When I approached, Thou didst not bend ; Thou stoodst unmoved, at one with me, Oh, Aruna- (A QUARTERLY) chala ! M Arunachala! Thou dost root out the ego of those who meditate on Thee in the heart, Oh Arunachala I" — The Marital Garland —The Marital Garland of Letters, verse 1. of Letters, verse 54 Vol. 14 APRIL 1977 No. II Publisher : T. N. Venkataraman, CONTENTS President, Board of Trustees, Page EDITORIAL : Sri Ramanasramam, Unswerving Abidance as Awareness Absolute 71 Tiruvannamalai. Sri Ramana Maharshi — Rama Varma Appan Tampuran . 75 Why are we here ? — Gilbert Henry Gedge . 78 Editorial Board : Knowing (Poem) — L. P. Yandell . 79 Sri Viswanatha Swami The Uniqueness of Sri Maharshi's Realisation Sri Ronald Rose — Prof. D. S. Sarma . 80 Prof. K. Swaminathan In Quest of a Guru — Marie B. Byles . 82 Dr. K. Subrahmanyam A Silent Interview —- W. Somerset Maugham 84 Sri M. C. Subramanian The Sage and Thought — Wolter A. Keers . 85 Sri Ramamani One-Pointed — Dilip Kumar Roy . 88 Bhagavan : The Way — Vaikuntavasar . 89 The Only Reality — Gladys Dehm . 92 Managing Editor : The Whence and Whither of Human Pilgrimage V. Ganesan, — Antony Elenjimittam . 94 Sri Ramanasramam, Direct Perception — Selvarajan Yesudian , 96 Tiruvannamalai. That (Poem) — L. P. Yandell . 97 The Dusty Road — Paul rePS . 98-99 Some Early Taoist Thought — Murdoch Kirby 100 Primal Reality (Poem) — Ka. Kavana . , 101 Annual Subscription : Stories from Yoga Vasishtha — XII : INDIA Rs. 10 Story of the Vetala — Translated by FOREIGN £ 2.00 $ 4.00 M. C. Subramanian . 102 Life Subscription : Every Sentient Being (Poem) — Wei Wu Wei 104 Rs. 125 £, 15.00 $ 30 Let the Flute Rest (Poem) — G. M. Timosak 104 How I Came to Bhagavan Single Copy : — K. V. Balakrishna Menon . 105 Rs. 2.75 £ 0.60 $ 1.25 The Being — Ira 106 The Ramana Upanishad — Prof. N. A. Nikam 107 Garland of Guru's Sayings — Sri Muruganar 108 Owing to heavy depreciation in the Mantra — Dr. M. Sadasiva Rao . 110 value of £ (Pound Sterling), the subscrip When (Poem) — Ramesh V. Phadnis . Ill tion has to be raised to £ 2/- from 1.50. We hope the subscribers in the Sterling The Arunachala Hill picture in the cover page was area will not mind. drawn by Sri Bhagavan Himself. CONTENTS — (Contd.) tMtmntmn Page Sty* fatb Glory of Arunachala — Arunachala Mahatmyam (A QUARTERLY) — TV. by M. C. Subramanian 112 Solemn as a Seed (Poem) — Ka. Kavana 114 The aim of this journal is to set Introducing. Sri Tbapas Swami 115 forth the traditional wisdom of all religions and all ages, especially Book Reviews 116 as testified to by their saints and 121 Ashram Bulletin mystics, and to clarify the paths Letters to the Editor 133 available to seekers in the condi• tions of our modern world. 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No. II, April 1977 EDITORIAL Unswerving Abidance as Awareness Absolute j^VERYONE in the world wants to be the mind becomes inward-turned, and happy — at all times, in all places and enjoys pure Self-Happiness. Thus the mind under all conditions. This quest for ananda moves without rest, alternately going out of is the universal human desire and the goal of the Self and returning to it. Under the tree the shade is pleasant ; out in the open the all human endeavour. There are however heat is scorching. A person who has been some persons who are happy at all times, in going about in the sun feels cool when he all places and under all conditions and that reaches the shade. Some one who keeps on too without any desire and without any effort going from the shade into the sun and then on their part. This strange paradox about back into the shade is a fool. A wise man happiness — that one who seeks it strenuously stays permanently in the shade. Similarly, often misses it, while one who is indifferent to the mind of the one who knows the truth it. enjoys it — is explained by our failure to does not leave Brahman. The mind of the distinguish between pleasure or satisfaction ignorant, on the contrary, revolves in the world, feeling miserable, and for a little on the one hand and happiness or ananda on time returns to Brahman to experience the other. We mistake pleasure for happiness happiness. In fact, what is called the world and, pursuing it as if it were happiness, end is only thought. When the world disappears, up in all kinds of misery. i.e. when there is no thought, the mind experiences happiness ; and when the world In Who Am I ? and in the Talks, Sri Bhaga• appears, it goes through misery." van brings out clearly this distinction between happiness, which is our inherent and perma• Absolute and permanent happiness does not nent nature, and the pleasure which we from reside in objects but in the atman. Such happi• time to time derive from the satisfaction of ness is peace, free from pain and pleasure. In our desires, physical or mental, healthy or *he Talks it is said : unhealthy. 44 If a man thinks that his happiness is due to external causes and his possessions, " Happiness is the very nature of the it is reasonable to conclude that his happi• Self ; happiness and the Self are not differ• ness must increase with the increase of ent. There is no happiness in any object of possessions, and diminish in proportion to the world. We imagine through our their diminution. Therefore if he is devoid Ignorance that we derive happiness from of possessions, his happiness should be nil. objects. When the mind goes out, it experi• What is the real experience of man ? Does ences misery. In truth, when its desires are it conform to this view ? fulfilled, it returns to its own place and enjoys the happiness that is the Self " In deep sleep, the man is devoid of Similarly, in the states of sleep, samadhi, possessions, including his own body. Instead and fainting, and when the object desired of being unhappy he is auite happy. Every is obtained or the obiect disliked is removed, one desires to sleep soundly, The conclusion 72 THE MOUNTAIN PATH April is that happiness is inherent in man and is words to Rama before he left for the forest not due to external causes. One must rea• She said : " May that dharma which you have lize his Self in order to open the store of nourished with determination and discipline unalloyed happiness." protect you. This is the only blessing I can For the sadhaka no doubt the ultimate goal give." Here we have the popular idea of Rama is the complete extinction of the ego, when the as the fullest and clearest embodiment of jiva and the world cease to be and only the dharma, the horizontal or inter-personal brightness and bliss of pure awareness dimension of human growth. The mother remains. This goal, gained in a matter of a few rightly regards her son as a moral athlete who minutes by Sri Bhagavan, seems to most of us has with determination and discipline nourish• to be too remote and indeed inaccessible in ed dharma which in turn is expected to protect this our present life.