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THE RAMANA WAY

MARCH 2011

RAMANA WAY - CELEBRATING THREE DECADES MARCH 2011 - 'ENJOYING SERVITUDE'

THE RAMANA WAY


A Monthly Journal Brotherhood based on equality is the supreme goal tto be attained by human society
- Ramana Gita X, 10

1981 to 2011 - Three Decades

MARCH 2011

"Your grace it was I stumbled to your feet Your love that raised me up and made me yours, Chosen to serve, though not for service meet, Untutored save by grace that from you pours." -Sri Muruganar,

Editor: Dr. Sarada Associate Editor: G.Kameshwar


Printed and Published by: Sarada Natarajan on behalf of Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Ramana Maharshi Heritage Building, Post Office Road, Sanjay Nagar, Bangalore - 560 094. Ph:(080)23512639, Direct Fax:23512640 Managing Editor: Revathi Sankar: +919448853748 E-mail: ramanawork@gmail.com Website: www.ramanacentre.com, www.ramanamusic.com Blog: ramanaway.org Printed by: Ramana Printers,Bangalore. Design by: M.Muralidhara Hegde Annual Membership: Rs. 250/-, Life Membership: Rs.2500/3 02 03

Bhagavan Ramana with Chinnaswami behind on his left and Deivarata to his right.

THE RAMANA WAY

MARCH 2011

Editorial
What service can we render to one by whose power alone all things move? As Muruganar Swami sings: "I too have seen all creatures live and move Not of themselves but Self; all living prove That I am nothing and can nothing do, and So all my duties I have cast on you." How can we take His glory anew to anyone when He alone shiens as the very one who thus 'takes' and the one who receives as well? How far can we 'spread' His Feet that are already spread in the Heart of the fish and the fly and the lizard alike, and which in a trice He can reveal to the fish and the fly and the lizard too as He can to any one of us? What then is 'service' to Ramana? It is simply a bubbling forth of the joy that His Presence has brought to our lives. It is an exclamation of wonder at His magnificence. It is an outpouring of gratitude for His unconditional love that makes us proclaim to all to whom He gives ears to hear, again in Muruganar's words, 'Come, come, drink your fill. There is nectar here in Arunai, I tell you. This is the moment to drink to your heart's content. Come! Come!' True, He alone is the Actor and there is nothing at all for us to do. In fact, the very sense that there is anything that needs to be done and further, that we are capable of achieving that goal by our power of action, is the basic illusion that keeps us for ever tied to our shackles. Yet our longing for action will not wane so quick, will it? And since we cannot keep still, is it not best that we are engaged in the work that He assigns to us? Service to Ramana is no doubt like a toddler helping her mother in the kitchen. A Mother allows her little one to help in her work not because she needs the help but because the child has a deep need to do as the mother does. Mother allows the child in her kitchen even though it is in actual fact an added task for her to clean up the mess and the child after the job is done. She knows that one day the child too will be mother and shelets the child learn by being in her presence and striving to imitate her. Most of all, Mother allows the child to help because she spontaneously knows that the greatest good comes for the child by being with her. Thus we try to find reasons for that which defies logic. Why do we wish to 'serve' knowing full well that no service can be offered? We have no answer except to surmise that this too is a part of Ramana's divine play that He gives us the bliss of 'enjoying servitude' as Sri A.R.Natarajan writes. In this 'service' Bhagavan has allowed the journal 'Ramana Way' too, to play its part for three decades now. As an expression of joy at this loving opportunity that He has given, we are bringing out six special issues this year(every alternate issue and every second issue will carry the regular features). This first of the series has been blessed with articles by many senior devotees who are serving Ramana and are messengers of His grace and different Centre the world over. Each one is a rare gem and I am deeply indebted to them for the blessing. How inscrutable is Bhagavan's Grace, touching every nook of the Earth and beyond! At this auspicious juncture I am also happy to welcome Sri G.Kameshwar who has joined as Associate Editor and Ms.Revathi Sankar as Managing Editor.
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ONTENTS C ONTENT S
1. Enjoying Servitude 2. Experiencing the Real 3. My Great Blessing 4. The Fragrance and the Flowering 5. Inconceivable, Yet Self-Evident 6. My First Meeting With Satguru 7. Stream of Grace 8. Arunachala and Sri Ramana 9. Epitome of Cosmic Consciousness 10. The Jnani With Concern for All 11. The Way Ramana Highlights A.R.Natarajan V.S.Ramanan Alan Jacobs V.Ganesan Master Nome R.Venkatakrishnan Nochur Venkataraman Christopher Quilkey Dr.S.Ram Mohan Prof. Laxmi Narain J.Jayaraman 6 10 17 22 28 32 34 39 42 47 51 57 60 64 68 71 75 77 81 82 84 85 86

12. The Call of Arunachala and Ramana N.Venkatesan 13. A Dream Come True 14. How Bhagavan Came to Me 15. From a Japanese Friend 16. Bhagavan the Saviour 17. Untutored Save by Grace 18. Whose Spreading Rays 19. Best Wishes 20. RMCL News: Punaroddharana 21. Special Happenings 22. Ramana Seva 23. Your Dates With Ramana Savithri Cuttaree S.Guruswami Sachiko Miyazaki Dr.M.D.Naik Smt.Sulochana Natarajan Dr.Sarada V.S.Mani Revathi Sankar

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Enjoying Servitude Enjoying Ser vitude


A.R.Natarajan, Founder President, Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning
The very word servile is obnoxious. To lose ones dignity, to be reduced to mere doormats, is unthinkable. To serve human masters is bad enough. To obey the orders of their puerile and capricious mind is anathema. But we often do. Why? Forced of course. Because fear of the consequences of disobeying looms large. You cannot disobey your boss without fear of losing your increment, promotion or even your job if worse comes to the worst. So you obey and carry your resentments, secreted in the inner recesses of your mind adding to the load of hurts you have been harbouring. Often our subordination in the hierarchical set up may be covered up, may be camouflaged, in so called meetings, discussions and so on. For one is always aware as to who wears the pants, who decides. One is also aware that ones own reservations about the wisdom of the decisions is of no consequence. Most people are clogs in the vast machine of industry, business and profession, servile not by choice, not voluntarily, but because that is the general set up in which one has to get along in life. You slog away night and day for a few crumbs in the form of salary, perquisites and bonuses. This makes one wonder if there can be a servitude, which is to be opted for, which is most welcome. There is one such. One might be surprised at this assertion. For, servitude and joy are opposites, poles apart. Where is ones much cherished love of freedom which is being trampled mercilessly, albeit with a velvet hoof? Yet there it is.This enjoyable servitude: It is the servitude to Bhagavan Ramana. Oh, for the joy of it. What nectarine bliss it is. If one regards himself as Ramanas servant, still there is the ego-based relationship; Ramana the master and I the servant. That is how one might begin, casting himself in that role. If the self-made casting is to be perfect one should stand in attendance, looking out for an opportunity to satisfy every wish, let alone orders of Ramana.

Sri AR Natarajan wished to live as a bondslave of his Master, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. With over fifty years of close association with Sri Ramanasramam, Sri AR Natarajan was a key force behind the Ramana movement in New Delhi, serving as the Vice-President of Ramana Kendra, Delhi. He then went on to be the Founder-President of Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Bangalore. He has authored over thirty five books on the life and teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, including the classic biography, Timeless in Time. He served as the Editor of Mountain Path, from 1982 to 1986. He actively encouraged his wife Smt Sulochana Natarajan to spearhead the cause of Ramana Sangeetham. He dedicated his whole family to the cause of Bhagavan Ramana, to serve Him through dance, music, talks, seminars, meditation classes, writings, and public service. His every breath, thought, and deed was for the cause of his Master, Bhagavan Sri Ramana. Closely associated with Swami Ramanananda (Former President of Sri Ramanasramam), Sri AR Natarajan has rendered yeomen service to Sri Ramanasramam, and to the Ramana Movement as a whole. The devotees of Karnataka feel specially bonded to him for introducing them to greatest treasure in their lives, Bhagavan Ramana. Sri AR Natarajan was absorbed in the lotus feet of His Master, on 23-Jan -2007, the day of Tai Poosam, sacred to Lord Subrahmanya, who is the divine aspect of His Master, Bhagavan Sri Ramana. Sri A.R.Natarajan continues to remain the inspiring force that keeps the team of RMCL untiring in its efforts to serve the Master as best as possible.

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Should he not? But as soon as such an attempt is made one is straightaway faced with the problem of dealing with a master who has no wishes, no desires, and one who is ever content. Ramanas cup of happiness is full. His mind is dead. He is Bhagavan, the very embodiment of plenitude. So we are at a loose end, in a fix to find a way to serve him. There is another difficulty too with this master Ramana. He goes on giving, bestowing his bounties in endless succession including the priceless treasure of an inner life. Instead of our pleasing him with our service he seems bent on pleasing us, in making us happy, in showering gifts asked and unasked. Now what is one to do? What is the way to serve him? It is only to attempt to glorify him even though really speaking he is beyond all glorification. This takes one back to the first Ramana Jayanti, the maiden celebration of Ramanas birthday. A group of devotees decided it was time that they expressed their feelings for Ramana, their love and devotion. What better occasion could there be than the birthday! So they decided to go ahead, in the quiet, lest Ramana should negate any body-related celebrations. Ramana did protest but allowed himself to be overruled when the devotees with one voice said, We want to have the joy of singing and dancing taking your name. Your birthday is just an excuse. Why do you protest? Why deny us this happiness? All modes of enjoyment given to man could be chanelled, to talk, about his sweet, exemplary life of wondrous detachment, to set to music and sing his compositions and the outpourings of Muni, Muruganar, Sadhu Om and others on him. To make it possible to visualize his enchantment through dance. To be joined in this service in common brotherhood with devotees, with seekers of truth, to broadcast his grace in all the eight corners of the world, would be an integral part of this mosaic of worship and servitude to Ramana. As Muruganar sang, His feet outspread he placed for worship and, for those who worship grace. It is said that willing and unquestioning acceptance of the results of our action, of the realities of life is an article of faith if one has surrendered, if one is wedded to implicit obedience to the guru.
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This of course is a must. But it does not go far enough. Thy will be done we say. That of course is the law. It seems necessary that one has to take the self effacement even further and recognize that one is an absolute Zero. The intelligence to act, the sustaining strength and not only the results are Sadgurus gifts. Constant remembrance that he is the number one which adds value to the Zeros which follow is needed. If only we serve his devotees, how pleased would Ramana be! In this regard Ramanas own life serves as a standing example. What motherly solicitude he would show in insisting on their having breakfast, lunch or dinner at the Ashram? Nearly always a new visitors leaf would be laid close to Ramanas. Looking for opportunities to serve the growing world-wide Ramana family seems to be the obvious thing to do. Borrowing his own expression one has to be the devotees devotee. But if a servant of Ramana stops with this would it be service at its best? Would it be enough if one washes his feet with tears of love? Is it enough if one feels his presence in every pore of his being? Is it enough if Ramanas name thrills one to his core? Seems enough. Does it not? But it is not enough. For Ramana himself has given the ultimate test. It is to become food unto him, which is to lose the servantego, to lose all identifications with the body, and with the mind. When this happens, these limitations cease, there is only the limitless ocean of consciousness, of intelligence, which the master is. Does this happen by chance or through steadfast, vigilant self-enquiry? When will it happen? One does not know. We know that it is only his grace, indescribable grace, that makes possible this culmination of the servitude to Ramana, that one has opted for, by steadily immersing one in boundless bliss.

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Sri V Ramanan is affectionately referred to as Sundaram. (Bhagavans fathers .S. name). He took over as President of Sri Ramanasramam in 1994. He works literally round the clock to serve Bhagavans devotees.
Advent centenary celebrations, rebuilding of the Paataalalingam and thousand pillared Mantapam in the Arunachaleswara temple, the celebration of 125th birth year of Bhagavan and many other notable events have been organized under his leadership. For the 125th Jayanathi (2004), a Ratha Yatra of Bhagavans picture was organized. The Ratha started from Tiruchuzhi, Bhagavans birth place on 17th July, the day of Bhagavans enlightenment, went to all important cities and reached Tiruvannamalai. It went round the Arunachala Hill for 3 days and reached Sri Ramanasramam on 1st September, Bhagavans Advent Day. In November 2004 Kumbabhishekam was done to Ramaneswara and Mathrubhutheswara on a grand scale. Under his leadership Ariyanainallur Temple enroute Bhagavans journey to Arunachala, and Pavalakkunru, where Mother Azhagammal first came and met Bhagavan, have been renovated and are being maintained by Sri Ramanasramam. The places related to great devotees Muruganar and Siva Prakasam Pillai and Mastans Samadhi have also been developed and maintained by Sri Ramanasramam. Observing the smooth way in which Ramanasramam staff serve the hugely increasing number of devotees who visit Ramanasramam every day, one can surely say that it is Bhagavans Grace that is operating through Sri VS Ramanan, in making all this happen. Sundaram Anna, as we know him at the Ramana Maharshi Centre, has always showered great love on the Centre and each and every member. He has been a source of constant support to the Centres activities, supporting them in every possible way. The absolute surrender springing from devotion with which he and Susila Ramanan have taken their bereavement of their son Ravi is a shining example to each and every member of the Ramana Family.

Experiencing the Real


V.S.Ramanan, President, Sri Ramanasramam
When called upon to write for a magazine devoted to Bhagavan Ramana, one can either try and write on the life and teachings of the Master or on ones own experience of them. I have grown up in and around Sri Ramanasramam, I have had daily darsans of Bhagavan for several years, I have listened to Old Ashramites and other devotees talk about the Master and his teachings and I have gone through, and am daily going through his works and those of his devotees. Like all other devotees, I too try to be as true to his teachings as possible and am reapinga good harvest of inner joy.

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Despite or is it because of all this, I feel at a loss for words. As days go by, I increasingly see the truth of the Upanishadic mantra: yato vaacho nivartantey apraapya manasaa saha (from where words beat it back unable to obtain That with the mind). Bhagavan himself once told a devotee Where there are words, there I am not. He also once asked: Have you ever seen anyone who changed by listening to words? He also said The Atma is within and books are without, how can you know the Atma through books? I am not quoting Bhagavan to justify my hesitancy in writing, the plain fact perhaps is that writing is not my mtier. However, the undeniable fact is that words are shadows, Bhagavan is Light; words are limited, Bhagavan is limitless, infinite. This is not to belittle the beauty and value of the many books written on Bhagavan by many ardent devotees or the talks given on him and his teachings by gifted, devoted exponents. Hats off to them, but indisputably Bhagavan is avaangmanogochara (beyond the reach of mind and words). What can I write or say about one who, as a boy, took the Bull of Death by the horns and finished him; of one who sat for weeks after weeks in a dark, deserted underground cave unmindful of worms eating into his thigh; of one who let hornets sting away his leg to their hearts content merely because, by accident, he walked over them; of one who talked to leopards and cobras, ate with monkeys, held peanut parties (really satsangs) with monkey, goat and squirrel, who saw men, women, children, birds and beasts with equal eye? What can one write or say of one whose heart, on the Tortoise Rock of Arunachala, actually stopped beating and his body turned blue for several minutes and was deemed dead by two sobbing devotees accompanying him, but who got up, after his heart started beating again and body regained its normal colour, and walked on as if nothing happened? What can one say of one who was at his humorous best and cracked jokes when an incredibly painful form of cancer was ravaging his body for fourteen months? Indeed, what can one say of one who was beyond body and mind and is ever the Self of all? I recall Rabindranaths words: Lord, miraculous is the way songs come from You, I only listen, listen speechless.
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But the great Poet did come out with more than 2000 exquisitely lovely songs and he lisped in numbers for the numbers came as they did to Alexander Pope. Bhagavan himself was not only speechless when he first saw Arunachala, but the one who saw was not. Bhagavan did not have to teach anything. He was and is the teaching. Teacher implies duality, as he told Paul Brunton. As Bhagavan saw everyone as the Self and as there was none other than himself, he never taught. His life was the teaching, a ceaseless flow of grace. He did not discourse on non-duality, fearlessness and so on. In his presence, as Old Ashramites said, everyone felt a peace beyond words, and the world of names and forms was not to be seen for everyones mind was in abeyance in that supreme nondual Presence. Bhagavan often talked about silent initiation as the most powerful initiation, the other forms being of a lower order. He said that the Gurus silence was more potent than all the scriptures put together. How often has he not emphasized the importance of inner silence. He said: Let the sea of joy surge and speech and feeling cease, and If of yore, the first of teacher Revealed it through unbroken silence Who can reveal it in spoken words? He said that one day we will have to forget all that we have learnt. I feel like doing what a close devotee of Ma Anandamayi once did, when he was requested to write something about her. He took a piece of blank paper and filled it with the word Ma. He said that that was all that he could write on her. If I too likewise keep writing Bhagavans name and thus be free from my mind, I would gladly do that.
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Many years ago, Professor K. Swaminathan once advised an inmate of the Ashram to leave writing intellectually on Bhagavan to others and, instead, to get totally involved in the routine work of the Ashram. To another devotee, he said You seem to be a thinker. Stop thinking. You should cease to exist. That devotee took these words to be Bhagavans own words and gave up writing and realized that it had an immense inward cleansing effect on him. Of course, the Professor would not have offered the same advice to all devotees of Bhagavan. I am sure that with us today there are worthy successors to Swami Muruganar, Arthur Osborne, Suri Nagamma, Professor K. Swaminathan and other devotees who wrote or spoke on Bhagavan for they had to play that role and they did it to perfection with complete humility. We are too verbal a culture. I am sure that there are many wonderful things in life for which there are no words and. therefore, are lost to us, for if we cannot name a thing, the thing does not exist for us! And if we dont see a thing on the TV or computer screen, it does not exist for us! We are deeply influenced by words and images. Also, we have words for things but the word is not the thing. How can then That or It, the Reality, be grasped by word and mind? If the goal of advaitic sadhana is manonasa (ending of the mind), why should we go on enriching the mind? If, as Bhagavan said, jnana is not about acquiring knowledge but about being free from all that we have acquired, then why pile up information and knowledge, why engage the mind in analyses, exposition and exegeses? Unless, of course, they flow from within us in a natural, effortless way. Shamsuddin Tabriz, when he first saw Jalaluddin Rumi, his future disciple, seems to have quoted a Persian couplet to him which meant: If a knowledge does not take you out of yourself, Then ignorance is better than that knowledge. In a recent article, Muzaffar Ali, the well-known Indian cine artiste, quotes Rumi: I shall put aside expressions, words and sounds, So that, without all three, I carry on intimate discourse with Thee.
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When true knowledge takes us out of ourselves, we have continuous discourse with Him, we become One with Him. Thayumanavar, the 18th century Tamil saint-singer, wrote: If it is said You are That, the doubt will arise as to Which. Therefore, leaving even That, sages like Janaka sat like bees inebriate with honey. An old devotee says We all sat like that in the Old Hall before Bhagavan. Words are perhaps more man-made than God-made. Yet, words, like many other things earthly, can be very beautiful, but they are, by their very nature, limited. If, however, words flow out of our actual inner experience, they will have the quality of silence and deeply touch the hearts of those who are truly receptive. But then those who are thus receptive can easily pick up silent transmissions. Buddha, Ramakrishna and Ramana spoke. Buddha gave discourses, Ramakrishna talked a lot. He was a goldmine of exquisite parables. Ramana spoke little but always answered sincere questions from devotees and visitors. As Sri Sri Ravi Sankar says, Buddhas speeches create silence. So do Ramakrishnas and Ramanas words. If Ramanas silence was eloquent and dispelled doubts, his speech had the depth and calm of silence. Once, when a North Indian sannyasini was reading a book of Bhagavan, a saintly English lady told her: Dont read Ramanas work like a novel. Each word is a mantra. Truly, a word of Bhagavan can transform ones life if one lives by that word. In my own mothers case, an advice given by him to her soon after her marriage, religiously followed by her, blessed her life with a peace and joy which no amount of scriptural reading could have vouched her. In my own personal case, and that of my wife, It is Bhagavans teaching and grace which enable us to bear calmly the sorrow of last years bereavement and we realise that the more we live by his words, the stronger and the freer we become. I shall content myself with pointing out that the best way to share our experience of Bhagavans life and teaching is to live by his words as sincerely as we can. As the saying goes, an ounce of practice is worth more than tons of precept. Just think of this: If Jesus of Nazareth had only talked about the virtue of dying for ones friends and enemies, only talked of the salvatory role of suffering, of the
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agony of Crucifixion and so on, would his words, however moving, have had such a tremendous effect on mankind over two millennia? Or, if Gandhiji had only talked and written about freedom, fearlessness, selflessness, non-possession, non-violence and truthfulness and not done what all he did in South Africa and later in India during a period of thirty years, would he be such an abiding source of inspiration to us? If Bhagavan had only talked about jnana, absolute surrender, manonasa, equal vision, self-enquiry and Self-realisation, and not lived the kind of life he did for 54 years in Arunachala, preceded by his extraordinary experience in Madurai, would he be the supreme symbol of direct, non-dual experience and Atmajnana that he is today to mankind? A devotee of Bhagavan will base his life on the Masters words. He will aim at becoming more and more impersonal, at attaining the state where the I does not arise. Mere refraining from using the first personal pronoun will not be enough. It can be used in the knowledge that we are not individuals but That. A devotee will always remember that he is not confined to his body but is the Self which is the real nature of everyone.He will never judge others for there are no others when one wakes up. He will try to see Bhagavan in everyone, even as Bhagavan saw Arunachala in everyone. He will ever remember that there is no such thing as the mind and that all problems are in the shadowy mind. If fear, sorrow, or conflict arises within him, he will ask To whom? and end them more and more effectively, more and more quickly. His selfless action will lead to inaction, his expressions will flower into silence, his life will be fulfilled ultimately in Absorption. As Albert Einstein said Die Wahrheit liegt in der Bewahrung, Truth lies in experience. Experience means going through, not just talk, read and write about it. Eternal, absolute Truth cannot be known. One can, thank God, be That, for That alone is. Bhagavan asks us to offer ourselves as food to That, which is God, the Self. By becoming the food, we experience That. Bhagavan called That Arunachala. We call that Arunachala Ramana. That should be that.

The Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK is a registered charity. Members endeavour to live by Bhagavans teaching faithfully, without the intrusion of personalities, and to practise self-enquiry and surrender in all circumstances of our everyday lives.
Monthly Satsangs are held on the second Saturday of each month, from 1.30 5.30pm, consisting of bhajans, talks on Ramanas teaching, silent group meditation, readings, tea and discussion. An Additional Satsang is held on the final Saturday of each month. A Study Group on the 40 Verses on Reality and other Core Texts is held every second and last Wednesday of each month. A Silent Meditation Satsang for Ramana Devotees to scheduled be held every Thursday evening. The satsang will consist of two 45 minutes of silent meditation with one short reading from Sri Bhagavans Teachings.

Alan Jacobs is President of the Foundation. He is the author of several books relevant to Advaita Vedanta and has been a long standing devotee of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. He contributes to the Mountain Path and gives talks on Bhagavans Teaching in London and occasionally in India. He has presented a paper in the International Seminar on Bhagavan Ramanas teachings in 1998 and recently gave a talk last December at the Ramana Maharshi Shrine which was greatly enjoyed by the seekers.

Great Fr Belov Mast My Great Blessing From My Belov ed Mas t er


Alan Jacobs, President, The Ramana Maharshi Foundation, UK
Undoubtedly the greatest blessing that can befall any human being in this often painful life dream, travelling through the dense jungle of samsara is to be caught in the jaws of the tiger lurking in the undergrowth, as Sri Bhagavan picturesquely describes the Grace of the Sat-Guru, when the Sat-Guru appears, and becomes the principal force in a Devotees life, now fully dedicated to the study and practice of His magnificent teaching. Why this should happen is a great mystery! Tradition tells us that some kind of karmic equilibrium has to have happened between good and bad deeds, in previous lives, so that we are now ready to be taken into the care of the Jnana Guru, who will gracefully and firmly lead us on to eventual liberation from bondage. Whether this is the truth or not, the fact remains that a powerful link of devotion is formed between Teacher and Disciple, and from this beautiful connection, there inevitably flows a complete reorientation of the whole life from which there can be no turning back.

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My first step after He appeared in my waking consciousness, was to become thoroughly acquainted with Bhagavans marvellous teachings, so clearly stated, and clearing my mind of most of its ignorant misconceptions. From this one began to understand that he was indeed Sat-Guru, dwelling in my spiritual heart, and would surely lead me to the best and necessary sadhana for my needs, walking on the mountain path towards Liberation. Once I had this Faith, it turned out to be the truth and I was miraculously led to the Eka Sloki and the great sadhana of Diving Into the Heart which he once gave to Ganapati Muni in Ch. 2 V. 2 of the famed Ramana Gita. For the benefit of other Devotees who may also wish to find a sure and radical approach to Self Enquiry, I quote extracts from my article on this practice which later appeared in the Mountain Path and can be found in full on Luthar.com. It is the greatest blessing given to me by Sri Bhagavan. IN THE INMOST CORE, THE HEART SHINES AS BRAHMAN ALONE, AS I-I, THE SELF AWARE. ENTER DEEP INTO THE HEART BY SEARCH FOR SELF, OR DIVING DEEP, WITH BREATH UNDER CHECK. THUS ABIDE EVER IN ATMAN. We find this Eka Sloki was mounted during Bhagavans lifetime, obviously with his consent, above his ornate marble couch in the New Hall, where the verse is engraved in Gold Sanskrit letters on a tablet of polished black marble . Now regarding breath control and breath regulation, the Eka Sloki clearly states that this is an option. Diving can be practiced with or without restraint of breath and breath regulation. Many practitioners, however, especially those like myself with the usual Western rajasic restless mind, find breath restraint invaluable. Although Breath Control is summarised in Self Enquiry from verses 21-25, it is more fully detailed by Bhagavan in his answer to the Muni and his disciples in Chapter Six of the Ramana Gita.
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In verse 7 we are asked to breathe out fully (Rechaka) with the necessary time required, and then fully inhale for another unit of the same time (Puraka). Then Kumbhaka or Retention may be held for four counts of the time taken for inhalation. It is during this period of holding the breath, that I find it is the best time to Plunge or Dive into the Heart by entering the portal on the right side of the chest using focussed attention, like a laser beam, from the chakra between the eye brows, to penetrate as deeply as one can, searching for the source of the I Thought, until one is forced to fully exhale, with Bhastika or strong diaphramatic exhalation, with a guttural or hissing sound, which, effectively, expels residual thought and vrittis. Chapter Nine of the Ramana Gita has a whole explanation on the Granthi Bhedam or Cutting the Knot. In verse three, Ramana states that the association of the Self with the Body is called the Granthi (Knot). It is my intuitive feeling that Bhagavans powerful sword of Diving Into the Heart will eventually cut this identification and sever the knot . A full explanation to the Granthi Bhedam can be found in Spiritual Instruction Verse 12, in the Collected Works, Ramanashramam Edition page 63. Obviously experience will differ with each Sadhak, and no Plunge or Dive, in the search for the source of the I Thought can ever be exactly the same for anyone at any time. I find that each Dive is different in quality depending on the force of attention gathered, like an artist, when he prepares to draw an object, or a mathematician concentrating on a difficult problem, or gazing into the wick of a lit candle. In some cases one feels one strikes a wall , or sheath, and the attention cannot penetrate .But invariably one finds one can penetrate deeper and deeper until one reaches the abyss when one can go no further. Then on the exhalation a great deal of residual thought or vrittis are expelled. The more zeal, and determination one devotedly feels, that this is the most urgent vital act and necessary effort one can make, the deeper it goes. One is immediately detached from any identification previously agitating the mind.
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A baffling question arises, however, insofar as even when reaching the bottom of the abyss with concentrated attention, nothing is discovered, and the space probed seems empty. Wise, experienced devotees with whom I have discussed this question inform me that while the practice is still done from the mind, nothing should be expected. But at a certain point, after earnest and regular persistence in the practice, the enquiry moves into the Heart, through Grace. Then atma vichara spontaneously arises, and one is drawn into the Heart, when the source of the I Thought may eventually be found with the necessary release. I have found this happens to me more and more, but I have not reached the stage where it becomes frequent or permanent. Keeping in mind that one is searching for the root of the I Thought with zeal, and holding the breath, one should not expect an answer or result .The purification of latent tendencies, are buried deeply in the subconscious, and what is happening can not be known by the reflected, limited, normal consciousness of the empiric mind. I am totally convinced, however, from my own experience, that Grace and effort are firmly interlinked. With this discovery Bhagavan gave me a practical sadhana, to perform Atma Vichara, with which I find it is the easiest for me, and with which I am most comfortable. I feel it is gracefully clearing out the obscuring vasanas clouding the Real Self, at a pace which would not be too sudden for the nervous system to stand. It is a merciful form of purification, and I shall always be eternally grateful for this greatest gift of Grace received from my beloved Master, Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi.

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Sri V .Ganesan grew up in the presence and proximity of Bhagavan Ramana till he was 14 years of age. His sacred memory of the Master is rich in its content, and, even at that tender age he could see Sri Ramana as the greatest compassionate human being. On April 14, 1950, the day the Master chose to leave the body, the adolescent Ganesan stood near the entrance to the room where Sri Ramana was lying and was fortunate to see the brilliant flash of Light, which later moved towards the top of the Holy Hill, Arunachala.
Ganesan obtained a Masters Degree in Philosophy; and, then came for good to Sri Ramanasramam, and dedicated himself to looking after the old devotees of Sri Ramana, as his sadhana (spiritual practice). In this process, he collected reminiscences of Sri Maharshi never before recorded. His close contacts with sages and saints, including J. Krishnamurti, Nisargadatta Maharaj and Yogi Ramsuratkumar, has deepened and widened his understanding of the essence and true message of the Maharshi. He, however, feels himself to be an insignificant dust at the Holy Feet of Bhagavan Ramana. In his cottage Ananda Ramana he meets earnest seekers, sharing with them the spiritual treasure entrusted to him by all these holy sages. Sri V.Ganesan has played a pivotal role in the formative years of Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, taking an active interest in every aspect of the Centres activities. His valuable guidance was available to Dr.Sarada when the first issue of the Ramana Way was published 30 years ago. For many years the journal had carried his articles every month which were later put together as the book Purushottama Ramana.

The Fr agr ance and t he Flow ering Fr agr the Flow ering of 'You' into 'I Am' 'You' into
V.Ganesan In the 1960s, I was blessed with the dream of Sri Bhagavan. I saw Sri Bhagavan standing behind a thorny fence. Thorns did not distract me, since Sri Bhagavan was drenching me with His gracious smile. I felt ecstatic the dream was so vivid, picturesque and real! That morning, when I sat in the Ashram office to attend to the daily routine, the servant of Mrs. Roda McIver informed me that she was very sick and bed-ridden and that she wanted to see me. I followed him. Her home is situated opposite to the Ashram. When I went near her bed, I was once again thrilled and awe struck to see next to her a small framed photo of Sri Bhagavan. I had never seen that pose of Sri Bhagavan in any photo ever before. The wonder of wonders was that was exactly how Sri Bhagavan gave darshan to me the previous night! The same gracious smile, the same fence, the same thorns!

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When Roda Ma saw that I was standing transfixed looking at the picture, she said: That photo was taken in 1937, at Palakottu, by Pascaline Mallet, the French authoress. She was staying in my cottage. She sent me this photo as an expression of gratitude and love! Forthwith, I requested her to lend me the framed photo, took a copy of it, made many copies in various sizes and made this precious photo available to all devotees. No need to say that I made a huge enlargement of it, kept it in my room and offered prayers, every day! The Supreme Master is ever so very compassionate that He comes to you first, extending His Grace unconditionally, unequivocally and unexpectedly. Thus, Grace is thrust on you, drowning you in ecstasy! Hence, every act of Gurus Grace is unique, in as much as each such experience of ecstasy is exclusively soul transforming! On that day, while I was swimming in ecstasy still looking at the picture of Grace, Roda Ma further thrilled me by recalling the following two incidents, unknown to me! Those two remarkable reminiscences of Roda Ma, I shared with innumerable devotees and also published them in The Mountain path. The uniqueness of these is that they both deal with and thereby clear the two major impediments in the spiritual progress of a true seeker: i) the urge to guide other seekers and ii) the urge to seek a living Guru outside of oneself. URGE TO GUIDE OTHER SEEKERS Mrs. Roda McIver, the long-standing Parsee lady-devotee of Sri Bhagavan, once brought a friend from Mumbai. Introducing him, she told Bhagavan: My friend has taken as his guru a man who is not even a sadhu. I brought him here so that he would give up this guru and follow you, Oh Bhagavan, as his Guru. Please make him do so. Sri Bhagavan replied sternly: Who are you to say who is the right Guru for him? By what power can you make out what a man really is? And, are you sure that the Guru counts so much? All depends on the disciple. Even if you worship a stone with great devotion it will be seen as God.
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All through the ages, there has never been a dearth of genuine Teachings, especially in India. We are thus proud to possess the most authentic collections of teachings in the form of Vedas, Upanishads, Epics and Puranas. The Bhagavad Gita is recognized as the spiritual treatise par excellence, all over the world. Sages and Saints continue to adorn Mother Earth, century after century. Our tradition has handed over to mankind the gift of a Golden Chain of Eternity made of links of perennial truth about God, Scriptures, Guru, Teachings, Sadhana, Wholeness, Oneness, Fullness, Freedom, Release, Moksha. Man too has all along revered it, wondering at its grandeur. Yet, time and again, it has remained unused, for the simple reason that this precious Golden Chain is disjointed and incomplete, as a vital link in it is ever missing. That missing vital link keeps it away from man. What is that missing link the discovery and replacing of which will complete the Golden Chain? The missing link, is YOU The You referring to every one of us, individually. The You refers to one who is now reading this line! Adding, joining this You to it which means waking up to ones own inner Divinity, ones own inner Reality will alone make this Golden Chain of Eternity complete! Isnt it amazing? Suddenly, the You becomes all important in the scheme of Existence! Yet, it is absolutely true. To understand it better, one has to raise the questions: For whom is the Teaching? For whom is the Teacher? All along, we have been stressing the importance of the Teachings and the Teacher. However lofty the Teachings might be, it has value and meaning only to one who imbibes it; isnt it? Without the taught, where is the importance for the Teacher? Who is the imbiber of the Teachings? Oh reader You who are reading this line, it is for You that all the Teachings and all the Teachers are intended. Your waking up to and owning them is actually the restoring of the missing link to its rightful place in the Golden Chain of Eternity. Be assured that till You wake up, this precious jewel of a Chain will remain unused! Therefore, the Scriptures proclaim: Tat Twam Asi You are That!
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Once in the presence of Sri Bhagavan at the Old Hall, College Professors were assembled; one among them raised the doubt on the structure of Yoga Vasista, wherein Sage Vasista gives spiritual instructions to Lord Rama. The content of the doubt was whether the Sage was instructing the Mukta (liberated) Rama or the Mumukshu (aspirant) Rama, as Lord Rama was ever esteemed as born liberated. Sri Bhagavan smiled at the Professor and said: It is neither for the Mumukshu Rama nor for the Muktha Rama; the spiritual instructions are intended only for YOU! The seeker of Truth YOU is, thus, all important to make alive every Teaching and every Teacher. The Teacher, the Teaching and YOU are, therefore, the true Spiritual Trinity. The You referred to here, points neither to you the body nor you the individual, but to the simple pure being, that you are. You the Awareness alone is pointed out. URGE TO SEEK A LIVING GURU OUTSIDE OF ONESELF After she came in contact with Sri Ramana Maharshi in the 1940s, Mrs. Roda McIver permanently resided in the vicinity of Sri Ramanasramam, at her cottage, within the McIver Compound. For years, she was silently praying for an opportunity to put her head on the sacred feet of her Satguru Bhagavan Ramana. The rules of the Ashram, however, strictly prohibited anyone touching the Maharshis feet! However, she did not give up praying and hoping. Fortunately for her, one day after breakfast, the Maharshi was walking alone through a small room and Roda rushed to Him and was about to fall at His feet. The Maharshi gesticulated enquiring what she wanted. She said: Bhagavan! My lifes one prayerful ambition is to put my head at the sacred feet of my Satguru Sri Ramana. Please permit me and bless me, Bhagavan! The Maharshi, coming closer to her and pointing to His feet, said: Roda! Are these the feet of the Satguru? The Satgurus feet are ever here (pointing to her Heart)! Merge your mind in the Heart; that is truly putting your head at the feet of your Satguru!
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The word GURU means the dispeller of darkness. GU is darkness, dense darkness and RU means the dispeller, the remover. So, GURU is one who removes the darkness. What is the thickest of densest darkness? The darkness that is within oneself is the most dense. Such inward darkness is ignorance. Ignorance of what? Of ones own Truth, the Self. This is the densest ignorance. It is the ignorance of taking oneself to be only the body, only the mind; and, forgetting that one is ever the Self the only Truth! Removal of ignorance through known means, like reading the scriptures, observing austerities, resorting to religious practices, has proved futile. It is almost impossible. But the very thing which appeared impossible becomes very easy when one is in the presence of a Satguru, a true Master. Satguru or Master is not a status, a position, like the President of a country. It is not even a state. It is the Truth itself. Satguru is the Self, the Truth. That is, ones own Self is the real Satguru. When one goes to an outer Guru, the only teaching he imparts is in the form of awakening the inner Guru in ones Heart. The GURU being the Truth, for him, there exists no untruth. For the Sun there is no darkness. The Guru without, invokes the Guru within. The inner Guru, as the Self, ever shines in ones Heart. God, Guru and Self are synonymous, said the Maharshi. Sri Bhagavan also said: The only purpose of life is to realize the Self. All other activities are waste of time. Let us turn our out-going mind within and merge in the inner Silence, the Self, the Truth, the Inner Guru!

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Nome teaches Advaita Vedanta, especially as is contained in the teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. The teachings are presented in Satsangs and retreats held at the SAT Temple. Nome has also given satsangs at Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning in Bangalore. In March 1995, Nome discoursed at the Ramana Maharshi National Seminar conducted in Bangalore. At the invitation of Sri. V. S. Ramanan, President of Sri Ramanasramam, Nome spoke at the centennial celebrations of the advent of Sri Ramana Maharshi at Arunachala, on the morning of September 1, 1996 at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, India. Nomes discourse actually commenced with silence, which was followed by a brief talk on the direct experience of Self-Knowledge as revealed by Sri Ramana Maharshi. Nomes inner journey is written in the article Timeless Presence. It was written at the request of Sri V. S. Ramanan, President of Sri Ramanasramam in 1996 for the book, Centenary Souvenir Commemorating the Advent of Bhagavan Sri Ramana at Arunachala, which was released on September 1, 1996. The article has since been republished by Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning and SAT. The book describes the timeless presence of Sri Ramana Maharshi and Nomes practice of Self-inquiry for his steady abidance in Self-Realization. Nome is married. His wife, known as Sasvati, is involved in many of the publications of SAT, in the form of writing prefaces and the design and layout work for the books.

Inconceivable, Ye Inconceivable, Ye t Self-Evident


Master Nome
Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya His Silence, His Being, is ineffable, indeed, inconceivable. He is known only by Himself. To Himself, He is self-evident. Where differentiation is impossible, that in which there is nothing else whatsoever, He is. If inconceivable, how is one to know Him? In the disappearance of the illusion of existing as a separate individual, we can be said to know Him, That, the sole-existent Reality. The Reality is self-evident to itself. Who is to conceive otherwise? Only to an illusion could the Reality of the Self appear as if unknown, but an illusion is not real at all. So, how could its ignorance exist? He, the inconceivable One, is the self-evident One. Inconceivable, yet self-evident, is His teaching. Just as there are not two selves, one to know, or realize, the other, as He has instructed, so there are not two selves, one to be ignorant of the other. The means to realize the Truth, which He reveals and is, is summed up in the question Who am I?, yet the true significance of
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Nome (born January 23, 1955) is a spiritual teacher at Society of Abidance in Truth, known by the acronym SAT, which established and maintains a temple for Non-dual Self-knowledge in California. He, along with Dr. H. Ramamoorthy, translated into English the essential and classic work of Advaita Vedanta, Ribhu Gita, which was highly recommended by Sri Ramana Maharshi. The English translation has been published by Society of Abidance in Truth and has since then been re-published by Sri Ramanasramam (Tiruvannamalai, India) and translated into Hindi and Italian. Nome is also a translator and author of Vedanta texts.
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the inquiry is the inconceivable Knowledge regarding the self-evident Truth of the Self. Every particle of His teaching shines fully with the light of this Knowledge. The self-evident Truth is the ever-existent Self, which, being of the nature of the innermost, nonobjective Consciousness, is ever inconceivable. Transcendent of ideas learned and forgotten, His spiritual instruction shines with the same full power of His absolute Silence. His sparkling, eloquent, spoken and written instruction, always brimming with exquisite, non-dual clarity that leaves no darkness, reveals the formless yet exceedingly precise path to realize the formless. His teaching is the shining of Reality, itself, and reveals the self-existent, which is the self-evident. Who can say what His teaching is? It is nonobjective and inconceivable, yet entirely real and self-evident, the very revelation of Reality in which Being is Knowledge. It is never a known or unknown concept, and it stands as the eternal revelation of the eternal, the Selfs revelation of itself. His life shines with a sublime holiness that is the pinnacle of spiritual perfection. However much we laud it, our praise can hardly describe it. All, and more, that is needed to wisely approach everything in life is fully explained by His life. He may be said to be the very manifestation of the unmanifested Brahman, the Self, yet His identity as That renders even such a description futile, for it imagines differences where there are none. Even still, He shows that life in That, as That, is natural and innate, for such is the egoless state, the only real state that there is, as He has declared. Yet, His life is the Existence of the Self, which neither is born nor perishes. Unborn and immortal, His Existence is inconceivable, yet it is self-evident, for He is the Self of all forever. His grace is immense, vaster than the vastest, with innumerable manifestations, while its nature remains utterly transcendent. Did he not declare that grace is of the Self? How can one conceive of such grace? All the thoughts of it and different experiences of it are still only an infinitesimal particle of it. As the Self is ever existent, so His grace is ever existent. Just as one cannot actually be separate from the Self, so it is impossible to be outside of grace. Knowledge of it in any manner whatsoever is also His grace. For those who are devoted 6
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to Him, relying on His liberating spiritual teachings for their freedom from all illusion, their hearts full of love for Him, depending on Him for their peace amidst all experiences, seeking refuge in Him, and finding bliss in Him, His grace shines as self-evident. Inconceivable, yet self-evident is He. Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi: the inconceivable, self-evident One. Who can conceive of Him, yet who can be apart from Him or not know Him? The Being of real existence, the Consciousness of true knowledge, and the Bliss of all happiness is He. He, our only true Self, in us abides, and we in Him, the infinite, dwell. He, the eternal, is always with us, and we, who are nothing else, are ever in Him. What little has been said here is only of Him. That He is utterly inconceivable is quite self-evident. May we ever remain blissfully absorbed in Him, the One without a second. Om Sri Ramanarpanamastu

Written on this sacred Jayanti of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, December 23, 2010.
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By the grace of Sri Bhagavan, as President of the Ramana Kendra, Sri Venkatakrishnan has been actively participating in the activities of the Kendra for the past 10 years and more. Sri A.R.Natarajan was the guiding force in assisting Sri Venkatakrishnan in drafting the Trust deed. RMCL has been a close associate of the Centre from its inception. Spiritual workshops have been conducted for a number of years at the Kendra by RMCL. The Kendra has been successfully celebrating in a fitting manner the Jayanthi and Aradhana of Sri Bhagavan. Other celebrations include, Mothers day, Cow Lakshmis day and the Consecration day. A Tamil Quarterly Ramanodayam dedicated to Sri Bhagavan is published by the Kendra and has wide circulation.

My Firs t Mee ting Wit h Satguru Fir irs Meeting Wit Satguru ith
R.Venkatakrishnan, President, Ramana Kendra, Chennai
Strangely, I am not able to recall the childhood days in my village Krishnarayapuram (where we settled) although my forefathers lived in Manavasi, a village near Karur. Nor am I able to recall any significant event/s during my school days at Tiruvannamalai, when I used to visit Sri Bhagavan daily with my father and stay in the evening during the Vedaparayanam. But there is one incident, when I was a mere toddler, that I remember with electrifying vividness. . .What I am going to relate now is a direct first person account. It was the year 1929 I believe. I was three and half years old and was returning with my parents after a pilgrimage to Tirupathi. We must have been traveling by the meter gauge train starting from Renigunta to Villupuram, and beyond to Katpadi and Tiruvannamalai. We must have reached Tiruvannamalai early in the morning and proceeded to Sri Ramanasramam by bullock cart, the only transport available at that time. When we reached Sri Ramanasramam, I and my parents passed through the old kitchen (now Sri Bhagavans Samadhi). I recall, open rice bags stacked on both sides of the steps leading to the old hall. My Satguru Ramana was seated on a deer skin or tiger skin spread on the floor. There was no sofa or any furniture. The Hall was empty except the three of us and Bhagavan. I cannot recall what my father was speaking. All I now remember is Sri Bhagavan taking me with both hands and placing me on his sacred lap. This is so clear to me that I and my mind must have been one pointed with the grand sight before me. WHAT A GREAT BLESSING AND BENEDICTION! I consider this 9 as the greatest moment of life.
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Sri R.Venkatakrishnan is the last of five children and the only son of Manavasi Ramaswami Iyer, a great devotee of Bhagavan. Once, when Manavasi Ramaswami Iyer visited Bhagavan in the Virupaksha Cave, by Bhagavans natural grace he was miraculously cured of a chronic illness that he suffered from. Manavasi Ramaswami Iyer has composed several soul stirring songs on Bhagavan in Sanskrit and Tamil, and is well known to Ramana Bhaktas as the composer of the Sharanagati song. Sri Venkatakrishnan recounts with joy how he and his sisters grew up basking in the Supreme love of Bhagavan. One sister even had her hair plaited by Bhagavan, another played the veena in Bhagavans Old Hall to the tune of which the white peacock danced and earned for her the encomium from Bhagavan of having transported all to Gandharva Loka. Here Sri Venkatakrishnan recounts his own first meeting with Bhagavan in a most touching manner. Sri Venkatakrishnan, now serves as the President of Ramana Kendra, Chennai.Ramana Kendra, Chennai was formed in the year 1978 at the residence of Late Sri B. Ananthaswamy. Prof.K.Swaminathan was the driving force for the formation of the Kendra. Sri Swaminathan nominated Sri Venkatakrishnan as a member of the first Management Committee formed. Due to a munificent donation by Late Sri Ananthaswamy and members of his family, the Kendra moved into its own present premises in the year 1996. Consecration of the shrine was performed in December 1997 by Swami Santhananda of Pudukottai and Swami Ramanananda. 8
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Sri Nochur Venkataraman: To know ones self is To unlock the source of infinite energy To know ones self is To lose oneself in infinite awareness A native of Palakkad, Kerala, Sri Venkataraman is a post-graduate in Sanskrit. He studied in Kalady, sanctified by the early life of Adi Sankaracharya. Sri Venkataraman has studied deeply the Upanishads and other Vedantic texts. He is inspired by great sages such as Adi Sankara, Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Ramana Maharshi. For his advanced studies in Sanskrit at Kalady, he took Bhagavans Sat-Darsanam as the subject and completed the thesis in just 5 days!! He has spent a great deal of time in Tiruvannamalai, where he has had personal contacts with some of the direct devotees of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. This has helped him to authentically understand the life and teachings of Bhagavan. Apart from this, his own devotion and constant practice of self-enquiry has contributed to consolidation of the knowledge and his being established in wisdom. Sri Venkataraman has authored several texts and poems in Sanskrit, Malayalam and English, which are all inspired works. For over the past 15 years, he has been speaking to audiences in many parts of India. Wherever he speaks, he creates a deep impact and leaves people spell-bound and inspired to continue the practice of selfenquiry and to understand the truth of ones own nature. Those who have heard him even once testify to the tremendous sense of peace that is experienced on merely listening to the flow of words through him. Nochur, as he is now respectfully referred to, has currently managed to give a space to RMCL amidst his hectic lecture tours and expounds the Forty Verses on Reality of Bhagavan for a 3 to 4 day session at least twice a year at the Ramana Maharshi Shrine in Bangalore.

Sri Sarada Akka has asked to write about how I came to Bhagavan or rather how Bhagavan came into my life! Bhagavan, of course, is that Vasthu (Reality) which neither comes nor goes (Pokkum Varavum Illaa Porul). He is our very being, the ever attained Self. He as the Satguru has only one WAY Revelation of the EverRevealed. He , as the Lord, is the ocean of Grace Arunachala Siva. To write about my life in this context is a very difficult task. I have lost trace of many incidents in the past. The blazing radiance of Sri Bhagavan, the Inner Self, has made most of those memories to evaporate. Only He remains. We are only appearances in HIM. Still a long-standing devotees wish is Bhagavans command. Hence the narration is attempted as precisely as possible - a small tale of Ramana Kripa.

Stream of Grace
Nochur Venkataraman
Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi The very name invokes the deepest of our feelings, nay, it invokes our very divine depth! Bhagavan is our inner Self, He is our inner guide Guru the dispeller of inner darkness He is our Lord. He is the Supreme Being who tread the earth to awaken the slumbering souls to their own inner glory. Swami Ramdas, himself a great saint, wrote about Bhagavan: What shall I say to Him who towers high A veritable Everest of spiritual glory A resplendent Sun who sheds light on all He is our soul, our life and sole refuge 10
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I was born in a very traditional village of profound Vedic culture. From the very childhood, I had the good fortune of seeing Sri Bhagavans most beautiful photo in the Sukhasana posture in one of our relatives house. (Sri Seshamani Iyer, a very elderly devotee of Sri Bhagavan). Many times I had dreamt Sri Bhagavan in my dreams. Right from the age of 14, I was leading a life of deep contemplation. I used to frequent lonely places and spend much of my time meditating and contemplating on the Upanishads and Gita. Such an austere life had even invoked serious doubts about the mental stability of the young boy. 11
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I used to spend half of the day in the temple of Divine Mother anthi Durga. Hours used to melt in the joy of inner silence and peace. Those were the rainy days of Bhakti and the spring of Jnana. Somewhere in those days when I was meditating very early in the morning, i.e. about 3 AM I was actually sitting in front of fire (intuitively I always felt the presence of fire as a great help for invoking the inner fire of the Self). At that time, suddenly a veil was lifted from the brain and there was a clear perception of deep sleep in the waking state . Deep Sleep! Yes, it cannot be put into better words. Actually I saw or I merged in the absolute release of deep sleep while wide awake in that pre-dawn hour. Sushupti (Deep Sleep) revealed itself not as a dull state but as the profound substratum where the Self shines forth bodyless, mindless, egolessas Happiness itself. When I came out of that state, there was a clear insight of the individuality, the I, emerging from the abysmal depth of my being which was stillness and peace. It was as if I was seeing my own birth from my own womb. The inner witness, awareness, was watching the I emerging and becoming the personality. The very next day the stream of Grace entered, i.e. I got Sri Bhagavans biography and Who am I in Malayalam. Those two books confirmed and verbalised the route taken by the inner force on the day before. Thus only after giving the clear glimpse of the Ramana Way, Bhagavan appeared to me as Satguru. The fruit comes first and then the flowers, says Sri Ramakrishna. Although I had this insight, I was yet to come under the shade of Bhagavans motherly love and compassion in his solid presence at Ramanasramam. So there was still a deep driving force in the depth. Was it a search for God or Guru or some fulfilment? I do not know. Perhaps it was a search for anchorage. I was just in my teens totally inexperienced in the world, not at all interested in seeking job or money. So the question of travelling from Kerala to Tiruvannamalai never arose. But the magnetic influence of Bhagavans grace was operating underneath. One of my spiritual companions who was like an elder brother one day appeared in our house and said to me 'Come with me to Arunachala.' 'I do not have a single pie with me' was my reply.
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'Who asked money from you? I am here, come with me ', he said. He almost lifted me and put me on his motorcycle and drove towards the Bus Station. After 12 hours of tedious journey through the dusty roads of 80s, we reached Tiruvannamalai. By that time I was almost exhausted. Why are we here with so much effort was my inner question. We were not even aware that it was the most sacred Sivaratri evening! Somewhere near Pali Theertham we got down from the bus. Arunachala, unlike now, was only rocks and boulders. But the majesty that unveiled before the eyes! The irresistible pull of something very deeper was undeniable. We entered Ramanasramam which was not at all crowded even on that sacred day. As we had not informed Asram about our arrival, rooms were not available. As we were from Palakkad, a devotee took us directly to Kunjuswami. We went and prostrated before a very elderly Sadhu who looked like a delightful child. Swami graciously enquired about us and narrated some incidents in Bhagavans life. After that Swami asked a person in the office to accommodate us. So we were allotted the thatched shed in front of Bhagavans Samadhi. We just kept our bags there and went to Bhagavans Sannidhi. The parayana was on. It was the sacred twilight hour of Sivaratri. I entered Bhagavans Samadhi Hall and just stood gazing at the Sannidhi leaning on the left side wall. Some deep innering process was activated inwardly. A kind of swallowing was taking place. The body started shaking and I almost swooned. Meanwhile my friend who was standing behind me held me in his hands and took me to the nearby room. The mouth was repeating some formerly initiated mantra. But inwardly the current of I I was very clear. A kind of deep inner merging was taking place. The mind was only a stream of energy. It was not made of thoughts. It was like a fast running rivulet disappearing in a bottomless source. At night a devotee took us for Giripradakshina. He himself assisted us to visit Skandasramam and Virupaksha cave. But all these movements were only on the surface. On the depth Arunachala Ramana reigned Supreme. After that there was no more search for an external Guru or God.
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After that many Sivaratris have passed but Bhagavans presence remains as powerful as on the first encounter. Many ask me whether I have seen Bhagavan. Yes, I have seen Him more intimately than any sensory perception. Actually it is He who saw me and swallowed me, not I. Only He exists. During these 20 years after that visit, many elderly devotees of Bhagavan had poured their love and compassion on me. Actually some of them took care of me like their own child. Only through them the sweetness of Bhagavans personality and divine life became a reality. In them I found that Guru Bhakti transcends even Self-Realisation. Madhusudhana Saraswati says Bhakti after Jnana is hundred times sweeter !

Christopher Quilkey was born near Canberra, Australia. He first came to Tiruvannamalai in 1975 and has been in residence at the foot of Arunachala for much of the past 36 years. He serves as a member of the editorial board of the Mountain Path.

Arunac unachala Sri Ramana Ar unachala and Sr i R amana


Christopher Quilkey, Member Editorial Board, The Mountain Path
We all know where Arunachala is geographically, but do we know where Sri Ramana is in our heart? Of course, we are not talking about the physical heart but the spiritual heart, which does not conform to the rules of time and space of this physical body. When people talk about someone just being in their head, we know they are describing someone who lives in a world of concepts and more often than not, cannot see what is right before their eyes. We describe a person as having heart if that someone is open to new experiences and is sympathetic to others. We can talk to them and know we will be understood, even if our attempts to communicate are vague or confused. Arunachala is inscrutable: it stands before us and though we may try to explain it, we invariably fail. Arunachala is not meant to be understood with words and concepts. When Arunachala is recognized and extolled in the heart, it overwhelms us with its radiance. If we pause to consider, we realize it is impossible to pin down the exact location within the heart where Arunachala-Ramanas presence is alive. It is like catching a slippery fish any attempt to grab it fails. Instead we should reverse our point of view: it is not for us to capture Arunachala but for Arunachala to consume us. Bhagavan is our shining example of one who was devoured by Grace. But is it true Bhagavan is alive and present now, or is it just our imagination based on what we have read, what others have said and what we would like to be? Can Bhagavan as our guide exist in our heart? And if so, where can we find Him? We all know where the hill called Arunachala is and how to get there. We organise a vehicle or buy a ticket and we are taken there. It is a question of time, money and being still as we are transported.
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In the same way, if we wish to be one with Bhagavan, there are certain requirements, but here there is a paradox. For Bhagavan is not to be found exclusively in a geographical place. He has transcended the barriers of time and space while we, with our heavy identification with a body-mind, are bound by our expectations and the demands of family and work. It is not a question of doing an action to achieve a result. When we remain still in our body, heart and mind, there is the opportunity for Bhagavan to emerge. Unless we are still, even if Bhagavan energetically knocks on our door of perception, we will not hear him. It is up to us to make the conditions right for His appearance. We must learn to be still and listen for that subtle call. So, unlike travelling to the physical Arunachala, we do not move when we seek Sri Ramana. There is the well-known saying that to be born in Tiruvarur, to see Chidambaram, to die in Varanasi and just to think of Arunachala is sufficient for liberation. What does it mean to think of Arunachala? The easiest way is to come to Arunachala: the very sight of the holy hill will spontaneously draw us inward to the heart. The other way is to focus our attention on the image or memory of Arunachala and it will spontaneously draw us near. We all have encountered that magical upliftment of sacred Arunachala and the grace of the samadhi of Sri Bhagavan in one form or another. When we do, we know not just in our heads but emphatically in our hearts with a certainty that cannot be shaken. Yes, but for how long do we remain in that state of bliss before the mind rears its head and tells us how much better it would be if this or that was different and if only.... then everything would be perfect. It is never perfect, as all who have gone to Arunachala have experienced. Yes, there are those glorious moments when we are at peace, but then the dormant vasanas, like steam in a kettle, come up and distract us. We came for Bhagavan but where are we now with thoughts spilling over one another? Back in Chennai or Bangalore planning the next days work, wondering what the children are up to The list can be endless, for the mind is a factory that churns out thoughts ad nauseam.
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The challenge we face is to hold onto that stream of Grace, but not to stifle it by trying to possess it in an iron grip; rather, to flow with it. When the seed of Bhagavans Grace is planted, it is no longer a question of whether He will save us from the turmoil of samsaric life but of when. Our job paradoxically is to stay out of our own way by not impeding the flow of Grace. We learn how to listen. In the presence of all the great saints, there is this quality of stillness which effortlessly radiates peace and harmony. We are healed of our sorrows and conflicts. Bhagavan is an expression in human form of that pure awareness we call Arunachala and if we but think of Him, He will think of us of that there is ample proof, as all who rely on Bhagavans Grace will tell. The reason we journey to Arunachala or live at Arunachala is because we know that it is the easiest way to contact the power of Bhagavans presence. However, we should be careful not to preclude the possibility that Bhagavan can be contacted anywhere at any time. There are too many stories from widely differing sources which confirm the active, expansive nature of Bhagavans Grace. When we gaze on Arunachala or think of it from afar, there is no sense of distance. In the same respect, when we think of Bhagavan, we use the idea of his physical form to contact His presence.This power is neither here nor there in our limited human dimension. It is available anywhere we may be. Once we take that step, we set in motion a set of actions that draw us closer to the source. A higher power guides us if we but surrender and listen.It all depends on us opening up our heart to that divine presence so that it may both attract us from without as well as pull us from within. Bhagavan in this sense is everywhere. All that we need to know He has said in one verse: In the recesses of the lotus-shaped hearts of all, beginning with Vishnu, there shines as pure intellect (Absolute Consciousness) the Paramatman who is the same as Arunachala, or Ramana. When the mind melts with love of Him and reaches the inmost recess of the Heart wherein He dwells as the Beloved, the subtle eye of pure intellect opens and He reveals Himself as Pure Consciousness.
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Dr.S. Ram Mohan is a former Addl. Member in Railway Board, India. He holds six post graduate degrees and MBA and Ph.D. He is the editor of Tamil journal Ramanodayam and Co-editor for Mountain Path. He was the former Chairman of Computer Society of India at Chennai. He is a renowned speaker and writer on spiritual and religious and cultural matters. He has lectured at several centres and Universities all over the world. In recognition of his erudition he was conferred with the award PRACHYA VIDHYA PARANGATA (Expert in Classical Knowledge) by WAVES Organization of Scholars at Houston University U.S.A. He was sent to represent India by ICPR in the Conference of Intellectual Traditions of the World at Maryland. He was the invited speaker at the World Congress of Religious Diversity, International Buddhist Conference etc. He is a contributor to the 100 volume encyclopedia on Indian Philosophy and Science on the topics Saiva Siddhanta and Synthesis of Yoga and Sri Ramana Maharshi. Dr Ram Mohan serves in management of Ramana Kendra, Delhi and Chennai . Delhi Ramana Kendra was the earliest Ramana Organization in India started by renowned Prof. K. Swaminathan. Sri Morarji Desai, Sri M.L.Sondhi M.P Sri A.R.Natarajan, ., La.Su.Rangarajan and scores of other devotees participated in its activities, making it a vibrant centre for Ramana Philosophy with a magnificent structure and Library. It had done yeoman service to Ramana Movement and Tamil spiritual world by bringing out the 10 volumes of Ramana Jnana Bodham by Muruganar. It is an actual Centre for practical Philosophy with activities like spiritual lectures, yoga classes, music and study groups.

Bhaga Sri Ramana Maharshi Bhag avan Sr i R amana Mahar shi The Epitome of Cosmic Consciousness
Dr.S.Ram Mohan,I.R.A.S.,
Governing CommiiteeMember Ramana Kendra Delhi, Ramana Kendra Chennai, Editior 'Ramanodayam', Member Editorial Board 'The Mountain Path'

The Upanishads, the Gita, Viveka Chudamani, Jivanmukti Viveka and other works describe in detail the ways of the one liberated in life. He lives in the world, but is not attached to it. He knows no fear and none is afraid of him. Seeing him, hearing about him and thinking of him, all beings are delighted and filled with faith, hope and courage. He forms a living link between the Vyavaharika or empirical world of space and time and the paramarthika world of transcendental awareness. He enables us to share as a present aesthetic experience the oneness of all selves and he also convinces us of the practical possibility of our own4 2 permanent abidance in the sahaja or natural state of pure awareness.
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Sri Ramana Maharshi is an outstanding example of a Jivanmukta. As Duncan Greenlees says: I have taken all the descriptions of the jivanmukta I could find in any scripture-Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, Christian, Muslim or Jain. I have watched Bhagavan under all kinds of circumstances and checked up what I have seen with those descriptions. He alone of all the men I have seen seems to dwell always in sahaja (the normal, natural state of choiceless awareness). Wei Wu Wei (Terence Gray), a prolific and precise writer on advaita and Buddhism, found in the Maharshi a fusion of both these traditions and admired in particular his soulabhya, his easy accessibility and readiness to reveal the highest truth to all who turned to him. Who else is there to whom anyone can reasonably point, of our own days, who lived for half a century, available to all at all times, in a state of as perfect identification with Godhead as would seem possible to an apparent individual manifestation? Hundreds of us knew him personally as such, and of whom else can that be said? What a marvellous thing it is to have had such a contemporary and to be able to compare his words and his living of life with the words, and description left us by scriptures, of past sages? In Bhagavan alone can we test those words and those scriptures, and see for ourselves that they are not a dream or a fantasy. In the words of Muruganar, Seeing all beings in himself/ And himself in all/Humbler than the humblest/Through meekness the Supreme/Conceals and yet reveals/His true supremacy. The state of a Jivanmukta cannot be comprehended by our relative minds. The terms existence and non-existence, as we understand them, cannot be applied to a liberated soul. All that can be said about such a person is that he is forever freed from the spell of ignorance. He has entered into the realm of Light, compared to which even the highest knowledge of the relative world is sheer darknessIndeed, Sri Ramanas life and Upadesa exemplifies all the characteristics of Jivanmuktas described in various scriptures. Sri Ramana never identified himself with his body or sense and never considered the rest of the objects of the world as separate from him. He, as Brahman (the Supreme Consciousness) is the substratum of the entire world. He always lived in Supreme Consciousness. He remains without any
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thought of being or non-being, ego or non-ego, as pure existence only (Laghu Yoga Vasistha, Chapter 43, Verse 43-77). Sri Ramana always was in the Seventh Bhoomika which is called as the Turyatita (beyond the transcendental) which is Supreme Consciousness itself. Bhagavan Sri Ramana took no interest in any of the objects of enjoyment. He faced old age penury and dreadful diseases as pleasantly as he would welcome a Kingdom offered to him, which are described as the characteristics of the Jivanmukta by the Mahopanishad Chapter II, Verse 42, 54 & 55). Sri Ramana also exemplified what the Ribhu Gita, Chapter II, Verse 28 says I have no guru or disciple apart from me. There is no transcendental knowledge apart from me. He is a true Jivanmukta who is abiding permanently in his Self (Ribhu Gita, Chapter II, Verse 34). Ribhu Gita, Chapter II, Verse 47 says about a Jivanmukta I am not in delusion, I have no knowledge apart from me. I have no secrets to hide. I have no lineage. I possess nothing. The one who contemplates thus is a Jivanmukta according to Ribhu Gita. Sri Ramana never tried to hide himself. He was accessible to everybody all the time of the day. He never observed any distinction in conferring his grace upon the devotees. Yoga Vashishta 5.90, says that he is a Jivanmukta to whom this world of senses has ceased to exist, although he lives and moves in it, only an all pervading yeoman transcendental knowledge exist in him. Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi when questioned, explained that, for a Jivanmukta , since there is no mental transformation ( having become non-existence) as in deep sleep, the Self-effulgent - all pervading intelligence alone remains. Vasishta further says, Jivanmukta is awake in deep sleep, for whom there is no waking state and whose knowledge is devoid of desires. (Laghu Yoga Vasishtam. 5.92). For all of us, in the deep sleep state, mind is not there, at the same time awareness is also not there. But for a Jivanmukta like Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, there is constant awareness as mind is free from all transformation and desires, Nirvasanabodah. Fortunate devotees who were with him used to say that in the Meditation Hall, they would be sleeping around his cot. Any time of the night when they woke up by chance, they would find
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Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi awake. When there was some need for him to go out at night, he would never like to disturb the sleeping devotees. He used to focus the beam of the torch on his belly and used to walk with the aid of that light, so that the devotees were not disturbed. Such was his compassion. Vasishta further describes a Jivanmukta , He is the Jivanmukta who, although responsive to the spurs of love, hate, fear and the like, is absolutely pure in heart as the Akasa (Laghu Yoga Vasishtam. 5.93). Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi here was absolutely pure like the akasa. There were no waves of emotion in him; at the same time he was not a dry-yogi. His immense jnana andlove enveloped the entire world including birds, animals and trees. They were fond of him as if he is one of their ilk. He In fact, during winter he used to keep small puppies on his body while he was seated on the sofa and cover them with the blanket, which was enveloping him. He used to let them go in the early morning before anybody else came to meet him. Thus while there was absolutely no disturbance of emotions in his heart, he was totally responsive to spurs of love and compassion. A mother monkey would come to show its new born child to him. Squirrels would climb all over his body waiting to be fed by him. Cows and dogs would refuse to go away unless he gave them feed or directed them to go. This is a summit of universality he felt with the entire creation. "He is the Jivanmukta whose inner-self is not affected by egoism and whose mind is free from all modifications in spite of his being engaged in sastric activities or not says Vasishta. (Laghu Yoga Vasishtam. 5.94). Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshis enlightenment was instantaneous, following his death experience. He had no exposure to any religious or spiritual texts before his experience, except the cursory reading of Periapuranam. However, as the Upanishad says, through his Self-realisation he had known THAT by knowing which , everything else is known. He delineates, in Upadesasaram spiritual knowledge as Knowledge which is beyond knowing and not knowing Verse 24 as also in Ulladu Narpadu Verse 12. With a mere introduction of the Sanskrit prosody on the Arya metre by Kavya Kanta, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi was able to compose Arunachala Panchakam
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in the same metre flawlessly in a few minutes. All these have flown from the inner fountain of the spiritual knowledge and not from the egoistic phenomenal knowledge. The Jivanmukta is he who does not frighten the world nor is he afraid of the world; he is free from joy, anger and fear as well (Laghu Yoga Vasishtam. 5.95). Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi has truly exemplified this verse of Yoga Vasishta. Kunju Swamy used to say that Bhagavan Ramana has so contracted his magnificence within this mortal frame that devotees around him were not even aware of his immensity. Kunju Swamy says that Bhagavan Ramana deliberately hid his all-surpassing glow so that the devotees are not frightened. Thus, he never frightened the world in any manner. Nor he is the Samadhi where the body lies interred continues to confer immense spiritual benefits to the devotees who come to the Samadhi to pray. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad explains this phenomenon as The vital life force and the Jivanmukta does not go anywhere else after death but continue to be earthed and absorbed in that very place(esoterically, in the omnipresent Brahman) (Brihadaranyaka III 2-11). This is a common experience of all those who were blessed to meet Sri Ramana during his life time and those who throng to his Samadhi even today.

Prof Laxmi Narain, Formerly professor and founding head, Dept. of Business Mgt., Osmania University, Hyderabad, is presently serving as the Editor of Sri Ramana Jyothi, monthly journal of Sri Ramana Kendram, Hyderabad. He has been associated with the Kendram for the last 20 years. He is the Author of tbe book 'face to Face with Ramana Maharshi'. In 1979, The President of Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, wrote to Dr. K.Subrahmanian, a devotee of Bhagavan, and professor of English at the Central Institute of English, Hyderabad, to celebrate birth centenary of Bhagavan at Hyderabad. The devotees of Bhagavan who got together for the purpose on 19th July, 1979, decided to start a Ramana Kendram at Hyderabad, which has grown from strength to strength since then. The Kendram today has a double storey building of its own on a centrallylocated 1000 yard plot of land. Every Sunday 60-80 devotees meet for two hours to sing Bhagavans praise, listen to his teachings and meditate. The Kendram has a library with over 2000 books and a good reading room. For the last 30 years the Kendram is bringing out a bilingual journal entitled Sri Ramana Jyothi, . Some of the publications of the Kendram are: 1. Face to Face with Sri Ramana Maharshi (English and Telugu). 2. Upadesha Saram (Telugu) 3. Thiruvachakam (Telugu) 4. Aksharamanamalai (English and Telugu).

Sri Ramana the Sr i R amana t he Jnani With Concern for All


Prof.Laxmi Narain, Editor, Ramana Jyothi, Journal of Ramana Kendra, Hyderabad
Sri Ramana was unique in every respect. It is difficult to find in recorded history a person who throughout his life remained totally unaffected by six deadly enemies of every human being, namely, kama, krodha, mada, lobha, moha, and matsarya. After the mahashakti descended on him in July, 1896, he remained jivanmukta and sthitaprajna, in the fullest sense of the terms, throughout his life. He cannot be described forGod is beyond description. No adjectives will ever be adequate for him. Some tributes by the devotees mentioned below, speak for themselves. Grant Duff, a British diplomat and a scholar notes: The moment the Maharshi looked at me, I felt he was the Truth and the Light. It did not take me long to see that I was in direct contact with one who has passed beyond the boundaries of the senses and was indeed already merged into the Absolute of the true Self. Never perhaps in world history was the Supreme Truth Realty, Sat placed within such easy reach of so vast a magnitude.

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The experience of Wolter Keers, a Dutch devotee, was no different. He says, The sight of him made me tremble all over because I had come face to face with the Divine. Here before me was a human form that seemed to be made of light itself. God became manifest before my eyes, announcing His presence to me by radiating a blazing penetrating light, a light that went right through me like x-rays. The light radiating from Bhagavan filled my being, sweeping all my darkness in one stroke. Sri Ramanas concern for all It has rightly been stated that none was equal to Sri Ramana, but he considered all to be his equals. His concern for others was legendary. Kunju Swami, his attendant for 12 years, records in his biography of Bhagavan: An old woman living near Arunachaleswara Temple and some other elderly people in the town had decided that they would eat morning food only after Bhagavans darshan at the Skandasram. One day the lady devotee could not come. Bhagavan asked her the next day as to why she had missed a day. She answered, Realising my infirmity you gave darshan from near my house, while you were sitting on the rock near the ashram, brushing your teeth. She added, I am not able to climb the hill everyday, I would now have your darshan from my house. From that day onwards, even when the weather was bad, Bhagavan brushed his teeth sitting on that rock. This proved convenient to many other elderly devotees who wanted to have his darshan but were unable to climb the hill. Sadhu Trivenigiri, who was on the ashram staff for long, writes: Bhagavan always felt concerned about the welfare of his devotees. One day, when Major Chadwick was down with fever, Bhagavan asked, How is he now? When I replied that I did not know and had not seen him, he directed me to go and see him. He added, He left his country and travelled thousands of miles, staying with us and making us his own. Should we not take care of him and look after his needs? Sri Ramanas biographies are filled with his indulgence for the under-privileged. Prof. K. Swaminathan provides a touching account as to how Sri Ramana would shower grace on the poor. In his words: Once in the 1940s, I was sitting outside the hall with many devotees. Bhagavan was reclining on a couch. A group of learned pundits were discussing passages from the
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Upanishads with great enthusiasm and profundity. All, including Bhagavan, appeared to be attentively listening to the interesting discussion when, all of a sudden, Bhagavan rose from the couch, walked some distance and stood before a villager who was standing looking lowly with palms joined. All eyes turned to Bhagavan and the villager who was standing at a distance. They appeared to be conversing. Soon Bhagavan returned to his couch and the discussion was resumed. Being curious to know why Bhagavan had to go out to meet a villager, I slipped away from the discussion and caught up with the villager before he left the ashram. He told me, Bhagavan was asking why I was standing so far and also asked my name, about my village, what I did, and about my family, etc. I enquired, Did you ask him anything? The villager replied, When I asked him how I could earn his blessings, he asked whether there was a temple in my village and the name of the temple deity. When I told him the deitys name, he said, go on repeating the name of the deity and you would receive all the blessings needed. I came back to Bhagavans presence, but lost all interest in the discussions. I felt that the simple humility and devotion of a peasant had evoked a far greater response from our Master than any amount of learning. I then decided that though a scholar by profession, I should always remain a humble, ignorant peasant at heart and pray for Bhagavans grace and blessings. Human beings apart, Sri Ramana was no less considerate to the animals. Major Chadwick says in his biography of the Maharshi: Bhagavan was invariably kind to all animals. Snakes and scorpions were never allowed to be killed. For dogs he always had a tender spot. At one time a small puppy would always relieve itself near the office. The sarvadhikari got furious and tried to drive it out of the ashram. Bhagavan came to its rescue saying that if some child did the same thing nobody would be angry, and the puppy was only a child and knew no better. He seemed specially to love monkeys and often said that in many ways they were better than human beings. Regarding monkeys, Roda MacIver, a Parsi devotee, writes: Attendant Krishnaswami would beat monkeys who played mischief in the hall or tried to stealthily take away the fruits. Once Bhagavan told him, It is not the monkeys that are receiving your beatings. It is I. The suffering is mine.
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When some devotees complained to Bhagavan about their trouble with the monkeys, he said, All this land was once a jungle in which the monkeys could roam about freely. It has been their natural habitat for centuries. We are trespassers. Is it fair to complain? Why not put up with a little inconvenience. Bhagavan the Self Supreme Sri Ramana was God in human form. Harindranath Chattopadhyaya, a great Bengali poet echoes this in the following words: Eternity has worn a human face, Contracted to a little human span, Lo, the Immortal has become a man, A self-imprisoned thing in time and space. We have been indeed fortunate to have amidst us an incarnation of the Almighty, who came to remind us that we should not become oblivious of the obvious, that is, our real Self. He repeatedly emphasized the need for discovering our true nature through persistent and sincere meditation on the question of all questions, Who am I ? What Einstein said about Gandhiji would in no less measure apply to Sri Ramana: Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.

J Jayaraman is popularly known as JJ. With a degree in electronics from IIT,Madras, he began visiting Ashram from 1976, in the midst of his career with computers. Has been an Ashram resident since 1985 and continues to serve as Librarian. Has served on the editorial board of The Mountain Path; contributed several articles and also for long handled its Book-Reviews column. He is an Advisor to Ramanodayam, Tamil monthly of Ramana Kendra, Chennai. Has an innate gift for music and metres, and has been an instrument of Bhagavan in bringing to fore the metrical rhythm in the Tamil Parayana groupchanting held daily before the shrine. He has been actively involved in the NGO Annamalai Reforestation Societys pioneering of a natural forest now evident on the slopes en=route to Skandashram. JJ has had the fortune of moving closely with several of Bhagavans direct disciples in his formative years, the fruit of which is only now beginning to be appreciated , furthering the surrender through enquiry.

Wa Ramana The Way R amana Highlights


J.Jayaraman, Librarian, Sri Ramanasramam
Before I am hauled up for a bit of bad grammar over the title, I submit that I intend to convey two supplementary perspectives regarding our Master. Firstly in the sense of a Path. The way to the abiding truth which the sadguru conveys is primarily based on his own experience, and happens to be in absolute accordance with the pulse of timeless tradition, wherever nurtured. And naturally so, as His words of clarity, defining direction, and His Look of grace granting a direct sampling of ever-present Mauna amidst experiential noise,proceeded from the Heart-Self.... that transcendent space immanent in manifestation, in which (as a quester holding on to sheer subjectivity of the questing being) he gained entrance, and as which (swallowed by sheer non-dual gravity of the Hearts dominant subjecthood) he gained establishment. Secondly, way in the sense of intensity. The manner of his teaching, throughout his ministry on earth was a near monotone, free of verbiage and ambiguity; a relentless pitch, right on target, wholesomely scientific, seamlessly relating God-above through Guru-in-front to the ever-abiding all-encompassing Heart-Self within.
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Thus the path of self-enquiry is non-different from the path of devotional surrender. Quest for Self necessarily demands inward gaze, which is won only through the grace of one-pointed devotion to the truth of ones immediate Being, as that alone precedes and lends substance to ones endless and obsessed cycling through Being as Experiencer, Knower and Doer and back. This Quest for the common denominator necessarily enforces a surrendering by the questing-self of its fondly-held, and hitherto-greater reality of its subject-hood (a status of dominance it rightfully holds only in relation to objects illuminated in its out-going perception). Ramana testifies to the surrender-process as one of being swallowed-up by ones deeper (ever-present, and hence absolutely dominant) Presence. An elephant chained to a post, carved in bas-relief on wood, could hide the wood. But the wood ever transcends that scenery though it is immanent in every atom of the scene. If the Elephant exists in woodspace as a knower of duality, the non-duality of the Wood has the capacity to know. If the arisen elephant-form were to seek the basis of its being, the wood would dominate as the abiding presence. So too the Self as abiding-Presence, automatically deprives the objectively-seeking arising-presence, (provided it is inwardly-oriented), of its status of subjectivity, on account of its being the lesser subject, and renders it toothless. In other words, the subject-hood of the ego, when questing steadily and holding its bubbling point of origin, is swallowed up. More correctly, the transient claimant of independent subject-hood is voided. Holding on to The Feet, being the point of its arising, the object-dependent questing energy is witnessed to be the duality-projecting mirage-mechanism that it is. The ego no longer speaks for itself; it represents its master illuminator, Mauna! Thus the Master was essentially redirecting the questioner-in-front to raise the question who am I?, and the answer being, I am the one raising the question, to follow it up again with, Who is raising the answer?. The answer being,I am, returns the doer to the original questioning sequence. A doership is thus held by its action to hold its arising. This can generate in the purified mind, that special engagement of a near-identical subject-object pair. An automatic confirmation of this extremely subtle mental engagement being in the right direction is the side-effect of sensation in the right-side of the chest.
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Holding steadily, one seeks the point of arising of the feeling of holding, and even more subtly, of the feeling of the intention. This is done in utter disregard of objective definitions that arise prompted by root-vasana, and this includes the temptation here to attend to the Heart-sensation happening there. This is the holding on to the Feet. This is the space of sphurana where the reduction of the questing-ego is consummated. This is the arena of akhanda-aakaara vritti where the purified limited-mind plumbing inwards without objectification, realizes unlimitedness, like a river becoming the ocean which it is even as the flowing river. All of the above travel-guide is sadly more grist for the dualistic-mill in the absence of purification in mind. Purification begins with viveka, which Ramana defines as development of dispassion towards transient things. Anything false is necessarily transitory, and any arising must be false. The waking-life story of the jiva is its own biased compiling of some of its states. The waking is the state where the ego establishes itself as consciousness limited to a changing body, in a changing, pre-existent world. It grants reality to the waking-world, by dismissing post-facto, some states as false [dream worlds]. And granting reality to waking-body, it regards its awareness as secondary, by its inability to objectively-experience dreamless sleep. This self-feeding delusion is annulled only by the Ramana recipe: go back the way you came. The determination of the exact direction of back [going inward] is itself tricky. Ego can establish by observation that its worldexperience involves a dependent hierarchy, where its outer roles hide the precedent ones. This is explained below: We can, by self-observation see the self in three roles: Tamasic, as experiencer of objects. Rajasic, when ego becomes doer. And finally Sattvic, as analyzer, reporter and knower of mental states, as we are doing presently! We readily relapse into Tamas [laya mode], as beings are predisposed to drift towards effortless reception of pleasant experiences. And when our instinctual adjustments do not work, we turn Rajasic, and become conscious Doers, employing karmendriyas. However upon reestablishment of the pleasant deliveries, we relapse into the passive expriencer role.
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Such obser vation as done here concer ning mental activity, being free of craving or aversion, is done by the Sattvic light of mind. Amidst worldly pursuits however, the results of analysis through the Sattvic domain of mind are promptly hijacked by the Rajasic to serve egos Tamasic ends. This is the reason that evidence of strong bias for abiding Truth [sat-vasana] countering in-born craving and aversion towards sense-objects [malina-vasanas] in seekers, is a pre-condition to the transmission of instruction. With these facts on hand it can be seen that, the Doer hides the Experiencer who hides the Knower who hides the Witness. The inner direction is gleaned simply by looking out for the changeless amidst the changing. To illustrate: I see a red flower and then a green leaf. The two experiences are mutually exclusive. Even if I were looking out, and unaware of the fact of my gazing, the registering of each visual object demanded that the visual gaze was necessarily on at the time of the arrival of each object in my field of vision. The seeing precedes, is inner in direction to the visualobject experiences, and is like a container to them. The seeing being present unaffected within each experience, is like a witness. This inner neutral-beam is hidden by the force of outer-vasana. Similarly, the beam of hearing is inner to different sounds. Our five sensing beams are themselves insulated domains and so the mind that reports so, is inner to these. Further, states like I am now happy, I am now sad [with a strong preference for one over the other] are indicative of a neutral I that is equally present and necessarily continually present even through mutually conflicting experiences. This self is inner, is witness and [like space containing objects,] is container to the emotional states within the waking. However the ego as experiencer hides the ego as witness, much like the hot-current ofoven and the cold current of the freezer hide the temperature-freeelectric current within! The witness is unbiased. The manifesting of our inner witness is proportional to removal of bias in our attachment to different objects. Nonattachment is but equanimity towards all.
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Further the waking and dream are mutually exclusive states. The sense of our being awake [within our dream] is excluded from entering the sense of being awake in waking, and vice versa. It is this that maintains the illusion of being awake during mutually exclusive states. So too, dreamless-sleep [ego embracing void as object] excludes the form-holding states, and vice versa. The inner-dimension to the I of these states is that witness which, space-like simultaneously permeates the forms and contains them. This simultaneously transcendent and immanent beam of neutrality is hidden by the states of bias riding on it! The unraveling of this requires absolute consistency during all waking hours in cutting the feed-back loop that reinforces dvaita-buddhi, the vasana that pleasurable objects exist independently of ones body. In other words, the karmendriyas [speech, hands and feet] that a seeker employs in dealing with the outer world, are the engines perpetrating the leakage of the precious capital of advaitic sadhana the seeker hopes to build by daily meditation. Our daily speech and action, done unconsciously for self-advantageonly serves to thicken the dvaita-buddhi and drains away the fruit of daily sadhana. Given the above condition of purity, it is possible to observe the functioning of the Sattvic domain of individual mind, whose role of being the witness is otherwise hidden by Rajasic [compulsive doership] and Tamasic [experiencer and auto-adjuster] vasanas. Sattvic is the field of ego as observer, knower, analyzer and reporter. Independent of our control, sensations of relationship impinge on us from without, and reactions arise from the chitta-memory within. If a reaction is negative in value, and assuming we already are sattvic enough not to act on this, we find a parallel thought-stream arising that regrets such arisings and thus in conflict with the former. The observer/knower [sattvic] mind can see that generating such parallel-streams is a fundamental mechanism of vasanas of Rajasic domain, thus creating a self-functioning entity. The subject-hood [drik status] in the reaction from within, is abducted by the newly arisen conflicting-stream, reducing the former to the status of object [drsya status]. One needs to observe every such conflicted arising, and validate the operation of this Law. This establishes drik as passive witness in the Sattvic domain. The Rajasic stream robbed of feed of subject-hood dies without ado by Law of starvation.
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The knower in the Sattvic domain operates in dual mode. As talker and as hearer. The Talker is perceived only when we catch ourselves chattering within. A vasana during its germination, projects an ambiguous form and the speech component generates associated naming. Thus talking proceeds alongside the formal sequences, until the reverie runs out of fuel or is aborted by the sattvic Hearer surfacing. When unruly chattering is present, one initiates Japa or attends to the anahata within, and inheres holding the Hearing. This jams the chatter-audio and nullifies it. The seeking of the Hearer is a step added. I as Talker is tied to vasanas. I as Hearer being inherently and passively present, is tied to witness. The Hearer is to be held. When held, silence [from vasana-driven Talk] ensues. The subject is then a Hearer of silence. A Talking automatically arises to define this activity. The content of this arising speech being itself a label for silence, reinforces the holding if the subject-hood stays as Hearer. When held without leakages, Grace ensures that such holding turns increasingly effortless, as the Talker purified represents silence, and the Hearer presents silence, in the march towards ever-present Mauna-Self. Is it surprising that the Mandukya Upanishad calls the place of arisingof subject-object duality cheto-mukhah [mouth of consciousness]? Kena Upanishad [2.2] defines its ambience: I do not call it as an arising of I know, nor do I call it as an arising of I do not know. He who knows this truly knows. Ramana echoes the eternal speech of His Mauna through verse 2 of Arunachala Ashtakam: Nearing [It], with subject-object mode stilled, I saw. Seeking within that rising thought, as to who sees this?...... The seer ended; I saw the residuum.... [Even so,] the thought I have seen did not arise; [such being the seeing] how then could the thought I have not seen? arise?

Mr Natarajan Venkatesan was born in Madurai and did his schooling in Madras. After completing his B.Sc (Chemistry) from Vivekananda College, University of Madras in 1960, he went on to do B.Sc(Tech) from University of Bombay in 1962. He then pursued research and completed Ph.D(Tech) from University of Bombay in 1967. He then went to America where he worked as a Research Associate in Biochemistry in various US universities. Since 1996, he has been working as a Research Scientist in Cancer Research at the University of California, Los Angeles, CA. Ramana Satsang in Los Angeles was started on Dec 18, 2005 (Bhagavans Jayanthi day) with about 10 devotees. Los Angeles covers a large area, some devotees having to travel 90 miles each way. The number of meetings have been increasing over the years and presently 10 sessions are held each year with an interval of 5-6 weeks. Most of the devotees are of Indian origin with a few North American members. The satsang now has about 20 devotees meeting on a regular basis.

Arunac unachala Ramana The Call of Ar unachala and R amana


Natarajan Venkatesan , Ramana Satsang, Los Angeles
For the first five decades of my life, I had no interest in matters religious or spiritual and had not heard of Tiruvannamalai, Arunachala or Ramana. The call of Arunachala and Ramana was most likely predetermined and the seeds sown gradually. After coming upon a book on Ramana by chance, I became interested in his teachings and decided to visit Tiruvannamalai in 1998 although I had little idea of giripradakshina or Ramanasramam. The trip was not wellplanned and to my dismay, I could not get accommodation either in the Ashram or neighboring guesthouses since I had not made reservations earlier. The next day, I visited the Asram for a short time after giripradakshina and returned to Chennai. I was disappointed at not partaking in the activities and ambience of the Asram and resolved to return soon with proper planning.
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My first stay at the Asram was in January 2000 and since then, Ive been visiting the Asram almost every year. True to the origin of the word (A, not; Sram, fatigue, weariness), Ramanasramam is a place of rest and a haven of peace. My favorite time to visit is during the Tamil month of Marghazi (mid-December to midJanuary) when early morning chants start around 5 AM followed by the distribution of hot Pongal Prasadam. The entire operation of the Asram- efficiency, clockwork punctuality, hospitality and cleanliness- is reminiscent of the days of Bhagavan. The library is excellent and carries some rare books,hard to find elsewhere. Over the course of the last few years, the vehicular traffic and noise on the Chengam road, south of the Asram has increased considerably. Faced with that, I remember reading that when Mothers shrine was being built, there were complaints about the background sound of stone chipping. In response, Bhagavan pointed out that the sounds should be ignored by focusing attention on the enquiry. So, how did I come to accept Ramana as my Manasika Guru and Arunachala as Father? When I came to know of Bhagavan going door to door asking for food (Bhiksha) in the twentieth century, communicating by silence, and of his attaining self-realization instantly, I had no difficulty in choosing him as my Guru. As eloquently expressed by Adyashanthi, Ramana Maharshis gift to the world was that he embodied the Self- realization so thoroughly. It is one thing to realize the Self; it is something else altogether to embody that realization to the extent that there is no gap between inner revelation and its outer expression. Many have glimpsed the realization of Oneness; few consistently express that realization through their humanness. It is one thing to touch a flame and know it is hot, but quite another to jump into that flame and be consumed by it. Since Bhagavan regarded Arunachala as the embodiment of Siva and as his Guru, it follows that I consider Arunachala as Father. Thus seeking the blessings and grace of Ramana and Arunachala has become the very basis of my spiritual practice. The keystone of Bhagavans teaching is the annihilation of ego either through complete surrender to the Higher Power or by tracing ego to its source (self enquiry). He made it a point to relate every incident or event to ego and Self, so much so that he even composed a poem giving instructions for spiritual development under the symbolism of making Appalam! As pointed out in the editorials of Mountain Path (July-Sept 2005; Jan-Mar 2006), we live in an age
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of instant culture looking for instant Self-realization. We are all confronted everyday with the dilemma of how to reconcile the constraints imposed upon us by society, our family or our own conditioned personality, with our inner spiritual needs. The challenges one faces in USA are no different from what one faces in India. Which path to choose, surrender or enquiry or both and how committed are we are important questions. Bhagavan told Paramahamsa Yogananda in 1936 that the spiritual instructions (and, by inference, the practices) differ according to the temperaments of the individuals and the spiritual ripeness of their minds. Thus, each of us has to figure out the path that is appealing and incorporate it in the practice with all patience, sincerity and dedication. Two of my recent experiences are worth narrating. On the morning of Mattupongal (the day dedicated to cow worship and following the day of harvest festival) in mid- January 2005, I went to a bookstore opposite to the Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore; however, the store was closed and I decided to visit the temple instead. The bull (Nandi) facing the main deity (Siva Linga) was elaborately decorated with fruits, vegetables, sandalwood paste, sweets and miscellaneous snacks and worshipped in the traditional manner. Soon after, a group of devotees started chanting Aksharamanamalai. This caught me totally by surprise and I sat down near a pillar with tears of joy trickling down my cheeks. The closing of the store had serendipitously led me to a blissful experience and this has reinforced my faith in Bhagavan. A few months ago, I was afflicted with a serious illness. Constant chanting of Arunachala Siva and Sadguru Ramana throughout all the painful tests, procedures and harsh therapy gave me the strength and positive attitude to face the physical and emotional challenges for the most part. However, when I reached a nadir at times, I used to wonder whether my prayers were being answered. The situation is similar to half a glass of water being considered half-empty by the pessimist and half-full by the optimist. This analogy helped me to reconcile that, but for the grace of Bhagavan, things could have been worse. Was my surrender total? Not at all! Bhagavan declared that the body itself is a disease and that one should not be upset if the body is afflicted. My mind is not spiritually ripe to accept this yet. However, it is my fervent hope that unfailing faith in Arunachala and Bhagavan and continued practice will lead to increasing attention to the Self.
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Ms Savithri Cuttaree is the Secretary of Sri Ramana Maharshi Centre of Mauritius. She first came to Sri Ramanasramam during the Birth Centenary Year of Bhagavan and has been a regular visitor to the Asram ever since. By her deep devotion to Bhagavan, she has been the key instrument of Bhagavan in organizing and running a vibrant Ramana Centre in Mauritius. The programs at the Sri Ramana Maharshi Centre of Mauritius are as below. A daily program consisting of Morning Puja and recitation of Catvarimsat. A weekly class for adults run by Ms Savithri Cuttaree. on the Life and Teachings of Bhagavan . She also runs a weekly class for children. Three main functions : Jayanti , Aaradhana, Advent of Sri Ramana at Arunachala are celebrated at the centre. Kartigai Deepam and Sivaratri are observed . The Centre caters for a Reading Library both for adults and children .

Dream Tr A Dream Come True


Smt.Savithri Cuttaree, Secretary,Sri Ramana Maharshi Centre, Mauritius
I came to know about Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi in the early seventies through books which my husband had borrowed from the Indian Embassy in Sweden. I remember I had to take part in an exam and was doing some revision work, which bored me after some time. Instead I took the book on Sri Ramana and started reading. The fact that a young lad of 16 years decided to leave everything behind to go to his destination, Arunachala, who was also Father to him, struck me and triggered a sense of curiosity in me that has intensified over the years. Soon after, we ordered all books from Sri Ramanasramam to know more about Bhagavan and his teachings. Having been exposed to the Bhagavad Gita, to literature
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on Indian and Buddhist philosophies and to the life of sages among others, my husband could grasp Bhagavans teachings and we started practicing Bhagavans method of self Enquiry My husband having been ill for quite a long time passed away in 1978, only after surrendering to Bhagavan thankfully. I could only pray to Bhagavan to send a devotee with whom I can share his glory. One day, on my way back home from a satsang at Swami Muktanandas centre, I was chatting with someone and started talking about Bhagavan. I was surprised and thrilled that my prayer had been realized when that person told me that she had been to Sri Ramanasramam and knew Sri Viswanatha Swami. She added that after she landed in India she had fever, which only stopped when she arrived at Sri Ramanasramam . In 1979 I left Sweden for good. That same year I visited Sri Ramanasramam for the first time which coincided with the Birth Centenary year of Sri Ramana. I was fortunate to witness with how much love, devotion and reverence the celebration of Bhagavans life was organized. From then onwards I went to the ashram every year travelling alone by bus, which I cant do anymore unfortunately. My stay at the Ashram has been the best part of my life. I have met many friends both Indians and foreigners and together we used to do Giri Pradakshina or go up to Skandasram and Virupaksha cave. I had the good fortune of meeting the direct devotees of Bhagavan: Kunju Swami, Ramaswami Pillai, Natesa Mama, Annamalai Swami. It was Ramaswami Pillai I visited the most. He used to narrate with great enthusiasm his experiences when sitting at the feet of Bhagavan. He once told how he wanted very much to meet Bhagavan in Virupaksha cave. Not knowing what to bring as offering, he bought a cucumber in town but was both embarrassed and distressed when he found that Bhagavan had toothache. As usual, Bhagavan had shared the cucumber with all and ate a bit also to relieve the devotee of his sadness. Such is the compassion of Bhagavan .
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The reminiscences of devotees, who have had the good fortune to meet Bhagavan have contributed invaluably to the literature on Bhagavan. Bhagavan excels in his actions. He lived what he taught, there was no dichotomy between his ways of living on the one end and on the other the universal teaching that God is all pervading. He had the same compassion for animals, plants and human beings. Workmen were severely rebuked when they brutally beat the leaves to pluck mangoes. Echamma learnt from Bhagavan that she was hurting the leaves while plucking them. In verse 5 of Upadesa Saram ashta murti bhrt devapujanam, Bhagavan expresses the same concept that God resides in all forms . This teaching as practiced by Bhagavan applies to adults as well as children. Our children at the Centre are learning to be conscious of the presence of Life, of God all around them. Whenever I listen to discourses on scriptures, I always find the practical counterpart in Bhagavans life. Swami Chinmayanandaji rightly said: Sri Ramana is the highest Reality and the cream of all the scriptures of the world: the Bible, the Koran, the Upanishads. He was there for the ideal society to see how a master can live in perfect detachment from the equipments though living in the mortal form, but living as the integrity, beauty, and purity of the Infinite . Such a mighty Master was Sri Ramana.

In 1981, Ramananjali , a group of devotional musicians came to Mauritius on a World Tour Program in connection with the Birth Centenary Celebrations of Sri Ramana under the leadership of an exceptional devotee , the late Sri A.R.Natarajan, who was imbued with all the qualities required to spread the teachings of Sri Ramana. Smt.Sulochana Natarajan has during her stay in Mauritius never missed an opportunity to express her wish for a Ramana Centre in Mauritius. Likewise, I can now recall Ramaswami Pillai always telling me to form a group of women to share Bhagavans Teachings. Their wish took shape in the form of a study group that was meeting regularly to study the Life and Teachings of Bhagavan. We had then started celebrating Sri Bhagavans Jayanti. It was only years later, that the construction of a Centre was considered. With the support and ideas of friends who had a vision of the architectural design of the building, we decided to go ahead with the project. A building contractor was selected and the architecture was finalized . By the Grace of Bhagavan, the long awaited day dawned on October 24, 2004 when the Bhumi Puja was performed and the construction started soon after. I found myself acting as supervisor at times. I would like to mention that unexpectedly the concrete roofing, which is an important phase in construction was laid on September 1, 2005 which to me was a happy event as it is the date when Bhagavan arrived at Arunachala. On June 28, 2006, Bhagavans Shrine was consecrated, and after the inauguration ceremony it was ready to welcome everybody. Bhagavan has made a long hidden desire come true. On this special occasion of 30 years existence of The Ramana Way, the President and members of Sri Ramana Maharshi Centre, Mauritius ,wish to congratulate the President and members of Ramana Maharshi Centre For Learning Bangalore with a special thought to the Founder President, Sri A.R.Natarajan for the service rendered to disseminate the Teachings of Sri Ramana.

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Sri S Guruswamy joined the India Meteorological Department at Lodi Road, New Delhi in 1964. Alongside his work, he served Ramana Kendra, New Delhi for 24 years, looking after various aspects such as the library, sales, administrations etc. Before Bhagavans Shrine was constructed Ramana Satsangh was often held in his residence. After his retirement in 1990, he started serving on the Executive committee of Ramana Kendram, Madurai as its President in place of Sri S. Ramachandran, the then I.T. Commissioner. The activities at Madurai, the place where young Venkataraman had his Self Realisation in 1896 and His Advent to Annamalai from the House at Chokkappa Naicken Street on 29th August the same year, are worth mentioning. To mark these two very sacred events, on July 16th and 17th every year Bhagavan's Enlightment Day is celebrated with a 2-day workshop on teachings of Bhagavan is conducted by the Kendram jointly with the Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning. n On 29th August, annually a Sacred Yatra to Tiruvannamalai is arranged by the Kendram, where about 50 to 60 devotees try to follow the same route and style of Bhagavan's pilgrimage to Annamalai in 1896.

The other major celebrations in the year are a 5- day Jayanthi celebration, and Aradhana Day celebration is also arranged every year with feeding of the poor. The Kendram organises two weekly SatSangs, one every Thursday and another every Sunday. Once in a month on Punarvasu Nakshatra day(the birth Star of Ramana) special poojas are held with Sahasranama Archanai, chanting of Aksharamana malai and rendering of devotional songs, followed by speech on the Life and teachings of Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi by Resource persons on the subject. Ramana Kendram has been bringing out a Tamil Quarterly journal Ramana Oli for more than thirty years now. The publication is widely praised in Ramana Circles and by the common public.

How Bhagavan Came to Me How Bhaga to


Sri S.Guruswamy, President, Ramana Kendram, Madurai
I am a native of Madurai and I studied here. Still I was not aware of Sri Ramana who had his Education at Union Christian High School (Previously American Mission School) here. I was not aware of His frequent visits to Annai Meenakshi Amman Temple, standing before Nayanmars attentively for hours, His attainment of Self realization at 11, Chokkappa Naicken Street. Nor was I aware of how he left Madurai for good to Tiruvannamalai and his Advent at Arunachala. The last two important historic events that took place at Madurai contributed to the life and teachings of the Maharishi. I am proud of it as a Madurai devotee, though I heard and knew about Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi only at New Delhi when I attended a Sat Sang at my respected friend Sri Subbaiahs residence in December 1964. In those days (1950s) at Madurai, elders mostly had a leaning towards Congress party, and students like me were lured by volunteers from the Self-respect Movement and later by Dravidian ideals. So it was Delhi that made me deeply rely on and worship Bhagavan whole heartedly along with my small family, consisting of my wife and a little daughter. Of course, I had help and patronage of good Samaritans there at New Delhi to initiate me and regulate my life in Bhagavans way. Hence I would only say How Bhagavan came to me, to see this humble person in the society, instead of talking of How I came to Bhagavan. As I said earlier, we had the very good company of Ramana devotees at New Delhi like Prof. K.Swaminathan, Chief Editor Gandhijis 'Collected Works', Sri A.R. Natarajan, Member Central Board of Direct Taxes,
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Sri T.M.Subramaniam Chief ,R.A.W., Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, eminent Agricultural Scientist, Sri S. Guhan, Finance Secretary and so many great persons, who had all put their soul and energy to constitute the Ramana Kendra, Delhi and raised a good structure for Bhagavans beautiful shrine depicting Virupaksha cave at Tiruvannamalai. While Prof.Swaminathan continued to be the Vice- President till his stay in Delhi, other eminent and distinguished persons like Sri C. Subramaniam, Dr. Karan Singh, Sri R.Venkataraman, Sri Morarji Desai, Sri T.N. Chaturvedi, Governor of Karnataka and others have served as Presidents of Ramana Kendra, Delhi. I and another humble devotee Sri V.Mhalingam served on the executive committee for a fairly long time. We all took this oppor tunity to learn about Bhagavan from Prof.Swaminathan, who used to speak on the Life and teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi every Sunday in Ramana Kendra. Sri K.C. Subbaiah gave discourses in Tamil, English and Hindi about Ramanas teachings. We became equipped with more knowledge on Bhagavan through the visiting Swamijis from Ramakrishna Matt, Chinnmaya Mission and Sivananda orders, the Sankarachacharyas of Kanchi and Sringeri. We also learnt from many eminent speakers who came from all over India and overseas who spoke on Bhagavan. International and National level Seminars were also arranged to propagate the Teachings of Bhagavan Ramana through insightful and scholarly speeches. Music, dance and drama programmes were held through the good offices of Sri A.R. Natarajan, Prof.Swaminathan, Sri T.M. Subramaniam and others. I had been entrusted with the work of Social Service wing with Sri. S.Guhan as its convener. We took Ramanas teachings to the down-trodden, eking out their lives in capital city, and there were ever so many who were all able to visit the Shrine and participate in the important events as one among the devotees. Ever since my journey in Bhagavan Ramana Movement began, I should only say that we enjoyed the blessings and presence of our Great master in all our activities. Ramana kept us always in peace, tranquility, happiness and prosperity. With utmost humility, I say that Prof K.S. once in 1965 told me that attending a Sat Sang on a Sunday would definitely be visited by a good message or happening on the following day. This has truly happened not only with me but in the case of all devotees there.
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Like this Bhagavan has occupied our mind and hearts and dispelled our desires, anxieties futuristic musings and kept us calm and quiet in case of unexpected depression, loneliness etc. In my personal opinion and experience, Bhagavans love and affection towards me, my family and all devotees cannot be explained in words. Instead of our being dasan (slave) to Bhagavan, HE came down and made himself dasan to us and made His statement in Aksharamanamalai . Anbodu un Naamam Kel Anbartham Anbarrukku Anbanyita arul Arunachala Now, to continue to speak on my life in New Delhi between 1965 and 1986, we had the greatest advantage of kindness and concern of Sri A.R. Natarajan about our welfare. Smt. Sulochana Natarajan took adequate care of grooming her daughters Sarada and Ambika out and out by tutoring Bhagavans Upadesam through her lovable music and affectionate words, always quoting Bhagavan. The children from their age of 4-5 years had the fortune of being fed by their mother, the Aval Payasam and Dahi bath, which was very kindly mixed with the life and teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana. My daughter Kala Rani who was also of their age-group and their intimate playmate had her share of the benefits accrued through their illustrious mother. All the three children took their doctorates in their respective academic fields. I am proud to say they are very good assets in the Ramana Movement. I must humbly say that I had the good fortune of meeting and speaking with Sri Muruganar and Sri Sadu Om with my wife and daughter, when my daughter was just 12 years of age. We also met Sri Kunju Swami, Sri Viswanatha Swami, Smt Suri Nagamma, Sri Ramaswami Pillai, Smt.Kanakammal and other inner circle, senior devotees To me it is surely the Lila of Bhagavan who comes to our recue always and to whom our Guru Dakshina is thinking about him in each and every moment of our life, each and every act that we do. I sincerely pray to Bhagavan that He may continue to bless all the devotees for all time to come. Namo Ramana!

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Nippon Ramana Kendra, Japan (The Progress) 1981 : Foundation at Tokyo by the first President, Dr. Sozo Hashimoco. He had introduced Bhagavan Ramanas Teaching: meditation, self-enquiry. 1991 : The second President was, Prof. Tadashi Yanagida. He stayed at Tiruvannamalai 1994-1997 1996 : Japanese. 1997 : He had translated The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi to A Pictorial Biography (We had translated to Japanese).

2004 : August 16th, President, Yanagida passed away. Sachiko Miyazaki has hence taken over as the third President of the Kendra. She is also editor of the Kendra's18 page quarterly newsletter Arunachala from its inception in 1990 (at which time she was a Yoga teacher).

Fr to Fr From a Japanese Friend to Indian Friends


Sachiko Miyazaki, President, Nippon Ramana Kendra
During the middle ages, the life Style of Japanese had meditation for practices that helped one to strive for the silence of mind. It was the way of Zen. And the follower, as a Samurai, his life was offered to the organization which he belongs. It was his duty, therefore, to have an immovable heart or indomitable courage, with no fear of death. At the samurai students school, all mental training was in the life style itself. And the lifestyle is Zen. It was called The way of mental concentration, Mind-Body-Soul unification. Final destination is SaMadhi state , in which all objects disappeared. A samurai said If mind extinction is carried out, no mind and no brain, Fire is also cool. It is recognition for him that true existence is not this meat with form but a soul (Self) of formless. Therefore , I am not afraid of death.The same idea is required also of his wife too. Although, anything may happen
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in her life , the mind must not be shaken. By such training one gains the silence of mind. And it reflects in everything one perceives and does, whether it is the Way of the Tea, Flower, Scent, Calligraphy, Gardening, preparation of a meal, etc. In everything one is completely attentive to the moment, every action done with complete attention. Everywhere, all the time, everything is in a perfect harmony state as aresult of the spiritual practice itself. In the way of Zen, in the beginning the pupils learn that practice from of teacher. However, the instruction is made silently always. The pupil wishes words, spoken lessons, language, from the teacher. But the teachers say that most important thing which should be studied, is beyond the reach of language. Because, there is no form in it. This view of life and death has been lost in present Japan. Therefore, what Bhagavan taught encourages us in the hometown of our Japanese soul too. 0Bhagavad0Gita0says Greater is their trouble whose thoughts are set on0the Unmanifest;0for the Goal, the Unmanifest, is very hard for the embodied to reach. But, it does not feel so difficult for me. It is not impossible if a powerful guru helps with0Grace. Existence of Bhagavan is giving to us Japanese devotees, courage, freedom and peace . It was Miracle for me in this my life, in this time, that I was able to attain a true guru, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. There is no doubt. I think so. This is just a miracle.

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Reading from Sri Ramanas words: The mind, turned outwards results in thoughts and objects, turned inwards, it becomes itself the Self. Your duty is to be, and not to be this or that. When the mind unceasingly investigates its own nature, it transpires that there is no such thing as mind. This is the direct path for all. The mind is merely thoughts, of all thoughts, the I, is the root. Therefore, the mind is only the thought I. From where does this I arise? Seek for it within. It then vanishes. This is the pursuit of wisdom. There is no conflict between works and wisdom. The ultimate truth is so simple. It is nothing more than being in the pristine state. This is all that need be said. Silence is the true upadesa. It is the perfect upadesa. Truth is beyond words. It does not admit of explanation. All that is possible to do it is to indicate it. There is no difference between God, Guru and the Self. Shall we walk the Ramana path together, come! Step 1 ~ 3: Sravana, manana, nididhyasana The sadhana (of the self-enquiry) [Sadhana Charushtaya-Viveka, Viraga, Sampatti, mumuksutva]. Our vasanas rise - it is a Test! Test! Test! Factors of sadhana i) Gurus upadesa (from Bhagavans say, the books or meditation, devotion, etc.) ii) Tapas, our effort (devotion to the Self) iii) Sat sang

Sri Ramana Seva Sangha came into existence about four decades ago in 1968 in order to propagate the life and teachings of the great sage of our times Sri Ramana Maharshi. The efforts of Sri U. S. Chandavar, Dr. M. D. Naik, Sri K. P Bhat and Sri . Pranavananda Swamiji bore fruit when they started Sri Ramana Seva Sangha under the able Presidentship of Dr. R. M. Masurkar as a result of the divine grace and encouragement of Sri Swami Rameshwar who had settled in Valgalli village. He had intended that there ought to be a centre in Kumta through which people could benefit by knowing the life and teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. Since then the Sangha is conducting programmes to celebrate His Jayanti, Aradhana and Advent to Arunachala every year. Sri Ramana Satsang is held on every Sunday at Sri Vithoba Temple thanks to the initiative f Sri R.S.Bhagawat, an eminent social worker. The Centre is publishing a quarterly magazine in Kannada Ramana Sandesha, the only Kannada magazine solely dedicated to the life and teachings of Sri Bhagavan. Swami Pranavananda actively participated in the activities of the Sangha and wrote and published books in Kannada like Ramana Vachanaveda, Ramano panishad and Paravidya. Dr. M. D. Naik, one of the founder members of the Sangha translated Arthur Osborne's Sri Ramana Maharshi and the path of Self knowledge into Kannada which was published by Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai. The team of Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Bangalore led by Sri A.R.Natarajan and Smt.Sulochana Natarajan, conducted many programmes of Ramananjali music and dance ballets under the hospitality of the Sangha. These programmes had considerable effect on the public of Kumta which is a small town situated in the western corner of Karnataka. On one occasion, Sri V. S. Ramanan the present President of Sri Ramanasramam addressed a gathering of devotees. Bhagavan has now enabled the Sangha to have its own plot of land wherein they have a cherished hope of building a satsang hall, an effort which will doubtless bear fruit with the bounty of Bhagavan manifesting through the devotees and well wishers.

Bhaga the Saviour Bhagavan t he Saviour


Dr.M.D.Naik, Executive Committee Member, Ramana Seva Sanga, Kumta, Editor 'Ramana Sandesha' I am a medical practitioner with M.B.B.S. degree practicing since 1963. I have been visiting Sri Ramanasramam every year since 1964. When I was 28 years old, I was affected by a severe psychological shock due to which I decided to commit suicide by jumping into the sea near the Gateway of India at Bombay. Somehow there was a change in my mind and I returned home to Kumta and started my practice. During the time of this crisis, I came across the Bhagavad Gita which gave me solace and the courage to live. After a few days I came across a small book about Bhagavan Sri Ramana and after reading it the feeling of despair and psychological restlessness totally subsided and I felt the book revealed the ultimate and the loftiest goal of human life.
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Since then my outlook in life has been slowly transformed. At the age of 37 years, I had a very serious illness of relapsed typhoid fever. I was unconscious for 2 days. During the illness I had a dream in which I saw Sri Bhagavan and since then I started to recover from the illness. Again when I was 67 years old, I was admitted to a hospital with acute Endocarditis. This is a very serious disease and the outcome could have been death. Again by the grace of Sri Bhagavan I was cured of the malady. Recently in January 2011, I suffered from an impending heart attack and again by the grace of Sri Bhagavan, a timely surgery saved me. Previously I used to take mixed diet and after the influence of Sri Bhagavan, for the last 47 years I take only vegetarian diet. Thus He has slowly but certainly brought about changes from within in my life. Association with his devotees In Kumta, in the early forties and fifties, there lived one Shri Rameshwar Swamiji who advised his devotees to go to Tiruvannamalai and have the darshan of Sri Bhagavan. He virtually forced one Dr. Masurkar to go to Sri Bhagavan for darshan as he considered Him as Paramatma in the human body. Dr. Masurkar later on founded 'Sri Ramana Seva Sangha' which is doing the work of propagating the life and teachings of Sri Bhagavan in the surrounding areas. As we are visiting the Asramam every year, we had the good fortune of having satsang with Sri Sadhu Om, Sri Tinnai Swamiji, Sri Michael James, Sri Dhakappaji, Sri S.S. Cohen, Smt. Kanakamma, Sri Natanananda, Sri Muruganar, Sri Kunju Swami, Sri Ramaswami Pillai and Swami Ramanananda. While at Bangalore, I particularly visit the Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning every year, to meet Sri A.R. Natarajan and his family. Bhagavan the Sadguru One who has realized the Truth is the Guru. Sri Bhagavan did not give deeksha openly but He used to say that deeksha can be by touch, look and mouna of which he considered mounadiksha to be the best. From his stand point, there is no guru, no disciple, and
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no upadesha. Every thing is the Self. It was Major Chadwick who made Him admit that he was the Guru. To his query Bhagavan answered that he could not have stayed there for long if it was not so. Any way to those who seek His protection and guidance, He is the Guru and even now He continues to guide sincere seekers. Right from the day of my being attracted to Him, I have accepted Him as my Guru. Doubtless there are times when I did feel despair and discouragement, thinking that Bhagavan has not accepted me as His devotee. But those occasions were very few and short lived and now I do not bother whether He accepts me or not. I wish to cling to His feet until the end of my journey in life. I feel many times disappointed that I could not have His darshan when he was living in the sacred body. But slowly and steadily He has made me feel His presence even after He discarded His body. Whenever I met any of His disciples or devotees or those who had seen him in person, I used to pester them with my question, Is it absolutely essential that a Guru must be a living human being? Many of them used to say that a living guru is necessary for the spiritual path. One of them asked me bluntly, When you get married do you marry a living girl or not? When I quoted this to another disciple of Sri Bhagavan, he told me that the simile was very improper as getting married and surrendering to a guru cannot be compared. Now the doubt has disappeared because if I was not accepted by Sri Bhagavan, I would not have continued to visit his Asramam every year for 47 years. I do not undertake to go for pilgrimage to any kshetra other than Arunachala. Whenever I prostrate before any deity in temples, I imagine the image to be a form of Sri Bhagavan. I am now sure that one day He will take me across the ocean of samsara, may be after many lives, which He only knows. If at all I deserve to have mukti, I want it from Sri Bhagavan only. Even if any one else offers it to me I would reject it. Such is my attitude. People like Sri Rama, Sri Krishna, Goutama Buddha, Jesus Christ and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa come to this world once in thousands of years. Sri Bhagavan is one such example.
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Smt. Sulochana Natarajan is the Director, Music Division, Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Bengaluru. By Bhagavan Ramanas grace Smt. Sulochana Natarajan was born in a very special musical family in order to be an instrument in spreading Ramana Music. All the intense training in Carnatic Classical Music in her early years and the total exposure to the same was to fructify in the full unique formation of Ramana Sangeetham. Her first Guru in Ramana Music was Manavasi Ramaswamy Iyer who spotted her at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai in front of the sanctum sanctorum of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi more than five decades back in 1956 and taught her Ariyataramamo first and then his special miracle song SARANAGATI. Going on to become the founder-leader of the music troupe Ramananjali, Smt Sulochana Natarajan has dedicated her life to setting to music, annotating, publishing, recording, performing and teaching Ramana Sangeetham.Ramana Sangeetham is a vast body of music encompassing many streams and styles of the music of India. The wonder of Ramana music is that it encompasses everything that is Indian Music and covers the learning system from that of beginners to very advanced level performers. It may be defined as comprising primarily of: a) All the poetic works of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi in their original Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Sanskrit. b) All/or a major part of the poetic works on Bhagavan Ramana by spiritual giants like Ganapati Muni, Muruganar and others soaked in the Ramana experience. c) The poetic and musical compositions not only of those contemporaneous with Bhagavan but of Post-Nirvana devotees as well. d) Translations of many of the above by eminent poets into Kannada, Telugu, Hindi and English, and also a few in Gujarati, Marathi and Malayalam. By the immense power of Bhagavan, and the affectionate encouragement of Sri Ramanasramam, Ramananjali has recorded more than 200 productions, given more than 400 live programs and currently has about 2000 songs in its repertoire. For more information on Ramana Sangeetham, visit www.ramanamusic.com

Generation after generation people will remember Him and they will rejoice at the purity of his life and the simplicity of his teachings. Whosoever is born in His lineage will certainly be a Brahmajnani. He tears off the knots of bondage and becomes deathless so says Mundakopanishat. Adi Shankara says The one who has his mind dissolved in Parabrahma, the limitless ocean of Bliss purifies His family. His Mother attains the real purpose of life and the land in which He is born, becomes a meritorious land. A Sadguru is one, who has realized his Self and knows what is Truth and what is untruth. Wherever He stays that land becomes a sacred place. The Parama Guru as described in the Guru Gita, the sthitaprajna as described in the second chapter, the paramabhakta as described in the 12th chapter and Gunatita of the Gunatraya Vibhaga yoga of the Bhagavadgita, all remind us of Sri Bhagavan and His life history. His teachings are unique and simple. He always encouraged his devotees to aim at nothing short of Atmajnana or Self realization. For this, he advocated the two principal paths, of self enquiry and self surrender. But above all it is His Grace which will lead us on, on our path to Self Realization. I feel blessed that I am a devotee of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. May His grace flourish and I wish to remain forever, a speck of dust under His sacred feet!
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ntutor ored Sav by Grace that from You Pour ours Untutored Sav e by Gr ace t hat from You Pours
Smt.Sulochana Natarajan, Governing Body Member, RMCL
In the year 1949 May I had the good fortune of having the Divya Darsan of Bhagavan at Sri Ramanasramam along with my parents. At that time Bhagavans gracious look had fallen on me even though I had not yet realized the full impact of that; but I vividly remember looking at His face. I was born and brought up in a family which was literally breathing Carnatic Music all the 24 hours of the day. Obviously I was given thorough training in the same till my marriage. In the year 1952, it was the story of Bhagavans grace which got me married to Late Sri A.R. Natarajan, founder President of Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Bangalore. A.R. Natarajans grandfather was a devotee of Bhagavan and had acted as the first interpreter between Bhagavan and Humphreys at Virupaksha Cave. My granduncle was a great Ramana Bhakta and was uttering Ramana Nama all the time. Both sides ancestors had Darsana of Bhagavan. But at the time of our marriage all these never came to the forefront. ARN was attracted to Bhagavan through Arthor Osbornes Book in 1955. Surprisingly, in ARNs family he was the only person who had not seen Bhagavan. Then Bhagavan slowly drew me to Him through Ramana Music. As ARN writes in the book of miracles, from day one every step had been a miracle from my birth up till date. How He had made me an instrument for Ramana Music is amazing. Other than me there have been 19 Music Directors associated with Ramana Music. Surprisingly almost all of them have had the Darsan of Bhagavan in their student days. Bhagavans grace had given me alone the opportunity of using my entire knowledge of Carnatic Music in Ramana Sangeetham. How it has all come about without any preplanning is marvelous. At present, I am trying to document the same. He alone who has brought me so far without any effort of mine should give me the strength and ability to successfully finish the task which He has assigned and bless me with Self-realisation in this birth. Namo Ramana, Sulochana Natarajan, 13.03.2011
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Spreading Ra Whose Spr eading R ays Engulf All Things


Dr.Sarada, President , Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning
I often wonder how I can wonder about everything in the world except about that which makes me know my wonder. How magnificent is the world, how magical its infinite variety, its almost unimaginable vastness and minute intricacy! We say almost unimaginable for, no matter how vast, we are still able to perceive the magnitude and marvel at it. No matter how intricate, we are able to comprehend the intricacy and wonder at it. How is it though, that we never pause to wonder about that light which makes us aware of this extraordinary world picture? There is a light that lights the seen world, this we know. But what is the light that makes us know this? That we do not know, and very surprisingly, do not seem to care that we do not know. When I see the immense beauty of the sunset, what is it in me that tells me that I see? What is it in me that tells me the sunset is beautiful? What is it in me that tells me I am happy on account of the beautiful sight? Is it memory of earlier sunsets, earlier joy experienced at such beautiful sights? Then what is it that made me know I was joyous the very first time I knew joy? What is it that, itself remaining a witness to the experience, said to me, This is a good experience, you enjoy this, store it in your memory, remember it well and try to regain it? What is it in me that says I am, that said I am even before I saw the sunset and that will continue to say I am after the sun has gone to bed and the stars are making merry in the night sky? What is it that shines in me as the power of knowledge, and itself shining, makes all things known by its light? Why do I care so much for the beauty that this light reveals to me and so little for the light that reveals it? I often wonder how I can be pained by so many things that happen and do not happen to me, yet never be pained that I am totally in the dark regarding that which goes by the name of I and is witness both to the presence and absence of pain. Undoubtedly there are aspects of the world that are ugly. At least, there are aspects of the world that seem ugly to each one of us. All around us we see injustice and deceit and all the negative emotions that spring from enormous selfishness, sheer callousness that can cause harm to untold number of living beings and to say the least, leave our earth exploited and depleted. Surely there is a light within us that makes us aware of all this, or else,
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how would we know? What is the light in us that makes us perceive, recognise, classify and label each and every experience that we have, be it good, bad or indifferent? Do we ever notice that this light is not ugly or selfish, do we realise that it is simply aware of the ugliness as it is aware of the beauty, and do we care to wonder what this light is? Whenever I see something irksome or painful, what is it in me that tells me I see? What is it in me that says the experience is horrible? What in me says I am and had said I am even prior to the perception of some disturbing object? What in me will continue to say I am even after the pain of the negative experience fades away as it is bound to do sometime? I often wonder about how I can seek happiness from any number of things under the sun and never seek to know what in me is finally happy when the experience actually happens. In an experience that appears to have a physical basis, like eating an ice cream, is it not very evident to me that it is not my eye that sees the ice cream, nor the hand that holds it, nor even the tongue that licks it which experiences the happiness? Wherein does the happiness lie? In me, surely. And what in me is aware of the happiness? When I hold a child close to me heart, are my arms that embrace the little one rejoicing or is my heart that beats fast rejoicing? Or is it that little thought which comes round and round in my head saying I am happy, I am happy? What is it then that lights even that thought? I often wonder about the light in me that continuously shines as I am regardless of the coming and going of experiences positive and negative and how I remain completely regardless of it. Why am I so negligent about this light which is my constant companion, about this light by which alone I recognise my own existence? As I go through the tumult of passing experiences which I call life, why does it never strike me to ask what it is that makes me so intimately aware of each of these experiences? Why is it that I take each of these experiences to be intimate, hug them to my bosom, both the good and the bad, yet never wonder at that most intimate light within me that reveals these experiences in the first place and reveals my own existence as the basis of all these experiences? Why do I so steadily ignore this light which sees me along with all my seeing, which lives me with all my living, and which with absolute, unconditional love accepts me in my entirety?
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Bhagavan Ramana tells us that the whole of life is much like a huge film show, we are constantly watching this show unravel. Of course, unlike the films that we see in theatres till date, this movie called life is a remarkable experience of virtual reality with not only visual and audio effects but reaching out to every sense perception. Nonetheless, it is no better than a film being played out before us. At any given moment we do not know what lies in store, hence it is the most exciting film show. And like exclusive designer clothes, it is non-replicable, there is only one of a kind and there will never be another. The funny part is that we believe we are players in the film, while in fact we are viewing the entire show unraveling, not just watching but continuously filming all the events too in our little mind cameras and storing away in memory as well to rewind and replay at will. Do we care to know whether we are actually two people pretending to be one person, one who is a character in this life film and one who is simultaneously and always a spectator? What in me is aware of every experience, aware of its rising, its existence and passing as well? What in me shines as I am, at the core of every experience? Why do I treat this as if it were utterly worthless? I long for experiences and I am given many experiences as well, but I do not show the least trace of gratitude to that which reveals each of these. I do not long for that which, by its very presence, enables me to have each of these experiences. Why is it so? Yet, if I would turn back to the light, in a trice the whole story of my life is transformed, the whole of the universe is transformed, for everything then becomes imbued with light. This turning back is what Bhagavan would often quip as go the way you came, a vigilant movement in reverse gear. If only we care to trace any one or all of our experiences to their source, we would find that at the root of each and every experience is a thought. In fact, the moment we move back slightly from the experience we discover that every experience is for us nothing but a thought. Again, when we move back from thoughts, seeing them to be mere thoughts that rise and set, the question for whom are these thoughts? will take us to their root. At the root of every thought we will find the I-thought or the thinker. We find that every experience is for me, it is indeed the sense of I-ness in me that permeates every experience. When we take the courageous step of moving further backwards, in fact, source-wards, then that life changing question, the question Who am I? arises. This which I call I is that also only a thought like all other thoughts?
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Or is it different from them? Does it too rise and set, or is it continuous? What happens to this sense of I in deep sleep? Where does it subside then? Wherefrom does it rise again? When we closely and eagerly examine our own sense of I continuously and constantly, in itself, without allowing it to hold on to any other object in the form of thought, then, says Bhagavan, a magical thing will happen. This puny sense of I will simply vanish and in its place, the true source, the heart, the light will shine forth in all its fullness as II. This is the victorious path.

Dear Dr. Sarada, I am happy to greet & congratulate you on the thirty years of fulfilling progress THE RAMANA WAY has made under your able, dedicated stewardship. May Bhagavans benign grace and Sri A.R. Natarajans brilliant guidance be ever with you, all the contributors and readers of THE RAMANA WAY. With appreciation, affectionate best wishes, V.S. Mani Sri Ramanasramam

It is to show us this incisive path that the light that ever shines within us has with great love donned the form of our beloved Sadguru Ramana. It is to keep us on this path that he himself has enacted the enquiry in a flash as a boy of sixteen, facing and questioning death and discovering his own true nature as it were. It is to reveal to us beyond all doubt the immeasurable beauty of the goal that the path leads to, (if we can call it a goal, for it is ever our very Self), that he bore the body for fifty four years after the enlightenment radiating the supreme bliss of the Self every moment and proving the utter insignificance of all else. It is to establish the universality of this experience and its availability transcending all barriers of time and space, transcending all forms of physical manifestation, that with full love transmitted from his glance of grace he has showered this experience on every comer, human and other, by nature, not by choice and ever continues to do so.
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Sri V.S.Mani isAdministratror or Sri Ramanasramam. A silent practitioner of the Ramana Way with rock-like stoic acceptance of the travails that life in the body can bring, and a tireless worker who works not for any need of his but simply because things need to be done. He is largely responsible for reviving the presence of peacocks at the Asram which were dwindling pathetically before he came to join full time service. He has a keen interest in flora and in all probability knows every tree and plant in the Asram. In line with the family tradition of 'Chinna Swami' and Sri T.N.Venkataraman, like his brother Sri V.S.Ramanan and earlier Sri V.Ganesan, Sri Mani takes affectionate care of practically every visiting the Asram.

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S p e c i a l H a p p e n i n g s

Punaroddharana ejuvenation the Ramana Shrine R ejuv enation of t he R amana Shrine


Revathi Sankar
(Pics by Venkatesh Deshpande, Vaishnavi Poorna, Revathi Sankar)

The last week of February and first week of March 2011 were indeed glorious days in the annals of Ramana MaharshiCentre for Learning. The rejuvenation of the shrine brought joyousmemories to the senior members of the Centre of the momentous5th of December in 1982 when the Shrine was first opened. To others it was reminiscent of the day in 1993 when the Panchaloha Ramana Vigraha, shining as if it were gold, to remind one of the 'Gold Bright' form of Bhagavan. Yet to all th 27th of February was charged with His Presence as the vigraha was removed from the pedestal for purposes of rejuvanation. Bhagavan's Presence had been invoked by the priests into another small idol made from the wood of a fig tree. Nonetheless some of us had tears in our eyes when the vigraha of Bhagavan was lifted from its place by the sthapathis. Soon, however, we were very happy to be intimately seated next to the Ramana Vigraha. On 2nd of March, Mahasivarathri, Bhagavan suddenly chose to physically readorn the sacred pedestal. It reminded us of Bhagavan pulling his sofa close to the barricade on a special occasion to be closer to the visiting crowd of devotees and of his insistence on giving darshan soon after his sugery, for the rejuvenation work was still on in the shrine and on the vigraha as well. How loving and radiant Bhagavan looked!
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The Sthapathi , it is said in the Agamas, is accorded the place of 'mother'. Sri Ramachandran, the sthapathi who worked on the rejuvenaton of the Ramana Vigraha, suggested that Bhagavan's vigraha should remain wrapped in a shawl until the actual day of rejuvenation, like a new born baby, and so He remained. He was to be 're-born' to us on the 6th of March, Sunday, which with no pre-planning happened to be a 'dvithiya thithi'. The 30th of December, 1879, when Bhagavan was born, was also the same thithi and Sri Jagadeeswara Sastri hails Bhagavan as 'dvithiya thithi sambhutaaya namaha' in the Ramana Sahasranama. On the kumbhabishekam day, after the morning japas by the priests, the devotees were doubly blessed to meditate on Bhagavan's S 'Forty Verses on Reality p Ulladu Narpadu' through the e moving talk by Sri Nochur c Venkataraman. i At the auspicious a hour one could literallysee light 'walking in' as it were, first enveloping l the wooden idol, then filling the shrine, welcoming all its 'newness'.

H a p p e n i n g s

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S p e c i a l H a p p e n i n g s

inter Fes tival estiv Wint er Fes tival Shrine Meditaion Anniversary ersar Shr ine and Meditaion Hall Anniv ersary
On the opening day of the festival Sri J.Ujwal spoke about Ramana as the wish fulfilling tree who swallows all our desires. The cultural event was a Bharatanatyam recital of Ramana Nritya by Revathi Sankar.

SRI RAMANA SEVA

You must help the man as a means of worshipping God in that man. All such service too is for the self, not for anybody else. You are not helping anybody else, but only yourself. - Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi

SEVA DURING ANNUAL SPECIAL EVENTS RAMANA VIDYA SEVA 500/PUSHPA SEVA 500/SAMSKRUTI SEVA 100/VEDA PARAYANA SEVA 1000/ANNA DANA SEVA 3000/DAILY SEVA THROUGH OUT THE YEAR

Sri Shadakshari spoke on the second day of the festival about the true meaning of worship and intimacy with the Master. This was followed by a RamanaSangeetham Karnatik classical concert by Dr.Ambika Kameshwar.

POURNAMISEVA SAT-SANG SEVA SOUCHA SEVA VEDA PARAYANA SEVA PUSHPA SEVA

PER PER PER PER PER

MONTH WEEK DAY DAY DAY

1500/ 1500/ 500/500/500/-

SPECIAL EVENTS OPEN TO SEVA APRIL - JUNE 2011 APRIL 14th,15th 18th (to 14th May) MAY 14th 21st, 22nd JUNE 18th 25th, 26th Aradhana Cultural Festival Summer Camp for Children Summer Camp Valedictory Mother's Day Cultural Festival RMMH RMHA RMHA RMHH

Cow Lakshmi Day Cultural Festival RMMH Workshop on Self-enquiry RMHH

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Those wishing to participate in any of the above sevas may contact Ms.Sandhya +91 9343174421 or Ms.Revathi +91 9448853748 45
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Your Dates With Ramana


AT RAMANA MAHARSHI SHRINE Sundays:10.00 a.m. - 11.45 a.m. April 3,10,17,24 Satsang, Bhajans by Smt. Radha, Revathi & RMCL staff Talk by Dr.Sarada (English) POURNAMI - MOON MAGIC - 16th APRIL 6.45 p.m.Ramana Music, 7.15 p.m. Aksharamanamalai - Around the Shrine At Ramana Maharshi Heritage Building - Sanjaynagar Every Tuesday 7.00 -8.00 p.m. - Sri Ramana Maha Yoga Meditation Daily (except Sundays) 11.30 a.m. -12.00 noon - Collective Chanting
RMCL - SATSANG CENTRE AT SOUTH BANGALORE & A RAMANA LIBRARY, MEDITATION/SELF-ENQUIRY FACILITY

Statement of ownership and other particulars about THE RAMANA WAY according to Form IV, Rule 8 of the Registrar of Newspapers for India. 1. Place of Publication : Bangalore 2. Periodicity of Publication : Monthly 3. a) Printers Name : Ramana Printers b) Nationality : Indian c) Address : Ramana Printers, # 111/19, Anandagiri Road, Ayyappa Layout, Cholanayakanahalli, R.T. Nagar Post, BANGALORE 560 032. 4. a) Publishers Name b) Nationality c) Address : Dr. Sarada Natarajan : Indian : Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Post Office Road, Sanjaynagar, Bangalore 560 094. : Dr. Sarada : Indian : Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Post Office Road, Sanjaynagar, Bangalore 560 094.

Wednesday to Friday 6.30 - 7.30 p.m. - Sri Ramana Maha YogaMeditation Saturday 6.00 p.m: Chanting, Reading, Talk by Sri K.G.Subraya Sharma
Padmanabhanagar, Phone: 080 2639 0211 (Sri N.Nandakumar) AKSHARAMANAMALAI SATSANG AT RAJARAJESWARI NAGAR

Thursday 6.30p.m. Contact Sri Chandrashekar Ph:9448839594


AKSHARAMANAMALAI SATSANG AT RT NAGAR MONDAYS 6.30

Monday 6.00 p.m. Contact Sri Marthanda Bhatta Ph: 080 23549064

5. a) Editors Name b) Nationality c) Address

Special Events of April


AT THE RAMANA MAHARSHI SHRINE & MEDITATION HALL Ramana Aradhana Celebrations and Cultural Festival 14th, Thursday 10.30 a.m. Sahasranama Daily 6.45 p.m. 14th, Thursday,Ramana Pada Pancharatnam and Arunachala Siva 15th, Friday,Ramana Music, Devotional by Vaishnavi Poorna 18th, Monday, Commencement of Summer Camp for children 20th, Wednesday, Hamsa Ballet in Rama Mandir, Rajajinagar
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I, Dr. Sarada Natarajan, hereby declare that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. Sd/SARADA NATARAJAN Signature of the Publisher

Place: Bangalore Date: 01.03.2011

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