Arunachala, Guru, liberation (reply to Rajinderji)

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AUM ARUNAACHALESHWARAAYA NAMAH

 

 

Dear Rajinder ji,

 

At the outset let me request you call me by my first name as Satya

and not address me as "sir" even as a formality. I have written a

very elaborate reply to your query.

 

Note to other list members: Please skip it if it is too long or

boring to you. My apologies to such members for this is non-

astrological. To those who wish to read it, consider yourself

fortunate for you are going to read something (from the third page or

so)that is considered to bestow great spiritual merit.

 

 

 

> and i tell my wife i wish i go to arunacha,l hill one

> day i missed in1999 as we did not have much vacation

> time

> i am now 54- belive after retirement i will find

> aplace to live at this polace

> during my sat ddasa i was in physically

> in pain for months and my mother use to say

> god take him or cure him i was only 11-12 that time

> but when 18 i was one of best swimmer of panjab and

> rep panjab into all india uni and got 2nd place in few

> events

> well my point is do you think is i believe my guru is

> ramana maharishi and he protect and guide in

> mysteriuos wayand partof me afraid if i go to

> arunachal

> i will not be agian will come into world of duty or

> attache=ments have to take sannayas

> with regards

> rajinder

 

 

 

Rajinderji,

 

 

The question is not whether Ramana Maharshi is your Guru or not. The

question is not even as to who your Guru is. The question is why you

need a Guru. And who a Guru is. As the Guru Gita affirms, a Guru

is `one who dispels the darkness of ignorance and brings in the

Light of Knowledge'. So what you seek is not the Guru, but the

Light of Knowledge that dispels the darkness of ignorance. This is

the purpose and the goal. The mind is tricky. Instead of seeking the

Light directly, it seeks the agent who can bring the light. Perhaps

the agent will take my responsibility. Perhaps he will take my

burdens. Perhaps he will show the way and I may just walk blindly!

 

 

I will tell you a story. There is this Mulla Nasruddin, A favorite

character in Sufi stories. All his stories have wit and wisdom. One

day the Mulla Nasruddin was searching for something very seriously

under the streetlight. A neighbor who happened to pass by saw the

Mulla and taking pity decided to help him. Everybody around knew

that the Mulla was a bit eccentric, but nevertheless loved him for

they thought that he was simple and wise. The man asked the

Mulla, "What are you searching for?"

 

 

"I lost my they and am trying to find it", replied the Mulla.

Now the neighbor too started searching for the key under the

streetlight. After an hour spent in vain, the neighbor asked the

Mulla, "Where exactly did you lose the key. May be we can

concentrate and search for it at a particular place instead of

searching the entire street".

 

 

"I lost it in my house", replied the Mulla. "What!"

exclaimed the man, "You have lost the key in the house and you are

searching for it in the street? You are mad!No," replied the Mulla

calmly, "There is no light in the house and how can I search in the

dark? Since there is some light here in the street, I thought it is

better to search here!"

 

 

We are all like the Mulla. We have all lost something and are

searching for it. We are searching for the key to the lost kingdom.

We seek our forgotten unity with the One. Subconsciously we yearn for

that UNION (Yoga) with the ONE, with the Source. We seem to have

forgotten our true identity. The key is within us. But in vain do we

search for it everywhere in the external world. Because there is

darkness within us, since there seems to be some light outside, we

search there, hoping to find the key. We will never find it in

the outside world, no matter however bright and well lit it seems to

be there, for the the key is within us. The only answer (solution)

would be to bring some light into the house and search where actually

the key is. The solution is not in searching where we think the

light is, but to bring the light to where the key is. The key to all

knowledge, the key to infinite power, the key to eternal bliss, is

all within us. However well lit the external world seems to be, it

cannot unlock the door because man has the key within him-Self.

Bring the light within and look there. And YOU WILL FIND LIGHT!

 

 

The Guru can only point the way. He cannot do the journey for you.

You have to do the journey yourself. But unfortunately we lose sight

of the actual purpose and get caught in the age-old trap. Either we

sit and worship the agent who has shown the way. Or we hope that the

agent will take our burdens, that we ourselves may be free of the

trouble. Or still worse we are busy scandalizing the very man who has

shown us the path. We make Gurus with our expectations. And we pull

them down one day because we realize that they don't meet our

expectations. We are sadly disappointed that the guru shares with us

the same shortcomings that we suffer from. Why not? The Guru is

almost always a human being!

 

 

But what is the purpose of the Guru? Why do we seek a guru in the

first place? For the Light of Knowledge. Ultimately all Light is

within. But it takes some time (or a long time) to even be aware of

this. Till then we need some inspiration, some guidance, some light,

at least the bioluminescent insect, if not the Torch. But a book can

do that. A holy place can do that. A movie can do that. Even an enemy

can do that! The lesson lies not in the teacher, but in the

student's ability to learn. To the ever aware aspirant, a lesson is

always in the waiting. It is said that Lord Dattatreya had 24 Gurus.

>From an insect to the outcaste, everybody taught him a spiritual

lesson. So bring the Light within and search. And you will know that

all questions as well as their answers are within you. If one man has

done it, any man can do it. If one man rose to great spiritual

heights, all man have the potential to. If one man ascended to become

god, any man can. Trust in yourself. Have faith. You are the Eternal

Atman. And you have within you a spark of that Eternal Infinite

Light.

 

 

Well if you still insist that you need a Guru and think that probably

Ramana Maharshi is your guru, let me tell you one thing. The

Guru's greatness is not in his external form, but his ability to

bring the Light into our lives. And all great Gurus have shone not by

their greatness, but by the Effulgence of that Light. Behind the

succession of Gurus, is the Guru Tattwa. If you need to worship,

worship that Guru Tattwa, not the physical form of the guru. If you

want to serve the guru, if you want to please him, FOLLOW HIS

TEACHINGS, HIS MESSAGE. And every genuine guru is more interested in

your spiritual progress than in your devotion towards him for a true

guru has no identity crisis. And what is Ramana Maharshi's message?

 

 

Self-inquiry. His entire teaching can be summed up in his most

famous "Naan Yaar?" `WHO AM I?' That is all that you need to know.

Once you understand your true nature (even a theoretical

understanding and appreciation can go a long way), you will be your

own guide, your own guru, a Light unto yourself and a Light that

lights up many more.

 

 

But a beginner still insists on some external help without realizing

that even where the external help came, it worked ONLY BECAUSE HE WAS

READY TO LET IT WORK ON HIM. So if one still wants help, initially

one may pray to Vyasa, the Great Master. Or one may recite the Guru

Gita devoutly every Thursday. And the GURU TATTWA will manifest

itself through any agent nearby. It may manifest through an insect, a

dog, a human or through a book. Or maybe through a human Guru. After

all the purpose of Guru tattwa is to bring in the Light of Knowledge,

which can happen anytime, anywhere and through anyone. But the

emphasis should be on the Guru Tattwa, not the Guru's physical

manifestation. There is only one guru, the guru of gurus, the god of

gods- the ONE. Call that Shiva, Shiva-Shakti, Krsna, Parabrahman,

whatever.

 

 

And now to your other point and most important subject - ARUNACHALA!

 

 

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What do I say? A million lives and a million mouths are not

sufficient to speak of Arunachala! Even the rishis of yore could not

extol Arunachala enough. How can anyone put in finite words the

Infinite? Is not the act of speaking about the Infinite a

contradiction, for the minute you speak you are attempting to bind

the Infinite in the finite! Fully aware of my limitations, I will

still attempt just for the joy it brings to my heart. How can a child

not love his father? How can a woman not sing of her beloved? How can

I refrain from speaking of my greatest love, my father, my mother, my

beloved, MY OWN SELF! Arunachala (Achala: Immovable) is the Immovable

Eternal Spirit. Arunachala is the SELF that radiates in all of us,

the Light that shines within and without. More later. First the

story, nay the true story, of the mythology of Arunachala. Many

Puranas mention it with a few variations. I will narrate the one that

the Skanda purana proclaims.

 

 

In the beginning the Supreme Being, the ocean of grace, Lord Siva,

was all that existed. In Him arose a desire to become the many. And

the One became the Many. In accordance with his desire, Brahma and

Vishnu came into existence. They were delegated the duties of

creating and protecting the worlds. After some time, instead of just

doing their duties, they got caught in egoism and started an argument

as to who was better between the two of them! Seeing the terrible

rage they had fallen into while fighting each other, the Supreme Lord

of Compassion, the benevolent Lord Siva decided to reveal himself in

a form that would bring their argument to an end.

 

 

Each creature in the created world, no matter however lowly considers

itself superior to the others. The fool who cannot accept the

equality of all has to suffer defeat and fall. Siva thought, " It

is time for me to reveal myself in a definite form on earth so that

every mortal can attain me just by thinking of me." So He

manifested Himself as a column of Light before Brahma and Vishnu.

 

 

Both the gods who were fighting became confused and unnerved on

seeing the blazing column of Effulgence. Then they heard a

voice, "Why this fight? He who finds My beginning or end, is the

superior of the two". On hearing these words, both stopped

fighting and decided to find the limits of the column of Light.

Vishnu assumed the form of a boar and dug into the earth with great

vigor and enthusiasm. He discovered that the column extended down

further and further, as he went deeper and deeper. Eventually he

became weak and weary, so weak that he could not bear his own form.

At that moment the truth dawned upon him as he thought of the

ultimate universal refuge. Vishnu thought," Because of the

immense folly caused by my ego, I forgot the Supreme Self. The

Supreme Self is verily Siva. In my folly I assumed the form of a boar

to find His beginning. By His Grace the Truth has dawned on me. I

offer myself to this column of Effulgence and surrender to Him". By

the Supreme Lord's Grace, the protector of the Ego returned to the

surface of the earth.

 

 

As for Brahma, he too took the form of a swan and kept flying in vain

for many years, as he searched for the top of the column of

Effulgence. His vision became dim and wings tired, as he continued to

see the Effulgence rising higher and higher. Seeing Brahma still

trying to find the top of the column of Light, some Siddhas

(accomplished beings) observed, " What vanity! Even when the body

is about to wither away, the ego does not disappear. Inspite of his

dimming vision, broken wings and weary body, he is still deluded and

thinks that he can discover the bounds of the Boundless Effulgence.

To realize (know its Source and Nature) the Effulgent Light, the

finite being should dive within him`SELF' and meditate on

Siva (as the Self) who will give true knowledge so that the ego may

vanish."

 

 

These wise words made Brahma humble as he reflected thus. "How

strange it is that with egos born of Siva, both Vishnu and myself

fought each other. And how wonderful that Sankara Himself should

reveal His glory and humble our pride!" As Brahma chanted the

Vedas in praise of Siva, he heard Vishnu's resonant voice too

singing the glory of Siva. Siva who is easy please, emerged from the

column of Fire in all His glory. Thus the compassionate Lord Siva

revealed himself from the column of Light when Brahma, Vishnu and the

other devas worshipped Him. Then Brahma and Vishnu prayed to Him,

" Oh Lord, the sky, the galaxies and intergalactic Space, are all

flooded with thy splendor that the worlds cannot be discerned.

Therefore thou must kindly withdraw thy Effulgence and abide as an

immovable linga (called Arunachala) for the welfare of the world. Oh

Arunachala! Kindly proclaim thy presence by healing all diseases,

fulfilling all desires and granting liberation". The great god Siva

said,"Be it so".

 

 

It is thus that Siva came to assume the form of the immovable

(achala) linga called Arunachala. It is known by various names each

of which describes one quality that manifests here. Arunachala is the

origin of the all worlds. All the gods come here from all shrines

and adore the Lord of Sonadri. When all the elements are resolved

into their quintessence Arunachala will contain within, all the

latent seeds of future worlds. As the Linga purana affirms, Lord Siva

promised to Brahma and Siva out of compassion, that the sacred

Arunachala had been blessed as one that grants liberation to all men.

Siva declared thus. "I ordain that those who live within a

distance of three yojanas of the place shall become one with Me even

without initiation and other formalities. All the creatures that move

and those that do not, all will be liberated by merely living here

with a good intent. Those who see Me or remember Me even from afar

will realize the essence of entire Vedanta. My effulgent form will

shine here forever as the eternal immovable Arunachala. Neither can

water submerge Me, nor can fire burn Me, nor can Wind move Me. All

the celestial bodies circumambulate the Linga of Effulgence

perpetually. Even sinners shall attain liberation if they bow to this

hill from a distance or come near and circumambulate."

 

 

 

The purana further reveals that Siva resides in in another form on

this holy hill-as the Arunagiri yogi, wearing a loincloth and sitting

underneath a banyan tree. The puranas also describe numerous

instances of the sages, gods and goddesses doing penance here. I will

narrate one such. There is this instance of Siva's consort

Parvati playfully covering His eyes from behind. Immediately a dismal

darkness prevailed over the universe for millions of years

extinguishing all life. The siddhas prayed asking the Lord to stop

Her sport as it lead to an untimely dissolution dissolution of the

universe. Thereupon Siva admonished the Mother of the Universe

(Parvati) for Her thoughtless act. He asked Her how She an embodiment

of Love and Compassion, could do a deed that caused pain to Her

creation! The ensuing dialogue between Siva and Parvati is

interesting as the nuances of Dharma are revealed. The prescribers of

dharma never violate the code of conduct and if at all there is any

omission, the guardians of dharma atone for their lapse in accordance

with the sruti, though not for their sake but for the sake of the

world.

 

 

Stricken with remorse the Goddess asked that Siva may prescribe the

expiatory remedy. Thereupon Siva replied, "What penance can be

prescribed for you, leaving Me out? Being the Universal Self, I am

there within you always. I Myself go through all the austerities. Let

the entire world become sacred by the glory of your penance."

Saying so, Siva bade Her to perform penance at Kanchipuram first and

then to go to Arunachala finally for the penance to become fruitful.

He said, " I Myself shine on this earth in the form of the

Effulgent

Arunachala for the liberation of the mortals. You may go there and

learn from the sage Gautama about the glory of Arunachala and

continue your penance there.

 

 

During the course of her intense penance Parvati was challenged by

the demon Mahishasura, whereupon She sent another manifestation of

Hers- Durga- to destroy the asura. After a fierce battle for nine

days, the goddess killed the demon. After slaying the Mahishasura,

Goddess Durga came to Arunachala and washed Her sword at the Khadgha

Tirtham. Of course Parvati continued with Her tapas and finally

performed the giripradakshina (circumambulation of the Holy hill) in

the month of Kartika on a full Moon day when Krittika was on the

ascendant. Pleased with Her tapas, on Her wish, Lord Siva granted Her

the boon of perfection, whereupon She merged into Him. The

Ardhanariswara form (Siva-Sakti Biune) assumed by them has been

worshipped ever since. Countless are the myths associated with

Arunachala and His glory. I have just given you a taste of the divine

nectar.

 

 

Many are the poets and saints that have sung the glory of Arunachala.

It is not a mere myth. Had it been so, great men of wisdom would not

have referred time and again to Arunachala. Even Gnanis who have

drunk deep from the fountain of Advaita, sing glories of Arunachala!

When it came to Arunachala, even Ramana Maharshi who is well known

for his Upanisadic approach and advocated the path of Self-Enquiry

(Who am I), cautioned devotees that one should never consider even

for a moment that Arunachala is merely a hill made of rocks. Ramana

says that Arunachala is the very essence of wisdom, citing the child-

saint Sambandar's `Thevaram'.

 

 

Various saints, sages and poets have narrated the incident of

Arunachala in their compositions. The incident of the column of Light

and Brahma and Vishnu, forms the central theme of all narrations

about Arunachala. The accounts in the various puranas and other

sacred works may vary slightly in the details. But the emphasis is

mainly on the spiritual significance of the gods coming out of the

delusion of their separate identity from the Supreme Being, that it

is the Supreme Self that shines within all. To drive home the point,

every temple of Siva built in accordance with the tradition, depicts

this incident

 

 

 

Arunachala is very ancient, more sacred and much more ANCIENT THAN

THE HIMALAYAS, which came much later. Kailas is sacred because Siva

is said to live there. But Arunachala is far more sacred because Siva

does not just live here, ARUNACHALA IS SIVA! Arunachala is the first

Linga in the Universe. The scriptures say that death in Kashi

promises Moksha. But the scriptures declare that EVEN THE MERE

THOUGHT OF ARUNACHALA CAN LIBERATE US. Why not? Did not Siva promise

that one gets the essence of entire Vedanta by merely contemplating

or thinking of Arunachala. Yes verily a man shall become that which

his thoughts dwell upon. It is the thoughts that maketh a man. What

can be better than thinking of Arunachala?

 

 

The dust of the feet of the devotees who circumambulate the sacred

hill Arunachala is holier than even sacred waters. One must have done

many good karmas to hear or read about Arunachala. Speaking or

listening to the glory of Arunachala is a great sadhana in itself,

because both the speaker and the listener get liberated by constant

thoughts of Arunachala, the holiest place on the earth.

 

 

Now to your actual question- whether you should go to Arunachala or

not, and your fears that it may dissolve all attachments. One must

have done great merits to be able to hear an inner call from

Arunachala. As someone (Papaji) said, "IF YOU HEAR THE CALL TO

ARUNACHALA, YOU MUST GO! IT IS THE MOST SILENT PLACE ON THE

PLANET".

 

 

I hope that He who put the thought of Arunachala in your mind

(because of some previous good karmas of earlier lives), will soon

enable you to BE THERE IN PERSON. And let your prarabdha and current

choice decide the future course of life. He knows when to dissolve

the attachments. There is nothing to fear about this. It will not

happen unless YOU WILL IT. If you are not ready, it just will not

happen. But going to Arunachala will prove highly beneficial to any

spiritual aspirant in ways that are suited best to each individual.

 

 

Like all material things in this world, my post has to end somewhere,

though I would love to keep going. I will end the post by quoting

below what Swami Annamalai has said about Arunachala. (from the

website: http://www.radicalawakening.com/arunachala/)

 

 

The Call of Arunachala

 

"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.

 

"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

 

 

The mountain of Arunachala, India, has been called the most silent

place on earth. Emanating from Arunachala is a jamming signal to the

mind which leaves in its wake a silent mind. Arunachala is considered

by the Hindus to be the embodiment of Lord Shiva, or the absolute

Itself. It is here where Sri Ramama Maharshi spent all his entire

adult life (he never left Arunachala, even once), where he lived in

its caves for over 22 years, and is the present home of the Sri

Ramana Ashram. Sri Ramana Maharshi stated that Arunachala is the

source of the Silent Transmission, and that all who come to it are

guaranteed freedom. He stated, "It is grace, and grace alone, which

brings you to this mountain."

 

 

The Holy Mountain, Arunachala, where...

 

....devotion, meditation, prayer and receiving powerful blessings is

not something that is done in a day, but makes up the very fabric of

the day.

 

....the company of wise and enlightened ones are not occasional

visits, but whose faces and wisdom you personally receive daily.

 

....where the Truth of your True nature is not something you read

about, study or invistigate, but rather, it is lived daily.

 

 

 

REGARDS,

 

SATYA