the mountain pat

72 Pages·2011·11.67 MB·English

THE MOUNTAIN PAT
those
»Arunachala!
Hast Thou not bartered
cunningly Thyself for me
(for my individuality is
lost) ? Oh, Thou art death
(A QUARTERLY)
to me, Arunachala !
" Arunachala 1 Thou dost root out the ego of those who
—The Marital Garland
meditate on Thee in the heart, Oh Arunachala I "
of Letters, verse 62
—The Marital Garland of Letters, versa 1.
Vol. 16 APRIL 1979 No. II
Publisher :
T. N. Venkataraman,
President, Board of Trustees,
CONTENTS
Sri Ramanasramam,
Page
Tiruvannamalai.
EDITORIAL : What is Tapas ? . . 69
* At the Feet of Bhagavan Ramana —
Reminiscences-2 — Viswanatha Swami .. 73
Putting out the Fire — Jeannette Kilkus 76
Ramana Maharshi and the Availability of
Editorial Board:
Self-Realisation — Douglas E. Harding 77
Sri Viswanatha Swami Look of Compassion — Joan Greenblatt 80
Sri Ronald Rose Holding on to the '1 AM ' Consciousness
— Ruth Toner . . 81
Prof. K. Swaminathan
The Maharshi's Mission
Dr. K. Subramanian
— Dr. M. Sadashiva Rao 86
Sri M. C. Subramanian
The Knowledge — Ira 88
Sri Ramamani Home-Coming — Matthew Greenblatt . . 90
Glory of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi 91
Reminiscences — Sadhu Brahmaniam 94
Ml
Swami Ramanananda Saraswati
•— M. V. Krishnan 97
Managing Editor : The Flow — Swami Ram Tirtha 99
Stillness — Wei Wu Wei . . 100
V. Ganesan,
How I came to Sri Bhagavan
Sri Ramanasramam,
— Lucy Cornelssen . . 101
Tiruvannamalai. Garland of Guru's Sayings — Sri Muruganar
— Tr. by Prof. K. Swaminathan . . 103
* A Day with the Sage of Arunachala
— T. S. Narayanaswami .. 105
The Tree of Life
— Lama Anagarika Govinda . . 106
Annual Subscription :
Bhagavan's Grip — Atyam Suryam . . 108
INDIA R*. 10 The Sannidhi of Sri Bhagavan
FOREIGN £ 2.00 $ 4.00 — G. Ramaswami Filial ... 110
Talks with Mr. Wu ! — Wei Wu Wei . Ill
Life Subscription :
Rt. 125 £ 25.00 $ 50
The Arunachala Hill picture in the cover page was
Single Copy :
drawn by Sri Bhagavan Himself.
Rs. 2.75 £ 0.60 $ 1.25
CONTENTS — (Contd.)
Page
Sage-Philosopher, Bhagavan Sri Ramana
(A QUARTERLY)
Maharshi — Atmananda 112
Delight of Sat Sangha — Evelyn Kaselow 114
The aim of thia journal is to »et
Introducing . . . Mrs. Rode Mac Iver 116
forth the traditional wisdom of all
Book Reviews 118
religions and all ages, especially
Ashram Bulletin 127
as testified to by their saints and
mystics, and to clarify the paths
Contributors arc requested to give the exact data available to seekers in the condi
as far as possible for quotations used, i.e. source tions of our modem world.
and page number, and also the meaning if from
another language. It would simplify matters. Arti
cles should not exceed 10 pages.
All remittances should be sent to the MANAGING
Contributions for publication
EDITOR and not to the Editor.
should be addressed to The Editor,
— Editor.
The Mountain Path, Sri Ramanas-
ramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil
Nadu. They should be in English
To Our Subscribers and typed with double spacing.
Contributions not published will be
returned on request.
1. The official year of the quarterly is from January
to December.
2. SUBSCRIBERS IN INDIA should remit their annual
subscription by Money Order only as far as possible and not
The editor is not res%>onsible for
by cheque. The words 4 subscription for The Mountain Path
statements and opinions contained
for year/years' should be written on the M.O.
in signed articles.
coupon and the full name and address written in BLOCK
LETTERS on the reverse of the coupon.
Life Subscription should be sent by cheque drawn
favouring The Mountain Path and crossed.
The journal will not be sent by V.P.P.
No payment is made for contri
3. FOREIGN SUBSCRIBERS can send their subscrip butions published. Anything herein
tion by International Money Order, British Postal Order or published may be reprinted else
by Bank cheque or draft payable in India, U.S.A. or U.K. where without fee provided due
The subscription rates are for despatch of the journal acknowledgement is made and the
by surface mail to all parts of the world. editor is previously notified.
If despatch by AIR MAIL is desired the following
additional annual amount should be remitted :
AIR-MAIL SURCHARGE
Contributions arc accepted only
£ $ on condition that they do not
I. Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, appear elsewhere before being pub
Philippines, Singapore, Pakistan, lished in The Mountain Path. They
Ceylon . . 1 . 00 2.00 can be published later elsewhere
II. Austria, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, but only with acknowledgement to
Czechoslovakia, West Germany, The Mountain Path.
Italy, Greece, Japan, Netherlands,
East and South Africa, Egypt,
France, Great Britain, Sweden .. 2.00 4.00
III. North, Central and South America, THE MOUNTAIN PATH
Canada, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii 2.50 5.00
is dedicated to
(All the above surcharges are ovor and above the annual
subscription.) Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi

The Mountain Path
Vol. 16. No. II, April 1979
EDITORIAL
WHAT IS TAP AS?
'JpHE word tapas has been variously trans benefactors, and tapas as the restoration of
lated as austerity, penance, ascetic prac normal health and power of functioning to the
tice, discipline of the mind and body, and body, after thoughtless indulgence. Hurting
so on. The aim of the exercise may be the and torturing the body is as much a slavery
attainment of any end, but as a spiritual to it as pampering and indulgence. The body
sadhana the goal can only be the realization is a field to cultivate, an instrument of ser
of the inner Reality. The root meaning of vice, a temple for the spirit, a steed to train
the word tapas is melting or wholesome and use aright. Do not let the senses roam
warmth conducive to sustained life and at will and do not flog the poor body to
growth. Though the immediate aim may death. For the harmonious control of the
appear in many and various forms, like the body and the senses, of speech and mind,
acquisition of superhuman power or the ful verses 14-17 of Chapter 17 of the Gita pro
filment of a wellnigh impossible wish, the vide the clearest and most efficacious pres
ultimate goal for the selfless aspirant can only cription :
be Self-realization, the total identity with the
Worship of the gods, the regenerate, the
atman in oneself and in all beings, the trans
Guru and the wise, purity, straightforward
cendental bliss of Being-Awareness.
ness, brahmacharya {continence), and non
The first step in true tapas is detachment injury, these constitute the external aspect
from obsession with the body. Hence of tapas.
mortification of the flesh has unfortunately Speech which does not cause excitement,
been too often mistaken for tapas. Self-dis which is truthful, agreeable and beneficial,
cipline certainly begins with mastery of the and the study of the scriptures and the
body and the senses, but it is doing damage practice of japa constitute the tapas of
to the body rather than disciplining it to stand speech.
for long periods on one leg with one arm
Cheerfulness, serenity, silence, self-res
uplifted or to lie for days together on a bed
traint and purity of heart constitute the
of spikes. All such mortification of the body
tapas of the mind.
is tamasic.
These three forms of tapas, performed
Yajna has been defined as restoration to with supreme faith without any desire for
Nature of what we take from her in the ordi fruit are declared sattvic.
nary course of living; dana as the restoration Tapas for mere show is rajasic and iapas
to society of what we have received in ample which is self-mortification or intended to
measure from our parents, teachers and other injure others is tamasic,
70 THE MOUNTAIN PATH April
Once the programme of sattvic tapasya as out entanglements and surplusage. Brahma
prescribed above is undertaken, self-control charya conserves the energy thus released and
becomes as easy as the regular breathing of a utilizes it for the spiritual quest. Faith,
healthy person. The renunciation of purpose which is not loyalty to something known or
less action, of irrelevant or hurtful speech, and clinging to some memory of the past, but the
of distracting thoughts, becomes effortless. courage to confront the unknown, the ever-
With mind fixed on the Light within, renun fresh, rejects in its totality the past and faces
ciation of outer objects springs, spontaneous the future in its freshness. Faith creates and
like a flower, from the wholeness of one's does not merely repeat.
being. Such tapas is not enforced suppres In his interpretation of the third chapter of
sion of desire by the exercise of will, but the Taittiriya Upanishad (the dialogue bet
the sublimation of a baser into a nobler yearn ween the Sage Varuna and his son Bhrigu),
ing. Once the mind is attuned to buddhi, the Rohit Mehta makes the bold suggestion that
higher intellect, rather than to the senses, dis the Upanishad takes us step by step from the
cipline becomes a natural way of life, not a stage of the householder, who has to preserve
deliberate exercise. The mind becomes tran the heritage of the past, through the ashrama
quil and ceases to wander. Mouna then, is of the forest-dweller, the Vanaprastha, who
positive, dynamic stillness, not a willed avoid has to mediate between the freedom of
ance of speech. It is not only the tongue but moksha and the discipline of dharma and
the mind that ceases to chatter. The inner lay down the yugadharma, the current version
stillness, the mental mouna, can be so pro of Sandtana dharma, and thence on to san-
found that even japa, the hypnotic rhythm nyasa, the stage of complete renunciation and
of repeated mantra, merges in the silence of creative awareness, which brings the light and
ajapa. energy of the timeless to modify while yet
preserving the continuity of a great tradition.
Manu defines tapas succinctly as concentra Nadee vegena suddhyati (Movement keeps
tion of the mind and senses, and recommends the river pure). The dharma is sanatana
it as the supreme virtue, greater than all other because it keeps changing. It is the banks
virtues. In the Prasnopanishad when Bhaga- that ensure the flow of the river. The sdstrds
van Pippalada is approached by six aspirants may shift the banks from time to time with
for instruction, he advises them to spend a out obstructing the flow of the river. But
year in tapas, brahmacharya and shraddha the sdstrds derive their sanction from the
(austerity, purity and faith). Here it is to be insights and utterances of the Sages.
noted that he agrees to enlighten them " if
The Sages are persons whose tapas, if any,
he knew what they wanted to know." The
is over and done with but who assure us of
expression of humility here on the sage's part
the availability of moksha and at the same
is indeed charming. The idea behind the in
time enjoin on us the performance of tapas
junction is that any serious enquiry can begin
to increase our eligibility for it. It is in this
only when the mind has been duly prepared
sense, indicated by Bhagavan Pippalada and
to frame the right question which alone can
Manu, that we have to understand tapas.
elicit the right answer, though this answer may
When Bhrigu approached his father Varuna
or may not be amenable to formulation in
for Brahmajnana the Sage told him to realize
words.
Brahman by tapas, giving him the general
Tapas then serves to release mental energy, definition of Brahman as "that from which
by sorting out the essential from the non everything is manifested, that in which all
essential. It helps to reject, deny and cast things have their existence, and that in which
1979 WHAT IS TAP AS ? 71
they all get finally dissolved." It is worth do. On a superficial view, it may be said
noting that Varuna tells Bhrigu that ultima that Gandhiji was no match for the highly
tely tapas itself is Brahman : Tapb Brahma. intelligent and very well prepared politicians
Accepting this definition of tapas as itself and diplomats, both English and Indian, who
being Brahman, Bhrigu proceeds on his quest surrounded him at the Conference. But he
and gradually step by step by sustained medi touched the hearts of the people and moved
tation he passes over the physical, vital, the best British minds by an appeal to their
mental and intellectual planes and arrives at hearts rather than to facts and reason. His
the non-dual bliss of pure awareness and tapas was more effective than his arguments.
reaches the final goal of his search. The
Tapas amounts to breaking through the
Upanishad assures us that Bhrigu attained this
thought-barrier so that the individual mind
realization by following the instruction of his
emptied of its contents functions as a channel
father and master Varuna, Bhargavi Varuni
through which the universal mind flows with
vidya.
its own immense power. This is how Shanti
The idea of tapas pervades the whole of is converted into Shakti and the Karmayogi,
our culture. Perhaps the most popular of all renouncing love of power, begins to utilize
our classics, Valmiki's Ramayana, begins the power of love.
with the words tapas and svadhyydya, con
centration of mind and study of the scriptures. Real greatness shines forth only on the
These two, meditation and study, are the disappearance of the petty ego and its labo
twin wings on which alone any aspirant can rious and calculated efforts. Truth revealed
engage in spiritual flight. itself to the rishis (seers) only when they
were totally absorbed within and oblivious of
No worth-while problem could be solved
their separate individuality. One need not
without one-pointed application of all one's
be a scholar. What is required is the earnest
energies, physical, mental and moral. As
search for the Truth, for Reality, and absence
Polanyi has pointed out in Personal Know
of all thought concerning the insignificant
ledge, the epoch-making discoveries of
individuality. In other words, the sine qua
modern science have occurred when the
non of success in all endeavours, and more
persons concerned were completely lost to the
particularly in the spiritual realm, is total
external world arid totally absorbed in the
loss of one's separate individuality in the
pursuit of truth along their chosen path.
fiery aspiration not so much to know as to
That is tapas. Gandhiji, going on his poli
be the Truth. The moth is content to feed
tical mission to Rajkot, says that he was
and be the flame.
unaware of even where he was going and
for what. It is in such a mood of complete In recent times we have an example of this
surrender that the most intricate problems self-immolation in Sri Ramakrishna Parama-
get solved spontaneously without the interfe hamsa. He was not a man of learning as we
rence of the individual mind. One notices generally count learning. It was only since
the same " self-abandonment to divine Provi rity and self-surrender that made him what
dence " in Gandhiji's attitude to his work at he was. He considered life not worth living
the Round Table Conference which he attend if he did not see face to face the ultimate
ed as the sole representative of the Indian Power moving the entire universe, which he
National Congress. He went to the Confe worshipped as Kali. Great scholars and
rence depending solely on the inspiration famous leaders of thought like Keshab
from within. He had no pre-arranged plan Chandra Sen deemed it a rare privilege to
or procedure regarding what he would say or sit at his feet and hear the inspired words
11 THE MOUNTAIN PATH April
of wisdom that fell from the lips of this un
assuming devotee of the Mother Divine.
SELF IS IMMORTAL
Narendranath, the young man bubbling with
vitality and keen in search of ultimate Truth,
"The idea that I am the body or the
was in the beginning something of a sceptic
mind, is so deep that one cannot get over
and resisted with all his might the Parama-
it even if convinced otherwise. One experi
hamsa's enchantment. He was on his guard ences a dream and knows it to be unreal
not to be overpowered by some psychic power on waking. Waking experience is unreal
emanating from the Paramahamsa. But later in other states. So each state contradicts
the others. They are therefore mere
he recognised the real worth of the Master
changes taking place in the seer, or phe
and became the mighty Vivekananda, his
nomena appearing In the Self, which is
ardent admirer and humble disciple. Some unbroken and remains unaffected by them.
what similar is the instance of Ganapati Just as the waking, dream and sleep states
are phenomena, so also birth, growth and
Muni, the scholar and genius of varied
death are phenomena in the Self. Birth
talents, accepting the Brahmana Swami on
and death are only ideas. They pertain
Arunachala as his guru and learning from him to the body or the mind. The Self exists
the method and meaning of real tapas. before the birth of this body and will
Watching the source of the '1 '-thought, remain after the death of this body. The
Self is immortal. The fear of death is
which is the source of all thoughts, is tapas,
of the body. Such fear is due to igno
according to Ramana Maharshi. Watching rance. Mortality is only an idea and
the source of the sound-vibration of a mantra cause of misery. You get rid of it by
also leads one to the still centre within, realising the Immortal nature of the Self."
Sri Ramana assures us. -« from TALKS p. 468.
Even after the first three years of total
Self-absorption, even after he began to talk
little by little with earnest aspirants, Bhaga empirical life. There need be no conflict
van Ramana was for many years mostly between the shanti of pure awareness and the
silent in the serene atmosphere of the Viru- shakti which inspires individual action and
paksha cave on Arunachala. This silence brings about soqial progress. This relation
was not deliberate restraint, but non-volitio between individual and society is well
nal freedom from all movements of the mind. brought out in Chapter 10 of Sri Ramana Gita.
The fragrance of this Silence of the Self The Silence arising on the blossoming of
spreads far and wide on the blossoming of the Heart prevails throughout even in the
the Heart. In the first of his Five Verses to midst of incessant activity. The last verse of
Arunachala, he prays, " Be Thou the Sun, O Upadesa Sara says that the unceasing scintil
Arunachala ! for the blossoming of the Heart." lation (sphurana) of the Self on the annihi
Verse 3 of Upadesa Sara which recom lation of the ego is the mightiest tapas.
mends disinterested action surrendered to the Aham-apetakam, Nija Vibhanakam
Lord as a good way leading on to moksha, Mahadidam Tapo Ramana-vagiyam
and verse 5, which prescribes appropriate That indeed is the last word on tapas. Ego
service of all living beings as forms of the less behaviour is both the means and the end
Lord, are the first steps in spiritual progress of the good life, whether it is deliberately
under modern conditions. They release pursued as a discipline or spontaneously
religious practices from the prison of ritual manifested as the light of the sun or the
ism into the wide open spaces of our ordinary fragrance of the flower.
IT THE FEET OF l!llt(iUi\ RIMMA
(Reminiscences—2)
By
Viswanatha Swami
jyjY
first darsan of Bhagavan Sri Ramana
was in January, 1921, at Skandashram,
which is on the eastern slope of Arunachala
and looks like the very heart of the majestic
Hill. It is a beautiful quiet spot with a few
cocoanut and other trees and a perennial
crystal-clear spring. Bhagavan was there as
the very core of such natural beauty.
I saw in him something quite arresting
which clearly distinguished him from all
others I had seen. He seemed to live apart
from the physical frame, quite detached from
it. His look and smile had remarkable spiri
tual charm. When he spoke, the words
seemed to come out of an abyss. One could
see immaculate purity and non-attachment
in him and his movements. I sensed some
thing very refined, lofty and sacred about
him. In his vicinity the mind's distractions
were overpowered by an austere and potent
calmness and the unique bliss of peace was
directly experienced. This I would call
Ramana Lahari, ' the blissful atmosphere of
Ramana '. In this ecstasy of grace one loses
one's sense of separate individuality and there
remains something grand and all-pervading,
Sri Viswanatha Swami all-devouring. This indeed is the spirit of
74 THE MOUNTAIN PAtti A pril
praise of Arunachala by Bhagavan, and songs
in praise of Bhagavan also. One morning
THE WIND
when he began a song with the refrain
"Ramana Satguru, Ramana Satguru, Ramana
By
Satguru Rdyane ". Bhagavan also joined in
Arthur Osborne
the singing. The devotee got amused and
I am a pipe the wind blows through: began to laugh at Bhagavan himself singing
Be still, it is the wind that sings! his own praise. He expressed his amuse
The course of my life and the things I do
ment, and Bhagavan replied. " What is extra
And the seeming false
ordinary about it ? Why should one limit
and the seeming true
Are the tune of the wind that neither knows Ramana to a form of six feet ? Is it not
Good and ill or joys and woes; the all-pervading Divinity that you adore
Yet the ultimate awe is deeper yet
when you sing 1 Ramana Satguru, Ramana
Than song or pipe or storm,
Satguru' ? Why should I not also join in
For pipe and tune are the formless wind
That seemed for a while to take form, the singing? We all felt lifted to Bhagavan's
And words are good to escape from words standpoint.
And strife to escape from strife,
But Silence drinks in all the waves
Of song and death and life. The inmates of the Ashram used to get up
at dawn and sing some devotional songs in
praise of Arunachala and Bhagavan Ramana
before beginning their day's work. Niranja-
Arunachala which swallows up the whole
nananda Swami told Bhagavan that I could
universe by its gracious effulgence.
recite hymns in Sanskrit, and Bhagavan look
ed at me expectantly. Seeing that it was
There were about ten devotees living with
impossible to avoid it, I recited a few verses
him there, including his mother and younger
in Sanskrit. When I had finished, Bhagavan
brother. One of them was Vallimalai Muru-
gently looked at me and said, " You have
gar, who for a while every morning sang the
learned all this. Not so, my case. I knew
Tamil songs of the Tirupugazh with great
nothing, had learned nothing before I came
fervour. These well-known songs, the remark
here. Some mysterious power took posses
able outpourings of the famous devotee,
sion of me and effected a thorough transfor
Sri Arunagirinatha, are songs in praise of
mation. Whoever knew then what was hap
Subrahmanya. When he sang, Bhagavan used
pening to me ? Your father, who was intend
to keep time (tala) by tapping with two small
ing in his boyhood to go to the Himalayas
sticks on the two rings of an iron brazier of
for tapas, has become the head of a big
live coal kept in front of him. Fumes of
family. And I, who knew nothing and plan
incense spread out in rolls from the brazier,
ned nothing, have been drawn and kept down
suffused with the subtle holy atmosphere of
here for good ! When I left home (in my
Bhagavan. While Bhagavan's hands were tap
seventeenth year), I was like a speck swept
ping at the brazier thus, his unfathomable
on by a tremendous flood. I knew not my
look of grace gave one a glimpse of the
body or the world, whether it was day or
beyond in silence. It was an unforgettable
night. It was difficult even to open my eyes
experience.
— the eyelids seemed to be glued down. My
There was also a devotee from Chidam body became a mere skeleton. Visitors pitied
baram, Subrahmanya Iyer, who often sang my plight as they were not aware how blissful
with great fervour TiruvUckdgam, hymns in I was. It was after years that I came across