Sakthi Vikatan 31 May, 2011
Who is the true Jnani?
Bhagavan Ramaṇa Maharishi is
Śivarūpam
(Śiva
in form). Around him, there must be peace and quiet with no unnecessary
foot traffic, noise… Applying great care in activities, firm friendship
should prevail.
But
Śeshādri Swāmigaḷ is of the form of Sakti (Mother Goddess worshipper).
An ecstatic dance. Loud
laughter. ‘What love you have for me.’ crows Swāmigaḷ with his
characteristic embrace for small favors shown to him. His darker side
spews anger on the disciples seeking him: ‘I told you not to come near
me. If you violate that dictum of mine, I will tear you apart, Baḍavā
(Rascal, Scoundrel). ‘Why are you coming to me? Go, go… Go up (the
mountain). There is someone up on the mountain. He will safeguard you,
go!’ said Swāmigaḷ, pointing up his hand with exuberance to the
Virūpākṣi cave (where Ramanar lives).
Ramanar and Swāmigaḷ entertain no discrimination based on Jāti
and religion. Both are fluent in writing poetry, well-versed in
Sanskrit. They create wonder and awe in their explication of Tattvas.
But they are not showboats. One is
Śivam; the other is Śakti. One sports an hour-glass drum on hand; the
other sports roaring Ganges on the head. That is one path; this is
another path.
Śeshādri Swāmigaḷ scattered Mutt food in all four directions. The
server of the food complained to him, “Don’t waste the food. This is
begged food. How could you scatter it?” Swāmigaḷ retorted, “Is that so?
Hereafter, I will eat the food without scattering it. See, not even a
morsel will fly (of my hand or mouth).” So saying, he ate the food in a proper manner. He
could go this way or he could go the other way.
In 1914, Śeshādri Swāmigaḷ used to go for a month to Ramanar’s Virūpākṣi
cave to eat his meals.
There also, he scattered the food all over, while eating. Bhagavan’s
devotee Kandasamy scolded him, “Look here, if you scatter the food like
this, I won’t serve the food anymore. From then on, Swāmigaḷ never went
there for food. There was a discussion whether Kandasamy’s admonition of
Swāmigaḷ was proper. The devotees in Virūpākṣi cave took sides with
Kandasamy and said, “if he wastes food like this, what are we to do?
That is why he was scolded.”
This criticism reached the ears of Swāmigaḷ. He was afraid whether
Ramanar will take his act as disrespect and clarified the reason he
scattered food around him: A person should not eat all the food on his
banana
leaf-plate. There are living things, visible and invisible all around
us. There are subtle forces around us.
They wait in hunger. They too need food. This has been documented
in many sacred books. They say in detail eating most of the food and scattering
some are correct.
Subramani
Sastri a devotee, to facilitate deep meditation, took Cannabis
electuary. Cannabis instead
of calming the mind, sometimes stirs up the mind. The users suffer a
great deal with slurred and inarticulate speech. Knowing their altered
speech, they feel unhappy. They feel distressed, unable to prevent their
incoherent speech. Once Subramani Sastri, hobbled with incoherent
speech, fell at the feet of Śeshādri Swāmigaḷ asking him to help him.
Śeshādri Swāmigaḷ scolded him saying, “Previously, I warned you several
times not to take the ‘drug.’ You kept taking it and feel distressed.”
In truth, Śeshādri Swāmigaḷ said nothing like this to Subramaniya
Sastri. Bhagavan Ramana
Maharishi scolded him as above. He never knew that Ramanar chided him.
By making this statement, Swāmigaḷ indirectly equates Srīramaṇar and
Śeshādri Swāmigaḷ.
In 1921, during the winter months, Śeshādri Swāmigaḷ’s devotees with
bounding joy gave him a ritual ablution. They understood due to avoiding baths and having braided locks, he suffered from severe itching.
But he could not take the stress of this ablution due to his inanition,
Tapas and hunger. He developed a high fever. He went to Annamalai
Sannidhi, paid homage to the Lord with opposed palms, went out of the
temple and slept on a raised platform in a random house. He never woke
up and attained Mukti.
Śeshādri Swāmigaḷ merged with the Divine: The news reached everyone in
Tiruvannamalai.
South of the Ramanasramam, there is a burial monument for Śeshādri
Swāmigaḷ. SriRamana Maharishi participated in the ceremony. Swāmigaḷ
helped Ramanar in his younger days and rescued him from many troubles.
When we read Ramana history, we cannot forget that the leonine
Swāmigaḷ was the close friend during Ramanar’s vulnerable period.
Śeshādri Swāmigaḷ took care of Bālaswāmy in his younger days as a mother
would remove her son from dangers, get him back to health, let him go
his way and watch him blossom. He was astounded looking at Bālaswāmy,
the personification of Wisdom.
He spread the word around. He never had the hubris of doership in
helping Bālaswāmy.
A devout woman hearing about Śeshādri Swāmigaḷ wanted to pay homage to
him. Whenever she went to receive Darśan of Ramanar, she searched for
Swāmigaḷ. One day by happenstance, she saw Swāmigaḷ.
With humility and respect, she fell at his feet and said, “It took
so long for me to receive Darśan of you.” Swāmigaḷ said, “What if it is
here, what if it is there, it is all one and the same.”
It takes a Jñāni to know a Jñāni.
Vedanta book, ‘Kaivalya Navanītham’
raises a question, ‘Who is the true Jñāni? The book itself gives the
answer to that eternal question. Whosoever stands in mid-position
(neutrality), is a Jñāni. What does it mean to stand in a mid-position?
Like the lotus leaf (floating in the pond) and water, he lives in
this world but is not of the world.
They go about as ordinary people. He, a great pundit, does not
beat his own drum. They extend help to all.
These Jñānis may perform Tapas, may engage in commerce, may reign as
kings, or beg for food. They do not think of their past. They do not
contemplate on their future. They remain in the present. Antithetical to
epicureanism, they eat any food given to them.
If the sky falls, if the sun becomes moon, or if the corpse
walks, they do not regard it as something new or wondrous. They remain a witness
standing between the good and the evil.
Bhagavan SriRamana Maharishi lived the life of a Jñāni and Jīvanmukta
(Liberated while alive in body). These are illustrated by many events.
One’s bad behavior exploits the other’s life for self-benefit.
Without considering one’s usefulness to the other, the selfish thinks of
exploiting the other. By thoughts like these, one’s own honesty and
integrity collapse and perish. The mind is always plotting, resulting in lack of
peace. With no or little
peace, there is an attempt to hide one’s guilt feelings with pompous
talk. Others easily discern this pompous talk and the resulting appearance of vulgarity.
Not realizing one’s own vulgarity, they continue to be pompous.
Pomposity: Pretending to his friends, he bought the motorcycle (at his
own expense), while it was bought for him by his Father-in-law (FIL) and
he was crowing about it to his friends. As the friends praised the
motorcycle, he entertained the thought of asking the FIL for a car. He
may get one or may not. He may be subject to inauspicious words: “Why
are you so shameless.”
In 1908, Ramanar lived in the Virūpākṣi cave. Bālāṉanda,
a sadhu and a polyglot lived nearby. He was a learned man and an able
person. He, a charlatan by trade, claimed to have many supernatural
powers. His powers of persuasion and chicanery came to him as a second
nature.
He told his seekers he knew the past, the present and the future
but his intention was to separate them from their money.
Devotees of Ramanar knew he was a Brahmana Sāmy.
They go to Tiruvannamalai first for Darśan of the deities and later to
the cave on the mountain to see Periyava. They offer homage to the
Sadhus on the way, give food and money and leave. Many Sadhus wait
eagerly for the devotees and the offerings. They usually accost,
buttonhole and make the mountain-climbing devotees sit before them
against their wishes.
Once Ramana Maharishi (known as Brahmana Sāmy) came to the cave on the
mountain, the phony Sadhus drew less crowd. The money-grubbing Sadhus
were jealous and unhappy to see a greater cashflow to Ramanar.
Bhagavan SriRamaṇa Maharishi had no thought about money flow or food
donation. Bālāṉanda, knowing the
detachment and the deep silence of Periyava, took advantage of him. “The
child inside is my disciple; give him whatever his needs are. ‘O child,
don’t reject what they offer! Take them,’ blustered Bālāṉanda with an
air of Papal order (lordly injunction).
Bhagavan handled the cash and food in liberal ways. He knew the weakness
of charlatan-Sadhu. Periyava remained silent with no criticism,
confrontation or any direct involvement.
Bālāṉanda used the spiritual silence of Maharishi to his
advantage.
Let us do Darśan.