Sakthi Vikatan
2010-11-16-part1 and 2
Sri Ramanamaharishi
Language of Silence
“I am the mother having given birth to him. He grew up inside my belly.
Nagasamy was the older son. He is the second one. He (my husband) is
gone. The older son in his love for the younger brother said we had to
look after him, when necessary. This son of mine
took the money meant for college tuition fees, boarded the train and
went to Tiruvannamalai. He got angry when asked to study, the advice
coming from his older brother. Ask him to come home. You are all mature
adults and know household affairs. You had children. Don’t you
understand the anguish of the mother?
Why don’t you tell this child? He is still a child. He is of the
age of innocence and immaturity.”
“You celebrate his way of life: No eating, shut eyes and his meditative
Āsanas. This is very upsetting to a mother. The nails are long on the
fingers and toes. The eyes are sunken. Just think how a mother feels,
looking at his child like this. There is no one to give him an oil-bath.
No one to feed him boiled rice. No one there to dress him. What is this?
Won’t you say a word of support to me (and to him in support of me).” She sobbed and cried.
Sukki approached ever so gently and slowly and said, “A mother is
crying. Don’t you hear her? When we come visiting with you in your
place, love ascends. Peace abounds. For those reasons, we circumambulate you. Did not that love and that compassion rise in you?
Sukki spoke ever so endearingly to win him over to their side.”
This
is a tricky world. It is capable of distortion: Depicting the good as
bad and the bad as good. It speaks with a pretense of omniscience and a
facile tongue.
The fruit-bearing elder, the youngster bringing curd-rice, the lass
bringing the milk, the old woman with a store-bought Roti: All the
assembled people spoke in support of Azakammai
Bālaswāmy’s
mind merged with the Relative (God) who transcended the earth-bound
relatives. The mind is hiding (immersed) in the Truth beyond life: that
fact is not apparent. The mind, getting caught in the Māyic
notion that only the maker of the earthly body is important, babbles,
‘Mother, mother.’
Pazhaṉisāmi, observing everyone remained a witness. Wondering and
worrying how Bālaswāmy will cross this razor wire fence, Pazhaṉisāmi sat
down with his eyes fixed on him. No one should take sides and offer
support to Bālaswāmy in that place (and time). This is not a debate
forum or a court house with lawyers talking the fine points of law.
It is not a gathering of elders discussing rules, law, Dharma,
and back and forth bandying of Tantra. There is no judge here; there
can’t be one.
Those who venture to debate should know both sides of the argument.
The judge should have the lofty wisdom in the elucidation of this
matter. The lawyers and the judge understand a mother’s screams of pain
and incapacity (to resolve the situation). Which judge or lawyer can
understand the Jīvātman in merger with Parabrahmam?
How can a judgement be pronounced by knowing one side and not
knowing the other side? What kind of limbo would the judgement be in?
Who can in truth pass the judgement? Whoever is in the highest state,
only he can deliver that judgement.
The loftiest, the highest and the most virtuous only can pass the
judgement.
The son sitting before her is just not a child but a blessed Jñāni. His
Jīvaṉ has merged with Braḥmam. Famous sun. A Full moon. He is a Guru for
all who came near him, making everyone engage in pensees (reflective
thoughts). Mahatma. But, the mother does not understand.
Māyai drew a blindfold on her.
Anonymous
interlocutor: “Your mother is crying hard and you keep mum!
You don’t have to give up your vow of silence.
Write something that is soothing to her.” They gave a paper and a
pencil (to Bālaswāmy).
Bālaswāmy remaining peaceful for some time patiently wrote on the paper.
Bālaswāmy: ‘The Puppeteer manipulates and moves people according to
their Prarabda Karma. What should not happen will not happen even when I
try hard. What must happen, though I block it, will happen. It is an
invariable certainty. Be silent.’
Azakammai : ‘I will change my son’s mind. Am I not a birth mother? You
gave up on him. You do not understand the fiery burn in my parturient
belly. Azakammai hissed at and challenged the naysayers. She took a vow
and boarded the train: ‘Will my son not come back/ I will bring him
back.’ That obstinacy is alive.
Pazhaṉisāmi:
Bālaswāmy wrote a wondrous
Vedāntic idea that answered her obstinacy.
Bālaswāmy: ‘Everyone’s Prarabda
Karmic onslaught⸺these
life-matters⸺happens
because of the past life Karma. That is called
Prarabdam. It is not a sudden event. The present life is a continuation
of the past life. If you comprehend it, the notion, ’I will change the
outcome.’ will not come into play.
Nobody can explain the nature of life and living with examples more
beautifully. Venkatraman known as Bālaswāmy leaving Madurai at a tender
age clearly understood this principle. This clarity elevated him to the
level of Ramana Maharishi.
Who does this continuation across births? The That-Doer is present here, there
and everywhere and puppeteers. A great power, determining the fate,
puppeteers though the mediation of people endowed with a mote of
godliness, you, me, him… Puppeteering takes place with proportional
relevance to my Karma. It sits me in a place; it sits you in another
place. It sends you to MānāMadurai.
It chases me to Tiruvannamalai. Coming here is not my deed. Going to MānāMadurai
is not your volition or choice. It is a drama conducted by the strong
leading hands of fate. That which is determined by man and deposed (by
the fate-dispenser) will be an absolute nonevent, no matter how great the effort
is. What is destined to happen must happen and cannot be prevented from happening by any
means. This is the conclusion. This is the final state. This is Satyam
(Truth). This is certainty. Therefore, silence is sapient.
This is not growth. The dawn rises, spreads and pervades. Everywhere
there is brightness like the rays of the sun.
That dawn (of wisdom) became a Brahmāṇḍam (Brahma’s egg = the
Universe; huge) lighting up the whole sky; at one point in time
Bālaswāmy became Ramana Maharishi, the sun in its procession.
In matters of Jnana, there is neither waxing nor waning. It was all
pre-determined. Life and fate were recorded earlier. Whoever had the
temerity of making a vow to effect a change, it is a laughable matter.
We move as a small straw, under a great power.
Hubris and vows have no place.
Every man’s life and path were laid out long time ago!
If you hold it in mind, there is no rise of any arrogance.
There is no like or dislike in doing the deed. No anticipation of
fruits. Then, the deed will come to fruition in a perfect fashion.
Righteous acts sans hubris are the signs of a lofty life. That is life.
Everything else is mere confusion.
Sakthi Vikatan
2010-11-16-part2
Kanchi Mahan: the God of Mercy. Guru Darśan
Staying with Periyava and performing Kaiṅkaryam
to him, Pattābhi brings to memory a real-life event.
“That was a Mārgazhi month (mid-Dec to mid-Jan). In Kumbhakoṇam, I
performed a commemorative death anniversary function for my father and
left for Govindapuram, 12 km away. That was the abode of Kāmakōti Pīdam
Acharya SrīBhōthēnthira.
I made 108 circumambulations of the abode chanting the Mantra, ‘Rāma
Rāma.’ Chanting of Rāma
Nāmam there begets
siddhi (=
success, power and fulfilment). The chanting generates echoes in that
place. It is special. For that reason, I go there very often.
On 2nd January, 1994, I sat for meditation. I thought I heard
a sudden voice coming from the Adhiṣtāṉam.
It sounded like this: ‘Hey, hereafter you have to see me in this
fashion.’ That voice was like that of Periyava.
I was shaken up. I am used
to the echoes of Rāma Rāma.
This sounded strange. ‘Like this only, you have to see me.’ That was
Periyava talking. If that is so, I must see Periyava as having attained
Siddhi.
My head was spinning, the more I thought about it. The event broke my
mind and caused pain.
I had no appetite. It appeared if I closed my eyes and slept for a
while, that might put me into a better frame of mind. I could not sleep.
My mind had echoes of the same question which caused a great agony. I
said to myself to cease asking the same question and not lose sleep over
it. I boarded a bus and came to Kumbhakoṇam. A thought came to me that I
should go to Kanchipuram for a Darśan of Periyava.
“What is the rush?… stay for two days and then go. Why are you behaving
like a loony? His mother told him, ‘If you do rest and relaxation for a
couple of days, all will be dandy.’ I went to Kanchi two days later. I
did the usual services to Periyava as always.
On January 8, 1994, Mahāperiyava attained Siddhi (death).
What Periyava said in Govindapuram Pīdam came true. No one other than
Periyava could have foretold this event so emphatically.
Since his death, for about four months, I had no thoughts other than the
thoughts of Periyava. My mind was torn apart and in distress. ‘Periyava’s face, I can’t
see any more. I comforted myself. It did not work. How could it?’
I kept thinking what Periyava said in that place as a voice from
nowhere. I remembered what
K.V.I told me once.
“Two people live for Dharma. One we saw. We did not see the other one.
What we did not see was Rama. What we saw as Mahāperiyava, was the
personification of Sannyasa Dharma, and an ascetic with Dharmic life.
Now he has attained Siddhi. Srīrāma lived for and upheld King’s Dharma.
There are two persons who did Ātma Pūja. One, we saw; one we did not.
KVI asked a rhetorical question, “Who is he?”
He himself answered the question.
“One is Anjaneyar. He made Ātma Lingam and performed Pūja in Ramesvaram.
We see Mahā Periyava who performed Ātma Pūja. How many people sanctified
Ātma? He is the only one. He performed Pūja to himself. We were joyous
seeing that.
Did I not tell that Periyava attained Siddhi? Since 1990s, Periyava was
bedridden and wasting away. Once he escaped death. All were sunk in
grief.
Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister then. On his arrangements, a total
body scanner was brought for a thorough examination. A panel of experts
examined him.
At one stage, body consciousness leaves completely from Jñānis, so it
said. They go on Yoga Mārga. They control breathing. Periyava was in
that state. I understood it. Not saying anything, I kept silent.
I saw Periyava in Yogic state. He had no physical pain or discomfort. He
never had bedsores. He had a rose-colored body.
He never emitted bad odor from his body. Only people afflicted with
sexuality and anger emit bad odors.
Periyava never had sweating problems. In May, he slept with a bedcover
and never sweated. I noticed its absence in person.
Before he attained Siddhi, he called me and said, “I am going to sleep.
What are you going to do?”
I cried, “I don’t know myself what I will do? Periyava must tell me.”
Periyava looked at me with compassion. He said, “Don’t worry. My
consciousness will safeguard you. Chant Sahasra Gayatri. Take a dip in
the Ganges, sit on the shore and chant. That will be enough.”
I am living my life with my Lord’s consciousness. That is his Aṉugraham
(favor).
Remember I heard Periyava’s voice in Govindapuram Adhiṣtāṉam…
“That I cannot forget. I have no doubt he prepared me by his voice to
face his Siddhi without any agitation.” Pattābhi, having said that,
immersed in thoughts of Periyava, and in his anguish, his body shook
with tears rolling down from his eyes.
Darśan will continue
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