[Advaita-l] Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi - Annamalai Swami

[Divya Meedin]

Excerpts from Living By the Words of Bhagavan, a chronicle of the life of
and conversations with Annamalai Swami, by David Godman

(Pg 250, 'Diary Extracts')

At various times I *(Annamalai Swami)* used to jot down brief answers or
statements by Bhagavan which for some reason or another inspired me at the
time they were spoken. I usually omitted the question or the context of the
answer because at the time I didn't think that they were particularly
relevant. The following list contains twelve such items.

(a) The flow of the river stops once it reaches the ocean and becomes one
with the ocean. Likewise, if one's mind is always meditating on the Self,
eventually it becomes Atmamayam [that is, it will be of the same nature as
the Self].

(b) When someone asked Bhagavan how to get rid of anger he answered,
'Become angry with anger. Desire is the root of anger. Desirelessness is
absolute happiness.

(c) The natural name of every person is Mukti.

(d) He is a real man who does not let go his hold on the Self state while
he is attending to whatever problems that come of their own accord and
without his desire.

(e) He who thinks, 'I am the body' is committing the sin of suicide. He who
thinks 'I am the Atman' is a person of very great fortune. A moment of
meditation on 'I am the Atman' will destroy all Sanchita Karma just as the
sun destroys darkness. How can Karma remain undestroyed in the one who
constantly meditates like this?

(f) When sleep comes, be awake. Sleep when you are awake. This is to sleep
without sleeping. To be free from worries is to sleep without sleeping.

(g) Desire is Maya. Desirelessness is God.

(h) The man who loves the all-supporting God with the understanding that
nothing can be achieved by his own actions, and who expects instead that
all actions will be performed by God alone, that man is led every minute by
God along the path of truth.

(i) Everyone is seeing himself everywhere. One is in the same state that
God and the world are in.

(j) Natural devotion is to know one's Self and to remain permanently in
that state without forgetting it.

(k) God is tinier than the atom and larger than the cosmos. All are forms
of God. Because of our sense of difference we think that we are an
individual person. There is no mistake greater than this in the world.

(l) One can only think of spoiling others after one has spoiled oneself.


(Page 233)

One day a woman who was a dedicated Congress Party worker came to Sri
Bhagavan for his darshan.

After remaining in the hall for some time, she asked Bhagavan, 'Many great
sages like you have toured around giving lectures which pass on beneficial
wisdom to the people of the world. You have attained Jnana for yourself but
you sit in a corner keeping quiet. Of what benefit is this to the world?'

Bhagavan replied, "To know the Self and to remain in the state of the Self
is alone the greatest benefit a person can give to the world. All the
lectures delivered from the stage will be effective for some people only
for as long as the person is on the platform. But the lecture of silence
can always be heard all over the world. It will always be effective.'