48Ramanamaharishi20120207 Ramanamaharishi48 |
2012 February 7
Sakthi Vikatan Edited Nov 11, 2017 Guru is not a body. “I” the nominative singular pronoun is not the mind, the Buddhi, the body… His death was uppermost in the minds of the devotees. According to the maturity of the mourners, they rose from their distress. Hey, this will happen to everyone. Everyone will die one day. Everyone there felt like that. It is unnecessary to mope over it. Death is not in me (“I”). “I” does not die. The “I” is greater than death. My Āṉma Sakthi is greater than death. Once the perception takes place, there is no problem. They consoled themselves by recollecting the teachings of Bhagavan as said earlier. Soon after death of Bhagavan, the funeral arrangements were in progress. Tiruvannamalai residents came in droves and paid tribute to Bhagavan. Next day, the attendants lowered the body in the pit in a lotus position. They sprinkled Vibhuti, red dust, and turmeric powder in the pit. They closed the pit with a large slab and installed a Sivalingam on top of the slab. It appeared as if he was there and he was not there. The devotees reminisced his teachings. They celebrated his life and living. Bhagavan’s body rested in peace. Once upon a time the Hindu religion was decrepit. People did not know the righteous path. Knowing oneself is the path in search of God. Religion, Bakthi, worship and other works support the search of God. To know yourself, you live the life of a householder, an ascetic or a Brahmachari. All endeavors in life are to know who you are. Do not give up searching for who you are. Other matters matter less. This message of Bhagavan makes its rounds in the world. Niranjana Swamy’s son Venkatraman performed ablution of Sivalingam. The Samadhi works progressed fast. Ramanasramam is the most wonderful place, which slaked the spiritual thirst of devotees. Ramanasramam remained peaceful, modest and humble with no show of ostentation. It entertains the highest ideal of spreading the Ramanar’s message. Free food service goes on day and night. Ramanar’s presence is eternal in that place. His Aṉugraham (Grace, mercy, help, favor) runs like a flood and brings about changes in their hearts. As the need for money increased, competition and jealousy afflicted our lives. His sayings have given us hope, peace and relief from tumult. His sayings take us in the path of Satyam (Truth) and give us no fear of death. Where there is no fear of death, there is enjoyment of life. There is fulfilment where there is good life. That fulfilment is heaven and brings us near God. We receive benefits from Bhagavan, not obtained by rituals such as Homam, Yāgam, Bakthi, and Yogam. We should not miss using those benefits. Direct eye contact of Bhagavan even for a moment will change us a great deal. I offer my gratitude and homage to my Satguru. (Tiruvannamalai Mahan Yogi Ram Suratkumar). I never saw Ramana Maharishi in person. My mother gave me a bound book at my thirteenth birthday on ‘Ramanar’s Life and Sayings’. I read the book often. Though I had little understanding of many of his sayings, they are still in my memory. I knew then his greatness. Whenever I went to Tiruvannamalai, I liked pacing up and down in Ramanasramam. Bhagavan’s Ramanar’s (posthumous) love brought me close to Ramsurathkumar. I sat in Bhagavan’s Sannidhi and pleaded with Bhagavan, “When you were here, I was not here. OMG, when I am here, you are not here. Who will be my Guru? Where is my Guru?” His heart melted as he was pleading with Bhagavan. Soon thereafter, introduction of Balakumaran to his Guru Suratkumar took place. Srīramaṇar was the reason for this thick intimate Guru-Śishya relationship. I read many articles written about Bhagavan. Ramanasramam eight-volume books (சற்குரு ஸ்ரீரமண மகரிஷி சரிதமும் உபதேசமும்) are the basis for my essays. If it is not for that book, I could not have written these articles. I kept my style of writing. I wrote the articles in this popular publication (Vikatan) in a simple style of writing. If you want to read more, you have to buy the eight volume books. I hope you read them often. That is my hope to write these articles. Some of Ramanar’s sayings may offer you a fillip for delving more into the life and times of Bhagavan. The afore-mentioned books come in eight bound volumes. My request is you will buy all eight volumes for your reading pleasure. Understanding Bhagavan Ramanar is easy. Once you have a genuine longing to know him, he will sweep you in his hold. There is no drama or exaggeration. They don’t help to discover the Truth. (His sayings illuminate the Truth for you to see.) Only Ramana Maharishi can save us from this world of charlatans. His sayings illuminate the truth. Aspirants longing for life's answers and Self-enquiry can find answers in Maharishi's sayings. Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi is not a religious fanatic. He is not a chronicler of religious rites. He is not a sponsor, protagonist or founder of a religion, a language, a region…He established no new religion. He shone light on what was there already. His presentations are not colored, fabricated, or corrupted but offered in its originality. All you need is longing; things happen by his grace. Balakumaran |
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