Devotee.: Is it necessary to take sannyasa (a vow of renunciation) in order to attain Self-realisation?Bhagavan: ‘Sannyasa’ means renouncing one’s individuality, not shaving one’s head and putting on ochre robes. A man may be a householder but if he does not think he is one he is a sannyasin.On the other hand, he may wear ochre robes and wander about,but so long as he thinks he is a sannyasin he is not one. To think about one’s renunciation defeats the purpose of renouncing.What do you mean by ‘taking sannyasa’? Do you think it means leaving your...
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
In August 1943, I shifted my residence from the town to a house in Raju Chettiar’s compound in Ramana Nagar.After coming to Tiruvannamalai, I got into the habit of taking coffee in the mornings. At the new house, milk was being supplied very late; sometimes as late as even 8 or 9 a.m.As I had no work to do till then, I was going to the Ashram in the early morning hours. A lady devotee who is rather egoistic, was coming there earlier still. There used to be two or three ladies also with her. While I was sitting somewhere near the back door of the...
One afternoon in 1945-46, I went to the Ashram late in the afternoon. Devotees assembled there were munching something. When enquired what it was, I was told that some coconuts which were ripe had fallen on the ground, there was ripe copra within which was very nice and so they were eating it. “Is that so?” I said and went to Bhagavan. He too was eating holding a portion of it in his left hand. As soon as he saw me he said, “There she is. Nagamma has come. Give her also a portion.” “Ayyo! it is all exhausted,” exclaimed those near him.Normally...
Servers in the kitchen usually devote special attention to Bhagavan by serving him something more than they serve to others. He notes such undue discrimination and tries to dissuade them. Once post master Raja Iyer did so and Bhagavan looked at him disapprovingly but did not say anything at that time; and so Raja Iyer was continuing the practice off and on.One night palpayasam (milk pudding) was prepared and Chinnaswami finding it particularly delicious, appeared to have hinted to Raja to serve a little more than usual to Bhagavan. So Raja served...
During the years 1943/44 T. N. Venkataraman, son of Chinnaswami, the Sarvadhikari, was living in the town and coming to the Ashram daily to do his allotted work. His second son, Ganesan was at the time a little boy of about seven or eight years of age. One day while returning from school, he accidentally met a jutka driver known to the family and so got into his jutka for a joy ride. As the boy did not return home at the usual time, his people got worried and began to search for him. He was not found anywhere near the school nor anywhere near about....
During the period Bhagavan was living on the hill a Malayali devotee brought Kunjuswami who was then very young and told Bhagavan, “Swami, this little boy came to us saying he did not want his mother, father or his native village and stayed with us. Even in his childhood he had great vairagya (absence of worldly desires or passions).Quite a smart lad. But what is the use of his staying with us? We thought it would be good if he were to stay with a holy person like you and so have brought him here. Please allow him to stay with you.” Thus they entrusted...
Sometime in 1942, a devotee asked Bhagavan why the slokas in “Chatvarimsat” though they are only forty in number are in different metres. Smilingly Bhagavan said, “Oh that! Nayana wanted to write a “Ramana Satakam” (100 slokas) with each set of ten slokas in different metres and selected the required metres for the purpose. He then began writing one sloka in each metre and slowly added some more slokas as and when he felt like writing but could not complete the work. By the time he passed away it was found there were only 40 slokas. These were...
Monday, September 13, 2010
Readers are requested to listen to Sri Sundara Chaitanya Swami Gari Pravachanam in telugu.http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=TattriyaUpanishad+BhruguValli+Volume9&aq=fThere are totally 9 Volumes and each volume contains 10 videos.Homage to Guru:Before we start any vedic or mantra chanting, it is necessary that we pay homage to our Guru and secure His blessings to start and successfully complete the chanting / Japam etc.,Those who have not yet identified a Guru can chant the following sloka instead and think of the Supreme Almighty...
Sunday, September 12, 2010
26th August, 1948At 3 o’clock this afternoon while we were discussing something in Bhagavan’s presence, a stranger came to the Ashram with a platter full of fruits. It seems that on the way to the hall some monkey came, snatched some of the fruits and escaped. Hearing the noise outside and realising what had happened, Bhagavan laughingly said that the monkey took away its portion of the fruit as it was afraid we wouldnot otherwise give it. We all laughed.While this was going on, a female monkey with a baby at her breast approached the fruit basket....
28th July, 1948It seems that Mr. Minna Nuruddin, a competent Sanskrit scholar and Tamil poet had written and published a translation in Tamil verse on Sankara’s “Atmabodha”. He presented a copy of it to Bhagavan while on a visit to the Ashram. Bhagavan glanced at them and sent them to the library. We could however see from his face that something was wrong. He sent to the library for Sankara’s “Atmabodha” in Nagari script and every now and then was looking into it. After doing so for twodays, he took a pencil and paper and began writing something...
Friday, September 10, 2010
26th April, 1948This morning a Tamil youth approached Bhagavan and asked, “Swami, it is good to love God, is it not? Then why not follow the path of Love?”“Who said you couldn’t follow it? You can do so. But when you talk of love, there is duality, is there not — the person who loves and the entity called God who is loved? The individual is not separate from God. Hence love means one has love towards one’s own Self. For this, i.e., loving one’s own Self, examples have been given in the VasudevaMananam, stage by stage. Man loves money most; but...
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
22nd October, 1947Bhagavan’s body has become much reduced of late and some of the devotees have been saying that it is due to his not taking enough of nourishing food. Having heard this a Bengali lady brought some pieces of guava sprinkled with salt and chilly powder, and said beseechingly, “Bhagavan, you are getting very thin; it is good to eat fruit like this. Please accept my humble offering.”Bhagavan said with a smile, “Who is it that is thinner? You or I?”She said it was Bhagavan.Bhagavan: “That is nice. Who exactly has grown thin will be...
Thursday, September 2, 2010
1. When Snake is alive, Snake eats Ants.When Snake is dead, Ants eat Snake.Time can turn at any time. Don't neglect anyone in your life....... 2. Never make the same mistake twice,There are so many new ones,Try a different one each day. 3. A good way to change someone's attitude is to change your own.Because, the same sun that melts butter, also hardens clay!Life is as we think, so think beautifully. 4. Life is just like a sea, we are moving without an end.Nothing stays with us,what remains is just the memories of some people who touched us as...
(From ‘The Mountain Path’, April 1966)I found the Ashram a quiet place with a few cottages and a meditation hall. We went straight into the hall and there on a couch sat the Maharshi, the saint of my dream, clad only in a loincloth. I felt that I was in the presence of a god. I fell prostrate before Bhagavan (for this was the name my friend used in addressing him). A group of silent men and women were seated on the floor on either side of him. Closeto him an elderly bearded man was sitting binding a small book by hand.Bhagavan asked me whether...
T.P.Ramachandra Iyer was a native of Tiruvannamalai. His interest in religion and philosophy led him to Sri Ramana in the 1920s. As a lawyer in Madras, he handled much of the Ashram’s legal work. He also served as an interpreter and as an attendant in the Maharshi’s hall. The following article was published in the July 1966 issue of The Mountain Path.Sri T. P. Ramachandra Iyer whose native home is Tiruvannamalai itself, has been an earnest devotee of Sri Bhagavan from very early times. He hails from an ancient orthodox Brahmin family who for generations...
On 14th August 2010, Ravi Ramanan, the leading member of Sarangati newsletter Editorial Team and youngest son of the Ashram President Sri V. S. Ramanan, was absorbed in Arunachala. Ravi faced his two year battle againstbrain cancer with remarkable courage and dignity. A Satsang was held at the Ashram President’s residence on Saturday the 21st of August 2010 on the eighth day of Ravi Ramanan’s Absorption in Bhagavan. Sri V.S. Ramanan, Susila Ramanan,...
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