A New Approach To The Eternal Truth-Part II

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The Inner Journey

The journey is not on our own initiative. Something prods, something pushes us and there is a guiding hand. This is the Shastra, this is the teaching, the first condition. The second is Utsaha, effort. In a momentous quest like this, the effort has to be whole-time; it has to permeate all one's life-activity. The spiritual quest, the spiritual outlook must form the background of life from morning to evening, from dusk to dawn. What I am doing, what I am thinking, what I am speaking, is it consistent with the demands of this enquiry? What would Bhagavan expect of me?

To know what is spiritual and nonspiritual, the simple test is to ask oneself, would Ramana Maharshi approve of my doing this? Thus the entire life-activity has to be to help this inner journey. That leaves no time for any other activity except as a duty, except as a circumstance of life. But all the while attention is fixed here. This is demanded of us, those who are sincere, who want to make the best use of the Grace that is vouchsafed. This is the only course: to permeate the entire life texture with the spirit of this self-enquiry.

The third condition is the teacher, the 'Guru'. Bhagavan disclaimed being anybody"s teacher or Guru. He did not initiate anyone in a formal way or accept anyone as a disciple. But in practice we have found, all have found, that those who accepted Bhagavan as their Guide, as the Lord of their Being, became receptacles of his Grace, of his help. And this initiation was through his eyes.

All his concentrated tapasya, all his spiritual energy was focused through his eyes. And I was a witness on a number of occasions as to how everybody in the hall thought, felt and believed that Bhagavan was looking at him. As a matter of fact he was looking at nobody in particular. He was gazing at the Infinite through that window. But all felt a spell of Peace, an in-drawing pull at that moment which could never be forgotten.

There is no death for Ramana. He continues to reward everyone who looks to him, everyone who wants to realise the truth for which he came. And fortunately for us there is a body of literature that has grown around a few seminal instructions left by him. They are mantric in character, dynamic in their effect. They are like mantras of the Vedas uttered thousands of years ago. With Bhagavan it is still accessible through the writings, through his pictures.

About the author

This article is written by M P Pandit, for the magazine, The Ramana Way, of Ramana Maharshi Centre Of Learning

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