[Advaita-l] Discussion on Vairagya

[Dr. V. Prasanna Shrinivas]

Namaste

Please find the following conversation culled from Maharishi's gospel.
Ramana himself said that he had a guru unlike what many people
perceive.

Question: Some people reported you to have said that there was no need
for a Guru. Others gave the opposite report.
What does Maharshi say?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: I have never said that there is no need for a Guru.

Questioner: Sri Aurobindo and others refer to you as having had no Guru.

Sri Ramana Maharshi: It all depends on what you call a Guru. He need
not be in a human form. Dattatreya had twenty-four Gurus including the
five elements- earth, water, etc. Every object in this world was his
Guru.

The Guru is absolutely necessary. The Upanishads say that none but a
Guru can take a man out of the jungle of intellect and sense
perceptions. So there must be a Guru.

Questioner: I mean a human Guru- Maharshi did not have one.

Sri Ramana Maharshi: I might have had one at one time or other. But
did I not sing hymns to Arunachala? What is a Guru? Guru is God or the
Self. First a man prays to God to fulfil his desires.
A time comes when he will no more pray for the fulfilment of material
desires but for God Himself. God then appears to him in some form or
other, human or non-human, to guide him to Himself in answer to his
prayer and according to his needs.

Question: When loyal to one master can you respect others?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Guru is only one. He is not physical.
So long as there is weakness the support of strength is needed.

Questioner: J.Krishnamurti says, "No Guru is necessary."

Sri Ramana Maharshi: How did he know it? One can say so after
realising but not before.

Question: Can Sri Bhagavan help us to realise truth?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Help is always there.

Questioner: Then there is no need to ask questions. I do not feel the
ever-present help.

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Surrender and you will find it.

Questioner: I am always at your feet. Will Bhagavan give us some
upadesa (teaching) to follow? Otherwise how can I get help living 600
miles away?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: The sadguru (the Guru who is one with Being) is within.

Questioner: Sadguru is necessary to guide me to understand it.

Sri Ramana Maharshi: The sadguru is within.

Questioner: I want a visible Guru.

Sri Ramana Maharshi: That visible Guru says that he is within.

Question: Is success not dependent on the Guru's grace?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Yes, it is. Is not your practice itself due to
such grace? The fruits are the result of the practice and follow it
automatically. There is a stanza in Kaivalya which says, 'O Guru! You
have been always with me, watching me through several incarnations,
and ordaining my course until I was liberated.' The Self manifests
externally as the Guru when the occasion arises, otherwise he is
always within, doing what is necessary.


Sadguro Saranam


On 8/5/07, srikanta at nie.ac.in <srikanta at nie.ac.in> wrote:
> This is with reference to Sri Anbu's Email on the above topic.He writes
> that the "Samith"which is referred to is the dried Banyan twigs to signify
> that the desires have dried up.This is not correct.A seeker approaches a
> Guru because he does not know how to free himself from the desires.The
> Mundakopanishath sruthi says"nasti akrtam krtena".Hence he is still in the
> ajnana avastha.In the olden days those who are following the Karma
> Khanda(the meemamsakas)used to offer offerings to the fire to propitiate
> the Gods.The offering is a stage in Upasana.He only who gets the Vairagya
> approaches a Guru.It does not also follow that all will approach a
> Guru.The wise ones like Ramana had no Guru.In the Bhagavad Gita Bhagavan
> says:Lokesmin dvidha nishta pura prokta mayanagha!
>      Jnanayogena Sankhyanam karmayogena yoginam!!
> Also,the Jnana does not occur to every seeker in the same way.Just as a
> person who boards a train has his own destination,the person gets
> enlightened in that way.Once enlightened,it is his own.
>                                                         N.Srikanta.
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-- 
Thanks and regards

Dr. V. Prasanna Shrinivas
Mobile: +91-99002 17109
Phone:+91-80-233 69953