if Silver Jubilee January 1988 Volume 25, Number 1 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Professor K. Swaminathan 2 The Journey — Editorial EDITORS 4 Leaves from Devotees'Diary Mrs. Lucy Cornelssen Dr. K. Subrahmanian 6 Quest and Egoism by Arthur Osborne Sri J. Jayaraman MANAGING EDITOR 10 First Darshan by Professor K. Swaminathan Sri V. Ganesan 12 Outside the Scriptures by Dr. T.N. Krishnaswamy PUBLISHER Sri T.N. Venkataraman 18 Maharshi, the Poet-IV by Ra. Ganapati President, Board of Trustees Sri Ramanasramam 22 The Four Fatal Lies by Douglas E. Harding Tiruvannamalai 27 Ministry of Bhagavan by MP. Pandit Letters and remittances should be sent to: 30 Dynamic Inaction by Dr. K. Subrahmanian The Managing Editor "THE MOUNTAIN PATH" 31 Silent Initiation by Louis Hartz Sri Ramanasramam P.O. Tiruvannamalai-606 603. 33 The Purpose of Life by Lucia Osborne S. India 34 Mind the Business for Which You Have Come by A.R. Natarajan 36 To Withdraw As Pure Being by Kannudaiya Vallalaar 38 Intelligence and Sanity byG. Narayan 40 Early Devotees by Michael James 45 Vedanta Choodamani by J. Jayaraman 49 Recollections by Akhilandamma 53 The Discovery of Immortality by Robert Powell 56 In the Hall of Sri Bhagavan We thank the Devotees who contributed generously for the 58 Book Reviews printing and production of this issue 62 Ashram Bulletin Cover Design by: Muralidhar Hegde Silver Jubilee January, 1988, Vol. 25, No. I EDITORIAL THE JOURNEY JOURNEY is a movement in space; an experience a leap in time. In a mystical experience, time and space are both transcen• ded, though it seems to happen within their frame-work. Instances galore can be cited from the history of all religions. Most of these 'peak' experiences leave indelible imprints on the persons who experienced them. They come in a flash, but go also the way they came. Such gifted persons leave accounts of their experiences in words for the benefit of posterity. These journeys of the 'becoming' into the 'Being' make up mystical literature. Many saints and fakirs, are thus remembered today with grateful veneration. Running parallel to this, but proceeding in the opposite direction, is the Final Experience of Sri Ramana Maharshi — a school-boy of sixteen instantaneously stood transformed into a Sage of steadfast Wisdom. This was not a case of becoming merging into Being, but of Being consuming the becoming. The Death Experience of Sri Ramana is the single, final act of Being swallowing up the becoming. A spark of Arunachala Jyotx had reached the reputed Siva kshetra — Tiruchuzhi — and descended on a most righteous and generous lady, only to take a human garb. Blessed in• deed was Alagammal for the Lord of Fire had chosen her! Alagammal could hardly bear the 'heat', the 'brilliance' hidden in her womb as her second son. When the child was born, a big Jyoti flashed across the delivery room and ^\ the born-blind midwife 'saw' the Light and mana Swami — "started responding to the announced to Alagammal: "This is a divine questions of sadhakas, with written replies to child, indeed! I saw a brilliant light, Alagu!" start with" and then with a flood of words of The Child, Venkataraman, started hearing, pure Wisdom, in poetry and prose. This aus• within, the sound 'Arunachala, Arunachala tere period saw the ascetic's gradual move• for, the Self, the Lord, Arunachala, had 'chosen' ment from Self-absorption and silence into an this child as the vehicle for Its latest earthly outward normality, communicating His inner journey. experience, through words simple and precise. He was often absorbed in Himself but there For sixteen years 'Arunachala' lay latent, a was no more sadhana. When He was not going vague vibration within the lad. Suddenly, one after food people said He was fasting; He had day this nama materialises as an external no occasion to speak, they said 'Swami was sound from the mouth of an elderly relative. observing mounam\ He was established in 'Arunachala', 'Arunachala' reverberates every• Himself always, reposing totally in the oneness where! No more weary waiting within the con• of Self, like the adhara sruti (fundamental fines of a physical body. Arunachala envelopes note in music). But new notes from the environ• the boy into Its Eternal Embrace, in a thana- ment started blending with that adhara sruti. topsis, a Death Experience, the blessing of the Now, He was in a state where "any amount of full descent of Arunachala on Venkataraman. action can be performed, and performed quite No more could the lad be content with His well, without identifying himself with it in any burnt-rope-like physical frame 'living' apart way or ever imagining that he was the doer." from His Parent, the Fire Supreme. He started living in our midst as Awareness, as What a journey it was! Purusha subjecting the Person in all persons; He lived in all and as Itself to the sway of Prakriti. Prakhti in turn all life! And this He did for four and fifty years! seeking shelter in Purusha. Reign of Supreme Wisdom in the very pre• Not knowing the exact railway fare from sence of Father Arunachala! The Truth Eternal Madurai to Tiruvannamalai was Rupees three, is now made manifest and available to all, not the boy-god takes just that amount out of only to human seekers but even to animals Rupees five offered! Look at the array of and plants! The journey which began at Tiru- guidance and help He received en route — A chuzhi continued in Arunachala and ended as muslim fakir guides him aright at Villupuram, a Jyoti-rupa, the source, the course and the the hotel-owner gives a free meal, effortless End of all! walk from Mambalapattu to Kilur, a drummer Arunachala took up this journey in motion gives anna (food), a devout couple showers in the form of Ramana only to draw, every love and affection, a barber offers to give a one, even the least of us, into the fold of shave, the Father's Arms receive the Son with Ramana and start a similar journey, for return• a shower-bath! ing to our source in pure Being-Awareness- Bliss. One journey ends in home-coming. But the child is yet to feel at home with Mother Prakriti " The embodied soul from you and Her other children. proceeding may through various ways self- chosen wander aimless for a while, but can• Then follow thirty glorious months! not rest till it rejoins You, the source This is the period between September 1, Even so the soul must turn to you, O Aruna 1896, the day of His arrival at Arunachala till Hill, and merge again in you alone, Ocean the boy-saint —then known to all as Brain- of Bliss."— Arunachala Ashtakam, v. 8 L > 1 LEAVES FROM DEVOTEES' DIARIES TOWARDS ARUNACHALA The pilgrim had left home, determined never to set foot there again. The cuckoo leaves the crow's nest where she was hatched when she discovers her true nature, and never returns. (Self-Realisation) y ENKATARAMAN thought that the jour• meditation. The meal came and, after eating it, ney to Tiruvannamalai would cost three he proffered two annas in payment, but the rupees and took only that sum, and left the hotel-keeper must have been struck by this remaining two rupees with a letter in Tamil to fine-looking Brahmin youth with long hair and the following effect: "I have set out in quest of gold ear-rings sitting there like a sadhu. He my Father and at his bidding. Let none grieve asked how much money Venkataraman had over this act and let no money be spent in and, on hearing that he had only two and a search of this. Your college fees have not been half annas all told, refused to accept payment. paid. Two Rupees are enclosed herewith" He also explained that Mambalapattu, a name The reference to the writer as 'this' and the that Venkataraman had seen on a signpost, absence of a signature reveal the state of mind was on the way to Tiruvannamalai. Venkata• he was in. raman thereupon returned to the station and He left home a little before noon and reached bought a ticket to Mambalapattu, which was as the railway station just in time to catch the far as his remaining annas would take him. train. He bought a ticket for Tindivanam, He reached Mambalapattu in the afternoon which he thought was the station nearest to and from there set out to walk. By nightfall he Tiruvannamalai. This cost him two rupees and had gone ten miles. Before him was the thirteen annas. The fact was, though he did temple of Arayaninallur built on a large rock. not know it, that there was a new link line by The long walk, most of it in the heat of the day, which he could have travelled to Tiruvanna• had tired him and he sat down by the temple malai itself by changing at Villupuram, and this to rest. Shortly after someone came along and would have cost him exactly three rupees. opened it for the temple priest and others to After he got into the train a Muslim fellow- make puja. Venkataraman entered and sat passenger, a moulvi, entered into conversa• down in the pillared hall, the only part that was tion with him, discovered his mistake and not yet quite dark. He immediately beheld a advised him to detrain at Villupuram. brilliant light pervading the whole temple. Thinking it must be an emanation from the — from Ramana Maharshi, p. 11 By K.