" D o e s it b e c o m e Thee

thus to sleep when I am out-

raged by others, O A r u n a -
(A QUARTERLY)
chala ?
—The Marital Garland of
Letters, verse 10. " Arunachala ! T h o u dost root out the ego of those w h o
meditate on Thee in the heart, Oh Arunachala ! "
—The Marital Garland of Letters, verse 1.

Publisher :
Vol. I l l APRIL 1966 No. 2
T . N. Venkataraman,
Sri Ramanasramam,
Tiruvannamalai.
C O N T E N T S

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EDITORIAL :

Higher Powers 131

Some Consequences of Anatta - Bodhichitta . . 136
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THE MIRACLES OF . . .

Tirupati Venkataramana — N. N. Rajan 174 (A QUARTERLY)

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 (A Q U A R T E R L Y )
Editor: A R T H U R OSBORNE
VOL, I I I APRIL,
HIGHER POWERS
(EDITORIAL)
It is generally agreed b y anthropologists
t o - d a y that peoples called ' primitive ' h a v e
or have had a conception of the S u p r e m e
Being, although in m a n y cases this has got
obscured behind an array of lesser gods,
spirits and p o w e r s . A n important i m p l i c a -
tion of this is that; so far as religion is c o n -
cerned, these peoples are not primitive but
degenerate. P r o b a b l y in other w a y s too,
though that does not concern us here.
Supreme Being is as impartial as the sun.
If one flower b u d opens w h e n the sun rises
and another not, it is due to its o w n p r e -
paredness and not to any partiality of the
sun. Similarly, Divine Grace flows, e v e r y -
w h e r e , always ; it is only man's willingness
and ability to respond to it that varies.
S u p r e m e Being cannot b e propitiated. Being
all benevolence, it cannot be induced to
b e c o m e m o r e benevolent to one than to
another or in one instance than in another.
A l l things manifest Supreme Being in its
innumerable aspects ; all things issue forth
f r o m it and return to it.
Man, h o w e v e r , develops an ego-sense, a
conviction of separate individual being ; and
1966 No. 2
insofar as this seeks to withstand the, i m -
mutability of S u p r e m e Being it w i l l e v e n -
tually b e bruised and b r o k e n / T h e n Supreme
Being w i l l not appear to h i m benevolent but
harsh and he w i l l give It the n a m e of Fate.
Arising f r o m his e g o - s e n s e he has desires
that he wishes to fulfil. A t their best and
purest these m a y c o n v e r g e in the desire to
efface, the ego-sense and return to conscious
union w i t h S u p r e m e Being ; h o w e v e r they
v e r y seldom are at their purest and best.
Usually they are specific desires, although
ranging o v e r a w i d e area f r o m the crudest
egoism to the most exalted idealism and
altruism. It is no use turning for fulfilment
of these, desires to Supreme Being, w h i c h
does not even take cognizance of the ego
that has them ; therefore m e n seek other
w a y s of attaining them.
One w a y is to pray to a single m o n o t h e i s -
tic Personal G o d W h o is a crystalization, so
to speak, of S u p r e m e Being ; but it is b y no
means the only w a y . M e n also seek to h a r -
ness Divine P o w e r to their will or to p r o -
pitiate gods or aspects of G o d through a
variety of techniques. Even in I s l a m , the,
132 THE MOUNTAIN
most rigidly monotheistic of religions, p e o -
p l e invoke specific Names of G o d for s p e c i -
fic purposes, while in Christianity with its
' Three Persons in One G o d ' they invoke the
intercession of saints.
Invoking saints and angelic p o w e r s means
seeking aid f r o m the intermediate w o r l d
b e t w e e n the human and the Divine. In most
religions elaborate techniques have been
framed for doing this, for propitiating b e n e -
volent p o w e r s and w a r d i n g off harmful ones.
W h e n this physical w o r l d is full of such a
variety of l i f e - f o r m s , some dangerous and
others serviceable, the tiger and the l a m b ,
the, serpent and the eagle, it w o u l d be crass
materialism to suppose the subtle w o r l d
e m p t y of such. The religions all recognize
their existence. T h e N e w Testament speaks
of angels and archangels and, on the h a r m -
ful side, of devils possessing people. The
Qur'an speaks of M u h a m m a d preaching to
the jinn as w e l l as to humans. B u d d h a also
is said to have taught in t h e d e v a - l o k a as
w e l l as on earth. If animism plays a large,
part in some m o d e r n Buddhist communities
it is because they h a v e substituted a wish to
gratify their desires f o r Buddha's injunction
to renounce them.
Spiritual degeneracy can take many
forms, but t w o are particularly obvious. One
is forgetting about S u p r e m e Being, w h i c h ,
after all^ is of no use to y o u as an individual
but is eventually going to d e v o u r and r e -
absorb y o u , and concentrating on forces and
beings of the subtle w o r l d and on the means
of harnessing or placating them. T h e other
is to forget all about the subtle w o r l d and
b e l i e v e only in a material w o r l d with or
without a Personal G o d w h o m a d e it. The
f o r m e r leads to animism and magic, the
latter to materialism ; the f o r m e r is the
degeneracy of the peoples called primitive,
the latter of the anthropologists w h o study
them.
S o m e anthropologists have held that r e l i -
gion g r e w out of magic. Religion cannot g r o w
out of anything, being based o n pure i n t u i -
tional consciousness. Indeed, it does not g r o w
or d e v e l o p , b u t starts full g r o w n and t h e r e -
after declines, 1
It is. h o w e v e r , true, as; i n d i -
PATH April
cated above, that m a g i c is a degeneracy of
religion. W h e n the goal of self-purification
is lost sight of and the purpose of harnessing
s u b t l e forces comes to b e the acquisition of
p o w e r and gratification of desires, then it
c o m e s to b e magic. But that does not n e c e s -
sarily mean that it is ineffective ; it m a y b e
both effective and dangerous. F r o m a
spiritual point of v i e w , h o w e v e r , it is u n -
w o r t h y of consideration.
T h e r e is a similarity b e t w e e n the attitude
of the advaitin and his direct opposite, the
materialist, since both alike ignore the i n t e r -
mediate w o r l d with all its p o w e r s and w o n -
ders. T h e advaitin, seeking to realize the
Ond Self that he is, understands that all that
appears, whether earth or heaven, m a n i -
festation and dissolution of the universe,
celestial beings in their splendour, the
avatars and the prophets, Christ and his
second coming, the B u d d h a s of all the ages,
all manifest the One Self, because there is
n o other. Therefore to seek them out, h o w -
ever resplendent they m a y be, w o u l d b e a
distraction on the path.
T h e materialist also sees nothing b u t the
physical w o r l d — but with w h a t a differ-
ence ! T h e p o w e r s and splendours of the
intermediate w o r l d are not b e l o w but a b o v e
his aspirations. He cannot e v e n c o n c e i v e of
them. W h e t h e r or not he believes that s o m e
r e m o t e person called' G o d created this p h y s i -
cal w o r l d f r o m outside of it, it is the p h y s i -
cal w o r l d of things he can touch and see that
he really believes in. H o w distressing it
must b e for h i m to b e told b y his o w n
physical science that there is no such w o r l d ,
that things have no colour, shape o r smell
apart f r o m his perception of them, that he
is not sitting at a solid w o o d e n table but
b e f o r e a cluster of atoms whirling about in
e m p t y space. N o w that there is no longer
any matter h o w is he going to b e a m a t e -
rialist ?
* # *
L e t us n o w pass f r o m theory to practice
and see h o w n o n - p h y s i c a l p o w e r s operate.
T h e y fall into three main categories w h i c h
i This t h e m e is d e v e l o p e d in Buddhism and
Christianity in the Light of Hinduism b y A r t h u r
O s b o r n e , ch. 3. R i d e r & Co.
im HIGHER
are on the w h o l e distinct although they
m e r g e at the edges.
T h e first is purely technical, through the
p e r f o r m a n c e of some rite ; and in this, as
in the w o r k i n g of physical science, the w i s -
d o m and purity of the operator is not a
requisite, although his ability to concentrate
is usually helpful and sometimes essential.
A g o o d e x a m p l e of this category is the
yantra against scorpion stings w h i c h w e
published in our issue of A p r i l 1965 and
w h i c h so m a n y of our readers have f o u n d
effective.
This m o d e of canalisation covers a vast
range including most religious ritual and
occult practice. It includes, for instance, the
Christian practice of making the sign of the
cross to avert evil influences and the M u s l i m
use of ' Bismillah ' for the same purpose. It
covers the Mediaeval science of alchemy, the
use of mantras and yantras, the Catholic rite
of e x o r c i s m and even the efficacy of the
mass. Indeed there is recognition of this in
the Catholic tenet that the efficacy of the
mass is not dependent on the purity and
spirituality of the officiating priest — it is
not he w h o is acting but a divinely instituted
current that is acting through him. A t the
same time, it must b e added that the m o r e
spiritual are the benefits sought f r o m the
practice of any technique the m o r e helpful
is purity and concentration o n the part of
the practicant. This is technically explicable
because impurity, inertia and mental d i s -
traction prevent the m i n d being a clear
channel for the flow of the p o w e r that is
being invoked. A n d the Catholic Church
does, of course, recognize the desirability of
purity and devotion in the priest w h o c e l e -
brates mass even w h i l e holding that the lack
of these qualities cannot totally invalidate
it.
Incidentally, the possibility of investing
p o w e r s in a person modifies to some extent
what I said in m y editorial of July 1965
about the impossibility if a G u r u guiding
others farther than h e has gone himself. A
G u r u m a y invest a p o w e r such as the a w a k e n -
ing and guidance of kundalini in a disciple
w h o w i l l to that extent b e c o m e his s u c c e s -
POWER m
sor, just as the p o w e r to great absolution is
invested in a Catholic Priest.
Mediaeval alchemy was a highly technical
science using physical experimentation, b u t
since it aimed at spiritual d e v e l o p m e n t it
insisted on purity in the practicant. " This
thing for w h i c h y o u h a v e sought so long is
not to b e acquired or accomplished b y force
or passion. It is only to b e w o n b y patience
and humility and b y a determined and most
perfect love. F o r G o d bestows this divine
and immaculate science, on his faithful s e r -
vants, n a m e l y on those o n w h o m he r e s o l v e d
to b e s t o w it f r o m the original nature of
things. . . . N o r w e r e they able to hold a n y -
thing b a c k save through the strength g r a n t -
ed to them b y G o d . For G o d charges those
of his servants w h o m he has purposely chosen
that they k e e p this divine science w h i c h is
hidden f r o m m e n and that they keep it to
themselves." 2
T o discuss w h y certain actions p r o d u c e
effects that are not physically accountable
w o u l d take us too far afield. It w o u l d open
up the w h o l e question of spiritual forces and
subtle vibrations. A n d if the w h o l e a p p a r -
ently physical universe is reducible to energy
vibrations, as nuclear scientists seem i n c l i n -
ed to think, it w o u l d also open u p the q u e s -
tion w h e r e and b y what right a b o u n d a r y is
to b e d r a w n b e t w e e n the physical and n o n -
physical w o r l d . H o w e v e r , there is one
important consequence to b e d r a w n : that is
that the widespread m o d e r n rejection of
ritual in religion is depriving people of
p o w e r f u l aids for spiritual development and
for defence against evil.
A further specification seems called for in
this connection. A s explained b y Bhagavan
in his Upadesa Saram (Instruction in Thirty
Verses) quoted in our issue of January 1965,
and also in the editorial and the article
' P a t h s to S e l f - R e a l i z a t i o n ' b y Dr. B. V .
Radhakrishnan in the same issue, action
cannot lead b e y o n d action and therefore no
ritual can p r o d u c e Liberation. Therefore
people w h o seek Liberation b y the path of
S e l f - e n q u i r y , as taught b y Bhagavan, m a i n -
2 Q u o t e d b y A r t h u r Osborne, op. cit. p. 91, f r o m
' Psychology and Alchemy 9
p. 260, b y C. G. Jung.
134 THfi M O U N T A I N
l y ignore ritual, and Bhagavan a p p r o v e d of
this. But there are m a n y w h o do not s p e -
cifically seek Liberation but simply greater
purity, greater devotion, general spiritual
betterment, or w h o seek Liberation as the
still unseen goal of a winding path ; and it
is f o r such as these that the appropriate
ritual w o u l d be a p o w e r f u l armament for
progress and defence.
T h e second category is of p o w e r s that
manifest themselves through some particular
person. These may be spontaneous or
acquired.
Spontaneous p o w e r s are not u n c o m m o n
and it m a y b e that, in accordance w i t h the
nature of our times (as explained in the
editorial of our O c t o b e r 1965 issue and in
the article ' A l K h i z r ' b y A b d u l l a h Q u t b u d -
din in the same i s s u e ) , they are b e c o m i n g
m o r e c o m m o n . Therei are m a n y cases in the
West w h e r e healing p o w e r manifests s p o n -
taneously. One such is G. H. G e d g e w h o s e
article on * T h e M o d e r n R e v i v a l of Spiritual
H e a l i n g ' was published in our issue of
January 1965. A n o t h e r w a s Joel G o l d -
smith, a n u m b e r of w h o s e articles w e have
published. In India there are, cases of a
w i d e r range of p o w e r s appearing at an early
age before there is any question of spiritual
attainment. One of these is Panrimalai
S w a m i , about w h o m there is an article in
this issue. A n o t h e r is Sathya Sai Baba, w h o
is regarded b y his f o l l o w e r s as a r e i n c a r n a -
tion of the original Sai B a b a (about w h o s e
use of miracles there is an article in this'
issue). There m a y b e various explanations
f o r this. The most c o m m o n l y applicable
is p r o b a b l y that they are persons w h o had
attained such a state of purity in their last
incarnation as to enable p o w e r to flow
through t h e m u n i m p e d e d in this.
A c q u i r e d p o w e r s are to some extent due
to a cultivation of generally available t e c h -
niques and to some extent to development
of an aptitude for spontaneous p o w e r that
was inherent b u t not, p o w e r f u l enough to
manifest without training. It is enough to
say that they are not a p p r o v e d of b y true
Masters. In order to seek them, a man's
m i n d must b e directed towards them, not
PATH April
towards Liberation. T h e r e f o r e they cannot
lead h i m to Liberation. Preoccupation with
them is far m o r e likely to distract h i m f r o m
it ; and it can do this just as effectively as
preoccupation with physical wealth and
p o w e r . A t best they exist within the p h e -
nomenal w o r l d w h i c h he should b e striving
to transcend and hold him d o w n in it ; at
worst they degenerate into sorcery and m a g -
n i f y his ego b y giving h i m p o w e r o v e r others
and winning their submission and adulation.
M i d w a y b e t w e e n these t w o subcategories
are p o w e r s w h i c h c o m e to a m a n s p o n t a -
neously in t h e course of his quest and as a
b y - p r o d u c t of it. T h e y also can be a h i n d -
rance on the quest. Whether and h o w far
to use t h e m w i l l b e a matter f o r decision
b y the G u r u or f o r sober, dispassionate j u d g e -
ment if therei is no physical Guru.
T h e third category, into w h i c h the second
m a y m e r g e , is of those w h o h a v e m a d e
themselves channels f o r the Divine P o w e r
b y complete submission or dissolution of the
ego w h i c h obstructs it.
A m a n feels (or, through meditation, can
learn to f e e l ) a reality or selfhood in him.
It is impossible to define it and useless to
g i v e it a name. In comparison with it t h e
w o r l d of people, things and events, including
his o w n life and b o d y , is felt to have only
a relative reality, like a dream or like a
b u b b l e pretending to be a w o r l d . But v e r y
f e w are able, like the Maharshi, to remain
in constant, clear awareness of this inner
reality. M o r e often there is a v a g u e a w a r e -
ness, a belief, a recollection, a mental u n d e r -
standing, fortified b y occasional flashes of
clear intuitional k n o w l e d g e .
There are, t w o w a y s in w h i c h a m a n can
regard this true and inner Reality. H e can
recognize it as the only reality of h i m and
therefore give it the name of Self. This
implies, that he w h o recognizes it is a m e r e
projection of it and mask o v e r it and is a c t -
ing a lie in presuming any independent r e a -
lity. Alternately he can regard his b o d y - m i n d
c o m p l e x as a real self other than this Reality,
w h i c h he w i l l then call G o d . Theorists try
to b l o w this difference u p into something b i g
and argue learnedly that one attitude is right
 me DISAPPEARANCE
and the other w r o n g , but actually it is a
slight divergence, rather of emphasis than
fact. Those w h o call the inner Reality ' G o d '
appreciate nevertheless that it is " closer
than breathing and nearer than hands and
feet ", w h i l e those w h o call it ' Self a p p r e -
9
ciate that it is other than the b o d y - m i n d
c o m p l e x w h i c h is r e g a r d e d as self b y almost
all in their ordinary day to day living.
T h e r e is., h o w e v e r , a difference in p r a c t i -
cal implication. T h e apparent w o r l d , being
a projection or manifestation of the inner
Reality, is obviously malleable, can be s h a p -
ed, changed or adapted — but w h o b y ? He
w h o recognizes the inner Reality as the Self
of h i m thereby negates any other, any ego
or contingent self w h o could desire one course
of events rather than another or b e i n t e r -
ested to canalise p o w e r for the curing of
disease or r e m o v a l of hardships or any other
change in the course of things. D i v i n e P o w e r
w i l l flow through h i m o w i n g to the absence
of any ego to i m p e d e it, but there w i l l also
b e n o e g o to direct it consciously. Miracles
m a y happen b u t they w i l l not b e p e r f o r m e d .
The flow of events w i l l b e witnessed like a
cinema s h o w or a w a k i n g dream, with a f e e l -
ing that they are right and fitting but w i t h -
out involvement. If the, b o d y - m i n d c o m p l e x
1
of such an A w a k e n e d One has any function
to p e r f o r m it w i l l p e r f o r m it in full a w a r e -
D I S A P P E A R A N C E OF T H E B O D Y
F r o m A Note b y A L A N C H A D W I C K
One day B h a g a v a n was telling us that the
Tamil Saint Manikavachagar's body dis-
appeared in a blaze; of light leaving no r e s i -
due. I asked him h o w that happened and h e
explained that the b o d y is only the solidified
mind. When the m i n d dissolves in Jnana
and consumes itself in a blaze of light the
b o d y also is burnt u p in the process. He
mentioned other such cases also. I referred
to the story in t h e B i b l e of Elijah being c a r -
OF T H E B O D Y 135
ness, with scrupulous exactitude, like an
actor playing his] part on the stage, but, like
the actor, w i t h o u t confusing himself w i t h
the part h e plays. If he is cast in the r o l e
of Brutus he w i l l stab Caesar ; if he has to
c o m m i t a stage crime he w i l l suffer a stage
punishment, but his real self, the self that
he is off the stage, w i l l remain unaffected.
On the other hand, he w h o still sees his
b o d y - m i n d c o m p l e x as a separate entity apart
f r o m and y e t submitted to that Reality still
has the desires and aversions of an ego,
although they are no longer pernicious or
rebellious ones. He it is w h o will w o r k
miracles. T h e submission of his ego enables
the D i v i n e P o w e r Jo flow through him, w h i l e
its survival enables h i m to canalise this flow
to ends that he finds desirable, to the a l l e v i a -
tion of suffering and r e m o v a l of discord. T o
the p o w e r f u l attraction he feels towards that
Reality w h i c h still seems other he gives t h e
name of l o v e \ H e gives the same name
i
also to the outflowing of Grace f r o m that
B e l o v e d w h i c h m a k e s h i m tingle in e v e r y
pore and dissolve in pure felicity. In p l a c e
of the serene abidance of the f o r m e r type
he w i l l k n o w the rapture of union with the
B e l o v e d alternating with the sweet anguish
of separation. So long as his submission,
remains pure, an inexhaustible reservoir of
p o w e r is at his disposal.
ried to heaven in a chariot of fire, a poetic
w a y of saying the same thing.
I then asked whether Christ's disappear-
ance f r o m the t o m b resembled this in any
w a y , but Bhagavan pointed out the difference
that Christ's b o d y still remained, whereas in
the other t y p e o f p h e n o m e n o n the b o d y w a s
entirely consumed. He explained that the
subtle b o d y is c o m p o s e d of light and sound
and the gross b o d y is only, a concrete f o r m
of this.
 S O M E C O N S E Q U E N C E S OF A N A T T A
By BODHICHITTA
H o w e v e r m u c h scholars m a y dispute what
is the original f o r m of B u d d h i s m a n d
what texts m a y go b a c k to the time of
Gautama, there is no doubt that at the v e r y
heart of it lies the doctrine of anatta, n o - e g o .
This all the schools agree upon. A n d this
is the essence. It is what gives its f u n d a -
mental character to Buddhism. F r o m it flow
important consequences. F o r instance, p r a y e r
in the sense of petition b e c o m e s impossible.
P r a y e r postulates t w o beings : a, small one to
request a b o o n and a great one to grant it ;
if there are no beings there is no point in
prayer.
Anatta has both a static and a d y n a m i c
aspect. Statically it is an assertion that there
is no ego, no separate individual being ;
dynamically it is a reminder to realize this
b y dissolving the illusion of any such being.
One w h o is pledged to this goal cannot ask
for boons f o r the ego w h o s e existence he
denies and to the destruction of w h o s e a p p a -
rent existence he is pledged. He cannot
logically p r a y even for assistance in a c c o m -
plishing this' destruction, for w h o is to assist
w h o m ? H e is not' in fact trying to destroy
an ego but m e r e l y to perceive ( w h a t he is
already convinced of m e n t a l l y ) that there
isn't one. It is true that devotional schools
h a v e arisen for those w h o flinch f r o m the
austere purity of the Dharma, that in Japan,
for instance, there is a school of tariki or
' outside h e l p ' as w e l l as jiriki or ' self-
Kelp ', but this can b e no m o r e than a c o n -
cession to weaklings. Anatta is a truth to
b e realized ; it can n e v e r b e a b o o n to b e
conferred.
Historically the search f o r outside help is
negated b y B u d d h a ' s famous last w o r d s to
the b e l o v e d disciple A n a n d a : " Therefore,
A n a n d a , b e lamps unto yourselves. Be a
refuge t o yourself. S e e k no outer refuge.
H o l d fast to the T r u t h as a l a m p and a refuge.
L o o k not to any one outside yourself for
refuge."
This does not mean that m a n as an i n d i -
vidual rejects help that appears to c o m e to
him f r o m other individuals, simply that he
perceives that the battle is being w a g e d
within him. A s in other religions, he f o l -
l o w s a guru, but the guru is only activating
and inspiring his o w n inner effort. H e takes
refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the
Sangha, but that is not renouncing the n e e d
for s e l f - h e l p ; it is only arming himself for
it. H e does not pray to any of them. A s
m a n is set on the w o r l d ' s stage, there are
the forces of tanha or craving to b e w i l d e r
him and the apparent realities of life to
entice h i m ; and o v e r and against these are
the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha to
show him the w a y . Set b e t w e e n them, it is
he w h o has to arm himself and to m a k e the
effort. A n d in doing so he has to r e m e m -
ber that he is not really fighting to destroy
anything that exists but only striving to p e r -
ceive clearly w h a t does not exist.
Just as there is no place f o r p r a y e r in
Buddhism, so there is no place for m i r a c u -
lous p o w e r s . It cannot, of course, b e said
that in the long history of B u d d h i s m no saints
h a v e exercised such p o w e r s or that no m i r a -
cles h a v e occurred spontaneously in the
ambiance of a saint, but there is no t r a d i -
tion of miraculous p o w e r s . A s a person
b e c o m e s purified through mindfulness and
strengthens his mind through the e l i m i n a -
tion of distraction and illusion such p o w e r s
are quite apt to c o m e to him, but they do
not carry h i m f o r w a r d towards the ultimate
goal of Nirvana ; they d o not, that ig to say,
help him to realize anatta, and therefore
they are useless. Indeed they are dangerous
insofar as they m a y distract h i m f r o m the
goal, just as physical wealth and p o w e r
m a y ; therefore they are not to b e indulged,
1966 ODE TO ARUNACHALA 137

T h e y can b e used up to a point to help others, monastery was claiming or displaying

just as physical wealth and p o w e r can, but
not to conduct others towards the goal of
realized anatta, and therefore this plea also
fails to justify them. In fact, just like p h y -
sical wealth and p o w e r , they are m o r e likely
to b e an i m p e d i m e n t than an asset, and
therefore it is better to refrain f r o m s e e k -
ing them and to renounce them if they c o m e
unsought.
Buddha, indeed, f o r b a d e his followers to
cultivate or display them. There is a story
of h o w a visitor set his b o w l o n the top of
a high pole and challenged any of the monks,
to fetch it d o w n and one of t h e m y i e l d e d
to thej temptation to do so b y practising l e v i -
tation ; w h e n B u d d h a w a s told of it he
r e p r i m a n d e d h i m , asking w h a t g o o d p u r -
pose had been served b y this display of
p o w e r s . In the Vinaya, the set of monastic'
rules that are said to h a v e b e e n f r a m e d b y
B u d d h a and are certainly characteristic of
the early Sangha, one of tre offences for
w h i c h a m o n k could b e expelled f r o m a
p o w e r s . It was n o t a question of w h e t h e r the
p o w e r s w e r e genuine or not ; it was not for
fraud that he was expelled but for e n g a g -
ing in unfruitful and distracting activity.
L o o k at the story of the w o m a n w h o
brought the dead child to B u d d h a . T o h a v e
restored it to life w o u l d have been making
her an exceptional case freed in this one
instance f r o m the l a w of nature and
w o u l d not in any w a y h a v e c o n d u c e d to (the
dissolution of her ego. On the other hand,
b y making her see that death and b e r e a v e -
ment are the c o m m o n lot of mankind h e
opened her eyes and set her on the path to
f r e e d o m f r o m suffering.
T h e D h a r m a is . uncompromising in its
logic, ruthless in its adherence to truth. If
the ego is a fiction w h i c h creates a life of
frustration ending finally in extermination,
true compassion lies not in alleviating a f e w
of the sufferings that it causes but in i n d i -
cating its unreality so as to dispel suffering
entirely.

ODE T O ARUNAGHALA
By DAVID CORRYDON

Dear Bless'd Arunachala,

Blessed Soul in f o r m ,
Reaching up through foreign soil
T o touch i h e blue of heaven's space.
A star rests overhead.
Within y o u r heart beats truth.
Upon y o u r slope treads peace.
Y o u r circling path brings k n o w i n g ,
Y o u r summit is the goal.
A n d standing there in f o r m ,
Challenging all w h o seek
T o ever B E as Thou,
Serene,
Content,
A n d lost in all that is
A n d ever will be.
 W H O S E W I L L BE D O N E ?
B y D R . T. N.
Prayer, parading one's weakness before
G o d and asking that one's will be done, is
useless. Even though a m a n m a y b e p r a y -
ing for others it is fundamentally his o w n
happiness that he is seeking. T o pray for
anything is offering resistance to the free
play of God's will. Nothing should be
a l l o w e d to c o m e b e t w e e n G o d and the s e e k -
er, not even a prayer. To b e still and s u r -
render oneself to G o d is Ito abide b y H i s
will. This does not m e a n that one should
be inactive in life, only that one should
learn to lead a n o n - v o l i t i o n a l life. " W h e n
all actions are p e r f o r m e d b y the qualities of
Nature, only he w h o is confused b y the e g o -
sense imagines himself to b e the a c t o r . " 1
" A true' Master w i l l not ask the seeker to
d o this or that. The seeker has to gain c e s -
sation of mental activities. T h e active mind
creates and such creation destroys one's
self-nature. B e c o m i n g destroys b e i n g . " T h e
aim is simply to b e i n w a r d l y still and to b e
aware. Effort' must b e m a d e to stjill. thoughts
and there is awareness of the effort and of
the thoughts stilled.
" A l l our experiences are only thought.
Pleasure and pain are thoughts. And
thoughts are within us. Pleasure and pain
are not in the outer w o r l d . The k i n g d o m
of heaven and this w o r l d are not t w o differ-
ent things. W h e n the w o r l d is seen as
within y o u it turns into the k i n g d o m of
heaven." G o d ' s presence is not a living
reality in the w o r l d as w e see it because
man's mind is actively arranging the things
of the w o r l d . Therefore it is logically c o r -
rect to say that G o d is absent f r o m the
w o r l d ; and w h e r e G o d is absent all doubts
and fears are b o u n d to b e present.
That w h i c h is aware of the s o r r o w s of the
w o r l d is t h e contracted ego, while) the w o r l d
is the e x p a n d e d ego. So the evil in the
w o r l d is inseparable f r o m the ego w h i c h
KRISHNASWAMI
cognizes it and w i l l last as long as the ego,
" Until the ' I ' - r i d d l e is solved the w o r l d -
riddle w i l l remain to p e r p l e x and torment
us." " W h e n the Self is seen the w o r l d is
not. Then one realizes that, there n e v e r was
any creation." H o w can t h e r e be suffering
in the uncreated ? Or w h a t is there to ask
for ?
" One w h o says, ' I shall not strive f o r m y
o w n salvation till I have relieved t h e suffer-
ing of the w h o l e w o r l d , ' is like the c o m p a s -
sionate dreamer w h o first wants to relieve the
sufferings of the p e o p l e in his dream b e f o r e
consenting to w a k e u p . " T h o s e w h o w a n t
t o d o social w o r k are like such an amiable
philosopher.
It is the outgoing m i n d that entertains
such apparently compassionate thoughts. T h e
mind should not b e occupied o u t w a r d l y but
turned inwards. Its p o w e r should b e used
to stop its habit of thinking. T h e r e is a
state in w h i c h thoughts do not c o m e , not
even the ' I a m ' thought, and yet awareness
remains. T h e r e are no p r o b l e m s f o r such a
stilled mind. It is not necessary for the Self
to b e aware of the w o r l d but only to B E .
A w a r e n e s s of (the w o r l d can b e added to
S e l f - a w a r e n e s s or not ; it doesn't matter. The
Self, being A l l , loses nothing b y being aware,
of the w o r l d or b y being u n a w a r e of the
w o r l d . It has abiding peace and happiness
whether aware of the w o r l d or not.
One should not lose sight of his ' I ' in
any circumstances. So long as h e clings to
it ttlhere is n o h a r m in his leading an active
life o r doing philanthropic w o r k . It is only
the I - a m - t h e - d o e r illusion that is harmful.
T h e main aim should b e to hold the m i n d
constantly to the ' I ' thought. This is the
only r e m e d y for the ills of the w o r l d . T h e
only w a y to k n o w G o d in this w o r l d is to
k n o w one's Self. One should not seek for
1 Bhagavad Gita, III, 27.
1966 THE LION'S ROAR 139

G o d in the w o r l d but in oneself. Life's s o r - Suffering is rooted in ignorance ; i g n o r -

r o w s serve a purpose insofar as they spur
the m i n d itlo s^eek God. O n e should turn
a w a y f r o m the w o r l d and l o o k inwards to
meet the Divine Presence. T h e Upanishad
puts it : " The tdfcal subsidence of the ego is
the end of the w o r l d and is termed ' S i v a ,
the Auspicious ',"
ance is r e m o v e d b y k n o w l e d g e of Ithe Spirit.
This k n o w l e d g e shows that the ego and the,
w o r l d to w h i c h w e cling are fundamentally
foreign to us and therefore cause suffering.
T h e true teaching helps us to escape f r o m
the w o r l d w h i c h is s y n o n y m o u s with b o n -
dage and suffering.

THE LION'S ROAR

By D E R E K S O U T H A L L

W e are enlightened m e n Morality and l o v e ;

But k n o w not that w e are Perfected deeds, insight
B y hidden j o y pervaded, A n d lasting happiness.,
Immortal, perfect, wise.
True practice : inner calm
D e l u d e d b y the stifling
Involves a n e w awareness.
S m o g of self, w e cling
A turning round of m i n d
T o our quite partial v i e w
T o v i e w its source within.
A n d suffer needlessly.
T o realise in truth
P r e j u d i c e confusing
The inexhaustible void.
T h e player with his part.
The indescribable
A s living leaves transmute P r e s e n c e or A b s e n c e ,
In time to hard b l a c k coal. Call it what y o u w i l l
A s frigid glacial ice This deathless heart of things.
W a s once free-falling rain. The uncontaminated,
So w e are living fossils, L u c i d and luminous
Unhappy pachyderms. One entirety.
Our g l o w i n g essence veiled
With self transcended, strife
B y countless hazy clouds
A n d bondage melt a w a y
Of seemingly trivial
Till naught remains but glory.
Desires and decisions
T h e boundless j o y of life.
W h i c h hardening through habit
Then our illusory
Petrify as pain.
W o r l d of particulars
Our internal sun eclipsed Is clearly seen to be
A n d hypnotised b y self T h e nature of our L o r d .
W e dream, yet count ourselves
Thus w e hear the Lion's roar,
A w a k e , and crave for bliss.
T h e gentle v o i c e of stillness.
N o longer suspecting
A n d see our ancestral face,-
Our treasure to be near,
The v o i d in all its fullness.
W e ravage time and space
W e sense the supreme l a w ;
In endless quest f o r truth.
Serene, vitality,
T o rouse us. f r o m o u r dream A n d the elixir of grace ;
W e need to meditate, Self-less reality.
Or practice peace of mind. W e are the radiance
A l l other w a y s lack life, Of stars, earth, m i n d and shell.
Mere, bones : no flesh or fire. Free, to e n j o y the dance
F r o m meditation springs A n d k n o w that all is w e l l .
 PETITIONARY
By ABDULLAH
T h e English w o r d ' p r a y e r ' has so m u c h
the meaning of ' p e t i t i o n ' that it is not really
apt for the ritualistic Islamic prayers that
are said five times daily. Indeed, these c o u l d
better b e described as acts of w o r s h i p o r
religious services. N o t only do (they contain
no petition, except for guidance, but each
one, even though p e r f o r m e d only b y a single
person, is so complete and harmonious as to
b e c o m p a r a b l e to a Christian Church service.
Nevertheless, petitionary prayer is p r a c -
tised in Islam, as it is in Christianity. It
is b o u n d to be in e v e r y theistic or dualistic
religion. It was a p p r o v e d of b y the P r o -
phet. It is m u c h under fire today b y people
w h o , on the basis of some theoretical u n d e r -
standing of Advaita, like to imagine t h e m -
selves a b o v e it. B e f o r e trying to explain or
defend it, let us first set out 'the arguments
brought against it. In their e x t r e m e f o r m
they can m a k e it appear v e r y crude indeed.
A s though one w e r e to say : " I recognize
that G o d is wise and omnipotent, but in the
immediate context of m y o w n life I think I
k n o w best, so please G o d b e guided b y m e . "
Even in praying f o r others the cynic can
argue that there is a spiritual ignorance
amounting to arrogance : " If I had the p o w e r
to cure A u n t A n n e ' s arthritis and g i v e
G e o r g e a better j o b I w o u l d , so Y o u please
do."
Actually, h o w e v e r , it is the c y n i c or critic
w h o is being crude, since he is presuming
belief in an anthropomorphic G o d , like a
bigger and m o r e p o w e r f u l man. The matter
takes on a c o m p l e t e l y different tone if one
thinks of spiritual p o w e r w h i c h can bei
directed to certain ends just as physical
p o w e r can. In fact it is only a crude idea
of G o d that m a k e s p r a y e r to G o d sound
crude.
L e t us first consider prayers f o r guidance,
among w h i c h must b e included prayers f o r
greater strength, m o r e fervent l o v e , staun-
PRAYER
QUTBUDDIN
cher perseverence on ft/he path. W h a t of
them ? T h e p r a y e r f o r guidance is the one
petition w h i c h c o m e s into the five ritualistic
daily prayers of Islam ; and it comes into
e v e r y one of them. T h e y all include a r e c i -
tation of the Fatiha, the opening chapter of
the Quran, w h i c h contains the w o r d s ;
" Guide us on the straight path, not the
path of those with w h o m T h o u art angered
or those w h o are astray."
T h e critic w h o has a crude a n t h r o p o m o r -
phic idea of G o d m a y cavil at this too, s a y -
ing : " Y o u mean that y o u want to p r o -
gress spiritually but it is G o d w h o has to
b e reminded to do his j o b of guiding and
supporting y o u . " A c t u a l l y I m a y k n o w v e r y
w e l l that it is m y o w n open and hidden
weaknesses that are holding m e back, urging
m e to rebellion and trying to lead m e astray,
and b y m y prayer for guidance I a m r a n g -
ing m y conscious m i n d and w i l l against
them. I am praying for Grace not to asso-
ciate myself with those tendencies in m e
w h i c h , b y their ego-assertion, d r a w d o w n
the Divine A n g e r or those w h i c h w a n d e r
about undisciplined and unguided. I may
k n o w , for instance, that d a y - d r e a m i n g w e a k -
ens m y will and undermines m y spiritual
effort, but k n o w i n g this is no help unless I
take action or seek protection f r o m it. W h e -
ther I think of the D i v i n e P o w e r t o w h i c h
I p r a y as the Transcendent Being w h o said
to the w o r l d " B e ! and it w a s " or as t h e
Immanent w h o is " nearer to m a n than his
jugular v e i n " ( b o t h Quranic phrases) m a y
b e largely a matter of theory to m e in m y
present state. W h a t is terrifically real and
urgent is tha't the S o u r c e of guidance to
w h i c h I p r a y is infinitely m o r e potent than
t h e individual self w h o prays. This explains
the Sufi saying to the aspirant w h o called
on the Divine N a m e and felt discouraged at
receiving n o reply : " Y o u r calling on M e is
itself M y r e p l y . " T h e p r a y e r for guidance is
not theory or logic ; it is a harnessing of the
1966 PETITIONARY
m i n d and w i l l to the quest, a reaching out
f r o m the h u m a n to the Divine. W h e t h e r it
has logic or not, it has potency.
F r o m this let us turn to other f o r m s of
petitionary prayer. D o e s one or does o n e not
use one's intelligence and w i l l p o w e r to
bring about what one considers desirable ?
If one is sick does one m a k e t h e mental
effort of deciding on treatment and the
physical effort of taking the treatment
prescribed ? If circumstances are difficult
does one try to i m p r o v e them or just accept
what comes ? If one's professional w o r k is
unsatisfactory does one take initiative in
seeking promotion or a better j o b or a p p e a l -
ing to influential friends ? If so w h y should
one suddenly renounce effort w h e n it c o m e s
to spiritual means such as prayer ?
W h a t then is the position of the A d v a i t i n
w h o considers himself a b o v e petitionary
p r a y e r ? He should renounce not only p r a y e r
but also w o r l d l y means of i m p r o v i n g his
position, w h e t h e r with regard to health o r
wealth or anything else. Then he w i l l not
p r a y for health but w i l l also not take m e d i -
cal treatment. Let him b e logical. T h e P r o -
phet's grandson, Hasan, w a s granted a p e n -
sion b y the ruling caliph. There is a story
that for awhile the caliph neglected to p a y
it and Hasan was urged to send in a p e t i -
tion and remind him. He replied that h e
scorned to petition a f e l l o w - c r e a t u r e w h o
w a s as dependent on the Creator as himself.
T h e position of the self-styled A d v a i t i n w h o
w o u l d seek w o r l d l y means of achieving his
desires but not heavenly is the exact o p p o -
site of this. L e t him be logical.
Even with regard to
l
guidance, the
Advaitin's w a y is to r e m e m b e r that t h e
obstructions are in himself and must b e
r e m o v e d b y himself. That shows that his
path is not one of passivity, as t h e a c c e p t -
ance of w h a t e v e r comes m i g h t suggest ; it
is one of intense activity, not revolting
against the Divine W i l l o r Universal H a r -
m o n y , w h i c h cannot b e changed in any case,
but striving t o bring himself in accord w i t h
it b y inner purification w h i c h w i l l b e reflect-
e d indirectly b u t inevitably in a h a r m o n i s a -
tion of outer circumstances. It is said in the
PRAYER 141
Quran that G o d does not change a people's
state until they first change w h a t is in t h e m -
selves. That is a sentence w o r t h pondering
o v e r in this connection.
A l t h o u g h the attitude of the A d v a i t i n is
pure, submission ( a n d therefore perfect
Islam) w h e n rightly understood and p r a c -
tised, there is the danger that it m a y dessi-
cate into a p u r e l y mental stance, especially
if misfortunes do not arise to test him. It is>
easy t o accept acceptable conditions of life ;
but suppose p o v e r t y comes, or misfortune,
or ill-health : w i l l he still accept it, r e m e m -
bering that he is not the b o d y to w h i c h it
comes ? If so all right, but it is w e l l to
r e m e m b e r the Quranic saying that w h e n
y o u have c o m e safe t o shore y o u forget the
peril y o u w e r e in and forget too that if y o u
are smug Allar can cast y o u out on stormy
seas again.
This shows that petitionary p r a y e r cannot
b e dismissed so summarily. If the true
A d v a i t i n does not p r a y f o r the fulfilment of
his wishes it is because h e either has n o n e
or regards them as reprehensible s y m p t o m s
of the e g o and prefers to exorcise them. A l l
honour to him. It is the desireless state that
is to be aimed at ; but one should e x a m i n e
oneself v e r y carefully b e f o r e deciding that
one has reached it. If not, if one still has
wishes and does seek their fulfilment, it is
crude materialism to d o so only b y w o r l d l y
means and ignore, the spiritual.
Spiritual means of obtaining w h a t o n e
desires need not necessarily take the f o r m
of simple petitionary p r a y e r ; they m a y b e
m o r e technical ; indeed, it w o u l d not b e out
of place to say m o r e scientific. T h e person
w h o presses an electric light switch is using
a scientific m e a n s of lighting the r o o m w h e -
ther he understands w h y the switch w o r k s
like that or not, and the same applies to
spiritual techniques. A Muslim w h o wishes
to use spiritual means for bringing something
about m a y turn his m i n d briefly in that
direction and then repeat an incantation
during w h i c h his m i n d w i l l b e on t h e
incantation, n o t on the petition. Similarly, a
Christian spiritual healer m a y take c o g n i z -
ance of a case and then e m p t y his m i n d and
142 THE MOUNTAIN
allow the healing Grace t o flow through it
unimpeded. A Catholic m a y ask for masses
t o be said for a certain intention. A n English
Buddhist, L o b z a n g Jivaka, tells in his b o o k
' I m j i G e t s u l ' h o w the m o n k s of a Ladhaki
monastery w h e r e he was staying as a n o v i c e
w e n t t o a drought afflicted area and recited
a certain sutra. On studying the sutra h e
f o u n d that it had ostensibly nothing to do
with drought and contained no prayer for
rain. Nevertheless the rain came. I gather
f r o m an advertisement in ' The Mountain
Path' that Hindus w h o have something to
p r a y for write to ask Sri Ramanashram to
p e r f o r m a Sri Chakra P u j a with that i n t e n -
tion.
A l l these are indirect spiritual means of
getting one's wishes fulfilled. T h e a n t h r o -
pologist might say that they are nearer to
m a g i c than to religion, but if so that only
shows that m a g i c was originally a b r a n c h of
religion. The important thing is that to a
large extent they w o r k — p r o b a b l y a g o o d
deal m o r e than direct petitionary prayer.
Indeed, the strong accumulation of i n d i v i -
dual will or desire in direct petitionary
prayer m a y disturb the atmosphere and
impede the action of t h e spiritual currents
which are canalised b y a m o r e aloof
approach. This is particularly felt b y spiri-
tual healers, w h o find that wishing actually
A G R A I N OF SAND
By CORNELIA
T h e simplest things reveal
A wonder
A s various
A s the stars.
Held in the heart
O f a flower
A l l heaven lies.
PATS April
obstructs the process of cure, I quote f r o m a
Taoist w o r k to this effect." . . . if meditation
is aimed at curing an illness, the practiser
should forget all about the thought of curing
it and if it is for i m p r o v i n g health h e should
forget all about the idea of i m p r o v e m e n t ,
because w h e n mind and objects are f o r -
gotten everything w i l l be v o i d and the
o b j e c t thus achieved w i l l b e the proper one.
. . . If the thoughts of curing an illness and
of i m p r o v i n g health are clung to the m i n d
will be stirred and no result can b e
expected." 1
This also explains w h y the prayers of a
saint are so effective. Believers in all r e l i -
gions flock to a saint and ask him to pray
for their desires — for health, a son, p r o s -
perity, w h a t e v e r they m a y fancy their
happiness t o depend on. T h e y have practical
reasons for doing so, having seen m a n y
cases of his prayers being effective. The r e a -
son for this is surely obvious : the saint is
the m a n w h o has succeeded in eliminating
his ego, and he can therefore i n v o k e the
necessary spiritual force to achieve what is
desired without any disturbing intrusion of
self-will.
l The Secrets of Chinese Meditation, p. 189, b y
Charles L u k , R i d e r & Co., quoting f r o m the
Taoist Master Y i n Shih Tsu.
BAGAROTTI
 M O D E S OF PRAYER

By I N D I R A D E V I

O n p a g e 234 of our issue of O c t o b e r 1964 there is a short note on Dilip K u m a r

R o y f o l l o w e d b y his account of h o w he c a m e t o the Maharshi. W e give here a letter
that he w r o t e to t w o of his Western disciples (kindly sending us a c o p y ) in w h i c h h e
quotes his ecstatic disciple Indira Devi's description of the three types of p r a y e r often
mentioned b y Christian mystics, that is petition, adoration and contemplation.

I w a s speaking about the three types of
prayer t h e Western mystics so often d e s -
cribe : petition, adoration and contemplation.
A s I was trying to explain, Indira D e v i went
off into a bhav-samadhi and spoke in a
state of ecstasy, intermittently patting her
o w n head, as she often does, to be able to
retain her n o r m a l consciousness.
" Y o u k n o w , D a d a , " she said, " a devotee
of G o p a l ( K r i s h n a ) , a Gopi ( c o w h e r d m a i d ) ,
missed G o p a l w h o had gone a w a y to
Mathura. S h e simply yearned for Him.
" One day she heard that G o p a l had just
returned t o Brindaban. She was o v e r j o y e d
and set out for His abode.
" On her w a y she was thinking d e l i g h t e d -
ly of all that she w o u l d say to G o p a l ;
rehearsed h o w she was going t o greet H i m ;
w o n d e r e d w h a t she w o u l d ask Him, h o w she
w o u l d i m p l o r e H i m to write to h e r in future
without fail and send her messages of His
G r a c e and . . . and, a b o v e all, He must play
His heavenly Flute of Bliss n o w that He is
b a c k again and so on and so f o r t h . . . "
Indira l o o k e d at m e and added succinctly :
" This is petitionary p r a y e r . "
to her . . . h o w will Gopal receive her . . .
h o w she will fall at His feet . . . h o w she
will react to His glance and so on . . . . She
draws, still nearer Gopal's sanctum . ..
approaches the door in an ecstasy of tears
. . . but still she has not met H i m e v e n
though she hears His b e l o v e d footfall on the
other side. . . . Her heart w o u l d w i n g its
w a y to Him, but the door is still closed. She
waits, in ecstasy, adoring her heart's one
B e l o v e d w h o m she is yet to m e e t face to
face " . " T h i s , " added Indira, " is adoration."
" T h e n , " she resumed in a thick v o i c e ,
after a brief pause, " the door opens, at long
last . . . and there . . . there stands her p e e r -
less Gopal, the w o r l d ' s H e a r t - c h a r m e r and
lo, time stops and her thoughts are stilled.
A l l she wanted to say dissolves . . . and
and . . . h o w can she think of anything to
say w h e n she meets the One for w h o m she
has lived all these days . . . the only One
for w h o m life is w o r t h living ? A bliss that
passes all understanding pervades her being
as H e smiles at her and she . . . she .
gazes at Him, self-lost. T h e r e is only c o m -
munion . . . the blessed fulfilment of o n e -
ness, the soul and her Swain of Brindavan
locked in the last clasp of L o v e . "

" But t h e n , " she w e n t on, " as she draws
near her destination, she feels thrilled. She
crosses His courtyard and her heart is f l o o d -
ed with j o y . A deep pace descends into her
soul. She marvels w h a t is going to happen
Her tremulous v o i c e trailed off into
silence. Then, she l o o k e d at m e , her eyes
moist with tears, and added : " This is c o n -
templation." B y w h i c h she meant, of course,
samadhi.
 GRACE AND
By G L A D Y S DE MEUTER
' I sleep, but m y heart waketh,' these
w o r d s emerging from the wisdom of
Solomon's Song of Songs, express the j o y o u s
unfolding of the heart-lotus u n d e r the rays
of the spiritual Sun.
This burgeoning manifests in an inner
compulsion to embrace Truth, t o b e freed
f r o m vain, multitudinous cares, and to reach
a, k n o w l e d g e of that eternal science w h i c h is
b e y o n d transient existence.
Direct apprehension of Truth is possible
only through G r a c e u n d e r w h o s e radiant
influence the heart receives the w a r m t h of
faith and exudes the fragrance of prayer.
This attar f r o m heaven purifies the m i n d ,
renders the soul h u m b l e and penitent and
leads the seeker towards the passionless
state of self-mastery.
A t first prayer is but a fitful flame
exposed to the w i n d s of doubt and buffeted
b y the beguilement of the senses, but w h e n
the mind is steadfast in r e m e m b r a n c e of
God, restlessness and inertia recede, and
prayer b e c o m e s a steady light.
Throughout the ages, w h e n e v e r hearts
b o w e d in reverent h o m a g e b e f o r e a M a n -
G o d , the cry has e v e r been : L o r d , teach us
1
h o w to pray.' A n d loving instruction f o l l o w -
ed according to the unfoldment and
capacity of the seeker. But w h a t e v e r the
w o r d - g a r m e n t of the spiritual teaching,
Heart has ever been of paramount i m p o r t -
ance.
In the Upanishads is written : Within the
1 c o m e to m e through m y heart o v e r w h i c h I
city of Brahman abides the lotus of the
heart w h e r e i n is a tiny akasa. That w h i c h is
within that akasa is to b e the object of the
search for k n o w l e d g e . '
It w a s explained to the aspirant that, the
b o d y being the d w e l l i n g - p l a c e of Brahman,
it is described as a r o y a l city, a n d the heart,
shaped like a l o t u s - b u d , likened to the
PRAYER
palace. The akasa (space) designates
B r a h m a n as all-pervading, subtle and i n c o r -
poreal, and although in the initial stages of
spiritual unfoldment B r a h m a n m a y b e c o n -
sidered b y the aspirant to be limited b y t h e
heart, in truth Brahman is Infinite Being
immanent e v e r y w h e r e and the Centre f r o m
w h i c h names and forms manifest.
W h e n the mind has been trained to dive
deep into the Heart, f r e e d o m f r o m attach-
ment to the external w o r l d arises as d i s -
passion, the senses are subdued and
thoughts cease their restless m o t i o n so that
the Blissful Self is realized.
The d e v o t e e at the feet of his G u r u thus
learned that true prayer is having complete
trust in the Higher P o w e r W h o s e G r a c e
leads to the K N O W I N G that the incorporeal
and a l l - p e r v a d i n g A t m a n is Brahman.
T o L a o - T s e , T a o is the Nameless S i m p l i -
city the g l o r y of w h i c h m a y b e k n o w n o n l y
w h e n the mind is free f r o m disturbances and
the heart reflects the quietude of divine
silence. Those w h o attain such a state give
forth a w o n d r o u s g l o w , coolness and s e r e -
nity w h i c h the venerable Sage termed
Heart-Repose.
In the Egyptian B o o k of the D e a d the
heart is w e i g h e d against the feather of T r u t h
in the Hall of Judgment, and a p r a y e r a d d -
ressed to Osiris is couched in sincere tones :
' M y heart w h i c h sitteth b e f o r e Osiris hath
m a d e entreaty for m e . Unto h i m h a v e I g i v e n
m y heart's thoughts . . . Understanding has
have gained mastery. M a y this heart not b e
taken f r o m m e ! '
In the Egyptian B i b l e h o m a g e is paid to
the Indweller of hearts, and w h e n the n e o -
p h y t e kneels with his hands clasped to his
breast, he prays that h e m a y enter the
A b o d e of R a w h i c h is that of the Q u i e t -
Heart.
1966 AT INTERVALS 145

The Christian Contemplatives taught that
prayer was perfected when the mind
m e r g e d into the Heart. T h e y termed this
H e a r t - P r a y e r , and stressed the need to keep
the m i n d t h o u g h t - f r e e w h e n it dived deep
i n t o the spiritual Heart-Centre. A s an aid t o
meditative prayer the H o l y N a m e was to b e
repeated constantly either audibly or m e n -
tally until such time as the N a m e b e c a m e
firmly established in the heart.
thoughts arose in the mind they w e r e to b e
m e t w i t h the s w o r d of the H o l y N a m e w h i c h
puts the e n e m y to flight. Taking refuge in
G o d , the single eye of true, discrimination
w a s to b e cast on all phenomena, realizing
their transient and illusive quality. T h o u g h t
and speech w e r e to be discarded for the Bliss
of Heart-Silence. Thus T r u t h b e y o n d r e l a -
tivity was arrived at, and the mysterious
duality created b y the e g o transcended.

Practise of the Silence was enjoined, and
visions w h e t h e r s e n s o r y ' or otherwise, w e r e
to b e ignored and recognized as phantasies
c o n j u r e d u p b y the mind. N o matter h o w
entrancing or beautiful the images they w e r e
not to be cherished, but meditation w a s to
b e pursued until true angelic p r a y e r arose,
free of f o r m and colour.
Blessed Nicephorous gave instruction on
h o w to attain concentration through b r e a t h -
ing, w h i c h m e t h o d w h e n correctly applied
served as an aid f o r the merging of the m i n d
into the heart.
Those Hesychasts w h o approached the
early Fathers for spiritual guidance w e r e
told to fight the foes of the senses f r o m the
invincible stronghold of the heart. As
Often, w h e n the soul is touched b y divine,
yearning tears fall f r o m the eyes. T h e y flow
f r o m the Fountain of Life, and serve to
cleanse the soul of impurities, ushering in a
melting l o v e and tenderness for Divinity.
Only the p u r e in heart m a y see G o d !
W h e n angelic prayer knocks on the Portals
of Heaven and they open to reveal i n d e s -
cribable Glory, realization dawns that all
creation breathes Universal Prayer in
honour of I A M .
In the quiet cathedral of a celestial g r o v e ,
w h e n the tongue is still and thought i m -
mersed in tranquility, the perfection of
prayer gives birth to sacred H e a r t - l a n g u a g e
w h i c h is b e y o n d expression, shining in
luminous splendour as A b s o l u t e B e - i n g .

AT INTERVALS

Translated B y K. S W A M I N A T H A N
f r o m the T a m i l of Muruganar

Y o u meditate at intervals ?
Talk not of intervals, just be the Self
In one u n b r o k e n thread.
Hair after itching hair of thought
W h o w o u l d p l u c k out,
W h e n what's to do
Is shave the w h o l e scalp clean ?
Stye 4 f c m n i j nnb xm
HINDUISM
B y Prof. N. R. K R I S H N A M U R T I
A r d e n t devotees of L o r d Siva, especially
those of the Saiva-Siddhanta school, w e a r
a string of beads k n o w n as the r u d r a k s h a -
mala, w h i c h they use for counting w h e n
saying their mantra. The n u m b e r of beads
on the string varies according to the
w a y it is w o r n . Even today one can see
sadhus wearing these beads in their e a r -
lobes, round their wrists, on the c r o w n of
the head, tight round the n e c k or falling like
a garland on the chest. 1
T h r e e beads are
w o r n in each ear, t w e l v e round each wrist,
thirty-six o v e r the c r o w n of the head,
t h i r t y - t w o or t w e n t y - s e v e n tightly round
the neck, . and a hundred and eight w h e n
w o r n as a garland. It is this last f o r m of
mala w h i c h is generally used for counting
the repetition of a mantra, although the
' P a d m a P u r a n a ' declares that the use of
the mala of t w e n t y - s e v e n beads gives s p e -
cial potency to the mantra.
These beads are seeds of the rudraksha
tree w h i c h g r o w s in the Himalayas. Both
the ' Skanda P u r a n a ' and the Padma 1 Surya, the Sun ; with thirteen to K a m a -
P u r a n a ' speak highly of the efficacy of
wearing them. T w o Sanskrit sastras, the
' Upadesa Kandam' and the * Suta
Samhita g i v e extensive accounts of saints
w h o attained Liberation through them.
The) seeds can be of four colours. The most
highly prized are white, then reddish, then
golden and lastly dark. T h e first and third
varieties are rare, the other t w o c o m m o n ;
so their traditional order of superiority is
not on a basis of rarity. It m a y b e on a basis
of assimilation to the four varnas, white
being suggestive of the Brahmin, red of the
Kshatriya, gold of the Vaishya and dark of
the Shudra.
A seed has a soft core through w h i c h a
hole is pierced for threading it. A n u m b e r
of % ^Rosary m . . „ >
of lines run o v e r the surface f r o m end to
end of this core, dividing the surface u p
into a n u m b e r of crescent shaped sections.
Beads with five sections are the most c o m -
m o n , but there m a y be any n u m b e r f r o m
one up to; fourteen.
A c c o r d i n g to the ' Y o g a Sara spiritual
p o w e r s corresponding to the gods abide in
the beads according to the n u m b e r of s e c -
tions or ' faces ' and this, therefore, d e t e r -
mines the type of mantra for w h i c h they are
suited. A bead with one face is sacred to
Siva ; with t w o to Siva and his Shakti,
Parvati ; with three to A g n i , the G o d of
F i r e ; with four to Brahma, that is G o d as
Creator ; with five to Kala-asi, that is Siva
as destroyer of Y a m a , the G o d of Death ;
with six to Subrahmanya or Skanda ; w i t h
seven to Adisesha ; with eight to Ganapati
or Ganesh ; with nine to Bhairava, that is
Siva in his ferocious aspect ; w i t h ten to
Vishnu ; with eleven to Ekadasa Rudras,
that is the Eleven Rudras ; with t w e l v e to
deva, the G o d of L o v e ; and w i t h fourteen to
Nilakanta, that is Siva the B l u e - T h r o a t e d .
A sadhaka is expected to choose his beads to
suit his mantra. T h e most f a v o u r e d r u d -
raksha mala among devotees is that w i t h
six faces, that is the mala of Subrahmanya,
w h o is the second son of Siva and Parvati
and is the G o d of W a r .
The name rudraksha ' is a c o m p o u n d of
1
the t w o Sanskrit w o r d s ' R u d r a ' m e a n i n g
Siva and ' aksha ' meaning e y e , so the r u d -
raksha is the eye of Siva. This is the m y t h o -
logical third eye ' implying spiritual sight
1
or Realization.
l A s on the photograph of Sri Sitaramdas
Omkarnath o n page 186 of our issue of J u l y
1965. {Editor)
1966 THE ROSARY
There is a m y t h o l o g i c a l story, symbolical
like all such stories, describing the origin of
the rudraksha. Three, asura or demon
brothers, Vidyunmali, Tharakaksha and
Kamalaksha p e r f o r m e d such austerities that
they w e r e able thereby to extort boons f r o m
Siva. (And* in parenthesis, there are a n u m -
ber of such stories showing that intelligent-
ly planned and inflexibly p e r f o r m e d a u s t e -
rities can p r o d u c e p o w e r s even, so to speak,
despite the gods, that is to say without
purity or enlightenment.) Thereby they
m a d e themselves invincible and acquired
three flying citadels of gold, silver and iron
respectively in w h i c h they roamed the earth
and conquered not only this w o r l d but the
CHRISTIANITY
By EBBANA GRACE BLANCHARD
T h e Catholic rosary consists of 54 beads
plus a pendant of t w o large and three small
ones and a crucifix. T h e rosary is d i v i d e d
into five decades with a large b e a d b e t w e e n
each t w o . T h e beads are fixed, not sliding on
their strings, as in some religions.
The use of the rosary as a help to k e e p
count of prayers said, is, of course, m u c h
older than Christianity. It is said to have
been introduced into Christianity f r o m the
East, and there are m a n y theories regarding
this introduction. In the 16th century P o p e
G r e g o r y X I I I n a m e d the first Sunday in
October ' Rosary Sunday '.
Crossing oneself, o n e begins the rosary
with the creed said on the Crucifix. T h e
Lord's P r a y e r is then said on the first large
bead and again, w h e n one gets to them, o n
the large bead at the beginning of each
decade.
A Hail M a r y ( A v e M a r i a ) is said on each
of the small beads, both on the pendant a n d
in each of the decades. The first three Hail
Marys (those on the p e n d a n t ) are specially
dedicated to the intention of this particular
saying of the rosary. F o r instance, if w o r -
ship or devotion is the purpose they can b e
offered to the Father, the Son and the H o l y
147
w o r l d of the gods. That is to say that b y
their occult p o w e r s they w e r e able to d o m i -
nate not only this w o r l d but the subtle
w o r l d s also. But even such p o w e r s evaporate
before the, Face of Truth. T h e devas p r a y e d
to Siva in their distress and he appeared
before the asuras with a terrible l o o k and
yet at the same, time a smile, as Truth is
terrible to h i m w h o has rebelled against it
and y e t at the same time is compassionate.
T h e citadels w e r e burnt u p and the asuras
destroyed. A t that same m o m e n t a tear fell
f r o m the eye of the L o r d and, falling to
earth, b e c a m e a rudraksha seed f r o m w h i c h
sprouted a tree bearing rudraksha seeds f o r
the w e l f a r e of the w o r l d .
(CATHOLIC)
Spirit ; if intercession, one can r e m e m b e r
those being b o r n n o w , then the living in all
lands, then the dead ; if the Church, then
perhaps its past, present and future ; if y o u r
personal spiritual life, then it m a y b e p e n i -
tence, resolution and praise.
On the large bead at the end of each
decade the Gloria is said : " G l o r y b e to the
Father and to the Son and to the H o l y Spirit,
as it w a s in the beginning, is n o w , and e v e r
shall be, w o r l d without end, A m e n . "
Five decades comprise, a chaplet, but it
takes fifteen to m a k e a full saying of the
rosary, since there are three chaplets, the
first of the J o y f u l Mysteries, the second of
the S o r r o w f u l , the third of the Glorious.
The introductory pendant is not used again
b e t w e e n chaplets w h e n a w h o l e rosary is
said at one time, n o r is it used at the end,
though one m a y say the A n i m a Christi o n
the crucifix, to close the prayer.
T h e F i v e Joyful Mysteries are : the A n n u n -
ciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the P r e -
sentation of the infant Christ in the t e m p l e
and the Finding in the temple w h e n Christ,
at the age of 12, was lost and sought b y his
sorrowing parents and found discussing w i t h
the learned in the temple.
143 THE MOUNTAIN
T h e sorrowful Mysteries are : the A g o n y
in the Garden, the Scourging, the M o c k i n g
and C r o w n i n g with thorns, the W a y of the
Cross and the Crucifixion.
T h e Glorious Mysteries, according to the
R o m a n Catholic version, are : the R e s u r r e c -
tion, the Ascension, Pentecost, w h e n t h e
Spirit descended u p o n the disciples in the
upper r o o m , the Assumption of the Blessed
V i r g i n and her Coronation with the glory of
all the saints.
T h e essence of the rosary, h o w e v e r , is not
the mechanical recitation of the f o r m u l a e of
prayer, but the contemplation of the 15
Mysteries of the life of Christ. This m e d i -
tation or contemplation tends to be a simple
mental vision of the subject matter of each
Mystery.
A h a p p y and balanced combination of
three elements gives to the rosary a r i c h -
BUDDHISM
By VENERABLE PHRA M A H A VICHITR
T h e Buddhist Rosary has 108 beads. This
n u m b e r represents craving in all its f o r m s
w h e r e b y e v e r y being is b o u n d to experience
some kind of suffering in e v e r y t y p e of e x i s -
tence. The Buddhist Rosary itself s y m b o -
lises the w a y of getting rid of craving, step
b y step.
T h e practice of the Rosary consists in
recalling to m i n d the virtues of the B u d d h a
b y repeating the syllables of t h e Pali w o r d s
used in this recollection w h i l e counting the
beads of the Rosary one b y one. T h e Pali
w o r d s for the meditation with the Rosary are
spoken either aloud or mentally, with the
syllables in both normal and reverse order,
thus :
Ti pi so, so ti pi, bha ga vd, vd ga bha,
a ra ham, ham ra a, sam ma sam bud dho,
dho bud sam ma sam, vij jd ca ra na sam
pan no, no pan sam na ra ca jd vij, su ga
to, to ga su, lo ka vi du, du vi ka lo, a nut
ta ro, ro ta nut a, pu ri sa dam ma sd ra
thi, thi ra sd ma dam sa ri pu, sat thd, thd
sat, de va ma nus sd nam, nam sd nus ma
PATH April
ness k n o w n to no other f o r m of private
devotion. The formulae used in the rosary
are a most concentrated and sober e x p r e s -
sion of all aspects of Christian prayer. A
deep analysis of the formulae can d e m o n -
strate it. Thus the continual, attentive r e c i -
tation of these formulae sets in motion a
psychological process of calming the nerves,
tranquillising the w h o l e person, keeping
a w a y distractions and disposing one for the
highest contemplation. Finally it lends itself
to a simple and effective f o r m of c o n t e m p l a -
tion to w h i c h it is m o r e directly oriented
than any other f o r m of systematic m e d i t a -
tion.
This is the bare outline of the rosary
which, as w i l l b e seen, can comprise a c o m -
plete religious service although p e r f o r m e d
in solitude.
(THERAVADA)
TISSADATTA
va de,. bud dho, dho bud, bha ga vd, vd
ga bha. j
Each syllable corresponds to one bead of
the Rosary ; accordingly w e have 108 beads
and 108 syllables.
T h e English translation of this recollec-
tion w o u l d b e as f o l l o w s :
It is for this reason that the Blessed One
is so purified, perfectly enlightened, e n d -
o w e d with k n o w l e d g e and conduct, w e l l -
fared, a k n o w e r of ( a l l ) the w o r l d s ,
peerless charioteer of m e n to b e tamed,
teacher of gods and m e n , the a w a k e n e d
one, the blessed one.
W h i l e practising, one should b e m i n d f u l
of the meaning of the syllables. If one m i s -
ses even one syllable in the meditation, one
must start again right f r o m the beginning.
Mindfulness and dedication are v e r y n e c e s -
sary for this meditation.
T h e o b j e c t of the practice is not only to
gain concentration but to suppress and
r e m o v e the 108 kinds of craving ( t a n h a ) .
 THE R O S A R Y 149

Craving, the root of unhappiness and suffer-
ing in life, appears in three main aspects :
( a ) Craving for sensual existence or s e n -
sation,
( b ) Craving for b e c o m i n g ; that is, l a c k
of permanent satisfaction,
( c ) Craving for annihilation, a form
escapism or aversion.
Each of these three divisions is multiplied
b y 6 because there are 6 ' doors ' through
w h i c h craving arises ; namely, the eye, ear,
nose, tongue, b o d y , m i n d . This gives us 18
sides to craving. A s these 18 can arise f r o m
either internal or external processes, the
n u m b e r of possibilities for craving are
increased to 36. Y e t again, any of the 36
m a y be related to the past, the present, or
the future, making a final total of 108.
of
Because the cravings are brought to a w a r e -
ness b y the practice of the rosary, this p r a c -
tice with the rosary symbolises Purification of
Mind, w h i c h is the W a y to Enlightenment.

ISLAM (SUNNI)
By ABDULLAH QUTBUDDIN

The name for the rosary in A r a b lands is
' w i r d ', though in India ' t a s b i h ' is m o r e
c o m m o n l y used. It consists of 99 sliding
beads divided into three sections of 33 each
b y larger beads. A t the end is a still larger
elongated bead ^making u p the hundred. It
is said that the 99 m o v a b l e beads represent
the 99 Names of A l l a h and the end b e a d the
Hundredth N a m e . H o w e v e r , the, w i r d is not
used only for invoking the Names but for
keeping count in any incantation. A n d there
is no religion in the spiritual practices of
which incantations play so large a part as
in Islam. S o m e incantations are graded in
three parts to fit the three sections of the
wird ; others continue right through one or
m o r e repetitions of the w i r d . In fact s o m e -
times a w i r d is m a d e with a . tail-piece of
fen small beads b e y o n d or beside the final
elongated one, on w h i c h to m a r k off t h e
hundreds or complete w i r d s recited.

W h e n the japa becomes continuous all other thoughts cease and one
is in one's real nature w h i c h is invocation or absorption. W e turn our
minds outwards to things of the w o r l d and are therefore not aware that
our real nature is always invocation. When by conscious effort, or
invocation, or meditation as w e call it, w e prevent our minds from
thinking of other things, then w h a t remains is our real nature, w h i c h is
invocation. So long as y o u think y o u are the name and f o r m , y o u can't
escape n a m e and f o r m in invocation also. W h e n y o u realize y o u are
not n a m e and f o r m the name and f o r m w i l l d r o p off of themselves. No
other effort is necessary. Invocation or meditation will lead to it
naturally and as a matter of course. Invocation w h i c h is n o w regarded
as the means, w i l l then b e f o u n d to be the goal. There is no difference
b e t w e e n G o d and His name.

— BHAGAVAN SRI R A M A N A MAHARSHI.

ARROWS FROM A CHRISTIAN BOW — X
CHRISTIAN
By SAGITTARIUS
W h e n Christ sent out representatives in
his lifetime, his instructions to t h e m w e r e
to heal the sick and cast out devils as w e l l
as to teach. T h e r e is no doubt w h a t e v e r
that spiritual healing f o r m e d part of the
l e g a c y he bequeathed to his followers. We
have evidence in the A c t s of the Apostles
that some of his immediate followers did
indeed practise it. W e h a v e Christ's defi-
nite promise that their p o w e r w o u l d b e no
less than his. " He that believes in m e , the
w o r k s that I do shall he do also ; and greater
w^orks than these shall he do, because I g o
to m y F a t h e r . "
1 was still further extended and continues to
A n d yet after the first generation of
Christians this legacy seems to h a v e been
dropped. W h y should it h a v e been ? This
is one of the puzzles of the Early Church.
It w o u l d b e tempting to say that they turned
instead to sterile theological arguments,
accusing one another of heresy ; and y e t w e
have, ample evidence that, despite the g r o w t h
of intellectualism, there still w e r e ardent
Christians willing to face torture and m a r -
t y r d o m for their faith. A n d w e k n o w f r o m
what is happening today that devout C h r i s -
tians are capable of healing in Christ's
name, just as he promised them, even w i t h -
out having attained to sainthood.
F o r it is today only that the legacy of
healing that Christ left is being recovered.
Throughout the centuries there have been
occasional cases of saints performing m i r a -
cles, but only today has the widespread
practice of healing through the name of
Christ b y ordinary devout Christians, not
themselves saints, been r e v i v e d .
That ' in m y n a m e ' is a peculiar wealth
of Christianity. Muslims do not p r a y for
boons or heal sickness in the n a m e of
M o h a m m a d , or J e w s in the n a m e of Moses,
or Buddhists in the n a m e of Buddha, or
Hindus in the name of Krishna, or Taoists
HEALING
in the n a m e of L a o Tsu. T h e p o t e n c y of
Christ's name is, as it w e r e , an enormous
spiritual b a n k deposit f o r Christians to d r a w
upon, and cheques to any amount w i l l b e
honoured. What a w o n d e r that throughout
the centuries they should go on believing
that the deposit was there but not cash
cheques on it, or not in the w a y Christ
authorised !
In a general w a y , praying in the n a m e
of Christ, they certainly continued to d r a w
on it. Indeed, the principle of intercession
be w i d e l y used, especially among the C a t h o -
lics. M a r y is called upon to intercede with
Christ, and petitions for intercession are
addressed also to the saints. A c t u a l l y , some
of the miracles attributed to the saints at
the 'time of canonisation are answers to
prayers of intercession m a d e through them
after their death. H o w e v e r , the w h o l e b o d y
and tradition of Christian prayer continues
to b e in the name of Christ.
A n d w h y , reverting to the quotation given
above, does Christ say " because I g o to m y
Father " ? W h a t has that got to do with it ?
T r e m e n d o u s as is the spiritual p o w e r brought
on earth b y a Master, it is increased, not
diminished, b y his shedding the b o d y . Even
though he already transcends the b o d y
during his lifetime, it is to s o m e extent a
limitation and localisation of his p o w e r .
W h e n it falls f r o m him his influence expands 4
w i t h o u t being diluted t h e r e b y . This has;
been f o u n d in non-Christian circles also. So
c o m p e t e n t a witness as Sarada D e v i , the
w i f e of Sri Ramakrishna, r e m a r k e d that his
p o w e r had increased enormously after his
death. T h e f o l l o w e r s of Ramana Maharshi
say the same about his p o w e r and guidance
both at Tiruvannamalai and throughout the
world.
l St. John, XIV, 12.
me CHRISTIAN
T h e r e is no religion in w h i c h the f o u n d -
er's p o w e r has turned so m a r k e d l y towards
healing as in Christianity. M o h a m m a d h i m -
self did not p e r f o r m miracles, let alone
e m p o w e r others to ; and B u d d h a d i s a p p r o v -
ed of his f o l l o w e r s doing so. Christ enjoined
it. A s o n e sees Christian healing p e r f o r m e d
today it is quite different f r o m either m a g n e -
tic healing or faith healing. Magnetic h e a l -
ing, of w h i c h the m o d e r n pioneer is Mesmer,
is the utilisation of the animal magnetism
w h i c h some possess m o r e abundantly than
others to d r a w sickness out of a patient b y
passes and laying on of hands. Faith h e a l -
ing, w h i c h has m u c h in c o m m o n w i t h the
methods of Coue, is s e l f - h y p n o t i s m or a u t o -
suggestion, b e c o m i n g healthy b y believing
that y o u are or soon w i l l be healthy.
Spiritual healing is healing b y the Grace of
G o d . The healer aims at eliminating his
ego, thoughts, desires, e v e n the desire to
heal, and making himself a m e r e channel
through w h i c h the Grace of G o d flows : and
healing takes place. In its purest f o r m , as
taught b y Joel Goldsmith and practised in
the ' Infinite W a y ' groups, the healer does
not need to lay on hands or even to be in
the presence of the patient, he does not need
to k n o w the patient's n a m e or the nature of
the sickness ; it is enough for him to turn
to G o d , as the Source of all health, and allow
the healing influence to f l o w . 2
Even in less
direct m o d e s of practice, the essential thing
is for the healer to feel in true humility
that it is not his power, but the Divine; P o w e r
or, more, specifically, the p o w e r of Christ
flowing through h i m or answering his p r a y -
ers, as the case m a y be, that effects the
cure.
Is faith also necessary on the part of the
patient ? It is certainly a great help, but
in this case ' faith ' does not m e a n m e r e l y
a passive, belief that the cure w i l l w o r k but
an active response to it, participation in it.
Even the patient, the one at the receiving
end, ought not to be passive and inert and
expect to b e carried along. A f t e r effecting
a cure Christ said : " T h y faith hath m a d e
thee w h o l e . " That means : y o u r active r e s -
HEALING ill
ponse to the healing influence enabled it to
w o r k on y o u . But this does not equate
spiritual healing with faith healing. In faith
healing Whatever influence there m a y b e is
invoked b y the faith itself and is often no
m o r e than auto-suggestion. In spiritual
healing a p o w e r f u l f o r c e is set in motion
and faith, although of great importance to
facilitate its w o r k i n g , is not essential, as m a y
be seen b y cases of healing, usually of y o u n g
children, in w h i c h the patient is not i n f o r m -
ed or asked to c o - o p e r a t e . It will b e
recalled that G. H. G e d g e instances such a
case in his article on spiritual healing in
The Mountain Path of J a n u a r y 1965.
Spiritual healing m a y go far deeper than
the r e m o v a l of physical symptoms. Christ
himself indicated this w h e n , in his lifetime,
he said after effecting a cure : " The sins b e
forgiven t h e e . " W e k n o w today that m a n y
ailments are p s y c h o - s o m a t i c , that is to say
are physical s y m p t o m s of disordered states
of mind. In such a case temporary r e m o v a l
of the s y m p t o m s is no cure. T h e y w i l l
return or b e replaced b y others. The only
real cure is to smooth out the tangled state
of mind that caused them. That is what
psychiatrists try to do with varying degrees
of success. If the Christian healer does it
— and in a far w i d e r range of cases than
the psychiatrist can handle — that does not
mean that he, is a psychiatrist or that he
can f o r g i v e sins but simply that he has s u c -
ceeded in making himself a channel through
w h i c h the C h r i s t - p o w e r can flow. W h i c h is
m o r e likely to heal the disordered state of
mind that has caused a disease : an injection
or a prayer ?
But that does not mean that prayer or
spiritual healing without p r a y e r can w o r k
only in p s y c h o - s o m a t i c cases. T h e Christ-
p o w e r is not limited in its applicablity,
There are examples enough of its effective-
ness in cases as near purely physical ( b r o k e n
bones and so o n ) as anything can be : cases
enough for any w h o w i l l consent to l o o k at
them.
2 See ' The Art of Spiritual Healing' by Joe]
Goldsmith, A l l e n & U n w i n .
 T H E P O W E R OF PRAYER
By DILIP K U M A R ROY

D i l i p K u m a r R o y , f o r a note o n w h o m see page 234 of our issue of O c t o b e r 1964,

has sent us the f o l l o w i n g e x c e r p t o n the healing p o w e r of p r a y e r f r o m his b o o k
' The Flute Calls S t i l l ' (pp. 328-333) r e v i e w e d in that issue, together with a p h o t o g r a p h ,
not included in the b o o k , of the child w h o w a s healed.

It has been given to m e , m a n y a time, to

experience and verify the marvellous p o w e r
of prayer. But only during the last fourteen
years (since the advent of Indira) have I
p r a y e d for others, especially those w h o h a v e
been desperately ill and given u p b y the
doctors and, as y o u k n o w , they h a v e all
r e c o v e r e d miraculously. But what happened
this month can c l a i m to take the cake and,
fortunately for us, the w h o l e A s h r a m has
b o r n e witness to this. It happened like this.

On the 14th of March, B's fourth birthday,

she, with her mother, w a s returning f r o m
our temple to their house w h e n a j e e p
k n o c k e d her d o w n all of a heap ; her skull
was fractured in three places, the pelvis
bones and the thigh bone, too, w e r e broken.
A deep w o u n d just o v e r the left e y e m a d e
one gasp h o w on earth the e y e could have
escaped ! But the w o r s t injury w a s to her
intestines and t w o operations had to b e p e r -
f o r m e d one after the other. Derelict w i t h
grief, R implored us to help. The surgeon
had told, them that there was no hope at all.
Y e t the stricken mother, in tears, w e n t on
imploring Indira in Hindi. " Tell m e Didiji,
she w o n ' t die, will she ? Oh save her Didiji
" and so on.
It wasi then w e started praying to our L o r d
and Radharani (Krishna and R a d h a ) . F r o m
the n u r s i n g - h o m e a g o o d - h e a r t e d lady, rang
up again : no hope ! But w e p r a y e d on till,
on the morning of the 23rd of March, Indira,
w h i l e praying, suddenly saw Hanumanji.
Y o u cannot put it d o w n to auto-suggestion
or wish-fulfilment as w e w e r e calling not to
h i m but to our L o r d and Radharani. But as
soon as the resplendent L o r d Mahavir flash-
ed b e f o r e her, she appealed to h i m to save
the child. He only smiled, she said. I w a s
deeply relieved, as Hanumanji w a s instru-
mental in saving Sri Lakshman, w h e n the
latter was mortally w o u n d e d , with a m i r a -
culous h e r b called vishalya-karani. Thus
Hanumanji is w o r s h i p p e d b y thousands in
India as a Divine Healer as w e l l . So, I t o l d
Indira jubilantly that the child was n o w
saved, saved, saved ! A f e w among the s c e p -
tics smiled wisely with raised e y e b r o w s and
they could hardly be confuted rationally, the
less so as m y o w n confidence w a s based only
on a blind faith in the p o w e r of p r a y e r
answered b y a mystic vision symbolising
Divine intervention. A n d , w o u l d y o u believe
it, on that v e r y day the l o v e l y little girl was
declared " out of d a n g e r " b y the amazed
surgeon ! G o d is great, great, great and so
is His deputy, L o r d Mahavir, the m i r a c l e -
healer !
So, m y friend, h o w can one still d o u b t
that miracles do still happen even in this our
kali y u g a ? Of course; I k n o w that those w h o
h a v e not seen what w e h a v e are unlikely to
1966 POWERS 153

undersign our faith in or interpretation of to have a religious faith. It is sufficient that

Indira's vision, still less to share our p r o - some one around him b e in a state of
found conviction, not having our experience p r a y e r . "
to go b y . It is not for nothing that S i m o n
A n d then it so happened that I lighted on
said that he must refuse to believe in
an article of his, condensed in the Reader's
Christ's resurrection till he saw the m a n i -
Digest, this month. T h e article is entitled :
festation personally. D o what w e will, the
Prayer is P o w e r . Let m e cite a f e w lines :
gulf w i l l remain deep b e t w e e n the c o n v i c -
tion of those w h o have seen and those w h o " Prayer is not only worship ; it is also
have not ( w h i c h , incidentally, is the root an invisible emanation of man's worshipping
cause of the so-called rational m i s u n d e r - spirit — the most p o w e r f u l f o r m of energy
standing of the seer's faith and fervour the that one can generate. . . . A s a doctor, I
w o r l d o v e r ) . I will, therefore, leave it at that have seen m e n , w h e n all other therapy has
and end with what is m o r e rewarding, to failed, lifted out of disease and m e l a n c h o l y
wit, t w o excerpts f r o m Dr. A l e x i s Carrel, the b y the serene effort of prayer. . . . W h e n w e
m a n of science and N o b e l Laureate w h o s e pray w e link ourselves with the inexhausti-
famous b o o k , Man the Unknown created a ble m o t i v e p o w e r that spins the Universe. . . .
stir in Europe and A m e r i c a three decades W e ask that a part of this p o w e r be a p p o r -
ago. I started reading it a f e w w e e k s ago. In tioned to our n e e d s . " A n d he concludes :
Chapter I V h e has m u c h to say fully e n d o r s - " T o d a y , lack of emphasis on the religious
ing the faith * of believers w h o claim that sense has brought the w o r l d to the edge of
prayer can bring about miraculous cures of sheer annihilation. Our deepest source of
" various affections such as peritoneal t u b e r - p o w e r and perfection has been left miserably
culosis, cold abscesses, osteitis, suppurating undeveloped. Prayer, the basic exercise of
w o u n d s , lupus, cancer etc. . . . T h e miracle -r the spirit, must b e actively practised b y m e n
is chiefly characterised b y an e x t r e m e a c c e l e - and nations. For if the p o w e r of p r a y e r is
ration of the process of repair. . . . T h e only again released and used in the lives of c o m -
condition indispensable to the o c c u r r e n c e of m o n m e n and w o m e n there is yet hope that
the p h e n o m e n o n is p r a y e r . " A n d although our prayer for a better w o r l d will b e
he is not a spiritual aspirant, he has r e c o r d - answered. . . . True prayer is a w a y of life,
ed his experience t h u s : " But there is no and the truest life is, literally, a w a y of
need f o r the patient himself to pray, or e v e n p r a y e r . "

POWERS

If y o u can w a l k on water
Y o u are no better than a straw.
If y o u can fly in the air
Y o u are no better than a fly.
Conquer y o u r heart,
Then y o u m a y be s o m e b o d y .

SHEIKH ANSART
 AN A N G R Y
By JEAN
S o m e years ago m y daughter Martha and
I w e r e living on the island of St. Croix in
the Caribbean. A t that time the Virgin
Islands (in w h i c h g r o u p this falls) w e r e so
p o v e r t y stricken that they w e r e spoken of as
" the w o r l d ' s p o o r - h o u s e " .
One evening I w e n t into the local drug
store and found the chemist, Mr. Edwards,
arguing in English, with a little Puerto Rican
peasant w h o was pleading v o l u b l y with h i m
in Spanish.
Mr. Edwards was saying : " I'm sorry I
can't give y o u any credit. I don't o w n the
drug store. I am only an e m p l o y e e and h a v e
to o b e y o r d e r s . "
T h e peasant answered : " I t is only until
m y tomatoes are harvested. Then I can p a y
you."
Mr. Edwards was u n m o v e d .
" B u t , " cried the peasant in despair, " what
will m y son dq without the medicine ? "
A t that point I said rather angrily : " G i v e
him the medicine, Mr. Edwards, and put it
on m y b i l l . "
I turned to the peasant and asked w h a t
was the matter with his son. A torrent of
Spanish p o u r e d forth as he explained. He
had five children ranging f r o m fourteen years
to three months. His w i f e had died giving
birth to the b a b y . The oldest b o y had e p i l e p -
tic fits, as m a n y as five a day. B y l a w the
children had to go to school, but w h e n the
eldest b o y had his medicine he could stay
at h o m e in the mornings and take care of
the b a b y while the father w o r k e d his land.
If the b o y did not have his m e d i c i n e h e
could not b e left with the b a b y . N o r could
he go to school. T h e only thing the father
could d o was to tie the b a b y on to his b a c k
w h e n he w e n t to w o r k on his land and! leave
the b o y unattended in the house ; and on
one such occasion the b o y had had a fit
during w h i c h he b r o k e his leg.
PRAYER
BUTLER
A w a v e of such intense fury, pity and
sheer horror came o v e r m e that for a
m o m e n t I turned dizzy —• not only on
account of the little peasant but also o f all
the others in the w o r l d w h o w e r e equally
suffering and equally hopeless and helpless.
I told the peasant that I k n e w a great
specialist in N e w Y o r k to w h o m I w o u l d
write for a n e w medicine I had been reading
about. I w r o t e d o w n the peasant's name and
the age and weight of his son. " T h e m e d i -
cine should c o m e in about ten d a y s , " I
said, " a n d I w i l l have it sent care of Mr.
Edwards for y o u . "
I rushed out into the night blind and sick
with rage against G o d . " D a m n Y o u ! " I
cried, " W h a t are Y o u d o i n g ? W h y don't
Y o u at least help the p o o r and sick w h o can
d o n o t h i n g to help themselves and w h o have
nothing ? " I cried and cursed all the w a y
up the long hill to m y house, hating the
w o r l d , hating God, hating the unspeakable
injustice o f life. A l l night, even in m y sleep,
I alternated prayers w i t h curses and i n v e c -
tives and blind anger. D a y and night for a
w e e k I had no peace. I directed m y thoughts
repeatedly to the sick b o y , saying to h i m :
" G o d m a d e y o u in His image and likeness.
G o d is perfect, without flaw o r sickness. B e
y o u therefore perfect, as y o u r Father in
heaven is perfect. That is w h a t Christ said
to y o u . " This alternated with m y repeating
that " not even a sparrow falls to the g r o u n d
without His k n o w i n g it." A n d I pointed out
somewhat bitterly that the Son of G o d had
said : " Inasmuch as y o u do it to one of the
least of these y o u do it also t o m e . "
Gradually the anger and frenzy died
d o w n , but r e m e m b r a n c e of the peasant and
his epileptic son continued d a y and night.
One evening, about ten days after m y first
meeting with the peasant, I was just going
into the d r u g - s t o r e w h e n a b a r e - f o o t e d m a n
in w o r n overalls and a big straw hat c a m e
1966 AN ANGRY PRAYER 155

out, holding a package in o n e hand. On s e e - Martha to go to the beach w h e n an ancient

ing m e h e s w e p t off his hat, w a v e d the
p a c k a g e in the air and e x c l a i m e d excitedly :
" This has just c o m e , the m e d i c i n e for m y
son. But I no longer need it. Something has
happened."
It w a s the same peasant. I had not r e c o g -
nized h i m with, his hat on. I k n e w w h a t w a s
c o m i n g and felt faint because of it. I said :
" R e m e m b e r , Senor, the Bible, says that the
L o r d giveth and the L o r d taketh a w a y . What
H e does is a m y s t e r y to us. Don't ask any
questions. Just go to the church and g i v e
thanks to G o d . "
" But S e n o r a , " he said, " I must tell
w h a t has happened. Since w e talked
other night m y son has had no m o r e
W h a t shall I do w i t h this ? " A n d he
out the b o x of medicine.
I had k n o w n w h a t was coming.
open it, S e n o r , " I s a i d . ' " Y o u w o n ' t need it.
Just go to the church and give thanks to
G o d . " A n d I turned and rushed up the hill
to m y house, thinking, " Excuse m e , G o d !
F o r g i v e m e ! " — consumed with humility
and shame at m y f o r m e r rage, overflowing
with l o v e of G o d .
On a Sunday morning some months later,
w h e n I had completely forgotten the peasant
and his son, I was leaving m y house w i t h
truck full of people dressed in their Sunday
best came roaring u p the hill and stopped
outside m y door. O n e b y one they scrambled
out and came on to the terrace, each one
carrying something in his hand. T h e y m a d e
quite a pile there — f r u i t , eggs, chickens,
fish, freshly baked bread, a bottle of w i n e ,
lobsters — and then they returned to the
truck, while I kept on remonstrating : " Y o u
have m a d e a mistake I Y o u h a v e c o m e to the
w r o n g house ! I didn't order anything ! "
Just then m y little Puerto Rican friend,
scarcely recognizable in his Sunday clothes,
came up to m e shyly and said : " Senora,
you these are m y relatives. W e have brought y o u
the these gifts to s h o w our appreciation for what
fits. y o u did for m y s o n . "
held
" But S e n o r , " I protested, " I did nothing,
nothing ! Please try to understand m e . It was
not I w h o did i t ! "
" Don't
Then I asked h i m about his son, h o w he
w a s n o w . He g l o w e d w i t h quiet pride. " He
has gained fifteen p o u n d s , " he said. " H e is]
quite w e l l n o w . I sent h i m to the island of
St. Thomas to w o r k on his uncle's f a r m for
a f e w w e e k s and n o w he is b a c k here with
m e . H e w o r k s on the land with m e in t h e
morning and w e earn enough to p a y a girl
to l o o k after the b a b y , and in the afternoons
he goes to school. He has never had another
fit."

So long as w e think w e are doing something ourselves as individual

beings, w e are m e r e l y struggling and achieving nothing spiritually. W h e n
w e k n o w that the divine p o w e r active in the universe is responsible for
all that w e do, the idea ' I am the doer ' disappears W h e n the e g o -
sense rises in us the w h o l e g a m e is spoiled. W e are caught up in the
meshes of karma. Sometimes w e are happy, sometimes unhappy.

— SWAMI RAMDAS
 HOW I CAME T O THE MAHARSHI

B y V. K A M E S W A R A RAO

I had a dream one night m a n y years

b a c k in w h i c h a, saintly old man with a short
white beard blessed m e with his benign and
radiant smile and b e c k o n e d m e t o him. S u n -
rise put an end t o sleep and dream alike and
I w o k e to find myself b a c k in the dull r o u -
tine of life. I w e n t into the kitchen to tell
m y w i f e of m y h a p p y experience, but I could
not identify the saint I had seen. Could it
b e Ramana Maharshi, about w h o m I had read
in 3 b o o k called ' S e l f - R e a l i z a t i o n ' ? I asked
a friend of m i n e w h o often w e n t there w h e -
ther he w o u l d take m e with him and h e
agreed. W e set off that v e r y day, arriving
at Tiruvannamalai n e x t m o r n i n g .

I found the A s h r a m a quiet place with a

f e w cottages and a meditation hall. W e w e n t
straight into the hall and there on a couch
sat the Maharshi, the saint of m y dream, clad
o n l y in a loincloth. I felt that I was in the
presence of a god. I fell prostrate before
Bhagavan ( f o r this was the name m y friend
used in addressing h i m ) . A group of silent
m e n and w o m e n w e r e seated on the floor on
either side of him. Close to h i m an elderly
bearded m a n was sitting binding a small
b o o k b y hand.
B h a g a v a n asked m e whether I had had m y
coffee, so I w e n t out and had a bath and
breakfast. W h e n I got b a c k I found that
Bhagavan himself w a s stitching the b o o k . I
w o n d e r e d w h y he should do it, and then I
noticed h o w carefully h e w o r k e d at it and
s h o w e d the bearded m a n h o w to do it. G o d
is all perfection. W h e n a m a n realizes G o d -
head he also attains perfection, he also pays
full attention to e v e r y detail. That w a s the
thought that c a m e to m e w h e n I saw B h a -
gavan binding a b o o k .
to his left. I heard him tell the server that
the rice was not w e l l cooked. I was told
that he himself was a g o o d c o o k and had
often w o r k e d in the A s h r a m kitchen.
A s a g o v e r n m e n t servant I had to pass an
examination in a second language within a
prescribed period. ' The t e r m was only a f e w
months off. I decided to take it in Tamil,
although I k n e w v e r y little of the language.
I was a bit w o r r i e d about it, so I told an older
devotee that I w o u l d like to have Bhagavan's
blessings for m y success. He t o o k m e to
B h a g a v a n late in the evening and I prostrat-
ed and told Bhagavan m y trouble and asked
for his blessing. He replied ' parava i l l a i ' ,
' don't w o r r y ' , w h i c h m a d e m e feel v e r y
happy. He advised m e to take the little
b o o k ' Nan Y a r ' (' W h o am I ' ) printed in
English, Tamil and T e l u g u ( m y o w n l a n -
g u a g e ) and read it with the help of a T a m i l
tutor.

W h e n w e w e n t for lunch Bhagavan sat I w o k e early next morning and f e l t happy,

facing t w o groups of devotees, Brahmins to waiting till s^prise should enable m e to b u y
his right and n o n - B r a h m i n s and n o n - H i n d u s the b o o k s at the A s h r a m bookstall. T h e night
1966 H O W I C A M E T O THE M A H A R S H I 157

I first d r e a m e d of B h a g a v a n sunrise seemed

to c o m e too soon, but n o w I could hardly
wait f o r it.

Bhagavan passed outside the cottage w h e r e

I was staying next morning. I w e n t and
prostrated b e f o r e h i m and asked his p e r m i s -
sion to leave. He g a v e it but asked w h y I
was in such a hurry. M y friend expressed
a doubt w h e t h e r I should b e able to go that
day, in v i e w of w h a t Bhagavan had said ;
but I had to get back. So after I had bought
the b o o k s w e w e n t to the station in the
A s h r a m b u l l o c k - c a r t . W h e n w e got there,
h o w e v e r , I w a s told that there was a t w o -
day strike on the railway, so w e w e n t b a c k
and told Bhagavan. He smiled. T w o days
later I again asked for leave to g o and he?
said V e r y w e l l ' . This time w e w a l k e d to
1

the station and a cart f o l l o w e d us w i t h our

baggage. W h e n w e arrived the train w a s
already in but the cart w a s not yet in sight,
so I thought I would' surely miss the train.
But B h a g a v a n had; said ' v e r y w e l l ' so I felt
I should stop the train and indeed t r a v e l
1
v e r y w e l l \ I therefore w e n t to the station
master and told h i m that this w a s m y second
attempt to leave the A s h r a m and asked h i m
to detain the train f o r a f e w minutes till m y
b a g g a g e arrived, and he agreed.
O n c e I was in the train I fell to p o n d e r -
ing. W h e n Bhagavan had asked m e w h y I
w a s in a h u r r y to l e a v e I couldn't l e a v e
although I tried. W h e n he g a v e the all clear
the train was stopped to take m e . It w o r k e d
both w a y s . H e had also assured m e of s u c -
cess in m y T a m i l test although I k n e w s c a r -
c e l y a, w o r d of the language and the test w a s
to be held in a f e w m o n t h s . I felt that it
w a s hardly w o r t h w h i l e engaging a tutor,
but experience told m e that Bhagavan w a s
dependable. T h e train j o u r n e y was suffici-
ent proof. So w h e n I got h o m e I engaged a
tutor and stayed at h o m e during the s u m -
m e r recess of the lawcourts, reading ' W h o
a m I ? ' in Tamil. T h e written test c a m e
along. I had to translate an English speech
into T a m i l , and s o m e h o w I passed. Then
there w a s the m o r e frightening oral test in
Madras, but it w a s m a d e v e r y easy and I
passed that too.
F r o m one point of v i e w this w h o l e test
seemed to m e useless, since there w a s n o
likelihood of m y ever serving in Tamilnad ;
b « t f r o m another point of v i e w it w a s &
v e r y necessary experience, since it c o n f i r m -
ed m y faith in; Bhagavan. I could only judged
him on m y o w n l e v e l and in the light of m y
o w n experience, even if it w a s nothing mord
than a train j o u r n e y or a T a m i l test.
In February 1949 m y eldest son had a
severe attack of smallpox. A f t e r a f e w days
the doctor w a r n e d m e that m a n y people w e r e
d y i n g of it and,' the chances of r e c o v e r y w e r e
slight. I sat at t h e b o y ' s bedside reading
religious p o e m s so as to keep his m i n d on
G o d , since he was not e x p e c t e d to live. Then,
on February 4th, the idea suddenly c a m e to
m e to ask B h a g a v a n for his blessings, as w e
w e r e in great distress. So I w r o t e to
him:
 158 THE MOUNTAIN PATH
. B e l o v e d Bhagavan,
I p r a y for y o u r blessings on t h e suffering
child and his parents.
Ever at y o u r feet,
V. Kameswara Rao.
Early next m o r n i n g m y sister, w h o had
been taking her turn sitting b y the b o y
during the night, told m y w i f e and m e that
she had had a vision of A m m a v a r u (the spirit
of s m a l l p o x ) leaving our house and asking
her to take care of the b o y . She gathered
f r o m that, in accordance with popular belief,
that the b o y w o u l d recover and no one else
in the house get the disease. A f e w hours
later a friend came in and gave m e some
sacred ashes f r o m Sri Ramanasramam.
A n o t h e r g o o d omen. W e all began to feel
hopeful. On the 8th I received the f o l l o w i n g
letter f r o m the A s h r a m :
Dear Sri K a m e s w a r a R a o ,
W e h a v e y o u r letter of the 4th inst. and
the same was perused b y - B h a g a v a n . P r a s a -
d a m (sacred ash) is herewith sent with Sri
Bhagavan's gracious blessings for y o u r child
laid up with p o x .
Sri Bhagavan and bhaktas are well.
Venkataraman, for Sarvadhikari.
T h e letter thrilled m e , but h o w did B h a -
gavan k n o w that m y son had s m a l l p o x ? W h y
ask ? H o w could I k n o w h o w Bhagavan
k n e w ? A n y w a y , m y son survived and is in
g o o d health.
I continued to b e curious h o w s m a l l p o x
came to b e mentioned in t h e A s h r a m letter.
S o m e elderly persons suggested that the
m o m e n t Bhagavan s a w m y letter he received
a mental picture of m y son bedridden with
smallpox. Later, h o w e v e r , Sri Bhagavatula
A n n a p u r n a y y a Sastri of T e n a l i gave an
explanation that appealed m o r e to m e . " W a s
it necessary f o r y o u to write to Bhagavan in
order for h i m to k n o w w h a t was happening'
in y o u r house ? Is he not a l l - p e r v a d i n g and
a l l - k n o w i n g ? But he does not interfere
unless asked t o and called upon. If a m a n is
singing in B o m b a y and y o u w a n t to hear
h i m y o u must switch o n the radio. If y o u
don't, the radio will not receive his song and
April
y o u w i l l not hear it, although he is singing
just the same. Similarly if y o u w a n t B h a -
gavan's blessings y o u must establish contact
with him in the right w a y . " .
M y faith in Bhagavan increased e n o r m o u s -
ly as a result of this, because it was a matter
of life and death for m y b o y and he gave
him life. .
On 17th March 1949 a big c e r e m o n y was
held at the A s h r a m for the consecration of
the t e m p l e o v e r the shrine of Bhagavan's
mother. I decided to go and to take m y
family and m y m o t h e r w i t h m e . I applied
for t w o days casual leave, m a d e all a r r a n g e -
ments and c a m e h o m e at 2 p.m. A car w a s
waiting at the door to take us to t h e station.
S u d d e n l y I felt that I should not g o . M y
w i f e and m o t h e r naturally protested, but it
was no use. Our b a g g a g e w a s taken out of
the car. E v e r y one was annoyed about it
but I m e r e l y said : " Perhaps B h a g a v a n
doesn't want m e to see this function. I too
am sorry but I can't help it."
A t about nine o'clock that evening I r e c e i v -
ed a telegram that the only son of m y third
sister was dangerously ill with meningitis,
and that I should send m y m o t h e r there at
once. I put her on the train together w i t h
the sister w h o h a d l o o k e d after m y o w n son
w h e n he had smallpox. O n arrival this sister
w r o t e m e a frantic letter saying that t h e
case of m y n e p h e w was hopeless and that
the only chance of saving him, if at all, w a s
to i n v o k e the blessings of Bhagavan. So on
M a r c h 30 I again w r o t e to him. T h e f o l l o w -
ing r e p l y was received w i t h the next day's
date :
Y o u r letter of the 30th instant w a s
received and placed before Sri Bhagavan.
M a y Sri Bhagavan's blessings b e o n the
child and his parents. Herewith prasadam
enclosed.
M y n e p h e w recovered. W e understood then
w h y I suddenly had to cancel m y j o u r n e y to
Tiruvannamalai. If w e had g o n e the t e l e -
gram w o u l d not have reached m e , m y mother
and sister w o u l d not h a v e gone in time, and
I should not have written to ask B h a g a v a n
for his blessings. H e n c e m y erratic decision,
1966 T H E SEER'S W I T H I N 159

p r o m p t e d b y something u n k n o w n to m e at Man is God's child. Just as a parent satis-

the time.
C a m e the fateful year 1950 w h e n B h a g a -
van left his b o d y . Physically he is n o more,
w i t h us. But he remains f o r e v e r in our
hearts. There are thousands of h u m b l e f o l k
like m e w h o received f r o m b e l o v e d B h a g a -
van things they could never return. Nor
was any return expected. G o d fulfils human
needs so that m a n m a y d e v e l o p divine d i s -
content. It is h u m a n nature to get and f o r -
get ; it is divine nature to g i v e and forgive.
fies the childish needs of a child, even though
they m a y be ultimately /unnecessary, so does
G o d satisfy the immediate though temporary
needs of m a n so as to stimulate a desire for
the ultimate and eternal n e e d — t h e need to
attain Godhead. A r t h u r Osborne w r o t e in
'The Incredible Sai Baba' that Baba used to
say : ; •' j . ;
" I give people what they want in t h e
hope that they w i l l begin to want w h a t I
want to give t h e m . "

T H E SEER'S WITHIN

By H A R I N D R A N A T H CHATTOPADHYAYA

A l l in the Each, a feast of Truth, a blaze,

Life's sorry dual separation done.
Something in one begins to realize
T h a t it is possible to change the flesh
W i t h all its cells into a heaven of eyes
Smiling with wise aloofness on the mesh
Of pale illusions wandering below,
T h e r e in the s h a d o w - h a u n t e d depths clean-cloven
T o tremulous gleams of treacherous colours woven,
W i d e - s p r e a d to snare the soul and s l o w l y capture
Its sovereign meaning and authentic rapture.
How wonderful thou art,
H o w crystalline, O Vision of the h e a r t !
H o w like a h i g h - b o r n seer thou dost remain
Above the w o r l d ' s annoy,
Interpreting each weariness, each pain
Of life around in terms of veiled joy!
H o w automatically in thy plan
Each image takes a sure and equal place,
The c r a m p e d prison-cell, the boundless space,
The fleeting bird, the grass, the drop of rain,
Both haunted beast and man!
Continually I sense thee freeing
T h e outer eye into a deep and deeper seeing.
 AUTOMATIC DIVINE ACTIVITY
By P R O F . G. V . SUBBARAMAYYA

On 31st October 1937 m y t w o - y e a r - o l d thrice to leave the hall. A c c o r d i n g l y the

daughter Indira suffered t w o infantile fits, stranger left b y the first entrance. T h e n Sri
the second m o r e severe than the first. S u d - Bhagavan turned to m e , called m e near and
denly she b e c a m e unconscious, all vital enquired : " H o w is y o u r child ? " I ^replied :
organs stopped functioning and she seemed " Bhagavan, b y Y o u r Grace she is better."
practically dead. The allopathic doctor Then Sri B h a g a v a n said : " S h e w i l l b e all
declared his helplessness and advised A y u r - right, don't fear," and put his hand on m y
v e d i c treatment. Branding b e t w e e n the eyes back. With his touch I thrilled and the
5

b y an old m a n with his tobacco pipe m a d e dream melted. T h e next m o r n i n g I received

the child m o a n f e e b l y and slightly r e v i v e d the f o l l o w i n g reply f r o m the A s h r a m :
the vital functions. Still she did not rally " R e c e i v e d y o u r w i r e yesterday night at
but lay m o r i b u n d . T w o A y u r v e d i c p h y s i - 7 p.m. and it was perused b y Sri Bhagavan.
cians sent for, one after the other, c o u l d n o t We assure y o u of Sri Bhagavan's blessings
b e found. A t this crisis m y eye lighted on on the child that she m a y recover. P r a y b e
the picture of Sri B h a g a v a n and I prostrated, not a n x i o u s . "
saying within myself, " O Bhagavan, all
In r e p l y to m y letter relating the a b o v e
h u m a n aid having failed, y o u alone must
incident and the dream the A s h r a m a u t h o r i -
save." Getting u p , I mechanically o p e n e d
ties w r o t e : " W e are v e r y glad to note that
the drawer, took out a telegraph f o r m and
through Sri Bhagavan's Grace y o u r child
w r o t e an express message praying for Sri
recovered f r o m almost a critical state."
Bhagavan's Grace upon the child. T h e t e l e -
graph authorities sent m e w o r d that the During the ensuing Christmas holidays
message w o u l d reach the A s h r a m at 7 p.m. w h e n I again visited the A s h r a m I asked Sri
Precisely at 7 p.m. both the A y u r v e d i c p h y - Bhagavan what he thought on reading m y
sicians arrived simultaneously and also telegram. He m e r e l y said : " Y e s , I read
Sri V . V . Narayanappa came, put into m y y o u r message and also noted that the c l o c k
hands an e n v e l o p addressed to m e and said : was then striking s e v e n . "
" Here is Sri Bhagavan's prasadam for t h e
I again p e r s i s t e d : " Bhagavan, did y o u
c h i l d . " It struck m e then as a miraculous:
not think that y o u must do something to
response of Sri Bhagafcran to m y prayer. Sri
save the child ? "
Narayanappa explained that it was the
prasadam w h i c h I had got for him the p r e - Straight came Sri Bhagavan's r e p l y :
vious y e a r w h e n h e had been ill and w h i c h " E v e n the thought of saving the child is a
he had preserved in the same e n v e l o p . It sankalpa ( w i s h ) , and o n e w h o has any s a n -
n o w struck h i m to m a k e use of it for the kalpa is no Jnani (Realized M a n ) . In fact
ailing child. T h e t w o \ doctors, consulting any such thought is unnecessary. The
together, treated the child and a s s u r e d , m e m o m e n t the Jnani's eye falls upon a thing
that she was out of danger. That night, there starts the automatic divine activity
sleeping beside the child, I had a m a r v e l - w h i c h itself leads to the highest g o o d . The
lous dream. I was in Sri Bhagavan's hall. conversation w a s all in T e l u g u except for
Sri Bhagavan reclining on his couch as the phrase, ' automatic divine a c t i v i t y ' , w h i c h
usual. In front of h i m stood a dark, fierce- Bhagavan uttered in English.
looking person of g i g a n t i c stature. Sri B h a -
* F r o m Sri Ramana Reminiscences available
gavan with his forefinger m o t i o n e d to h i m
f r o m Sri R a m a n a s r a m a m .
 A BET O N A P R A Y E R
By K. K. N A M B I A R
It was in the y e a r 1944, w h e n I was sta-
tioned at Madras as City Engineer of the
Corporation of Madras. D u e to the severe
petrol rationing in force, I could not m a k e as
frequent visits to Sri Ramanasramam at
Tiruvannamalai as I w o u l d h a v e liked to.
Even if I w e n t b y train, it was v e r y i n c o n v e -
nient to b e without a car at Tiruvannamalai.
M y sister Madhavi A m m a and m y w i f e w e r e
also v e r y anxious to m a k e a visit. I told t h e m
that I w o u l d p r a y to Sri Bhagavan to help
m e to take a trip s o o n , and I w o u l d go only
if I could get a car to m o v e about in T i r u -
vannamalai. A couple of days later, a friend
of m i n e Sri Venkatarathnam, the S u b - d i v i -
sional Magistrate at Tiruvannamalai called
at m y office and suggested that we
should g o to Tiruvannamalai and that
he w o u l d meet us with his car at the
R a i l w a y Station and also put us all u p at
his residence. I felt that m y prayers w e r e
being answered and m a d e arrangements to
go to the A s h r a m with m y sister, w i f e and
children. W e had comfortable first-class
a c c o m m o d a t i o n although w e had to change
trains at V i l l u p u r a m Junction. W h e n w e
reached Tiruvannamalai station early in the
morning,' M r . Venkatarathnam was there not
with one car, but with t w o . The second car
c a m e in h a n d y as there w e r e five of us in the
party including the t w o children.
I was talking to Mr. Venkatarathnam at
his residence about my/ implicit faith in B h a -
gavan looking after his devotees, w h e n he
said " let us see about y o u r return j o u r n e y
to M a d r a s ; getting a c c o m m o d a t i o n in the
connecting train at V i l l u p u r a m is always a
gamble. 1
T h e r e are three trains all near
about midnight and one has toi take a chance.
It is v e r y seldom that y o u get seats in the
first train. Besides, y o u are a party
of five and that m a k e s it e x t r e m e l y diffi-
cult. ,,
I said I had no w o r r y as B h a g a v a n
w o u l d take g o o d care of us. He said, " let us
have a bet on this " , and w e decided to m a k e
it a crucial test.
O n the return j o u r n e y , Mr. V e n k a t a -
rathnam saw us off at Tiruvannamalai s t a -
tion w h e r e c o m f o r t a b l e accommodation in a
first-class c o m p a r t m e n t was secured for us.
He also sent a peon to a c c o m p a n y us b y train
to V i l l u p u r a m junction with the t w o f o l d
objective of rendering us any assistance
necessary until w e were, safely berthed in
the connecting train at V i l l u p u r a m , as also
to check u p on our bet h o w Bhagavan w o u l d
c o m e to our rescue to solve the usual diffi-
culty expected at V i l l u p u r a m junction.
W e alighted at V i l l u p u r a m and waited for
the first M a d r a s - b o u n d train to arrive. W e
introduced ourselves to the Ticket Examiner
and he p r o m p t l y promised his .assistance to
find suitable berths for all of us. W h e n the
train steamed in, w e w a l k e d past all the
upper class compartments, the T i c k e t E x a -
m i e r keeping count of the vacant berths
available. There w e r e only t w o berths
vacant, in t w o different compartments and
those too w e r e u p p e r berths, and w e w e r e
five in all. W e couldn't accept those berths.
A l l that the Ticket Collector could d o w a s
to suggest that w e t r y our l u c k w i t h the
n e x t train. But I, w h o w a s all the w h i l e
praying to Sri Bhagavan, did not give u p
hope. I could not reconcile myself to the
idea that w e w o u l d b e left stranded. Thus,
musing within myself, I felt like w a l k i n g u p
to the front end of the train w h e r e there
w e r e a f e w closed bogies adjacent to the
engine. N o passenger coaches are generally
connected there ; but on that night, there
w a s a b r a n d - n e w looking first-class b o g i e
n e x t to the engine nicely done u p and
polished, and c o m p l e t e l y shuttered and
closed being t o w e d to Madras for s o m e
special purpose. On seeing it, I ran b a c k
1 N o w a d a y s there is a g o o d direct bus service
and it is not necessary to travel b y n i g h t — (Editor),
162 THE MOUNTAIN
along the platform and spoke to the Ticket
Examiner about it. T h e sceptical R a i l w a y
Official c a m e up with m e and was surprised
to find a n e w coach with all the doors l o c k e d
and w i n d o w s closed. On opening it with a
key, - w e f o u n d an |exquisite compartment
w i t h all the seats e m p t y . W i t h his p e r m i s -
sion, all of us b o a r d e d the compartment,
six berths to ourselves — specially,
T H E G R A C E OF SAI BABA
By KHUSHMUN
It was a day of great s o r r o w and yet ended
up b y being one of the happiest days of m y
life — thq day on w h i c h the g l o r y and grace
of Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi first shone upon
our family. I was only eleven at the time.
M y grandfather, w h o m I l o v e d and idolised,
w a s in the last stage of cancer. T h e r e w a s
profuse internal bleeding and the doctors had
given him u p . The family w e r e sitting
around in grief, expecting the end within a
f e w hours. A s for m e , I was sobbing aloud
and wishing that I could die too. M y g r a n d -
father was the person I most l o v e d . I w o r -
shipped the v e r y g r o u n d he trod on. W h i l e
sobbing I kept on praying to G o d to have
m e r c y on m e and save him.
A s I stood b y the w i n d o w in the evening,
disconsolate and calling on G o d and all the
saints to help us, I heard some one singing
outside in a strangely p o w e r f u l and m o v i n g
w a y . The m a n w h o w a s singing stopped
and continued his songs just under the w i n -
d o w at w h i c h I stood, though I am sure he
did not see m e . His songs w e r e all about
the numerous miracles of the resplendent Sai
B a b a and h o w he never failed to c o m e to
the aid of those w h o sincerely turned to him
and implored his help.
I had never heard of Sai B a b a and this
singer had n e v e r b e f o r e c o m e to our house,
PATH April
reserved. I repeated aloud ' O m N a m o
Bhagavathe Sri R a m a n a y a ! I h a v e w o n
the bet \ Need I have any d o u b t w h e -
ther Sri Bhagavan w o u l d answer the silent
prayers of his devotees ? M y faith in B h a -
gavan is just the same today as it w a s in
those days, and there h a v e been m o r e and
m o r e of such instances to keep m y faith
unflagging.
ELAVIA
but as I listened a ray of hope penetrated
m y mind. I eagerly began praying to this
great one to s h o w m e r c y on m e too and not
to- abandon m e at this time of tragedy. Within
t w o hours the haemorrage stopped and m y
grandfather t o o k a turn for the better. W h e n
the doctors came next morning they w e r e
flabbergasted to see the change in h i m and
sat there scratching their heads and discuss-
ing what could possibly h a v e caused their
prognostications to go w r o n g and h o w h e
could have r e c o v e r e d f r o m such a hopeless
condition. I smiled to myself because only
I k n e w . Within a f e w days m y grandfather
was^ quite all right again and the cancer
never troubled h i m again.
M a n y times after that I experienced the
grace and favours of Sai Baba and I a m
eternally grateful to him, but it was that first!
miracle that w o n m y u n d y i n g gratitude. I
found afterwards that I had often seen his
picture, for it is in so m a n y B o m b a y shops,
but I had not k n o w n w h o it was. Of course,
he had long since left his physical b o d y —
as far bask as 1918, long b e f o r e I w a s b o r n
— w h e n this m i r a c l e occurred, but that d i d
not matter. His grace and m e r c y are still
showered on those w h o turn to him, and
often on people like m e w h o had never
b e f o r e heard of him.
 T H E M A H A R S H I A N D HIS BLESSINGS
By K. RAMACHANDRA,
Editor of ' The Religious
There are, some events w h i c h cannot b e
explained b y physical causation. T h e y s i m p l y
have to b e put d o w n to Divine Omnipotence.
There is the case, for instance, of H a r r y
Edwards, the d o y e n of England's psychic
healers, w h o was miraculously saved f r o m
a tragic motor accident w h e n he was about
thirty years old.
He stepped off a tram in the m i d d l e of
the road and started to cross o v e r to the
pavement without looking for oncoming
traffic. A lorry was approaching at high
speed. He had no time to j u m p out of its
way, nor had the driver time to s w e r v e or
apply the brake. He seemed certain to b e
crushed to death but suddenly an unseen
hand raised h i m u p and hurled him across
the gap to the pavement to the astonishment
of the lorry driver and the, spectators. It
was this miraculous saving of his life w h i c h
prompted him to utilise the healing p o w e r
latent in him for the service of mankind.
There, h a v e been m a n y such cases of m i r a -
culous delivery f r o m approaching death. I
wish n o w to record t w o w h i c h occurred at
places 700 miles apart at almost the identical
m o m e n t on 14 A p r i l , 1950, the date of the
Mahasamadhi of Bhagavan Sri Ramana
Maharshi.
Vallimalai S w a m i of Madras, on old and
ardent devotee of Bhagavan, had received
news of the latter's failing health and
wished to be at his side for the, M a h a s a m a -
dhi. So he hurried to E g m o r e Station, Madras,
to catch the first available train. Seeing it
already at the platform, ready to start, and
fearing that he w o u l d miss it if he crossed
the /overbridge, he dashed istraight 'across!
the rail track. A shunting engine w a s c o m -
ing towards h i m at high speed. In a f r a c -
tion of a second an unseen hand lifted him
o v e r to the next track, w h i c h was u n o c c u -
DigestCeylon.
pied. F r o m there he c l i m b e d into a c a r r i -
age just as the train was m o v i n g out. That
was exactly at 7-45 p.m.
A t the same time another miracle t o o k
place in front of our o w n house at Colpetty,
C o l o m b o . M y wife, and I had gone to T i r u -
vannamalai to h a v e darshan of Bhagavan.
The apparent reason for this was that E l i z a -
beth, an English friend, w h o was then in
Ceylon, was eager to h a v e his darshan b e f o r e
taking her ship h o m e on 25 A p r i l , but it w a s
really through his Grace so that w e should
be there at the t i m e of his Mahasamadhi.
W e arrived at Sri Ramanasramam on the
11th. On the first night of our stay there, I
had a v i v i d vision of Bhagavan's M a h a s a m a -
dhi taking place at 7-45 p.m. on the 14th.
On the strength of this I w r o t e to our son
in C o l o m b o that Bhagavan's condition was
critical and that he should observe Ramana
D a y at our h o m e shrine b e f o r e 7-45 p.m.
on Friday the 14th, notifying all C o l o m b o
devotees of its significance. A f t e r posting
the letter I w e n t to the, hall w h e r e I received
the glad n e w s that Bhagavan's condition w a s
greatly i m p r o v e d . I therefore rushed b a c k
to the post office to retrieve the letter, but
the mail bag had already left. W i t h r e n e w -
ed faith in m y vision, I refrained f r o m w r i t -
ing to cancel it.
A s requested b y m e , our children o r g a -
nized a puja meeting at 6 p.m. on the 14th
with the arati at 7-30. M a n y devotees
attended in spite of the short notice, a m o n g
them our neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. A . and
their little daughter, of three. W h e n the p u j a
was finished this f a m i l y w e r e leaving our
house to go h o m e w h e n their little daughter
ran out into the road and a speeding car ran
right o v e r her. Before, the horrified parents
had time to c r y out the child got u p and
ran to her mother quite uninjured, only her
164 THE MOUNTAIN
clothes being soiled f r o m the dust of the
road. This was at exactly 7-45 p.m.
I w i l l n o w describe a miraculous cure that
happened in m y o w n case after an accident
at Tiruvannamalai. This was in January
1946 w h e n I had g o n e there on pilgrimage
with m y family. W e had a small cottage
there but the A s h r a m authorities considered
it too small for five persons and put us in
a larger house. W e w e n t there after having
darshan of Bhagavan. Leaving m y family
and the luggage on the verandah, I w e n t
round to the w e l l at the b a c k of the house,
to fetch s o m e water. It was evening,
already dark, and I did not k n o w that the
w e l l had run d r y and was about forty feet
deep, with a r o c k b o t t o m . A s I was d r a w -
ing the bucket up m y foot slipped and I w a s
about to fall in but some unseen p o w e r
pulled m e out and I was flung b a c k w a r d s
into a ditch close, to the wall. The force of
the fall was such that I injured m y spine
and fell unconscious. Just then a friend w h o
had heard of our arrival came with a t o r c h
and, finding m e missing, joined m y family
in searching for m e . T h e y picked m e up,
still unconscious, and carried m e into the
house.
I came to in a f e w minutes but could
neither stand erect nor lie flat on m y b a c k
o w i n g to the spinal injury. The pain w a s
excruciating. Siddha, A y u r v e d i c , , allopathic
and homoeopathic treatments w e r e all tried
in turn but w i t h o u t effect. A f t e r I had been
given electric treatment for three days, also
without effect, m y friends d e c i d e d that I
should b e taken to hospital in Madras or
V e l l o r e but I refused. I replied that the
greatest physician f o r m e was L o r d A r u n a -
chala in the h u m a n f o r m of Sri Ramana and
that I was not prepared to go a n y w h e r e else
for treatment. I said that I preferred to die
in the atmosphere of his sacred Presence,
For five long w e e k s I remained day and
night in a w i c k e r easy chair, always in the,
same position, with m y spine bent to r e d u c e
the pain. M y p o w e r of endurance w a s g e t -
ting exhausted and despair o v e r c a m e m e .
M y w i f e was taken to Bhagavan's hall to
pray for m e and also to the local temple for
a special puja. On her return she fell asleep
PATH April
exhausted and dreamed that a dark m a n
w a y l a i d her and was trying to snatch a w a y
her marriage thali with the gold chain w h e n
suddenly B h a g a v a n appeared and pushed
him a w a y , rescuing her f r o m his clutches.
This r e v i v e d our hopes because, it seemed
that the dark m a n symbolised Death trying
to m a k e her a w i d o w b y snatching a w a y her
marriage token.
T h e f o l l o w i n g night m y state, b e c a m e c r i -
tical and, still in m y coiled up position, I
experienced death agony. Mrs. Osborne and
an Indian lady w e r e helping m y w i f e l o o k
after m e . Mrs. Osborne w a s sitting m e d i t a t -
ing. A f t e r a while she told the other l a d y
to g o to the A s h r a m and fetch the Parsi
doctor w h o was treating m e . He had come*
on a pilgrimage f r o m Indore and was staying
in a cottage in the A s h r a m precincts. No
ladies w e r e allowed in the A s h r a m after
dark, so the lady, A m m a n ! A m m a l , w a s
reluctant to go, but Mrs. Osborne, induced
her to. A s she approached the meditation
hall, w h e r e Bhagavan used to sleep at night
she saw that there was a light there. This
was r e m a r k a b l e as it was already half past
one in the morning, so she approached the
w i n d o w and peeped in. T o her amazement
she saw t w o attendants applying ointment
and massaging the b a c k of the Maharshi.
She at once p e r c e i v e d the connection
between this and m y suffering. Without
being seen b y any one at the A s h r a m , she
rushed b a c k to our house and reported w h a t
she had seen. She w a s in a state of great
j o y and excitement with tears streaming
d o w n her face. A l l three, of us w e r e caught
up in her m o o d . I rose f r o m m y chair and
stood erect. I felt the straightening of m y
spine. T h e three, ladies helped m e to m y
b e d w h i c h had been unused for five w e e k s ,
and f o r the first time since the, accident I
slept.
T h e f o l l o w i n g day I was able t o w a l k with
assistance to Bhagavan's presence and m a k e
m y grateful salutations to him. It - was s o m e -
thing like, a rebirth and I have h a d no s e r i -
ous illness since then. His blessings c o n -
tinue to flow although w e are denied his
physical presence.
 1966 T H E B E G I N N I N G OF A R A M A N A MANTRA

A f e w years later I came across the w r i t -
ings of Sri Y o g a n a n d a Paramahamsa and his
exposition of ' metaphysically induced i l l -
ness ' g a v e m e a clearer understanding of
such w o n d e r f u l happenings. I quote a p a s -
sage b e l o w .
" T h e metaphysical m e t h o d of physical
transfer of disease is k n o w n to h i g h l y
advanced Y o g i s . A strong m a n can assist a
w e a k e r one b y helping h i m to carry his h e a v y
load ; a spiritual superman is able to m i n i -
mise his disciples' physical or mental b u r -
dens b y sharing the karma of their past
actions. Just as a rich m a n loses some m o n e y
w h e n he pays off a large debt for a prodigal
son, w h o is thus saved f r o m the dire c o n -
sequences of his folly, so a Master w i l l i n g l y
sacrifices a portion of his b o d i l y wealth to
lighten the misery of his disciples."
Since m y o w n experience, w h i c h I have
just told, I h a v e also b e e n privileged to w i t -
ness the case of an esteemed friend h e l p e d
b y the Grace of his o w n Master, to w h o m I
too was devoted.

T H E B E G I N N I N G OF A R A M A N A MANTRA
By T. K. S.

Bhagavan never gave a mantra u n s o l i c i t e d ; w h e n asked he sometimes approved

of the use of o n e . H e sometimes a l l o w e d the n a m e 4
R a m a n a ' to b e u s e d as a mantra,
sometimes t h e single syllable ' I ' ; h o w e v e r h e w a s insistent that the question : " W h o
am I ? " is not a mantra.

The mantra ' O m n a m o Bhagavate V a s u -
devaya ' fascinated m e greatly in m y early
days. It so delighted m e that I constantly
saw Sri Krishna ( V a s u d e v a ) in m y m i n d ' s
e y e . I had a p r e m o n i t i o n that this b o d y
1
of m i n e w o u l d pass a w a y in its fortieth y e a r
and I w a n t e d to have a vision of the L o r d
b e f o r e that time. I fasted and practised
devotion to Krishna Vasudeva incessantly. I
t o o k great delight in reading the B h a g a v a d
Gita and the Bhagavata. Then w h e n I r e a d
in the Gita " I regard the Jnani as m y o w n
S e l f " I was o v e r j o y e d . I reflected : " W h e n
I have here Bhagavan Sri Ramana w h o is
Vasudeva's o w n Self, w h y should I w o r s h i p
Vasudeva separately ? "
A l l this was in m y early days b e f o r e s e t -
tling d o w n at Sri Bhagavan's A s h r a m .
w a n t e d one mantra, one scripture and one
f o r m of w o r s h i p , so that there m i g h t b e n o
conflict of loyalties. Sri Ramana P a r a m a t -
writings w e r e the gospel, and as for the
mantra, it struck m e that ' O m namo B h a g a -
vate Sri R a m a n a y a ' w a s an e x a c t parallel
of the one I h a d used f o r m e r l y . I c o u n t e d
the letters and found that it also contained
t w e l v e Sanskrit letters. I told Bhagavan
and he g a v e his approval.
Intellectuals m a y laugh at this and ask
w h y I needed a mantra w h e n the Ocean of
Bliss was there before m e . I confess that
I was d r a w n to the traditional m e t h o d of
bhakti practice. B h a g a v a n has revealed his
true nature as the A l l - W i t n e s s , y e t there is
also the saying that A d v a i t a must b e only
in the attitude of m i n d and never in outer
action.
I That is h o w this mantra first came to b e
approved.
1 w h i c h p r o v e d unjustified. H e passed a w a y at
the age of 68. See Ashram 1
Bulletin of o u r
9

m a was o b v i o u s l y t h e G o d to w o r s h i p ; his A p r i l , 1965 issue.

 CLIMBING ARUNACHALA
By SATYANARAYAN
W h e n I was at the A s h r a m in A p r i l 1964
a desire to c l i m b to the t o p of Arunachala
arose in m e ; but as m y wife, was suffering
f r o m arthritis and taking injections e v e r y
second day it did not seem possible. I could
not leave her alone for the day, especially
as she spoke neither Tamil nor English.
H o w e v e r the f o l l o w i n g night Bhagavan
appeared to me, in a dream and r e m i n d e d
me to c l i m b to the top.
I still could not decide, but a f e w days
later m y w i f e herself urged m e to, saying
that she w o u l d wait at the A s h r a m till I got
back. I told Sundaresh Iyer and, with the
help of the postmaster, R a j a A i y a r , he
arranged for t w o people to go with m e early
n e x t morning.
W e set out at about 5 on the m o r n i n g of
A p r i l 7th and reached Skandashram b y about
5.30. It w a s about 8.30 w h e n w e got to the
peak after climbing over rocks, stony paths
and d r y water courses. A t several places I
had to sit and rest for some minutes, as the
c l i m b had exhausted m e . T h o u g h I had
climbed mountains of ten and t w e l v e t h o u -
sand feet in m y youth, at 63 I f o u n d even
Arunachala's t w o thousand feet tiring. Once
or twice I felt tempted to b o w d o w n r e s -
pectfully to the L o r d at the summit f r o m
w h e r e I stood and return ; but w h e n I gazed
up in reverence I saw B h a g a v a n standing on
the summit, smiling as if to encourage m e
not to lose heart but to c l i m b . T h e last bit
w a s especially exhausting and w h e n I at last
reached the p e a k I w a s gasping like a b u f -
falo y o k e d to a h e a v y load. A l l through
the c l i m b I had been i n w a r d l y chanting
A r u n a c h a l a - S i v a , b u t at that m o m e n t the
chanting spontaneously stopped.
TANDON
The oval shaped r o c k b y the side of w h i c h
I stood was stained b l a c k f r o m the melted
ghee of the beacon fire lit there annually on
Kartikai D e e p a m D a y . A l t h o u g h the sun
w a s b y n o w w e l l u p in the sky, a c o o l and
pleasant breeze was b l o w i n g .
M e r g e d in the bliss of sacred Arunachala,
I suddenly felt that a crevice had opened
before m e and I sank d o w n into it, h o w far
I did not k n o w . A f t e r some time I f o u n d
myself b a c k on the summit with nothing on
but a loincloth, and before m e stood B h a g a -
van. He turned and w a l k e d w e s t w a r d , and
I after him. H o w he could w a l k f r o m s u m -
mit to summit as though o v e r a smooth s u r -
face and I f o l l o w him was a m y s t e r y to me.
and yet so it was.
W h i l e thus walking I suddenly saw, instead
of Bhagavan, a huge c o l u m n of some m i l k y -
white substance rising up b e f o r e m e . I
w a l k e d up to it and b e c a m e m e r g e d in it,
losing m y identity.
W h e n the sun had risen higher and the
guides w e r e anxious to return w e started
back. T h e return was m o r e tiring than the
ascent. I could not w a l k barefoot as the
stones had n o w become, t o o hot in the fierce
sun, and w i t h shoes on I slipped on the
smooth rocks. I g o t b a c k to Skandashram
at about n o o n but was too exhausted to
undertake the further short w a l k to the
A s h r a m , so I rested there for about three
hours, arriving b a c k at the A s h r a m at about
four in the afternoon ; and there I found m y
w i f e and Sri Sundaresh Iyer waiting a n x i -
ously for m e .
I treasure this experience as a w o n d e r f u l
manifestation of Bhagavan's Grace.
 T H E P O W E R OF SHAKTIPATA
By SWAMI MUKTANANDA

W e already carried an article about S w a m i Nityananda in our issue of A p r i l

1965; h o w e v e r the f o l l o w i n g article, b y a Swamii w h o m m a n y r e g a r d as his successor,
is so m u c h in k e e p i n g with the t h e m e of the present issue that w e offer no apologies
for including this also.

This w o r l d , this universe, this Brahmanda,

described variedly as real and existent,
unreal and non-existent, and even p a r a d o x i -
cally as both real and unreal, existent and
non-existent, teases m a n out of thought and
remains a question of questions. What
indeed is this m a c r o c o s m ? T h e six systems
of Indian philosophy e x p o u n d it differently.
T h e Vedanta designates it as an unsubstan-
tial pageant and an optical illusion on the
analogy of a r o p e mistaken for a serpent.
M o d e r n science takes it as materially c o m -
posed of atoms and electrons. Each one thus
perceives the w o r l d f r o m his o w n c i r c u m -
scribed v i e w and projects its image to suit
his limited perception.

W h a t e v e r it is, the w o r l d is u n d o u b t e d l y
a miracle of a phenomenon. However
incomprehensible it m a y appear, there is no
gainsaying the truth that its Creator has
fashioned it with flawless artistry and i n d e s -
cribable efficiency. It needs no m o r e than
a m o d i c u m of thought to ask w h e n c e
there could have been light and heat w i t h -
out the sun ; coolness of the night without
the m o o n ; life without w i n d ; quenching of
thirst without water ; the v e r y existence of
beings without the earth's fertility s p r o u t -
ing into corn, fruits, flowers, vegetation and
medicinal plants. W h e r e w o u l d beauty be
found if not in the majestic mountains,
sparkling streams, ever-flowing rivers,
shady trees, l o v e l y creepers, fragrant flow-
ers, and the ever-shifting kaleidoscope of
colours o v e r earth and heaven ? Birds and
beasts add as m u c h to this beauty as the
landscape. A l l this lends its peculiar charm,
strikes terror and evokes a sense of u n s p e a k -
able a w e and grandeur in its totality. This
world of satva, rajas, tamas, instinct
Swami Nityananda
with sat, chit, ananda, though one, stands
exposed in a bewildering variety of forms.
Even as an artist with a flourish of brush
conjures up his visions on a canvas, G o d the
Supreme Artist brought into being this u n i -
verse, w h i c h strikes o n e as strange, v a r i e -
gated, friendly and unfriendly at the same
time, though it is nothing but a multiple
projection of His divinity.
Even among m e n there is an intriguing
and surprizing variety. There is nothing
wasted in the e c o n o m y of heaven. Every-
thing that is has a part to play in the day
to day w o r l d . T h e business of the w o r l d
goes on. T i m e and again, h o w e v e r , saints
Articles about S w a m i s and Gurus are written
for us b y their disciples. W e do not p r e s u m e t o
pass j u d g m e n t on the opinions of the author.
 168 THE MOUNTAIN PATH April

and enlightened ones appear in our midst a n y w h e r e f o r long and accepted f o o d and
to give a n e w sense of direction and p u r - water only, if offered, since h e n e v e r felt
posefulness. The tenor of their life is a p p a - their want. Sometimes pestered b y c r o w d s
rently outlandish, but they are the e m b o d i - clamouring for miracles, he shunned them
ment of the divine, f r o m w h o m the sick in b y swiftly m o v i n g to a different spot, s o m e -
b o d y and m i n d derive a full measure of times even perching himself on a tree and
peace, solace and content. Such a divine casually throwing d o w n leaves w h i c h served
e m b o d i m e n t descended on Ganeshpuri to as panacea to the ailing.
fulfil an extraordinary mission of m e r c y .
Once, mistaken as a vagrant, Sri G u r u -
Innumerable devotees k n o w him as Bhagavan
deva, it is said, was put behind the bars of
Sri Nityananda.
a prison b y a h o t - h e a d e d G o v e r n m e n t offi-
There is nothing on record to show w h e r e cial w h o was then amazed at seeing his p r i -
G u r u d e v a was b o r n or brought up or w h e r e soner both inside and outside the jail at the
he realized the Self. There is no clue to his< same time. T h e erring official's repentance
g e n e o l o g y or family b a c k g r o u n d . Nor is this f o l l o w e d and so did the immediate release
strictly necessary. W h a t is material is not of his extraordinary prisoner ! Sri G u r u d e v a
the source of rivers or the g e n e o l o g y of sometimes travelled b y railroad. W h e n asked
saints, but their impact and achievement. The to s h o w a ticket, he, could p r o d u c e thousands
dear to the L o r d , according to Shrimad B h a - of t h e m f r o m his loin-cloth. A story w h i c h
gavata, are above, the m u n d a n e distinctions has gained w i d e currency, being applied to
of birth, caste or c o m m u n i t y . G u r u d e v a m a n y sadhus, actually happened w i t h him. A
b e l o n g e d to this category. B e y o n d doubt, h e stern railway guard put h i m off a train for
w a s a self-realized one f r o m birth, w h o s e having no ticket. H e sat quietly b y the side
impact transcended his physical presence of the line, but the engine refused to start
and has continued unabated even today after up. A m u r m u r i n g arose among he p a s s e n -
his physical demise. gers that it was because the guard had c o m -
mited sacrilege. T i m e passed. Nothing could
Sri G u r u d e v a was always in a state of be done. Finally, to appease the people, the
unruffled perennial bliss and his f a c e was guard reinstated the sadhu and immediately
ever adorned with a beatific smile. His l u m i - the engine started u p . W h e n he willed, he
nous loud laughter in this state still rings in distributed sweets to thousands and no o n e
the ears of those w h o w e r e privileged to hear had the faintest notion w h e r e they c a m e
it. Bhagavan Sri Nityananda was literally f r o m . Certain people have testified to their
e v e r - j o y f u l , w h i c h induced p e o p l e to address having seen him w a l k i n g on the waters of
him as such. F r o m his childhood, it is the P a v a n j e river. Sri G u r u d e v a had his
reported, h e used to have his skull c l e a n - mortal share of ignorant people's calumny,
shaven and sometimes donned the o r a n g e - jealousy and harrassment. A necromancer
tinted robes of a sannyasin till he came to named A p p a y a once offered G u r u d e v a t o b a c -
Vajreshwari, w h i c h p r o b a b l y suggests that c o surreptiously m i x e d with poison. G u r u -
h e was a spiritually ordained sannyasin of deva s w a l l o w e d it and it so happened that
the nandapadma ' category.
1
the necromancer began writhing with a b d o -
It is believed that Sri Gurudeva, having minal pain and paid the penalty of sacrilege
revealed himself in his youth some fifty years with his immediate death. On another o c c a -
ago in the South, travelled through Kerala, sion, a certain Malabari caught hold of G u r u -
Bantwal, Mangalore, K a u p , Mulki, Udipi, deva, tied his hands and legs, sprinkled r o c k
Pudubidri, Kanhangad, Gokarn, on foot, oil on him and set h i m on fire. Once again,
relieving incidentally a variety of people of it was the malicious Malabari w h o began to
their illness, misery, anxiety and p o v e r t y . burn and died.
His field of peregrination also extended over These miracles happened and y e t Sri
forests and valleys through w h i c h he t r a v e l l - G u r u d e v a w a s no m i r a c l e - m o n g e r . This w a s
ed w i t h lightning speed. He never stayed the period w h e n he had achieved complete
2966 T H E P O W E R OF S H A K T I P A T A
identity with Brahman. He visualized the
S u p r e m e in himself as in all others without
any distinction. Having m e r g e d himself with
the omnipotent Supreme, anything was at his
c o m m a n d and so it was that miracles, big
and small, spontaneously issued f r o m him
without a taint of self-interest. T h e learned
seers h a v e listed three types of s i d d h i s — ( 1 )
unclean siddhi, ( 2 ) mantra-siddhi and ( 3 )
yogasiddhi. T h e first, w h o s e p o w e r is a c q u i r -
ed through unholy rites, mantras or s u b -
stance, is rendered ineffective w h e n the p o s -
sessor of that p o w e r is purified and cleansed,
since his efficacy depends on his u n c l e a n l i -
ness. This p o w e r , w h i c h is malevolent and
destructive, is incapable of doing g o o d to
anyone. The second is acquired through
incantations addressed to a chosen deity.
Those w h o h a v e acquired this p o w e r can
p r o d u c e at w i l l any o b j e c t — fruits, flowers,
articles of gold and silver on the p a l m of
their hands, or m o v e objects f r o m one place
to another. Such conjurations and miracles
impress people, but degenerate into e p h e -
meral exhibitionism w h e n they are c o n s c i -
ously m a n o e u v e r e d . T h e third is acquired
through a rigorous discipline of eightfold
Y o g a and full s e l f - c o n t r o l and is scientifi-
cally valid (as w e l l as actually f e a s i b l e ) .
There, is h o w e v e r another called Mahasiddhi
w h i c h stands head and shoulders a b o v e the
aforesaid three, and is derived through a
c o m p l e t e identification with the Supreme.
One m e r g e d with G o d b e c o m e s G o d , even
as a d r o p of water m e r g e d with the ocean
acquires the qualities of the ocean through
its identification. To quote " Shivashakti",
one m e r g e d w i t h G o d acquires all the o m n i -
potence of G o d w h e n the full-realization of
integration dawns upon him, leaving then no
need for incantations, austerities, rites or
efforts for the acquisition of this supreme
p o w e r . Those w h o are e n d o w e d with this
p o w e r are not even conscious that they
poss.ess it and yet it has a strong impact.
Such supreme p o w e r was w i t h Bhagavan
Nityananda.
A f t e r some years' stay in the South, Sri
Gurudeva set out on a pilgrimage and c o v e r -
ed practically the entire length and breadth
of India on foot. He himself sometimes used
169
to give vivid descriptions of the places h e
had visited. Sri G u r u d e v a practised stern
austerities in the Himalayas, even staying in
a tree for six years. Sri G u r u d e v a was an
embodiment of the highest bliss and divine
consciousness and nothing is impossible to
such souls.
W h e n , after years of peregrination, Sri
Gurudeva finally settled d o w n at Ganeshpuri
near Vajreshwari outside B o m b a y , the q u e s -
tion naturally arises w h y , of all the places,
he selected this one. Possibly the reason was
that Ganeshpuri had been a sanctified spot
for centuries and Sri G u r u d e v a chose it as
L o r d Vishnu chose Vaikuntha and L o r d Shiva
did Kailas. Here in this sanctified spot is the
Mandagni mountain, the sacred river Tejasa,
the ancient temple of goddess Vajreshwari
as also the w o o d s filled with fruits and f l o w -
ers, an oasis of natural beauty, and the
famous hot springs. Here Vashistha h a d once
p e r f o r m e d a big sacrifice and the saints? p r a c -
tised penance. So G u r u d e v a settled d o w n
in Ganeshpuri and put it on the m a p of the
spiritual w o r l d .
T h e physical features of Sri Gurudeva h a d
the sheen of a dusky j e w e l . His forehead was
high and b r o a d with thick arched e y e - b r o w s
o v e r his big round eyes, f r o m w h i c h flowed
an incessant stream of pure love. He was
g e n e r a l l y seated in a spacious armchair with
a quiescent mind and a gently smiling face
—a sight once seen, always indelibly
impressed on his visitors' mind.
Sri Gurudeva l o v e d solitude. He was e m i -
nently free f r o m desire of any sort related
to himself. Sri G u r u d e v a came to V a j r e s h -
wari with only a l o i n - c l o t h and lived with
it to the end of his earthly days. His life
was e x t r e m e l y simple. H e took his bath
b e f o r e d a w n and ate v e r y little. Indeed to
be simple is to be great and this simplicity
of Sri G u r u d e v a was one m o r e indication of
his greatness.
Sri G u r u d e v a rarely spoke, but on being
questioned, he w o u l d sometimes e x p o u n d the
most abstruse philosophy in a f e w simple
w o r d s that w e n t h o m e . He had a g o o d w o r k -
ing k n o w l e d g e of several languages such as
170 THE MOUNTAIN
English, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu,
T a m i l and Malayalam, e v e n throwing in an
occasional Sanskrit quotation in the course of
his conversation. H e was a w i d e a w a k e picture
of perfect peace through the day and never
slept through the night. Such exalted souls,
on scriptural authority, neither sleep nor
dream, being always in a state of highest
bliss, freed f r o m desires and fears, illusions
and expectations of e v e r y sort. T h e M a n -
d u k y a Upanishad describes this supraconsci-
ous state as indescribable, intangible, u n d e -
monstrable, b e y o n d thought and reason —
peaceful, blissful and unique. This is being
one with A t m a , w h i c h alone is w o r t h k n o w -
ing and striving for.
Sri G u r u d e v a was one with G o d . T o b e
in his presence was to be aware of G o d . A l l
the miseries and cares of the w o r l d w e r e
imperceptibly liquidated at his sight. The
devotees addressed him l o v i n g l y as " Baba "
and they w e r e never tired of standing in an
almost interminable queue for hours in heat
or shower for the privilege of having his
darshan. W r o e v e r had a glimpse of him had
a feeling that Baba was his and k n e w all his
difficulties. B a b a was to the devotees w h a t
Sri Krishna was to the gopis, each gopi f e e l -
ing that the L o r d was having the Rasalila
only with her. Ganeshpuri had c o m e to be
a shrine of w h i c h Sri G u r u d e v a was the L o r d .
His presence here was solely for the g o o d
of his loving devotees. H e was the healer of
all their w o u n d s . He protected in every w a y
his devotees, w h o flocked to him with simple
l o v e and faith. A l l doubts w e r e resolved,
all knots untied and a deep-seated sense of
peace settled d o w n on his devotees at a
glance. A s the Mundakopanishad affirms, all
doubts and conflicts disappear, all c o n s e q u e n -
ces of actions — g o o d or bad — are w i p e d
out at the realization of the Supreme.
Those w h o had questions to ask w e r e
rendered m u t e in Gurudeva's august p r e -
sence. Sometimes the* question was a n s w e r -
ed even b e f o r e it w a s asked through a
symbolic gesture or a w o r d f r o m Gurudeva.
Gurudeva spoke little, but w h a t e v e r little he
said was charged with a deep significance,
w h i c h served the listener as f o o d for deepest
PATH April
thought. G u r u d e v a mostly preferred to
communicate with his eyes. Sometimes h o w -
ever he m a d e loving inquiries after the d e v o -
tees' comforts and they w e r e touched b y this
solicitude. Gurudeva sometimes used to give
sweets or fruits to his devotees, w h o c o n s i -
dered themselves the most blessed on earth
for being considered w o r t h y of such gifts.
Sri Sukhadeva in Shrimad Bhagavat said
that it is v e r y difficult to have a glimpse of
great souls and to r e c e i v e tokens of favour
f r o m them. Such 'prasad ' does a w a y w i t h
all difficulties and miseries. T h e devotees
from, cities forgot all their w o r l d l y cares and
w o r r i e s on arriving at Ganeshpuri. They
generally arrived here o n w e e k e n d s and
returned to their w o r k with Grace enough
to sustain them f o r the next w e e k . Though
always residing in his quarters at " Kailas
Nivasj", Gurudeva's presence was felt all
over. H e himself used to say, " B e c a l m ;
I am e v e r y w h e r e " . Sri G u r u d e v a always
thought of his devotees far and near. T h e
poor natives of Ganeshpuri and its s u r r o u n d -
ings never lacked f o o d or clothing in his
( B a b a ' s ) spiritual regime. Sometimes G u r u -
deva used to m o v e among the children and
talk to them j o y o u s l y . He l o v e d children,
w h o m he considered representatives of G o d
and offered them sweets and other gifts.
Innumerable people came to G u r u d e v a
with all sorts of offerings. The scriptures
have said that a god, guru, king and child
should never be approached without offer-
ings. There w e r e heaps of gifts and offerings
•— sweets, fruits, biscuits, bales of cloth,
clothes, rugs, blankets and a thousand things
— around Gurudeva. Did G u r u d e v a need
them ? He was contented only with his
loincloth and distributed these gifts among
the needy.
W h o e v e r came to G u r u d e v a sat d o w n
after obeisance in his o w n w a y . M e n of
m o d e r n sophistication sometimes eye this
ritual critically, w h i c h is symptomatic of
their ignorance and immaturity; A s a matter
of fact there is nothing humiliating or d e r o -
gatory to one's self-esteem in b o w i n g d o w n
before the Gurus. T h e seers h a v e seen that
there flows a divine spiritual energy f r o m
1966 THE P O W E R OF S H A K T I P A T A
the great souls w h i c h is transmitted through
contact. Even the great L o r d R a m a touched
the feet of sages and preceptors. The great
ones b o w i n g to the great only add to their
o w n greatness. Greeting one another is m o r e
than a formality ; it is a means of establish-
ing a mutual rapport. W h e n someone told
Gurudeva, " I b o w to y o u ", G u r u d e v a used
to retort that h e was b o w i n g not to him but
!
only to Brahman, w h o s e manifestations w e
all are.
T h e direct realization of spiritual and p h i -
losophical truths has the effect of t r a n q u i l -
lising the w h o l e being of a man. The w h o l e
material w o r l d is then nothing for him and
there is nothing left for h i m to do in a
w o r l d l y w a y . T o talk about the m e a n i n g -
less is d o u b l y meaningless. It was for this
that G u r u d e v a had long spells! of silence, but
e v e n his silence was m o r e eloquent than
w o r d s . It w a s the irresistible charm of this
silence and self-possession that quietened
even the most garrulous. T h e Rig V e d a
maintains* that those w h o o b e y earn the right
to c o m m a n d . A c c o r d i n g l y , Sri G u r u d e v a
instructed others to be what he was in a
state of mind devoid of w o r d or thought.
There is the w e l l - k n o w n story of K a k a b h u -
shandi, w h o constantly iterated the name of
Rama, w h i c h in the process generated such
an atmosphere around him that all w h o
approached it came within its magnetic field.
T h e r e was such an atmosphere around Sri
Gurudeva, w h o was perpetually in a state
of perennial bliss, w h i c h had an immediate
impact on all those w h o approached him.
There are no w o r d s to describe Sri G u r u -
deva's powerful impact. H e could be
described o n l y if taken as one of us, w h i c h
he was not. H e was an e m b o d i e d pure soul
integrated with the S u p r e m e m o v e r of all
that m o v e s . The self-realized seers declare
this universe full of infinite variety to b e
m e r e l y the play of the Supreme L o r d . T h e
poets h a v e likened G o d to an actor playing
m a n y parts, since H e reveals himself in a
diversity of forms, though one in reality. The
permutations and combinations of M a y a and
the M a y a itself are of His making. He is
visible though invisible, active though
171
apparently inactive, H e receives gifts though
He is the giver/ of all gifts. T h e w h o l e u n i -
verse is permeated b y Him. T h r o u g h H i m
is the creation and evolution of this entire
universe. Sri G u r u d e v a always said that
he was present e v e r y w e r e . Once, w h e n a
photographer sought his permission to p h o -
tograph him, Sri G u r u d e v a told him rather
to photograph the universe, since his i d e n -
tification was so complete that there was
nothing unrelated with h i m in the w h o l e
universe. A t all hours and in all conditions
he w a s in a state of supreme bliss. H e con-*
ducted himself in such a w a y as to suggest
that the w h o l e w o r l d was the o b j e c t of hi$
l o v e and the theatre of his operation., Being
a b o v e likes and dislikes, he rejected nothing
because it was bad nor accepted anything
because it was good. So c o m p l e t e l y d e t a c h -
ed was he that he saw not though h e saw ;
he heard not though h e heard ; he spoke
not though he spoke. He was neither a d o e r
n o r an enj oyer ; neither a receiver nor a
giver.
The w a y s of saints are inscrutable. T u k a -
r a m has said that one has to live like a fish
in water to k n o w h o w a fish could sleep in
water. Likewise, one has to be something
of a Mahatma to understand the Mahatma.
The attempt to explain or pass a verdict on
them is childish, indicative of neither e x p e -
rience nor erudition, like the attempt to
describe the T a j Mahal with the help of a
picture p o s t - c a r d . S o m e people have w o n -
dered w h y Sri G u r u d e v a did not set out t o
s,erve the p o o r and the ignorant instead of
confining himself within the four walls of
his A s h r a m . This is sheer misunderstand-
ing. T h e sun and the m o o n and the h o l y
Ganges do not go out of their w a y to serve
a n y b o d y , and yet w h o could question the
amount of g o o d they do, settled in their o w n
place ? The impact of Sri Gurudeva's
b e n e v o l e n c e on the exterior w o r l d w a s b o t h
direct and indirect. It is testified to b y those
w h o have felt a deep calm and had all their
knots untied at his m e r e glance. S o m e came
to scoff and remained to pray. Others left
infinitely m o r e fortified than ever with inner
strength. A s the sun peeps out of the East,
birds begin to w a r b l e , but the o w l goes
172 THE MOUNTAIN P A T H
blind ; holy m e n c o m e to offer their m o r n -
ing ablutions, but thieves and p r o w l e r s take
to their heels ; the snow begins to melt but
the clay gets hardened.
Sri G u r u d e v a was apparently no different
f r o m the rest of mankind. There was visibly
no give and take b e t w e e n h i m and his d e v o -
tees, sincef for him there was nothing to g i v e
in material terms. Yet, he had one thing to
g i v e without stint or measure — namely, his
:
grace f o l l o w e d b y a deep sense of peace. He
was himself a fountain of peace and j o y . He
was the T a r a m a n a n d a ' of the Upanishads ;
the dear L o r d of the devout Vaishnavas ; t h e
o b j e c t of the meditation of the Y o g i s ; the
Brahmananda of the philosophers and the
Chidananda of "the Vedas. His unperturbed
soul encased in a mortal frame flowed out
in a ceaseless stream of j o y , love and peace.
" The w h o l e w o r l d " , said Gurudeva, " is
my home."
There are yogis and yogis and yet their
w o r k is largely identical despite differences.
Sri G u r u d e v a mostly preferred not to talk.
He did not preach or lecture and yet his f e w
w o r d s or speechless communication w e r e
m o r e effective than l o n g - w i n d e d perorations.
The inexorable l a w of K a r m a w o r k s itself
out in poverty, disease, ignorance with s o m e
and otherwise with others. Bhartruhari has
described this w o r l d as insufferable. Every
m a n has his tale of w o e to tell, no matter
h o w healthy and w e a l t h y he is. Man is e v e r
in quest of happiness, w h i c h eludes him, and
each r e n e w e d attempt at happiness only adds
to his unhappiness. Sri G u r u d e v a was a
source of s t r e n g t h / a n d solace to these m e n ,
w h o m he urged to k n o w themselves and
realize G o d as the only royal road to lasting
happiness.
Each soul in this w o r l d is an inalienable
part of the S u p r e m e Soul and is forever
seeking reunion with G o d . A l l arts and
sciences are a means of realizing this e v e n -
tuality. Happiness and j o y are dear as life
to everyone, The scriptures describe the
w o r l d as full of insatiable cravings and l o n g -
ings. Marriage, w i f e , children, social status,
means of recreation are all attempts to g r a -
April
tify them. The a l l - k n o w i n g Rishis have,
maintained that no lasting peace can ensue
f r o m the pursuit of w o r l d l y happiness. T h e
Bhagavad Gita has said that this w o r l d is
a vast /abode of suffering, w h e r e a fleeting
sense of happiness is at best a brief inter-
lude. In the state of things as they are
there is no gratification. The Vedas see all
misery rooted in ignorance. Man is m i s e -
rable because! he does not k n o w his o w n self
fully. If m e n w e r e to l o o k within t h e m -
selves, they w o u l d soon discover that there
is within them a source of perennial h a p p i -
ness k n o w n as Atmasukha w h i c h is absolute
and infinite. A l l other j o y s of the w o r l d are
contained in that supreme happiness. God
in his m e r c y reveals Himself time and again
in the f o r m of self-realized Mahatmas to
lead m e n towards the true goal of this h a p -
piness. The holy Bhagavata says that m e n
are r e w a r d e d with a glimpse of such s e l f -
luminous souls only after an accumulated
store of merit through a series of births.
Such self-realized souls are indeed difficult
to c o m e b y . But w h e n the w o r l d is sorely
afflicted with sin and misery, such s e l f - r e a -
lized souls descend on the earth and effec-
tively rehabilitate man's confidence in truth
and righteousness. B h a g a v a n Shri N i t y a -
nanda descended on Ganeshpuri with such a
mission and led m e n towards truth and
righteousness.
The three channels of experience and
e n j o y m e n t in the day to day w o r l d are
wakefulness, dream and deep sleep. But
there is a fourth one,; called " Turiya " w h i c h
is e x t r e m e l y rare. In this state there is an
indefinable experience of supreme bliss than
w h i c h there is no higher state of happiness.
T h e scriptures designate this state v a r i e d l y
as Vaikuntha, Kailas, Vishnupada and P a r a -
mapada. T h e highest objective for w h i c h m a n
has been striving since birth is realized here.
The dormant capacity to reach this goal is
awakened and activized through Guru's
grace. A s the " S h i v a s u t r a " says, G o d comes
d o w n in the f o r m of a guru to lead m e n to
this elevated state through the guru, w h o
transforms a ' j i v a ' into ' S h i v a ' and a'
' n a r a ' into Narayana. Sri G u r u d e v a N i t y a -
nanda b e l o n g e d to this category.
 THE P O W E R OF SHAKTIPATA 173

Sri G u r u d e v a had the divine p o w e r of aside, it is enough at the m o m e n t to say that

performing ' Shaktipata ' or transmission of
spiritual energy. The right type of r e c i -
pient then began to feel differently and
started muttering " I am Brahma " , " I am,
Shiva ", " I am H e " the m o m e n t his static
or dormant Kundalini was aroused. Without
guru's grace, there is no ' Shaktipata ', w h i c h
is a w o n d e r f u l and systerious process
wherein the Guru communicates his o w n
spiritual e n e r g y to the disciple. * S h a k t i -
pata ' is a great science. In ' S h i v a g a m a '
and ' S h a i v a t a n t r a ' there is an elaborate
description of this spiritual process. A visions of saints, deities and heavens. D i f f e -
perfect guru awakens the Kundalini Shakti
through ' Shaktipata'. This Kundalini
Shakti w h i c h is no different f r o m Divine!
Consciousness or ' Chiti S h a k t i ' is another
name for the divine p o w e r w h i c h is o p e r a t -
ing universally. ' C h i t i ' is an independent
p o w e r w h i c h is unity manifested as d i v e r -
sity and diversity as unity. T h o u g h one in
essence, it projects itself in different forms.
The, highest attainments of Y o g i s , Jnanis,
devotees, poets, princes, warriors are varied
manifestations and projections of Kundalini
or Chiti Shakti, w h i c h is omnipotent and
invincible. One of its names is Shiva ', the,
1
other is ' S h a k t i ' the difference in n o m e n -
clature being m e r e l y nominal. Sri G u r u d e v a
Nityananda had with him, b e y o n d question,
infinite w o n d e r s of this divine ' Chiti Shakti '*
Things b e g a n to happen to the disciple
w h o s e Kundalini was a w a k e n e d and a c t i -
vized b y G u r u d e v a . L e a v i n g all details
the Kundalini Shakti lies within the
human b o d y at the base of the spinal column,
in the Muladhar Chakra, coiled in three
circles and a half in serpentine fashion. N o
sooner is it a w a k e n e d than there is a n e w
efflorescence or effluence of vitality all
through the b o d y and the process of inner
purification sets in. A t the outset, there is
an o v e r w h e l m i n g feeling of sleepiness, t r e -
m o r , perspiration and something resembling
electric shocks. A state of mental poise;
comes o v e r the disciple and he also see$
rent kinds of lights are seen, m a n y kinds of
sounds heard in the state of deep m e d i t a -
tion. In the Sushumna n e r v e f r o m the
Muladhar at the base of the spinal column
to the Sahasrara in the c r o w n of the head
are, situated the six chakras or nerve centres,
w h i c h begin to be cleansed as the K u n d a -
lini is awakened. Everything then appears;
in a n e w light and the breathing in and out
is balanced in a perfect equilibrium. With
this comes untying of all inner knots and
the end of all illusions. A l l doubts and c o n -
flicts are set at rest and the spirit is in tune
w i t h eternity. With the end of all desires'
comes the supreme sense of release f r o m all
bondages. A l l this awakening comes only
through Guru's grace. Guru'sf gifts are e n d -
less and imperishable. Of such divine p o w e r
w a s our G u r u d e v a Nityanandaji. A thou-
sand salutations to him — our immortal
Gurudeva!

PRESENCE

P e o p l e searching for " the S e l f " are usually looking for " a n entity
that isn't an e n t i t y " — instead of quite simply looking for what is l o o k -
ing. W h a t is looking is what " t h e y " are looking for all the time.

Neither could ever be " found " , but the latter at least is present.

— WEI W U WEI
 . . . . TIRUPATI
(Sri Venkateswara, Lord of the Seven Hills)
By N. N. R A J A N
This K a l i - y u g a or spiritually dark age is
noted f o r disregard of dharma and for e v e r y
kind of sin and delinquency. The necessity
for divine intervention to rescue m e n f r o m
the abyss is m o r e than ever felt at this time.
This h o l y land of Bharata abounds in places
of pilgrimage sanctified b y G o d in one or
another f o r m , and there/ is no m o r e effective
w a y of winning the Grace of G o d than b y
visiting them and worshipping the L o r d . A
pilgrimage to a h o l y place symbolises the
union of the soul with G o d , w h i c h is the
ultimate aim of man.
Tirupati is one of the most famous of all
such h o l y places. W h a t Jerusalem is to the
Christians, Tirupati is to the Hindus. T h e r e
is aj mass of significant legend w o v e n around
it. The L o r d Venkateswara ( k n o w n also as
Balaji to north Indians) in his infinite m e r c y
took up his abode there for the salvation of
m e n . Stationed on this hill-shrine he s u m -
m o n s m e n to seek refuge at his feet. M a n y
saints and devotees have been d r a w n here
in the past, and on, reaching the shrine h a v e
danced in ecstasy and p o u r e d forth their
praises in e x t e m p o r e h y m n s .
L e g e n d has it that the L o r d Vishnu, taking
the f o r m of a w h i t e boar during the cosmic
dissolution, dived into the waters and r e s -
cued the submerged earth f r o m the w i c k e d
d e m o n Hiranyaksha, w h o m he slew. H a v i n g
reinstated the earth, he decided to abide at
this place on it to establish dharma. The,
sacred water in w h i c h he appeared, near to
the temple on the hill, is called S w a m i P u s h -
karani. Pilgrims bathe there before entering
the temple, thereby washing a w a y their sins
and gaining merit. T h e image of Vishnu as . 1
VENKATARAMANA
a White Boar is still to b e seen in the A u d i
Varahasami temple near the tank.
L o r d Venkateswara is appropriately k n o w n
as " K a l i y u g a Varadan ", the G i v e r of Boons
in Kali Y u g a . B e f o r e this y u g a started h e
declared to his Consort Lakshmi, the G o d -
dess of wealth, " In the Dark A g e p e o p l e w i l l
not hesitate to c o m m i t all m a n n e r of sins.
A s a result they w i l l fall victim to all kindg
of sickness and w i l l suffer greatly. This w i l l
turn them t o G o d and m a k e t h e m long f o r
Him. So I w i l l appear to them in dreams and
s u m m o n them to these hills with v o t i v e off-
erings of m o n e y and j e w e l l e r y and other p r e -
cious things. If they fail to m a k e the
pilgrimage here and to surrender the. offer-
ings I shall collect these f r o m them with
interest and distribute the wealth among
virtuous devotees and among the needy. Even
a trivial offering at this place w i l l b e
immensely productive in wealth and g o o d
fortune. A l l boons w i l l b e granted to those
w h o w o r s h i p us at this place with true d e v o -
tion." A n d indeed, pious Hindus have f o u n d
f r o m l o n g experience that prayers m a d e to
Sri V e n k a t e s w a r a at this place are a n s w e r -
ed. T h e y have found* also that retribution
overtakes those w h o do not honour their
v o w s , and therefore the L o r d is k n o w n as
V a t t i - K a d a v u l , the collecter of interest.
Such is the coricourse of devotees that
offerings pour in to the measure of ten or
fifteen lakhs of rupees a month — m o r e than
in any other shrine in India. The D e v a s t h a -
n a m or administration is the richest of its
kind in India and maintains a university,
oriental college, high schools, hospitals, p o o r
homes and other institutions.
 THE MIRACLES OF .
W e have to cross six hills before coming
to the seventh, on w h i c h the temple stands.
These hills have the f o r m of a serpent and
are identified b y legend with the Divine S e r -
pent Audisesha. The m o r e o r t h o d o x p i l -
grims m a k e the; j o u r n e y on foot, ending with
the seven m i l e path up to the crest of the
hill, w h i c h is 2,800 feet high. It is a truly
m o v i n g sight to see the n e v e r - e n d i n g m u l t i -
tude of pilgrims m o v i n g slowly along this
path, chanting and calling o n the N a m e of
G o d as they go. A l t h o u g h it is a V a i s h n a -
vite shrine Saivites are no less in evidence
there.
No pilgrimage to Sri Venkateswara is
wasted. Even the accumulated sins of m a n y
years are w i p e d out b y a visit here. People
suffering f r o m longstanding chronic diseases
or w h o have been given u p as incurable b y
the doctors are miraculously cured here
w h e n they take the v o w s and have darshan
of the L o r d . Only they must have u n s w e r -
ving faith and true sincerity. On the other
hand p e o p l e w h o m a k e their offerings
grudgingly are often penalised b y u n e x p e c t -
ed loss of m o n e y and valuables or b y some
n e w misfortune. Especially does this happen
w i t h people w h o donate a smaller amount
than they had v o w e d . Cases are not l a c k -
. . . SPIRITUAL HEALING
By IRMGARD
Even today people ask whether t h e y can
believe the, miracles of healing r e c o r d e d in
the Bible. W h y shouldn't they, w h e n similar
ones are p e r f o r m e d n o w also. For centuries
Christ's legacy of spiritual healing w a s lost.
One of the pioneers of its r e c o v e r y in the 19th
Century was Franz Mesmer, although it w a s
p r o b a b l y rather magnetic than spiritual
healing that he, was using. Then a simple
m a n of the name of Q u i m b y made history
b y healing that v e r y remarkable A m e r i c a n
w o m a n M a r y Baker Eddy. She it w a s w h o
developed a system of spiritual healing w i t h
a philosophical basis and so b e c a m e the
founder of Christian Science. She taught
that, since m a n was m a d e in the likeness
of God, sickness must b e an error o r i l l u -
ing w h e r e amounts that they have v o w e d
and kept b a c k have simply disappeared.
Devotion and sincerity are essential.
M a n y people d o n the saffron r o b e of a
sannyasin for making this pilgrimage. M a n y
also, men, w o m e n and children, m a k e the
symbolical v o w of shaving their heads,
renouncing the hair w h i c h symbolises their
w o r l d l y attributes. Indeed, if one sees a
party of villagers with shaven heads t r a -
velling in South India one can b e pretty sure
that they are returning f r o m this p i l g r i -
mage.
Once I heard a long-standing devotee of
Sri Ramana Maharshi w h o had just r e t u r n -
ed f r o m Tirupati to Sri Ramanashram s p e a k -
ing in glowing terms of his darshan of L o r d
Venkataramana and the Prasadam he
had received, and B h a g a v a n s a i d : " H o w
1
could it be otherwise w h e n the L o r d H i m -
self has chosen to remain in that lofty
abode ? " W h a t m o r e is needed to confirm
the greatness of this holy place w h e n B h a -
gavan, the Sage without a peer, has himself
endorsed it ?
i L o r d Venkataramana is the f a m i l y deity of
Bhagavan's ancestors. In fact, Bhagavan was
named after the L o r d . (Editor)
GEORGE SCHULTZ
sion. Also, quite uncompromisingly, she
declared t h a t : " M a t t e r is unreal and t e m -
porary ; Spirit is real and eternal." Illness
was to be cured ( o r the illusion of illness
dissipated) b y refusing to admit its reality.
Christian Science was m u c h ridiculed but it
spread w i d e l y for the simple reason that its
cures w e r e so often successful.
In our times it is already far m o r e easy
to hold that the material w o r l d is an i l l u -
sion ; in fact it might even be called s c i e n -
tific o r t h o d o x y . What appears to be matter
has been discovered to b e m e r e energy. A s
Browjn Landone, writes in ' U n k n o w n P o w -
ers ' : w e l o o k at railway lines and they seem
to c o n v e r g e in the distance — an illusion
of our senses. T h e sky seems to touch t h e
176 THE MOUNTAIN
horizon — another illusion. Colours too :
they have no reality. Light is only v i b r a -
tion transformed into colour b y the retina
of our eye. R e d is the lowest vibration to
be perceived b y the human eye and violet
the fastest. W e can only see in the range
of 400 to 700 trillion vibrations per second,
that is f r o m red to violet, but there are
others l o w e r than red and faster than violet
that w e can't see, the i n f r a - r e d and u l t r a -
violet. It is similar with our hearing. T h e
highest tone that w e can hear vibrates only
26,000 times a second, but bats can hear v i b -
rations of up to 50,000 and ants up to
500,000.
So our limited senses lead us f r o m i l l u -
sion to illusion. Christian Science teaches
that if w e can regard our bodily infirmities
also as an illusion they disappear. It is not
easy but with the help o f - a guide it can b e
done ; and it has often been found to w o r k .
Spiritual healing has spread enormously
today and there are f e w of its practitioner,
w h o go to the full theoretical limits of
Christian Science. Perhaps most of them
leave aside the theoretical question of reality
and concentrate s i m p l y on the healing p o w e r
of thought or prayer. T h e y simply d e m o n -
strate that, w h a t e v e r one m a y think of the
reality or otherwise of the physical b o d y ,
psychic or spiritual force, w h i c h e v e r they
m a y use, can in fact heal its ailments.
But the highest art of healing is the t r a n s -
formation of the mind of the patient so that
he can heal himself b y surrendering to the
one healing p o w e r , w h i c h is what w e call
God. The t w o most uncompromising m o d e r n
healers, both in theory and practice, in their
insistence on the Onej Reality of G o d are the
late, Joel Goldsmith and Dr. Taniguchi of
Japan. B o t h of t h e m h a v e healed thousands
of patients and have published their t e a c h -
ings and experiences in books. Dr. T a n i -
guchi says in one of these : " W e have to
recognize the reality behind the w o r l d of
illusion. W h e n w e meditate on Truth, the
consequences of our inner progress appear
in our outer life, as the outer w o r l d is but
the s h a d o w of our inner w o r l d . A l l outer
appearance is but the reflected image of the
PATH April
inner being. Only G o d and His manifesta-
tion is reality. M a n is the child of G o d —
not a perishable material being but a p e r -
fect spiritual o n e . " 1
Therefore our physical condition can b e
influenced and transformed b y the Spirit.
That means that spiritual healing is a
natural process. The m e t h o d is meditation.
Man can master his life b y awakening to
absolute Reality, o v e r c o m i n g the illusion of
his senses and gaining thereby h a r m o n y ,
health and abundance. On this basis
Dr. Taniguchi founded the movement
S e i c h o - N o - L e , meaning ' H o m e of Infinite
Life, L o v e , W i s d o m and A b u n d a n c e ' . ' This
m o v e m e n t differs f r o m those that l o o k u p o n
evil as a reality to be fought, rising instead
to the level of pure Spirit, the One P o w e r ,
above the polarity of g o o d and evil.
This same insistence that evil has no r e a -
lity is to be found in the teaching of Joel
Goldsmith and the ' Infinite W a y ' groups
that he founded. He insisted always on the
One P o w e r , the One Reality, a b o v e the
apparent conflict of the t w o p o w e r s of g o o d
and evil. B y rising to the level of the O n e
P o w e r , h e asserted, w e find both evil and
the need to fight it to be an illusion, and
sickness disappears like a mirage.
" N e v e r try to cut a w a y rheumatism, c a n -
cer or consumption like branches of a tree,
nor old age, D o not try to transform the
w o r l d of appearances. G o b a c k ! Recognize
that in reality G o d is y o u r being and that
suffering is caused b y y o u r belief in t w o
p o w e r s . If y o u fight against one error and
o v e r c o m e it, ten others arise and take its
place. The cause of human discord has to
be extinguished. A n d what is the cause ?
y
This formation of a nothingness, this s o -
called mortal mind that has no p o w e r but
for those that constantly fight against e v i l . " 2
H o w can one o v e r c o m e evil or sickness
without recognizing or fighting it ? Gold-
smith explains : " The arm against error —-
our attack and our defence — is something
neither physical n o r psychical, neither deeds
h o r w o r d s n o r thoughts — it is but the
1 Truth of Life b y D r . Taniguchi.
1966 THE MIRACLES
awareness of G o d . " Divine h a r m o n y w i l l
unfold itself in the degree of our ability to
be a silent spectator without any desire or
activity, with no wish but the Presence of
G o d , the One P o w e r . " O u r meditation has
only to do with t h e realization of a spiritual
presence." He explains that " O n l y the
recognition of God's Grace is necessary to
restore harmony, only the k n o w l e d g e of the
One P o w e r . "2
A s I h a v e said above, not all healers take
this u n c o m p r o m i s i n g attitude. There are
those w h o recognize the existence of s i c k -
ness and use the p o w e r of prayer or the
p o w e r of Christ's N a m e to r e m o v e it. P e r -
haps indeed they are the majority. A
description of this kind of healing was given
b y G. H. G e d g e , himself an eminent spiri-
tual healer, in his article in the January
1964 issue of The Mountain Path.
But w e hear of failures too. W h y ? W h o s e
fault is it ? A n e x a m p l e w i l l m a k e this
clear. Can w e enter a r o o m fastened f r o m
within ? T h e person inside has to open it
for us. In the same w a y the patient has
to open his consciousness to the healing
. LOURDES
By I. J E S U D A S A N , S.J.
L O U R D E S ! What a picture it evokes in
the m i n d ! T h e r e it stands, 1,300 feet a b o v e
sea level, among the foothills of the lofty
Pyranean chain, only 26 miles f r o m the
Spanish border, in the s o u t h - w e s t corner
of France — a pleasant A r c a d i a n scene of
lush green fields and m e a d o w s m a d e m e l o -
dious with the music of the chirping birds>
the swaying w i l l o w s , the, silver streams and
the ring of the cowbells. In the dazzling
sky of a radiant d a w n , a slender spire rises
sharply against the rounded hills. Under-
neath is a grotto — Massabielle — with its
natural niche. A vast Esplanade separated
' the Domaine ', the Fief of The L a d y , f r o m
the c o m m e r c i a l t o w n .
. With a local population of only 20,000,
Lourdes is one of the w o r l d ' s most beautiful
and famous towns and perhaps its best
OF, 177
p o w e r . One w h o is always thinking of his;
illness, w a l l o w i n g in it, opposing the Truth,
even t h o u g h unconsciously, keeps his m i n d
closed. It is the task of the healer to help
him open his consciousness to the liberating
force of God's realized presence., Healing in
this sense, the sense that "Goldsmith means,
is m o r e than a m e r e restoration of physical
health. Sometimes it is m o r e important t o
bring the patient to a spiritual awakening
than to heal him physically. Whichever
comes first, in a perfect healing the t w o go
together. T h e attitude of the perfect h e a l -
er is thus defined b y Goldsmith : " I can do
nothing of myself, but as the Father and I
are one the abundance of the Father is
revealed through m e . W h e r e I a m th6
splendour of the Father goes before m e . W e
are God's instruments, w e are His servants.
W e stay in the w o r l d as servants of the
Most High ; w e stay in it as a blessing."
F e w can maintain their consciousness p e r -
manently on this level, but m a n y can pray
and their prayers can, h a v e E f f e c t .
2 The Art of Spiritual Healing by Joel
Goldsmith.
k n o w n healing centre. O v e r 2,000,000 v i s i -
tors and 30,000 sick of all faiths pour into
it annually f r o m e v e r y quarter of the globe.
In 1953 there w e r e 515 special trains to
Lourdes, not to speak of chartered planes,
buses and private cars. During the summer
months, four or five special trains arrive on
certain days. A n d , despite its tourist i m p o r t -
ance, Lourdes still retains the same c e n t u r y -
old rustic, pastoral l o o k w h i c h it had w h e n
Bernadette went about grazing her sheep.
Its attraction h o w e v e r is due not to
the beauty of its landscape, but to this p e a -
sant girl, to w h o m , as the report w e n t , t h e
Blessed Virgin appeared 18 times at M a s -
sabielle. Once the n e w s was noised abroad,
there was* a c r o w d at the grotto. But the
Virgin spoke only t o Bernadette. " Y o u w i l l
pray to G o d for sinners . . . Penance ! P e n -
178 THE MOUNTAIN P A T H April

ance ! P e n a n c e ! . . . G o drink at the spring L o u r d e s water. A n d , quite early in its h i s -

and wash yourself, in it. . . . Y o u w i l l tell tory, profiteers sought to m a k e capital o u t
the priests tor h a v e a chapel built here. . . . I of this spring. But the, chemical and b a c -
wish p e o p l e to c o m e here in p r o c e s s i o n " .
v teriological analyses of the water d e m o n -
But w h o was she to ask for such things ? strated that its ingredients w e r e no w a y d i f -
T h e answer c a m e on March 25, 1858, " I am ferent f r o m those of any other mountain
the Immaculate Conception spring, and thus foiled their g r e e d y p u r p o s e . 8

Besides, not all the cures take place, at the

F r o m the start, ecclesiastical and civil
baths. A larger proportion of them occur
authorities w e r e as sceptical as the p o p u l a c e
either at the blessing of the Blessed S a c r a -
was enthusiastic. But the trickle of
ment or before the grotto.
m u d d y water f r o m w h i c h Bernadette had
drunk and washed, continued to flow into a
T h e cures include both functional and
stream and then into a m i g h t y torrent. P e o - 1

organic diseases such as advanced cases of

ples prayed and burned candles at the grotto.
cancer, diabetes, T.B., paralysis etc. M a d a m e
A n d then there w e r e the m i r a c l e s ! A blind
Bire seeing with dead optic nerves, Colonel
man w h o washed at the stream regained
Pellegrin cured of abscess of the liver and
sight. A mother dipped her dying child in
M a d a m e Pillot cured of a t u m o r of the brain
the stream, and he revived. Naturally,
are only a f e w out of a host of astounding
popular enthusiasm mounted. But the local
cures effected at Lourdes.
police barricaded the stream and the grotto
under pretext of h y g i e n e and illegal w o r -
Thousands go to Lourdes e v e r y year in the
ship. Then came the c u r e of, E m p e r o r N a p o -
h o p e of a cure. But most return uncured.
leon's son b y application of the L o u r d e s
And[ they no longer want to b e cured. T h e y
water ; and, "by c o m m a n d of the same
are cured of the desire to b e cured. N o c o m -
Emperor, the grotto was declared open to
plaints, no resentment. Instead, they accept
the public (5th October 1858).
suffering w i l l i n g l y and cheerfully as a gift
A n ecclesiastical commission duly set u p f r o m God, as p e n a n c e for their o w n and
b y the bishop of Tarbes vindicated the cause others' sins. In 1935 for instance, the famous
of Bernadette after four years of investiga- iron-lunged American millionaire, Fred
tion, and the bishop issued a decree authen- Snite's going to L o u r d e s created quite a s e n -
ticating the apparitions and the miracles. A sation. N e w s m e n and photographers f o l l o w -
chapel was at last built in 1871. ed him e v e r y step of the j o u r n e y . W h a t a
m o m e n t for a cure ! But that is n o t the w a y
T h e Church had capitulated ; but the
of Lourdes. He was not cured. His only
" intellectuals " did not. Controversy raged
reaction was, " G o d ' s w i l l b e done . . . here
in the press for three quarters of a century.
life is a prayer. . . . W e are, in a place apart
In 1905, A l e x i s Carrel, the future N o b e l
f r o m the w o r l d — a place h a l f w a y to
Prize w i n n e r (1912) was dismissed f r o m
heaven." 4
F e w indeed they are w h o leave
the university of L y o n s for saying that a
L o u r d e s unaffected. T h e most important
case of T.B. in w h i c h he had been interested,
;

thing that happens at Lourdes is the cure of

was miraculously cured at Lourdes. A u t o -
souls. A n u m b e r of priests are kept b u s y
suggestion, sheer popularisation, pious p r o -
at the confessional all day and night. Can
paganda, such w e r e the cries bandied at
Lourdes. It was a fashion to speak of it! 1 F o r the capacity of the stream, see p a g e 1 2 7
in this vein. Carrel himself was only one of M g r . D e e r y ' s Our Lady of Lourdes. (The
of the outstanding examples of m e n w h o N e w m a n Press, Westminister, M a r y l a n d , U.S.A.
1958.)
f r o m a systematic scepticism of everything
2 See Journey to Lourdes b y A l e x i s Carrel,
suprasensible, c a m e to a r e - d i s c o v e r y of s u p - (Hamish Hamilton, L o n d o n , 1 9 6 5 . )
ernatural certainty at L o u r d e s . 2
3 F o r the findings of these analyses see p. 37-8
of Ruth Cranston's The Miracle of Lourdes,
S o m e p e o p l e attributed the cures at L o u r - ( M c G r a w - H i l l B o o k Coy., Inc., N. Y . , 1955.)
des td some special medical properties in the 4 The Miracles of Lourdes, p. 144.
1966 T H E M I R A C L E S OF
y o u guess h o w m a n y there are among those
w h o confess w h o for years never a p p r o a c h -
ed a church or the sacraments ? N o w at
last, at L o u r d e s they m a k e their r e c o n c i l i a -
tion to G o d .
If the uncured go mentally transformed,
the cures themselves are not effected b e f o r e
this spiritual metamorphosis. Everyone
begins b y praying for himself. Then he
opens his eyes to the sufferings of others.
N o w his prayer is for his neighbour rather
than for himself. If ever he thinks of h i m -
self, it is no longer to be rid of pain, but to
be strengthened to endure it. Then comes
a third and final stage w h e r e he forgets both
himself and his neighbour, to think only of
the Virgin and her wish — sinners, penance.
It is generally at this stage that m a n y cures
are reported.
A special atmosphere pervades these cures
of L o u r d e s — one of prayer and service.
Prayer f r o m early in the m o r n i n g till late
into t h e night. A l l day long there are p e o p l e
before the grotto with extended arms. H o u r
after hour snatches of " A v e " are ringing
f r o m the three churches. 5
Even a casual
visitor cannot help getting into this r h y t h m
of prayer. Then there are the processions
— of the Blessed Sacrament in the afternoon
and the candle-light procession at night —
the latter perhaps the most impressive and
n e v e r - t o - b e - f o r g o t t e n of all Lourdes s p e c t a -
cles, in w h i c h on certain summer nights
there are as m a n y as 60,000 people winding
like a huge fiery serpent into the e n v e l o p -
ing darkness and chanting in diverse t o n -
gues " A v e , A v e , A v e Maria " : T o c r o w n it
all, the sacrifice of Calvary is r e n e w e d at the
grotto in unending succession, all the t w e n t y -
four hours of the day.
T h e n there is the efficient volunteer system
to help and serve the pilgrims and the sick,
f r e e of all cost. T o b e allowed to serve is
all the f a v o u r and p r i v i l e g e they ask. S o m e
of them are themselves people w h o have
b e e n cured at Lourdes. The b a c k b o n e of
this system is the organisation of hospitallers
popularly k n o w n as brancardiers or stretch-
e r - b e a r e r s . Comparable to the old Knights
Hospitallers of St, John at Jerusalem, they
179
join service promising to g i v e a certain
amount of time and w o r k to the sick e v e r y
year. Piety, charity and discipline are their
rule, and they are ever ready to f o r e g o a
m e a l or sleep at an e m e r g e n c y call. There
are over 2000 of t h e m in permanent m e m -
bership. These are ably assisted b y the
volunteer stretcher-bearers attached to each
group of pilgrims. For 1954, their numbers
reached 10,393. 6
M a n y of them toil y e a r -
in, y e a r - o u t in order to save enough to spend
a f e w w e e k s at Lourdes serving the sick.
T h e r e is among them a m o v i n g little story
of t w o rich Indian bankers w h o , in the guise
of p o o r men, served as brancardiers for t w o
weeks. 7
For a study and examination of the alleged
cures, there spontaneously sprang up a free
medical association w h i c h , as the Lourdes
Medical Bureau and Commission, n o w e n j o y s
international reputation with a m e m b e r s h i p
of a b o v e 5,000 doctors of all shades of belief
— Catholics, Protestants, J e w s , Moslems,
Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, agnostics etc.
E v e r y alleged cure must b e accompanied b y
the certificate of a competent doctor stating
the case as it stood just before the patient
reached Lourdes. If the Bureau is satisfied
with t h e gwiuiness of a cure, it sends all the
documents* X - r a y s etc. connected with it, to
the International Medical Commission. 8
The 1
latter, after further study b y experts, either
declares or does not declare its conviction,
" W e find no natural or scientific explanation
of the cure ". It is for the Church and t h e
theologians to decide whether it can b e p r o -
claimed a miracle. The Medical Bureau and
Commission rigorously f o l l o w up their cases
for years, and the Church is even m o r e
severe. Out of m o r e than 1,000 cures f o u n d
inexplicable b y science in these hundred
years and m o r e , it has only a c k n o w l e d g e d
about sixty as genuine miracles.
T h e Christian understands miracle as the
suspension of the effect of a l a w of nature
5 The Church of the Rosary, St. Pius X,
St. Bernadette.
6 See The Miracles of Lourdes, p. 48.
7 Ibid., p. 51-2.
8
F o r the quality and calibre of the m e n w h o
make u p this Commission ibid., p. 62-3.
180 THE MOUNTAIN PATH
b y G o d as its A u t h o r . The l a w is not a b o -
lished nor is the nature of things altered ;
but only the effect is not p r o d u c e d on the
object, as w h e n the three children w e r e
no wise hurt b y the blazing furnace. God 9
m a y w o r k miracles through His saints in
order to honour them b e f o r e men. It is t h e
same for Mary. T h e miracles of Lourdes are
attributed to her prayer. But over and above)
this honorific m o t i v e , the miracles and a p p a -
ritions; of M a r y bear an essentially soteriolo-
gical character. Her o w n w o r d s are proof
enough. 10
T h e y are part of the; salvation h i s -
tory of our* race, and are strikingly r e m i n i s -
cent of Christ's o w n mission w h e n He went,
a b o u t doing good, healing the sick, forgiving)
sins. 11
A s w e r e the miracles of Jesus, so are
the miracles of Lourdes, symbols of the
redemptive grace poured out on souls
through Mary's prayers. Lourdes then is a
continuation of the sawing action of C h r i s t .
Mary's part in it is to lead m e n to Christ
and the. Triune G o d .
T h e v e r y location of Lourdes b e t w e e n t w o
peaks atop w h i c h stand a cross and an obser-
v a t o r y — the symbols of Science and R e l i -
gion, staring at each other — is a big i n t e r -
SAI BABA A N D HIS F O L L O W E R S
By
T o his followers, Sai B a b a is G o d . O f
course, G o d can take other forms as w e l l . H e
w o u l d n ' t b e G o d if He couldn't. He can
appear as R a m a or Christ or Ramana ; but
for Sai bhaktas Sai Baba is all-sufficient.
He, w a s a peculiar Master. H e did not g i v e
his followers a mantra to repeat. He d i d
not give initiation in t h e ordinary w a y . " M y
G u r u never taught m e any mantras, so how'
shall I b l o w any into y o u r ear ? " He
demanded only w h o l e - h e a r t e d concentration
on the G u r u so that the l o v e of the G u r u can
unite with y o u r l o v e and raise y o u u p .
" Trust in the Guru fully ; that is the o n l y
sadhana." " L o o k at m e w h o l e - h e a r t e d l y and
I in turn w i l l l o o k at y o u w h o l e - h e a r t e d l y .
. . . Neither practice nor scripture is n e c e s -
sary. H a v e faith and confidence in y o u r
Guru." " A n aspirant should b e i m m e r s e d
April
rogation : Can they co - exist ? T o this q u e s -
tion, Lourdes itself is the answer : T h e y can,
do, and have to c o - e x i s t . The observable isi
not e v e r y t h i n g ; and even on observable
p h e n o m e n a , science is only the first w o r d .
T h e l&rft &as Lo c o m e f r o m religion. Religion,
therefore, far being antagonistic to science,
is its necessary c r o w n and c o m p l e m e n t
w h i c h sees the, final unity of all reality in
God. A s m a n y a sceptic has o w n e d , " If there
are miracles, there must be G o d " . For as
Carl Jung said, " W h a t e v e r acts, must b e " .
A n d here is something, a superhuman p o w e r
that acts. Therefore it must b e . T h e r e a r e
miracles at Lourdes. Therefore there is G o d .
G o d then is the message of Lourdes — a
merciful G o d , a S a v i o u r - G o d . A s a French
bishop put it — and w e l l m a y w e c o n c l u d e
with this — " F o r those w h o believe in G o d ,
Lourdes needs no explanation. For those, w h o
12
do not believe in G o d , Lourdes has n o e x p l a -
nation."
9 Daniel, 3 : 49-50.
10Recall: Sinners, Penance,
ii Louis Lochet's Apparitions of Our Lady
(Herder, F r e i b u r g , W e s t Germany, 1960) r
^Ibid., p, 65-7.
SAID A S
in l o v e for the G u r u like a fish in the w a t e r
w h i c h it cannot l e a v e without d y i n g . "
H e w a s not an intellectual. H e did not
write books. H e did not even encourage his 1
followers to read books. " P e o p l e think they
w i l l find B r a h m a ( G o d ) in books, but instead
they find bhrama ( c o n f u s i o n ) . " He did not
teach b y lectures but b y miracles. A l l kinds
of miracles happened. A rigidly orthodox:
Brahmin, standing outside t h e Shirdi m o s q u e
and looking in, told his companions that he
w o u l d never b o w d o w n to a guru w h o lived
in a m o s q u e . Suddenly he saw Sai Baba in
the f o r m of his o w n guru and b o w e d d o w n .
Sai B a b a did not explain that the G u r u is
one in w h a t e v e r f o r m or religion h e m a y
a p p e a r ; he s h o w e d it. A w o m a n w a s p r e -
paring a meal for h i m in her o w n house and
d r o v e a w a y a h u n g r y dog that tried to steal
1966 THE M I R A C LES O F . . . 161

some of it. W h e n she, took it to h i m later There is a simple lady devotee w h o s e g o l d

he said : " No, y o u d r o v e m e a w a y w h e n I medallion of Sai Baba rises u p in the air in
wanted it, so n o w I w o n ' t eat it." He didn't front of her w h e n she intercedes with Sai
have to say : " Inasmuch as y o u do it to one B a b a for supplicants. The c o m m o n feature
of the least of these y o u do it also to m e ; " in these and other cases, is that they are not
he s h o w e d it. p o w e r s that have been acquired b y tapas, as
is c o m m o n with Hindu swamis and sadhus,
His miracles did not end with his physical
but that have just c o m e naturally b y the
b o d y . That died as far b a c k as 1918, but h e
G r a c e of Sai Baba. Something of his t r a d i -
continued just the same to appear to d e v o -
tion of pouring out l o v e and guidance, on his
tees, save them f r o m accidents, cure t h e m
f o l l o w e r s through miracles has descended on
w h e n ill, comfort them in distress, bring
his lieutenants also. A n d there is the same
relief in misfortune. Not only to devotees but
lack of formality. Y o u do not h a v e to bej
to m a n y others also w h o had never before,
ordained his l i e u t e n a n t ; the selection is
heard of him. A s a result of this, his f o l l o w -
m a d e informally b y the outpouring of his
ing n o w is for larger than at his death and
Grace on those he chooses.
is g r o w i n g constantly.
S o m e Sai bhaktas hold that efforts should
T h e tradition of a great Master continues
be m a d e to m a k e Sai B a b a w i d e l y k n o w n
among his followers. L o o k at Ramana
and revered throughout the w o r l d , as he is
Maharshi : he was an intellectual and see
in India. M y o w n opinion is that that is
what intellectual articles are written in The
up to Sai' Baba. E v e n if w e write books; and
Mountain Path. Sai Baba's f o l l o w e r s are
articles about him, w i l l it m a k e h i m w i d e l y
mostly not intellectuals, just as he was
k n o w n ? Arthur Osborne's excellent b o o k
not, and v e r y f e w of t h e m write b o o k s and
' T h e Incredible Sai B a b a ' has been p u b l i s h -
articles ; but it is surprising h o w m a n y of
ed b y Rider & Co. in L o n d o n , but still w e
1

them w o r k miracles. It isj a tradition d e s c e n -

hear of no great Sai f o l l o w i n g in England.
ded f r o m their Master ; it just comes to
Perhaps the people in Western countries
them. It is invidious to mention some w i t h -
have enough roads to G o d and do not n e e d
out others and I do it with apologies b o t h
this one. T h e y have Christianity and Zen.
to those I mention and those I do not. It is
If they do it is up to Sai Baba. He could easily
hard to live in India, for instance, without
raise up a f o l l o w e r ( o r f o l l o w e r s ) in Western
hearing of the astounding miracles p e r f o r m -
countries to p e r f o r m miracles that w o u l d
ed b y Sri Satya Sai Baba, w h o is held b y
shake the newspapers b y the ears and make!
his followers to be an incarnation of Sai
the scientists scratch their heads. There
Baba. T h e n there is the quiet, unassuming
w o u l d be plenty of f o l l o w e r s then and of
Basheer Baba w h o is of a Muslim f a m i l y
demands for articles. M e a n w h i l e , in India
and, like Sai Baba himself, bridges the r e l i -
the Sai f o l l o w i n g is not only strong b u t
gions. In a less spectacular w a y he also
g r o w i n g . It advertises little but w h a t k e e p s
uses p o w e r s . There is Sri S w a m i Keshaviah
It v i g o r o u s is the love and p o w e r of Sai B a b a
w h o s e house in a f a r - o u t suburb of Madras
flowing through it.
is thronged on T h u r s d a y evenings b y people,
w h o c o m e to hear f r o m h i m w h e t h e r their
1 And by Messrs Orient Longmans, Calcutta,
plans will mature or their hopes be, fulfilled. India. (Editor)
 OUTSIDE
By C L A R E C A M E R O N
H a v e y o u e v e r k n o w n w h a t it feels l i k e
to b e literally outside yourself ? Y o u are,
perhaps, reading in bed, and y o u r glance falls
on y o u r clothes lying on the chair, and with
a shock y o u realise they don't belong to y o u
but only to something that houses y o u . Y o u r
head turns to survey the books on the b e d -
side table — h o w dead they seem. Surely
they h a v e nothing to teach y o u ? A train
goes b y in the distance, but y o u hear it f r o m
another dimension.
Outside the moonlight is beautiful and still
o v e r the trees in the garden, b u t h o w opaque
it seems, as if y o u are looking t h r o u g h hard,
thick lenses that fix it in time.
T o r e c o v e r y o u r identity, y o u recall the
h u m d r u m erents of the day. H o w v e r j
s l o w l y everything has h a p p e n e d even though
at the time y o u seemed too busy to think.
S l o w - s l o w - s l o w . Y e s , everything is slowed
d o w n in w h a t is erroneously called life, even
as everything is seen as through a glass
darkly.
But here, and n o w , outside yourself, the
speed of l i g h t ! T h e dazzling clarity of l i g h t !
T h e infinity of i t ! A n d the unity of it all
w h e r e all imagined barriers are g o n e ! T h e
sense of weightlessness n o w , so that o n e
can, and does, w a l k on air. W a l k ? No, run,
fly, with the speed of light. F o r y o u are the
Light.
F r e e d o m ? Encased in our flesh, w e i g h e d
dowfr b y our illusions, with a h e a v y d a r k -
ness b e t w e e n ourselves and our f e l l o w - c r e a -
tures throughout creation, w e h a v e never
k n o w n it. W i s d o m ? W e have glimpsed it
P u b l i c speeches, outer activity and material help are all outweighed?
b y the silence of the Mahatmas. T h e y accomplish m o r e than others.
— B H A G A V A N SRI R A M A N A
YOURSELF
as m e a ^ o k up through bars a b o v e their
heads to the sunlight. L o v e ? O, what keeps
us back f r o m loving, w;hen, seen in this Light,
all m e n and w o m e n , all living things are
endearing; and lovable and crying out for the
recognition and response of L o v e !
Is it in a r o o m I w r i t e ? W h o writes ? I
am not here. A hand guides the pen b u t
w h o or w h a t dictates the w o r d s w h i c h are
so distressingly limited and inflexible, l e t -
ting through only gleams, invoking but faint
echoes. W o r d s are so separate f r o m o n e
another, so slow, m e r e expediencies. In their
millions they are like grass-blades, but if
y o u saw them truly y o u w o u l d know; they
are p l u c k e d f r o m the m e a d o w s of Heaven.
T h e y are like r a i n - d r o p s , but if y o u w e r e
indeed the drop y o u w o u l d k n o w it was part
of the Waters of Life. . .
O press m e not b a c k into m y b o d y , I w h o
am the universe. Dull not the vision that
overflowed the confines of the m i n d . B r e a k
m y heart of stone if only I m a y l o v e .
Is this what it feels like " t o d i e " ? T o
die ? This is to b e b o r n ! I died w h e n I
e m e r g e d f r o m m y mother's w o m b . How
strange it is, to be b o r n w h e n one is still
in and w i t h the b o d y , but h o w easily parted
f r o m it ! Is the flesh then but gossamer w h e n
the Spirit illumines it ?
N o w I k n o w that death, as w e have never
k n o w n it, is Life, and life as w e k n o w it is
death.
A h , T H O U ! In W h o m w e m o v e and have
our being and k n o w it not. ~-> .
MAHARSHI
 SRI-LA-SRI PANRIMALAI SWAMIGAL*

A S I D D H A . P U R U S H A OF THE SOUTH

By A . V. RAMACHANDRAN

Panrimalai is the name; of a village situat-

ed on a hill in the Kodaikanal Range in
South India b e t w e e n Madurai and T i r u c h -
chirapalli. The literal meaning of the w o r d
is Pig Hill \
1
The name is explained in
m y t h o l o g y , b y the story that one R a n g a v i d -
yadHara, b o r n as a pig in the hills on account
of a curse, was killed b y the a r r o w of the
Pandian K i n g w h o c a m e there to hunt. Its
mate was also killed b y the Raja, w h e r e -
upon L o r d Siva himself t o o k the f o r m of a
female pig to suckle the t w e l v e orphaned
y o u n g ones. T h e Hill has been the abode
of m a n y Rishis and Siddhas w h o had r e a l i z -
ed G o d and attained Liberation. It is said
that even n o w there are Sages) in meditation
in these hills w h o are invisible to human
eyes but w h o give darshan to Saints.

It is in this H o l y Place of Panrimalai that

S r i - L a - S r i Panrimalai S w a m i g a l was born.
1

His father A r u m u g a m Pillai was a great

devotee of L o r d Shanmuga. T h e child, w h o
was named R a m a s w a m i b y his parents,
s h o w e d signs of spiritual fervour even at
the age of 5. W h e n he was taken to Palani
Hills, he could be persuaded to return h o m e
only after he was assured of being taken to
the sanctum sanctorum as often as he wished.
T h e b o y was left under the care of his
R a m a s w a m i suddenly realised that he c o u l d
p e r f o r m miracles, without k n o w i n g h o w or
w h y . H e w o u l d put cobras round his n e c k
and play with them. He could drive a w a y
evil spirits. Small pebbles distributed b y
him to his playmates, turned into s u g a r -
candy in their mouths. W h i l e on one of his
frequent visits to Palani T e m p l e , he met his
Guru Chatti S w a m i y a r ' the great Siddha
1 1

grand-parents at Balasamudram for want of Purusha, w h o initiated him.

facilities for education at Panrimalai. At
school he s h o w e d great promise. ' Salli S a m i -
y a r V an ascetic of a high order w h o was
dwelling in the A i y a m p u l l i Vinayakar T e m -
ple, recognised in him a Great S w a m i . T h e
L o r d Himself in the garb of a sadhu w r o t e
something with a ' V e l ' on the tongue of the
b o y in the Ganesha T e m p l e near the village
and then disappeared. This was the b e g i n -
ning of his spiritual evolution. Young
B y doing Sadhana, y o u n g R a m a s w a m i d i s -
covered that he c o u l d c u r e m a n y diseases in
the name of L o r d Muruga. His f a m e spread
far and w i d e . ' Achandamalai Paradesi
another sage w h o happened to visit the
* Articles about S w a m i s and Gurus are w r i t t e n
f o r us b y their disciples. W e do not p r e s u m e to
pass j u d g m e n t on the opinions of the author.
i A respectful f o r m of ' S w a m i ' in Tamil.
184 THE MOUNTAIN
village, gave further impetus to his spiritual
evolution b y taking h i m w i t h h i m to visit
m a n y h o l y places throughout India. The
y o u n g S w a m i b e c a m e a fully realised soul
— a Siddha Purusha.
In deference to the wishes of his parents,
R a m a s w a m i married and settled d o w n to
domestic life. His spiritual Sadhana w a s
h o w e v e r continued and he attained fulfil-
ment. Soon he came to be k n o w n as " S r i -
L a - S r i Panrimalai S w a m i g a l " .
T h e lines on Sri Swamigal's palms and
feet outline the conch, chakra, shatkonam
and banner of L o r d Shanmuga, w h i c h are
indicative of his celestial qualities and g r e a t -
ness. He is also e n d o w e d with a spiritual
1
e y e ' b e t w e e n the e y e b r o w s w h i c h is g e n e -
rally covered u p b y sandal paste and
k u m k u m . H e exudes fragrance and is a
living Sat Purusha of the Highest Order. His
childlike simplicity and, charm, solicitude for
the w e l f a r e of people irrespective of caste,
creed, status and religion, his intense desire
to relieve people of their sufferings and to
lead t h e m towards the path of G o d are w e l l
k n o w n to all w h o have c o m e in contact w i t h
him.
Of his miracles there are m a n y w h i c h
could be recorded but for want of space I
shall mention only a f e w . Names have been
omitted for obvious reasons.
T h e S w a m i j i was securely tied to the iron
bars of a w i n d o w in one of the rooms of a
house in N e w Delhi. S o o n after the people
present in the r o o m had retired f r o m that
r o o m , they w e r e called b y S w a m i j i f r o m
another room^ 30 feet a w a y f r o m the place
w h e r e he was first tied w h e r e they f o u n d
him tied up to one of the stands of the w o o d -
en rack in exactly the same m a n n e r and
position as he was left tied in the first r o o m .
Not a single knot w a s disturbed or displaced.
A married l a d y w a s suffering for quite
some time f r o m pain in the b a c k w h i c h d i s -
abled her f r o m bending or sitting without
support. T.B. of the spine w a s suspected.
A n X - r a y examination revealed that the 5th
lumbar vertebra w a s eaten a w a y . A n i m m e -
diate operation w a s advised b y doctors and
PATH April
all arrangements w e r e m a d e for admitting
her to hospital. Just then, having learnt that
Sri S w a m i g a l was in B o m b a y and having
heard of his miraculous p o w e r s , her parents
t o o k her to him. With great difficulty she
prostrated before S w a m i j i and narrated her
pitiable story with tears trickling d o w n her
cheeks. S w a m i j i g a v e her turmeric and
asked her to r u b it in water and apply it
all o v e r her b o d y during a bath particularly
w h e r e she felt pain. She was also given
vibhuti (sacred a s h ) . Within a w e e k she
w a s able to sit o n the floor to dine w i t h her
relatives, m u c h to the delight of her parents
and her husband. A n o t h e r X - r a y taken
thereafter revealed that the 5th l u m b a r v e r -
tebra s h o w e d greater consolidation and the
osteolytic area was m o r e definitely outlined.
T h e overall findings indicated satisfactory
progress radiologically. The l a d y w a s c o m -
pletely cured within t w e l v e days and is n o w
attending to her n o r m a l domestic chores. S h e
is a, regular visitor to the prayer meetings of
S r i - L a - S r i Panrimalai S w a m i g a l G y a n a Sat
Sabha at B o m b a y .
A y o u n g man, the son of a chief executive!
in a Textile Mill in B o m b a y , w a s suffering
f r o m acute intestinal trouble w i t h t e m p e r a -
ture. He could not retain anything w h i c h
w a s eaten and felt excruciating pain in the
stomach. He was restless and sleepless. T h e
doctors suggested immediate operation as
t h e only hope, t h e success of w h i c h also they
could not vouchsafe. T h e father, w h o is an
ardent devotee? of S w a m i j i w i t h c o m p l e t e
faith in h i m , dashed to Dindigal f o r S w a m i -
ji's blessings. T h e S w a m i j i accompanied
h i m to B o m b a y and w i t h i n a f e w days, b y
Swamiji's grace, the patient started m o v i n g
about and taking food. H e is n o w c o m p l e t e -
ly cured without any trace of the trouble.
T h e patient himself t o o k S w a m i j i b a c k to
Dindigal, driving the car all the w a y , w i t h -
out any let or hindrance.
A y o u n g b o y aged 10 w h o had lost the
sight of both eyes, a couple of years ago,
recovered the sight of both the eyes b y the
grace of S w a m i j i .
Miracles like materialising k u m k u m , t u r -
meric, vibhuti, flowers, fruits, sugarcandy,
1966 SRI-LA-SRI PANRIMALAI
etc. apparently f r o m n o w h e r e are but child's
play to h i m .
A f t e r having a coconut b r o k e n into t w o
pieces and the water emptied the t w o pieces
w e r e joined together and the coconut b e c a m e
a w h o l e piece again w i t h water inside it.
A w o n d e r of this nature has been repeated
b y h i m m a n y times. S o m e of the cures
effected b y him, being of a personal and
confidential nature, m a y not b e published
f o r a long time to c o m e .
A^ f e w of Sri Swamigal's teachings are
quoted b e l o w : —
" Immortality is the birthright of all. E v e r y
Soul is potentially divine. G o d dwells in the
heart of e a c h o n e of us. T o earn God's grace,
unalloyed devotion is necessary. With u n a l -
l o y e d devotion comes purity of the Soul and
w h e n the soul becomes pure, discretion, n o n -
desire, c o m p a n y of the righteous, service to
Saints, singing the L o r d ' s praises and t r u t h -
fulness f o l l o w , resulting in overflowing
Bhakti or boundless devotion to G o d . This
boundless devotion to G o d w i l l in turn lead
to siddhi ( p o w e r s ) w h i c h in turn w i l l lead
to Mukti or Liberation. Man in the L i b e r a t -
ed State realises A t m a n w h i c h itself is
K n o w l e d g e of G o d , Prakriti and P a r a m a t -
man. L o v e w i l l then radiate in all its
effulgence. Such a one b e c o m e s a G o d - M a n ,
shedding all h u m a n limitations and t r a n s -
cending g o o d and evil. H e b e c o m e s the
instrument of G o d and sees H i m in all and
all in H i m . "
" H e w h o w o u l d be w i s e should subject
himself to certain disciplines. A n undivided
devotion to the G u r u and u n c o m p r o m i s i n g
control of the senses are necessary. These
t w o are the sure means to attain the ultimate!
objective of life. That is the lesson w h i c h
our great saints have taught u s . "
" If y o u m o v e o n e step towards G o d H e
advances ten steps towards y o u . " " G o d id
swieet sugar c a n d y to those w h o have faith
in H i m but a l u m p of hard stone to those
w h o do not h a v e that faith."
" One can remain in the family and still
achieve realisation. L i k e water drops on a
lotus leaf one can remain detached in family
life."
SWAMIGAL 185
" Control t h e five senses in the b o d y and
behold H i m w i t h i n . "
" The H o l y Panchakshara ' Namassivaya '
is in the b o d y itself. Legs represent N A ,
Stomach M A , Shoulders SI, m o u t h V A and
eyes Y A . T h e esoteric truths of this sacred
mantra are to b e learnt f r o m a realised guru
in the p r i v a c y of devout discipleship with
due humility and f e r v o u r . "
" Milk and water m i x freely but butter
taken f r o m m i l k does not m i x with water.
It floats. Similarly the soul w h i c h has
attained realisation w i l l not b e affected b y
association with illnatured and imperfect
beings."
" T o realise that eternal, basic and p e r m a -
nent State w h i c h is b e y o n d birth and death
and therefore deathless and birthless, should
be the high, exalted and ultimate goal of
human l i f e . "
" T h e difference b e t w e e n animals and< m a n
is that animals possess only the five senses
whereas m a n possesses also the sixth sense.
With the special quality of discrimination
bestowed on us, it is our duty to tread the
righteous path s h o w n to us b y the great ones
and reach the blessed feet of the L o r d —
there to e x p e r i e n c e everlasting bliss."
" God's grace belongs to one and all. T o
think that * I alone a m entitled to this g r a c e '
is ignorance. Even the feeling that one is a
servant of G o d w o u l d b e adequate e n o u g h
to root out e g o i s m . "
" The seeker must have faith in G o d and;
abiding devotion to H i m . Then the Satguru
will himself c o m e in quest of him and give
him initiation suited to h i m . "
" A disciple should stick to one' guru only
for G o d Realization. If he seeks guidance
from different grurus, he cannot achieve
anything. B y digging shallow in different
places one cannot strike water but if o n e
digs deep in o n e place water w i l l b e f o u n d . "
" W h e n yogis m i n d f u l l y bestow' m e r c y , the
doors of y o g i c stages are automatically flung
open without one's o w n effort. This is a truth
worth k n o w i n g . E v e n if the grace of G o d
and the Guru are available, unless a m a n
yearns for liberation or vision of G o d , h e
186 THE MOUNTAIN PATH April

cannot achieve any benefit. H o w e v e r m u c h This is his mission in the present context of
a m a n m a y strive, without God's grace he a sceptical w o r l d , and posterity will b e h i g h -
cannot gain anything in this life. Therefore ly indebted to him for his contribution to the
m a n should strive and w o r k hard in his l i f e - spiritual evolution of mankind.
time to attain Godhead. One should seek
and learn what one does not k n o w f r o m For 'the convenience of earnest seekers an
others w h o k n o w . " ashram has been built recently at Dindigal
in Madras State, w h e r e S w a m i j i is n o w s t a y -
1

" Even at present there are amongst us
G o d - m e n w h o are c a p a b l e of converting d r e -
ary deserts into lands of plenty. One should
search, seek and find out such a realized
Guru."
Sri S w a m i g a l performs miracles only to
p r o v e that there is a higher spiritual f o r c e
wjiich guides the destinies of man, and to
create faith in G o d in the minds of atheists.
Rightly has Jesus Christ said " Except y e see
signs a n d w o n d e r s , y e w i l l not b e l i e v e . " (St.
1
John IV. 48) Fulfilment of this saying of
Christ's has b e c o m e a matter of daily r o u -
tine with S r i - L a - S r i Panrimalai Swamigal.
ing, easily accessible to all. The ashram
w h i c h is in Balakrishnapuram, is about ten
minutes' w a l k f r o m Dindigal R a i l w a y Sta-^
tion. Dindigal is about 430 Kilometres f r o m
Madras and can be reached b y the T r i v a n -
drum, Tirunelveli or Tuticorin Express.
Dindigal can also be reached f r o m Palghat,
via Olvakkot, Pollachi and Palni. It is also
v e r y near Madurai w h i c h is famous for its
Meenakshi temple.
M a y the earnest seekers of the Spirit get
enlightenment, guidance, solace and succour
from Sri S w a m i g a l w h o is a living Saint and
a great Siddha Purusha.

DESOLATION
By A . R A O

Y o u bade m e lay d o w n m y life for y o u r sake, L o r d Christ.

I have laid it here at y o u r feet.
Is it nothing but a soiled rag
That y o u do not deign to accept it,
That y o u do not stoop d o w n and raise it ?
What n o w am I to do, despised and rejected of y o u , L o r d Christ ?

He w h o lays d o w n his life for y o u r sake

Shall find it, y o u said.
I have not bargained,
I have not c o m e as a merchant, L o r d Christ,
I h a v e not asked to find.
Only I have laid d o w n m y life.
What n o w am I to do, despised and rejected of y o u , L o r d Christ ?

Y o u bade m e c o m e as y o u r bride, L o r d Christ.

I tore m y l o v e f r o m others,
I came alone through the night,
With m u c h toil I am here,
A n d y o u have let m e stand
Loveless and unloved before y o u .
What n o w am I to do, despised and rejected of y o u , L o r d Christ ?
 HAMSA
By K. H A R I H A R A I Y E R
Hamsa V i d y a is Chit Swarupa, that is P u r e
Consciousness. It is w h a t brought the w o r l d
into existence. It abides in the heart-cavity.
It is self-illumining, without being i l l u m i n -
ed f r o m outside. It shines e v e r y w h e r e b u t
is concealed b y its o w n brilliance like a bird
in a cage or in its nest.
T h e L o r d of Creation p e r f o r m e d t a p a s .
(austerity) b y w h i c h he acquired p o w e r and
created t h e w o r l d . Tapas brings control of
the Prana, w h i c h is Hamsa. Physically Prana
is the life-breath. One Upanishad says that
when L o r d V i s h n u w a n t e d to -create m a n he
meditated u p o n Pranava ( O m k a r a ) , w h i c h
is a f o r m of Hamsa V i d y a or the science o f
breath.
E v e r y living b e i n g f r o m the smallest
insect to the L o r d of Creation has breath
leaving and entering its b o d y incessantly.
Breathing is necessary for living beings. A l l
practise it, although without conscious effort
or awareness of it. Conscious manipulation
of the f o r c e w h i c h activates our breathing
is Hamsa V i d y a .
This V i d y a has; its origin in the Vedas and
has been d e v e l o p e d into a science b y saints
and sages. V e r y great benefit accrues f r o m
it. It frees us f r o m illness, senility and fear
of death. Most important of a l l : it brings
Liberation.
Our ancient literature refers to a bird c a l l -
ed ' h a m s a ', literally swan ' as having been
1
in existence long ago. Its special faculty is
said to b e the ability to purify m i l k b y
separating it f r o m water. A n d it is the t r a -
ditional vehicle of Brahma. It symbolises a
p o w e r in our mind, the B r a h m a Shakti. T h e
m y t h o l o g i c a l Hamsa is represented as a b i d -
ing in a tank full of lotuses and blissfully
sipping their nectar. Similarly in the pure
m i n d the reverberation of the t w o syllables
of the hamsa incantation produce, S e l f -
Knowledge.
This k n o w l e d g e gives perennial happiness
w h i c h is distributed through the 72,000 nadis
or subtle n e r v e - c h a n n e l s traversing the
VIDYA
human b o d y . T h e wise revel in it. It is*
inexhaustible and perennial. A work by
Shankara called ' Soundarya L a h i r i ' speaks
of one w h o adores the t w o hamsas o r t w i n
swians, for Hamsa V i d y a leads to t h e
Brahma Tattva region of S e l f - K n o w l e d g e
w h i c h is the essence of the Vedas and U p a -
nishads. T h e r e is a saying that the Hamsa
incantation leads to heaven, but it should b e
added that this is so o n l y w h e n the f o r m of
the incantation and permission to use it have
been duly transmitted b y a Guru.
In the s y m b o l i s m of the Hamsa one w i n g
represents the V e d a s and the other t h e
A g a m a s . T h e sun and m o o n f o r m its head.
Its throat and m o u t h p r o d u c e Nada, b y
w h i c h is meant pure sound on the subtle 1
plane before it manifests itself in articulate
syllables. T h e t w o feet of the bird are Siva
and Shakti. It is said that its tail is the
Unconditioned Brahman, but the real m e a n -
ing is that B r a h m a n Itself is of the f o r m o f
the entire bird. B r a h m a n here means that
w h i c h shines like myriads of suns, r e m o v i n g
ignorance and bestowing Divine K n o w l e d g e .
It refers to a kind of B h a v a n a Y o g a and
Dhyana Y o g a . He w h o practises this b e c o m e s
Brahman Itself. B y k n o w i n g this w e k n o w
all. B y probing into this mystic l o r e w e
acquire Enlightenment.
Just as a musical instrument contains
various reeds producing different sounds, so
the human b o d y is constantly producing c u r -
rents and cross-currents b y means of t h e
senses w h i l h report the activities of the
external w o r l d but always with twists and
distortions, never in their true perspective.
T h e w o r l d is really an expansion of the
B r a h m a Chaitanya o r Divine K n o w l e d g e
into forms and names. In fact there is always
nada or sound in our b o d y . T h e r e is no one 1
without this anahata.nada or dhwani. B h a -
gavan R a m a n a explained this beautifully
w h e n h e said that to concentrate on the
source f r o m w h i c h the sound ' I ' emanates
188 THE MOUNTAIN
is true tapas. This is a v e r y penetrating
explanation.
The h u m a n b o d y can p r o d u c e h a r m o n y ,
like a musical instrument, through the single
channel of the Sushumna w h i c h is the source
and controller of the 72,000 nadis, without
wasting e n e r g y in cross-currents. But to do
PRAYER AND
By C O R N E L I A B A G A R O T T I
A r o u n d Man and u n k n o w n to himself lies
the great inflowing, interpenetrating ocean
of life. Above, h i m it shines in the g l o r y of
the stars, around him it gleams in the light
of the seas and forests, within h i m it radiates
in the secret fastness of the human heart.
E v e r - l i v i n g , e v e r breathing, eternal, it is a
tremendous ocean of Light. This is the
Divine L o v e of the Cosmos, this is the c r e a -
tor of all universes. This is the substance
f r o m w h i c h all that was m a d e was m a d e ,
this is the; sacred W o r d . Nearer than touch,
closer than his o w n hand, forever and always,
indestructibly there.
Y e t in the midst of it all stands Man b l i n d -
ed b y the darkness his owi\ ego has p r o j e c t -
e d into this great Light of eternal Life. —
U n k n o w i n g of the infinite g l o r y of w h i c h he
has always been and shall always remain a
L I V I N G part.
H o w m a n y Saints and Seers and Mystics
and illumined Souls, and w o r l d teachers h a v e
c o m e to try to bring to Man this revelation.
H o w m a n y sacred b o o k s have been written,
h o w m a n y dedicated lives have been lived.
But so great has been man's immersion in
his separate ego and his b o d y thaft this r e v e -
lation could not b e passed on. It still remains
today the greatest m y s t e r y of all.
A Divine discontent seizes some m e n at a
certain period of their lives and they, like
the Buddha, go off seeking the answer to e t e r -
nal questions. T h e y m a y spend their lives
reading the spiritual teachings of all time and
all peoples, they m a y enter a monastic order
or seek an ashram or remain in their o w n
PATH April
this one has to be initiated into the Hamsa
mantra b y a qualified -Guru. This science
was k n o w n and e n j o y e d b y the Sages and
Y o g i s of old and has been handed d o w n to
us b y them. It safeguards against illness,
senility and fear of death and brings Divine
Bliss, as A d i Shankara has testified.
POWER
households b u t the secret they search for is
ever the same.
A t s o m e point, like the smallest child, they
must l o o k u p and l o o k b e y o n d themselves.
T h e y must surrender their ego, their b o d y ,
their possessions, their ambitions, their
desires, their actions and return to the infi-
nite as they came — r as a child sustained and
nourished and created b y L o v e alone. This
recognition of G o d and surrender to G o d
brings with it humility, reverence, faith,
prayer, selflessness, harmlessness, all e n c o m -
passing love, and is the mother of all virtues.
Dazed Man falls on his knees blinded b y the
infinite vision of a love b e y o n d all magnitude
of w h i c h he is a conscious breathing part.
Not m y w i l l but T h i n e b e c o m e s his constant
prayer. His temporal Self dies and the, e t e r -
nal Self is revealed. A t this m o m e n t the
w o r d s of the Christ sound forth " M y peace
I bring y o u , not as the w o r l d gives, I give to
y o u . " — the peace of G o d w h i c h passeth all
understanding. W h e n Man receives this
peace he k n o w s that he has L o v e ,
What once began as the path of p r a y e r
ends with the receiving of a revelation in
w h i c h the, ultimate p o w e r of all is born, the
p o w e r to share with all participation in the
Divine. E v e n if the illumined M a n said not
a w o r d , his being pregnant with G o d ' s ocean
of L i f e w o u l d m o v e b e y o n d time and space
to infuse the hearts of Men. Something of
his Divinity w o u l d pass into them q u i c k e n -
ing their o w n hearts to return to the infinite,
not b y leaving the w o r l d but b y transmuting
e v e r y w o r d and act with cosmic c o n s c i o u s -
ness.
 FIRE-WALKING IN S O U T H INDIA

By PURISAI MURUGESA MUDALIAR

F i r e - w a l k i n g is still a regular event in Tiruvannamalai and other South Indian

towns. Usually a trench is filled with b u r n i n g charcoal and o v e r this the practicantsi
w a l k , c o m i n g to the e n d unscathed.

T h e c e r e m o n y is usually held u n d e r the auspices of a t e m p l e . S o m e of these hold

it o n c e a y e a r , w h i l e others maintain a regular ritualistic chanting of the Mahabharata
and celebrate with fire-walking each time the entire w o r k is) b r o u g h t to an end. Those
w h o participate are usually o r d i n a r y householders, not sadhus or sannyasins. They
are largely c o m p o s e d of non-Brahmins. In s o m e cases t h e y are given a particular
mantra to recite f o r protection, but there are also cases w h e r e t h e y are protected,
simply b y faith in the G o d o r Goddess; of t h e temple. Usually they fast f o r some d a y s
b e f o r e h a n d , not in the sense of abstaining c o m p l e t e l y f r o m f o o d and drink b u t
observing a strictly regulated and v e r y abstemious diet. A l w a y s t h e y have to maintain
an attitude of purity and devotion.
#
O n e interesting thing about these fire-walking c e r e m o n i e s is h o w little they are
publicised. F o r instance, scarcely any one f r o m Sri R a m a n a s r a m a m visits them.
Visitors h e r e s e l d o m e v e n k n o w that t h e y o c c u r . This reticence is in a w a y
a guarantee of their g e n u i n e n e s s : it shows that they are, n o t staged to impress the
audience, as there is practically n o audience f o r t h e m to impress — o n l y the usual
Local p e o p l e .

T h e practice of w a l k i n g on fire is observed In all temples w h e r e the fire-walking c e r e -

with enthusiasm in the T a m i l and T e l u g u m o n y is practised it is a goddess that is
speaking parts of India, especially in t e m - worshipped, whether they are of the Saivite
ples dedicated to the Goddess Draupadi or Vaishnavite cult. In such temples, under
A m m a n . Only in the C o i m b a t o r e district i n the G r a c e of Parashakti, the Great Goddess,
the Tamil land it is observed in temples
dedicated to the Tamil Mariamman, the
equivalent of the North Indian Durga, the
spouse of Siva.

There are m a n y pious Tamilians w h o do

not w o r s h i p these Goddesses ; but that does
not mean that they h a v e no regard for them
or are hostile to them. T o say that a p e r -
son is not one's friend does not m e a n that
he is an e n e m y ; h e m a y simply b e a stran-
ger. Similarly, to say that one does not
w o r s h i p a particular deity does not m e a n
that one is hostile. M e n of understanding
w o r s h i p the One G o d ; others w o r s h i p -the fire-walking is practised o n c e a year. Chief
particular deity or f o r m of G o d w h i c h among these temples is the great t e m p l e of
appeals to t h e m and r e c e i v e the Grace of Tiruvannamalai. Here the Goddess has the
this deity. name of Unnamulai. On the large, s t o n e -
190 THE MOUNTAIN PATH.
p a v e d courtyard in front of the temple of
Unnamulai, inside the great temple of Sri
Arunachala, on the full m o o n day of t h e
m o n t h of A d i ( m i d - J u l y to m i d - A u g u s t ) a
huge fire of burning charcoal and other
things is spread out at night and p e o p l e
dance on it.
A t all festivals w h e r e the L o r d is w o r -
shipped together with His Shakti in this
temple, she is k n o w n as A p i t h a k u c h a m b a l in
Sanskrit and Unnamulai in T a m i l ; but w h e n
that Shakti alone is w o r s h i p p e d during N a v a -
rathri or during this fire-walking c e r e m o n y
she is seldom called b y either of these names
but simply Parashakti, the Great Shakti.
Such is the tradition of the place. It is at
these t w o festivals, in the months of J u l y -
August and S e p t e m b e r - O c t o b e r , in this,
temple and under the auspices of Parashakti
that fire-walking takes place.
The traditional doctrine is that the Divine
Trinity of A y an, Hari and Hara ( o r Brahma,
Vishnu and S i v a ) p e r f o r m the cosmic tasks
of creation, preservation and destruction, but
through the instrumentality of Parashakti,
that is of their executive p o w e r under the
names respectively of Lakshmi, Sarasvathi
and Durga. The relations of Shakti to Siva
are regarded as threefold, that is as mother,
d a u g h t e r and consort. First she appears f r o m
Siva, as daughter f r o m parent ; then f r o m
her Siva takes f o r m as her child ; then the
t w o forms unite to create all the forms of
the cosmos. Nevertheless, despite these i m a -
ges, one has to r e m e m b e r that both Siva and
Shakti are formless. T h e y are only the twin
source of light.
Siva is the sun and Shakti the m o o n . T h e
f o r m e r is hot and the latter cool. Out of
intense heat the w o r l d is born, and that heat
is itself called Shakti. The m o o n cools the
intense heat of the sun and m a k e s it of use
to people. In w h a t e v e r f o r m and under
whatever name Parashakti is worshipped,
under that name and f o r m She bestows grace
on her devotees. A l l such names and forms
are only aspects or manifestations of P a r a -
shakti. She is the Reality of Pachiamman,
April
Mariamman and A n g a l a m m a n . A l l are the
same Parashakti. It is this Parashakti w h o
has been sung b y both T h a y u m a n a v a r and
Subramanya Bharati.
T h e Goddess Draupadi is w i d e l y w o r s h i p -
p e d in the South. She is revered in the
Mahabharata as o n e w h o always kept her
v o w s , even in the city of Virata, w h e n she
was in banishment. In various parts of India
the last day of her festival is devoted to
fire-walking. B o t h in the T a m i l and T e l u g u
parts there are various stories relating to
the, origin of these festivals.
In the Telugu country it is usual for the
y o u n g m e n to take a v o w to w a l k on fire.
A t the time of the c e r e m o n y they w e a r
f e m a l e clothes d y e d y e l l o w and do their hair
like girls, sometimes wearing false hair.
T h e y w e a r b l a c k ornaments round their
n e c k s and in their ears. A l t h o u g h they are
all males, they l o o k like a c r o w d of girls.
Only after such a c e r e m o n y the youths are
allowed to m a r r y .
H o w e v e r , these customs do not hold in the
Tamil land. Here p e o p l e of all ages and b o t h
m e n and w o m e n take part in the c e r e m o n y .
Each has his o w n prayer or v o w ; though
there m a y b e some w h o take part without
any particular prayer or v o w . Here the c e r e -
m o n y is not prior to a marriage.
It is possible that this dedication of fire-
walking* to Draupadi m a y g o b a c k to t h e
Mahabharata. It is said there that after the
defeat of D u r y o d h a n a and the slaughter of
his brothers, the Pandavas m a d e obeisance
to Dritharashtra and c o n d o l e d with h i m f o r
the loss of his sons. T h e y w e r e blessed b y
him, after w h i c h Yudhlstira asked h i m w h a t
was y e t to b e done. H e replied that the
bodies of his sons should b e offered u p in
fire, and that their w i v e s should j o i n t h e m in
the same fire, so that they could b e united
happily with them in heaven. B h i m a u n d e r -
t o o k to p e r f o r m this task. T h e w i v e s too
entered the fire, thus attaining undying
f a m e . It m a y b e that the T e l u g u y o u t h s
dressed u p as w o m e n represent this episode.
1966 THE N O N S E N S E OF ' L I F E ' A N D
There is also a Tamil story reflecting the
greatness of Draupadi. B e t w e e n G i n g e e and
Tiruvannamalai, in Singavaram, there is a
temple to Sri Ranganadha. * Here there was
a king n a m e d Kandhan w h o had suffered a
defeat. In desperation he p e r f o r m e d a c e r e -
m o n y in w o r s h i p of Draupadi. Pleased with
his w o r s h i p , she appeared before him and
promised that w h o e v e r should w o r s h i p her
as h e had done w o u l d obtain w h a t e v e r he
p r a y e d for and that all obstacles w o u l d be
r e m o v e d for him. She also promised that
w h o e v e r w a l k e d on fire in full faith w o u l d
remain unscathed. F r o m that day onwards
T H E NONSENSE OF ' L I F E ' A N D
By W E I W U W E I
What difference could there be b e t w e e n
' living ' and ' d y i n g ' ? ' Living ' is only the
elaboration in sequential duration of w h a t
otherwise is k n o w n as * death \
W h e n W h a t - w e - a r e functions, extending
in three apparent spatial dimensions and
another interpreting them as duration,
together k n o w n as ' s p a c e - t i m e ' , there is
what w e k n o w as ' l i v i n g ' . W h e n that p r o -
cess ceases w e are n o longer extended in
sequential duration, w e are no longer e l a b o -
rated in ' space ' ; ' space-time ' is no m o r e
and the apparent universe dis-appears.
T h e n w e say that w e are ' d e a d ' .
1
DEATH * 131
this fire-walking festival is observed w i t h
great enthusiasm in t h e T a m i l land.
In the border country b e t w e e n the Tamil
and Telugu parts m a n y devotees participate
in these ceremonies. T h e r e are some w h o
have w a l k e d on fire a hundred times and have
recorded their o w n surprise that it does not
burn them. It is a fairly large area that they
w a l k over, c o v e r e d w i t h fire and emitting
intense heat, and y e t they remain unscathed.
This is .a sign of the Grace of the M o t h e r -
Goddess protecting her worshippers. May
this festival long endure ! M a y Parashakti
bless us ! M a y her devotees p r o s p e r !
'DEATH'
But as w h a t w e are w e have never
' lived ', and w e cannot ' die \
W h e r e could ' w e ' live ? W h e n could ' w e '
die ? H o w could there b e such things as
' we* ? 1
Living' is a spatial illusion,
' d y i n g ' is a temporal illusion, w e ' are a
1
spatiotemporal illusion based on the serial
interpretation of dimensional * s t i l l s ' or
' q u a n t a ' cognised as m o v e m e n t .
O n l y the concepts of infinity and i n t e m p o -
rality can suggest intellectually a notion o f
what w e are as the source and origin o f
appearance or manifestation.
 HEART AND HEAD

By ARTHUR OSBORNE

In m y heart pure being, pure self of m e :

The w o r l d a f o r m it takes — unreal ;
Happenings a f o r m it takes, people w h o c o m e and go,
A l l things.
In m y head a mind that cannot stand alone :
Watches and clings but cannot stand alone.
T w o w a y s it yearns :
Outwards to the w o r l d , seeing it a real thing
Outside itself, full of regrets and wants,
Tormenting ;
Inwards to p u r e being — then again the w o r l d
A p p e a r s unreal, a f o r m , in m e , its sting d r a w n .

H o w escape the torment

Of an enslaved m i n d ?
Two ways :
Mind gone, absorbed in self — pure radiance ;
Mind rearisen — then let it yearn
Not outwards to the w o r l d but to the self —
W a r m surge of love, ecstatic bliss.

Both w a y s are g o o d — w o r l d - t o r m e n t bad.

W o r l d - c l i n g i n g mind that cannot stand alone —

The w o r l d w i t h d r a w n at death : what will it do ?
Fears. W i l l not face it,
Will not face
The thought of it.
With dangling tentacles, the w o r l d to w h i c h it clung
G o n e all a w a y ;
Ivy without a tree —
What w i l l it do ?

Mind o u t w a r d turned that seems to stand alone,

Ghost stiffened into semblance of a man,
Forgets p u r e being, forgets its inner self,
Forgets, denies.
K n o w s death ahead.

Catches some glimmer of the Self behind,

Sees it as other, sees itself f o r e d o o m e d ,
Frustrated b y the w o r l d , then flung a w a y ,
B r o k e n at last, bruised, crushed, d e v o u r e d
B y that w h i c h it thinks other.
T h e m o r e it fights is b r o k e n m o r e ,
Crunched against the, bars,
Caught in a r a t - t r a p .
1966 SPIRITUAL PRAYER 193

Catches some g l i m m e r : then the silent v o i c e

Millifluous,
Faint p e r f u m e hinting of ancestral h o m e :
V i c t o r y in defeat, total defeat,
Total surrender, brings it h o m e again.
W i l l it rest n o w —
Female at last — 1

Rest and no longer r o v e ,

Rest in the clasp of love,
W i l l it rest n o w ?

SPIRITUAL PRAYER
By I. G. S C H U L T Z

T h e path u p the mountain is the most diffi-
cult enterprise in life. F e w there are w h o
seek it ; f e w e r still w h o really try to f o l l o w
it. It is necessary to leave behind all the
wishes of the individual self, and here most
people fail. R e m e m b e r i n g the w o r d of Christ
that he w h o asks will receive, they apply it
to w o r l d l y wishes and are often disappoint-
need not to ask for help, but all such p e r -
sonal wishes have to b e given u p . W e must
c o m e b y meditation into that real c o m m u n i o n
with G o d of w h i c h Goldsmith says : " S o m e -
times it transcends all w o r d s and thoughts,
and eventually the personal sense of self
completely disappears and nothing is left but
God." 1

ed. T h i n k of times of w a r or of catastrophes

and epidemics — h o w m a n y prayers have
been sent u p to heaven ! Is it* not u n s c r u -
pulous to p r a y for the v i c t o r y of one's o w n
country in w a r , thereby praying defeat u p o n
the e n e m y ?
But the B i b l e also tells us that w e should
p r a y f o r the H o l y Spirit. In m o d e r n times
the A m e r i c a n teacher Joel Goldsmith e m p h a -
In the Realized Presence of G o d everything
is possible and the supply of all w e need
will be added of itself ; and this Presence is.
the fulfilment. W e only need to b e c o m e still
and receptive, sufficiently at p e a c e to say
" Speak, L o r d , T h y servant heareth." Then
w e shall understand* as Goldsmith says, that
" T h y grace is m y sufficiency in all t h i n g s . "
2

sizes again, and again that true prayer is not W e have ascended far towards the summit
asking for material things or giving hints to of the mountain w h e n w e desire but o n e
the Omniscient G o d what to do but only thing : to k n o w G o d aright " W h o m to k n o w
prayer f o r conscious union with G o d in the aright is life eternal".
sanctuary of our heart. Such prayer will
always eventually find fulfilment.
It m a y be hard for a sick person not to 1 St. Luke, X I , 13.
2 From Spiritual Resources by Joel Goldsmith,
pray for r e c o v e r y or a person in financial Allen & Unwin.
 SELF - E N Q U I R Y
QUIS SEPARABIT

T h e devotees of Sri Bhagavan are spread all o v e r the w o r l d . It

is impossible to contact t h e m individually. I am writing this piece through
The Mountain Path, b u t it is really written in a personal w a y as if
to each one separately.

The Sage says : in all possible difficulties or p r o b l e m s personal,

domestic, even political or religious enquire for w h o m the p r o b l e m
exists. B y this honest (serious) enquiry w e go deep inside and c o m e
to a point w h i c h is really (in the b e g i n n i n g ) a conceptual Self, a Self
of mentation and not the real Self.

T h e real Self or simply the Self cannot b e " r e a c h e d " or

e x p e r i e n c e d in the sense in w h i c h w e e x p e r i e n c e " something " , because
it is b e y o n d the trifold p h e n o m e n o n of experiencer, experience and
experienced or seer, sight and seen.

T h e Sage simply says " E n q u i r e "

A n d here lies the c r u x of the matter.

T h o u g h w e say (as w e have read and h e a r d ) that Self is the source,

w e ourselves h a v e not actually found it so, because our preconceived
ideas c o m e between. Our ideas of the Self are certainly not the Self.
W e suppose that it is the Self that w e are c o m i n g to, but it is certainly
not that Self : though later w e m a y reach that state.

I w i l l try to explain.

Our grief, our yearning for something, in short our p r o b l e m , brings

us to this conceptual Self, to our theory of a Self ; but eventually the,
Real (call it Self) comes into being, or rather that ever-existent comes
into our " experiencing " . (But this is not experiencing of the trifold
experience-being.)

M a n y of us get stuck in the conceptual Self and never reach this

nature referred to above, of k n o w e r - k n o w l e d g e - k n o w n ; it is direct
experience, thus get n o w h e r e .

Devotees of Sri Ramana Maharshi should see with an open mind

devotees of Sri Ramana Maharshi w h o are really sincere and want to
tread the path p r o p o u n d e d b y H i m .

If I can offer a helping hand a friend's hand If any find it of

no use they can leave i t ; if any find it useful it m a y serve for dotting
the " i " s and crossing the " t "s of the original teaching.

It is a thing to be understood in oneself, privately each one for

himself.

It is not a matter for discussion.

 The Bhagavad Gita
Translated b y Prof. G. V . K U L K A R N I and A R T H U R O S B O R N E

CHAPTER FOUR

1 Kshatriya, not Brahmin, sages. A n d in this c o n -

nection it is to b e r e m e m b e r e d that R a m a and
Sri Bhagavan said : Krishna w e r e both of r o y a l descent, as, outside
I proclaimed this imperishable y o g a to Hinduism, w e r e B u d d h a and Christ also.
Vivasvan, he to Manu and Manu to I k s h - T h e s e c o n d point is the affirmation, continued
vaku. in v v . 3, 7 and 8, that religion, far f r o m p r o g r e s s -
ing, declines and needs periodical r e n e w a l .
This is the tradition of the Gita teaching.
V i v a s v a n is the S u n - G o d . His son, Manu, is t h e 3
f o u n d e r of the h u m a n race. Manu's son, Iksh-
Today this same ancient yoga, this 4

v a k u , w a s a f a m o u s k i n g of the solar dynasty.

supreme secret, have I e x p o u n d e d to y o u ,
2 because y o u are m y worshipper and friend.

Thus handed d o w n b y tradition, the r o y a l . ,. . . . , . , - ..

: 4 ... - . • ..
sages k n e w it, O S c o u r g e of the Foe, until A r j u n a said :
it was lost through long lapse of time. Later was y o u r birth, earlier that of V i v a s -
T w o important points arise f r o m this v e r s e : van ; h o w then am I to understand that y o u
one is that the transmission is through royal o r originally proclaimed this t o him ?
196 THE MOUNTAIN
5 T h e t e r m translated here and in the f o l l o w i n g
Sri Bhagavan said :
M a n y births of mine have gone b y , and
of yours too, A r j u n a ; I k n o w them all, w h i l e
y o u do not, O Scourge of the Foe.
6
Unborn and eternal Self though I am, L o r d
of all beings though I am, yet, resorting to
m y Nature ( P r a k r i t i ) I take birth through
my own Power. (Maya)
Prakriti is ' Nature ' in the sense of Universal
Substance, undifferentiated, primordial, virgin and
the M o t h e r of all. M a y a is illusion b u t also the
p o w e r that creates illusion.
Here and in the n e x t t w o verses is enunciated
the doctrine of Avatars. A n A v a t a r is not an
ordinary m o r t a l m a k i n g k a r m a o r struggling to
get free f r o m karma b u t a D i v i n e Incarnation
assuming the appearance of h u m a n limitation f o r
the w e l f a r e of m a n k i n d .
7 i s t s , and Shudras or labourers. Natural p r o p e n -
W h e n e v e r dharma decays and adharma
prevails, O Bharata, I manifest Myself.
8 14
F o r the protection of t h e good, f o r the
destruction of the evil and for the establish-
ment of dharma I take birth f r o m age to
age.
9 be grasped. It is not k n o w i n g o r b e l i e v i n g the
He w h o thus rightly k n o w s M y divine
birth and activity is not reborn on leaving
the b o d y , A r j u n a , but comes to M e .
This is an enunciation of Jnana-marga, the path
of K n o w l e d g e . It is o b v i o u s that L i b e r a t i o n c a n -
not c o m e f r o m m e r e k n o w l e d g e of o r belief in a
historical fact. A deeper m e a n i n g m u s t be
sought. H e w h o realizes the immersion of the
uncontaminable Spirit in the apparent contami-
nation of individual life and action cannot b e
encased again in the ignorant state of individual
being but unites with the Spirit.
10
M a n y have there been w h o , free f r o m
attachment, fear and anger, absorbed in M e
and taking refuge in M e , have been purified
b y the austerity (tapas) of w i s d o m and have
attained M y state,
PATH April
verses as ' w i s d o m ' i s ' j n a n a m e a n i n g • k n o w -
l e d g e ' in the sense of D i v i n e Certitude, not m e r e
mental understanding.
11
In w h a t e v e r w a y m e n approach M e , in
that w a y d o I c o m e to them. A l l paths that
m e n f o l l o w are paths to m e , O Son of Pritha.
12
T h o s e w h o seek success in their actions
here sacrifice to the gods, for action yields
fruit speedily in this w o r l d .
13
T h e fourfold order of society I created o n
the basis of men's qualities and actions ; yet,
though I am its author, k n o w M e to b e
inactive and immutable.
T h e chaturvarnya is the f o u r f o l d division of
society into Brahmins o r priests, Kshatriyas o r
warriors, Vaishyas or merchants and agricultur-
sities are said to h a v e decided a man's caste at
the b e g i n n i n g ; later they b e c a m e hereditary,
A c t i v i t y does not contaminate M e , n o r
have I any craving for its fruit. He w h o
k n o w s this of Me is not bourid b y activity.
Here again the d e e p e r m e a n i n g of ' M e ' m u s t
historical * Krishna to have b e e n such and such
that can liberate a m a n but realizing his o w n
true Self t o b e such.
15
( S a f e ) in this k n o w l e d g e , the A n c i e n t s
w h o sought Liberation engaged in activity.
D o y o u also, therefore, engage in activity, as
the Ancients did of old.
16
What is activity and w h a t inactivity ?
A b o u t this even the w i s e are confused. I
w i l l explain to y o u w h a t activity is, k n o w -
ing w h i c h y o u will b e freed f r o m evil.
17
A c t i v i t y has to b e understood, also w r o n g
activity, also inactivity. The nature of acti-
vity is hard to understand,
1966 T*HE B H A G A V A D
18
He alone is wise, he is a y o g i , he has
accomplished all activity, w h o sees inacti-
vity in activity and activity in inactivity.
That is to say w h o sees detached activity to be
inactivity and m e r e abstention f r o m action to b e
activity. It is t o b e n o t e d h o w this tallies w i t h
the Taoist teaching of wei-wu-wei, inactive
activity.
19
One w h o s e undertakings are all free f r o m
desire and w h o s e activity has been purified
in the flame of w i s d o m is termed a Sage b y
those w h o k n o w .
20
Indifferent to the fruits of action, ever
content and utterly independent, h e is
inactive even while engaged in activity.
21
One w h o engages in activity with his b o d y
only, without desire, controlled in heart and
mind, having renounced possessions, incurs
no sin.
22
Satisfied w i t h w h a t comes to h i m b y
chance, b e y o n d the pairs of opposites, f r e e
f r o m e n v y , equal in success and failure, h e
is not b o u n d b y his actions.
23
T h e activity of one w h o is detached and
set free, w h o s e mind is stabilized in w i s d o m ,
w h o s e action is sacrifice, is entirely d i s -
solved.
24
T h e act of offering is Brahman, the o b l a -
tion is Brahman, the fire in w h i c h it i s
offered is Brahman, the offerer himself is
Brahman. B y acting with his m i n d fixed
ever on Brahman a m a n b e c o m e s Brahman.
25
S o m e y o g i s offer sacrifice to the g o d s ;
others sacrifice self itself in the fire of
Brahman.
This is interpreted b y Shankaracharya to m e a n
that some p e r f o r m sacrificial rites in o r d e r to gain
GITA 197
their desired ends, w h i l e others sacrifice the self
to the Self.
26
S o m e yogis offer hearing and the other
senses in the fire of r e s t r a i n t ; others offer
sound and other sense objects in the fire of
the senses.
\
The first half of this verse is c l e a r : that some
discipline their senses b y constant c o n t r o l ; the
second half is usually taken to m e a n that s o m e
r e n o u n c e the objects; that m i g h t e x c i t e the senses.
27
Others again offer the activity of the
senses and that of the vital force in the fire
of sense-control kindled b y w i s d o m .
28
Others there are w h o , under strict v o w s ,
sacrifice b y means of their possessions, their
austerities, their y o g a , their learning and
their k n o w l e d g e .
That is to say that some sacrifice b y r e n o u n c -
ing their possessions, s o m e b y p e r f o r m i n g auste-
rities, some b y y o g i c disciplines, some b y c o n c e n t -
ration on scriptural texts, and some b y fixing the
m i n d in a state of k n o w l e d g e .
29
S o m e offer the exhalation into the inhala-
tion or the inhalation into the exhalation or
restrain both inhalation and exhalation, c o n -
centrating on b r e a t h - c o n t r o l .
This refers to three techniques of breath-
control.
30
Some, regulating their diet, offer the l i f e -
breath into the life-breath. A l l these u n d e r -
stand the meaning of sacrifice and expiate
their sins b y it.
31
T h o s e w h o eat the sacred remnants after
sacrifice attain to the Eternal Brahman.
(Success i n ) this w o r l d is not for those w h o
m a k e no sacrifice, h o w m u c h less in another
w o r l d , O Best of the K u r u s .
198 THE MOUNTAIN
In this v e r s e the t e r m s a c r i f i c e ' m u s t h a v e
1
had the m e a n i n g 'ritualistic b u r n t o f f e r i n g ' at
the time w h e n the Gita was p r o c l a i m e d , b u t it
also had then and still has the m e a n i n g of rest-
raint and giving u p . T h e ' sacred remnants after
s a c r i f i c e ' can b e taken n o t o n l y literally but also
s y m b o l i c a l l y as the legitimate activity that r e -
mains w h e n practising self-control. The refe-
r e n c e to success in this w o r l d has the t w o - f o l d
meaning that o n l y dedicated activity s u c c e e d s
and that o n l y h e w h o can subordinate lesser to
greater purposes succeeds.
32
Thus m a n y forms of sacrifice are e x p o u n d -
ed in the Scriptures. K n o w that all of them
derive f r o m activity. K n o w i n g this y o u
shall attain Liberation.
33
Greater than all material sacrifice is the
sacrifice through w i s d o m , O Scourge of the
Foe. A l l activity without exception, O Son
of Pritha, culminates in w i s d o m .
34
Gain this k n o w l e d g e b y b o w i n g d o w n (to
y o u r G u r u ) , b y questioning him and b y
serving him. The wise w h o have realized
the Truth w i l l teach y o u k n o w l e d g e .
35
K n o w this and y o u will never fall thus
into confusion, O Son of Pandu ; through
this ( K n o w l e d g e ) y o u will see all beings in
the Self and also in M e .
This indicates a t w o - f o l d m o d e of c o m p r e h e n -
sion, nontheistic and t h e i s t i c : t o see all b e i n g s
in the Self and in G o d .
36
Even w e r e y o u the greatest of sinners, y e t
should y o u cross o v e r all evil on this raft
of k n o w l e d g e .
PATH April
37
A s a w e l l lit fire consumes its fuel, A r j u n a ,
so does the fire of k n o w l e d g e reduce all a c t i -
vity to ashes.
38
T h e r e is nothing in the w o r l d so p u r i f y -
ing as k n o w l e d g e . One wjho is w e l l g r o u n d -
ed in y o g a discovers this in course of time,
in himself f o r himself.
39
One w h o has faith and concentration and
has subdued his senses attains k n o w l e d g e .
Having gained k n o w l e d g e he speedily attains
S u p r e m e Peace.
40
But o n e w h o is in a state of ignorance,
lacking faith and doubting, perishes.
Neither this w o r l d nor that b e y o n d falls to
the doubter ; nor does happiness.
' I g n o r a n c e ' h e r e d o e s not m e a n m e r e l a c k of
information. It is ajnana, the negation of jnana
(for w h i c h see the note to v. 10). B y faith and
concentration certitude can b e attained, as stated
in the p r e v i o u s verse ; but one w h o lacks both
certitude and faith is left with n o boat t o cross
the flood, s w e p t hither and thither b y doubts and
sense attractions.. '
41
He w h o has surrendered activity through
yoga, w h o has destroyed doubts b y certitude
and w h o is self-possessed, O W e a l t h - W i n -
ner, is not b o u n d b y ( t h e ) actions (he p e r -
forms).
42
T h e r e f o r e with the s w o r d of k n o w l e d g e
cut d o w n this doubt born of ignorance that
dwells in y o u r heart, stand firm in y o g a and
rise up, O Bharata.
Here ends the Fourth Chapter entitled
T h e Y o g a of K n o w l e d g e
TEACHINGS OP J N A N A D E V A : By S. R. bear w i t h m e , y o u get angry with m e in vain.
Sharma. (Bharatiya V i d y a Bhavan, B o m b a y - ? , See y o u r Self in all things. G i v e up this false
p p . 47, price R e . 1.) sense of difference from other beings e v e r y -
w h e r e . " H e insists repeatedly that it is attach-
J n a n a d e v a ( o r Jnaneshwar, as he w a s also call-
ments of various kinds that prevents one f r o m
e d ) was, the first of the great g a l a x y of M e d i a e v a l
w a k i n g up f r o m the dream of separative being,
Marathi poet-saints. H e is best k n o w n f o r his
and therefore these must b e surrendered. Signi-
Jnaneshwari, a massive and p r o f o u n d c o m m e n t a r y
ficantly e n o u g h , the v e r y first attachment w h i c h
on the Gita, b u t in the present b o o k the author
he decries is attachment to learning. T h e c o m -
is concerned more with his shorter work
m e n t a r y is lucid b u t unnecessary.
Anubhavamrita, " T h e E l i x i r of E x p e r i e n c e " . In
this h e proclaims f r o m e x p e r i e n c e the doctrine of
S u p r e m e Identity. R A M A Y A N A FOR THE MODERN W O R L D : By
B o r n in 1275, Jnanadeva died in 1296, w h e n S. L. N. Simha. (Bharatiya V i d y a Bhavan,
o n l y just o v e r t w e n t y . Y o u n g as he w a s , he felt p p . 118, price R s . 2.50.)
his w o r k o n earth to b e finished. H e t h e r e f o r e T h e R a m a y a n a is perhaps u n i q u e a m o n g w o r l d
c e r e m o n i a l l y entered into samadhi, g i v i n g instruc- scriptures in that it does not present doctrinal
tions b e f o r e h a n d that his b o d y w a s to b e b r i c k e d theory but a pattern f o r living. Perhaps that is
up, as he had n o m o r e n e e d of it. w h y it has a l w a y s b e e n so l o v e d in India and so
H e declares in his E l i x i r : neglected abroad. S. L. N. Simha, a noted e c o n o -
The distinction between liberated, aspirant and mist w h o has represented India on a n u m b e r o f
bound subsists only so long as this Elixir of international bodies, here e x p o u n d s with a d m i r a -
Experience is unknown to one. ble lucidity its r e l e v a n c e e v e n in the w o r l d of
The enjoyer and the enjoyed, the seer and today. In particular he shows h o w Rama,
the seen, are merged in the non-dual, which is although the m o d e l of dharma, w a s n o m e r e
indivisible. abstract pattern of p e r f e c t i o n b u t a real man
The devotee has become God, the Goal has capable of impatience, anger and d e s p o n d e n c y —
become the path; this indeed is solitude in the capable also of mastering t h e m .
universe. T h e second half of his b o o k contains a brief
synopsis of the great epic.
BHAJA GOVINDA: By C. Rajagopalachari.
(Bharatiya V i d y a B h a v a n , B o m b a y - 7 , p p . 62, LIGHT ON THE ANCIENT WORLDS: By
p r i c e R e . 1.) Frithjof Schuon. (Perennial B o o k s , p p . 144,
In this p r o f o u n d l y m o v i n g p o e m the great p r i c e 25s.)
Shankara n o t o n l y p r o c l a i m s the truth of A d v a i t a In his latest b o o k of essays F. S c h u o n h a m -
but prescribes h o w to realize it. " I n y o u , in m e , m e r s once again at his l i f e l o n g theme that tradi-
e l s e w h e r e , there is b u t o n e V i s h n u . U n a b l e to tional civilizations reposed on spiritual principles
200 THE MOUNTAIN
and w e r e therefore intrinsically superior to our
m o d e r n w o r l d , w h i c h does not. This is n o r o m a n -
tic nostalgia f o r the " g o o d old days ". T h e short-
comings of traditional civilizations are freely
admitted, b u t it is pointed out that these resulted
f r o m i n c o m p l e t e fidelity to the religion on w h i c h
the civilization reposed, w h e r e a s that of today
reposes on none at all.
It is u n d o u b t e d l y g o o d that in a w o r l d so
infatuated with itself and so sure of its s u p e r i o -
rity this v i e w p o i n t should b e put. Nevertheless
m e r e theoretical acceptance of a revised scale of
social and intellectual values affords n o practical
help to the reader w h o aspires to establish t r u e
values in his o w n personal life and t h e r e b y raise
it to a higher plane. The picture of the m o d e r n
w o r l d that is held up b e f o r e his eyes m a y e v e n
e n c o u r a g e hopelessness. It is to b e remembered/
that the Puranas, w h i l e d e c r y i n g the Kali Y u g a
as a social p h e n o m e n o n , also declare that, f o r
the individual w h o reacts against it, sadhana w i l l
b e easier and m o r e rapid than in the earlier and
m o r e spiritual ages. It w o u l d add to the w o r t h
of such a b o o k to k e e p this also in m i n d .
IN T H E C O M P A N Y O F S A I N T S : B y K. R a m a -
Chandra. (Atma-Jyothi Nilayam, Nawalapitiya,
Ceylon, p p . 184, price Rs. 4.)
T h e first part of M r . R a m a c h a n d r a ' s b o o k is
c o m p o s e d of anecdotes about saints, the s e c o n d
part of brief reflections or meditations. It s h o w s
v e r y w i d e reading and catholic appreciation,
ranging o v e r saints of all religions, both ancient
and m o d e r n . The o p e n i n g o n e is of some o n e ask-
ing for the Maharshi's signature and b e i n g told :
" H e r e there is n o n a m e ; h o w then can there be
a signature ? " N o t a b o o k to read steadily
through, but m a n y m a y find it delightful t o dip
into.
KRISHNAVATARA, Vol. III. THE FIVE
BROTHERS : B y K. M . Munshi. (Bharatiya
V i d y a Bhavan, p p . 476, price R s . 16.50.)
T h e first t w o v o l u m e s of K. M . Munshi's L i f e of
Krishna w e r e r e v i e w e d in o u r issue of Jan. 1965.
This third v o l u m e carries the story u p to D r a u -
padi's s w a y a m v a r a and h e r marriage to the F i v e
Brothers. The author shows great skill in filling
in the social b a c k g r o u n d , b r i n g i n g the various
characters to life and m a k i n g a fascinating story
of it. T h o u g h he shows a certain nostalgia f o r
the ancient times, he is not b l i n d to their vices
but depicts villains and ambitious schemers as
w e l l as u p h o l d e r s of dharma. Indeed, the main
theme running through the b o o k is the struggle
PATH
b e t w e e n dharma and adharma, and one feels the
author's k e e n personal p r e o c c u p a t i o n w i t h this.
Krishna himself is represented as a brilliant and
indomitable u p h o l d e r of dharma, b u t on a p u r e l y
h u m a n l e v e l ; the supernatural element in h i m is
not recognized. F o r those w h o k n o w little of the
ancient H i n d u legends and traditions, these t h r e e
volumes (and presumably those that are t o
f o l l o w ) w i l l p r o v i d e as g o o d an introduction as
any, a l w a y s r e m e m b e r i n g that the supernatural
element is discounted far m o r e than some inter-
preters w o u l d agree to.
ARTHUR OSBORNE.
T H E P S Y C H E D E L I C E X P E R I E N C E — A Manual
based u p o n the Tibetan B o o k of the D e a d —
b y T i m o t h y Leary, R a l p h M e t z n e r and R i c h a r d
A l p o r t . (University B o o k s , H y d e P a r k , N e w
Y o r k , p p . 159. P r i c e $ 5 . )
F o r those familiar with the Tibetan Book of
the Dead this is a m o s t interesting c o m m e n t a r y
e v e n though they m a y n o t themselves intend t o
e x p e r i m e n t w i t h mescalin, L S D , p s i l o c y b i n , D M T
or similar drugs with a v i e w to finding the e g o -
less state of liberation. T h e authors point! out that
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is intended as
advice, n o t to the physically d y i n g o r dead, b u t
to the living w h o through meditation o r austeri-
ties are able to find the ecstacy of egolessness and
gradually return f r o m it t o m u n d a n e life. The
authors contend that the same e x p e r i e n c e c a n n o w
be attained through taking these drugs. They
i n f o r m us that the session can last u p to ten
hours and that provided, there is a g o o d guide t o
assist, the m a x i m u m of liberation and j o y can b e
obtained.
It is particularly interesting t o note that at
each stage it is the m e d d l i n g intellect that drags
the v o y a g e r b a c k t o earth. Aspirants to liberation
without the use of drugs m u s t h a v e f o u n d o v e r
and o v e r again that the b u s y intellect destroys
the Clear L i g h t of the V o i d q u i c k e r than any
outside distraction.
T h e authors are v e r y sincere in their e x p e r i -
ments and continued t o c a r r y o n e v e n w h e n offi-
cial support w a s w i t h d r a w n o n a c c o u n t of t h e
danger of phychosis. A l s o , the b o o k is clearly a n d
simply w r i t t e n and contains: specific directions, a
m o d e r n i z e d version of those in The Tibetan
Book of the Dead, to enable the g o o d guide t o
pilot the v o y a g e r through the egoless state and
return to earthly life u n h a r m e d .
F u r t h e r m o r e , in H u x l e y ' s Island w e see the
practical possibilities of the use of these drugs t o
m a k e p e o p l e m o r e satisfactory citizens. In thisi
story H u x l e y paints a fascinating picture of t h e
1966 BOOK REVIEWS
use of these drugs to p r e v e n t the d e v e l o p m e n t of
an innate dictatorship propensity in certain b o y s
and girls. A f t e r they had used u p their s u p e r -
fluous e n e r g y b y r o c k climbing, they w e r e taken
into the realms of egoless eternity b y a mild, dose
of a drug c o u p l e d with a religious c e r e m o n y
c o n d u c t e d b y a charming Mahayana Buddhist
priest in a beautiful mountain t e m p l e .
T h e b o o k is excellent. B u t what about these
d r u g s ; are they equally e x c e l l e n t ? E v e n if they
can achieve something m o r e than an ersatz
liberation there still remains the matter of the
' g o o d g u i d e ' . T h e t r o u b l e is that the guides
must themselves b e c o n d i t i o n e d b y other ' g o o d
guides ' and w h o is to start the g o o d conditioning ?
W h i l e in B u r m a and J a p a n I c a m e across t w o
v e r y g o o d instructors concerning the path t o
liberation, but neither w a s infallible, and so it
must always b e . ( W e need n o t discuss a guide
like Maharshi o r Ramakrishna, n o t o n l y because
w e should b e m o s t unlikely to find such, b u t
because h e w o u l d not b e interested in d r u g s ) .
T h e potential dictator b o y s and girls of Huxley's;
Island m i g h t v e r y w e l l b e conditioned into d o c i -
lity b y repeated doses of r o c k climbing c u m d r u g
c u m religious c e r e m o n y , but in the hands of the
w r o n g guide the same m e d i c i n e might equally
w e l l condition them to c o m m i t the most atro-
cious cruelties.
D r u g s (like nuclear e n e r g y ) are m e r e l y another
p o w e r to b e used f o r g o o d or evil a c c o r d i n g to
w h o uses it, and w e are still up against the insolu-
b l e p r o b l e m of h o w w e are to p r o d u c e the
' g o o d ' m e n and w o m e n to w h o m it is safe t o
entrust p o w e r . T h e a n s w e r m u s t always b e that
t h e y can b e f o u n d o n l y in the ranks of those w h o
h a v e given u p all desire for p o w e r , and these
cannot b e conditioned e x c e p t b y themselves. T h e
Inner Light is the o n l y guide, Light w h i c h is
v e r y hard to p e r c e i v e clearly e x c e p t after m a n y
years of trial and error. W e can read the w o r d s
of the great Spiritual Leaders, test t h e m against
each other and try t h e m out in o u r o w n e x p e r i -
ence. W e can train ourselves to b e ceaselessly
aware, ceaselessly m i n d f u l both of the states of
o u r o w n m i n d and the effect w e have on others.
This awareness is only lessened b y the use of
drugs w h i c h a c c o r d i n g t o all accounts give o n l y
a greater awareness that has nothing to d o w i t h
life h e r e and n o w . A f t e r the v o y a g e r ' s e x p e r i -
e n c e of the egoless state there is n o reason t o
suppose he w o u l d b e better able to retain his
e q u a n i m i t y if s o m e o n e destroyed the notes f o r his
Ph.D. thesis, o r b e any m o r e compassionate
t o w a r d s the friend, w h o let h i m d o w n . It is h o w
w e i m p r o v e o u r ability to solve little p r o b l e m s
201
like these that must decide w h e t h e r the v o y a g e r
is really o n the path t o liberation. Temporary
ecstasies are of no value in themselves. Indeed
they m a y w e l l b e a hindrance.
T h e r e are eight steps on the Buddha's practical
Eightfold Path and meditation with its possible
ecstasies springing f r o m e x p e r i e n c e of the e g o -
less state is only one of them. The B u d d h a h i m -
self sat at the feet of t w o gurus w h o taught him
all there w a s to find about egoless states, b u t he
f o u n d that these alone p r o v i d e d no w a y t o l i b e -
ration f r o m suffering.
W e cannot get something for nothing, and there
w o u l d seem to b e n o short cuts to liberation. E v e n
the sudden satori of Zen does not do a w a y with
the need for perhaps t w e n t y years of training.
MARIE B. BYLES.
O N T H E P R A Y E R O F J E S U S : B Y I. BRIANCHA-
NINOV. Translated b y Father Lazarus. (J. M ,
Watkins) p p . 114, price 21s.
This is a b o o k w h i c h should b e of particular
interest to readers of The Mountain Path. The
translator, Father Lazarus, is an O r t h o d o x m o n k ,
living in India, w h o is already k n o w n to t h e m ,
and the b o o k itself describes a Christian m e t h o d
of prayer, w h i c h c o m e s nearer to that of certain
f o r m s of Y o g a than any other. T h e tradition of
Eastern O r t h o d o x . spirituality is little k n o w n in
India and deserves to b e better k n o w n , as it
u n d o u b t e d l y has a closer affinity with Indian tra-
dition than that of W e s t e r n Christianity.
T h e P r a y e r of Jesus m i g h t b e described as a
f o r m of Japa Y o g a . It consists in the repetition
of the w o r d s , ' L o r d Jesus Christ, Son of G o d ,
h a v e m e r c y o n m e , a s i n n e r ' . This f o r m u l a , o r
mantra, as one m i g h t call it, is b e l i e v e d to h a v e
an extraordinary p o w e r in itself and to b e able
w h e n constantly repeated t o effect a c o m p l e t e
spiritual purification. T h e m e t h o d consists in
first repeating the w o r d s aloud, so as to set u p
a r h y t h m and a c c u s t o m the b o d y to it. The
second stage is to repeat the w o r d s in a whisper,
concentrating the m i n d m o r e and m o r e o n their
inner meaning. T h e third stage is reached w h e n
the p r a y e r descends to the ' h e a r t ' and the w o r d s
repeat themselves continually, e v e n during sleep,
and the soul b e c o m e s totally absorbed in the
p r a y e r without the distraction of images o r
thoughts. —
It is of interest to note that various material
aids to this p r a y e r are r e c o m m e n d e d , a m o n g
w h i c h m a y b e m e n t i o n e d , sitting on a l o w stool
(not kneeling o r standing, w h i c h is m o r e c o m -
m o n a m o n g Christians), k e e p i n g the eyes closed
o r h a l f - c l o s e d , and fixing the gaze on one point.
202 THE MOUNTAIN PATH April

In this tradition it is the n a v e l or breast w h i c h the inner unity he had realized in himself. V i e w -
is chosen, as the seat of the p r a y e r . It is e v e n e d o n l y as a useful t e c h n i q u e f o r attaining a
m o r e interesting t o find that regulation of the practical end, satyagraha is meaningless.
breathing is r e c o m m e n d e d , and e v e n suspension T h e m o d e r n West is w r o n g in supposing that
of the breath. A p a r t f r o m these m e c h a n i c a l aids, the spiritual o r interior life is an e x c l u s i v e l y p r i -
great attention is paid to the dispositions of the vate affair. Gandhi felt and p r o v e d in action
soul, a b o v e all humility, a d e e p sense of sin that in participating in the p e o p l e ' s struggle f o r
( w h i c h is fundamental in the Christian tradi- j u s t i c e o n e " liberates the truth in o n e s e l f " . He
tion) k e e p i n g the c o m m a n d m e n t s , a b o v e all the w o u l d h a v e endorsed Plato's dictum, to p h i l o s o -
l a w of charity, and constant aspiration to union phize and c o n c e r n oneself with politics is o n e and
with G o d . the same thing. Gandhi's career w a s active
This tradition of p r a y e r goes b a c k to a v e r y rather than contemplative. His political activity
early date. It is claimed that it goes b a c k to w a s the p u b l i c practice of his religion. B y the
A p o s t o l i c times, but it certainly began to d e v e - c o u r a g e and reasonableness that h e s h o w e d in the
l o p f r o m the b e g i n n i n g of the monastic m o v e - c o u r s e of it, he established the truth that n o n -
m e n t in the fourth century, and culminated in v i o l e n c e is the dharma, the v e r y nature, of p o l i -
the monastries of Mount A t h o s in the fourteenth tical life. Politics and the p u b l i c r e a l m w e r e f o r
century, f r o m w h e r e it spread all o v e r the h i m not secular but sacred. His w o r k f o r the
O r t h o d o x w o r l d . It b e c a m e especially f a m o u s in Harijans and f o r the country's f r e e d o m w a s his
Russia, and one of the m o s t m o v i n g accounts of w a y o f b e a r i n g witness to the central doctrine
this p r a y e r is to b e f o u n d in the Story of a of Hinduism that " a l l life (not o n l y of h u m a n
Russian Pilgrim, translated into English b y R. M . beings but of all sentient beings) is o n e " .
French, w h i c h tells the story of a simple Russian Gandhi did not e v a d e evil, b u t f a c e d it. In
peasant, w h o w a n d e r e d all o v e r Russia in the facing it, h o w e v e r , he saw its reversibility. S i n
last century, constantly repeating this p r a y e r and
b e i n g already a punishment, w h a t the sinner
attaining to extraordinary holiness through it.
needs is compassion, n o t further punishment.
DOM BEDE GRIFFITHS.
This compassion restores " right m i n d to a l l " ,
sabko sanmati, the o n l y w a y to p e a c e on earth.
GANDHI ON NON-VIOLENCE, a Selection, In t h e . L o n d o n Vegetarian of M a y 18, 1895
edited and with an Introduction by Thomas there appeared an article b y Gandhi describing
Merton (New Directions, New York, pp. 82, " t h e lasting h o l y i m p r e s s i o n " p r o d u c e d o n h i s
$1.75).* mind by a visit to a Trappist monastery
T h e texts, carefully chosen and edited, are at P i n e t o w n in South A f r i c a . This article c o n -
arranged in sections, each with a brief b u t clear c l u d e d w i t h the ringing declaration, " If this is!
prefatory note, so as to b r i n g out the principles, R o m a n Catholicism, then e v e r y t h i n g said against
the true and false varieties, the spiritual d i m e n - it is a lie ". A n d n o w , seventy years later, T h o m a s
sions and the political applications of non- Merton, master of contemplation and author of
violence. T h e original and h e n c e the m o s t v a l u - " A s c e n t to T r u t h " , returns the c o m p l i m e n t and
able part of the w o r k is Father M'erton's l o n g in this study of k a r m a - y o g a seems to say : " If
introductory essay on " Gandhi and the O n e - this is Hinduism, then e v e r y t h i n g said against
E y e d G i a n t " , a p r o f o u n d study in truly religious it is a l i e , "
terms of the Indian leader's real success and K. SWAMINATHA]Sr
apparent failure and of his signal service to the
r e v i v a l of the spirit of religion a m o n g m a n k i n d . THE PHILOSOPHICAL POTENTIAL OF INDIAN
V a l u i n g the spiritual traditions of the W e s t far ESOTERICISM: By Agehananda Bharati.
m o r e h i g h l y than its material progress, Gandhi Pub: Indian Renaissance Institute, 6, F a i r
discovered through them his Indian heritage, the Field Road No. 4, Churchgate, Bombay-1.
essential and universal e l e m e n t in all religions P p . 34. Price : Its. 2.00.
and his o w n " right m i n d " . T h e n through his
This is m o r e an introductory than an e x h a u s -
p u b l i c activity in South A f r i c a and in India h e
tive treatise on the interpretation of certain
e x e r c i s e d and e n j o y e d his identity with his o w n
esoteric ideologies of Indian, p h i l o s o p h y , n o t a b l y
p e o p l e ; he shared and tried to e x p a n d their spi-
of the Tantras. Indian philosophy, whether
ritual consciousness. Satyagraha w a s the fruit of
Vedantic, Tantric or Buddhistic, is traditionally
inner unity already achieved rather than a m e a n s
of achieving unity. H e failed, in so far as he * $ 1 . 7 5 in the publisher's note, $ 1 . 5 0 on the
did fail, b e c a u s e his f o l l o w e r s had not reached book-jacket.
1966 BOOK
spiritual-oriented ; its a i m is t o seek G o d , to seek
moksha or nirvana. S o d e e p - r o o t e d is this a i m
that it p e r v a d e s n o t o n l y the theological d i s c u s -
sions b u t practically e v e r y c a t e g o r y of Indian
thought, intellectual, aesthetic, artistic, p h i l o -
logical, mathematical o r any other.
In this m o n o g r a p h the author has attempted t o
divest p h i l o s o p h y of its theological o r r e l i g i o u s
association in o r d e r to study Indian esoterics
e x c l u s i v e l y b y m e t h o d s of m o d e r n linguistic
analysis — a system which is intellectual,
language-oriented and value-free.* N o w a value-;
f r e e p h i l o s o p h y m a y h a v e its o w n v a l u e t o its
protagonists and there cannot b e any q u a r r e l
a b o u t it. B u t this must b e said that the Indian
tradition has generally h e l d in high esteem t h e
esoterism of its teachings and practices. Daya-
nand's attempt to find 72,000 ducts in a c o r p s e
( P . 25) o r his disgust w i t h i m a g e w o r s h i p are
rather an e x c e p t i o n than a rule. T r u e , the t r a d i -
tion w i t h h o l d s its expositions f r o m the laity
w h i c h goes to s h o w the i m p o r t a n c e it attaches
to the o c c u l t o r esoteric significance of its
s y m b o l s , l a n g u a g e o r thought.
T h e author's explanations of the concepts
i n v o l v e d in rati sadhana, urddhvaretas etc. are
o p e n to question in p l a c e s ; his attitude to o t h e r
possible approaches l e a v e s m u c h to b e desired.
M. P. PANDIT.
S H R I M A D B H A G A V A T A ( c o n d e n s e d ) : B y S. S.
C o h e n ( C h i n m a y a P u b l i c a t i o n Trust, B o m b a y .
P p . X V and 360. P r i c e n o t stated.)
In a span of about 360 p a g e s M r . C o h e n h a s
tried t o summarise the vast contents of S h r i m a d
Bhagavata, t h e m o s t p o p u l a r and important
P u r a n a , originally c o m p o s e d in Sanskrit. It is
the creation of V y a s a or Badarayana and c o n -
tains the d i a l o g u e b e t w e e n Parikshit (sure t o
d i e w i t h i n a w e e k as the result of a curse b y a
Sage's son) and S u k a , t h e great Y o g i and s o n o f
V y a s a . Suka's instructions p r e p a r e d the k i n g f o r
death as h e realized his identity w i t h the i m -
Jnortal Brahman. It contains stories within
stories and is h e n c e c o m p l i c a t e d . T o c o n d e n s e
such a m i g h t y w o r k is certainly a difficult task,
b u t the author, w o r k i n g w i t h d e v o t i o n , has d o n e
it admirably, considering e v e n his o w n limita-
tions.
In the introduction he has p o i n t e d out the
greatness of the original Purana, its distinguish-
i n g features and its superiority in certain respects
t o other scriptures. While condensing h e has
attempted (as h e s a y s ) , ' t o b r i n g out all the
stories and the instructions g i v e n in t h e original,
REVIEWS 203
curtailing nothing b u t the least significant a n e c -
dotes, l o n g lists of n a m e s w h i c h m e a n n o t h i n g t o
us to-day, constant iterations of ideas, h y m n s a n d
accounts of the creation, a n d details w h i c h a r e
likely to cause a flagging interest in the m o d e r n
r e a d e r ' . T h e w o r k certainly bears testimony t o
all this.
T h e Bhagavata is a m i n e of parables and the
author has, in this condensation, thoroughly
maintained the interest of these stories along
with the m a i n current of the t h e m e , w i t h o u t
losing sight of the p h i l o s o p h y contained in t h e m .
P a r t i c u l a r l y n o t e w o r t h y is the l i f e of Sri Krishna
( B o o k Tenth) w h i c h is the chief attraction o f
the m a i n w o r k . H e has faithfully p r e s e r v e d the
c h a r m of the original. T h e style is l u c i d , the d e s -
criptions graphic and the details finely w o r k e d
out.
O n e cannot, h o w e v e r , i g n o r e the fact that t h e
poetic beauties of the original, the musical
c a d e n c e and its v e r s e c a n n o t b e translated o r
condensed. H e n c e s o m e portion has become
rather dull in spite of the author's vigilant care.
A l s o his English, t h o u g h l i v e l y and v i g o r o u s , i s
often u n g r a m m a t i c a l .
In spite of this, M r . C o h e n has d o n e a g r e a t
service to m o d e r n readers w h o are interested i n
this great scripture and w h o h a v e neither t h e
leisure n o r the c a p a c i t y t o g o t h r o u g h the o r i g i -
nal t o m e . T h e b o o k d e s e r v e s to b e read a n d
re-read. It is d e d i c a t e d to " T h e ever-effulgent
Shri R a m a n a " !
ATMA-BODHA OF SRI SANKARACHARYA,
Edited b y Vaidyaratna P. N. M e n o n . P u b -
lished b y T h e Educational Supplies D e p o t ,
Palghat-1. S e c o n d edition. P r i c e R s . 4.50.
H e r e is a v e r y useful edition o f A t m a - B o d h a ,
one of the important m o n o g r a p h s of Sri Sankara.
In this edition the editor has g i v e n an e x h a u s t i v e
Introduction running t o a b o u t eighty pages, d e a l -
ing w i t h Sankara's life, w o r k s , p h i l o s o p h y , the
nature and contents of A t m a - B o d h a . H e has d i s -
cussed the difficult p r o b l e m of Sankara's date a n d
his w o r k s and has g i v e n his o w n conclusions!
w h i c h appeal t o reason and traditional belief.
W h i l e dealing with his p h i l o s o p y , h e has a n a l y s -
ed it in its chief aspects of t h e o l o g y , c o s m o l o g y ,
p s y c h o l o g y and eschatology and has s h o w n its
distinctive features. H e has also discussed i n
brief the merits and d e m e r i t s of Sankara's system
* B y " V a l u e - f r e e " is m e a n t a study of t h e
s u b j e c t f o r its o w n sake and not any result o r
purushartha.
204 THE MOUNTAIN
and has finally dwelt on the supreme value of a
work like this in modern times of spiritual
decadence. A l l this shows a close critical study
by the editor and his missionary zeal.
The text is accompanied by a rare Sanskrit
commentary Pradeep' by Srimat Krishnananda-
1 exercised more control over -the printing.
sami Swami (himself a religious head with some
following), English word-meaning, translation and
explanation in English based on the commentary.
The index of all the verses arranged alphabeti-
cally is given at the end.
Thus this edition serves a useful purpose both
for those who are knowers of Sanskrit, and those
who are not, in fact for all who are interested
in the Vedantic philosophy of Sankara.
Unfortunately there are a few misprints. The
editor should have given an Errata' at the begin-
1
ning of the work. Nevertheless, Sri Menon de-
serves hearty congratulations for bringing out a
nice second edition of this excellent Prakarana-
grantha of Sankara.
ADVAITA RASAMANJARI OF SADASHIV
B R A H M E N D R A : B y Vidyaratna P. N. Menon,
published by The Eductional Supplies Depot,
Palghat-1. First Edition 1965. Price Rs. 2.50.
Like the Atmabodha, Advaita Rasamanjari of
Sadashiv Brahmendra, is the poetic outpouring of
a realized soul. Jnana or understanding as the
sole means of realization is the common stand-
point of both. Advaita Rasamanjari is virtually
and in all senses the blossoming of non-duality.
The book contains only forty-four verses and
every verse is a thing of beauty, giving not only
joy but instruction to the seeker. The poetic
images that the seer-poet has given are fresh and
original, couched in fresh and lucid words. To
quote a few :
" T h e ascetic who has attained the state of
seeing all as Brahma resorts yet to samadhi
enjoyed by him earlier merely for whiling away
time. Indeed an emperor who has enough of all
prosperity resorts yet to the game of dice for
passing time (page 96).
" The power of worldly objects, though extre-
mely wonderful, does not delight the steadfast
who has known their real nature. A man dressed
in the garb of a woman is indeed unable with his
amorous graces to infatuate even a youth who
knows his true nature (page 116).
A distinctive feature of this edition is the rare
Sanskrit commentary of Sri Krishnanandasami on
this work. A t once simple and delightful, it is
clear, expository and scholarly. Sri Menon's
English Translation of the verses and the notes
PATH April
based on the Sanskrit commentary are equally
authentic and useful for a layman. Readers will
remain grateful to him for his zeal and ability
shown in preparing this edition of a delightful
work. Only they would wish that he had
P R O F . G. V. KULKARNI.
V E D A N T A IN TEN VERSES (DASASLOKI) OF S R I
SANKARACARYA : By T. M. P. Mahadevan and
N. Veezhinathan. (Sankara Vihar, 25 Trust
Square, Madavakkam Tank Road, Madras-12).
The work under review is a short manual by
Adi Sankara dealing with the nature of the
Atman. It is always of considerable difficulty to
comprehend what the Atman really is. The true
Self which is the same as Brahman can only be
described negatively as not this, not this and
so on. What is later left unsublated is the Self.
This is the central theme of this work. When
Sankara as a boy went to his Guru, Govinda
Bhagavatpadha, he was asked, " Who are you " ?
This composition comprising ten Slokas was the
reply to that question. This work by Sankara
called Dasasloki has been selected by the learned
Editors for publication and this is also aptly the
tenth number in the Jayanti series. The Notes
appended to the Slokas are clear and sufficiently
comprehensive for the correct understanding of
the text. The Acharya of Kamakoti Pitham has
blessed this work with his Srimukham. The book
will be found extremely useful for aspirants who
seek for knowledge of the Atman.
CONCEPT OF V I V E K A IN THE B H A G A V A D
GITA : By G. V . Kulkarni. Re. 1.
This book is an article and in the words of
the author " devoted to observe how and where
the concept of Viveka occurs in the G e e t a " . It
also attempts, as he tells us, to examine the rela-
tion between Viveka and the philosophy of work.
It is a bit puzzling to be told that " t h e philo-
sophy of work is considered Vedantic."
The author points out that the word Viveka
(discrimination) never occurs in the Gita, but
that its import occurs in various forms in the
Gita. He classifies the significance of this word
as occuring in the Gita as follows: (1) Discri-
mination between that which exists and that
which does not exist, (2) Discrimination between
that which is eternal and that which is not. (3)
Discrimination between the field and the knower
of the field. (4) Discrimination between Purusha
and Prakriti. (5) Discrimination between the
1966 BOOK REVIEWS
mutable and the immutable Purusha. Under each
of these headings, the author gives specific refe-
rences from the Gita. In the last part of the
essay, the difference between the Sankhya doc-
trine of the Purusha and the Gita doctrine is
discussed. He finally notes the sense in which
two terms Sankhya and Yoga are used in the
Gita.
The essay is a learned one and the author has
taken considerable pains in analytically studying
and compiling his material. But one wishes that
he had followed the standardised principles in
writing Samskrit words in the English script. The
statement made by the writer in the beginning
that he would examine the relation between
viveka and karma has not been done well. Also
the distinction between Sankhya and Yoga as
systems of philosophy and the sense in which
these two terms are used in the Gita as contrast-
ed with their usage in the Mahabharata could
have been more specific.
S. RAJAGOPASLA SASTRI.
A N INTRODUCTION T O B U D D H I S M : By H.H.
The Dalai Lama. (Tibet House, 16 Jor Bagh,
New Delhi, pp. 31, price not stated.)
A thirty page introduction to Buddhism is
necessarily elementary. Nevertheless, so essen-
tially is Buddhism regarded by Tibetans as a
discipline of life that even this brief statement
may seem too technical to some who have learnt
it only as theory from books. While elucidating
the basic doctrine, it is more concerned with prac-
tice. Indeed, the author sets the tone on the very
first page by declaring that " n o other pleasure
can be compared with that derived from spiri-
tual practice."
The attempt to prove anatta in a single page
is unfortunate and overlooks the fact that whe-
ther there is no T or a universal and eternal
• I ' may be a question of semantics. On the
whole, however, this is a brilliant condensation
of Buddhist doctrine and Tibetan Buddhist
training.
BUDDHISM IN T H A I L A N D , ITS P A S T A N D
PRESENT: By Karuna Kusalasaya. (Wheel
Publication No. 85/86, Buddhist Publication
Society, Kandy, Ceylon, pp. 30, price not
stated.)
This little book gives a workmanlike account
of Buddhism in Thailand. On archaeological
evidence, it traces the existence of Theravada
Buddhism in the country back to the 3rd
century B.C.
205
There is a pleasing description of the organi-
zation of the Sangha and the role it plays in the
life of the country. Particularly the custom of
temporary monkhood acquaints a very large pro-
portion of the men with the tenets of Buddhism
and the practices of monasticism. It also esta-
blishes a link between many, perhaps most,
families and the Sangha.
The author refers on the one hand to the pre-
vailing wind of modern materialism and on the
other to the attempts now being made to
reinvigorate Buddhist life and teaching.
BODHICHITTA.
PERIODICALS
A new quarterly entitled S A I V A SIDDHANTA,
edited by N. Murugesa Mudaliar, contains learn-
ed articles by outstanding academic authorities.
It is the organ of " The Saiva Siddhanta Maha-
samajam" of Madras which has for many years
been publishing a Tamil periodical.
* * *
HERMES is a new French bi-annual edited by
Jaques Masui and dedicated " to the inner life in
connection with mystical experience and creative
intuition and to methods of spiritual Realization
and traditional disciplines of Yoga, Zen, Sufism,
etc." With an Advisory Board including such
names as Giuseppe Tucci, Alan Watts, Edward
Conze and Charles Luk, one can expect great
things of it.
* * »
W e have received the inaugural NEWSLETTER
of the R. M. Bucke Memorial Society for the study
of religious experience, edited by Graham B.
Taylor from Montreal. It is concerned with the
important modern tendency to collaboration bat-
ween psychology and religion in the study of
mysticism. It is supported by eminent scholars
and maintains a high standard in its discussions
and reviews.
* * *
A D H Y A T M A SAROJ, the new monthly organ
of the Institute of Psychic and Spiritual Re-
search, has competent articles and an impressive
editorial board, though the size of the magazine
Is a good deal less than one would have expected.
Having each issue devoted to a separate theme—
yoga, astrology, tantra and so on — it is due to
run into the same difficulty as ourselves when it
finds the broad general themes already used up.
* * •
206 THE MOUNTAIN PATH April

N E W R A C E is a n e w quarterly edited b y V . t o it. C o p i e s are available f r o m Sri-La-Sri

Madhusudan R e d d y f r o m H y d e r a b a d . It m a i n l y Panrimalai S w a m i g a l Sath S a n g h a m , 38, V e n k a -
expounds the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo tesapuram C o l o n y , A y a n a v a r a m , Madras-23. The
Ashram. annual subscription is R s . 2, single copies b e i n g
p r i c e d at 50 paise. T h e quarterly has b e e n g i v e n
the a p p r o p r i a t e n a m e of B H A G Y A B H A R A N I .
t # *
W i t h P. K. S u n d a r a m as editor, a bilingual
quarterly (English a n d T a m i l ) has just b e e n It &s an extraordinary sign of the swelling tide
l a u n c h e d b y the f o l l o w e r s of Sri-la-Sri Panrimalai of spiritual investigation in the world today that
S w a m i g a l , about w h o m there is an article in this in one single issue of THE MOUNTAIN PATH we
issue of The Mountain Path. While mainly should have to take notice of six new ventures
d e v o t e d to H i n d u traditions, it intends t o range in this direction. We welcome all such manifes-
o v e r w i d e r fields also. W e see f r o m the i n a u g u - tations of opposition to the materialism and super-
ral issue that writers of repute are contributing ficiality of the modem world.

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Subscribers w h o s e subscriptions end with the current issue for A p r i l

are requested t o r e n e w for the n e x t y e a r to end w i t h the issue f o r
O c t o b e r 1967 at proportional rates, as this w o u l d greatly facilitate o u r
accounting and also help bring the subscriptions in line with the y e a r
o f the journal.

V. G A N E S A N ,
A p r i l 1, 1966.
Managing Editor.
 DEEPAM
D e e p a m , the festival w h e n a b e a c o n is lit o n
the summit of A r u n a c h a l a at sunset, fell o n 7th
D e c e m b e r this time, t o o late f o r inclusion i n o u r
J a n u a r y Bulletin. F o r t w o w e e k s t h e north-east
m o n s o o n had b e e n raging, w i t h l o w cloudsi
c o v e r i n g the hill and w i t h d r i v i n g rain. That
a f t e r n o o n the sky cleared and the p e a k stood o u t
f o r all b e l o w t o see the b e a c o n light. N e x t m o r n -
i n g the s k y w a s again o v e r c a s t and the hill v e i l -
e d i n cloud.
JAYANTE
Bhagavan's birth anniversary a c c o r d i n g t o the
T a m i l calendar w a s late this year, falling o n
Jan. 7th. O w i n g t o an electric p o w e r c u t i n
M a d r a s , the printing of The Mountain Path w a s
also late and the copies r e a c h e d h e r e o n l y just
in time f o r Jayanti. T h e ritual w a s m a i n l y t h e
same as last year. A g a i n the L t . G o v e r n o r o f
P o n d i c h e r r y c a m e f o r the occasion.
A f t e r O m Sadhu's r e n d e r i n g of Sri R a m a n a
Gitam there w a s a m u s i c recital by^ Sri T. P. S u b -
ramaniam of M a d r a s and his party. In the e v e n -
i n g Brahmasri Jagadisa I y e r and his p a r t y g a v e
& bhajan
A m o n g the distinguished guests and f o r e i g n
visitors w e r e Prof. T M . P. M a h a d e v a n , P r o f . K.
S u b r a h m a n y a m , P r o f . R a f a e l C a r m o n a Lozada,
Mrs. J e a n Butler, M r . and Mrs. de M e l l o , M r s .
V e r a H e d e n l o f r o m S w e d e n , Miss Sarah F e r r a n d
of L o n d o n , D r . T. N. K r i s h n a s w a m i , Sri F r a m j i
D o r a b j i , M r . and Mrs. Satya Narayan T a n d o n ,
S o o r i N a g a m m a , A . R. Narayana R a o and f a m i l y ,
J. V . S o m a y a j u l u and f a m i l y , Mrs. K h o s l a ,
Y o g i s w a r a S r i Lakshmana of Chillakur.
BOMBAY
A b i g thing w a s m a d e of the Jayanti c e l e b r a -
tions in B o m b a y this y e a r . W i t h N. D . S a h u k a r
as the distinguished chairman, a Sri R a m a n a
Jayanti Celebration C o m m i t t e e w a s f o r m e d and
three p u b l i c m e e t i n g s organized. M r . and M r s .
O s b o r n e w e n t specially f r o m Tiruvannamalai. to
address t h e m . T h e first, on 19th F e b r u a r y , w a s h e l d
at t h e Bharatiya V i d y a B h a v a n w i t h its v e n e r a b l e
founder-president, K u l a p a t i D r . K. M . Munshi,
presiding. M r s . M a n i S a h u k a r and Mrs. O s b o r n e
also spoke. T h e s e c o n d w a s h e l d n e x t d a y at
the R a m a k r i s h n a A s h r a m u n d e r the presidentship
of its head, S w a m i S a m b u d d h a n a n d a . T h e S w a m i
also spoke and told of a darshan that h e once;
had w i t h Sri R a m a n a Maharshi. T h e third
meeting w a s h e l d the f o l l o w i n g d a y at the
C o w a s j i Jehangir Hall w i t h the H o n . T. S. B h a r d e ,
S p e a k e r of the Maharashtra A s s e m b l y , presiding.
H e r e again M r s . Sahukar and M r s . O s b o r n e
^poke.
A l l three m e e t i n g s d r e w large and a p p r e c i a t i v e
audiences. In fact the halls w e r e p a c k e d t o
capacity.
T h e press g a v e f a v o u r a b l e reports b o t h of t h e
meetings and the speakers.
A p a r t f r o m these p u b l i c meetings, M r . O s b o r n e
also addressed the Y o g a Institute at Santa Cruz,
a private gathering at the house of Mrs. H a n d o o
and a g r o u p of T a m i l d e v o t e e s o u t at C h e m b u r .
There w e r e so m a n y requests f o r p r i v a t e i n t e r -
v i e w s and social m e e t i n g s that scarcely any f r e e
time remained.
Arrangements were made with the N e w B o o k
C o . , of H o r n b y R o a d and the P o p u l a r B o o k D e p o t ,
B o m b a y - 7 to stock The Mountain Path and w i t h
the International B o o k C o . , of A s h L a n e , B o m -
b a y , t o display a c o p y and b o o k subscriptions.
 Top : Dr. K. M. Munshi garlands the portrait of Sri Maharshi before inaugurating the Ramana
Jayanti Celebrations meeting. Mr. Osborne and Sri Swami Sambuddhananda.
Middle : Mr. Osborne enunciating the teachings of Sri Maharshi. Also seen are : Mrs Osborne
(talking), Mr. N. D. Sahukar, Dr. K. M. Munshi and Smt. Leelavathi Munshi.

IIMI I mMu
Bottom: Hon. T. S. Bharade, Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly addressing the gathering
Mr. Osborne in a jovial mood.
 Top : Sri P. V. Somasundaram reading the messages ; Mr. K. K. Nambiar, Mr. Osborne and Sri
- Swami Sambuddhananda are also seen. Mrs. Osborne's speech was well received.

P. V. Somasundaram, the Secretary of the Sri
Ramana Jayanti Celebration Committee, was a
dynamo of energy and an enthusiastic and loyal
worker and was largely responsible for the great
success of the campaign.
This is the first time that The Mountain Path
has carried out any such enterprise and
it succeeded beyond all expectations. It took
place, very appropriately, in Bombay, which has
always been the most appreciative and enthu-
siastic town in its support of Bhagavan and his
Ashram. Now that a beginning has been made
we hope that further such activities will follow
in other towns and countries.
On leaving Bombay, Mr. and Mrs. Osborne
broke their return journey at Poona, where they
called at the Hari Krishna Mandir to visit Dilip
Kumar Roy (Dadaji) and Indira Devi (Didiji).
Their reception was not only cordial but affec-
tionate. They attended a bhajan in which they
found that Dadaji's voice, at 70, still retained its
power and beauty and wide range. After the
singing, both Mr. and Mrs. Osborne spoke about
Bhagavan. They discovered later that their
speeches had been tape-recorded. The prayer hall
and an adjacent room were packed, and the
audience was not only large but appreciative.
After the speeches, Dadaji warmly recommended
the listeners to subscribe to The Mountain Path.
The Mandir, both house and garden, is a per-
fect gem, designed by Didiji. In one of her
exquisite rock-gardens is a statuette of Sai Baba
in a specially constructed grotto. It was present-
ed by a devotee and Didiji put it away in a cup-
board. A few days later some one knocked at the
door after dark and, on opening, who should
Didiji see standing there but Sai Baba himself,
Sai Baba who died in 1918 !
" Why do you put the faqir in a cupboard ? "
he demanded.
She quickly took it out and next day esta-
blished it in its grotto. A typical Sai Baba story.

Bottom : Sri N . D . Sahukar, Chairman of the Jayanthi Committee speaking. A portion of the
appreciative audience.
210 THE MOUNTAIN PATH April

RAMANA KENDRA, DELHI Gujerati High School, Rashtrapathi R o a d , S e c u n -

derabad. His Holiness J a g a d g u r u Sri T r i v i k r a m a
T h e 86th Birthday A n n i v e r s a r y of B h a g a v a n Sri Ramananda Bharati Swamigal Siddheswara
R a m a n a Maharshi was celebrated in the Sri Peedadhipati, Kourtalam, kindly consented t o
V i n a y a k a Mandir Hall on J a n u a r y 9, 1966. preside. Sri K. N. A n a n t h a r a m a n , Chief S e c r e t a r y
A f t e r p o o j a , V e d a parayana and Upadesa U n d i - of the G o v e r n m e n t of A n d h r a Pradesh, was
yar, a five-minute silence w a s o b s e r v e d . Songs a m o n g the speakers.
b y B h a g a v a n and b y Muruganar and Sadhu O m
w e r e sung. CALICUT
Sri C. R. Pattabhiraman, D e p u t y Minister of
T h e 86th birth anniversary of B h a g a v a n S r i
Information and Broadcasting, r e c o u n t e d s o m e
R a m a n a w a s celebrated at the Sri Sai Baba M i s -
incidents at R a m a n a s r a m a m during his visits
sion B h a j a n M a n d i r , Calicut, o n the e v e n i n g o f
there w i t h his distinguished father D r . C. P.
7th. Jan. b e f o r e a large gathering of B h a g a v a n ' s
R a m a s w a m i Iyer. H e c o m m e n d e d silent medita-
devotees. Namajapa, parayana of Bhagavan's
tion.
Upadesa Sara, recitation of R a m a n a stuti, G u r u -
Sri K. K. N a m b i a r and D r . K. A r u m u g h a m , p u j a w e r e the chief items of the p r o g r a m m e .
R e a d e r in Tamil, Delhi University, also s p o k e . D r . M . A n a n d a n , Secretary of the Sai B a b a
A film s h o w i n g B h a g a v a n in the A s r a m a m w a s Mandir, w h o organized the celebrations, i n t r o d u c -
s h o w n b y Sri K. K . N a m b i a r . e d the speaker of t h e evening, Sri Kuttikrishna
P e o p l e interested in contacting the R a m a n a Marar, a l e a r n e d Sanskrit Pandit of the p l a c e .
K e n d r a at D e l h i should w r i t e t o : T h e Secretary, Leaflets containing six verses selected b y B h a g a -
R a m a n a K e n d r a , 120 K a k a Nagar, N e w Delhi-11. v a n f r o m the Y o g a Vasishta w e r e distributed a t
the end, together w i t h prasadam.
LONDON
SRI R A M A N A DEVOTION CENTRE KOPPAM

A b o u t fifty d e v o t e e s m e t at the residence o f Sri R a m a n a Jayanti w a s celebrated h e r e f o r

Dr. C. H . Sharma (101 S e y m o u r P l a c e , L o n d o n , f o u r days. T h e r e w e r e p u j a s and A r c h a n a s i n t h e
W . l ) on J a n u a r y 8th to p a y h o m a g e t o Sri B h a - m o r n i n g and Gita Parayan, B h a j a n and d i s c o u r -
gavan on the occasion of his Jayanti. W e c h o s e ses in the e v e n i n g . O n the 7th J a n u a r y Sri P.
the 8th, a Saturday, as the 7th w a s a w o r k i n g Achuthan, g a v e a v e r y g o o d talk o n B h a g a v a n ' s
day. T h e m e e t i n g u n a n i m o u s l y d e c i d e d t o f o u n d u n i q u e position as a J i v a n m u k t a . O n the 8th
an organization k n o w n as " Sri R a m a n a D e v o t i o n there w a s a brilliant talk o n Upadesa S a r a m b y
C e n t r e " and elected the f o l l o w i n g executive Sri M . M . M e n o n , retired Professor. O n the 9th
committee: Sri Easwara I y e r , g a v e us a l u c i d a c c o u n t of the
m a i n incidents of B h a g a v a n ' s life w i t h s o m e i n t e -
D r . C. H. S h a r m a — Chairman
resting anecdotes. O n the last day there w a s an
N. V a s u d e v a n — Joint Chairman
instructive and illuminating discourse o n 1
Sad
T. R. N i c o l l )
Darsana ' b y Sri G. Balakrishnan Nair.
W. H Williams f ^cretwries
Miss L a w e s — Treasurer
Mrs. R o b i n s o n — Member T. T. N A G A R
Miss M . A . A y e r s — Member
R a m a n a Jayanti w a s celebrated in T. T. N a g a r
A f t e r a w e l c o m i n g address there w a s half an u n d e r the auspices of Sri C h a m b a l Bharati w i t h
hour's silent meditation. D r . Sharma then s p o k e Sri N. P. B h o o s a n presiding. B e f o r e the s p e e c h e s
about Sri B h a g a v a n and his A s h r a m . Sqn. L d r . there w a s chanting of the Upanishads. Sri S. P .
Vasudevan g a v e one o r t w o instances of B h a g a - T i w a r i and Sri Dattatraya G u r g e spoke. The
van's sense of h u m o u r . T w o other d e v o t e e s told date a c c o r d i n g t o the W e s t e r n calendar w a s taken
h o w B h a g a v a n had c o m e into their lives. f o r the celebration.

HYDERABAD KOLHAPUR

T h e N e w Era Institute of H y d e r a b a d c e l e b r a t - The Dharma-Tatvajnana-Mandal here celebrat-

e d R a m a n a Jayanti at T a g o r e ' s H o m e , S e c u n d e r a - e d the 86th Jayanti of Maharshi R a m a n a o n
bad, on 6th January. O n the 9th the Sri R a m a n a January 7th, w i t h b h a j a n , meditation and prayers.
Bhakta Mandali held a p u b l i c celebration at the Pandit K h u p e r k a r Sastri and P r o f . G. V . K u l k a r n r
 1966 ASHRAM BULLETIN

spoke. The Presence and Grace of Bhagavan Douglas Harding has t w i c e written fascinating
was felt. articles for The Moun-
tain Path, so he w a s
TIRUCHUZHI n o stranger to us. His
understanding a n d
T h e house, in w h i c h _ Sri Bhagavan was b o r n ,
c h a r m of m a n n e r m a d e
Sri Sundara Mlandiram, w a s a place of inspira-
him a much loved
tion, j o y and festivities o n the 7th January. The
visitor. W e w e r e dis-
86th Birthday w a s befittingly celebrated, with
appointed that Helen
special p o o j as, in the midst of a l a r g e gathering
could n o t come too.
of devotees and visitors.
However, what we
MOUNTAIN PATH NEWS f o u n d m o s t interesting
was his report that
R e a d e r s w i l l have noticed that the editorials three m o r e persons in
of our first nine issues, that is u p t o January his small group of
1966, f o r m a connected series on the general friends in England
t h e m e of quest and guidance. F r o m the present have n o w also h a d an
issue o n w a r d s they w i l l b e on separate subjects, awakening similar to
not in any sequence. Helen's. T h e m o s t r e -
O u r n e x t issue will b e m a i n l y o n the theme of assuring sign is his
REINCARNATION, that of O c t o b e r on SYMBO- appreciation that such
LISM. an a w a k e n i n g is n o t
the end but the b e g i n -
ning of the j o u r n e y . Mr. Douglas Harding
W e h a v e d e c i d e d f r o m n o w on to quote o u r * * *
e v e r - g r o w i n g list of life subscribers o n l y o n c e a
The spiritual vitality of Jean Butler is suffi-
year, that is in the January issue.
ciently . evident from
the article she has
contributed to this
PICTURES OF BHAGAVAN issue. W e . are
;; very
glad to have h e r with
There are m a n y beautiful and expressive us here. A t the v e r y
p h o t o g r a p h s of Bhagavan that are n o t in the last minute an attempt
A s h r a m archives. A n y persons w h o h a v e photos w a s m a d e to k e e p h e r
that h a v e not a p p e a r e d in The Mountain Path are away but, having
requested either t o m a k e c o p i e s and send to the arrived and felt the
A s h r a m or to send the originals so that c o p i e s p o t e n c y of Bhagavan's
Mrs, Jean Butler
can b e m a d e here. T h e originals w i l l b e k e p t o n l y Presence here, she
a f e w d a y s and then r e t u r n e d safely. intends to m a k e a l o n g stay.

VISITORS
W e have had a w i d e r range of visitors than
usual this time. It i n c l u d e d D r . T . Mfcrgul, a s t u -
dent and teacher of p h i l o s o p h y f r o m C o m m u n i s t
P o l a n d , w h o , o n arrival h e r e , w a s better v e r s e d
in Hindu t h e o r y than w e had e x p e c t e d , and o n
l e a v i n g had d e c i d e d to t r y practice also.
i n c l u d e d also D r . A l f o n s o C a y c e d o L., a p s y c h i a -
trist f r o m C o l o m b i a in South A m e r i c a , w i t h his
c h a r m i n g w i f e . D r . M c . C u l l o u g h , w h o teaches
p h i l o s o p h y at San J o s e C o l l e g e , California, w a s
already a subscriber t o The Mountain Path b e f o r e
c o m i n g here.
M r . Smith, a retired businessman f r o m the south
coast of E n g l a n d , is n o w on his second visit here.
H e writes : " W h e n a friend in England lent m e
a b o o k containing a radiant portrait w i t h that
u n i q u e timeless quality the i m p a c t and reaction
w a s spontaneous. Later there f o l l o w e d a p e r i o d
It of stress w h i c h led to m y visiting the A s h r a m o l
Sri R a m a n a Maharshi w i t h o u t due preparation.
I stayed f o r a month in December-January
1 1964-65 and did the customary things — w a l k i n g
r o u n d Arunaehala, c l i m b i n g to the f o p of it,
visiting Virupaksha and Skandashram c a v e s and
so on. T h e n o v e l surroundings with t h e Maharshi's
samadhi, the t e m p l e , the meditation hall and the
lives and aspirations of the w o r k i n g devotees
212 THE MOUNTAIN PATH April

m a d e a p o w e r f u l impression on m e and I r e t u r n - SRI V I D Y A HAVAN

ed t o England considerably refreshed.
" I return this y e a r m o r e at m y ease, having
friends to greet m e . M u c h painting and w h i t e -
washing has b e e n d o n e and the premises l o o k
bright and clean. A n d I e n j o y l o o k i n g u p at
Arunachala f r o m m y d o o r and w i n d o w . My
needs and c o m f o r t s have all b e e n attended to and
a circuit of the Hill, avoiding the heat of the
day, had already b e e n arranged,
Sri V i d y a Homarrv took place on the 18th M a r c h
this year and was p e r f o r m e d with all the pujasi
and ceremonies, so m u c h so that the actual
Sri Chakra P u j a had to b e held o v e r to the
f o l l o w i n g day. T h e r e w a s an atmosphere of great
d e v o t i o n , and traditional rituals w e r e p e r f o r m e d

" I find the Maharshi's samadhi in an interest-

ing phase of construction, with p a l m tree trunks
b e i n g used as uprights to hoist the h e a v y granite
pillars into positon. The c a r v i n g of the gray stone
pillars intrigues m e and the polished b l a c k finish
of some of them is beautiful. I find the a t m o -
sphere of devotion uplifting and trust that the
influence of Arunachala w i l l sink deep within
for m y return.

" Sri R a m a n a A s h r a m b e s t o w s its o w n special

blessing — of w h i c h it can o n l y b e said that he
w h o s e samskaras lead h i m there w i l l partake of
the kindliness and fraternal affection w h i c h is the
overflowing of the spirit of Shri Ramana, m a n i -
fest in the g o o d p e o p l e there w h o d e v o t e their
lives to the service of the devotees, the u p k e e p
and m a n a g e m e n t of the A s h r a m . "

* * *

Mr. M a s k e w w a s here p r e v i o u s l y at the same with m u c h beauty. A constant and increasing

time as M r . Smith and after b e i n g a w a y f o r a n u m b e r of devotees are availing themselves of
y e a r has returned at the same time. H i m also the Sri Chakra P u j a inaugurated on M a r c h 17th,
w e w e l c o m e cordially. 1949 b y B h a g a v a n and perpetuated b y the g o o d
offices of (late) M a j o r A . W . C h a d w i c k . This
" H e w h o wishes t o m a k e a spiritual retreat w i l l anniversary has n o w b e c o m e one of the great
find no better place than the slopes of A r u n a - days of the A s h r a m . ,
chala, and within the A s h r a m he w i l l find, if he
chooses the silence and solitude he seeks. Those OBITUARY
Who run the Ashram, have the spiritual finesse of
respecting the liberty of the visitor, the u n d e r - SOMERSET MAUGHAM
standing of his needs, and the giving of e v e r y
h e l p , " says M r . M a s k e w . A l t h o u g h b y n o m e a n s dedicated to a spiritual
life, the/ late Somerset M a u g h a m w a s o n e of those
* * * w h o helped to m a k e the Maharshi w i d e l y k n o w n .
H e c a m e here f o r a brief visit in 1939, after
AU REVOIR w h i c h he w r o t e the n o v e l ' The Razor's Edge '
presenting a highly fictionalised picture of
Dr. H u g o Maier (for w h o m see our Ashram
Bhagavan. T o w a r d s the end of his life in 1
Pomts\
Bulletin of J u l y , 1964 i s s u e ) , w h o is a p e r m a n e n t
of View ' he gave an account of the principle
resident of our A s h r a m , has left f o r his h o m e in
influences on his life, and one chapter of the
G e r m a n y , only to c o m e b a c k to the A s h r a m after
b o o k , entitled ' The Saint' w a s about Bhagavan.
a f e w months. W e b i d h i m au revoir. W e will
miss h i m and his unreserved h e l p and assistance. Since various stories of his visit here have
It is the wish of all that h e returns soon. b e e n put abroad, w e q u o t e here that given b y
1966 ASHRAM BULLETIN
M a j o r C h a d w i c k f r o m his o w n firsthand o b s e r v a -
tion in his b o o k ' A Sadhu's Reminiscences of
Ramana Maharshi' " In M a r c h 1939 Somerset
M a u g h a m c a m e to the A s h r a m . M a n y accounts!
h a v e b e e n given of his visit and all of them
different. A s I was the principal person c o n c e r n -
ed in l o o k i n g after him, I have decided to give
m y o w n version. He was b r o u g h t to the A s h r a m
b y a friend of m i n e , Mrs. Austin, w i f e of t h e
C o l l e c t o r of Madras. The party had first gone to
the dak b u n g a l o w to have their lunch, but find-
i n g it full had c o m e o n to the A s h r a m . T h e y ask-
ed m e w h e t h e r I c o u l d find s o m e w h e r e f o r t h e m
w h e r e they could h a v e the meal they had
b r o u g h t w i t h them. I arranged for o n e of the
small r o o m s near m y o w n . A s I had already had
m y meal, at their request I sat and talked with
t h e m w h i l e they ate. Somerset M a u g h a m asked
innumerable questions about m y life and the
A s h r a m , apologizing for his inquisitiveness.
" A t t h e e n d of the meal, w h i c h they had taken
on the verandah, with Somerset M a u g h a m sitting
m o r e or less in the sun, he fainted. M a n y absurd
stories w e r e circulated to account f o r this ; that
he had seen B h a g a v a n and this was a state of,
samadhi b r o u g h t on b y the meeting and such
like. A c t u a l l y he had not seen B h a g a v a n at all.
It w a s p r o b a b l y a slight sun-stroke, though he
himself said that he had b e e n liable to such
black-outs occasionally since birth,
" W e carried h i m to m y r o o m and laid h i m o n
m y b e d ; I then w e n t to Bhagayan and told h i m
what had h a p p e n e d and asked h i m , w h e n he
w e n t out for his stroll at about 2 o'clock, to c o m e
to m y r o o m and see Somerset M a u g h a m w h o
was n o w unfit to c o m e to the Hall, and Bhagavan
agreed.
" I met Bhagavan o n the w a y and as w e
approached m y r o o m Somerset M a u g h a m was
just c o m i n g out ; h e said that he n o w felt better
and w a s on his w a y t o the hall. I told h i m to g o
back into the r o o m and sit d o w n , as Bhagavan
had c o m e to h i m there instead. Bhagavan and
S o m e r s e t M a u g h a m sat opposite to each other f o r
a b o u t half an h o u r without uttering a w o r d . At
the end of which Somerset M a u g h a m l o o k e d
n e r v o u s l y across in m y direction and said, ' I s
there any need t o say anything ? ' ' N o , ' replied
Bhagavan, ' Silence is best. Silence is itself c o n -
versation.' A f t e r some further p e r i o d B h a g a v a n
turned to m e and in his child-like w a y said : * I
think I had better b e going, they w i l l b e l o o k i n g
for m e . ' A s n o one in the A s h r a m k n e w w h e r e
he had g o n e e x c e p t the attendant w h o a l w a y s
a c c o m p a n i e d him, this w a s correct, T h e i n t e r v i e w
213
lasted about forty-five minutes. A f t e r Bhagavan
had returned to the Hall the rest of the party
remained in m y r o o m f o r tea. A f t e r tea S o m e r s e t
Maugham, w h o was wearing a large pair of
boots, w a n t e d to go to ^ the Hall a n d see w h e r e
Bhagavan usually lived. I took h i m to the w e s t ,
ern w i n d o w t h r o u g h w h i c h he l o o k e d f o r s o m e
time with interest m a k i n g mental notes. H e says
in his indifferent and quite uninspired article
' The Saint', published in a series of essays
twenty years after the event, that he sat in t h e
Hall in Bhagavan's p r e s e n c e , but this is untrue,
because h e c o u l d not enter with his b o o t s ; h e
o n l y gazed into the hall f r o m outside. H e also
tacked a certain a m o u n t of p h i l o s o p h y on t o
Bhagavan which Bhagavan c o u l d n e v e r h a v e
uttered in his life. B u t such is the habit o f
f a m o u s authors, to put their o w n opinions into
the mouths of others.
" In this recent article, S o m e r s e t M a u g h a m says
that because of his fainting fit, w h i c h some
Indians regarded as a high state of samadhi,
which he denies, he has b e e n sent a mass of*
literature c o n c e r n i n g the Maharshi. This m a y b e
true, but it is certainly true that he w r o t e to t h e
Ashram and told t h e m that he w a s g o i n g t o
write about B h a g a v a n and asked f o r as m u c h
material as they could send." ( p p . 45-47)
ALAMELU AMMAL
Smt. A l a m e l u A m m a l was a familiar figure at
the A s h r a m , w h e r e she could b e seen w o r k i n g
in the temple, m o r n i n g and evening. She passed
a w a y on 15th January at the age of 75. S h e h a d
b e e n w o r k i n g in the temple till evening, m a k i n g
kolam patterns f o r the festival of Pongal. L a t e r
in the e v e n i n g she called h e r sister and s o m e
neighbours to chant the names of R a m a n a and
Arunachala with her, and at about 11 o ' c l o c k at
night she quite suddenly passed a w a y .
B o r n in V a i k o m , she was married at the age 1
of ten, as w a s usual in those days and almost}
immediately lost her husband, b e c o m i n g a w i d o w .
She learnt several languages and w o r k e d f o r
s o m e time as a teacher at Bangalore. She c a m e
to B h a g a v a n quite early, when he w a s still l i v i n g
at Skandashram, b e f o r e the present ashram w a s
built. T w e n t y - f i v e years ago she b o u g h t a small
house in Ramana Nagar, just near the A s h r a m
and settled d o w n there, doing various k i n d s o f
service f o r the A s h r a m . She has left the h o u s e
to the A s h r a m .
M a y Sri Bhagavan bless her and gather h e r t o
his feet,
214 THE MOUNTAIN PATH
SWAMI Y ATISW A R A N AND A
In our p r e v i o u s issue w e had t o n o t e t h e pass-<
ing of the President of the Ramakrishna Math
and Mission. In this issue w e h a v e t o r e c o r d that
he has b e e n closely f o l l o w e d b y the V i c e -
President, S w a m i Yatiswarananda.
B o r n in B e n g a l in 1889, the S w a m i b e c a m e a
disciple of S w a m i B r a h m a n a n d a M a h a r a j , one o f
the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. He
b e c a m e w i d e l y k n o w n as a w r i t e r and editor, an
administrator and a spiritual guide. N o t o n l y d i d
he h o l d high positions in the O r d e r in India, b u t
h e represented it in various f o r e i g n countries!
including England and the U.S.A. H e has b e e n it$
V i c e - P r e s i d e n t since 1962. F r o m 1950' up to the
time of his death he was the President of its
Bangalore branch.
Analysis of the Horoscope of Maharshi Ramana
By L. K.
This delineation of the character of Sri R a m a n a
is in response to the invitation in the Jayanti
n u m b e r of The Mountain Path to send c o m m e n t s
on his h o r o s c o p e . A full discussion of all the
planets and of all the t w e l v e houses of the natal
chart m a y b e b o r i n g to the m a j o r i t y of readers.
I shall, therefore, t o u c h u p o n the salient features
only of his life and personality.
T h e first house o r t h e rising sign (Lagna) is,
as it w e r e , the w i n d o w through w h i c h the soul
l o o k s out on the w o r l d . L e t u s therefore consi-
der the rising sign of Maharshi R a m a n a first. It
is Libra ( T u l a ) , the sign of the balance. The
m a i n characteristic of L i b r a persons is E q u i l i -
brium. L i b r a also Confers u p o n its subjects a
sweet and gentle nature. T h e L a g n a is untenant^
ed b u t . it is in its o w n N a v a m s a (ninth-part)
L i b r a and c o n s e q u e n t l y carries w i t h it the g o o d
effect of a V a r g o t t a m Navamsa (the best ninth-
part) of a Lagna. T h e r e n o w n e d astrologer V a r a -
hamihir s a y s — " Subham Vargottame Janma
T h e expression m e a n s that, birth in a V a r g o t t a m
Navamsa is auspicious. W h e t h e r h e refers to the
L a g n a or to the M o o n b y the w o r d " J a n m a " ,
the d i c t u m c o v e r s the case of Maharshi as his
M o o n is also in V a r g o t t a m Navamsa b e i n g in the
sign G e m i n i (Mithuna) b o t h i n Rasi and in
Navamsa. T h e ascendant L i b r a r e c e i v e s the trine
aspect of the philosophical planet Jupiter f r o m
the fifth house, the house of deep d e v o t i o n t o
deities ( D e v a B h a k t i ) . V e n u s , the l o r d of the
April
SADHU VASWANI
Sadhu Vaswani, w h o passed a w a y o n January
16th at the age of 87, w a s a w i d e l y k n o w n arid
m u c h l o v e d figure. Most of his life had b e e n
devoted to spiritual and cultural teaching. For
m a n y years past h e had b e e n publishing his
reflections in the f o r m of a periodical. H e had a
w i d e circle of f o l l o w e r s , with w h o m w e s y m p a -
thise.
FORTHCOMING FESTIVALS
Bhagavan's 16th Mahanirvana D a y falls f o r
celebration o n the 18th of A p r i l this year and
Maha P u j a — the anniversary of Mother's
Samadhi — on the 12th of J u n e .
BANERJI
rising sign, is in the second house along with
M e r c u r y , the planet of intellect. T h e latter planet
is the l o r d of the ninth and twelfth houses, i.e.,
the houses of righteousness and of renunciation.
If in a h o r o s c o p e , the lords of the first and ninth
houses are f o u n d in the same sign w i t h o u t b e i n g
j o i n e d w i t h o r aspected b y any other planet, this
position alone m a k e s the native a g o o d - n a t u r e d
and a G o d - f e a r i n g person. In the case b e f o r e us,
these t w o planets r e c e i v e the aspect of Mars, the
l o r d of the house w h e r e they are situated. The
aspect of Mars is usually considered to b e e v i l
but as the sign aspected is his o w n , he, like a
h u m a n being, d o e s n o t do a n y i n j u r y either to
the house or to the occupants thereof. O n the
other hand, he b e c o m e s friendly w i t h t h e m and
enhances their g o o d effects.
T h e Sun and the s h a d o w y planet R a h u are in
the third h o u s e — t h e house of fortitude. W e all
k n o w h o w the Maharshi e n d u r e d the e x c r u c i a t -
ing pains of cancer with stoic calmness. Accord-
ing to the W e s t e r n astrologers, this house lias a
definite influence o v e r . t h e m i n d . T h e Sun h e r e
makes the m i n d lofty and m a g n a n i m o u s and h i s
protege firm and self-reliant in all mental p u r -
suits. T h e sage-astrologer Jaimini thinks that it
is the S u n w h i c h m a k e s one proficient in Vedanta.
T h e said planet b e i n g further situated in Sagit-
tarius ( D h a n u s ) , a sign of the all-wise Jupiter,
has m a d e Maharshi a Vedanta incarnate. It m u s t
h a v e b e e n the j o i n t influence of these t w o p l a n e t s
1966 ASHRAM BULLETIN 215

w h i c h g a v e h i m " a passion f o r hunting s o m e - S w a m i V i v e k a n a n d a . It is w e l l - k n o w n that both

thing d e e p l y implanted in the h u m a n b r e a s t " of them l i v e d a l i f e o f c e l i b a c y .
f r o m his v e r y b o y h o o d . T h e R a h u i n the third
In j u d g i n g the health of the subject of a nati-
house m a k e s a p e r s o n long-lived and d o e s not d o
vity, one has to consider inter alia w h e t h e r there
any mischief in the intellectual sphere.
is any affliction to the first, sixth and eighth
houses. T h e seventh house has n o direct c o n n e c -
T h e fourth house is the Sansar Kshetra, i.e., the
tion with health but malefic planets setting (i.e.,
h o u s e of w o r l d l y c o n c e r n s and f a m i l y life. It is
in the seventh house) affect, b y opposition, the
vacant. Its l o r d Saturn is in the sixth house -of
health, sometimes to an e x t r e m e d e g r e e . The
R i p u " in the sign Pisces (Meena) of Jupiter.
reason f o r this is that the b o d i e s on o r near t h e
T h e w o r d " R i p u " literally m e a n s e n e m y but it
refers as w e l l to the appetites and passions of
man, six in n u m b e r . Saturn, the celestial s c h o o l -
master, is a great killer of passions and w e ,
therefore, d o not find a n y trace of carnal desire
in the sage of Arunachala. L i k e a B u d d h a , he
had put a w a y anger too and had r e n o u n c e d p r i d e
a n d vanity. T h e sixth house is virtually a
p s y c h i c house, though this fact is often o v e r -
looked. Jupiter, the lord of the third and sixth
houses, is in the fifth, the house of intellect and
d e e p devotion. Sri Ramakrishna P a r a m a h a m s a
had also Jupiter in the 5th house of his h o r o -
s c o p e . This planet, w h o is said to b e the p r e -
ceptor of gods, gifted both of t h e m w i t h tattwa*
jnana ( K n o w l e d g e of truth and r e a l i t y ) . Both
of these august personages had erased their E g o .
In the h o r o s c o p e of Sri Ramana, there has f u r t h e r
b e e n an e x c h a n g e of the respectiye houses of
the t w o philosophical planets, J u p i t e r and Saturn,
with the result that w e find in h i m an ascetic
and a philosopher of a v e r y high order. B e it
noted that J u p i t e r has gained special strength on
a c c o u n t of b e i n g in his o w n Navamsa Meena
(Pisces).

T h e seventh house is the nous of marriage

partner. Neptune and Mars (the latter in his
o w n sign) are situated there. In the t w o charts
published in The Mountain Path the positions o f
N e p t u n e and Uranus have not b e e n given. The*
f o l l o w e r s of the Eastern m e t h o d g e n e r a l l y . i g n o r e
these t w o planets b u t in m a n y cases t h e y - are
found to b e indispensable. f o r correct predictions.
Neptune in the seventh house is always inimical
to a m a r r i e d life. If one d o e s m a r r y with such
a position of Mars and Neptune, the marital life
is b o u n d to b e full of unpleasantness. Mars and
Neptune have, h o w e v e r , kept h i m unmarried, n o t
out of their inherent goodness b u t in v i e w of cusp of a house seem m o r e often to affect the
the influence e x e r t e d b y the other planets. The o p p o s e d house than the one in w h i c h they are.
mutual square positions of V e n u s and Jupiter T h e opposition of Mars and Neptune to the first
(though not within the recognised degrees of house (of health) seems to b e responsible f o r
aspects) h a v e contributed to his life of_ celibacy. that dreadful disease c a n c e r f r o m w h i c h M a h a r -
T h e said t w o benefic planets stand in similar posi- shi suffered during the last days of his life.
tions (fourth and tenth f r o m each other) in the W h e n e v e r there is an obscure and i n c u r a b l e
h o r o s c o p e s of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and disease, o n e must l o o k f o r N e p t u n e o r Uranus at
216 THE MOUNTAIN
the b o t t o m of it. It was Neptune w h o seems to
have caused the ailment, though he w a s aided
b y Mars and also b y Saturn — the latter being
posited in the sixth house, the n o t o r i o u s h o u s e o f
illness. In this particular matter, this " fell
S e r j e a n t " Saturn acted as f o m e n t e r of the trouble
a n d not as the killer of disease in v i e w of his
inherently m i s c h i e v o u s nature to inflict death on
mortal beings. It is to b e b o r n e in m i n d that
Mars, the other helper of Neptune, is the lord o f
the second and seventh houses both of w h i c h a r e
considered as maraka (death-inflicting) b y the
noted astrologer Parasara. T o c r o w n all, the
eighth house, the house of death and l o n g e v i t y ,
besides being aspected b y Saturn, is . h e m m e d in
b e t w e e n Mars and K e t u , an incendiary planet.
Mars is p r o c e e d i n g t o w a r d s Taurus, the sign of
the eighth house and Ketu, m o v i n g in a b a c k w a r d
direction, is also p r o c e e d i n g t o w a r d s the same sign
Taurus. T h e result is that the house of death
is being cut, as it w e r e , with a pair of scissors.
H e n c e the p o i g n a n c y of the disease leading to
Maharshi's demise.
I n o w c o m e to the ninth house, the house of
religion, intuition, fortune, and all auspicious
things. There are t w o planets in this house —
K e t u and M o o n . M o r e often than not, K e t u mars
w o r l d l y prosperity if he o c c u p i e s the house of
fortune. But in a h o r o s c o p e of a superior t y p e ,
this v e r y planet prepares the g r o u n d f o r mental
elevation and if he receives the beneficial aspect
of Jupiter as he does in this case, he is c a p a b l e
of doing t r e m e n d o u s g o o d in the spiritual sphere.
" Ketau Kaivalyam " says Maharshi Jaimini. This
Astrological Note
B y V . T.
Maharshi Ramana's Jupiter is in his sixth bhava,
w h i c h indicates that o r t h o d o x y w i l l n o t b e strictly
observed. N o t only that, b u t he is in his dignity
and therefore the ruler of the sixth, s h o w i n g the
s p l e n d o u r and success with w h i c h o r t h o d o x rules'
w e r e modified. A n d in fact w e see that Bhagavan
did not take sannyas o r o b s e r v e the letter of the
sastric l a w , although he e m b o d i e d the spirit of it.
Mars is in the 8th b h a v a and controls the 1st,
PATH April
means that K e t u is the giver of emancipation o f
the soul f r o m b o n d a g e . K e t u is c o n j o i n e d w i t h
M o o n , the planet of m i n d and personality. The
exceptional strength of a benefic M o o n g a v e Sri
R a m a n a a magnetic personality. T h e M o o n in his
h o r o s c o p e is in the asterism Punarvasu of J u p i -
ter and is further aspected b y the same planet.
T h e M o o n is also in V a r g o t t a m Navamsa as point-
ed put b e f o r e and happens to b e the A t m a k a r a k a
planet of Sri Ramana. A c c o r d i n g to the v i e w o f
Jaimini, the planet w h i c h is most advanced in
degrees and minutes in a particular sign is t h e
Atmakaraka. T h e M o o n is in the last N a v a m s a
of G e m i n i and as such, the n u m b e r of d e g r e e s
passed o v e r b y this planet is highest. Jaimini
is quite explicit that the A t m a k a r a k a is n o t o n l y
the causer o f b o n d a g e and liberation a c c o r d i n g
to its w e a k n e s s and strength b u t is always t h e
predominating planet in the h o r o s c o p e . H e f u r -
ther opines that if K e t u b e in the twelfth house
f r o m the Navamsa of the A t m a k a r a k a and is
c o n j o i n e d with o r aspected b y a benefic planet,
h e leads to the salvation of the individual. If
w e l o o k to the Navamsa chart published in the
magazine, w e find K e t u in the t w e l v t h h o u s e
f r o m the M o o n . In the Rasi chart, K e t u is j o i n -
ed with the benefic M o o n ( b e i n g nearly a Full
M o o n ) and both of t h e m are aspected b y t h e
benefic planet Jupiter and also b y the Vedantist
Solar king. L i k e the light of a full m o o n , M a h a r -
shi's influence w a s a l w a y s soothing. A more
p o w e r f u l A t m a k a r a k a could not b e imagined.
Such an A t m a k a r a k a planet could not b u t bring
into the w o r l d a soul that w a s b o u n d to b e libe-
rated f r o m b o n d a g e .
SESHADRI
5th and 9th. F o r a single planet to control t h e s e
three is a rare thing. K u j a is L o r d S u b r a m a n -
y a m , the Commander-in-Chief of the G o d s , the
Devasenapathi, so no w o n d e r that s o m e of
Bhagavan's disciples w o r s h i p p e d h i m as an A v a -
tar of L o r d S u b r a m a n y a m . It is said in the s c r i p -
tures that Subramanyam emerged from Agni,
F i r e ; similarly Sri Bhagavan is a fire f o r the
purification of his f o l l o w e r s ,
 INTRODUCING...
O n e of the v e r y early devotees w h o is still
w i t h us at the A s h r a m is Sri K u n j u S w a m i . H e
c a m e as early as 1919, at the age of 18, w h e n
B h a g a v a n was still living at Skandashram. B o r n
at K o d u m b u r near Palghat in K e r a l a , h e c a m e
of a f a m i l y that w e r e n o t vegetarians, but such
was his aversion f o r meat-eating that his w h o l e
family became vegetarian u n d e r his influence.
A n astrologer foretold that he w o u l d f o l l o w a
spiritual course of life. In youth he was already
strongly d r a w n to japa and worship, and his
parents, far f r o m objecting, introduced h i m to a
sannyasin f r o m the Tamil land. This guru gave
him a " l i t t l e " ( k u n j u ) Release ( K a i v a l y a ) , a
text on A d v a i t a . V e d a n t a . H e also taught h i m
breath c o n t r o l and other y o g i c practices, b u t the
youth, not satisfied with this, asked h i m if there
w a s not a n y Great O n e w h o had actual e x p e r i -
e n c e o f A d v a i t a . T h e sannyasin s h o w e d h i m a
p h o t o of Sri Bhagavan and said that he l i v e d at Sri Kunju Swami
Arunachala. K u n j u S w a m i determined to seek
h i m out. could partake of it. B e f o r e long, however,
H e reached the n e i g h b o u r i n g station of K a t - Bhagavan w e n t out and b r o u g h t b a c k f o u r pups
padi with o n l y Rs. 5 in hand. This w o u l d h a v e to w h i c h he gave it. Unable to hold them all at
been enough f o r a ticket to Tiruvannamalai, b u t o n c e , he said to K u n j u : " Hold them and let
none w e r e being issued, as there w a s p l a g u q them g o one b y o n e . " These w e r e the first Words
there. H e m a n a g e d to reach Tiruvannamalai b u t Bhagavan e v e r spoke to K u n j u , w h o a c c o r d i n g l y
f o u n d it deserted. H e spent the nig^tt in one of took them as upadesa. In the evening, seeing
the mantapams on the route r o u n d the Hill. In t h e Bhagavan clean up the place after the p u p s , h e
m o r n i n g he c l i m b e d the hill to the hut w h e r e offered to do the w o r k and was a l l o w e d to.
the Mudaliar Patti and her husband l i v e d and Kunju Swami approached Bhagavan w)ien
used to c o o k f o o d for B h a g a v a n ; and t h e y s h o w - alone and asked h i m f o r upadesa. Bhagavan's
ed h i m the path t o Skandashram. H e did n o t reply was that e v e r y t h i n g is upadesa and e v e r y -
k n o w h o w to greet the Sage, but seeing three thing is grace. K u n j u S w a m i told Bhagavan that
others prostrating b e f o r e h i m , he did t o o . It s c he was doing japa of panchakshara and asked
happened that one of t h e m , who came from f o r further guidance. Bhagavan told him to c o n -
Kerala, k n e w K u n j u S w a m i and i n t r o d u c e d h i m tinue the japa as a f o r m of dhyana. He did so for
as a g o o d youth and a spiritual aspirant, a f e w days and felt an extraordinary peace of
Bhagavan said nothing but n o d d e d , as if in mind. This led him to suppose that h e c o u l d
approval. continue the dhyana as w e l l in his native place,
Kunju Swami sat for a long while in so he returned h o m e . H o w e v e r , the p e a c e of
Bhagavan's presence. Bhagavan's m o t h e r and m i n d evaporated, so he c a m e b a c k and d e c i d e d
y o u n g e r brother, Niranjanananda S w a m i , w e r e this time t o remain p e r m a n e n t l y with Bhagavan.
also there, b u t Niranjanananda S w a m i w a s n o t In those days it was necessary to have p e r m i s -
yet the Sarvadhikari. Perumal Swami was sion f r o m P e r u m a l S w a m i to stay in the A s h r a m ,
then running the A s h r a m . and he g a v e K u n j u S w a m i permission f o r one
W h e n the others had dispersed, K u n j u S w a m i week only. By Bhagavan's Grace, however,
saw B h a g a v a n c o o k i n g something o v e r a small P e r u m a l S w a m i had to g o a w a y u n e x p e c t e d l y
charcoal stove. H e imagined it m u s t b e s o m e and entrusted K u n j u S w a m i with the task,
magic b r e w w h i c h w o u l d give h i m M o k s h a if h e w h i c h he himself usually p e r f o r m e d , of massag-
 THE MOUNTAIN PATH April

bed, K u n j u S w a m i and Niranjanananda S w a m i

were in constant attendance on her. Since
Niranjanananda S w a m i h a d other w o r k to d o ,
the duty fell m o r e on K u n j u S w a m i . D u r i n g h e r
last days, B h a g a v a n did n o t c o m e to her but
only m a d e enquiries about her health. O n her last
day, h o w e v e r , he sat w i t h h e r the w h o l e time, as"
has b e e n related in the lives of h i m that h a v e
b e e n written.

The mother's b o d y w a s b u r i e d at the f o o t of

the hill, w h e r e the A s h r a m n o w stands. S o that
the pujas c o u l d b e p e r f o r m e d there, the r e s i -
dents of Skandashram now split into two
groups : the larger g r o u p staying w i t h B h a g a v a n
at Skandashram and the smaller remaining near
the mother's samadhi. One morning Kunju
S w a m i w a s cleaning the vessels in a small
stream n e a r the m o t h e r ' s samadhi w h e n he heard
a v o i c e b e h i n d h i m : " I a m a pilgrim, w h e r e
can I obtain f o o d ? " H e t u r n e d r o u n d to see w h o
it w a s , and w h o should h e see b u t B h a g a v a n
himself! K u n j u S w a m i and others requested.
Bhagavan to r e m a i n there, and so it c a m e about.

O n the f a m o u s occasion w h e n thieves b r o k e

into the A s h r a m , K u n j u S w a m i w a s one of those
in the hall with Bhagavan. U n a b l e to p u t u p with
the rudeness and v i o l e n c e of the thieves and
Bhagavan's extraordinary patience, h e ran into
ing Bhagavan's feet in the evening with oil and t o w n to get help and i n f o r m the p o l i c e .
w a r m water. M a k i n g this task his o w n , K u n j u
S w a m i thus b e c a m e a p e r m a n e n t resident. Many other anecdotes and stories about
W h e n Bhagavan's m o t h e r w a s on h e r death- Bhagavan can b e gathered f r o m this old d e v o t e e .

I ask y o u t o o b s e r v e w h e r e the 1 ' arises in y o u r b o d y , b u t it is n o t really

1

quite c o r r e c t to say that the 1 ' arises f r o m and m e r g e s in the chest at the
1

right side. T h e Heart is another n a m e for* the R e a l i t y and this is neither inside
n o r outside the b o d y . There can b e no in o r o u t f o r it, since it alone is. I d o
not m e a n b y ' h e a r t ' any physiological organs o r any p l e x u s o r n e r v e s or anything
like t h a t ; b u t so l o n g as; a man, identifies himself with the b o d y o r thinks he is>
in the b o d y , he is advised to see w h e r e in the b o d y the ' I ' thought arises and
m e r g e s again. It m u s t b e the heart at> the right side of the chest since e v e r y m a n
of w h a t e v e r r a c e and religion and in w h a t e v e r language he m a y b e speaking;
points to the right side of the chest t o indicate himself w h e n he says ' I ' . This;
is so all o v e r the world,, so that must b e the place. A n d b y k e e n l y w a t c h i n g the
e m e r g e n c e of the ' I ' thought on w a k i n g and its subsidence o n g o i n g to sleep,
o n e can see that it is i n the heart o n the right side.
W h e n a r o o m is dark y o u need a l a m p to light it, b u t w h e n the sun rises'
there is n o n e e d f o r a l a m p ; o b j e c t s are seen w i t h o u t one. A n d to see the sun
itself n o l a m p is n e e d e d because it is self-luminous. Similarly w i t h t h e m i n d .
T h e reflected light of the m i n d is necessary to p e r c e i v e objects, but to see the
heart it is e n o u g h f o r the m i n d t o b e turned t o w a r d s it. T h e n the m i n d loses!
itself and the H e a r t shines forth.
— B H A G A V A N SRI R A M A N A M A H A R S H I
 I h a v e s e l d o m seen so m a n y g o o d articles Y o u r j o u r n a l and e v e r y b o o k pertaining to the
sandwiched b e t w e e n a magazine's covers. I a m life and teachings of Maharshi have p r o f o u n d l y
particularly impressed with the w i d e range of interested m e , as if these teachings w e r e t h e
your articles w h i c h reach from Hinduism, v e r y thing I had b e e n l o o k i n g for all m y life.
through a somewhat natural extension into
M y information about y o u r address and the
Hinduism's child B u d d h i s m , and right on t o
n a m e of y o u r j o u r n a l c a m e in a m o s t m i r a c u l o u s
Christianity. T h e general tone is e x c e l l e n t and
w a y . .A stranger w i t h w h o m I spoke o n l y about
I e n j o y e d reading most of the contributions. It
five minutes f o l d m e i m m e d i a t e l y t o get in
cheers m e to see a publication w i t h such a w i d e
t o u c h with y o u . H e t o o k m y n a m e and address!
and tolerant attitude and such a high grade of
and p r o m i s e d to w r i t e m e y o u r address as soon
writer contributing.
as he returned h o m e , w h i c h he did i m m e d i a t e l y :
I had b e e n f o l l o w i n g Paul Brunton's w o r k s a n d
REV. JACK AUSTIN,
Krishnamurti and w a s a m e m b e r of the T h e o s o -
Editor of * W e s t e r n Buddhist*. phical S o c i e t y but s o m e h o w he seemed to k n o w
Banstead, Surrey. that there w a s still a search f o r h i g h e r goals.
H e w a s m o s t articulate and had a w o n d e r f u l c o m -
* * *
mand of the English l a n g u a g e , wasting no
M a y I congratulate y o u and y o u r c o - w o r k e r s m o m e n t in his enthusiastic r e p o r t about M a h a -
on the w o n d e r f u l January Number of The rshi's teachings. I h a v e the deepest admiratioi
Mountain Path. It is the best j o u r n a l of all those and r e v e r e n c e f o r the teachings, w h i c h h a v e
w h i c h I r e c e i v e f r o m the various A s h r a m s and a m a z e d m e m o r e than anything I e v e r read.
spiritual groups Perhaps y o u m a y w a n t to k n o w the n a m e of
this great salesman of Maharshi and his teach-
I find that the Maharshi has the last w o r d in
ings. He j o t t e d it d o w n f o r m e . It is M a r i o n E.
r e m o v i n g b y the quickest and easiest m e a n s o u r
Jasperson of Indianapolis, Indiana. H e w a s o n l y
i g n o r a n c e or M a y a . Since m y visit to your
a casual stranger b u t in those f e w precious
A s h r a m last y e a r I can sit f o r a length of t i m e
minutes a w h o l e n e w w o r l d of truth w a s o p e n e d
in p u r e consciousness filled with boundless l o v e
u p to m e through his insistence that I i n f o r m
f o r Ramana. H a v i n g f o r m e d here ten y e a r s a g o
myself about Maharshi and subscribe t o The
a branch of the D i v i n e L i f e Society, I d e c i d e d ,
Mountain Path.
as their General Secretary, to call in o u r n e x t
MRS. E L S I E B. HENSHALL,
m o n t h l y m e e t i n g o n all those interested in
Elmhurst, Illinois.
Ramana and d e v o t e the w h o l e m e e t i n g to h i m .
His large photo, w h i c h I b o u g h t y e a r s ago, w i l l
Well done, Mr. Jasperson!
b e garlanded and w e w i l l f o r m a R a m a n a g r o u p
EDITOR.
inside o u r D i v i n e L i f e S o c i e t y t o ayoid f u r t h e r
splitting. * * *
D R . R. T. WERTHER,
Nedlands, W e s t Australia. It is n o w a year since I c a m e to Ramana
Maharshi, and I often w o n d e r h o w I managed tQ
* * * live through the p r e c e d i n g 37 years.
220 THE M O U N T A I N PATH April

This autumn I held an e x h i b i t i o n of m y p a i n t - 1. In 1 9 6 1 , at an official party, a m o n g fun and

ings, and R a m a n a Maharshi h e l p e d in many laughter, a small w i r e h o o k like a fish-hook g o t
practical and spiritual w a y s to get m e through into m y throat and was sliding d o w n farther. A l l
the arduous months of preparation. m y attempts t o c o u g h it up o n l y hastened its
MARIAN HUBBARD,
descent, so I lost all h o p e of getting it out. I
r e m e m b e r e d an article in the Reader's Digest
Colchester, Essex.
about an intricate surgical operation f o r getting
* * * a foreign o b j e c t out b y drilling a h o l e in the
chest after c o r r e c t l y anticipating the position o f
K i n d l y g i v e us all h e l p , advice and i n f o r m a -
the o b j e c t w i t h the aid of a fluoroscope; but
tion pertaining to tantric scriptures, manuscripts,
realizing that such treatment w a s not available,
articles, methods and practices, p r o m i n e n t tantric
I g a v e m y s e l f u p f o r lost. I p u t m y f a c e d o w n
siddhas and pandits, tantric sampradayas and
o n m y hands and cried i n w a r d l y : " Oh Maha-
literature, etc. Please j o i n us in o u r earnest
rshi ! I h a v e n o refuge b u t y o u . " I do n o t k n o w
attempt to r e v i v e the ancient w i s d o m .
h o w but at that v e r y instant the metal h o o k was
S. B. SWAROOP, o n the tip of m y t o n g u e .
Institute of P s y c h i c and
2 . In m y quest of God-Realization I w a s using
Spiritual Research, N e w Delhi.
a mantra, repeating it all the time, so that after
Our April 1965 issue was largely devoted to a w h i l e it w a s g o i n g on of itself, like a d y n a m o ,
Tantra and we are prepared to devote occasional w i t h its o w n r h y t h m , w i t h o u t conscious effort o n
articles to tantric themes, but on the whole we m y part. I w a s also a lover! of the Gita, w h i c h I
are dedicated rather to the less technical, less k n e w b y h e a r t ; and, alternately with t h e mantra,
intricate and more simple and universal path of its verses w e r e also g o i n g o n w i t h i n myself, I had
Advaita taught by Bhagavan Sri Ramana. various e x p e r i e n c e s , often culminating i n an
EDITOR. " e x p e r i e n c e w i t h o u t e x p e r i e n c e r ". S o m e t i m e s I
had the e x p e r i e n c e of h a v i n g c o m e near to a goal
* * * but being separated frorn it b y an impassable
chasm. A t such times I h a d a vision of the
W e so eagerly l o o k f o r w a r d to each issue of
gigantic, l u m i n o u s figure of ,the Maharshi strid-
The Mountain Path and, along with other subs-
ing along and telling m e that there w a s n o gulf
cribers, enthusiastically d e v o u r its inspiring mes-«
b e t w e e n m e and t h e Goal. T h e n I h a d the
sages. M a y y o u r success with it continue to g r o w
e x p e r i e n c e of the Maharshi, myself and the Path
and e x p a n d throughout the globe. T h a n k y o u f o r
m e r g i n g into a unitary e x p e r i e n c e of pure
bringing it to us
Consciousness.
J O H N C. BEASLEY,
V. B. IYER,
Editor, The Circus Compendium, •
Carmel, California. Bombay.

* * * * * *

Y o u r careful planning of the subject matter of I a m always delighted to receive this e x c e l l e n t

e a c h issue is, I think, partly the reason w h y each publication. I greatly appreciated the latest
single issue achieves such an impact. It is a ( O c t o b e r ) issue, specially y o u r editorial, Father
lesson f r o m a teacher o n one aspect of w i s d o m . T h o m a s Merton's contribution and other r e m a r k -
O n l y an editor v e r y certain of his gradually d e v e - able articles. It s h o w s fine promise for the
l o p i n g theme c o u l d lead these issues f r o m point future.
to point until the e n d result m i g h t w e l l b e t e r m - PROF. ANDRIEU,
e d a study of spiritual life o r a teaching b y mail. L y o n s , France.
I cannot think of any other publication so m o t i -
vated. M y thanks to y o u .
CORNELIA BAGAROTTI, I f o u n d the article " A l - K h i z r " b y A b d u l l a h
New York. Q u t b u d d i n in O c t o b e r 1 9 6 5 most interesting. F o r
s o m e reason I h a v e b e e n interested in the story
* * *
of M o s e s and Melchisedec especially. S o little has
T w o instances of the Maharshi's G r a c e have b e e n written about him. It has b e e n said that
o c c u r r e d to m e , o n e on the physical plane and M e l c h i s e d e c w a s a mysterious solitary figure in
the other on the spiritual. the d i m past — " Without father, without mother,
1966 L E T T E R S T O THE E D I T O R 221

w i t h o u t genealogy, having neither b e g i n n i n g o f must h a v e p u t in m a n y months of hard w o r k to

days n o r end o f l i f e . " Is, it n o t as though h e w e r e create this amazing issue. Y o u and M r . O s b o r n e
saying " I am the S e l f " ? I w o u l d l i k e to learn are doing a fine w o r k with this publication, and.
m o r e about h i m . w h a t is so m a r v e l l o u s is that it seems to get
ELEANOR P A U L I N E N O Y E , better and better w i t h each successive issue.
Hollywood. MRS. STAFFORD,
Paris.
The Self or an initiatic body representing the
Self. Unfortunately little more is known about * * *
him.
I am reading the special Jayanti N u m b e r of
EDITOR.
The Mountain Path p a g e b y page and line b y
* • * * line with the c a r e and attention that it deserves.
Bhagavan's G r a c e is a b o u n d i n g on e v e r y page.
I h a v e recently started to try to practise Self- It makes v e r y exhilarating reading.
e n q u i r y and h a v e also b e c o m e a vegetarian. Can
PROF. M . K. VENKATARAMA IYER,
y o u please tell m e w h e t h e r the Maharshi c o n -
Kulittalai.
sidered eggs t o b e sattvic f o o d ?
I read y o u r j o u r n a l avidly and am especially * * *
interested in stories about Bhagavan b y those
that k n e w h i m , and n e w s of devotees, as I f e e l Let me congratulate you on the excellent
w h e n reading t h e m an i n t i m a c y w i t h m e m b e r s o f Jayanti N u m b e r that you have brought out.
Bhagavan's family and e n c o u r a g e m e n t o n the Everything is s u p e r b ! O n e w o u l d l o v e t o trea-
path. sure it in one's heart. I was d e e p l y impressed b y
STEPHEN BROIDE, the e d i t o r i a l ; it was so practical and penetrating.
Wembly. PROF. K U L K A R N I ,
Kolhapur.
In that case you will be enjoying the January
issue, which is entirely about Bhagavan.
As to vegetarianism, one does imbibe the subtle I have just read in the January Mountain Path
qualities of the food one eats and pure or sattvic the magnificent editorial " Ramana S a t - G u r u "
food is more conducive to the quest. There was w h i c h led m e deep within, v e r y close t o the
an article on this subject in our issue of April g r o u n d of Being. Bhagavan's G r a c e is indeed
1964. Eggs are not sattvic and are not used at g r e a t ! In the same issue there is an article b y a
the Ashram and were not in Bhagavarts life- Frenchman, Henri Hartung, " Meditation and
time',. There is no great harm in eating them A c t i o n ", in w h i c h he s a y s : " Just as m e m b e r s of
occasionally or in cakes and so on. a f a m i l y o r citizens o f a nation draw together in 1

EDITOR. f a c e of a threat o r a misfortune, so should those

w h o in o u r times are still guided b y spiritual
* * *
motives- d r a w together," and The Mountain Path
The n e w January Mountain Path c a m e yester- is indeed a p o w e r f u l magnet.
day. W h a t a sumptuous n u m b e r . A n d h o w w e l l MARY KANNY,
the c o l o u r w o r k has b e e n d o n e ! It w i l l last m e Bombay.
the n e x t three months, till A p r i l c o m e s . The
* * *
Mountain Path has m o r e than justified its exist-
e n c e in t w o short years, e v e n if n o other n u m -
T h e Editorial ' R a m a n a S a t - G u r u ' is splendid.
b e r e v e r appeared. T h a n k y o u . I k e e p t w o of
A f t e r reading it m y doubts c o n n e c t e d with S e l f -
y o u r p o e m s (" Others " and " B e Still " ) a l w a y s
E n q u i r y vanished. The Mountain Path is a v a l u -
at hand
able asset, especially to those unfortunates like
EBBANA G. BLANCHARD.
m y s e l f w h o did n o t have the p r i v i l e g e of seeing
* * * Sri B h a g a v a n during his b o d y ' s lifetime. The
Mountain Path speaks with Sri Bhagavan's v o i c e
( T o the Managing Editor) Congratulations on w h i c h echoes silently in the reader's heart.
the J a n u a r y 1966 issue of The Mountain Pathl It H. A. SHANKARANARAYANA,
is positively superb, a treasure-house full ot Nullacathu,
e x c e l l e n t articles, and the n u m e r o u s photographs C o i m b a t o r e Dist.
of Bhagavan bring j o y to the heart. I k n o w y o u
* * *
222 THE M O U N T A I N PATH April

In y o u r J a n u a r y 1966 editorial it is stated on h a v e f o u n d a place in the said obituary, f o r the

p a g e 2, c o l u m n t w o , that " Sri Lahiri Mahasaya, S w a m i j i himself told m e that h e had g o n e .to/
w h o died in 1895, so simplified K r i y a Y o g a as to R a m a n a s r a m a m in 1940. I am sorry I d o n o t k n o w
m a k e it accessible to householders also and e v e n in what m o n t h . W i l l y o u please p u t a note to
to n o n - H i n d u s . " I have b e e n w a n t i n g to k n o w f o r this effect in the n e x t issue of The Mountain
quite some t i m e w h a t e x a c t l y is K r i y a Y o g a a n d Path. M a y b e s o m e o l d disciple o r d e v o t e e of t h e
I shall b e grateful if y o u w i l l please tell m e A s r a m a m j o t t e d d o w n a f e w particulars of their
w h e r e I can find the details of this y o g a as sim- contact and y o u r note might b r i n g t h e m out f o r
plified b y Sri Lahiri Mahasaya. the benefit of all spiritual aspirants.
C. P. DOCTOR,
Bombay. SWAMI EKATMANANDA,
Assistant Secretary,
The best account of Kriya Yoga can be obtain- Ramakrishna Mission,
ed from the book " Yogiraj Shri Shri Lahiri Sevashrama, V r i n d a b a n ,
Mahasaya" reviewed in our issue of October Mathura, U.P.
1965. This system was also developed for the
I am grateful for this information. I shall also
West by Yogi M alias ay a's spiritual grandson be grateful if any one who witnessed the meet-
Swami Yogananda in his " Self-Realization ing or has a record of it will send me further
Fellowship '\ You could contact one of Swami information about it.
Mahasaya's followers in Bengal or some branch EDITOR.
of the Self-Realizai&on
t!
Fellowship".

EDITOR.
* * *

I w a s m u c h m o v e d b y the article entitled " T h e

x We are highly gratified t o see Srimat S w a m i
Madhavanandaji's obituary in the J a n u a r y 1966
N u m b e r of The Mountain Path, That b e s p e a k s
y o u r liberal-mindedness and sense of apprecia-
tion of greatness w h e r e v e r it m a y b e .
It appears that y o u are not a w a r e of the fact
that the saintly S w a m i j i visited Sri R a m a n a in
1940, w h e n he w a s the G e n e r a l Secretary of the
Ramakrishna Math and Mission. I w o n d e r if there
is any r e c o r d of this with a n y one connected with
Sri R a m a n a s r a m a m ? E v e n otherwise I f e e l that
mention of his meeting the great R a m a n a should
E v e r - P r e s e n t " b y the late D u n c a n G r e e n l e e s in
the J a n u a r y Mountain Path, T h e millions w h o
b e l i e v e in t h e Maharshi w i l l echo his w o r d s w h e n
he s a y s : " His L i g h t shines with the everlasting
clarity of G o d ' s o w n L i g h t . "
T h e Spirit Of G o d w h i c h , in h u m a n f o r m ,
o c c u p i e d the physical b o d y of Sri, R a m a n a b r o o d s
in bountiful l o v e o v e r his A s h r a m , radiating
solace and inspiration to all his devotees. T h o u g h
I h a v e n e v e r seen him, I h a v e felt the impact of
his message and the m o v i n g Spirit of his Presence.
B. KRISHNAMMA,
Secunderabad.

CORRESPONDENCE NETWORK
William Gillespie invites letters from other Mountain Path readers to:

41 V i e w f i e l d R o a d
O l d Mjonkland
Coatbridge
Lanarkshire
Scotland
U.K.