25Ramanamaharishi20110322 Ramanamaharishi25 |
Posted Date : 06:00 (22/03/2011)
·
ஸ்ரீரமண மகரிஷி
Ramanamaharishi:
Death Experience
If men get the urge to attain an object or realize a dream, a blind
haste envelops them and they are ill-prepared for the task on hand. They
bring about a frenetic milieu when they eat, sleep, find a seat in the
train, obtain Darśan in the temple, buy rice in the
store… expressing a sense of nervousness.
Not having a comprehensive sense of what they do, they perform deeds
with profit motive but without due thought. They don’t appreciate profit
rolls from diligent hard work.
Profit motive being the primary motive and consideration in their mind,
their effort is inadequate for the task on hand. Not knowing what they
do, they fly (work) in a sleep state.
They go in a hurried manner with Darśan of the Devata in the temple.
Their plan goes awry with them in a frenetic pace: Six-o’ clock rise from bed; 7 a.m. Darśan in the 1st
temple; with a time-limit of 30 minutes, 2nd temple visit;
8:30 a.m. at the 3rd temple; catch a bus for 4th Darśan at
10:30 a.m.; and the Saṅkarāchāriar
Mutt at 12 noon.
Here at the Mutt, I (the man in haste) get Darśan of Swamy and go for a
meal. I catch a siesta in the Mandapam. Then I go to the 5th
temple. They chase the clock at demoniacal speed going from temple to
temple.
The mind is not one-pointed in any temple.
What special event happened in the 2nd temple is not
known. Seeing the deity
with exhilaration and keeping the deity in the heart, mind and soul are
alien to them. ‘What that deity says and what the principles are:’ These
are not in the consciousness of the hyperactive personality even to size
of a germ in the rice paddy. Following the advice of someone to go to
the temples for their good, they make no enquiry and blindly follow the
advice. They brag to others
celebrating their whirlwind tour of umpteen temples, ‘I visited 12
temples in one day. That was one super-round.’ They don’t ask themselves
the benefits accrued by these visits. Thy don’t get to enjoy any
benefits from these umpteen temple visits.
The whirlwind temple visitors, show haste when they come visiting with Jñāṉis.
When the Jñāṉi
asks them, ‘What prompted you to visit with the beggarly me,’ they, on
tenterhooks, recite a mile-long list of wants: money, property, home,
jewels for wife, education for the children, ownership of cattle, land…
After Jñāni listened to the exhaustive list of wants, and said, ‘My
father offers his blessings to you,’ immediately with a sense of
satisfaction at the prospect of getting everything they asked for, they
whip the upper garment in a show of supreme accomplishment, put it back
on the shoulder and leave the premises.
Bālaswāmy was building a raised platform all by himself outside the
Virūpākṣi
cave. He arranged small stones in piles, spread red earth on the pile
making it firm, and continued the process to build the platform. A man
rushed towards him from behind and asked him, ‘Where is the Swamy!’
Bālaswāmy was the only person there. Bālaswāmy said, ‘Swamy has just
left.’ The visitor in haste
asked, ‘When will he return.’ Bālaswāmy said, ‘I don’t know.’ Thinking
Swamy’s arrival will be late, he left the premises fast. When he was
going down the mountain, he saw Ecchammāl on her way up and told her,
‘Swamy is not up there.’ Ecchammāl knew for sure Swamy was up there. She
told him, ’Follow me, let us try again. I will show you the Swamy.’ The
visitor followed her.
She pointed out to Swamy polishing the surface of the newly built
platform and said to the visitor, ‘This the Swamy.’ The visitor was
surprised. He thought this is the Swamy who claimed no knowledge of the
whereabouts of the Swamy, and paid homage to him. He addressed Ecchammāl
and said, ‘He told me he did not know where Swamy was. Believing him, I
went down the mountain.’ He was put off.
We also face the same dilemma.
Why did compassionate Ramanamaharishi turn away an elderly man?
This was a lesson for the visitor.
This lesson teaches us, it was wrong for the visitor on hearing a
negative response from the builder of the platform, to go down in a
great haste. Compassionate Periyava wanted to offer Darśan to him.
Periyava spoke through Ecchammāl, brought him back up the
mountain so the visitor can
pay homage to him, offered blessings with his eyes of mercy and
continued with his construction work.
No true Jñāni admits he is a Jñāni. For the hastener (hasty person)
without the patience and tranquility, there is no need for a Jñāni.
At the same time, Jñāni allows for the haste, brings tranquility
to them with love and strength and draws him back to him. This is what
happened here. Who knows what was in Jñāni’s mind?
Close to Aṇṇāmalaiyār temple, there was a huge
Tamarind grove. A
Muslim leased it. The monkeys ate the tender tamarind pods.
They opened the mature pods and threw the wasted pods away. They
caused a great loss. He chased the monkeys away by using slingers and
stones. The monkeys screeched and scooted out of the grove. When he was
unawares, they returned and ate the tender pods and caused damage to the
mature pods. The Muslim
gentleman never wanted to kill the monkeys. His object was to chase them
away.
Once when he swung the slinger fast and discharged the stone, a money
sustained head injury from the flying stone and died. The Muslim was
afraid. The compatriots (the fellow monkeys) brought the dead monkey to Bālaswāmy, screeched
and cried. Bālaswāmy looked
at them with compassion. He offered solace to the monkeys, saying, ‘The
born die; the dead are reborn. This is the cycle of life and death. The
killer will die one day. Why do you grieve over it?’ The monkeys left
the place with the dead monkey.
The Islāmiyar
had fever that night. No treatment brought a relief or cure. Someone
told the Islāmiyar about simian’s complaint to Periyava; he was more
afraid. His relatives came
running to Bālaswāmy. They begged him to offer Vibhūti
to them. He told, that giving Vibhūti was not his practice, they
persisted and cried. Bālaswāmy took some ash from the nearby hearth and
gave it to the Muslim visitors.
That night itself, the Islāmiyar’s
illness left him.
If you approach a Jñāni in a proper manner and supplicate to him, he
will offer solace without doubt.
Many troubles vanish in his presence.
Love is the greatest Mantra of Jñāni. Rashness is the antithesis of
love. Rashness thinks of one’s self and never of anyone else. Thinking
of others as himself, the inside moves with rise of love.
One day in 1911 Bālaswāmy with two devotees (Vāsudevar
and Pazhaṉisāmi) took an oil-bath in Pacchaiamman temple pond and
returned up the mountain along the
Āmai
Pāṛai
path (Turtle Rock Path). Suddenly, Bālaswāmy felt dizzy, could not walk
and was short of breath. He sat on the rock. Later, he revealed what
happened to him. He explained the near-death experience in his own
words.
He narrated his near-death experience, “Suddenly my vision became
blurred. A white screen hid my vision. The tree, the plant, the vines
began gradually disappearing. Again, a white screen came and everything
disappeared. I sat to take rest. The white screen disappeared. The
objects appeared in my vision. The tree, the plant…appeared in my
vision. But the body lacked strength. Again, the white screen enveloped
me.
I reclined on the Turtle Rock and rested. Again, the sight came back.
For the third time, the white screen appeared. For the third time, the
white screen vanished. I felt the heartbeat losing its strength
resulting in slowing and obstruction of blood flow and ending in cardiac
arrest. My body turned blue.
Then, the fellow traveler Vasu, younger in age, not knowing what
death is, embraced me and cried. I heard Pazhaṉisāmi, older in years,
speak.
I felt the presence of devotees. I knew and felt the cardiac arrest.
But, I was not afraid. I sat cross-legged on the rock. I witnessed death
very carefully with no agitation.
For 15 minutes, I remained in Padmāsaṉa
pose. A
Śakti
made a dash from my body’s right side to the left side.
Because of it, my heart beat again. The blood flow was
regularized. The body slowly regained its natural complexion.
I was soaking wet in my perspiration. Slowly, I regained physical
strength and got up saying, ‘Let us go.’ It is not a state induced by
me. I had no desire to witness such an event.
I have no explanation for the event.
I had recurrent episodes like this. This time it was a little
longer.
When Bālaswāmy got up and walked, Vāsudevar jumped for joy.
All others sported blossoming faces. They shed tears of joy.
Bālaswāmy said to his devotees, ‘Why this crying. Did you think I was
dead? If I was to die, would I have not told you beforehand?’
This is like cardiac arrest.
All his descriptions are related to heart disease. This happens
with cardiac arrest. Profuse perspiration was an important sign of
cardiac arrest. That he remained calm and composed during his near-death
experience is noteworthy. Not worried about the pull of the body (to
eternity), he pulled himself away from near-death, and remained
self-realized in one place; this near-death experience is the witness.
Through this experience, it shows that, not afraid of death, he
remained in the loftiest place comfortably.
Many, afraid of dying, die. The self-realized person alone facing death
invites death without fear. He could even postpone his death.
Let us get Darśan.
Part 2
Deity of Mercy: Kanchi Mahan
Guru Darsan
Kāmātchidāsan Srinivasan is a gṛihastha (householder). He has no regular
income. But there was no lapse in the daily Puja service in the last 50
years, because of want of funds.
At
home, daily three pujas take place.
His home was resplendent with the grace of Srī
Kāmātchiammaṉ. His mind was always immersed in the thoughts of Periyava.
Kāmātchidāsan Srinivāsan
with a rising passion narrated an event to us.
Once nine Sannyasis came to Uththamathāṉapuram.
They all usually carried staffs in their hands.
Holding the staff is one religious duty (observance). It was
winter then. All nine
Sannyasis came to pay homage to Ambal.
They said to me, “Mahāperiyava sent us, saying, ‘I performed Puja for a
boy. If you have any doubts, ask him. He will clear them for you.’”
I was shocked. I was enveloped in fear hearing Periyava sent these
Sannyasis to a boy like me. I gathered courage and confidence and asked
them, “What doubts do you have?
சாதுர்மாசியம் cātur-māciyam.
Vow observed by Sannyāsins, which consists in their remaining in the
same place for two months in winter.
They narrated their doubts to me. But, I don’t remember what they asked
and what I told them in replies. I answered the questions like a boy who
committed the answers to memory and rattled them off to the Sannyasis.
Later, the Sannyāsīs narrated to Periyava all that I said to them. They
paid Namaskār
to him, saying, ‘We are eminently pleased.’
Not knowing any of these, I went to Periyava for Darśan.
He asked me, “I sent nine Sannyasis to see you. Did they visit
with you?”
I was trembling. I wondered whether I made any faux pas. I stammered,
“Yes Periyava… They came. I replied to their questions, Periyava.”
Periyava said, “They came and told me what all you said to them. You
said everything right. You have the favor and blessings of Kāmātchi.
That being so, how could you ever say anything wrong? He smiled and
raised his hand to offer his blessings.
That is when I was horripilated. With his eyes lighted up in
surprise, he narrated another incident.
That day, I was in Kanchipuram. A news out of the blue…’Periyava’s
order, Come immediately.’ I ran to see Periyava.
That day, I composed a poem that described flower decoration of
Periyava. With that poem
and his invitation in mind, I stood before him.
உடலைச் சிறிதுகூட அசைக்காமல்,
இறைசிந்தனையோடு லயித்திருப்பது
'காஷ்ட மௌனம்
=
Kāṣta
Mauṉam
I heard Periyava’s voice, ‘Call him inside.’ I went inside. What I saw
on Periyava was the floral decoration of exquisite nature; it gave me a
kaleidoscopic feeling of surprise, confusion, wonder, happiness, fear…
From his seat to the crown, every part was decorated with flowers.
I fell flat on the floor and offered Namaskār.
Tears rolled down in streams. He asked me, ‘You have put the decoration
on me earlier in poetic words. Are you thinking of me all the time in
your mind?’
‘To me the servitor, Kāmātchi and Periyava are one:’ Saying those words
to Periyava, I offered my Namaskār again. The tears flowed freely from
my eyes.
‘Ok, read what you wrote!’ said Periyava. with joy, I read the poem. Its
meaning is…
‘Mahan’s lotus feet shine like the feet of Ambāḷ;
Mahan’s whole body shines with flower decoration; Mahan’s head is
decorated beautifully with flower crown; Mahan’s Yoga Staff is
concentrically decorated with flowers; Mahan’s chest shines with
universal visual delight of garland with Kadamba, Tulsi, Bael leaves…;
Mahan’s lotus feet shining like Spiritual eminence are placed on the
flowery sandals: that Mahan’s lotus feet, I carry on my head always and
attain supreme joy.
As I finished reading the poem, Periyava picked from the flower pile and
sprinkled the flower petals on his own head.
Periyava and the staff were decorated as described by me in the poem.
This decoration was the solemn promise and vow made originally by a
woman.
It is the grace and mercy of Kāmātchi that made it possible that a
servitor like me wrote the poem beforehand, and Periyava gave us the
holy appearance in the floral decoration to prove and illustrate my
poetic adoration of Periyava.
It is favor and privilege of divine nature that Periyava gave a
Darśan to me in floral decoration. What else could it be?
Kāmātchidāsan Srinivasan said it with supreme joy in a moving
way.
Darśan will continue.
|