Crumbs from His Table
Life-breath is the real meaning of the word ‘life’ whereas the Self is also referred to as ‘life’ figuratively. Why do you seek your own ruin by identifying yourself with the perishable body composed of flesh, blood, bones, fat etc., notwithstanding the scriptural statement that the SELF is EXISTENCE, KNOWLEDGE AND BLISS? One who, disgusted with this body, the thing responsible for the interminable recurrence of births and deaths, is intent upon obtaining freedom, will look at this body with the same disgust as one who has unwittingly trodden on loathsome offal on the path.
Crumbs from His Table
In practice all this is adopted. But on ulti- mate enquiry, i.e., after reaching the goal, the method and means adopted are found to be themselves the goal. The Guru turns out ultimately to be God and God turns out to be your own real “Self “.
Crumbs from His Table
This does not mean salvation; such a condition is termed manolaya or temporary stillness of thought. Manolaya means concentration, temporarily arresting the movement of thoughts; as soon as this concentration ceases, thoughts, old and new, rush in as usual and even though this temporary lulling of mind should last a thousand years it will never lead to total destruction of thought, which is what is called salvation or liberation from birth and death. The practiser must therefore be ever on the alert and enquire within as to who has this experience, who realises its pleasantness. Failing this enquiry he will go into a long trance or deep sleep (Yoga nidra). Due to the absence of a proper guide at this stage of spiritual practice many have been deluded and fallen a prey to a false sense of salvation and only a few have, either by the merit of good acts in their previous births, or by extreme grace, been enabled to reach the goal safely.
Crumbs from His Table
You have come all the way to Tiruvannamalai for ekantavasam, and that in the immediate presence and vicinity of Ramana Bhagavan, yet you do not appear to have obtained that mental quiet; you now want to go elsewhere and from there you will desire to go to some other place. At this rate there will be no end to your travels. You do not realize that it is your mind that drives you in this manner. Control that first and you will be happy wherever you are. I do not know if you have read Swami Vivekananda’s lectures. It is my impression that he has somewhere told the story of a man trying to bury his shadow and finding that over every sod of earth he put in the grave he had dug for it, it only appeared again, so that it could never be buried. Such is the case of a person who tries to bury his thoughts. One must therefore attempt to get at the very bottom from which thought springs and root out thought, mind and desire.
Crumbs from His Table
There was once a Guru who had eight disciples. One day he desired them all to make a copy of his teachings from a notebook he had kept. One of them, who had lived an easy-going life before renouncing the world, could not make a copy for himself. He, therefore, paid a couple of rupees to a fellow disciple and requested him to make a copy for him also. The Guru examined the copy books one day and, noticing two books in the same handwriting, asked the disciples for an explanation. Both the writer and the one on whose behalf it was written told the truth about it. The Master commented that, though speaking the truth was an essential quality of a spiritual aspirant, yet that alone would not carry one to one’s goal but that sraddha (earnestness of purpose) was also necessary and since this had not been exhibited by the disciple who had entrusted his own labour to another he was disqualified from discipleship.
Crumbs from His Table
In the early hours of 14th September, 1935, at 4 a.m., the writer was not able to obtain the usual internal quiet. He therefore mentally remonstrated with Sri Bhagavan that He had not showered His grace on him and that was why he was not able to consistently maintain his equanimity of mind. At that moment, however, he heard the still small voice within saying, “if you feel disappointed you had better come back to me.”
