[Advaita-l] Commentary on Ramana's Forty Verses

[S Jayanarayanan]

 Akilesh Ayyar ayyar at akilesh.com wrote:
 
> See this dialogue.
> 
> D: *How does a grihastha fare in the scheme of moksha? Should he not
> necessarily become a mendicant in order to attain liberation?*
> 
> Again, a direct question. Let's not pretend Maharshi is lying to a direct
> question.
> 
> M: *Why do you think you are a grihastha? Similar thoughts that you are a
> sannyasin will haunt you, even if you go out as a sannyasin.* Whether you
> continue in the household or renounce it and go to the forest, your mind
> haunts you. The ego is the source of thought. It creates the body and the
> world, and it makes you think of being the grihastha. If you renounce, it
> will only substitute the thought of sannyasa for that of grihastha, and the
> environment of the forest for that of the household. But the mental
> obstacles are always there for you. They even increase greatly in the new
> surroundings. It is no help to change the environment. *The one obstacle is
> the mind; it must be got over whether in the home or in the forest. If you
> can do it in the forest, why not in the home? Therefore, why change the
> environment? Your efforts can be made even now, whatever be the
> environment.*
> 
> Maharshi's answer cannot be any clearer.
> 
 
Yes, Ramana Maharshi (RM) clearly says that for *THAT PARTICULAR* aspirant, taking sannyAsa is not
the right decision! Because RM's reply starts with, "Why do *YOU* think *YOU* are a grihastha?"
The personal pronoun "YOU" reveals that it was addressed to a specific individual, who was probably
unfit for sannyAsa! As already discussed, the majority of the population is not eligible for sannyAsa,
and this questioner was evidently among the ineligible.
 
That's why the earlier quote from "Spiritual Instruction" is more general:
 
> > 22. Is asceticism (sannyasa) one of the essential requisites for
> > a person to become established in the Self (atmanishta)?
>
> > ...
> > How can bodily stations remove the attachment
> > in the mind? As maturity of thought and enquiry pertain to
> > the mind, these alone can, by enquiry on the part of the same
> > mind, remove the attachments which have crept into it through
> > thoughtlessness. BUT, AS THE DISCIPLINE OF ASCETICISM
> > (SANNYASASHRAMA) IS THE MEANS FOR ATTAINING DISPASSION
> > (VAIRAGYA), AND AS DISPASSION IS THE MEANS FOR ENQUIRY, JOINING
> > AN ORDER OF ASCETICS MAY BE REGARDED, IN A WAY, AS A MEANS OF
> > ENQUIRY THROUGH DISPASSION. INSTEAD OF WASTING ONE’S LIFE
> > BY ENTERING THE ORDER OF ASCETICS BEFORE ONE IS FIT FOR IT, IT IS
> > BETTER TO LIVE THE HOUSEHOLDER’S LIFE.
> > ...
>
>
> > Specifically note the phrases in ALL CAPS (emphases mine). RM obviously
> > accepts that sannyAsa-ashrama is
> > definitely GOOD for Self-realization. However, he also says that it is NOT
> > a good idea if one is NOT FIT
> > for sannyAsa! This is the key point - not everyone (I would estimate >90%)
> > is eligible to take up sannyAsa.
> > For most of us, better to stay in the householder path until one attains
> > the requisite maturity.
>
> > Regards,
> > Kartik