Words of Sri Nannagaru
There is a West Godavari District and an East Godavari District. My district is West Godavari, my village is it jinnur. I came from a farming family. I was born in a farmer's family. I studied up to high school education. I have. no college education. In 1957 Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi came into my dream. As I was sleeping: he lifted me up to his face and kissed me lovingly. He embraced me. From then onwards I became a changed man. In 1959 for the first time, I visited Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Arunachala - the Sanskrit name is Arunachala, the Tamil name is Annamalai, the English name is Tiruvannamalai. The town's name is Arunachala, God's name is Arunachala, the mountain's name is Arunachala - everything is Arunachala! The original name of Tiruvannamalai is Arunachala.
There is a wonderful big mountain in Tiruvannamalai -the mountain's name is Aru nachala there is a big temple there; God's name is Arunachala, and town's name also is Arunachala. Everything is Arunachala.
There is no difference between Arunachala and Bhagwan Sri Ramana. Father and son are one. From 1960, I am speaking about Ramana's literature. Ramana's message - for the last thirty eight years, I have dedicated my life to spread the message of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.
My dear friends, you have heard the biography of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. Now I want to teach you his message.
What is moksha? What is liberation? What is salvation?
Daily we sleep. We know that we exist in deep sleep, but we are then unconscious of our existence. In the waking state, we are aware that we exist; but we are not happy, not peaceful. The peace that is present in sleep and awareness of waking state, if we experience these two things simultaneously it is liberation, We have to be conscious and peaceful at the same time. In deep sleep there is happiness. In that state we are happy but unconscious of that happiness. In the waking state we know that we are existing, but there is no peace at all.
The awareness that is present in the waking state, and the peace of deep sleep, if experienced at the same time; that is liberation, That is salvation, the Kingdom of God, the Nirvana State.
First we do puja - rituals - with our hands. We do japa - repetition of God's name, mantra with the mouth. We do meditation, contemplation with our mind. Why should we do all these things? All these things are required to purify, to still, to control and to deepen our mind. Control of the mind brings us more happiness, more peace, more comfort.
I request you, my friends, to read this small booklet written by Ramana Maharshi, the first book he wrote. It was written by Ramana Maharshi, but it is small, small, small, a little, a mini-book! It has only fifteen pages. My dear friends, read this book daily. And read it more and more. The name of the book is 'Who Am, I?" It will guide you - but you must read it repeatedly. It is an iddly without sugar and without sambhar. Perhaps it is a dry book. Read the book daily; read between the lines; read every day, whether you like it or not! Then the book will guide you. Guidance will come to you. Generally, guidance will come from the Heart. - there is an English proverb: silence is gold, speech is silver! Silence also speaks!
To confer liberation to all of us, to have peace in all of us, God works silently... God is also working, but God is working silently - not like us. If we learn that skill, to work silently, we will be nearer to liberation. Generally we work for name and fame, for recognition usually, Truth doesn't require any recognition at all, because it is existence itself. Reality is beyond the mind, and doesn't require any recognition at all. So kindly work without the need for recognition, work silently. God is working silently! His existence works in an order in silence. There is a quite different order to follow in day to day life, If we can learn the skill to work silently in our daily life, there is a possibility for the awakening of Consciousness in us.
Where is God? Where is God? Where the 'I', the artificial 'I', - from where the 'I' thought springs, there is God. - The 'I' thought means the 'I-am-the-body-idea' - the source of this is God. Where the 'I' thought arises, where the body-bound 'I' springs, where the artificial 'I' springs, there God is! Where this first thought, the mother thought from which the other thoughts springs - is source, or God.
But how to kill the body-bound 'I'? This is the fundamental disease. How to kill the ego-sense, how to kill the artificial 'I', how to kill the mother-thought? How to kill Satan-you know Satan?-the ego-sense-that is the main question! What is Sadhana? If we live without the ego-sense in ever day life, without body bound 'I', without individual 'I', that is great tapas, great penance. There is a way of life in which there is no need for ego at all - still we can live in the world. It is a great tapas to work without ego, to live austerely. There is conflict between eco and knowledge, but there is no conflict between work and wisdom. We can continue to work even without the ego. How to kill the ego ... ? How to be free from ego? We have to cut the food supply to the ego sense. We have to stop doing things that strengthen the ego, We should not nourish the ego. If we are humble in talking, if we are humble in living, the ego-sense will lessen gradually.
The action is good, but reaction is bad. The action is different from the reaction. The action arises from the present, but reaction arises from the past knowledge. If we react from the past knowledge, the ego-sense will increase naturally.
Whether Bhagavan is an avatar, whether Bhagavan is guru that is not the question here. Whether he is an Incarnation or a Guru or not, is not important at all. What comes directly from him, from Ramana Bhagavan that is important. Light is coming. Knowledge is coming. Everything that is excellent in life is coming from Bhagavan. The peace is coming to us from Bhagavan, the light is coming, the ultimate knowledge is coming from Him; not the trivial peripheral things.
Bhagavan says repeatedly-please remember always this sentence - Do not allow the false 'I' to dominate in us. In us the false is dominating the truth; that is our Present state. Do not allow that false 'I' to dominate the real one.
Yesterday, we went to Chichester Cathedral. One Englishman asked me: "if there is God in our heart, if there is energy in our heart, if there is a light in our heart, if there is peace in our heart, if there is happiness in our heart, then why it is not revealing to us? What is obstructing it?' That is what one Mr. Phillips was asking yesterday. Only by your wrong thinking, your wrong habits, tendencies, that is the reason why the truth does not reveal to you. What is obstructing you is the false 'I' - because of habits which are like a cloud obstructing the sun -
If in the Heart, there is no bliss, no God, no happiness, Ramana Maharshi could not have realised that ultimate one. One devotee asked Bhagavan "Are you superior to us?" Bhagavan said "We are all one in the Heart. Our religions, our castes and colors may be different, but we are all one in the Heart. What is not present in you is not present in me. What is present in you is present in me."
I will tell you a small, a little story. In the olden days, there lived Vasishta Maharshi, a great maharshi, a great Seer of Truth. A knower of truth is called a seer. He was the spiritual teacher of Sri Rama, who is an Incarnation of Vishnu. Ram, Rahim and Christ are one and the same, When Rama was a child, Vasishta used to teach him. One day Vasishta sat in his house. Rama came to his house. Then the doors were closed. Rama came. He gently tapped the doors: Vasishta asked Who are you?
Rama replied 'I, I, I, I'.
Vasishta asked Who are you?
The reply from Rama is 'I, I, I, I'. Then again Vasistita asked, WHO ARE YOU? who are you? 'Oh! I am the son of Dasaratha (the father of Rama)"
Then Vasishta told Rama "I am not asking you, your father's name!' 'If I am asking your father's name, you may tell your father's name'.
"Oh...' said Rama, 'I am the son of Kousalya (his mother's name).
"I am not asking you, your mother's name,' said Vasishta. "If I ask your mother's name, you may tell your mother's name. Now, I am asking you, who is this I? If you know the source of that I thought, then you will become a jnani, a liberated one, Enlightened one - if you know that origin of the I. How to know the source of the I-thought? If you keep the mind always inside, it will go slowly, slowly, steadily and steadily towards the Heart... if the mind is turned inward - if you keep the mind inward, it will slowly go to its source. If you keep the mind outside - if you are extrovert - mind becomes, turns itself into ego - Then what is devotion, what is knowledge, - yoga means "union into God". Bhagavan said "if you keep your mind in your Heart, that is knowledge, that is jnana. If you keep your mind in your heart, that is devotion. If you keep your mind constantly and always in your source, it is Yoga. Heart is another name for it. Spiritual Heart is another name for God. Truth is another name of God. Truth is God. If you want to know the truth, you have to find out the source of the 'I' thought. Then you will become free and will have heaven and happiness.
What is a tendency What is samskara? Kindly listen attentively - we do some work, and expect and enjoy the fruit of the work. When we enjoy the fruit of the work, tendency starts. It is a repetition of the pleasure. The more the repetition of the pleasure, the more the tendency increases. That is bondage. I hope you have understood the cycle?
What is Samasara? What is illusion? Mechanical repetition is bondage, is samsara. Repetition is illusion. Illusion does not mean having a father, mother, wife, child, like that. Not at all! Samskaras are Samsara. Tendencies are illusion. The source of tendency is 'I' thought! If you question repeatedly who is that I, then the mind will be withdrawn to its source, and truth will reveal by itself. Then you will become whole. Then you will become whole. You will become complete. You will become full, like this hall is full! with the divine bliss.
My dear friends... guru's grace is the most important. The pujas, rituals, japas, speeches, and Satsangas are all secondary. They are good but secondary. But the main, chief, essential thing is guru's grace. Guru's grace is superior to all these secondary things. Guru's grace will push your mind into your spiritual Heart. Guru's grace is like a lion. The elephant will not be afraid of anything except lion. So also the ego is afraid ofonly guru's grace, that's all. Lt is not vulnerable to any other thing. That is the main essential thing here! Kindly worship guru, meditate on guru, meditate on the form of guru. You show your love and respect towards guru because guru is everything. Guru looks after your welfare including physical welfare also.
Bhagavan gave equal importance to Self-enquiry and Surrender path. Our previous births, upbringings and families, are different, so individual taste depends upon these previous births and tendencies. If you like the Surrender path, you may follow it, there is no problem. It is a very superior path. If you like Self-enquiry path, you may follow it, it is also welcome. What is Seff-enquiry? If we put our mind in our heart constantly, that is Self-enquiry. To put the 'I' thought into its source, the spiritual Heart, that is Self-enquiry. In our day to day life, we should do some selfless work. This selfless work purifies our Heart. In spiritual life, Heart is the seat of God. Brain is the seat of mind, but not the source of mind! When thoughts are present in the brain, sleep is not possible at all! When you go to sleep, the mind slowly withdraws to its source. Then only, sleep will come to us. We do not know two things in life. First one, we do not know the first breath - the one we take after birth. First breath we do not know. And ... last breath! at dying time! then the last breath also, we are not aware of. Man is unconscious of his death - only the neighbors feel that he is dead.
(He) Who has given the breath into our body, He alone takes it out. Only He takes. The giver, He takes, He is the controller. He is the manager of the world. He is excellent manager! in a silent way. God is our ideal manager, because he manages silently. He is the wonder of this world. The world by itself is neither good nor bad. It is just like a mirror. If we see our face in the mirror, if something wrong with our face, the mirror help us to see this. But mirror will not do anything in eliminating dust. We have to remove our own dust. So also, the world is there to reveal our weaknesses. World will not remove but it will show our weaknesses! We must try to remove, to eliminate our weaknesses. First we have to know where the disease lies; The world helps us to be conscious of that particular weakness in us, but it is not in a position to remove it. It is not concerned with its removal. We are here to remove our weakness by ourselves. The doctor gives medicine, but we have to swallow it. That is Sadhana. That is effort. Effort also is bondage! True effort will have to rise above, to go beyond effort.
There are so many rich fellows here. You may have some comforts also, .... good cars, ... fans, pillows also Beds also. With all these things you have no sleep at all. We have so many comforts, but we are insomniacs. We are suffering from insomnia. So many comforts are there, but we have no sleep. Suppose you had no sleep - sleep may or may not come, comfort is not important there, sleep is essential. All these comforts are a preparation for sound sleep. There are so many comforts in your house, but these comforts will not help you for self-realization. Comfort in itself is not bad, but only in mind control there is happiness, peace.
If you want to know the truth, if you want to know Reality, you have to deepen, deepen your mind. Shallow mind does not understand God. My dear friends, I think so-and-so, and that I-am-this, and I'm this, and we have to identify - we have to cut the identification, dissociate from the identification. We have to dissociate from attachment. Imitation is a bad thing, it is not good, If you cut the identification, then the mind naturally withdraws into its source.
Who am I enquiry also, leads to control of the mind, to lessen the tendencies of the mind. A controlled mind helps us to Self-enquiry. Self-enquiry is jnana marga, knowledge path. Surrender is devotional path, bhakti marga. Selfless action is karma marga. I think you are all good meditators? Ramana Bhagavan says 'Who is that meditator? Meditator is the culprit! Meditator is the disease. We are doing japa. Who is doing that repetition of the word? Who is the Japi? What is the entity? We do japa with our mouth. We do meditation with our mind. We do rituals with our hands. Now, we are all mediators. Who is that meditator? Do you know that meditator.? Have you seen that meditator?
Meditation also is a path, devotion also is a path, but who is the Japi and who is the meditator? If there is japi there is japa. If there is no japi there is no japa. If there is a meditator there is meditation. If there is no meditator there is no meditation. Who is that meditator? Without meditator there is no meditation. Without japi there is no japa. Who is that japi?
In the questioning of all these things, please, my dear friends, you directly put your mind into the Heart, into the spirftua, Heart. Heart is the seat of God. The first, the greatest thing in spiritual life is purity. Punty is essential. Purity and concentration are two essential things. In Bible there is a saying:blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. The essence of all religions are one.
Ramana's name is enough for us. Meditating on form of Ramana is enough for us. Ramana's teaching is enough for us. There is a great devotee, whose name is Muruganar. All of us must be aware of him. He never sought any guidance from any other guru except Bhagavan. Why are you not seeing other saints, some people asked Muruganar. When one is cured in Ramana's hospital, then no other hospital is required. Great people are working. There may also be great saints, but the Presence of Ramana is enough. There is no need to go anywhere, said Muruganar. Ramana's name, form and teaching, is jnana for us. The guidance through the Heart will come to you. Remember Bhagavan. Kindly remember Bhagavan always. Rememberance also is true devotion. If you remember God..always.... more and more... if you remember God intensely, the remembrance itself will kill your ego, it will reduce our ego. Remembrance also is a good thing: Arunachala..Arunachala...those who remember the name Arunachala repeatedly, the ego will be destroyed by Arunachala.
Some devotee asked Bhagavan "Is mere remembrance enough to realize God?' Then Bhagavan told her "lt is a supreme order given by Shiva. Who are you to ask? It is an order from Shiva, From God almighty. Remembrance is enough. Remembrance of Arunachala will slowly pierce and kill your ego sense. If ego sense increases, our common sense decreases. Common sense is essential for doing good things. Common sense is essential, to do good things. It is better than a university degree. It is better than academic excellence also!
You founded the Ramana Maharshi Foundation. You established a Ramana Maharshi Foundation. You have done both a great and good thing. Great thing may not be a good thing. Good thing may not be a great thing. But by founding this Ramana establishment, Ramana Foundation you have done a great and good thing. You have done both. A great man need not be good man. A good man need not be great. Goodness gives us knowledge. Goodness is more important in day to day life. This is my last prayer - in day to day life to work like God. God is working silently. He's also working without ego. God is working? -silently. God's work is not visible to our physical eyes. So we think that he is not doing anything at all! But he is doing work. But he is doing it silently! So... you have to work in such a way, like God works.
What is true enquiry? After the I-thought arises, there is God, there is OM, there is world, there is good, there is bad, there is other worlds, there is death, there is birth, everything will come, alter the I-thought arises. Before the I-thought arises, there is no OM also. After the I-thought arises, God will come, OM will come, rebirth will come, a body will come, everything will come, everything is there.... Everything? it will come.
We have fear, Fear is the greatest obstacle to God-realisation. Fear brings us misery. Fear brings us sorrow. As long as we are in fear, we are not in a position to rise beyond the body consciousness. Fear is an enemy to God-seekers, to Self-enquiry. The death fear is the greatest of all fears. Why is there this fear at all. When we go to sleep we have no fear at all, but when death comes there is fear. Why? What is the reason for that? We think that we are not existing after the death. That's why we fear death. After the death of the body, if we know that we will be existent, there will be no fear at all.
The main thing we have to understand is that after body's death you will be there. One devotee asked Gautama Buddha - "What happens after the death?" You are thinking that there is an entity which travels after death. But if you enquire now, you will realize that there is no such entity. The I-thought plus other thoughts, constitute the whole mind. The entity traveling after death is mind only. If we enquire into that particular mind" we will know that it is not existent at all. This is a real vichara, a true enquiry. That which is not existent in this state, after death also it is not there. You need not be afraid. The entity is not there at all.
If we enquire into the mind, if we do Sadhana slowly, slowly, with cool mind, still mind, with a steady mind, as we go on pursuing enquiry, we will know that it is not existent at all. That is the true Self-enquiry.
If you like surrender path, you may follow the Surrender path. Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi never denied the Surrender path.
Utmost importance should be given to Self-enquiry also, because it kills the mind here and now, itself.