Ramana Gita

Bhagavad Gita - 42 verses of Ramana Maharshi
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Once Bhagavan quoted this one verse of the Bhagavad Gita as the
quintessence of the Gita.

'I am the Self, O Gudakesa, dwelling in the Heart of every being; I am
the beginning and the middle and also the end of all beings.' (10-20)

अहमात्मा गुडाकेश सर्वभूताशयस्थितः ।
अहमादिश्च मध्यं च भूतानामन्त एव च ॥१०- २०॥

aham aatmaa Guudaakesha sarva-bhuutaashaya-sthitah
aham aadish cha madhyam cha bhutaanaam anta eva cha

aham--I; atma--soul/Self; Gudakesa--O Arjuna; sarva-bhuta--all living
entities; asaya-sthitah--situated within;
aham--I am; adih--origin; ca- -and; madhyam--middle; ca--and;
bhutanam--of all living entities; antah--end; eva--indeed; ca--and.

He later prepared 42 verses in the following order, as guidance to seekers.

Said Sanjaya:
1. Despondent, overwhelmed with compassion (as he
sat), his troubled eyes filled with tears, Krishna, the slayer of
Madhu spoke to him. ii: 1
संजय उवाच

तं तथा कृपयाविष्टमश्रुपूर्णाकुलेक्षणम् ।
विषीदन्तमिदं वाक्यमुवाच मधुसूदनः ॥२- १॥

Sri Bhagavan said:
2. This body, O Son of Kunti (Arjuna), is known as the field;
and he who is aware of it is called the Knower of the Field by
the wise. xiii:1

श्रीभगवानुवाच

इदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते ।
एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदः ॥१३- १॥

3. And know that I am the Knower of the Field in all the
fields, O Bharata. The knowledge of the field and the knower
of that, in my opinion, is true knowledge. xiii:2

क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत ।
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम ॥१३- २॥

4. I am the Self, O Gudakesa, dwelling in the Hearts of
all beings. I am the beginning and the middle and the end of
all beings. x:20

अहमात्मा गुडाकेश सर्वभूताशयस्थितः ।
अहमादिश्च मध्यं च भूतानामन्त एव च ॥१०- २०॥

5. For to him who is born death is indeed certain, and to
him who dies birth is certain. Therefore you should not grieve
for the inevitable. ii:27

जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च ।
तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥२- २७॥

6. That is not born, nor does It ever die; nor, having been,
does It ever cease to be. That unborn, eternal, abiding, primeval
Being is not slain when the body is slain. ii:20

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि- न्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः ।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥२- २०॥

7. Invulnerable He is, not to be burnt, not to be
drenched or dried. He is eternal, all pervading, changeless,
motionless, enduring. ii:24

अच्छेद्योऽयमदाह्योऽयमक्लेद्योऽशोष्य एव च ।
नित्यः सर्वगतः स्थाणुरचलोऽयं सनातनः ॥२- २४॥

8. Know that which pervades all this to be indestructible.
That immutable none can destroy. ii:17

अविनाशि तु तद्विद्धि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ।
विनाशमव्ययस्यास्य न कश्चित्कर्तुमर्हति ॥२- १७॥
9. The unreal has no being, the Real no non-being. These
two facts the Truth-seers perceive. ii:16

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः ।
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः ॥२- १६॥

10. Just as the all pervading ether, being subtle, is not
affected, (tainted or contaminated by anything), even so, the
Self pervading the whole body is not tainted. xiii:33

यथा प्रकाशयत्येकः कृत्स्नं लोकमिमं रविः ।
क्षेत्रं क्षेत्री तथा कृत्स्नं प्रकाशयति भारत ॥१३- ३३॥

11. Neither sun, nor moon, nor fire illumine this state
on attaining which one does not return. And this is My
supreme abode. xv:6

न तद्भासयते सूर्यो न शशाङ्को न पावकः ।
यद्गत्वा न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ॥१५- ६॥

12. This Supreme State is called the Unmanifest
Imperishable (avyakto akshara). That is My highest abode.
For those who attain to It, there is no return. viii:21

पृथक्त्वेन तु यज्ज्ञानं नानाभावान्पृथग्विधान् ।
वेत्ति सर्वेषु भूतेषु तज्ज्ञानं विद्धि राजसम् ॥१८- २१॥

13. The undeluded, those who are free from pride and
ignorance, who have overcome the evil of attachment, who
are ever devoted to the Self, who have turned away from
desires and are entirely beyond the dualities of pleasure and
pain, attain that imperishable state. xv:5

निर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषा
अध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामाः ।
द्वन्द्वैर्विमुक्ताः सुखदुःखसंज्ञै-
र्गच्छन्त्यमूढाः पदमव्ययं तत् ॥१५- ५॥

14. He who abandons the injunctions of the scriptures
and behaves according to the impulses of his desires, attains
neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the highest state
of salvation. xvi:23

यः शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारतः ।
न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम् ॥१६- २३॥

15. He who sees the Supreme Lord, residing equally in
all beings — the Imperishable One among the perishables —
sees (truly). xiii:27

रागी कर्मफलप्रेप्सुर्लुब्धो हिंसात्मकोऽशुचिः ।
हर्षशोकान्वितः कर्ता राजसः परिकीर्तितः ॥१८- २७॥

16. Only by unswerving devotioni can I be known and truly
seen in this form, Arjuna, and even be entered into, O
tormentor of the foe. xi:54

भक्त्या त्वनन्यया शक्य अहमेवंविधोऽर्जुन ।
ज्ञातुं द्रष्टुं च तत्त्वेन प्रवेष्टुं च परंतप ॥११- ५४॥

17. The faithi of everyone is according to his nature,
O Bharata. Man is essentially endowed with faith. What his
faith is, that indeed is he. xvii:3

सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत ।
श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः ॥१७- ३॥

18. One who has faith and concentration and has subdued
his senses attains knowledge. Having gained knowledge he
speedily attains Supreme Peace. iv:39

श्रद्धावाँल्लभते ज्ञानं तत्परः संयतेन्द्रियः ।
ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शान्तिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति ॥४- ३९॥

19. To them ever steadfast in loving worship, I give the
yoga of understanding by which they attain to Me. x:10
20. Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their Heart,
destroy the darkness born of ignorance with the effulgent light
of knowledge. x:11

तेषामेवानुकम्पार्थमहमज्ञानजं तमः ।
नाशयाम्यात्मभावस्थो ज्ञानदीपेन भास्वता ॥१०- ११॥

21. But in those whose unwisdom is destroyed by
wisdom, that wisdom like the Sun, reveals the Supreme
(Param). v:16

ज्ञानेन तु तदज्ञानं येषां नाशितमात्मनः ।
तेषामादित्यवज्ज्ञानं प्रकाशयति तत्परम् ॥५- १६॥

22. Mighty, they say, are the senses, mightier than these,
the mind, mightier than that the intellect, but mightier still
is He. iii:42

इन्द्रियाणि पराण्याहुरिन्द्रियेभ्यः परं मनः ।
मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्यो बुद्धेः परतस्तु सः ॥३- ४२॥

23. Thus knowing Him who is beyond the intellect,
O mighty in arms, control your self by the Self and slay the
enemy in the form of desire, hard though it may be. iii:43

एवं बुद्धेः परं बुद्ध्वा संस्तभ्यात्मानमात्मना ।
जहि शत्रुं महाबाहो कामरूपं दुरासदम् ॥३- ४३॥

24. As a well lit fire consumes its fuel, Arjuna, so does
the fire of knowledge reduce all activity to ashes. iv:37

यथैधांसि समिद्धोऽग्निर्भस्मसात्कुरुतेऽर्जुन ।
ज्ञानाग्निः सर्वकर्माणि भस्मसात्कुरुते तथा ॥४-३७॥

25. One whose undertakings are all free from desire and
whose activity has been purified in the flame of wisdom is
termed a sage by those who know. iv: 19

यस्य सर्वे समारम्भाः कामसंकल्पवर्जिताः ।
ज्ञानाग्निदग्धकर्माणं तमाहुः पण्डितं बुधाः ॥४-१९॥

26. Brahma Nirvana lies around those who have freed
themselves from anger and desire, who have subdued their
minds and have known the Self. v:26
कामक्रोधवियुक्तानां यतीनां यतचेतसाम् ।
अभितो ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं वर्तते विदितात्मनाम् ॥५- २६॥

27. One should gradually, gradually attain quietude with
the intellect (buddhi) held steadfast and the mind sunk in the
Self, allowing no thought to arise. vi:25

शनैः शनैरुपरमेद्‌बुद्ध्या धृतिगृहीतया ।
आत्मसंस्थं मनः कृत्वा न किंचिदपि चिन्तयेत् ॥६- २५॥

28. To whatever side the restless, unsteady mind wanders
away, one should check it and bring it back controlled to
the Self. vi:26

यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम् ।
ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत् ॥६- २६॥

29. With the senses, mind and intellect subdued, the saint
who devoutly seeks liberation, without desire, fear or wrath
— he is indeed ever liberated. v:28

यतेन्द्रियमनोबुद्धिर्मुनिर्मोक्षपरायणः ।
विगतेच्छाभयक्रोधो यः सदा मुक्त एव सः ॥५- २८॥

30. One who is thus integrated in yoga (yoga yuktatma)
sees all with an equal eye, seeing himself in all beings and all
beings in himself. vi:29

जरामरणमोक्षाय मामाश्रित्य यतन्ति ये ।
ते ब्रह्म तद्विदुः कृत्स्नमध्यात्मं कर्म चाखिलम् ॥७- २९॥

31. To those, however, who dwell on Me in single minded
worship I guarantee fulfilment of their needs and security.
ix:22

अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते ।
तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ॥९- २२॥

32. The foremost of these is the wise one (jnani) who is
ever steadfast and devoted to the One. Very dear am I to the
wise man and he to Me. vii: 17

तेषां ज्ञानी नित्ययुक्त एकभक्तिर्विशिष्यते ।
प्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं स च मम प्रियः ॥७- १७॥

33. At the end of many births the man of wisdom comes
to Me, realising that Vasudeva is all. Such a great soul is very
rare to find. vii: 19

बहूनां जन्मनामन्ते ज्ञानवान्मां प्रपद्यते ।
वासुदेवः सर्वमिति स महात्मा सुदुर्लभः ॥७- १९॥

34. When a man casts out all desires of the mind, O son
of Pritha, and is content in himself he is said to be steadfast
in wisdom. ii:35

भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथाः ।
येषां च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम् ॥२- ३५॥

35. He attains peace who abandons all desires, acting
without attachment, free from 'I' and 'mine'. ii:71

विहाय कामान्यः सर्वान् पुमांश्चरति निःस्पृहः ।
निर्ममो निरहंकारः स शान्तिमधिगच्छति ॥२- ७१॥

36. He by whom the world is not afflicted and who is not
afflicted by the world, who is free from pleasure, anger, fear
and anxiety — he is dear to Me. xii: 15

यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः ।
हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः ॥१२- १५॥

37. The same in honour and dishonour, towards friends
and foes; he who abandons the initiative in all undertakings,
is called one beyond qualities. xiv:25

मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः ।
सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते ॥१४- २५॥

38. For him, however, who rejoices only in the Self, is
gratified with the Self and content with the Self, no action is
incumbent. iii: 17

यस्त्वात्मरतिरेव स्यादात्मतृप्तश्च मानवः ।
आत्मन्येव च सन्तुष्टस्तस्य कार्यं न विद्यते ॥३- १७॥

39. He has nothing to gain by actions done or to lose by
those undone. He is not dependent on anyone for the
achievement of any object. iii:18

नैव तस्य कृतेनार्थो नाकृतेनेह कश्चन ।
न चास्य सर्वभूतेषु कश्चिदर्थव्यपाश्रयः ॥३- १८॥

40. Satisfied with what comes to him by chance, beyond
the pairs of opposites, free from envy, equal in success and
failure, he is not bound by his actions. iv:22

यदृच्छालाभसंतुष्टो द्वन्द्वातीतो विमत्सरः ।
समः सिद्धावसिद्धौ च कृत्वापि न निबध्यते ॥४-२२॥

41. The Lord resides in the Hearts of all, O Arjuna,
revolving all creatures by prakriti as if mounted on a machine.
xviii:61

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥१८- ६१॥

42. Surrender unto Him with all your heart, O Bharata.
Through His grace you will attain Supreme peace and the
perennial abode. xviii:62

तमेव शरणं गच्छ सर्वभावेन भारत ।
तत्प्रसादात्परां शान्तिं स्थानं प्राप्स्यसि शाश्वतम् ॥१८- ६२॥

(Translated by Arthur Osborne and Prof. Kulkarni)
From: The Song Celestial

nayana – Mon, 22/05/2006 – 11:51am
http://kalki.benegal.org/ramana_gita

Upadesha Saram

Upadesha Saram - Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi
उपदेशसारः (Essence of Teachings)
भगवान रमण महर्षी
कर्तुराज्ञया प्राप्यते फलम् । कर्म किं परं कर्म तज्जडम् ।।१।।
1. Action yields fruit by the ordinance of Godi. Being insentient can it be God.

कृतिमहोदधौ पतनकारणम् । फलमशाश्वतं गतिनिरोधकम् ।।२।।
(deeds/direction+in ocean,cause for falling.
results+permanent/original,
movement+restrainer (to mukthi, assumed from line 3).)

2. (after being experienced) the results of actions (pains and
pleasures) pass away leaving seeds (of impressions) that cast into an
ocean of action. Action yields no liberation.

ईश्वर अर्पितं नेच्छया कृतम् । चित्त शोधकं मुक्तिसाधकम् ।।३।।
3. But acts consecrated to the Lord without attachment to the results,
purify the mind and point the way to liberation.

कायवाङ्मन: कार्यमुत्तमम् । पूजनं जपश्चिन्तनं क्रमात् ।।४।।
(body,voice,mind, work, the best. puja, jap, meditation, in order.)
4. (Such desireless actions) Pooja, Jap and meditation performed by
the body, voice and mind, respectively excel each other in the above
order.

जगत ईशधी युक्तसेवनम् । अष्टमूर्तिभृद्देवपूजनम् ।।५।।
5. Regarding and worshipping the eight-fold universe as the
manifestation of God, is an excellent form of worship of God.

उतमस्तवा दुच्चमन्दतः । चित्तजं जप ध्यानमुत्तमम् ।।६।।
6. Loud repetition of His name is better than praise. Better still is
its faint muttering. But the best is its mental repetition. It is
meditation as aforesaid.

आज्यधारया स्रोतसा समम् । सरल चिन्तनं विरलतः परम् ।।७।।
7. Better than interrupted meditation is its steady and continuous
flow like that of oil or of a perrenial stream.

भेदभावना त्सोऽहमित्यसौ । भावनाऽभिदा पावनी मता ।। ८।।
8. Meditation of God as in no way distinct from him who meditates, is
the best out of all the ways of meditating upon Him as an other.

भावशून्य सद्भावसुस्थितिः । भावनाबलाद्भक्तिरुत्तमा ।।९।।
9. Transcending meditation (ceasing to meditate) by the strength of
such aforesaid meditation and remaining in ones own Real Beingness, is
the very essence of Supreme Devotion.

हृत्स्थले मनः स्वस्थताक्रिया । भक्तियोगबोधाश्च निश्चितम् ।।१०।।
10. The absorption of the mind into that source from which it rises
(to do such desireless actions as aforesaid) is Karma and Bhakti. This
is Yoga and Jnana also.

वायुरोधनाल्लीयते मनः । जालपक्षि वद्रोधसाधनम् ।।११।।
11. By holding the breath, the mind is restrained like a bird caught
in a net. This is a device to control the mind.

चित्तवायवश्चित्क्रियायुताः । शाखयोर्द्वयी शक्तिमूलका ।।१२।।
12. Mind and breath are the 2 branches of the trunk of a tree having
thought and action as their functions, their origin-power being one
and the same.
लयविनाशने उभयरोधने । लयगतं पुनर्भवति नो मृतम् ।।१३।।
13. Absorption of the mind is of two kinds: Laya (stilled for a while)
and Nasha (killed forever). That which is absorbed merely in Laya,
will rise again and that in Nasha, being dead, will not be so.

प्राणबन्धनाल्लीनमानसम् । एकचिन्तना त्राशमेत्यदः ।।१४।।
14. The mind that is absorbed in Laya by breath-control, will die if
it is then engaged in only attention to the Self.

नष्टमानसोत्कृष्टयोगिनः । कृत्यमस्ति किं स्वस्थितिं यतः ।।१५।।
15. His mind being thus extinguished, the great Yogi who is
established in the Supreme Truth has nothing more Karma to do. For he
has attained his Natural State.

दृश्यवारितं चित्तमात्मनः । चित्त्व दर्शनं तत्त्वदर्शनम् ।।१६।।
16.When the mind, giving up the knowledge of the external objects
through the five senses, realizes its own effulgent form, that is true
wisdom.

मानसं तु किं मार्गणे कृते । नैव मानसं मार्ग अार्जवात् ।।१७।।
17. When the true nature of the mind is watched interruptedly (without
pramaad or nidra, it transpires that) there is no such thing as mind.
This is the direct path for all.

वृत्तयस्त्वहं वृत्तिमाश्रिताः वृत्तयो मनो विद्धयहं मनः ।।१८।।
18. The mind is merely a bundle of thoughts, the thought of all
thoughts. 'I am the body' is the foremost. Therefore, the mind is only
the thought, ' i am this body'.

अहमयंकुतोभवतिचिन्वतः । अयिपतत्यहंनिजविचारणम् ।।१९।।
19. When sought for it within as to whence this "I" arises, it falls
down dead. This is Self-Enquiry.

अहमि नाशभाज्यहमहंतया । स्फुरति हृत्स्वयं परमपूर्णसत् ।।२०।।
20. Where this 'I' dies there then shines forth ONE as 'I-I' by
itself. It alone is the Supreme Whole (poorna).

इदमहं पदाभिख्यमन्वहम् । अहमिलीनकेऽप्यलयसत्तया ।।२१।।
21. As we do not cease to exist even in deep sleep where there is no
I-thought, this 'I-I' is always (in all three states) the true import
of the term 'I'.
विग्रहेन्द्रियप्राणधीतमः । नाहमेकसत्तज्जडं ह्यसत् ।।२२।।
22. Being insentient and unreal, the body, mind, intellect and
life-breath (prana) and ignorance (the void) are not the real I.

सत्त्वभासिका चित्क्ववेतरा । सत्तया हि च् च्चित्तयाह्यहम् ।।२३।।
23. As there is no Consciousness (Chit) other than existence (Sat) to
know, Existence itself is Consciousness. So we are all verily
Consciousness.

ईशजीवयोर्वेषधीभिदा । सत्स्वभावतो वस्तुकेवलम् ।।२४।।
24. In their real nature as Existence, creatures and the creator are
one and the same. The feeling of attributes is only different.

वेषहानतः स्वात्मदर्शनम् । ईशदर्शनं स्वात्मरूपतः ।।२५।।
25. As God is thus ever shining as 'I' (as one's own reality)
realizing one's Self without attributes is realizing God Himself.

आत्मसंस्थितिः स्वात्मदर्शनम् । आत्मनिर्द्वयादात्मनिष्ठा ।।२६।।
26. To know the Self is to be the Self as the Self ('I') is not two.
This is (to be the Self) indeed Self-abidance.
ज्ञान
वर्जिताऽज्ञानहीनचित् । ज्ञानमस्ति किं ज्ञातुमन्तरम् ।।२७।।
27. The consciousness (I am) where there is neither knowing nor
not-knowing (any other thing) is the True Knowledge. There is an
object to be known there.

किं स्वरूप मित्यात्मदर्शने । अव्ययाभवाऽपूर्णचित्सुखम् ।।२८।।
28. When our real nature is thus realized, then there shines the
Being, Consciousness and Bliss without beginning, end and break.

बन्धमुक्तयतीतं परं सुखम् । विन्दतीह जीवस्तु दैविकः ।।२९।।
29. Remaining in this state of Supreme Bliss, devoid of bondage and
freedom too, is really to be wrapt in the (perpetual) service of the
Lord.

अहमपेतकं निजविभानकम् । महदिदं तपो रमणवागियम् ।।३०।।
30. Realizing that which survives the annihilation of 'I' (the ego) is
good Tapas. Thus spake Ramana, the Supreme Self.

(Source: Hymns to Sri Arunachala and Upadesha Saram)
http://ramana-maharshi.org
http://upadesha-saram.blogspot.com
http://ramanashramam.blogspot.com
http://kalki.benegal.org
http://geocities.com/sriramanashramam/

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Sri Arunachala Pancharatna

श्री अरुणाचल पंचरत्न (Sri Arunachala Pancharatna)
by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
(pls select character-encoding UTF-8 in your browser to see devanagri text)

भूमिका (Preface)
हृदयकुहरमध्ये केवलम् ब्रह्ममात्रम्
ह्यहमिति साक्षादात्मरूपेण भाति ।
हृदिविश मनसा स्वम् चिन्वता मज्जता वा,
पवनचलनरोघादात्मनिष्ठो भवत्वम् ।।

In the interior of the cavity of the Heart, the One Supreme Being is
ever glowing with the self-conscious emanation 'I,I'. To realize Him,
enter the Heart with one-pointed mind, by quest within, or diving
deep, or control of breath and abide with the Self of self.

करुणापूर्ण सुधाब्धे, कबलितधनविश्वरूप किरणावल्या ।
अरुणाचल परमात्मन्नरुणोभव चित्तकञ्जसुविकासाय ।। १

(1) Ocean of nectar, full of grace, engulfing in (an?) entire universe
by successive waves of light, O Arunachala, the Supreme Self! Be Thou
the Sun and open the lotus of my heart in Bliss.

त्वय्यरुणाचल सर्वम् भूत्वा स्थित्वा प्रलीनमेतच्चित्रम् ।
हृद्यहमित्यात्मतया, नृत्यसि भोस्ते वदन्ति हृदयं नाम ।। २
(2) O Arunachala! In Thee the picture of the world is formed and has
its stay, and is dissolved; this is the sublime Truth. Thou art the
Inner Self, Who dancest in the Heart as 'I'. Heart is Thy name, O
Lord!

अहमिति कुत आयातीत्यन्विष्यान्तः प्रविष्टयाऽत्यमलधिया ।
अवगम्य स्वं रूपं, शाम्यत्यरुणाचल त्वयि नदीवाब्धौ ।। ३
(3) He who turns inwards with untroubled mind to search where the
consciousness of 'I' arises, realized the Self, and rests in Thee, O
Arunachala! as does a river when it joins the ocean.

त्यक्त्वा विषयं वाह्य, रूद्रप्राणेन रूद्रमनसान्तस्त्वाम् ।
ध्यायन्पश्यति योगी, दीधितिमरुणाचल त्वयि महियते ।। ४
(4) Abandoning the outer world, with mind and breath controlled, to
meditate on Thee within, the Yogi sees Thy Light, O Arunachala! and
finds his delight in Thee.

त्वयि अर्पित मनसा त्वां पश्यन् सर्वम् तवाकृतितया सततम् ।
भजतेऽनन्यप्रीत्या, स जयत्यरुणाचल त्वयि सुखे मग्नः ।। ५

(5) He who dedicates his mind in Thee, and seeing Thee always beholds
the universe as Thy forms, he who at all times glorifies Thee and
loves Thee as none other than the Self, he is the master without
rival, being one with Thee, O Arunachala! and lost in Thy Bliss.

(Please note: the book says "tyayyarpit", i assume it to be a mistake,
and the correct form to be "tvayyarpit". )

Source: Hymns to Sri Arunachala and Upadesha Saram.
Also see: Text version
(http://geocities.com/sriramanashramam/text/sri_arunachala_pancharatna.txt)

The source book has several mistakes in Sanskrit and English, most of
which have carried over into <this soft-copy. If you notice errors,
please point them out so they may be rectified.

Parinirvana

Parinirvana

When the Blessed One had passed away, simultaneously with his Parinibbana,
Brahma Sahampati (who originally requested the newly enlightened Buddha to teach the Dhamma to the world) spoke thus:

All must depart — all beings that have life
Must shed their compound forms. Yea, even one,
A Master such as he, a peerless being,
Powerful in wisdom, the Enlightened One, has passed away.

Sakka (the king of the gods in the Tavatimsa heaven) spoke:

Transient are all compounded things,
Subject to arise and vanish;
Having come into existence they pass away;
Good is the peace when they forever cease.

The Venerable Anuruddha spoke:

No movement of the breath, but with steadfast heart,
Free from desires and tranquil — so the sage
Comes to his end. By mortal pangs unshaken,
His mind, like a flame extinguished, finds release.

The Venerable Ananda spoke this stanza:

Then there was terror, and the hair stood up, when he,
The All-accomplished One, the Buddha, passed away.

Some bhikkhus, not yet freed from passion wept:

"Too soon has the Blessed One come to his Parinibbana! Too soon has the Happy One come to his Parinibbana! Too soon has the Eye of the World vanished from sight!"

But the bhikkhus who were freed from passion, mindful and clearly comprehending, reflected in this way:

"Impermanent are all compounded things. How could this be otherwise?"

The Venerable Anuruddha then addressed the bhikkhus, saying:

"Enough, friends! Do not grieve, do not lament! For has not the Blessed One declared that with all that is dear and beloved there must be change, separation, and severance? Of that which is born, come into being, compounded and subject to decay, how can one say: 'May it not come to dissolution!'? The deities, friends, are aggrieved."

Please also see the plight of Ananda

ananda – Fri, 10/02/2006 – 5:27am

Harmony in Underlying reality

In truth I say to you that within this fathom-high body, with its thoughts and perceptions, lies the world and the rising of the world and the ceasing of the world and the Way that leads to the extinction of rising and ceasing.
-- Gautam Buddha
What could be grander or more reassuring ? Here is confirmation from the highest source that we are more than this puny body-mind, more than a speck thrown into the vast universe by a capricious fate -- that we are no less than the sun and the moon and the stars and the great earth. Why if we already possess the world in fee simple, do we try to enlarge ourselves through possessions and power? Why are we "alone and afraid in a world I never made," at times self-pitying and mean, at other times arrogant and aggressive?

It is because our image of ourselves and our relation to the world is a false one. We are deceived by our limited five senses which convey to us a picture of a dualistic world of self-and-other, of things separated and isolated, of pain and struggle, birth and extinction, killed and being killed.
...
For if we could see beyond the everchanging forms into the underlying reality, we would realize in essence there is nothing but harmony and unity and stability, and that this perfection is no different from the phenomenal world of incessant change and transformation.

Philip Kapleau in Introduction of Zen Keys by Thich Nhat Hanh

ananda – Thu, 09/02/2006 – 5:35pm

Teachings

Be Unclutched - Be Free

by Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda, March 2, 2006 Economic Times

Your entire belief in rationality and logic is based on the premise that your thinking is sequential and it follows a pattern. This is a lie.

The buddhists say that the mind is a monkey. That's very true. Your thoughts are not sequential. Your thoughts are independent of each other. They are not connected. They are illogical and irrational. They are like the bubbles in a fish tank which appear connected; but there is no connection between one bubble and another. They are all independent.

Just try this. For a few minutes, truthfully, write down all your thoughts as they occur to you. When you read what you have written again, it will appear to you that what you have written is a madman's diary. Nothing will be connected, nothing will seem logical.

You would have jumped from past to present, from future to past, all with no logical connection whatsoever.

It is only when you link thoughts to one another, when you try and provide a logical and rational sequence to thoughts with the help of your mind, you invite suffering. The pleasurable experiences or painful experiences that you had 10 years ago, five years ago, two years ago and yesterday and today are all independent of each other.

They are unconnected. Yet you try and fit them in a pattern and then expect that pattern to repeat. This expectation leads to disappointment and all suffering.

Each thought that you have comes after another only when you have renounced the first one. Unless you renounce the thought of sitting you cannot stand up. Unless you renounce the thought of standing you can not walk.

This tendency to link thoughts and form a pattern is what creates your value systems and beliefs, your samskaras, the root cause of all your problems.

It is the pattern that the mind weaves and not the ground reality that you experience that drives your life. Connected thoughts are the foundation of all illusions and suffering. Once you drop the connection between thoughts you can go the source of thoughts, the truth of who you are, where you come from.

When you drop the connection between thoughts, you will then realise the futility of that connection except in causing you suffering.

When you realise that thoughts arise in you at random and not in any sequence and are always unconnected, you then drop into the present. You become unclutched, you become free. You then regain your Self.

Editor: this article is highly excerpted from a talk or book of Sri Nithyananda and is typically meant for lay readers.

ananda – Fri, 03/03/2006 – 8:24am

Teachings – nithyananda

The Master is within

I Am Thou (Jan 10th, 1939)

A certain lady was singing a devotional song. It said among other things:

"You are my father and my mother, You are my friend and companion,
You are knowledge and wealth
You are everything, You are God i," and so on.

Sri Bhagavan remarked with a smile, "Yes, Yes, You are this, that and everything except 'I'. Why not say 'I am You' and finish it?"

Tags:RamanaMaharshi | acalayoga

(Jan 10th, 1939 Talks P 581)

ananda – Wed, 22/02/2006 – 4:54am

ramana – reminiscence – humor

ananda's blog – printer friendly page – 130 reads

Self realization

Self-realization: It is worth seeking for. It is worth striving for. It is worth making a mission of existence on this planet for.

We are not on this planet to become educated, to get things, to make money, to dress up the physical body, to acquire property, to feed ourselves. We are on this planet for the realization of the Self, for that one thing, to go within ourselves. That is why we have come to this planet, and we will keep coming back through the process of reincarnation, time and time and time again, until that awareness grows up into a great big ball, where it is strong enough to move through the rarefied areas of the mind -- if we are comparing awareness to a ball, from a ping-pong ball, to a volleyball, to a beach ball -- and finally we are just there.

— Merging with Siva

The Master is within (August 17, 1938)

The Master is not outside you as you seem to imagine. He is within you, is in fact the Self. Recognize this truth. Seek within you and find Him there. Then you will have constant communion with Him. The message is always there; it is never silent; it can never forsake you; nor can you ever move away from the Master.

Your mind is outgoing. Because of the tendency it sees objects as being outside and the Master among them. But the truth is different. The Master is the Self. Turn the mind within and you will find the objects within. You will also realize that it is the Master who is your very Self and there is nothing but Him.

Because you identify yourself with the body you have accepted objects as being outside you. But are you the body? You are not. You are the Self. There are all the objects and the whole universe. Nothing can escape the Self. How then can you move away from your Master who is your very Self? Similarly you can never be without the Master.
...

Is there any moment when you have not realized the Self? Can you ever be apart from the Self? You are always That.

August 17, 1938 (p 504 Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi)
Tags: RamanaMaharshi

Arunachala

The power of the name Arunachala was once directly confirmed by Sri Bhagavan . In 1948, a certain devoteei came to him from Bombay, and with him he brought a notebook in which he had written the name ' Arunachala Siva' many thousands of times. On the last page of this notebook the devotee wrote a prayer to the following effect, 'O Bhagavan, in the life of Sarada Devi (the wife of Sri Ramakrishna) it is written that she has said that if even an animal dies in Kasi it will attain liberation. Therefore, graciously bestow upon be the boon of death in Kasi.' and gave the notebook to Sri Bhagavan.
Bhagavan looked through the notebook and when he came to the last page he read out loud the devotee's prayer: at once he expressed the greatest surprise and exclaimed, 'Smaranat Arunachalam!'
The words 'Smaranat Arunachalam' mean 'by remembering Arunachala', and they occur in the very same Sanskrit verse that says that by dying in Kasi one will attain liberation. Bhagavan then turned to the revolving bookcase by his side and took out a book, probably the Arunachala Mahatmyam. Opening it as if at random, he read out a sentence in Tamil that said, 'One ''Arunachala'' is equal power to one crore ''Om Nama Sivaya''' .

'Om Nama Sivaya' is believed by Saivas all over India to be the most sacred and powerful mantra. After reading out a few other portions of this book that emphasized the unique greatness and power of Arunachala, Sri Bhagavan finally laid it aside and explained to the devotee that not everyone can see Chidambaram, not everyone can be born in Tiruvarur, and not everyone can die in Kasi, but anyone and everyone can think of Arunachala from wherever they may be, and thereby they will surely attain liberation.

"Arunachala, where true knowledge can be acquired without rituals, book learning or elaborate religious injunctions; where even an ignorant person can gain enlightenment by smearing on the forehead sacred ash; where all residents overcome obstacles and obtain the supreme knowledge without conscious effort.

bq. "Thus, just thinking about Arunachala purifies the mind. Likewise, the sight of the mountain purifies the eyes, to speak of it purifies the tongue, and to hear about it purifies the ears. The Supreme Being abides on this earth in the form of Arunachala. The moment one sees it, ignorance is destroyed."

-Swami Annamalai, referring to references to Arunachala from ancient vedic texts

Swami Anamali was Bhagavan's private aid for many years and builder of many ashram buildings. He found his enlightenment with Ramana Maharshi.

Question: What is the significance of Arunachala? Last night there were so many people going around the hill!

Answer: It is not an ordinary hill. It is spirituality Itself. It has a powerful, magnetic pull to the Self. Seekers who come to this place with the intention of realizing the Self will have untold benefits to do pradakshina on a full moon. There is water everywhere under the ground, but there are some places where it is easier to get to. Likewise, the Self is everywhere; there is no place that is without it, but it is also true that there are certain places, certain people, around which the presence of the Self can be more easily felt. In the proximity of this holy hill the presence of the Self is more powerful and more self-evident than anywhere else. Indian mythology speaks of a wish-fulfilling tree. If you find this tree and tell it what you want, your wish will be granted. Arunachala also has this reputation. This is why so many people come here on a full moon night and walk around it. But very few people come here and ask for their complete freedom, for undisturbed peace. All beings are ultimately searching for undisturbed peace, so it is surprising how few people ask directly for it.

Question: Is it faithi in Arunachala that produces results, or is there some inherent power that is independent of my belief in it?

Answer: Arunachala is a light. It shines whether or not you believe in it. It is the light of the Self, and the light of the Self will continue to shine on you whether you believe it or not.

Question: Is Arunachala the only place that is like this, or are there other places? I have heard there are some very powerful places in India and the Himalayas.

Answer: Bhagavan himself said that Arunachala is greater than all other religious places. There are other holy, powerful places in the world, but none have the power of Arunachala. Bhagavan has continued to write about this. There is a huge amount of shakti, or spiritual energy, here. We can take as much as we want, but no matter how much we take, the original amount is never diminished. Even before Bhagavan came here, there were innumerable sages who discovered the power of Arunachala's liberation for themselves. Many came here, realized the Self and attributed their realization to the power and grace of the mountain. Bhagavan always maintained that the power of this mountain was not a matter of belief. He said that if you sit in the shade of a tree, whether or not you believe in the shade, it is a physical fact. He said, "If you go around this hill enough times, it will give you grace, even if you do not want it."

Contributed by a friend, Linda, source: ('Letters from Sri Ramanasramam' by Suri Nagamma, Letter 64)

See also: pradakshina
Tags:RamanaMaharshi

Significance of Pradakshina

It is very auspicious to walk around God i. One can create satsang by thinking of Arunachala, and silently walking or turning in a clockwise direction, around themselves, a room, building, the block.

We cannot draw a circle without a centre point. The Lord is the centre, source and essence of our lives. Recognising Him as the focal point in our lives, we go about doing our daily chores. This is the significance of pradakshina. Also every point on the circumference of a circle is equidistant from the centre. This means that wherever or whoever we may be, we are equally close to the Lord.

His grace flows towards us without partiality.

By seeing Chidambaram, by being born in Tiruvarur, by dying in Kasi, or by merely thinking of Arunachala, one will surely attain Liberation. The supreme knowledge (Self-knowledge), the import of Vedanta, which cannot be attained without great difficulty, can easily be attained by anyone who sees the form of this hill from wherever it is visible or who even thinks of it by mind from afar.

( Verse from the Arunachala Mahatmyamis that Sri Bhagavan selected and translated into Tamil. )

In the second verse of Sri Arunachala Navamanimalai, Sri Bhagavan has explained the meaning of each syllable in the name Arunachala and he has declared that mere thought of this name will bestow liberation. From this we can infer that Arunachala is the jnana-panchakshari, the five-syllable mantra that bestows jnana.

Bhagavan's explanation in "Talks", on 19th June 1936:

Maharshi observed: Pradakshina (the Hindu rite of going round the object of worship) is "All is within me." The true significance of the act of going round Arunachala is said to be as effective as circuit round the world. That means that the whole world is condensed into this Hill. The circuit round the temple of Arunachala is equally good; and self-circuit (i.e., turning round and round) is as good as the last.

So all are contained in the Self. Says the Ribhu Gita: "I remain fixed, whereas innumerable universes becoming concepts within my mind, rotate within me. This meditation is the highest circuit (pradakshina)."

In "Bhagavan Sri Ramana: A pictorial biography" published by Sri V.S.Ramanan, there is another explanation offered too (page 43):

To go around this hill is good. In the word pradakshina the letter 'pra' stands for removal of all kinds of sins; 'da' stands for fulfilling desires; 'kshi ' stands for freedom from future births; '*na8' stands for giving deliverance through Jnana.
-Sri Bhagavan.

One morning last May, Sundaresa Iyer, who used to bring food to Bhagavan while in Virupaksha cave by going about abegging came and bowed before Him. Bhagavan asked him, "Did you go round the hill by way of pradakshina?"

"No," said the devoteei.

Looking at me, Bhagavan said, "Last night when people were going out for giri pradakshina because of the moonlight, he also started to go. But he felt he could not complete the round. When they were starting out after telling me, he went round me quickly. When I asked him why he did so, he said, 'I am afraid I cannot go round the hill. So I have gone round Bhagavan.' 'Go round yourself. That will be Atman i i pradakshina,' I said,"

So saying, Bhagavan began laughing.

Submitted by a friend, Linda

See also: Arunachala
Tags:RamanaMaharshi

Teachings – ramana

Wherever you may be, you cannot leave ME.

Selfless Devotion

Here is what the classic work Tripura Rahasya (aka Haritaayana Samhita ) says about the power of Selfless Devotion.

"Surrender yourself directly and unhesitatingly to him. He will ordain the best for you and you need not ask for it.

51-59. "Among the methods of approach to God i, there are (1) worship to overcome troubles, (2) worship to gain wealth, etc., and (3) loving dedication of oneself. The last one is the best and surest in its results.

"In practical life too, a chief entreated by a man in trouble duly affords him relief. The man is however unhelped if he has not shown proper attention to the patron. So also the service born of ambition, bears indeterminate and limited fruits according to its intensity. Devoted service with no ulterior motive takes a long time to be recognised; yet it makes even the petty chief amiable. A human master may take long to recognise unselfish work; but God, the Lord of the universe, the Dweller in our hearts, knows everything and soon bestows appropriate fruits. In the case of other kinds of devotees, God has to await the course of destiny - that being His own ordainment; whereas for the selfless devoteei, God, the Lord and the sole Refuge, is all in all and takes care of him without reference to the devotee's predestiny or His own ordained laws. He compensates the devotee quickly, and that is because He is supreme and self-contained without depending on anything else.

ananda – Thu, 30/03/2006 – 8:45am

Wherever you may be, you cannot leave ME.

Its uncanny - how everyday i open the book, Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, and i always land on a page that has something very relevant to my state/thoughts/circumstances.

So I am off to Ramanashram for the first time in this life (reaching on Feb 26, 2006)! All excited about being closer to the Presence of my beloved Master. And this is what He tells me last night:

March 10, 1938

You do not go anywhere away from the Presence as you imagine. The Presence is everywhere. The body moves from place to place; yet it does not leave the one Presence. So no one can be out of
sight of the Supreme Presence. Since you identify one body with Sri Bhagavan and another body with yourself, you find two separate entities and speak of going away from here.

Wherever you may be, you cannot leave ME.

To illustrate it: The pictures move on the screen in a cinema show; but does the screen itself move? No. The Presence is the screen: you, I, and others are the pictures. The individuals may move but not the Self.

Ananda: i shall be off for 2 weeks, returning on March 12, 2006, just in time to celebrate the festival of Holi with my relatives. Thus, no updates on this site till March 14th or so. Please remember, beloved Reader, that the master is within

ananda

Abide in your Guru

Know Yourself

You will have that peace and quietude only when you know yourself, when you have that intimate knowledge "you are." You know you are. How did it happen to be with what you are? Because of what are you? What is the cause of it? Find out all that.

Right here and now, drop your identity with the body and sit still. Just drop this body like a discarded garment; drop also the identity with the name. And now you tell me about yourself. Whatever you are is most appropriate — that greatest principle that you are, about which you cannot give any information. But you are.

— Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

admin – Thu, 09/02/2006 – 8:27am

admin's quotes – 37 reads

abide in your Guru

When a guru is really a jnani — that is, one who has realized himself — you should abide in him. When such a guru guides or directs a disciple, no spiritual technique is necessary. There was a time when Arjuna also was not doing any spiritual practice. All the armies were in the battle area, and the horses were ready to rush at the enemy. What time was available for Arjuna to practice? He just listened and accepted whatever Krishna told him, and that was all he needed to get realization. Arjuna reached the goal through his right attitude and because his guru, Krishna, was realized.

— Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

admin – Thu, 09/02/2006 – 8:25am

admin's quotes – 31 reads

QA with Nisargadatta Maharaj

Q: You are aware of eternity, therefore you are not concerned with survival.

M: It is the other way round. Freedom from all desire is eternity. All attachment implies fear, for all things are transient. And fear makes one a slave. This freedom from attachment does not come with practice; it is natural, when one knows one's true being. Love does not cling; clinging is not love.

Q: So there is no way to gain detachment?

M: There is nothing to gain. Abandon all imaginings and know yourself as you are. Self knowledge is detachment. All craving is due to a sense of insufficiency. When you know that you lack nothing, that all there is, is you and yours, desire ceases.

Q: To know myself must I practise awareness?

M: There is nothing to practise. To know yourself, be yourself. To be yourself, stop imagining yourself to be this or that. Just be. Let your true nature emerge. Don't disturb your mind with seeking.

Q: It will take much time if I just wait for self realization.

M: What have you to wait for when it is already here and now? You have only to look and see. Look at your self, at your own being. You know that you are and you like it. Abandon all imagining, that is all. Do not rely on time. Time is death. Who waits -- dies. Life is now only. Do not talk to me about past and future they exist only in your mind.

I Am That, p248, Give up all and you gain all. See I Am That. Also see biography

ananda – Tue, 07/02/2006 – 2:01pm

Teachings – nisargadatta – reality

ananda's blog – 203 reads

One, seen as many

That One alone, the Self of all Beings,
abides in all created things.
Although One..
It is seen as many,
like the moon in water.

— Amritabindu Upanishad

ananda – Tue, 07/02/2006 – 5:27am

ananda's quotes – 33 reads

the highest truth

'The highest Truth... is realising that,
'there is neither destruction, nor production;
neither one who is bound by the fetters of existence,
nor one who has perfected release from them;
indeed, there is neither a seeker after Liberation,
nor one who is liberated.'

— Amritabindu Upanishad

ananda – Tue, 07/02/2006 – 5:24am

ananda's quotes – 35 reads

Your mind is not you

Your mind is yours, it is not you. Let the mind suffer or experience. Don't suffer or experience with it.

— Anonymous

ananda – Tue, 07/02/2006 – 5:19am

ananda's quotes – 20 reads

Self-Realization

Self Realization

What is self-realization?

Self-realisation - simply means 'remaining as your-Self', that is consciousness devoid of identity with form. This false identity with form is the result of thought and when thought stops (as in deep sleep) you remain as 'the Self', but in this case it is in ignorance.

The purpose of 'Self-enquiry' is to stop thought consciously and to remain fully aware of your thought-free nature - to become absorbed in it, to be it permanently. This state is referred to as The Light, Pure Spirit, Being, Nirvana, Jnana, Self, Supreme Consciousness, Samadhi, Mukti and various other terms. It is not alien to anyone and every genuine 'Teacher of Humanity' has pinpointed this as the supreme goal.

- courtesy source

‘Liberation is the extinction of the ego which inquires
‘With form, without form, or with and without form?’”

Verse 40 above is from “The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi”

Liberation

Liberation is the extinction of the ego that inquires.

Liberation is the extinction of the ego.

Liberation is the extinction of the ego that speculates about what liberation is or is not.

Liberation is the extinction of the ego that wonders
if the experience it has had is liberation or not.

Liberation is the extinction of the ego that imagines the Self has parts or qualities
or aspects or form.

Liberation is the end of the ego that experiences.

Liberation is the end of experience.

Liberation is the end of the experiencer.

What is the end of the spiritual search, and who has saved himself
according to Sri Ramana Maharshi?

The end of the ego-illusion is the end of the spiritual search
according to Sri Ramana Maharshi.

According to Sri Ramana Maharshi, only the death of the ego,
never to return, can be called liberation.

What does the end of the ego-illusion mean, and what is that experience like
according to Sri Ramana Maharshi?

Is the perception of a liberated sage walking, eating, talking, etc.
created by the state of the perceiver who is still under the ego illusion,
or does a liberated sage have a perception of walking, talking, eating, etc.?

According to both Sri Ramana Maharshi
the perception of a sage talking, walking, eating etc.
is due to the state of the one who is perceiving it.

According to Sri Ramana Maharshi,
all worlds, all universes, all beings, etc. are a delusion produced by the ego-illusion.

The Self, according to Sri Ramana Maharshi, is just Infinite empty Awareness
that has no world, no universes, no beings, etc.
and also no perception of a universe, or beings, or bodies, etc.

See

Please also refer bhagavanramana.blogspot.com

What is reality?

Reality must be always real. It is not with forms and names. That which underlies these is the Reality. It underlies limitations, being itself limitless. It is not bound. It underlies unrealities, itself being real.
Reality is that which is. It is as it is.
It transcends speech, beyond the expressions, e.g., existence, non-existence, etc.

- As spoken by Bhagavan on January 19th, 1936

Reality is Formless empty awareness, with no borders or boundaries.
It has no name.
In the illusion it is called by many names, one of which is the Self.

Regarding sages like Sri Ramana Maharshi:

There is no name called Sri Ramana in the Self.
There is no body called Sri Ramana in the Self.
No words have been or ever will be spoken in the Self.
No bodies have been or ever will be perceived in the Self.
No beings have been or ever will be perceived in the Self.
No universes have been or ever will be perceived in the Self.
The appearance of a world, or a body, or a universe, or a word,
or a thought, or a sage, is a non-existent illusion that has never happened,
and never will happen.

Words of Bhagavan Ramana