil and the rice plants. All these have gone into these grains. If you understand this, you will see the hand of God in every grain. So, do not waste them or crush them under your feet. If you do not want to eat them, give them to the birds."

How many times do we waste things like water, food, paper, etc., that we feel are unimportant! Next time before wasting things or not taking care of what we have, we can remember this story and see the presence of God in all creation.



Courtesy:  Forum for Hindu Awakening

Kanchi Mahaswami and Ramana Maharshi - Ra.Ganapati

"Two reports I heard from the servitors of the Mahaswami relating him to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi I could myself easily attribute to their creative artistry in elevating their own Master over every other holy man. Yet I wanted to get confirmation from His Holiness himself for certain reasons.

The Mahaswami, ever bubbling with wit and witticism had a unique way of saying things. He said he did not want to give the same judgment on both reports and so would call one of them as petthal (colloquial for pithatral) and the other as ularal. The fun of it is that both the words mean the same, viz., talking nonsense!

To come to the two reports. One of them was that when the Mahaswami was circumambulating the Holy Hill during his camp at Thiruvannamalai, Sri Ramana Maharshi purposely came out of his living room in the Ramanasramam and walked to a particular spot from where he could see the Mahaswami at a distance.

Even as I heard it I could write it off, because Maharshi was to me surely one to whom the triad of the seer, seen and sight had dissolved in the oneness of the only Self. (So it was to His Holiness. But he donned the role of the Teacher exemplifying the ideal to the humans, and therefore was ever on the move to see people and holy places.)

ராம ஜபம் RAMA JAPAM

ராமா என்ற சொல்லில் 'ரா' என்ற எழுத்து ஆன்ம ஸ்வரூபத்தை குறிக்கிறது. 'மா' என்ற எழுத்து 'நான்' என்ற ஆணவத்தைக் குறிக்கிறது. ஒருவர் 'ராமா' என்று இடைவிடாது ஜபித்துக் கொண்டேயிருந்தால் 'மா' என்ற எழுத்து 'ரா' என்ற எழுத்தில் ஐக்கியமாகி மறைந்து விடுகிறது. 'ரா' என்ற ஸ்வரூபமே எஞ்சி நிற்கிறது. இந்நிலை ஏற்படும்போது தியானம் செய்யும் முயற்சியும் ஓய்ந்து போய் நமது உண்மை நிலையாம் நிரந்தர தியானம் நிலைத்து விடுகிறது.

In the word RAMA, 'Ra' denotes aatma swaroopam and 'Ma' denotes ego. If one does continous japa of 'Ra Ma', the letter 'Ma' merge in the letter 'Ra' and only the 'Ra' swaroopam remains. When this happens, the effort to do meditation subsides and the true meditation materialize for ever.

Sri Chakra Drawing by Sri Ramana Maharshi

VENUAMMAL was the youngest child born to Sri Arunachalam and Srimati Kalyani in 1888 in the Tamil Nadu village of Mandakolathur, which is about 35 kilometers from Tiruvannamalai. She was the youngest of five children – three brothers and one sister. Her elder sister was Echammal, the well-known devotee of Bhagavan who after the tragic death of her husband, son and daughter in quick succession took refuge in Bhagavan in 1906 and who prepared food for him daily for forty years.

Draining of Karma - Kevala Nirvikalpa Samadhi

BHAGAVAN ABOUT THE DRAINING OF KARMA

Sometime in March 1948, I had an interesting conversation with Bhagavan. His health was then rapidly declining and his body had lost much weight.

N. R. Krishnamurti Iyer: It is clear that Bhagavan, out of his infinite mercy and grace, cures even the fatal diseases of his devotees. Does not Bhagavan’s body suffer on that account?

Bhagavan: (speaking in English) Yes and no.

N. R. Krishnamurti Iyer: Please, Bhagavan, explain in more detail.

Bhagavan: The mukta purusha [liberated being] does not need his body once he has realised the Self. However, so long as he stays alive, he has the power to drain off devotees’ illnesses into his own body. That is why his body suffers for the time being. That is what is meant by the answer ‘yes’.

If he retires into the solitude of a quiet corner and remains in kevala nirvikalpa samadhi, completely oblivious of the body-world complex, the disease received in the body gets dissipated. When he returns to his body consciousness the body is cured and restored to its original health. The duration of that samadhi should be in adequate proportion to the seriousness of the disease concerned.

Overcoming destiny by subsiding in the heart

Question: In ‘Karthuragnaya prapyathe phalam’ [‘actions bear fruit by the ordinance of God’, first verse of Upadesa Saram] who is the karta [God, or the supreme doer]?

Bhagavan: Karta is Ishwara. He is the one who distributes the fruits of actions to each person according to his karma. That means He is saguna Brahman [manifest Brahman]. The real Brahman is nirguna [attributeless] and without motion. It is only saguna Brahman that is named as Ishwara. He gives the phala [fruits] to each person according to his karma [actions]. That means that Ishwara is only an agent. He gives wages according to the labour done. That is all. Without that sakti [power] of Ishwara, this karma [action] will not take place. That is why karma is said to be jadam [inert].
(Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, 11th August, 1946)

The Unique Sanctity of Arunachalam

In India there are countless holy places (kshetras) that are sacred to Lord Siva or to some other name and form of God, and many of them are more well-known and popular than Arunachala. Yet there is a verse in the Arunachala Mahatmyam, which has been selected and translated into Tamil by Sri Bhagavan, that says:

Arunachala is truly the holy place. Of all holy places it is the most sacred! Know that it is the heart of the world. It is truly Siva himself! It is his heart-abode, a secret kshetra. In that place the Lord ever abides the hill of light named Arunachala.

Whenever Sri Bhagavan was asked about the special sanctity of Arunachala, he used to explain that other holy places such as Kailas, Kasi and Chidambaram are sacred because they are the abodes of Lord Siva whereas Arunachala is Lord Siva himself. However, as the above verse of Arunachala Mahatmyam says, Arunachala is a secret kshetra. Because it is this place that bestows jnana and because most people have so many other desires and do not truly want jnana, Arunachala has always remained comparatively little known. But to those few who seek jnana, Arunachala always makes itself known through some means or other.

MERELY BEING PHYSICALLY ALIVE IS ITSELF AN ACT OF GRACE OF MAHATMAS

Once somebody asked Bhagavan, “Why don’t you visit places and guide people on the right path as Sankara and some others did?”

Bhagavan: Merely being physically alive is itself an act of grace of Mahatmas. Even if they keep quiet, the vibrations set off by the power of their tapas spreads harmony and peace.

On another occasion a similar question was put to Bhagavan, to which he replied, “If you go and ask an electric fan to give light, it won’t give it. So is the case with an electric light if it is asked to provide breeze.” Each person had an allotted role to play, that was what Bhagavan meant. “If I start out to visit a different place to see devotees, on the way there will be several halts and it will take a long time to reach the destination,” said Bhagavan. To a young girl who pleaded with Bhagavan to visit their place, Bhagavan said, “If you take me to your place won’t all those devotees who come here be disappointed? Won’t they also say that they would take me to another place?” It is not as if everyone desired liberation.

A number of persons visiting Bhagavan were filled with sorrow. For those who sought refuge at Bhagavan’s feet in view of their mundane affairs or health problems what was the use of any upadesa? Even so, the diseased and the agitated were given some peace which was a source of solace for them. Yet others visited him to show off their erudition. On such occasions Bhagavan simply observed mouna. Like the clouds of autumn, which did not bear any water yet thundered they also would talk for some time and depart.


Courtesy: Ramana Hridayam

VASANAS

All the age long vasanas (impressions) carry the mind outwards and turn it to external objects. All such thoughts have to be given up and the mind turned inward. For that effort is necessary, for most people.
(Ramana Maharshi, GFB, chapter 8.)

Vasanas which do not obstruct Self-Realization remain [after Self-Realization]. In Yoga Vasistha two classes of vasanas are distinguished: those of enjoyment and those of bondage. The former remain even after Mukti is attained, but the latter are destroyed by it. Attachment is the cause of binding vasanas, but enjoyment without attachment does not bind and continues even in Sahaja. (Ramana Maharshi, GR, 89.)

There are not two minds - one good and the other evil; the mind is only one. It is the residual impressions that are of two kinds - auspicious and inauspicious. When the mind is under the influence of auspicious impressions it is called good; and when it is under the influence of inauspicious impressions it is regarded as evil. (Ramana Maharshi, WHO,16.)

Only one who is free from all the latent tendencies (vasanas) is a Sage. That being so how can the tendencies of karma affect him who is entirely unattached to activity? (Ramana Maharshi, SI, Chapter 2, Question 26.)

Courtesy: Ramana Hridayam

EQUALITY IMPLIES THE EXISTENCE OF DIFFERENCES

Question: The jnani (realized being) seems to be more accurate in his expressions; he appreciates the differences better than the ordinary man. If sugar is sweet and wormwood is bitter to me, he too seems to realize it is so. In fact, all forms, all sounds, all tastes, etc., are the same to him as they are to others. If so, how can it be said that these are mere appearances? Do they not form part of his life experience?

Bhagavan: I have said that equality implies the existence of differences. It is a unity that the jnani perceives in all differences, which I call equality. Equality does not mean ignorance of distinctions. When you have the Realization you can see that these differences are very nominal, they are not at all substantial or permanent, and what is essential in all these appearances is the one Truth, and Real. That I call unity... You referred to sound, taste, form, smell, etc. True, the jnani appreciates the distinctions, but he always perceives and experiences the one Real in all of them. That is why he has no preferences. Whether he moves about or talks or acts, it is all the One Real in which he acts or moves or talks. He has nothing apart from the one supreme Truth.

- Be As You Are

'Be as you are' by David Godman

This is probably the most widely read book on Ramana Maharshi's teachings. Since its first appearance in the mid-80s, it has been, outside India, the standard introduction to Bhagavan's teachings. Dialogues with Ramana are arranged by topics, with the most important teachings on each subject differentiated from the remainder. Introductions to each chapter summarize Bhagavan's views on each subject. Click here to read the pdf version