[Chaturamnaya] Ramana Bhagavan and the Sankaran Tradition (Part I)

[S Jayanarayanan]

One of the few esteemed spiritual personages respected by the Sankaracharyas has been Ramana Maharshi.
Here are some instances where they showed great mutual respect for one another.
 

Visit of Puri Sankaracharya to Ramanasramam
-------------------------------------------

The Puri Sankaracharya once visited Ramana Bhagavan and obtained upadesha from Him.
It's a rare instance (perhaps the only one) where the Jagadguru actually took upadesha
instead of giving it! This speaks volumes of the Sage of Arunachala, who was
Dakshinamurthi Himself in human form!

Below is one rendering of the events recorded during the visit:

http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/letters/letter212.html

Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

(212) VISIT OF THE HEAD OF PURI MUTT 
9th January, 1949 

About a week or ten days ago, the Puri Sankaracharya came here. His meeting with Bhagavan was something 
unique. As the arrival of the Acharya was known beforehand, the Sarvadhikari made all the required arrangements for the 
occasion. As you know, Bhagavan has been staying only in the Jubilee Hall during daytime. On the day of the arrival of 
the Acharya, devotees spread a tiger skin on Bhagavan's couch and decorated it in a fitting manner. By the side of 
the couch, a suitable seat was arranged for the Acharya also. After Bhagavan had been out for his afternoon walk at 3 p.m.
and had returned and resumed his seat on the couch, the devotees as usual prostrated before him and sat down. 

The Acharya arrived at the Ashram at the appointed hour, went to his lodging in the Veda Patasala (School for 
Scriptures), made his ablutions and then, accompanied by his disciples, came to Bhagavan's presence. 

At the time of his coming, Bhagavan sat cross-legged in his usual padmasana pose and with his characteristic silence. 

The Acharya came to Bhagavan with his Danda (the staff of an ascetic) and saluted him. Bhagavan nodded his head in 
acceptance of the salutations and with great regard requested him by signs to sit on the seat arranged for him. He did not, 
however, sit there but sat down nearby on a deerskin and began looking at Bhagavan with a fixed stare. Bhagavan too 
looked at him with an unwavering and compassionate look. 

Neither spoke. The audience also kept perfect silence like the still waters of a great lake. For about half an hour, both 
of them remained absolutely still like that, exemplifying the relationship between devotion and compassion. At that time, 
Bhagavan's face shone like the illumination of a crore of sun gods. Because of that brilliance, the faces of the people who 
came to witness this scene also blossomed like lotus flowers. 

A glorious voice saying, "What a splendour on Bhagavan's face!" appeared to ring in the hearts of all the people there. 

One amongst them spontaneously said, "It will be very good indeed if someone takes a photo now." As though the silence 
were disturbed by those words, the Acharya got up, respectfully asked for permission to leave, and went away to his lodging. 

Seeing all this, I was reminded of Sri Dakshinamurthy who came to the earth to initiate Sanaka, Sanandana and 
others. "Vriddah Sishya Gurur yuva" (The disciples are old and the Guru is young). Similarly, the Acharya is a very old 
man and in contrast Bhagavan appeared to be a young man. 

The place also appeared at the time to be similar. The flower garden to the right was like Nandavanam; the Arunachala 
Hill at the back like Mount Kailas; the almond tree to the left, with its several branches, like a banyan tree; and the 
open space in front with a sea of human faces which had blossomed as if they were lotus flowers, like the great lake 
Manasarovar. Like the saying, "Gurosthu Mouna Vyakhyanam Sishyasthu Chhinnasamsayah" (The Guru's sermon was Silence
and the doubts of the disciples were cleared). The Acharya did not ask any questions that day. It seems that before he 
came here, he had written regarding his doubts as to the sentence in the Agama Sastra beginning with "Haragowri 
Samyoge. Avachhaya Yogah." The Ashram authorities did not reply to him giving Bhagavan's views as they felt that the 
matter could be explained when the Acharya came here. 

Hence when the next day the Acharya asked Bhagavan about it, Bhagavan replied saying, "What is there? It is a well known 
thing. "Avachhaya Yogam" means, when the force that is engaged in doing things, i.e., mano vritti (action of the mind) 
becomes pure and merges in Hara (Lord Siva), and when the shadow of the Self (Atma) falls on that force, it is called 
"Avachhaya Yogam"." The Acharya said he did not understand it. Bhagavan thereupon spread his benign look over him for 
about half an hour. The Acharya's eyes got closed involuntarily. After experiencing indescribable bliss and with 
tears of joy and with hands folded on his head, he said, "Bhagavan, I have now understood it," and assuring us that 
he would be back by the time the Kumbhabhishekam (consecration ceremony) is performed, he left on pilgrimage 
to the south accompanied by his disciples. 
 

Sringeri Jagadguru on Ramana Bhagavan
-------------------------------------

The January 1997 issue of Tattvaloka, the official magazine of the Sringeri Math, narrates an
incident when the then pontiff of Sringeri, H.H. Swami Sivabhinava Narasimha Bharati said:

 "We study scriptures and commentaries on them. They no doubt clarify
 one's understanding and help one spiritually; but they are only
 secondary. The main thing is one's spiritual ripeness. One who is
 already spiritually evolved need not go through the scriptures and
 commentaries on them. Such a one gets illumined in a flash without
 these aids. The Bala Yogi of Tiruvannamalai is an instance here." 
 

First issue of Mountain Path
----------------------------
 
The first issue of the Mountain Path, the official magazine of Ramanasramam, received a number of
letters blessing its success. The very first message published was that of the Sringei Jagadguru:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ramanafiles/mountainpath/1964%20I%20Jan.pdf

 Vol. 1 No. 1, January 1964

 Messages

 HIS HOLINESS SRI JAGADGURU MAHASAMSTHANAM
 Sharada Peetham of Sringeri.

 "His Holiness was very glad to know you are starting publication of a quarterly journal
 entitled  "The Mountain Path" from January 1964 and that its aims are "to set forth the
 traditional wisdom  of all religions and of all ages especially as testified to by their
 saints and mystics."
 His Holiness is pleased to convey His Blessings for success of your journal."