"Panilenivadu" In Praise Of The Lazy Ones By David Godman

This is an abridged version of David Godman's article, "In Praise of the Lazy ones," that appeared in October-December 2008 issue of Mountain Path.

Verses 773 and 774 of Guru Vachaka Kovai are grouped together under a chapter heading entitled "Being Still" or "Remaining Still". The second of these two verses immediately attracts the attention because Bhagavan Ramana states quite clearly that abiding in Swarupa , one's true state, is a state of laziness.

"The method of true and supreme tapas that our Lord Ramana declares to be worthwhile and which the mind should firmly hold onto is this, and no more, "Being still." On the other hand there are absolutely no thoughts to think, nor any duties to be
contemplated by it."

"Summa irunthiLirum sombal swarupa nilai,
Amma nilai athu thaanaana nilai - semmaN
arun thavathal anri adaiya varuma sombal
Porunthinor puNNiyarap potru. - GVK V. 774

The lazy state wherein you exist motionlessly and shine is the state of swrupa. In that supreme state you have become That. It cannot be attained except by direct, excellent and rare tapas [thavam in Tamil]. You should therefore honour those who are established in that laziness as holy beings. [puNNiyear].

These verses are from a new English translation of Guru Vachaka Kovai, translated and edited by Dr. Venkatasubramanian, Robert Butler and David Godman. [This book is now sold at Sri Ramanasramam.].

The state of the Self is described here, perhaps a little ironically,as 'lazy' only becausse there is no one left there who can do anything.It should not be taken as an encouragement to sadhaks to be lazy, it is simply pointing out that this state of spiritual 'laziness' is inevitable for enlightened beings who have completely lost the "I am the doer" idea.

Muruganar wrote in Padamalai, that Bhagavan Ramana bestowed his "idle" state on him:

"The golden Padam [Bhagavan] completely abolished my wandering around as a wicked one, and made me shine, as a perfect idler."

"Even he actions I perform, believing them to be my own are in reality the action of Padam [Bhagavan], the complete and absolute truth."


Bhagavan Ramana also mentioned this state of laziness in Akshara Mana Malai, Verse 37:

"If I sleep consciously as a lazy one, remaining still and consuming bliss, this is the supreme state. Is there any [state] other than this,O Arunachala? If there is, please tell me!

[Arthur Osborne [perhaps improved by Prof.K.Swaminathan], in the Complete Works, translates this as:

"Happiness lies in peaceful repose enjoyed when resting in the Self. Beyond speech indeed is Thy prowess resting in the Self.Beyond speech indeed is This my state, O Arunachala!"]

In two translations which I [David Godman] looked at while writing this article, one opted for "lying in peaceful repose" and the other "for slumbering in quiet repose."

It is possibly that these eumphemistic phrases were trying to convey the idea that realization is a state in which nohting can be done or needs to be done. While this is a true description of the state being described, the impact of the original phrase
"Sombiyayi....." is considerably watered down.

I believe that when Bhagavan composed this verse, He was using the word "lazy" in its full and normal sense. Why? Because when Muruganar wrote his Tamil commentary on
Akshara Mana Malai, [Akshara Mana Malai Virutthi Urai] and showed it to Bhagavan Ramana, Bhagavan added the following verse from Tirumandiram [Book X of Siva Canons by Saint Poet Tirumular], one of the canonical scriptures of Saivism, to the section of Muruganar's manuscript that dealt with this verse.

"The place where the lazy ones dwell in pure Space,
The place where the lazy one rest in pure Space,
The consciousness of the lazy ones remain
In the place which the Vedas have abandoned
As beyond their scope.
The lazy ones have gained the state in which they are sleeping,
Totally unware of the Vedas."

[The original Tami Verse of Tirumular [Edition by S.A. Bhaktavatchalam, Gudiyatham - 632 602], Verse No. 128 reads as under:

"Sombar iruppathu suddha veLiyile
Sombar kidapathum suddha veLiyile
Sombar unarvu suruthi mudinthidam
Sombar kaNdar ach suruthikkaN thookkame!"]

Sombar - one who is lazy. suruthi - Struti; Vedas.

"There is the fascinating anecdote in the book Drops from the Ocean written by Sri V. Ganesan. He wrote that Sri Bhagavan's old devotee TPR told him he following story:

Bhagavan would accept a new pencil only when the old one was completely exhausted or totally damaged. He would then take a piece of paper and scribble a few times with the the new one to see whether it was working properly. Most of us, on similar occasions, sign our own names, write OM or some God's name. So I was very inquisitive to know what He scribbled. Bhagavan Ramana permitted me to see what He wrote.

Even those who were close to Him did not know about it. Either He wrote, "Arunachala vasi" meaning, 'one residing in Arunachala' or "Panilenivadu" meaning, "one who without any work."

Panilenivadu is a Telugu term that is made up of three components: Pani = work; leni = not there, non-existent; vadu = a person.

Verse 15 of Upadesa Undiyar [ Upadesa Saram ] contains a similar idea.

For the great yogi, who is established as the reality due to the death of the mind-form, there is not any action [ to do because] he has attained his [true] nature.

"Manathin uruvai maRavuthu usaava
Manamena onRilai undhipaRa
Markam Ner arkum undhipaRa "

When Bhagavan translated this verse into Telugu, he used this same term "Panilenivadu" to describe the great yogi's final state of not being any actions to do.

This phrase "the man who has no work" came up in a story that was narrated by Suri Nagamma. She had complained to Bhagavan that Devaraja Mudaliar was teasing her about being Bhagavan's "Telugu secretary".

"What am I to do, Bhagavan? He teases me saying, "Nagamma,secretary, secretary..." I requested him several times not to do so but he ignores my entreaties. What great work has Bhagavan got to require a secreatry?"

No sooner had I said it then Mudaliar laughed and said: "Yes, I did say so. It is based on actual facts. Nagamma is the Telugu Secretary and Muruganar Tamil Secretary to Bhagavan. What is wrong if I say so?"

He left the hall thereafter. Bhagavan merely laughed and kept quiet.

Taking up the thread on the conversation, Balarama Reddy remarked."Bhagavan has no work whatsoever. Where is the need for secretary?"

"That is exactly what I have been saying. When Bhagavan has no work to do, where is the need for two secretaries, Nagamma and Muruganar? Whatever little work there is, we are doing it on our own to satisfy ourselves. Otherwise, where is no work worth mentioning? I have told him several times that if he has any opinion, to keep it to himself but not give such high sounding designations. He however persists. So I though I should bring the matter to the notice of Bhagavan hoping it would have the desired effect on him. That is all."

Bhagavan laughed and said, "I have already been dubbed as "a man having no work."

"Yes, That is just is. This is just like the saying, "A person having no work has ten people working under him." I said.

We all had a hearty laugh. In spite of all that happened, Mudaliar did not give up calling me secretary.

[The above dialogue/incident appears in Letters and Recollections from Sri Ramanasramam, by Smt. Suri Nagamma]

Since Bhagavan Ramana spoke fluent Telugu and Balaram Reddy and Suri Nagamma were both native Telugu speakers, I think [David Godman], it is reasonable to assume that this conversation would have taken place in Telugu. Bhagavan said, probably in Telugu,"I have already been dubbed as "panilenivadu" a man having no work."

I [David Godman] think the Telugu phrase "panilenivadu", with its connotations of perpetual 'idleness' would have appealed to Bhagavan and I can see Him using it to test out a new pencil with a smile on His face.

However, I don't think that He wrote this phrase very often during His pen-tests. Sri A.V. Ganesan has reported elsewhere in Moments Remembered, when Bhagavan was given a new pen or pencil, he generally initiated it by writing "Arunachala", as the first word.

Source: David Godman's article in Mountain Path, as indicated above