[Advaita-l] Karma yoga: the kinder, softer preparation for self-inquiry and surrender

[H S Chandramouli]

Namaste.

<< On Fri, Mar 12, 2021 at 9:14 AM Akilesh Ayyar via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

Show me *any* quote in *any* of Ramana's works that support the suggestion
that
physical sannyasa is a necessity. I'm genuinely curious >>,

Really curious?  Then why insist on written or spoken evidence for his
opinion. It is like missing the Wood for the trees.The Maharshi  has shown
by his renunciation what  he deems to be essential. If to such a person
people go and ask ** Is renunciation (physical as is being termed here)
essential **, what is he expected to say. He correctly assesses that the
questioner is not mature enough and hence advises on what is best for him
in his current state of maturity. And obviously that is not sanyAsa. The
advise if followed properly,at least over a period of time leads him to the
right path. And that is sanyAsa. Sri Raghav Ji has aptly pointed this out
in his post copied below.

<<  3. Sri Ramana adopted a 'kinder softer' version of the self-enquiry
approach for householders by encouraging them to practise wherever they
were and not merely outwardly renounce things. For such grihasthas, he
discouraged any inorganic outward lifestyle changes and stressed surrender
and developing an attitude of non-doership. (An attitude of non-doership is
different from knowledge of non-doership.)

4. But He adopted a much 'tougher' upadesha for those who were living near
him in the nivRtti mArga, such as the disciples mentioned under point 2.
For example he deftly deflected young Balaram Reddy from getting married.
And told another brahmachari Annamalai Swami to consume just one piece of
coconut, a piece of dried mango, and a few groundnuts a day for
purification mind and body. The idea is, no "Janaka-logic" of rationalizing
outer luxurious life while claiming 'freedom from doership' was
countenanced by Bhagavan for his disciples in category 2. Again, When
Bhagavan's nephew Vishwanatha Swami expressed his desire to renounce his
other pursuits and stick to a naiShThika brahmacharya life of outer
renunciation, he endorsed it >>.
Regards


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