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	Contents Articles 1. The Doctor's Prescription : Leaving Laya Behind Dr. Sarada 144 It is pleasant, it seems, to be at peace. Why should we pursue enquiry further and leave this calm lull behind? To experience steadily the vibrant silence of Truth of course. 2. The Sport - Rediscovery of the Joy of Life A.R. Natarajan 150 Let's cash in on our every craze and turn it sourceward. If there's a sport-mania in the air let's turn the focus on to the universal sport. 3. Self - Knowledge through self-enquiry 155 A special supplement on the International Seminar - Part VIII Features 4. Ramana Music from Muruganar 154 Translation : Prof. K. Swaminathan Transliteration and Selection : Smt. Sulochana Natarajan 5. Adventures of Mr. Ego 154 Sarada Akka 6. From Forthcoming Publications 164 7. Swagata Kusumanjali 168 Original Sanskrit : Jagadeeswara Sastri 8. Ramana Answers 171 Departments 9. Readers Space 172 10. Your Dates with Ramana 173 11. Special Happenings 175 12. Story of Ramana Illustrated Story : M. Muralidhara Hegde 176



	Page 141 In a Few Words `Sport' - the very word brings joyous images to the mind's eye. True, there may be some unhappy thoughts of losing, or of our favourites losing, yet, the overall picture is very pleasant. Sport is fun, it is relaxation. Oh! we seem to forget that it can become serious when fans turn fanatic or can become expensive when the wrong bets are made. But then this only happens when sport becomes business and is no longer `play'. But `play' is always great. How we strive to take time off from work in order to be able to relax, to play. The best part of learning, psychologists declare, takes place through play. And the best part of sport or play is the sense of detachment that is an underlying factor. It is not the winning or the losing that matters but `how we play the game'. Unfortunately it is not given to everyone of us to play every sport and to some of us, playing even a single game may be impossible. Should we be shut off from the world of sports? No, there is one, the most precious sport that is open to one and all, A.R. Natarajan smilingly points out. It is `The Sport : Rediscovery of the Joy of Life'. It is that sport playing which life itself, every moment is exuberant play. The rules of the game are laid down by the Sadguru, who is ever blissful. Hence the game is doubtlessly eminently enjoyable. The rules, however, must be followed. One must keep fit too by following `The Doctor's Prescription'. There can be no holding on to one's own personal landmarks or achievements for the glory of the game. Thus one must get reconciled to `Leaving Laya Behind' and entering the portals of supreme silence, of unbroken bliss.



	Pg. 144 - 149 The Doctor's Prescription : Leaving Laya Behind by Dr. Sarada From dawn to dusk, from dream to waking the mind is busy, busy spinning thoughts. It is practically a round the clock factory with a brief break, in sleep, deep sleep. For the most part we seem quite happy too with this immense scale of production. Then again, we are sometimes worried by the inept nature of certain thoughts and at those times, we long for the possibility of `mind control'. There are also times when we wish for a real respite, when we wish to be free of thoughts. Indeed, we become almost convinced that an absence of thoughts is the very goal we are seeking. And towards this end we work. Any experience, for a brief or long while, which in itself is or leads to an absence of thoughts gives us great satisfaction. Perhaps not a bubbling bliss, but a certain sense of calmness. Surely, when the continuous drone of heavy machinery ceases the lull would be very very welcome. When the unbroken gunfire of thoughts ceases awhile, the resultant calm would be sweet indeed. So sweet, sometimes, that we strive to hold on to it, to prolong it, to nurture it even and to believe that this ceasefire is indeed the end of warfare. If a ceasefire can be made to continue for two days instead of one, for a week, a month, a whole year.... Hey! wouldn't that mean that peace has come to stay? Unfortunately, not necessarily. If the basic factors that brought about the war in the first place have not been tackled, if the economy has not been stabilised, if prejudice and hatred have not been wiped out, if joy and love and harmony have not filled the hearts of the warring people, then it is only a prolonged ceasefire. It would not be the end of war, it would not be the coming of peace. Sinister walls may be broken down, yet unless hearts unite disaster strikes again, sooner or later, in the ugly forms of racism, of marginalisation, of inhuman mad massacres from time to time for some apparently `logical' but truly insane reasons. Forced ceasefire may be maintained for as long as ever almost by the presence of a stronger authority. Yet, the moment that authority departs, the fighting breaks out once more. We have seen it happen everywhere, everytime. In our war with thoughts, the situation is quite similar. A mere absence of thoughts, a lull, is like a ceasefire. The duration may be short or very prolonged, but eventually thoughts return with all their positive and negative concomitants. Yes, the reign of tendencies revives. Unless, of course, the cessation of thoughts is not enforced or brought about by any external factor, but is a natural result of steady Self-awareness, the silence, the bliss surging forth and swallowing all in its inundation. The crucial factor, then, is to distinguish a temporary lull from a natural silence and do away with it if the experience be the former. This `lull' is termed `laya'. And while it is no negative experience, its danger lies in its deceiving us into believing it to be the destination. Success on the Selfward path, then, would be in identifying `laya' if and when it occurs, and then moving forward, in `leaving laya behind' as it were.



	Symptoms of the Disease 1) Absence of thoughts for a temporary period of time. `Temporary', as we have said, must be understood to mean `not permanent'. It may even last for years sometimes. 2) As a corollary to the above, laya does not result in a dissolution of any tendency. The mind with all its thoughts remains absolutely the same after laya as it had been before. This is why the absence of thoughts is termed `temporary'. 3) A certain sense of calmness is surely experienced because of the very absence of thoughts (though purely temporary). 4) A tendency to return to, hold on to, or to perpetuate this calmness, mistaking it for the natural silence of the Self. 5) The sure continuance of the `experiencer' for whom the laya is and who seeks to return to it. Possible Benefits 1) The knowledge through experience that it is possible and within one's power to remain without thoughts for a stretch of time. 2) As a continuation of or conclusion from the above, the experience that the absence of thoughts is not a negative state, not a state to be feared. Indeed it is quite pleasant. 3) As it indicates progress in one's practice it can act as reinforcement to keep us holding on to the pursuit of Self-knowledge. It gives us the confidence that one is making some headway and that one is moving in the right direction. Note : These very `benefits' often get transformed into `hurdles' if not viewed and handled with alertness. For instance, our joy at being able to remain without thoughts makes us seek to prolong that state. Its pleasantness compounds the danger. The sense that this experience is in the right direction and a recognition of one's own power to bring about such an experience at will both lead to a tendency to stay with the experience and a reluctance to travel beyond it. `What is wrong with it? It comes to me quite naturally and is very pleasant. Why should I seek to drop it?' And this is where the disease of `laya' really strikes. For, the experience in itself is not dangerous. But tragedy would strike if we mistake it for the ultimate experience, consciously or unconsciously, and refuse to leave it behind. Course of Treatment 1) What is `laya'? Unless we are able to recognise it how would we ever seek to transcend it? It is all important, therefore, to be able to know `laya' when one experiences it. Let us look first at the various dictionary meanings of the term.



	`Laya' - is born from the root `Li' `Li' - means - cling, stick to, adhere; recline on, settle on, lie; disappear, dissolve. `Laya' will mean - sticking, adherance - Fusion, solution - Disappearance, dissolution, destruction - Absorption, deep concentration, exclusive devotion (to any object) - Rest, repose - A place of rest, abode - making the mind inactive, indifferent - Mental inactivity - a swoon - the quick downward movement of an arrow. - Time in music / pause in music - Union of song, dance and instrumental music. It is obvious that as with all Sanskrit words the term `Laya' acquires different meanings in various contexts. Some of these meanings may not be relevant at all to our context. Others may indicate a positive connotation. Hence the word has to be understood in the proper context. (The word `aham' in Tamil, for instance means `ego', `home' and `heart' and is used by Bhagavan in all these contexts in his `Marital Garland of Letters') The root `li' is used in the positive context of sticking, adherance, exclusive devotion by Viswanatha Swami in his `Astottaram' on Bhagavan when he hails him as `Sonacalamaholina manasaha'. This makes it clear that to understand the place of `laya' in spiritual practice we have to look at its meaning from the manner in which Bhagavan has explained it. There is a lucid chapter in `Crumbs from His Table' on the very subject. Ramanananda Swarnagiri states : "I arrive at a stage of stillness of mind. I have no thought of any kind and there is an emptiness... A mild light pervades and I feel that it is myself bodiless. I have neither cognition nor vision of body and form...'' Bhagavan answers : "Such a condition is termed manolaya or temporary stillness of thought. Manolaya means concentration, temporarily arresting the movement of thoughts; as soon as this concentration ceases, thoughts, old and new, rush in as usual and even though this temporary lulling of mind should last a thousand years it will never lead to total destruction of thought...." Let us also look at Bhagavan's explanation of `laya' in Upadesa Saram in Verses 11 and 13 "The mind becomes quiescent by regulation of breath, like a bird caught in a net. This is a means of mind control". "Control of the mind is of two kinds, its lulling and its destruction. A lulled mind will rise again but not the one which is destroyed". In `Ramana Gita' Bhagavan gives a similar example for a mind controlled by restraint of breath.



	"Then it would, like a tethered animal, cease to stray". Again in the chapter `The Science of the Heart" Bhagavan says : "When there is forcible arrest of thoughts by swooning, sleep, excessive joy or sorrow, fear and so on, the mind goes back to its source, the Heart." "Such merger is unconscious and the person is unaware of it. However, when one consciously enters the Heart it is termed `Samadhi'. From these we can arrive at a clear understanding of the state that is termed `laya'. i) `Laya' is a state of mental quietude. The dictionary definitions of `disappearance', `dissolution', `rest', `repose', `mental inactivity' - apply. However, the meanings `destruction' and `exclusive devotion' are not applicable to this state. ii) The experience is pleasant and can be sought about by `deep concentration' and/or breath regulation. iii) The experience is similar to what happens in sleep, `swoon' (one of the definitions) and in any state of excessive emotion. However, these `mergers' `dissolutions' of the mind take place unconsciously, without one's knowledge or volition. `Laya' on the other hand is a state that occurs in the course of spiritual practice. It happens, therefore, with one's volition. It can be repeated by the practitioner and it can also equally be dropped if it is considerd unnecessary or obstructive to further progress. iv) The question follows that if it is not an involuntary stillness like that in excessive emotion or swoon, why is it considered to be different from the natural silence. Or, how is one to recognise it as such? The important factor here, which it shares with the other states of quiescence is that it is a `forcible arrest of thoughts'. Laya is a stillness brought about by the application of an external force. This `force' may be the sudden upsurge of emotion of which one is unaware or the planned breath regulation of which one is aware. In either case there is an external agency causing the thought vaccum. When the application of this force is withdrawn, the mind returns to its original state. The factors distinguishing `laya' from merger in the Self are : (a) There is no change after laya. This is the most important sign to signify whether an experience is `laya', lulling or destruction. Bhagavan says that even after thousands of years of such `laya samadhi' or `yoganidra' one would wake up with the last thought that happened prior to laya. If even the last, superficial thought does not vanish, what of the deep rooted latent tendencies? (b) The presence of identity, of ego, of individuality is undisturbed by laya. The individual is happy with the experience. Whose experience? `His' or `hers'. And the individual wishes to



	repeat it. `I experienced this and can experience it again at will'. In the natural `destruction' of the mind, the way and the seeker both disappear totally, in the silence, the fullness that is the Self. No tendency survives. Identity itself is lost. v) The experience of `laya' is temporary. The arrest of thoughts is temporary as they return the moment the pressure is released. The stillness comes and goes. Again it must be stressed that `comes and goes' does not mean even for a few minutes or hours. It could be for years too. Then how is one to recognise that the experience is `laya'? By the presence of the experience of course, by the continuation of duality. `I am experiencing this pleasant stillness'. There is `I' the subject and the object `the experience'. This is also the means to distinguish it from natural intermittent dips into the Self which Bhagavan terms `abhyasa'. Because these mergers are also not continuous one should not dismiss them as `laya'. Nor can one argue that `laya' too is a natural merger into the source that is intermittent. In the latter, though for a brief while, the sense of identity would be totally dissolved, like a bucket of water in a well. Secondly, when such merger occurs, the peace, the bliss and the upsurge of love would continue even after one comes out of the experience. The thought force itself would be very minimal even when one is back to functioning with identity. 2) Having understood the nature of `laya' one must strive to leave it behind, to cross over it. Bhagavan clearly warns : "One must not allow oneself to be overtaken by such spells of stillness of thought : the moment one experiences this, one must revive consciousness and enquire within as to who it is who experiences this stillness... By such enquiry, you will drive the thought force deeper till it reaches its source and merges therein..." It is crystal clear that self-enquiry must be used to pursue the mind beyond laya and into the source. 3) `Laya' is not a negative state. As Bhagavan indicates ".. it is a clear sign of one's progress but the danger of it lies in mistaking it for the final goal of spiritual practice and being thus deceived." While everyone may not experience laya as a specific milestone in spiritual practice one may experience similar states in the course of one's lives. Hence, laya, wherever, however it occurs could well be utilised as a stepping stone to merger in the source. Whether unconsciously in a moment of deep joy or sorrow, or consciously in a fusion of the mind in the wonder of nature, music, dance, creativity, or through breath-regulation or concentration on an object, `laya' may occur. Even the experience of light, of pleasant sounds, of vastness and so on during one's spiritual practice would only be `laya'. The criterion, one must not fail to remember, is the presence of the experiencer `I am experiencing this'. The subtler the experience the more one is in danger of mistaking it for the real. The important thing is to recognise this and use `laya' as an asset. `Ah! The mind is now still, calm, unperturbed, free of thoughts. For whom is this experience? For me, I. My experience. Most wonderful. But what is this I ?' Whether or not one actually uses these words, one must pay keen attention to the experiencer of the stillness, the peace, the pleasantness, the vastness. It is a moment, it is a time when the mind has left all else behind. It can easily be made to take the dive. Yes it is time to plunge deeper, into the source, leaving laya behind.



	Pg. 150 - 153 The Sport -Rediscovery of the Joy of Life by A.R. Natarajan There are millions of cricket fans all over the world whose number is growing thanks to one day matches and their nail biting finishes. It reaches dizzy heights when a mega event like the World-cup takes place. So too there are vast millions of soccer fans the world over. Each sport, be it tennis, hockey, kho-kho has its own enthusiasts. But though the numbers are innumerable, the players are confined to the chosen eleven and in some sports to two like, Boxing, Wrestling, Grand Slam Singles Tennis and the like. The rest are only spectators, onlookers, who play the game vicariously depending on their knowledge of the respective games and the state of their enthusiasm. Too many days cannot be taken off from work even if one dotes on his `idol'. There are many other work pressures. One might have to miss some of his favourite events however much he may wish not to. But there is a different game in which all could be participants if they choose to. This sport may be termed `Rediscovery of the Joy of Life'. It is a sport which is directly related to one's very purpose of existence. Isn't it time that we ask ourselves the fundamental question `What is the purpose of life itself?' The reason for this is not far to see. One is always in a hurry. Ambitions, targets, goals and dreams keep pushing one to the Fast Track and confine him to it. It is so barren to live and die in this way like bullocks going round and round to crush oil seeds for extracting oil, or any other purpose. Such a waste of an opportunity, is it not? There are however times in each person's life when he pauses, reflects and questions `What is this life full of care, with no time to stop and stare?'. When this happens the Sadguru's grace has already made its unnoticed entry. But this questioning about the spiritual path can yield its immense potential only if one observes the rules of this game. Otherwise one would remain half baked, in a neither here nor there kind of situation. You cannot play any game without observing its rules. Can you? Let us then familiarise ourselves with the rules of the greatest sport, the sport of `Rediscovery of the Joy of Life'. Rule 1 : Do not make such heavy weather of it. Enjoy life as you would enjoy your swim, your daughter's smile or grandson's brilliance. For it is a sport, a way of life in which an undercurrent of joy and peace awaits you. It is there. Let the obstacles be removed. Then one's own true nature would be revealed. Don't hanker after and worry about results, for 100% success is assured for everyone who is courageous and steadfast in playing this game according to its rules.



	Rule 2 : Don't be in such a hurry. Can you imagine how foolish it would be to put your leg on the accelerator of your car, forgetting the need for brakes and the need to adjust to the traffic? Not all the roads are long stretches of highways with one way lane traffic. It is not like preparing an instant cup of coffee or tea when an unexpected guest arrives. This Rule 2 is BASIC. But one keeps breaching it. This reminds one of a story of two ladies who came to Sri Ramanasramam and fired a barrage of questions at Bhagavan. The campassionate one kept answering them. Suddenly one of them remembered that they had to catch another train. They wanted Self-knowledge in the interval between the two trains, for they were transit passengers. One would notice this kind of approach quite often. For instance, one may say `I spend three days every year at the Ashram with my family and try to go more often'. Nothing is equal to that atmosphere. There can be no two opinions about it. But still what about the remaining 362 days when you cannot go there? Undoubtedly your batteries would be recharged while there but then should they be allowed to run dry in the intervals between your annual visits? Again one notices at the Ramana Shrine at Bangalore quite a few meditators jump into meditation. They do not allow themselves the time to absorb the strong spiritual currents there. Theirs is an alloted time. Start when you sit and get up after 15 minutes or half an hour. There was a lady who carried this to an extreme. She would bring a pocket alarm clock and keep it in front of her. She would regularly be `alarmed' out of her meditation! Provide at least a little time to go round the shrine. Say a few prayers, slip into the meditative mood and get out of it gently. Stay and enjoy. For heavens sake your habitual mood of hurry-burry should be left outside. There are another set of time allotees. They must continue for an hour or more. Soon their heads would have drooped. Even if they are not snoring, they have lulled themselves into sleep. What avail my friends of your `alloted hour'? Rule 3 : Stick to self-enquiry exclusively if you can. Or at least build up your spiritual practice around it. Ramana would emphasise its importance. It was the enquiry `Who am `I'?' which had led to his Enlightenment. Sadly we hardly seem to recognise the importance of this. Our effort is such a `kichidi', such a mixed dish. Old practices which one is afraid to drop, new ones based on contemporary media hype and so on. A little, just a little of self-enquiry is also added. You cannot mix up object oriented practices with a practice in which the focus is only on the subject `I' to whom all objects relate. The danger of being stuck at whatever stage one is in would be very much there if this fact is forgotten or slurred over. The exception can only be to the extent attention is built around Ramana, for developing faith or renewed faith in him and in the efficiency of self-enquiry taught by him.



	Rule 4 : Understand the method self-enquiry correctly if you wish to benefit from the path. There are all sorts of misnomers about it. The worry is that the process may be endless because of the innumerable thoughts. The following question and Ramana's answer would indicate one typical misunderstanding. Q. - As far as I can see it, it is impossible to realise the Self until one has completely succeeded in preventing the rushing thoughts. Am I right? A.- Not exactly. You do not need to prevent other thoughts. In deep sleep you are entirely free from thoughts, because the `I' - thought is absent. The moment the `I' - thought rises on waking, all other thoughts rush out spontaneously. The wisest thing for one to do is, therefore, to catch hold of this leading thought, the `I' - thought, thereby giving no chance to other thoughts to distract one. There lies the true value of the vichara and its efficacy in mind control. The above is only an illustration of where one could go wrong. There are a few other mental clogs which may block the way. One should try again and again in a spirit of humble reverence to refer to the doubts of seekers and the answers of Ramana spread over the Ramana literature. One is bound to find light in this learning or one might say relearning exercise. Rule 5 : Be regular, persistent, unflagging in self-enquiry. Looking for answers and not leaving the doubts raised by the question `Who am `I'?' and `Whence am `I'?' to do their jobs would be a grave error. Ramana makes it clear that the effort is really to grow in receptivity to the ever flowing guru's grace. If your heart arteries are blocked, the doctor's first duty is to restore an unclogged flow of blood circulation throughout the body. So too your long time foe/friend can either obstruct the awareness, each moment, of guru's grace or become a channel for it. The reason for this is not far to see. Ramana has focussed attention on the basic nature of the ego as a link between the eternal Self and the past in the form of fructifying memories. If the ego is questioned then the outward movement caused by the momentum of the past is checked. When this happens the `I' falls back into the source, the Self. The `I' which started the enquiry vanishes and the eternal flashes forth as a spontaneous joy expressing itself as `I' as `I'. This indeed is the discovery of the guru's grace, a knowledge brought about by well directed effort. For the guru is Grace embodied. Rule 6 : Have total faith in the Sadguru and his teachings. This rule is closely linked with the preceeding rule 5. Guru's grace is a must for success, for becoming Self-aware and experiencing steadily the state of joy. A conversation between Sri Dilip Kumar Roy and Sri Ramana is extracted below.



	Dilip : Some people reported you to have said that there was no need for a guru. Others gave the opposite report. What does Maharshi say? Ramana : The Upanishads say that none but a guru can take a man out of the Jungle of intellect and sense-perceptions. So there must be a guru. In a manner of speaking this question and answer may be superfluous because if one is attracted to the direct path of self-enquiry for Self-knowledge, then he has already been chosen by Ramana. So the extract is more to dispel any wrong notion about Ramana's view of the guru's importance for success in sadhana. While on the path it is necessary to nurture and foster, in every possible way, the strong bonds with Ramana, until one discovers that He is none other than the Self sporting in the heart. Till then there is need for what might appear to be a dualistic mode of worship, chanting, singing and dancing of his glory and so on. All these lead to the gradual weakening of the various mental attachments, without one being aware of it. It is really association with SAT or truth because Ramana is verily that. If this great sport is played according to the aforesaid rules, the portals of inner freedom never close again. The joy would have been re-discovered. What is always one's own, but lost due to forgetfulness becomes an integral undercurrent of life.



	Pgs. 155-158 Self-Knowledge Through Self-Enquiry A Special supplement on the International Seminar - Part VIII Natural Happiness and Guru's Grace An extract from the paper presented by Sri A.R. Natarajan We have talked so much about the ego and the mind that we have forgotten the purpose of all spiritual exercise, it is to discover natural happiness. It is of such primary importance because it is available to us even now. Why the exercise of self-enquiry? Why am I enquiring into the self ? Is it an end in itself? Bhagavan Ramana has been emphasising time and again that the joy of the Self is felt in one's heart as a throb. A ceaseless throb which one feels when there is recognition of the ever operating divine grace. We are unaware of the presence of happiness as a `heart throb' because of the mind's movement away from it. Indeed it is so readily available. Bhagavan in his great compassion took upon himself the emphasis on something which we are all familiar with instead of something which we do not know anything about. It is reality no doubt, but at that point of time it is a mere concept. Thus, holding on to a concept one would be proceeding to find out the truth which is beyond concepts. The truth is beyond negation and affirmation. And that is discovered when one's essential identity with the divine current which is always in us is felt as a deep experience. The experience is open to one and all and this is the point which Bhagavan Ramana has made time and again. It is not a privilege like entry to an exclusive club. It is an open door. You may enter it or not enter it at will. But you don't enter it because you don't know its worth. There can be no other reason. Bhagavan has said in answer to Narasimha Swami that all problems have arisen because one never faced the `I'. One has never gone into the question `What is this thing called `I' ?' Hence we are celebrating the centenary of Bhagavan's enlightenment with this theme `Self-knowledge through self-enquiry'. Let us have a quick look at that experience of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi which happened on 17 July, 1896, a historic day for every seeker thereafter. In an interview on 7.1.1931, Bhagavan has explained that the `Who am I?' enquiry was made at that time. The enquiry was about the identity. He further says `I did not know anything about the mind. I only knew about this body and I questioned whether I was right in identifying myself with the body'. Death was at his door. Did the physical ending mean an ending of existence once and for all? Because of the grace of Arunachala which throbbed in him from his age of innocence he says that the moment he put the question with great intensity he immediately and spontaneously recognised the truth. He was not the body but the divine current. Perhaps it is what is called `Jnanagni' because the divine current swallowed entirely the wrong



	identification with the body. From that point of time he became steadily aware of the throb of the heart. The importance of this `sphurana' has been emphasised by Bhagavan Ramana later in his talks with Kapali Sastri which form the introduction to `Sat-Darshana'. Bhagavan always tried to take Kapali away from a mental or intellectual dimension to a deeper dimension by recognising that the mind itself is the barrier. Because the mind is not something independent of the Self. If it is, Bhagavan would ask, what happens to the mind in deep sleep? And how do you wake up after deep sleep? Are you getting up as a different individual? What is the nature of the experience which you have in deep sleep? It is one of bliss but a recollected experience. Yet there is in it a quality which indicates that the mind, what you think you are, is not present at some time in your daily life. However, you do not pay any attention to this fact. The question must arise, `Where does this mind go? Where does the mind disappear and appear from?' And the answer has only to be, `From within me'. So my mind has entered into my own heart and there is a subsidence of the separate mind. Hence Bhagavan points out that the source of everything is the heart. It is from the heart that the `I' - thought and associated thoughts arise and into the same heart, which is the fullness of consciousness, that the mind merges. So would you be right in saying that the mind is independent of the Self, of consciousness? That is one way you can look at it. There is another way. Can you look at the mind that is in continuous movement and say `This is the mind'? No. With regard to the changing thoughts at no one point of time can you say that `this is the mind'. Bhagavan says that if you enquire you'll find that the mind is made up of two parts - the thoughts which are continuously in movement, and the thinker, the doubter. Why don't you pay attention to the thinker or doubter? Doubts will be endless as long as the doubter is there. By paying attention to the doubter one may be performing a `by-pass surgery', or cutting across the whole galaxy of thoughts. We are traditionally taught to purify the mind. Bhagavan too recognises the necessity for this but says self-enquiry itself is purificatory, you don't have to do anything else for the sake of purifying the mind. In the sense that the mind is always pure. It is only a matter of a wrong notion and the notion has to be handled. You cannot handle this notion if there are thousands of thoughts. You'd get mixed up. So focus on the single thought which we have taken to be the self and see what happens. All thoughts cease because the thinker's attention is withdrawn from the thoughts. What happens to the thinker? The divine current within swallows you. One does not become an idiot or something. In fact that is true birth in the Self. In that state you discover the ever present joy in the form of the eternal throb of the Heart. People have questioned Bhagavan as to why he says there is a location for this `throb' and the heart. A location is given because one identifies with the body. However, it is the experience



	of those aware of the sphurana that it is present all the time. Hence it is not a matter of acquiring or attaining anything new but removing wrong notions. We need not battle with thoughts but simply hold on to the chord that will take us back to the source. The reason, Bhagavan says again, is that the mind is the only bridge between your essential nature and the body identification. Therefore please value this bridge because it will lead you to freedom. In this individuality there is a scent of consciousness. Hang on to it for dear life as a dog to its master's scent. If this happens you are on the track to your own fullness of consciousness. Many people are under the misapprehension that it is their own effort, their own strength which enables them to succeed in the inner journey back to the source. Nothing could be farther from the truth. There is no doubt at all that it is guru's grace which is responsible for the fulfilment of sadhana. All along the line he is there supporting the sadhana, even in spite of so many distractions, sustaining interest by giving a taste of Self-awareness, steadying that experience. The guru's grace is so important that it is not possible to think of describing it except through some analogies. Ganapati Muni was a tapasvi par excellence. Yet, in the absence of the guru's grace he did not know, according to his own admission, the true meaning of tapas. The Guru's grace unfolds only when the mind is in a mood of surrender. Ganapati Muni had seen Bhagavan earlier. But it was only on that historic day in Nov. 1907 he recognised him to be his guru and the guru of the whole world. This great `Tapasvi' had to bow to the `Atmavi' in Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. He prostrated holding his feet and declared that he had come for being guided by Guru Ramana. So, we see the importance of this guidance. And the Guru's grace culminated in experience. The questions are asked sometimes whether we choose the guru or the guru chooses us. Guru's grace is such that we are guided to choose him. So when we recognise the Satguru we have already got his grace. His grace has given us the most effective weapons of `Who am I?' and `Whence am I?' with which we battle. Or rather, seem to battle. For the battle has already been won by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. We are only puppets in the show. We are imagining that we win by our own serious efforts. It is not to say that effort has no place. Because we are in a state where we cannot recognise that presence which is total, which is everywhere and not apart from us. Until we are able to recognise that we have to, according to Bhagavan himself, continue the one practice of tackling the ego, the mind. Nothing else is our business. Further, Bhagavan has answered that the only thing that is free, not bound, is the mind. The body is bound by its karma but the mind is ever free because it is only through the mind that one can get freedom. The mind is free to identify itself with events that happen or not to identify itself. The guru is doing his job. We should co-operate and not interfere with the operation of his grace.



	Pgs. 159-162 Travel the Path of Happiness Extract from talk by Sri S. Satyamoorthy "Who am I?' is anchoring oneself. Why does a ship anchor? Because it should not be tossed around. So when you anchor yourself you are not tossed around. It is an enquiry into the self, which reveals that you don't have to go beyond yourself, you contain everything. This is the greatest tribute to creation - that which is complete. God's creation cannot be anything but complete. So you turn to yourself to understand yourself and reach happiness. It's very simple, very linear. It goes from self-enquiry to Self-knowledge. It is a regulation of mind. I am not saying control, I am saying regulation. Regulation of mind to dwell upon itself. Because mind is a changing mind. Where does the changing mind come in? The changing mind comes in because of what it sees outside. The moment you see something you react to it. Then that is not permanent. What is permanent? The permanent is the natural mind, as it is itself, not the mind acquired by perceiving something either by taste or by touch or by colour, sight and so on. So that is the mind within you, complete in itself and the source of happiness. In the Mahabharata we are told that when Sri Krishna opened his mouth the whole universe was seen in it. In the Ramana Way you look into your own mind like looking in the mouth of Sri Krishna. And you find the universe within. So there is no need to go outside. Mind is like an ocean. It is full of waves. It keeps reacting to things. But the Ramana Way transforms it into the golden sun coming out of ocean and travelling in the sky. Our mind should leave the surroundings, the ocean of ripples, the ocean of waves, and travel the path of happiness. All scriptures, all prophets and religious leaders make divisions between human beings. Not perhaps on caste or creed, not as rich and poor, not as man and woman, but surely as `sinner' and `non-sinner'. The greatest thing I find in Bhagavan Ramana's teachings is his saying that there is no sinner at all. I think Bhagavan is the greatest humanist in this sense. He explains that sin itself is a state of mind. You react to your surroundings and with the effective mind, because of this you become a sinner or a good man. It is not your nature, it is not the nature of the mind. It happens merely due to reacting to situations. And to remedy this Bhagavan gives a simple formula. It's a very very simple mantra. You don't need external aids. You look into yourself. You discover natural happiness.



	The Natural State Entract from talk by Swami Virajananda on 11-10-98 Ramana has been described as `lokottara jyotihi' - the divine light, the unworldly light, the light which belongs to this world and beyond. It made me wish to share the few thoughts which come surging uppermost into my mind. The first one is that this International Seminar on self-enquiry and Self-Knowledge could not have been held at a more appropriate time because in a week from now the whole country would be celebrating Deepavali, the festival of lights. For those of us who are fortunate to be here on these three days by Bhagavan's grace, Deepavali has been advanced by one week. Of course that Deepavali is mere sound and heat. More heat, less light. But this Deepavali of three days is all light and joy. For Ramana is the light and joy of the whole universe. Is it not very appropriate that the celebration is happening now of Bhagavan's enlightenment! Secondly, yesterday the `Radiance of the Self' came to Swamiji's hands. It is the book containing 170 magnificent photographs of Bhagavan from the days of Virupaksha Cave to the last ten days of Bhagavan in the body. As I started looking at the pictures, it was a wonderful experience. I laughted, I smiled, I cried, I danced. It was a flood. What a wonderful way of commemorating this wonderful event. The question `Who am I?' is not really a question. We are not to expect any answer. It sets up an attitude, a right attitude, an attitude of doubt to take up self-enquiry. Many seem to be confused that this itself contitues self-enquiry, but that is not so. I would say that it is a preparation, that the real self-enquiry starts by posing another question, the supplementary and complementary question, or even the more important question, more practical question - `Wherefrom this I?'. Bhagavan says in Upadesa Saram : `Ayam iti kutaha ayati?' "Wherefrom does the notion I rise?" `iti chinvataha' `(for) one who contemplates, one who dives in with all the available energies without dissipating them in any activity, deeply, Bhagavan assures that the ego falls off, `aham patati'. And Bhagavan says this is `nija vicharanam', this is truly self-enquiry. Bhagavan says that actually this state where the ego has fallen off is our true state. It is our natural state. Natural state means one's own state. So what is the position, right now? Are we in our own state or are we in a different state, carrying passports, visas, our baggage? Yes, that is exactly what has happened. We are not on our own territory where we need no identity cards, visas, foreign exchange and so on. We are in a foreign, unnatural state. Even when we come across persons who are in the natural state we don't recognise them because we are used to so much unnaturalness, artificiality that it has become our nature. Why is it so? What is obstructing our being in our own state, sahaja sthithi, swasthithi? We are always wandering, habitual wanderers. Professionals like doctors or lawyers would have a plate outside their consulting chambers with a sliding board. If it were moved to one side `in' would appear. If it is moved to the other, `out' will appear. If we look at ourselves, at our own chambers, we find we are always `out'. There is not a moment when we are `in'. We are out



	through so many vehicles. That is why the all-knowing Ramana instructs us not to do anything, but to simply `be' ourselves. And this is the most difficult job! If we are asked to move mountains, we'll be happy. If we're asked to divert the flow and direction of rivers we'll be happy. But supposing we're asked to sit quietly for a few moments, not even a minute will pass comfortably. The first characteristic of the natural state is that a person who is in the natural state will have constant, continuous, unbroken awareness of his true nature, which is pure consciousness; despite the fact that he would be moving about, acting in the world of dualities at the same time. The world doesn't look different for a jnani. It is the same for a jnani and ajnani. But an ajnani takes it to be real whereas the jnani knows that it is not different from his own true nature. The jnani steadily abides in the Self, no, as the Self not in the Self. Where are the two for the one to exist and the other to give room for existence? No, abide as the Self. He will be in a permanent state of bliss. It is not dependent on circumstances. We too remain in the state of bliss when everything is going according to our wishes. But once our schemes go astray what is the state of our mind? That is why in the scriptures that person who is in the natural state is called `Atma Ramana', one who revels in his own Self, who is not dependent on anything. He asks for nothing he is everything. The third and the most important characteristic of the natural state that I would like to dwell upon is the unitary vision `Sarva bhuta samatva'. For him there are no divisions, there are no distinctions. Bhagavan's life itself is the best and most elaborate commentary on this absolute equality, not only between human beings or animals, let alone animals, birds, let alone birds, even plants and boulders. Is this natural state experienced through the practice of self-enquiry? We are all very eager to know because we want to be in that natural state. Yes, hundred times yes, always yes. But then we should not be under the illusion that the self-enquiry itself, by itself confers the state. The mysterious factor of grace cannot explained by arranging any number of seminars. Why it is conferred on a particular person and why it is not conferred on any particular person, I cannot tell you. Perhaps nobody can tell, the guru alone knows. Self-Knowledge and self-enquiry are not the phala, fruit, and the prayanta, effort. It is the illumined and the illumination. One cannot become Self-realised because we are already that. We have forgotten our true nature. What the guru does is to remind us of our true nature. So self-enquiry is an instrument. Its method is to remind us of our own true state. And what a lovely and charming way of being reminded! The taste of the bliss is in the beginning, in the middle, in the end. And then we'll know there is no beginning, there is no end. Glimpses of the ballet continue....



	Pgs. 163 Adventures of Mr Ego by Sarada Akka As he wept the hordes of negativities that had invaded his room, his very being, seemed to recede from Mr. Ego. Every now and then he would look up and one or the other would draw near again. However, when he was fully occupied with Self-Pity they kept their distance. She was one of his daughters whom he had not seen at all perhaps or who had gone unnoticed like his thousands of children, waiting patiently in some unknown recess of the Thought Kingdom. Waiting their turn for Mr. Ego's attention so that they may come to life and lord it over all others for a while. Some of them may never ever see the light of day as they were too insignificant to his style of living. Yet, who could say? Who would have imagined, for that matter, that all of a sudden one fine day Mr. Ego would keep the sole company of Self-Pity? Well, here she was in any case and he looked at her. The drab clothes, hanging loose from her shoulders as if they themselves were weeping. Her hair too loose but with no bounce, no glow, lifeless, straggly. Her eyes red with crying and still moist with unshed tears that were waiting to spill out. Her skin pale with sorrow. Her every movement heavy with despair. Her voice, though, was not thick but shrill, a kind of mesmerising monotony, like the continuous ring of an alarm clock in the early morning, not loud enough to awaken, not soft enough to let one continue the blessed slumber. `It's terrible, terrible', she chanted almost into Mr. Ego's ears. He even wondered whether the voice was coming from within himself for he had now closed his eyes once more. He cared not for the sight that awaited him if he opened them and so Self-Pity continued,`It's terrible that everyone has ditched you in this manner,' she wailed `not one of them cares for you. Not one of them to help you in this time of dire need. You are all alone'. The very word `alone' had a somewhat magic effect on Mr. Ego. Perhaps Self-Pity recognised his changing mood and quickly piped in lest she lose her hour of glory even before it had begun. `Well, I suppose you don't deserve any better', she whined changing her tune `what makes you think, on what basis do you believe that you can experience the joy of Virtue and Love and Knowledge in a continuous manner ? Have you done anything at all to win their attention? Do you think it's enough if you simply pay them some tributes once in a while? Oh! You're no good, no good at all and they must be fed up of you. How many times have they sought to save you. Yet you keep running away. Don't make excuses saying Desire's responsible, not you. If you don't allow her could she even enter your room or approach near a mile of it?' So she shrieked on and on, Self-pity.



	Pages 164-167 From Forthcoming Publications Stay at Gurumurtam by A.R. Natarajan Bhagavan has given a detailed account of his stay in Gurumurtam when questioned about it by Narasimha Swami. This is what he has told him. "Days and nights would pass without my being aware of their passing. I entertained no idea of bathing or cleaning of teeth or other cleansing activities even when I had deficated and had no baths. The face got begrimed, the hair had become one clotted mass like wax and the nails grew long. When anyone thought that I should have food, I would strech a hand and something would drop on my hand. My hands were not useful for any other purpose. I would eat and rub my hand on my head or body and drop again into my continuous mood. This was my condition for some years from the time of my arrival. For many years I ate only off my hand without using any leaf plate. While at Gurumurtham, I had a fairly large number of persons calling to see me and in a sense a reputation had been established. A number of persons wished that I should eat what each of them had brought every day. The difficulty of eating all was solved this way. A bit of what each of them had brought, be it solid or liquid, sweet or salted, fruit or rice all would be taken and mixed up into a sort of sauce and given to me as a cupful. This would be my night meal and I would drink it not minding how this compound mixture tasted. I was very much constipated while at Gurumurtam. I would pass hard, solid, steel like square blocks. I would just sit somewhere and after sometime try to get up. I would raise myself from my haunches, half a foot at a time and at once feel faint and giddy and resume my old position. Sometime later I would try to get up and raise myself a foot or so then feel the same reeling sensation and sit down again. On one such occasion after many such failures I got up and tried to go out and was clutching the front door. Then Palani Swami came and held me in his embrace. I turned to him and asked him (through sign language) why he behaved thus. He said that he noticed that I was about to fall and so he had seized me to prevent the fall. But I was holding to the door with both my hands outstreched and was not aware that I was about to fall. This difficulty of getting up on account of reeling was a constant feature of my life at Gurumurtam." Narasimha Swami continues the narration thus. "As the Swami continued to neglect his comfort, and even cleanliness, he rose in popular esteem. His body was besmeared with



	unwashed dirt, his hair became a clotted mass and his finger-nails grew so long and curly that his hands were not useful for any purpose. He sat for some weeks on a floor which was always infested by ants and despite their constant crawling and biting, he sat for hours with eyes closed, leaning against the wall in samadhi, and left on it the imprint of his back. The visitors could not endure for even a few minutes the ants which he endured for hours, days and weeks, losing his body consciousness. The Swami was therefore provided after some time with a stool in a corner, the feet of the stool being placed in water. But even then his leaning on the wall gave the ants their access to him. People swarmed to see this height of self-neglect. Some said : `This Swami must be very old,' and pointed to the length of his nails as proof. Many people jumped to the conclusion that, being so saintly, he could grant them all the boons they desired, such as wealth, health, issue and salvation, and poured praises into his ears and offerings at his feet." "Once Tambiran overdid his reverence. He wished to perform Abhisheka (worship by pouring water on the head, which is done for deities). His living deity was Ramana. He gathered the requisite material required for it, namely oil, sandal paste, etc. Noticing this Ramana took a piece of charcoal and wrote on the wall nearby his seat thus, "This (food) alone is service needed for this body". Ramana meant that looking after his body was sufficient. Tambiran understood the wishes which were clearly written on the wall and he refrained from any outward show of his inner feelings towards Ramana. Since Ramana had written in correct Tamil, people understood for the first time that he was educated and this was the first step towards his being discovered by his relatives." Amongst the people who held Ramana in great reverence there was one Venkatarama Aiyer, Head Accountant in the Government Taluk Office at Tiruvannamalai. Having discovered that Ramana was educated he decided to find out more about his birth place and other details. For this purpose he insistently stayed at Gurumurtam and went on a hunger strike to achieve his object. Ramana was always compassionate. Perhaps he also felt that it was the correct time for the news about his whereabouts to be known to his mother who must have been in anguish without any information about him. In this sense he allowed himself to be discovered. The hunger strike provided a good reason to reveal his birth place. Ramana wrote on the wall, "Venkataraman, Tiruchuzhi". When Venkatarama Aiyer wondered where Tiruchuzhi was, Ramana picked up a copy of Periyapuranam which was nearby. It related an account of the visit of Sundaramurthy, one of the famous Saivite saints, to the temple of Siva called "Bhoominatha" in that village. This disclosure led before long to his being discovered by his relatives. A little after Ramana shifted to Gurumurtam, Palani Swami joined him as his permanent attendant. Anyone who knows the life story of Ramana would feel indebted to Palani Swami for the more than mother's care given by him in protecting Ramana's body. From



	Gurumurtam days till Ramana shifted to Skandasramam in 1917, for 17 long years he was the instrument of the divine for protecting Ramana's body. Ramana would be without any consciousness of the body lost in the inner bliss most of the time. At those times this protection was very valuable. Palani Swami would also regularly beg for alms and cook for himself and Ramana. The story of how Palani Swami joined Ramana is interesting. Palani Swami was from Kerala and was worshipping the image of Lord Ganesha in Tiruvannamalai town. One Srinivasa Iyer seeing his capacity for devotion and also being aware of the need to protect Ramana's body advised him thus. "What is the use of spending your life with this stone swami? There is a young swami in flesh and blood at Gurumurtam. He is steeped in austerities like the youthful Dhruva, mentioned in the puranams. If you go and serve him and adhere to him, your life would serve its purpose." Others also mentioned to Palani Swami about the glorious state of Ramana who needed a full time attendant to look after his body. At his very first visit itself, Palani Swami was certain that he had discovered his guru and saviour. For a little while he continued his worship at the temple of Ganesha. Later he felt that Ganesha himself had led him on to Ramana and spent his full time with him like a shadow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A chapter from the forthcoming publication, The Timeless in Time. A complete biography of Sri Ramana Maharshi by A.R. Natarajan



	Page 171 Ramana Answers Three Anglo-Indian lady doctors came from Bangalore. One of them had recently lost her husband in an air crash. She asked Sri Bhagavan. Q. : Is there rebirth? A. : Do you know what birth is ? Q. : O yes, I know that I exist now, but I want to know if I'll exist in the future. A. : Past !.... Present!..... Future!... Q. : Yes, today is the result of yesterday, the Past, and tomorrow, the Future, will be the result of today, the Present. Am I right? A. : There is neither Past nor Future. There is only the Present. Yesterday was the present to you when you experienced it, and tomorrow will also be the present when you will experience it. Therefore experience takes place only in the present, and beyond experience nothing exists. * A visitor wanted to know if there was such a thing as Free-Will. A. : Whose will is it? So long as there is the sense of doership, there is the sense of enjoyment and of individual will. But if this sense is lost through the practice of vichara, the Divine Will, will act and guide the course of events. Fate is overcome by Jnana, Self-knowledge, which is beyond Will and Fate. A French Doctor of Philosophy came for the day. He asked `How should a seeker work?'. A. : Without taking himself to be the actor, he should work without motive, or a hard-cast plan. For instance, when you started on a journey from Paris did you include this plan in your itinerary? Q. : No A. : Now you see how you came without previous planning. The Gita says that no one can remain inactive, and that the purpose of one's birth will be fulfilled whether one wills it not. It is therefore wise to allow the purpose to be fulfilled by itself. *