Sakthi Vikatan 01 Nov, 2011
Author: Balakumaran. Subject: Annihilation of the mind.
Viḷācchēri
Rangan was the schoolmate of SriRamana Maharishi. Rangan’s father a
Police Inspector and Bhagavan’s father Sundaram an advocate were friends
and their families were close to each other. Rangan and Bhagavan were
schoolmates in the class, and playmates in the playground in Tirucchuzi.
When the police inspector (Rangan’s father) had change of job, the
family moved. Bhagavan and his older brother moved to Madurai to enroll
in the school; Rangan also came to Madurai for studies. Rangan and
Bhagavan were in different schools. Both played on the riverbanks of
Vaigai river.
When Bhagavan Ramanar left Madurai, and came to Tiruvannamalai, the
contact was lost between the families. When Bhagavan was Brahmana Swamy,
Rangan came to see him and had Darśan of Brahmana Swamy. But the latter
did not speak to him. Rangan came with his family to see Bhagavan again
and asked him, “Do you recognize him?” Bhagavan replied, “Rangan,” in a
soft deep voice.
Rangan with love, respect and surprise said, “You have attained a lofty
position.” Bhagavan said, “The
grass is always greener on the other side.”
Bhagavan did not congratulate himself on his achievement. He gently,
respectfully and modestly pushed aside the accolades of others. He
seemed to indicate that he was not the only one to claim the exclusivity
and it was possible for everyone.
When Rangan met Bhagavan another time and said to him he had a share of
Bhagavan’s attainment, Bhagavan’s mother prompted Bhagavan, “Did you
hear what Rangan said.” Bhagavan said in reply, “Yes, it is! He is one
of us and has a share in it.”
Bhagavan had no sense of aggrandizement: “This Jñānam is my property.”
An expression of sharing makes others happy, bringing the conversation
to an end.
Bhagavan cast an equal eye towards all and treated all equally. He had
affection towards Rangan. Rangan went to Chennai in search of a job and
had a Darśan before it.
Bhagavan asked Rangan, “Men can go anywhere for livelihood and
sustenance. The others in
the household are not like that.
What have you done to your family? He replied, “I did the
needful.” Saying it, he left for Chennai.
When Rangan’s mother came for Darśan, Bhagavan enquired about Rangan’s
family. Rangan’s mother said, “When he left, he gave me some money. I
spent it all. Now it is a daily struggle.” When Rangan came for Darśan
again, Bhagavan asked him, “What! my friend, you said you provided for
the family. Your mother says your family is in financial difficulty.”
Rangan said nothing.
Bhagavan came near sleeping Rangan and sat beside him. He spoke to him
in a loving manner, “What Ranga, are you unhappy? To relieve your
difficulty, would ten thousand rupees be sufficient? Rangan did not
answer.
Ordinary man has a single family. The ascetics have many hundreds of
families. All their problems are his. Rangan had a job in automobile company
as a manager. Later he became the sales agent in the same company.
Besides the salary, he received commission for each vehicle sold by him.
He saved ten thousand rupees.
With that money, he married off his two girls and his older brother’s
daughter on a five-day-long wedding celebration.
When he had no job, Bhagavan asked him whether he would do the manager’s
job.
He was hired by the Srirama Vilas Motor Company in Chennai. Bhagavan
hinted to him the future employment in a car company. Poor Rangan, he
did not understand it clearly.
When they were children, Rangan and Bhagavan used to swim in the Pāṇḍava
Pond, and romped around.
Then Iñjikkollai
Dīkṣitar
(Rangan) was sleeping on the mud floor scratching the mud with his
nails.
When Bhagavan asked sleeping Rangan whether he got hold of Thakḷi
(instrument in making cotton thread), he opened his eyes.
Dream sequence of Dīkṣitar.
Did you get hold of Thakḷi (instrument to make thread)?
Āvaṇi
Avṭṭtam
(Aug-Sep Event) is imminent. Therefore, you must spin thread in Thakḷi.
This was the dream Dīkṣitar
(Rangan) had. Bhagavan knew what was happening in his dream. (Threads
are spun to make sacred threads worn by Brahmins across the shoulder.)
“Jñāni
(referring to Bhagavan) knows the past, the present, and the future. Is
it not?” said Rangan.
For the Jñānis, knowing the past, the present and the future is ordinary
matter. They know events in other worlds too.
Bhagavan said, that God kept man in the dark for knowledge of the
future, though He gave man all faculties.
The Jñānis who know the three periods of time are not ordinary people.
This is implied in a subtle manner.
Rangan once before said, “I have an intention to take asceticism.”
Bhagavan gave him a book -Baktha Vijayam- about life and times of
Viṭṭobhā,
a
devotee and advised him to read it.
When Viṭṭobhā
left his family, his son Jñāṉadēv
went with him and instructed him, “If one goes to either the forest or
the home, his mind goes there too.
Jñāṉa
can be obtained from home itself.” Viṭṭobhā returned home (on his son’s
perspicacious advice).
Rangan asked Bhagavan, “Why did you become a Sannyasi?”
Bhagavan answered the question
politely, “This is my fate. True, it is difficult to shoulder family
responsibilities. But, in the pursuit and attainment of Jñānam,
Sannyasam is the easy way (conducive).”
Sannyasam is a path on the razor’s edge and will pull you down at the
slightest mistake. He explained it with a metaphor.
Visual experience (Vision) of Bhagavan’s mother.
Bhagavan’s mother narrated what she saw earlier, to Rangan.
When his mother was looking at Bhagavan, his body disappeared and in its
place Lingam appeared like the one in Tirucchuzi Koil, the place of
birth of Bhagavan. When the mother was worried whether Bhagavan would
disappear, Lingam disappeared with the appearance of Bhagavan’s body.
Once, a knot of snakes was moving on his body for some time, slithered
away and disappeared.
These visions made it is possible to impress on the mother she should
remove the notion of Bhagavan as her son. It is a statement of greatness
of Bhagavan coming from the mouth of his mother.
One day, when Bhagavan was walking along, he felt pangs of hunger, an
old woman gave him gruel and asked Bhagavan to eat it. Soon she was
nowhere to be found. Bhagavan said, “It could have been Mother
Parvathi.”
“Ranga, don’t think of this as a mountain of rocks. A multitude of
Siddha Purushas live in the caves. They in the form of mongoose, snake,
peacock, panther…visit with me, see me and enjoy my company,” said
Bhagavan. A person learned in Yoga Sastras delivered a lecture on the
importance of Yoga. Bhagavan sat quiet until the lecturer finished his
talk. Bhagavan explained, “Whatever you spoke help in merging the light
and sound (ஒளி
/ ஒலி = Oḷi
Mr. Yoga Sastri assented stating, “It is the truth.”
In this world, Man has made many discoveries. If you analyze what we
call mind, Bhagavan’s Upadeśa
is that which controls and destroys the mind.
Let us get Darśan.