Ramana's Brahmasthram

Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 18:00

Seekers normally crowd the feet of Jnanis like bees hovering around a lotus. People from all walks of life approached Ramana Maharshi. The silence of the Master was infectious and caught on to the matured ones that their doubts dispelled automatically. Some others sought to seek verbal answers for their spiritual queries from the Maharshi. A devotee of Ramana is well aware of the fact that the master redirected the questioner to question himself of his own existence, the fact that who he is who questions, though at times He also gave verbal answers. Ramana pushed the devotees to practise in order to save them from involving in futile discussions that do seek to take them home.

Once a devotee around the age of 18 approached Ramana and asked Him where one is to merge after crossing the 'Omkar'. The master smiled and shot back a series of questions to the lad. He asked the lad with a smile , "Where did you come from?," "Where will you go,?" "What is that you want to know?" and finally the most destructive question, "Who are you?". The boy revealed his ignorance of the queries that the Master put forward. Bhagavan directed his attention to his source with further more questions, "Since you know that you are existent, How are you existent? Where really were you before? What exactly is your body? Find them out first and if you still have doubts arising, you can then ask me. Find out what your state is actually and your movements, without worrying about 'Omkar' now."The lad bowed to Bhagavan and left.

A sannyasi once on his visit to Ramana, boasted about his knowledge that he had acquired by reading various religious books. He started asking various questions to Ramana and entered into an argument. Bhagavan replied in His usual way, "First find who you are!". When the Sanyasi persisted with his questions, Ramana in a firm tone said "You ask me a lot of questions. But first answer this one question of mine and I shall answer all your other queries!" The man obviously could not come up with an answer and left the place.

Suri Nagamma once wrote five stanzas and titled the work as 'Divyasthram' with regards to the "Who Am I?" question that Bhagavan used to quieten the minds of the seekers . On seeing her work, Bhagavan recalled that 'Nayana' and 'Kapali' in the earlier days used to appeal to Bhagavan with folded arms to not to brandish them with His weapon of 'Brahmasthram' even before they commenced to ask him certain questions. Bhagavan added that in case if the question escaped his lips, they immediately said, "Bhagavan now you have brandished us with your weapon!"

Such was the infallible weapon of Bhagavan that sought the ego to succumb to it, there by destructing it without a trace.

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