Sri
RamanaMaharshi (1879-1950) is a great spiritual teacher. He realized the Self
in his seventeenth year. Self-Realization happened to him naturally on its own
unaided by external instructions or guidance.
A
near-death experience took place for and in him one day and a profound
transformation took place in him. He is completely and irreversibly transformed
and became a Realized Self and has been so for life.Sri RamanaMaharshi is born
at Tirutcchali, near Madurai and studied up to IX class at Madurai during which
time he had the near-death experience. He left home shortly after that and
reached Arunaachala – Tiruvannaamalai
(in Tamilnadu) his favorite and most dear place and lived there till his
death.
“Brahma vit Brahma evabhavathi”, meaning,
“The Knower of Brahman (Self) becomes the Brahman (Self)” is a famous
expression. Sri RamanaMaharshi is a standing example for this statement. Brahman is He. He is Brahman. He is
Atmaaraamam and Raamabrahmam. He has
been unoccupied, peaceful, blissful continuous awareness.
* * * *
I:
We modern-minded individuals are always very much worried about current
societal situations and are agitated and are tempted to do something directly
to repair the society. How to go about it??
Sri
RamanaMaharshi:
We
must perform our ordained duty sincerely and dissolve into the nature at the
destined moment. To cleanse situations around us is not possible. All things
take place according to their naturally guided course.
I:
What is the meaning of “Brahma sat jagatmithyajivobrahmaivanaaparah”?
Sri RamanaMaharshi:
Brahma sat
jagatmithyajivobrahmaivanaaparah- means
“What
is present always is Brahmanin the
form of eternal consciousness andjagat
(which is moving or transient is virtual superimposition over it)is adhyasa and mithya (unreal);jiva(self-consciousness)
is Brahman(pure consciousness) Itself,
and is not different or separate”.
Brahman
means pure consciousness or unoccupied awareness. Jagat means perception of inner mental world and impressions in the
form of bhavas(feelings, thoughts).
Jiva means self-consciousness.
Consciousness
becomes pure or self- consciousness depending on the perceptions. If Divinity
within is perceived it is pure consciousness or unoccupied awareness. If the
mental traits, relations with near and dear (ego) happiness, sorrow, body,
outer physical world are perceived it is self-consciousness. Self-consciousness
is superimposition over pure consciousness; so also is perceived physical
world.
I:
Brahma sat jagatmithyaactually means?
Sri
RamanaMaharshi:
The
perceived world in the form of feelings, thoughts, and remembrances is called jagat, and this is mithya, meaning virtual and transient. Thus mental perceptions are
virtual and transient superimpositions over our consciousness and they appear
this moment and disappear next moment. These mental projections are reversible
transformations ofmental energy maya.
Vedanta
never says outer physical world is mithya.
It says that only the mental perceptions are mithyaor virtual.
We
miss the paper and only read the script written over it and rejoice or
otherwise. Even though the paper is holding the written script, we are lost in
the written matter over the paper and never are aware of the paper the base of
the script.
Similarly,
we miss the screen which holds the pictures projected by the projector in a
cinema hall. We are lost in the drama of the pictures, identify with the situations
projected there and feel joyor sorrow or experience all feelings as if they are
all real. We never realize all these pictures are mere projections and the
screen is holding them.
Without
screen there are no pictures.
Similarly,
without Brahman or Atman we will not be able to be
conscious or aware of our mental functions.
Without
Brahman or Atman serving as consciousness and base or background, we cannot be
aware of our thoughts, feelings or experiences.
All
our mental perceptions are projections of mind over this pure consciousness,
whose nature is Being-Pure Consciousness-Bliss (sat-chit-ananda) and is a state
of peace, silence, calmness and content-free contentment.
Mental
perceptions are reversible virtual mental energy-transformations and this
mental energy is sourced from Brahman
or Atman.
When
no perceptions or experiences are in mental view we are prajnaanam(content-free mental space).
Thus
elders say let us not be carried away by the virtual mental projections in the
form of thoughts, feelings or experiences which are superimpositions over pure
consciousness; and see them as virtual pictures over the cine-screen and give
them that importance only and enjoy the drama of mind without losing poise,
peace, serenity and equanimity.
Let
us always focus on the pure consciousness Brahman
or Atman and reap the benefits of
spiritual knowledge while not neglecting our destined duties as a social
person. Then we can perform our worldly duties more efficiently and
responsibly.
III
Sri
RamanaMaharshi has attained Self-Realization and possessed the mind of a Seer
as described in Ribhu Gita (a
spiritual book on self-realization). As described earlier he attained
self-realization without his knowing, concern, will or effort.
Lord
Siva presided over that aspect as mother cat takes care of the kittens on its
own, very affectionately and concerned (maarjaalakisoranyaaya).
This incident is the Lila (Divine Sport) of Lord Siva which transformed
VenkataRaaman(original name of RamanaMaharshi) into RamanaMaharshi.
This
act of the Lord gave us RamanaMaharshi and we are all blessed by this
benevolent action of the Lord. Sri RamanaMaharshi is Lord Siva Himself in
spirituality.
DaharaaVidya is an Upanishadicmeditation technique. During
this meditative process we question ourselves “who am I?” and try to know and
merge our apparent identity - with our body, mental traits and all related
things from this “I”, “me”, “mine” – collectively our self-consciousness and
its relation to external world and persons (called technically ‘false I’), with
the Unoccupied Awareness (Real I or Pure Consciousness) which sources and
generates our self-consciousness and the “false or unreal I”.
While
questioning like this and meditating we will be rid of false identity and
transcend our “I”, “me”, “mine” and shine as our Real I. According to UpanishadicMahaVaakya (profound
sentence) “Aham Brahma Asmi” we are
all aware that this Real I is – the Brahman or Atman - our True Self. This Real
I is Sat-Chit-Aananda (Being-Pure
Consciousness-Bliss – Asti-Bhaati-Priyam,
Nitya-Suddha-Buddha-Muktam- all meaning the same) the Brahman or Atman. We
will become aware of this truth and get illumined. We then are effulgent source
of mind, the pure consciousness, the Real I and get identified with it.
Peace-Bliss-Silence fill our mind.
Sri
RamanaMaharshi’s teaching is almost similar and refinement of this Upanishadic meditation technique:
He
asks us to:
(i)
Find
out wherefrom this ‘I’ springs forth and merge at its source; that istapas (meditation):
(ii)
Find
out wherefrom the sound of the mantra
in japarises up and merge there; that
is tapas (meditation).
* * * *
I:
Please give further exposition of the sentence “Brahma sat jagat mithya jivo brahma evo na aparaha”
Sri
RamanaMaharshI:
“sat” is the
present continuous form in neutral gender of the dhatu (verb root) “as” – to be - taking the form “being”.
“jagat” is the present continuous form in
neutral gender of the dhatu “jag” - to move – taking the form “moving”.
“sat” is one of “sat-chit-ananda” the three aspects of Atman which give us the ability to be conscious of our body and
mind (sat), acquire knowledge and
skill of all kinds (chit), and have
all associated and otherwise experiences (ananda).
Pure
consciousness as unoccupied awareness is present always – the Being. It is in
present continuous form. Thoughts are either past recollections or future
apprehensions, fears, imaginations, etc.,
Self-consciousness
and perceptions of our body, mind and external physical world are becoming.
Meaning,
pure consciousness is continuously present; over which our experiences, moods,
ego, thoughts, feelings, perceptions, intellectual operations, utterances,
communications, knowing through sense organs [eye- forms, ear-sounds,
tongue-tastes, nose-smells and skin-touches and hot and cold feelings],
performances, actions reactions – all the mental tasks – form a veil and they
will be present in our dristi or
become our dristi.
All
through this awareness will be in the background as mental functions are taking
place asthe sruti(a musical
instrument which maintains constant frequency facilitating the vocalist to sing
the different raagaas– tunes) is
behind the singer in a musical concert.
I:
What is dristi?
Sri
RamanaMaharshi:
Dristi is mental awareness. We
have three kinds of dristi, or mental
awareness. They are:
visraantadristi – Unoccupied
awareness- when no mental functions take place; We will not have any
experiences, moods, thoughts, or feelings in awareness; we do not receive
information or communicate any thing.
antarmukhadristi – awareness of within
of the body; which makes us aware of all happenings within the body – from
physical to mental happenings.
bahirmukhadristi – awareness of the
without of the body, including the physical world outside – now the mind is
tuned to the external physical world through sense organs (eye, ear, nose,
tongue and skin) and actions organs (movements of hands, legs, vocal chords,
reproductive organ and bowels).
Visrantadristi is advaita state and refers to the jagratsushupti (wakeful sleep) andsushupti (deep sleep conscious states of
mind). Sushuptimeans cessation of
mental functions. Jagrat (wakeful or
awakened) and swapna (dream) are two
other conscious states of mind. These two are dvaita states of mind.
Our
mental functions are reversible transformations of maya( the chit- psychic
energy) sourced from Atman. Maya is also known as chidaabhaasa, pranavam or
sphota.
I:
What are advaita and dvaita?
Sri
RamanaMaharshi:
If
in cognition or communication or a mental function, a split as
knower-knowing-known or subject-verb-object is perceived it is dvaita state. Here the pure
consciousness is split as consciousness (aham)
and awareness (idam).
If
now such split is not perceived and only consciousness is prevalent as
unoccupied awareness – unoccupied by experiences, urges, thoughts, feelings,
utterances or communications or cognitions- the state of mind is advaita (only pure consciousnessaham-aham)
We
alternately move between these states when we are knowing, perceiving,
experiencing, understanding the sense of the utterances, gaining insight and
performing etc., mental functions.
Deepavali!
Original:
Sri RamanaMaharshi
Translation:
Dr. Varanasi Ramabrahmam
I
The
egoistic sense that
“I
am” the body and mind
Is
the King Naraka [1]!
By
contemplation through
Right
knowledge
Who
gets rid of that Naraka (ego)
Is
Narayana!
And
that day is the most
Auspicious
day
II
In
this transient body
The
disturbing egoistic sense
And
the associated attachments
Are
Naraka!
Eliminating
that “darkness”
And
brilliantly shining as
Is
Deepaavali!
[1]
Naraka is the demon whom Lord Krishna has eliminated on the Narakacharurdasi
(14th day in the waning phase of moon in the Aaswayuja month of Indian
calendar)
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