[Advaita-l] Sannyasa and Ramana (was Re: Sankara on sannyAsa for Steadiness in GYAna)

[Dr D Bharadwaj]

*Dear Friends,*
*
*
*Sri Ramana Bhagavan was NOT a snnyaasi. *
*He never claimed to be one. He often used*
*expressions like 'we sadhus ...' etc. including himself and the others in
the Ashram. Never once did he say he was a sannyaasi.  He never never
claimed that he was a  sannyasi by deekhsa.  Nor did he give himself a name*
*like 'swami so and so', nor did he wear ocher robes,*
*nor did he initiate and 'give' ocher robes to any, he did not even motivate
anyone to take sannyaas. He opined that sannyasa was not indispensible for
self realization. *
*He repeated these words several  times.*
*
*
*On one occasion he was asked by a Govt official,*
*on record,  what 'ashrama' he belonged to  if not the sannyaasaahrama.  He
said, on record, that he belonged to the ateetaahrama. *
*
*
*Vashitaadi maharshis were grihasthas.*
*That a spiritually advance person ought to have been*
*an ochre robed sanyasin is an unfounded modern concept.*
*
*
As for the description in the Ramana Leela, the views were entirely the
author's. That it was written while Bhagavan was in the physical body does
not mean that
*every page whetted, verified or approved my him.*
*
*
*There are a few biographical works on him written by stalwarts in
Bhagavan's life time, that were read out to him and were scrupulously
corrected based on his comments. The Leela unfortunately was not one of
them.*


*SrIramaNArpaNamastu*


Dr. D. Bharadwaj
dr.d.bharadwaj at gmail.com

sarvE bhavanthu sukhinah
sarvE santhu niraamayaah
sarvE bhadrANi pasyanthu
maa kaschit duhkhabhAg bhavEt.


On Sat, Oct 24, 2009 at 6:52 AM, S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at yahoo.com> wrote:

> --- On Fri, 10/23/09, D.V.N. Sarma <dvnsarma at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > If that makes you feel that Bhagavan
> > took sannyasa asrama
> > I have no objection.
> >
> > I was under the impression that we are discussing
> > ritualistic
> > sannyasa as a prerequisite to jnana. It was this
> > ritualistic
> > sannyasa that the official of Sringeri mutt requested Sri
> > Bhagavan
> > to submit to. The custodians of Hindu dharma obviously did
> > not
> > recognise Sri bhagavan as sannyasi.
> >
>
> You have been misinformed about Sringeri Math's opinion of Ramana Bhagavan:
>
> http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/2002-April/023659.html
>
> "When Ramana was alive, almost all the traditional Advaita leaders
> commended his attainment, including the Acharyas of Puri, Sringeri and
> Kanchi, and there are records to prove it. The seniormost Sankaracharya
> then, Swami Sivabhinava Narasimha Bharati of Sringeri, even told some
> people that Ramana did not need to formally wear the sannyasin's ocher
> robes, and to formally take the sannyasin initiation. That was a big issue
> for traditional people in south Indian society. This has been reported
> both in the Ramanashramam's magazine, The Mountain Path, and in Sringeri's
> magazine, Tattvaloka. The very first issue of The Mountain Path carries a
> benedictory message officially conveyed from Sringeri."
>
> > I would like to point out to you that Kanchi Periyaval
> > sent srimukhams to the brahmins who recited veda
> > in the temple erected on the samadhi of Bhagavan's mother
> > because according to the sastra women cannot take sannyasa
> > and burrying them and installing linga on the samadhi is
> > heretical.The brahmins later ignored the srimukhams.
> >
> > We do not understand the spirit of
> >
> > "na varnA na varNAsramAchAradharmaH.."
> >
> > in Sankara's Dasasloki.
> >
> > I think that no useful purpose is served by continuing this
> > discussion.
> >
> > regards,
> > Sarma.
> >
> > On 10/23/09, S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at yahoo.com>
> > wrote:
> > > --- On Thu, 10/22/09, D.V.N. Sarma <dvnsarma at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > >> On 10/22/09, S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at yahoo.com>
> > >> wrote:
> > >> > --- On Wed, 10/21/09, D.V.N. Sarma <dvnsarma at gmail.com>
> > >> wrote:
> > >> >
> > >> >> Has anybody any information about
> > >> >> vedic rishis like Vasishta,
> > >> >> Vamadeva, Bhrigu, Viswamitra
> > >> >> etc., taking sannyasa?
> > >> >>
> > >> >
> > >> > Apastamba Dharma Sutra 2.6.13 reads:
> > >> >
> > >> > http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe02/sbe0248.htm
> > >> >
> > >> > 8. Transgression of the law and violence are
> > found
> > >> amongst the ancient
> > >> > (sages).
> > >> > 9. They committed no sin on account of the
> > greatness
> > >> of their lustre.
> > >> > 10. A man of later times who seeing their
> > (deeds)
> > >> follows them, falls.
> > >> >
> > >>
> > >> Therefore as per this Bhagavan Ramana
> > >> and sri Ramakrishna
> > >> are fallen.
> > >>
> > >
> > > Extracts from Sri Ramana Leela, widely recognized as
> > the most important
> > > biography of Ramana Maharshi (first published in 1936
> > while Bhagavan Ramana
> > > was still living):
> > >
> > > 1) Description of the Sannyasa of Ramana:
> > >
> > >   "The yagnopaveetam (sacred thread) is
> > indicative of a
> > >   Brahmin birth and culture – this
> > indicated that
> > >   Venkataraman was a Brahmin, son of
> > Sundaram Iyer.
> > >   Henceforth he was the son of the
> > Universal Father,
> > >   Arunachaleswara. He was beyond all
> > caste distinctions.
> > >   The sacred thread could also cause a
> > sense of superiority.
> > >   Hence, he got rid of it.
> > >   After his tonsure he did not want the
> > luxury of a
> > >   bath, but would the guru
> > Arunachaleswara allow any
> > >   violation of convention? Venkataraman
> > took to sannyasa
> > >   in the midst of water. As he was
> > returning to the temple,
> > >   there was a heavy downpour drenching
> > him. The heavens
> > >   themselves provided the bath."
> > >
> > > 2) Ramana Maharshi refers to his lifestyle as a
> > Sannyasi:
> > >
> > >   "Naturally the thieves
> > >   were disappointed and showed it; one
> > of them raised a
> > >   stick and threatening Bhagavan, said
> > “Where have you
> > >   kept all your money?” “We are
> > poor sannyasis, we survive
> > >   on what others give us. We never had
> > any money at all,”
> > >   said Bhagavan. However much the
> > thieves pressed, that
> > >   was the only reply they could get.
> > The thieves left
> > >   disappointed."
> > >
> > >> regards,
> > >> Sarma.
> > >>
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Kartik
> > >
> > >
> > >
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