Prayer & Surrender In The Ramana Way

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Bhagavan Ramana

Those whose approach to self-enquiry is merely intellectual may underrate the importance of prayer and surrender to the Sadguru Ramana. One can quote Ramana and say that there are two alternatives one is to enquire and discover that the ego or the mind originates from the Self and cannot exist apart from the Self. The other is to allow Ramana to strike down one's ego by recognizing his omnipotence and one's own incapacity to push through self-enquiry to its logical extent.

Experience on the path would reveal that what seem to be alternatives are really complementary as is being explained by Ramana in the quote at the beginning. To understand the full implication of this statement one has to recognize that grace is active only for the one whose attitude to self-enquiry is not cocky over-confidence.

If one starts self-enquiry placing exclusive reliance in his own capacity to dive within, then the chances are that more often than not, one would be stranded on the way. Even if one succeeds in being focused on the 'I', in being just aware, not aware of this or that, thoughts may just be waiting in the aisles or be hidden waiting for an opportunity to sprout. So long as long ingrained habit locates happiness in objects, the power of past memories relating to those object related experiences would push one out.

Thoughts would crowd in when vigilance wanes.Hence one would be well advised to travel with a powerful companion, a friend not only in distress but at all times. The presence of Ramana the Sadguru needs to be practiced by invoking his grace. Broadly in such self-enquiry when one is consciously guided by Ramana the steps would be along the following lines.

About the author

A.R.Natarajan

Sri A.R.Natarajan has had the opportunity of a long association of over 50 years with the Ramanashram. He was the editor of "Mountain Path" for two years. He was the secretary of Ramana Kendra, New Delhi for ten years. He founded the Ramana Maharshi centre for learning, a non profit institution. He has authored more than thirty six books and eleven pocket books on the life and teachings of Bhagavan Ramana.

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