'MOUNT ARUNACHALA' and 'RAMANA MAHARSHI'- 'Achala' is Sanskrit for 'mountain' and it also means 'absolute stillness'.-David Godman, Interviews

When Bhagavan was very young he intuitively knew that Arunachala signified God in some way. In one of his verses he wrote, 'From my unthinking childhood the immensity of Arunachala had shone in my awareness'. He didn't know then that it was a place that he could go to; he just had this association with the word Arunachala. He felt, 'this is the holiest place, this is the holiest state, this is God himself'. He was in awe of Arunachala and what it represented without ever really understanding that it was a pilgrimage place that he could actually go to. It wasn't until he was a teenager that one of his relatives actually came back from here and said, 'I've been to Arunachala'. Bhagavan said it was an anti-climax. Before, he had imagined it to be some great heavenly realm that holy, enlightened people went to when they died. To find he could go there on a train was a bit of a let down.
His first reaction to the word Arunachala was absolute awe. Later there was a brief period of anticlimax when he realized it was just a place on the map. Later still, after his enlightenment experience, he understood that it was the power of Arunachala that had precipitated the experience and pulled him physically to this place.
The verse I just quoted from chronicles the early stages of his relationship with the mountain:

Look, there [Arunachala] stands as if insentient. Mysterious is the way it works, beyond all human understanding. From my unthinking childhood, the immensity of Arunachala had shone in my awareness, but even when I learned from someone that it was only Tiruvannamalai, I did not realize its meaning. When it stilled my mind and drew me to itself and I came near, I saw that it was stillness absolute.
The last line contains a very nice pun. Achala is Sanskrit for 'mountain' and it also means 'absolute stillness'. On one level this poem is describing Bhagavan's physical pilgrimage to Tiruvannamalai, but in another sense he is talking about his mind going back into the heart and becoming totally silent and still.
-David Godman, Interviews

*POINTS TO PONDER* - From ' Tilopa's Mahamudra Instruction to Naropa'

Is space anywhere supported? Upon what does it rest?
Like space, Mahamudra is dependant upon nothing;
Relax and settle in the continuum of unalloyed purity,
And, your bonds loosening, release is certain.

Gazing intently into the empty sky, vision ceases;
Likewise, when mind gazes into mind itself,
The train of discursive and conceptual thought ends
And supreme enlightenment is gained.

Like the morning mist that dissolves into thin air,
Going nowhere but ceasing to be,
Waves of conceptualization, all the mind's creation, dissolve,
When you behold your mind's true nature.

From ' Tilopa's Mahamudra Instruction to Naropa'

*WORDS OF WISDOM*

Call it by any name, God, Self, the heart or the seat of Consciousness, it is all the same. The point to be grasped is this, that Heart means the very core of one's being, the Centre, without which there is nothing whatever.

~RAMANA MAHARSHI

'Self-Inquiry' or 'Atma Vichara' By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar - So from the method of Self-Inquiry, the principle virtue and the life style of Ahimsa (philosophy of nonviolence) naturally emerges. It does not come about as something artificial and contrived but as a natural consequence of our seeing the sacredness of life in us and seeing the same life in others. It all flows from the same source.

August 17, 2006
Self-Inquiry, also known as Atma Vichara in Sanskrit, is based on a philosophy that has its origins in the ancient teachings of Advaita Vedanta. Advaita is based on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and is found in a number of other scriptures that are considered sacred by the Hindus. Advaita means non duality, the ultimate Oneness that pervades or underlies everything.
Essentially Advaita implies that even though there is a diversity of phenomena, it has its origins in God and that ultimately everything not only exists in God but also resolves itself into God. According to Advaitic sages, the nature of God is Sat-Chit-Ananda. Sat means Existence. It is the nature of God to Exist. Chit means Knowledge. It is the nature of God to Know. Ananda means spontaneous Joy. The nature of God is Bliss or Joy.
Sri Ramana Maharshi, the great Indian sage of the Arunachala Hill, taught that since God is One without a second, and is present everywhere, He could be found by directly inquiring and reflecting on one’s own sense of being and existence. Sri Ramana once pointed out that in the Bhagavad Gita (Song of God) it is stated , “I am in the Heart of all beings.” Therefore, the logical conclusion of the Advaitic philosophy as explained by Sri Ramana is that if we want to find God, we need to look into our Heart, our own sense of Self and Identity because these have their origins in God and are inseparable from God.
The method of Self-Inquiry or Atma Vichara is very subtle. It does not have the glamour associated with the many methods of Yoga, Meditation, and Tantra. It teaches us to inquire within and abide in quiet being. This is not easy as we are conditioned to engage in doing things. To do nothing and quietly abide in one’s own sense of existence may even appear boring and a waste of time to many people. So one should follow the paths which are suitable for one’s own personality.
Although the potency of 'Atma Vichara' is not always obvious to everyone, this was the one method that 'Ramana Maharshi' advocated often. Of course, Sri Ramana accepted the validity of the paths of Yoga and Tantra for spiritual growth but held that ultimately these must lead to 'Self-Inquiry' into the origin of one’s own source and the complete surrender to the Lord who sits in our Heart as our own Self.
There is a beautiful story of the great Sanskrit scholar and Yogi Ganapati Muni who had mastered the scriptures and the Vedas and had done much spiritual practice since childhood. Still, Ganapati Muni did not feel satisfied with his spiritual progress and went to Sri Ramana in great sorrow. He told the sage how hard he had worked in knowing the mysteries of the spiritual path through various practices of mantra yoga but still did not understand the underlying meaning of “Tapas”. The word Tapas in Sanskrit refers to “genuine and intense spiritual practice”.
Sri Ramana gave Ganapati Muni a clear answer. The Sage of Arunachala essentially explained that to see where the mantra or any thought arises and to be merged in that source is the true Tapas. This practice requires turning the mind within to its own origin and source which is only God sitting in one’s own Heart.
The practice and potency of 'Atma Vichara' is not easy to understand. But if one develops the spiritual maturity of the mind and recognizes that all arising of thoughts and perception depend on the arising of the “I” sense, that is the first step. When the method takes hold and the “I” becomes the primary fascination to itself, that is the second step. When we realize this “I AM” within us, this sense of existence and being, the sacredness of life in us, we start to see that the same life is everywhere and in everyone.
So from the method of Self-Inquiry, the principle virtue and the life style of Ahimsa (philosophy of nonviolence) naturally emerges. It does not come about as something artificial and contrived but as a natural consequence of our seeing the sacredness of life in us and seeing the same life in others. It all flows from the same source. What is that Source? Some call it God. Any name could be given depending on language being used or one’s culture and religion. If God is Love, God certainly would not want people to fight over the label given to Him (Her).
The light and energy of God animates the existence of all beings. It is an ancient custom in India that when people greet each other, they fold their hands and say “Namaste”. Namaste means, “I bow to the light in you.” The greeting recognizes the sacredness of life in everyone and is rooted in Ahimsa, the philosophy of nonviolence which emerges spontaneously from practice of reflective Self-Inquiry.

*POINTS TO PONDER*- The meditation on the Self should continue while walking, working, eating, etc. It should be naturally flowing in all places at all times.~ANNAMALAI SWAMI

ANNAMALAI SWAMI: 'It is very difficult to attain Self-abidance, but once it is attained it is retained effortlessly.'

Q. Are there no breaks at all in the jnani's awareness of the Self? For example, if he is engrossed in reading a good book, will his full attention 'be always on the book? Will he simultaneously be aware that he is the Self?

AS: If there are breaks in his Self-awareness this means that he is not yet a jnani. Before one becomes established in this state without any breaks, without changes, one has to contact and enjoy this state many times. By steady meditation it finally becomes permanent.

It is very difficult to attain Self-abidance, but once it is attained it is retained effortlessly and never lost. It is a little like putting a rocket into space. A great effort and great energy are required to escape the earth's gravitational field. If the rocket is not going fast enough gravity will pull it back to earth. But once it has escaped the pull of gravity it can stay out in space quite effortlessly without
falling back to earth. p 284

Q: Is it better to meditate for long periods of time or for short periods?

AS: Except when one is in the sleep state, the effort to meditate should continue always. Just like the river which is flowing constantly towards the sea, our awareness should flow without a break. We should not have this concept that we should meditate at certain times. The meditation on the Self should continue while walking, working, eating, etc. It should be naturally flowing in all places at all times.

Living by the Words of Bhagavan p 304

*WORDS OF WISDOM* - 'The Self does not move. The world moves in it'. ~Ramana Maharshi

*WORDS OF WISDOM* The real Guru is the pure intellect within; and the purified, deeply inspiring mind is the disciple. ~ Swami Chinmayananda