David Godman's book is a collection of accounts by many devotees of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi who spent time with him during his lifetime. For those who are unfamiliar with Ramana Maharshi, he is an enlightened guru, who got enlightened through intense self-enquiry, by himself. Born in 1879 in Tamil Nadu he lost his father early, moved to Madurai and at 17, found a calling to Arunachala (the Thiruvanmalai town is built around the Arunachala mountain). He spent the rest of his life there, many years in individual practice and then as his devotees grew, came up the famous Ramanasramam at Thiruvanmalai. In this book we have accounts from his childhood friend Rangan, devotees Sivaprakasam Pillai, Akhilandamma, Sadhu Natananda, Swami Madhavatirtha, renowned Telugu author Chalam and his daughter Souris, and NR Krishnamurti Aiyer. As always, with such books there is nothing to review - merely nuggets that we seek to hold and make sense of.
Known famously for his one directive 'Who am I?', much of what is captured here is from what is quoted by the others in this book. Maharshi always tried to impress on people that what we see and feel through our senses is not real and who is feeling that is not the real you. Then the question becomes, who is the real you and how do you find that you.
'He who is without doubt is the real you.
The annihilation of mind alone is jnana.
As you go up you will see that all things are alike.
If you desire to know the supreme essence you must get rid of the attachment that takes the body out and then enquire 'who am I'
The entire world is a dream.
It is better to keep devotion a secret.
Unless a man annihilates his ego he cannot get realisation. One must lose the feeling that one is performing actions.
The jnana can leave his body whenever he likes.
Jnanis know all the aspects of time - past, present and future (this is a small matter to them). They know all that happens in the three states - dreaming, waking and deep sleep.
Be in Sahaja Nirvikalpa Samadhi while living in the world, be unattached to the world, while seeing everything be in a state of unseeing.
Nirvikalpa Samadhi is a trance like state where there is a temporary awareness of the self but no awareness of the body or the world.
The yearning for darshan matters more than the darshan itself.
The four sadhanas are 1) discrimination (or Viveka) between the eternal and the ephemeral 2) desirelessness (vairagya) towards various enjoyments of the world 3) yearning for liberation (mumukshutva) 4) practice of tranquility (sama), restraint of senses (dama), withdrawal from distracting activities (uparata), forbearance (titiksha), faith (shraddha), contemplation (samadhi)
Jnana is perceived by equality of vision that expresses itself in the form of total love toward all living beings.
I am always giving grace. If you can't apprehend it, what am I to do?
If you were unfit to realise the self in this life you would not have come to this place at all. The power that drew you here will make you realise the self.
To you who are the nature of awareness there is no connection during sleep with the body, the senses, the life force and the mind. Convert the state of ignorant deep sleep in which you were formless and unattached into conscious deep sleep. Then you can remain established in your true nature. Your real nature is not different from the nature of God.
In the states of waking and dreams try to remain as you were in deep sleep.
Awareness is the real nature of man. In his natural state man is not aware of anything. In the natural state if man which is non-dual and whole there is no room for dualities and trinities.
The science of the self is nothing but man recognising his true nature and as the mere existence-consciousness.
The Supreme Self appears to have lost its self-awareness because of the body limitations.
When the Supreme self is externalised it becomes the mind. When it is aware of itself, it becomes awareness.
If one observes that from where the 'I'-'I' arises, the mind will subside. That is tapas.
Purifying your heart alone is the highest service. That alone can truly redeem you.
The only benefit of learning and other similar virtues is the attainment of humility. Humility alone is the real ornament of the sages.
The Heart alone is the supreme world.
Tranquility in the form of supreme silence is alone the supreme bliss or the happiness of liberation.
In the interval between two successive flights of thought there is a silence in which shines the pure consciousness of the self.
The best sadhana is the practice that discovers the real nature of the 'I'. The mind, the intellect, the five sensory organs and the body are not real.
Jnanis cannot be understood because their minds have been completely destroyed.
Before they salute me, I salute them internally.
Being still is the greatest pilgrimage one can undertake.
Through detachment and discrimination one can aspire to the state of Sakshibhava, the state of witnessing self. When one realises one's identity with all that exists its called Abhinnabhava - a higher state (zone). It was through Abhinnabhava that he touched the inner being of visitors who were then able to feel within themselves the presence of the universal spirit, transcending thought.
The aim of all practices is to give up all practices.
You are perfect and complete so abandon the idea of completion. Just as it is not necessary to kill a rope that one imagines to be a snake, so also there is no need to kill the mind. Knowing the form of the mind makes the mind disappear.
Stability in the self is the real posture.
Be as you are. Reality is the real japa. Japa and god are one.
"I' is the first and ultimate name of god.
When there is knowledge of duality, fear arises. Fear comes only when you think that there are others apart from you. If you direct your mind towards the self, fear and anxiety will go away.
Body consciousness is the root of all misery.
With silence one can affect the whole world.
The chief function of pranayama is to provide the reins to keep under control the horse-like mind.
While performing activities or in giving up activities, the feeling of 'I' should not intrude.
In the search for self, the mind should burn out.
If you stop the mind, the jiva, world, will not remain, but brahman alone remains.
In surrender one has to give up one's mind and after the mind is given away, there will be no duality of any kind. He who remains separate from god has not surrendered.
For a jnani established in the self there is nothing that remains in opposition to him. if one is in a state in which opposition is felt, then to work on that opposition Atma Sakthi is required.
Adhisthana is sub stratum - there is nothing except the substratum. In the waking state there is nothing but adhisthana. Knowledge of the waking state is the knowledge of the knower in the waking state. Both go away in sleep.
Stationary appearance is the error of perception.
Whatever you see happening in the waking state happens only to the knower, and since the knower is unreal, nothing in fact ever happens.
The world exists in relation to the mind. It is not a thing independent and existing by itself.
Being aware of the self is the real meditation. When the mind gives up its habit of choosing and deciding it turns towards its own real nature.
While trying to be someone else the ahankara gets in. But when you turn inwards towards the self you know that a higher power is working everywhere.
The attitude 'I am the doer' has to be given up.The activities do not obstruct. It is the attitude of 'I did' that's the obstruction. When the mind gets rid of all desires the vital breath gets quiet and the all pervading heart is experienced as such.
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You are not your body, nor the mind, nor the five senses. It is all an illusion. What lies beneath is the real yo - the one who sees no duality. Stay still, give up the 'I' and you will find the real you.
Every sentence is a deep practice. I am trying to assimilate the ideas and perhaps will start with one small practice - of removing the 'I' from all actions, and trying to remain unattached to the five senses. It was a great experience reading this wonderful book and it surely has changed me deep inside.
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