[Advaita-l] Ramana Maharshi - Advaitin or Neo Advaitin?

[V Subrahmanian]

On Sun, Sep 25, 2016 at 11:59 PM, Kripa Shankar <
kripa.shankar.0294 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Namaste Subramanian
>
> Btw the book which you mentioned earlier by Umesh is apparently out of
> print and it has been edited with new title yoga enlightenment and
> perfection.


Dear Kripa Shankar,

The two books are completely distinct ones. CJY came in 1985 and YEP
contains the intricate details of the sadhana and experiences of the
Acharya which He had disclosed to the author with the instruction that they
aught not to be made public until His shedding the body (1989).


> But it becomes annoying when the same statement is extended to mean even
> following Christ Buddha or some random saint is same.  (note that this book
> does not mention anything other than the conversations with Abhinava
> Vidyatirtha Swamy  ). Anyone can compare this book with Ramana's book and
> infer the difference between orthodox and the other schools like day and
> night.
>

Actually CJY contains an incident or two from the life of Jesus too, after
the ones about Ramana, etc. that I referred to earlier.

> ‎
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> ‎Ramana's case always intrigued me and it surprised me that almost 100
> percent of the people within the circle considered only his fables and not
> anything else.
>

I think this perception is not correct. There have been and are a lot of
sadhakas who have taken up very seriously Ramana's works (not fables) in
Tamil and Sanskrit for spiritual sadhana. There is a scholar Brahmasri
Nochur Venkataraman who discourses every year on the 'Forty verses' for one
week in Chennai, just covering only a couple of verses each year. Works
like Akshara Maṇa Mālai, Guru Vachaka Kovai etc. are full of Vedantic ideas
that the followers cherish. Even the 'Appala Pāṭṭu' that Ramana composed
when his mother Azhagammāḷ and he prepared appalam (Hapla in Kannada, Pāpad
in Hindi) is full of Vedantic import.

It is also to be remembered that when a Jnanin acknowledges others as
Jnanins it is not that there are no differences among them. Here is what HH
Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswaminah says in reply to a question:

[Exalting Elucidations, Sri Vidyatirtha Foundation, Chennai]

p.311

Q: What is the reason for two Jivanmuktas giving differing advices to their
disciples?

A: Jivanmuktas are those who have realized the Truth and are devoid of
vasanas (tendencies of the mind). They may have practiced different
spiritual disciplines and so may advice others differently. Instructions
are given keeping in mind the competence of the disciple. This is another
reason for the differences in their advices.

I also wish to point out an upanishadic statement cited by Shankara in the
Brahma sutra bhāṣya 3.2.17:

 बाष्कलिना च बाध्वः पृष्टः सन् अवचनेनैव ब्रह्म प्रोवाचेति श्रूयते — ‘स
होवाचाधीहि भो इति स तूष्णीं बभूव तं ह द्वितीये तृतीये वा वचन उवाच ब्रूमः
खलु त्वं तु न विजानासि । उपशान्तोऽयमात्मा’ इति ।

Bāṣkali, the disciple, asked Bādhva, the Preceptor: Please teach me. The
latter remained silent. The request was made for the second and the third
time and then the Preceptor said: I have been saying but you are not
grasping. This Atman is Quiescence.

We have not been able to trace the source of the above but Shankara says it
is a shruti.

There are many instances when visitors/devotees who have got answers to
their questions, clarifications and doubts dispelled, etc. by merely being
in the Hall when Ramana never spoke a word.

Such experiences have been had by devotees who visit Sringeri in the
presence of the Jagadguru or while seated in front of the Adhishthānams of
the earlier Acharyas.  This could very well be the case with any Mahatma.


regards
vs

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