38. THE METHOD OF
TEACHING
ONCE somebody asked Bhagavan, "Why don't youvisit places and guide people on the right path as
Sankara and some others did?"
Bhagavan: Merely being physically alive is itself an
act of grace of Mahatmas. Even if they keep quiet, the
vibrations set off by the power of their tapas [?] spreads
harmony and peace.
The question itself was inappropriate in the first place.
Divine beings come into the world with a purpose and
no distractions of their mission are desirable. The
Maharshi's abidance in the Self was intended to
demonstrate the importance of experiential knowledge as
distinct from mere bookish knowledge. The desire for
experiential wisdom depends on one's samskara and there
is no use trying to inspire those who do not desire
liberation. Further, mouna-upadesa is best. That subtle
power touches the subtle body of the seeker and influences
his samskara. Instead of preferring this why look for speech
which is gross?
On another occasion a similar question was put to
Bhagavan, to which he replied, "If you go and ask an electric
fan to give light, it won't give it. So is the case with an
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electric light if it is asked to provide breeze." Each person
had an allotted role to play, that was what Bhagavan meant.
"If I start out to visit a different place to see devotees,
on the way there will be several halts and it will take a
long time to reach the destination," said Bhagavan. To a
young girl who pleaded with Bhagavan to visit their place,
Bhagavan said, "If you take me to your place won't all
those devotees who come here be disappointed? Won't
they also say that they would take me to another place?"
It is not as if everyone desired liberation. A number
of persons visiting Bhagavan were filled with sorrow. For
those who sought refuge at Bhagavan's feet in view of
their mundane affairs or health problems what was the
use of any upadesa? Even so, the diseased and the agitated
were given some peace which was a source of solace for
them. Yet others visited him to show off their erudition.
On such occasions Bhagavan simply observed mouna [?]. Like
the clouds of autumn, which did not bear any water yet
thundered they also would talk for some time and depart.
In fact, Bhagavan himself said that exhibition of
perverse scholarship was abundant in several
commentaries. He also said that though there were several
sayings supportive of advaita [?], people interpreted them as
being in favour of Vaishnavism. For instance, in one case,
Nammalwar's saying: "Oh Lord, without knowing your
true nature I thought you were different from me. But
after knowing you, only you remain." Simply put, this is
supportive of advaita [?] but commentators made perverse
interpretations, said Bhagavan.
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Some were too lazy to read any scriptural text. They
came to Bhagavan for clarifications on simple matters
which could be got by reading any elementary spiritual
text. But they would want a reply straight from Bhagavan,
no less. But Bhagavan used to oblige them patiently. In
yet other cases, devotees would seek clarifications on points
noticed in some books. Bhagavan would make matters
clear to them easily. Some did not want any discussions
and even after various types of sadhana [?], made little progress
which was due to their worldly desires. Unless that abated,
any spiritual enquiry was a waste. And yet to be rid of
desires how many births did one need? Bhagavan did not
discourage his devotees. In his view, complete freedom
from desire meant acquisition of jnana [?]. Unless one abided
in the Self, complete vairagya [?] and disappearance of desire
was impossible for anyone. But a question often arose
whether there was any prescribed level of vairagya [?] for self
enquiry. Bhagavan's reply to Natanananda revealed his
attitude in this regard: "If you really are unfit why did the
desire to visit Mahatmas arise in the first place?" In other
words, the very arising of a good intention was enough of
a qualification. Bhagavan's view also was that vairagya [?]
could result from self enquiry.
All seekers needed vairagya [?], and it had to be obtained.
Yet Bhagavan never said that a relentless battle against
desire had to be waged. Bhagavan would say, "If a bird
caught in a net struggles to free itself it will only get
strangled. So do not pay any attention to desires. Just as
other desires arise, even evil desires do. By using the
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technique of "neti-neti" or asking yourself, `To whom are
these desires arising?,' in the self enquiry path, uproot the
evil desire. It will fall along with branches, leaves, flowers
and buds."
Sri Ramakrishna looked upon his spouse as the
Mother of the Universe and escaped the hold of desire.
Similarly after savouring Bhagavan's sweet name who would
prefer to seek the sweetness of any other thing?
Bhagavan's teaching was simple: pay no attention to
anything except the atma. No one need doubt its efficacy.
There were any number of devotees who after a prolonged
and futile struggle surrendered themselves to Bhagavan
and got out of the mire.
For vairagya [?] to intensify there were various aids like,
japa, homa, satsang, association with Mahatmas — as also
keeping up regularity, said Bhagavan. But all those should
be within certain limits as means to an end and not as
hindrances to self-enquiry itself.
Some came to the Ashram due to the vairagya [?] caused
by the sorrow suffered in domestic life and under the
impression that as Bhagavan himself left his home there
was nothing wrong in their also wanting to renounce.
Natanananda was one such who was discouraged by
Bhagavan from taking to sannyasa [?]. Once a person who
thought that he did not have Bhagavan's grace wanted to
commit suicide and came to the Ashram for a last darshan.
At that very moment Bhagavan was saying to someone
else "Have you noticed how much of effort is involved in
preparing leaf-plates. You have to collect the leaves and
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dry the split pieces of bamboo or other wood, clean the
leaves and then stitch in order to keep them together.
Having done so, you are not going to throw them away
immediately isn't it? You throw the leaf away only after
you have had your meal." The upadesa here was that the
body could not be discarded until it had gone through all
experiences ordained for it.
Bhagavan certainly was aware that the ideal in life
varied according to the individual's stage of development
and vasanas. Accordingly there were instances where
Bhagavan approved of worship of God with a form in
some cases. Taking this as a cue worshippers of Sakti took
Bhagavan to be one among themselves. Vaishnavites felt
that there was no difference between their own beliefs
and Bhagavan's upadesa. It was similarly possible for
Christians to believe that what Bhagavan taught was no
different from their own tenets. Generally Bhagavan never
tried to wean away anyone from the path already being
followed by him or her. Bhagavan held that whatever path
was being followed, ultimately everyone would reach the
stage of enquiry into the Formless and said as much.
Bhagavan reminded one of the precept: "Act according to
the other person's views and captivate him."
Bhagavan also did not approve of persons with
different beliefs quarrelling among themselves. So long as
worship of God with a form was there this conflict was
inevitable.
Sometime in 1925 Vallimalai Murugan the famed
singer of Tiruppugazh lyrics in praise of Lord Subrahmanya
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by the poet Arunagirinathar visited Bhagavan along with
a group of lawyers. They were all adepts at singing those
lyrics. Murugan could sing the lyrics excellently and with
emotion but did not know their meaning. Thereupon
Bhagavan explained to him what the lyrics meant.
Murugan came to know the meanings of the lyrics for the
first time but soon became an expert in Tiruppugazh and
was able to give discourses. Thus Bhagavan helped him in
his worship of God with a form. One of the lawyers who
came to Bhagavan asked him if chanting the Gayatri
mechanically had any use. Bhagavan told him, "Chanting
mechanically also is useful. One can take Savita as the
subject to be meditated upon especially when reciting the
last mantra, `salutations to Savita the universal eye'."
Meditating thus upon the embodiment of that Sakti
and surrendering to Him will help the meditator a lot.
That Sakti knows what is good for the meditator and
bestows it. Also meditating continuously on that form
which is all-pervasive will lead to the form itself
disappearing. It ends in the worship of the Formless.
A group of pilgrims from Gorakhpur visited Bhagavan
once. The leader of the group asked Bhagavan: "You are
a jnani [?] who says that you are everything, whereas we are
bhaktas who believe that we are different from the
Ultimate. Is there any meeting ground in our divergent
ways?" Bhagavan replied, "The words are different but
what is happening is the same. As your nama japa
intensifies, the form disappears and the nama alone
remains. Until that stage is reached your ideal is the image
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you worship. To be able to see that form in everything is
a big step forward. At that stage `everything is full of
Vishnu'. The worshipper also is a part of `everything'. To
be able to see Vishnu alone is the next big step. After that
a stage arises where there is only tejas, beyond that lies the
primal sound, beyond that is akasa. What lies beyond
that and where lies multiplicity can be considered later.
You said that the ideal was Vishnu. To be able to see
Vishnu nama everywhere is the achievement. The nama
arises in us as a thought. In other words, when you perform
nama japa in the mind that nama is in the form of a
thought. To have one and only one thought is the last
step. I refer to it as `aham [?]'. Names like Vishnu depict
characteristics whereas for `aham [?]' even that is absent.
Krishna Bhikshu once submitted to Bhagavan,
"Bhagavan, previously while meditating, your form used
to appear before me. But now that is not happening."
Bhagavan replied, "At least is the name remembered?"
"Yes, certainly."
"Name is beyond form," declared Bhagavan.
A Vaishnavite asked Bhagavan very reverentially,
"Bhagavan, is Truth dvaita (dualistic) or advaita [?] (non-
dualistic)?"
Bhagavan in turn asked, "Do you refer to the present
stage or to the stage when the world is not."
"To the present."
"At the moment, you and I are very much here."
"What happens after the world submerges?"
"In what?"
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"In paramatma."
"After it submerges, there is no world, isn't it? There
is only paramatma."
"How do we get that experience?"
"What is your experience in deep sleep? There is no
world in it. Were you there alone or as two or three?"
asked Bhagavan.
The visitor had no reply.
For some, the chosen deities were avatara purushas like
Sri Rama. For some others it was Sakti. In such cases the
power of Sakti flowed to the upasaka and his mind became
one with Sakti. That Sakti itself gave strength to the seeker
for meditating on the Formless, clarified Bhagavan on one
occasion. Bhagavan would suggest appropriate mantras for
meditation to disciples after finding out their priorities and
preferences.
Observe what Bhagavan said to Ganapati Muni
regarding the practice of mantra japa "In Upadesa saram
performing japa is referred to. In japa too there are different
ways — performing it aloud, performing it in a low voice
or performing it silently in the mind, each better than the
preceding method. Keeping the attention on the person
performing the japa is known as ajapa."
In the case of worship of the One with form Bhagavan
also, like acharyas of the past, approved of bhakti [?] and said
that uninterrupted meditation was better than meditation
in spells.
Bhagavan gave detailed comments about pranayama [?]
in Ramana Gita just as in the Bhagavad Gita. Yet Bhagavan
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emphasized that whatever be the method adopted what
was important was the realization of the Self.
Bhagavan's grace helped each seeker according to his
deserts. So far as Bhagavan was concerned, all sadhana [?]
practices were equally good. What did it matter if the
upadesa varied according to the disciple?
For practitioners of yoga, brilliant lights in different
shapes and colours were visible. So also forms of chosen
deities were visible and all kinds of sounds were heard. It
was common for seekers to see Bhagavan in the form of a
brilliant light also.
Santammal, a widow, came from Ramanathapuram
to serve Bhagavan. She worshipped Bhagavan's picture
with great devotion and always meditated on Bhagavan
during waking hours. Naturally, she also saw him in her
dreams. Occasionally, she saw Bhagavan's form as a bright
light whether her eyes were open or shut and this happened
even if she was at Arunachala. She narrated her experiences
to Bhagavan who told her that these visions were not
important and that only realizing the Self mattered. What
we saw in the waking state in gross form could also be
seen in a subtle form by the subtle mind in dreams, yet all
these were mere objects and not the subject, which was
more important. To rejoice at such experiences was utter
foolishness emphasized Bhagavan. Similar are occult
powers, and siddhis, about which we shall speak later.
There is no need to specify what Bhagavan's upadesa
was. His life story, described so far, itself was his upadesa
and example. Though Bhagavan was helping devotees in
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numerous ways some were still dissatisfied. They aspired
to be known as Bhagavan's sishyas (disciples) but Bhagavan
never gave diksha to anyone nor did he accept anyone as
his sishya. It was enough to obtain his grace and he always
assisted devotees in the spiritual path by his presence or a
look. Chadwick once asked Bhagavan if he never gave
initiation by touch nor accept some as his disciples.
Bhagavan replied, "What is the need to demonstrate?
Without touch don't you get the feeling of being accepted?"
In fact, everyone knew within himself whether he was
accepted or not but no one could claim to be Bhagavan's
sishya or that what they said was Bhagavan's view also.
Devotees would discuss Ulladu Narpadu among
themselves and interpret its views in various ways but would
not come to any agreed interpretation. They then approached
Bhagavan for an authentic clarification. Bhagavan heard them
and merely said, "Nothing has been written with any sankalpa [?].
Your interpretations are alright." Actually, each one
understood the verses according to his samskara and the
benefit derived also depended on their understanding. Even
if anything more were to be taught to them it was all of no
use to them. On one occasion, two devotees gave different
interpretations and not satisfied with it, continued their
discussion through the pages of a journal!
It is commonly believed that upadesa meant giving a
mantra or touching the hand or head. Bhagavan usually
never did any such thing. Some did experience Bhagavan's
appearance in dreams and his touching them. This
probably happened because privacy was necessary for any
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upadesa. Further any initiation could happen through
visions as in the case of Natanananda, or through sight as
in the case of Ganapati Muni, or through the touch of the
head as in the case of Ramaswami Iyer and a young
Maharashtrian woman. From various bhaktas we learn
that Bhagavan appeared in their dreams and gave upadesa.
Any doubts raised about matters in the sastras [?] would
elicit replies beneficial to everyone. On some occasions
even if any request for a clarification was not articulated
the clarification came about in a general way.
Bhagavan gave his upadesa, on numerous occasions,
by means of brief statements. Once, a young girl was
moving from one window to another in the hall frequently
and every time she moved Bhagavan asked her what she
was doing. The girl would reply "Nothing." Thereupon
Bhagavan said "That girl knows that only her body moved
and that she did not move. Elders never know this."
A devotee once said, "Bhagavan, you don't do
anything. Give me your power I will do a lot of good to
the world." "Is it so?" And turning to others present
Bhagavan continued, "here is a man who has no
wherewithal to feed himself but wants to run a charity
home!" Bhagavan gave a similar answer to Humphreys.
A gentleman who had a newspaper in his hand asked
Bhagavan: "It is said that the atma is everywhere but it is
seen no-where. Where exactly is it?"
"You have a newspaper, you see the letters there but
not the paper. On that account do you say that there is no
paper at all?"
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While serving food one server spilt something on
somebody's feet. Bhagavan noticed it and remarked, "The
moment they take the ladle some think that they are great
but they don't see who is really great."
A disciple once asked Bhagavan, who was then at
Skandasramam, "What is meant by desireless action?"
Bhagavan did not give a reply but kept quiet. A little
later, he went out for a walk accompanied by the
questioner and some others. Bhagavan saw a branch of a
tree, cut it and spent one hour shaping it into a nice
walking stick. At about that time, an elderly shepherd
who had no walking stick came that way walking slowly
and with difficulty. Bhagavan gave him the stick which
he just made and said "Action is over so also desireless
action" and thus showed by example what the phrase
meant.
Bhagavan's words were pregnant with upadesa. To be
able to receive it depended on the hearer.
The example to be followed was Bhagavan's way of
life. Whatever he did was perfect and an example for others
to follow.