19. COMMENCEMENT OF
INSTRUCTIONS
AFTER the Swami moved over to the Virupaksha cavehis visitors increased. All kinds of people visited him-
the seekers, the unlettered as well as the learned. Though
the Swami did not teach anything, the mere fact that he
was taking cognisance of what was going on around was
enough to draw people who naturally assumed that such
an embodiment of tapas was bound to have great wisdom.
Those interested in spirituality and yoga approached the
Swami with their doubts. It was natural for the merciful
Swami to respond to them. Yet, in order to teach in a
manner intelligible to them, it was necessary for the Swami
to have an acquaintance with the accepted terminology
as laid down in traditional texts. It was also necessary to
explain matters in a manner that would enable the listeners
to understand and practise them. For this purpose it became
necessary to have a look at the Sastras, not for himself but
for the sake of others. Though established in "That from
which the mind and word turn back," in order to explain
about That, employment of words was unavoidable. For
this reason also the Swami had to consult scriptural texts.
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One of those who came to serve the Swami after he
reached the Virupaksha cave was Gambhiram Seshayya,
municipal overseer. Right from 1900 he was a regular
visitor to the Swami. He was a Rama bhakta [?] who
constantly chanted Rama's name. He looked upon himself
as a servant of the Swami and swept the cave regularly. As
he had interest in yoga he studied Rajayoga of Swami
Vivekananda and other texts; he also studied the Rama Geeta
in English but he could not master them. As his
knowledge of Sanskrit was poor he had a large number of
doubts-in order to get them cleared, he would bring those
texts to the Swami, who read them and wrote down their
substance in Tamil on small pieces of paper. Thereupon
Seshayya would raise further questions for which also the
Swami gave answers in writing.
Seshayya preferred the ashtanga yoga marga whereas
the Swami advocated the path of enquiry. The former also
attached great importance to pranayama [?]. The Swami
realised that it would not do to convert such a one suddenly
to his way. So while he clarified the points of Vivekananda's
Yoga he also stressed the importance of the ultimate goal.
Yoga practice was for the purpose of achieving
concentration, whereas the Self could be experienced only
after the mind was eliminated. If the Self was experienced
what further need was there for the mind?
The bundles of papers written by the Swami belonged
to the years 1900, 1901 and 1902. Those bundles lay in
Seshayya's house who wrote down their contents in a small
note book. After his passing away, his brother Krishnayya
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collected them all and gave them to Sri Natanananda who
rewrote them in the question and answer format and
published them as Vichara Sangraha (Spiritual Instruction)
in Tamil. This was translated into Telugu by Swami
Pranavananda and into English under the title Self enquiry.
In Vichara Sangraha the Swami also showed how ashtanga yoga
could be used as a help to the path of enquiry.
Similarly, a pandit from Chidambaram brought
Sankaracharya's Vivekachoodamani in Sanskrit. By then a
poetic Tamil translation of the book was available and
brought by Palaniswami. At their insistence the Swami put
it in Tamil prose for which the Sanskrit book was helpful.
Uddandi Nayanar who left the Swami while he stayed
at Gurumurtham could not return for seven years, till 1904.
He offered his entire savings of one hundred rupees as
gurudakshina to the Swami who, while appreciating the
devotion of the disciple, declined the offer as he would
have nothing to do with money. Uddandi Nayanar was
insistent and left the amount with Gambhiram Seshayya,
who was then looking after the affairs of the ashram and
requested him to use the money for any purpose approved
by the Swami. For several years the money was not utilised.
Once, while cleaning up the Virupaksha cave the manuscript
(of Vivekachoodamani) was noticed. Seshayya's nephew,
Krishnayya, prevailed upon the Swami to complete the
text. It was a free translation of the Sanskrit original and
the Swami added a preface containing the essence of the
work. The book was printed with the money donated by
Uddandi Nayanar.
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Alongside the writing activity the study of Vedanta
was also going on. On the hill there was a sadhu [?]
Padmanabha Swami known as Jataswami who had a
number of books on Mantra sastra, Ayurveda, Vedanta
Sastra and several other Sanskrit works. The Swami would
visit Jataswami's residence to study them. One reading
was sufficient for him to grasp the contents as well as to
remember them. The Swami also discussed these topics
with pandits and thus acquired a knowledge of scriptural
texts. Even experts in various sastras would visit him to
get some points clarified.
Thus the Swami picked up Sanskrit, Telugu and
Malayalam by speaking to various persons in those
languages. To start with he learnt by mere hearing, but in
course of time he began learning through a study of books
which enabled him to acquire a good command of all these
languages.
Though a scholar himself, the Swami did not approve
of mere sastraic knowledge. He expressed his views in this
regard both in the Anubandham of Ulladu Narpadu (Reality
in Forty verses-Supplement) and Ramana Gita, as follows:
The unlettered are easier saved than those who are
learned but unsubdued. The unlettered are free from
the clutches of the demon Pride, they are free from
the malady of many whirling thoughts and words;
they are free from the mad pursuit of wealth, they
are free from many, many ills. -Verse 36. Reality in
Forty Verses (supplement)
— Tr K. Swaminathan
"The seeker of knowledge does not achieve his end
merely by a study of the scriptures. Without upasana
there cannot be attainment for him; this is definite"
— Ramana Gita, I. 22
one acquires the capacity to discriminate between the
true and the false. To assume that salvation lay only in
such knowledge was wrong, according to the Swami.
In his teachings also the Swami never followed any
tradition. He did not need anyone else's opinion. For
him his own experience was the basis. He quoted his own
experience in discussions or in teaching because the
listeners had faith in his experiential knowledge. For his
devotees, he was the standard.
His way was the path to nonduality (advaita [?]), his
method was one of critical analysis, not mere logic. For
this reason dogmatists of various schools were never
satisfied with him. If they came to him to show off their
learning, the Swami became silent. They would argue
endlessly but with no response forthcoming they would
depart disappointed. The Swami was an expert in practice.
We shall say more about this in the pages that follow.