The question Who am I shifts attention from thoughts to the thinker and Whence am I? fixes it at the source. Lord, you are Consciousness Itself, By Your gracious glance, benignant like a rain cloud, save me What can match a mothers care for her infant? Bhagavan Ramana, Necklet of Nine Gems, Verse 5 Ramana has made it clear more or less specifically in a conversation with Dilip Kumar Roy that he regarded Arunachala as his guru. The question about Ramana having a guru was based on the assumption that the guru must be in human form. Roy openly expressed it and Ramana told him, It depends on what you mean by Guru. If you mean in physical form you may say there was none. But have I not sung in praise of Arunachala? Again, the guru does his work from within.
In his Five Hymns on Arunachala, Ramana has showered praise on Arunachala as guru in exuberant abundance. In his Eight Stanzas on Arunachala, which has an autobiographical streak, Ramana refers to the fact that From the age of innocence it shone in my mind that Arunachala is something surpassing all grandeur. Thus, Guru Arunachala had started his work on Ramana even before he could lisp the words father and mother. Was not Ramana earmarked to be the Universal Guru? For each and every Ramana disciple he is at work all the time, though unfortunately one may not be aware of his ripening inner presence. Only Ramana is aware and we are ignorant. It does not really matter if one is aware or not of the gurus unremitting inner work, of Ramanas gracious presence within. The fact remains it is very much there. But for this, in a world in which there are many thousand seekers of truth, all are not attracted by that wonder, the direct path of self-enquiry so clearly revealed by Ramana for Self-knowledge.
The truth is that the connection with Sadguru Ramana is something coming forward from many lives. It is not a mere umbilical connection, a mere product of karmic forces. One might ask why the connection should be carried forward from life to life? Why does he not strike the ego down through a single gracious glance of his radiant eyes? He can most certainly. But that is not his way or even that of any Sadguru for that matter. The process has to be gradual. A child cannot be pushed into levels beyond its depth. Besides, Ramana would humorously remark, what is given may be taken away! This brings us to the question of the disciple doing his homework as well. What indeed is his homework? First and foremost he must come to recognise the primacy and potency of self-enquiry. What makes it so distinct is that in Ramanas method from the very beginning, the non-existence of difference between the subject and the object is recognised. The fact that no object can exist without the subject is self-evident but ignored. Dualism is the basis of almost all spiritual practices. Ramana states clearly that the theory of dualism being needed in the beginning and the unitary approach only finally is fallacious. The only dualism which is permitted, if at all it can be called dualism, is in respect of the guru, for us Ramana himself. For he is not the body but the very Self. Ramana makes this clear to Mrs.Pigott while answering her doubts on these points.
Q: What meditation will help me?
A: No meditation on any kind of object is helpful. You must learn to realise that the subject and the object are one. In meditating on an object, whether concrete or abstract, you are destroying the sense of oneness and creating duality. Meditate on what you are in Reality. Try to realise that the body is not you, the emotions are not you, the intellect is not you. When all these are still, you will find..... It is for this reason that Ramanas method prevents any conceptualisation which is a movement away from the Self, by focusing attention on the minds centre, the I. The danger being one of running with the running mind, every thought is to be traced back to the individual to whom it relates. The practice of course needs vigilant attention. Then the higher force, the true I will operate in eradicating all illusions beginning with the primary illusion of a separate individuality. One can be confident that the guru is ever watchful in his support of this effort, of self-enquiry. Here Ramanas famous statement needs special emphasis. "The tiger-like jaws have a firm hold on the ego of the disciple but they do not chew it all up at one go. The pace and timings of growth in inwardness are best known to the guru himself."
Ramana has made it clear in his instructions to Sivaprakasam Pillai himself that the disciple for his part, should unswervingly follow the path shown by the Master. The word unswervingly needs special emphasis. For, waywardness is the very nature of the mind. Looking always for fruits, judging, lazing and so on are some of the common faults. Naturally the results in terms of progress in inwardness, results in terms of experiencing the inherent natural state of happiness are postponed. Hence too the spate of varying shades of complaints to the Sadguru about tardy results. Hence also the seeking of his help for accelerating though ones progress is retarded by ones own fault. The guru, aware as he is of the weaknesses of a mind enfeebled by the habit of externalisation, steps in lovingly with his positivism. Others have succeeded, why not you? No one can deny what is yours always. It is here and now. How do you know you are not progressing?. The guru will do his job, you do yours. Leave the timing of grace to the guru and the like. These words are so full of nourishment, so supportive. When ones steps are faltering it is difficult to overstate their importance. It is best known to those who are on the path how much strength such encouragement puts into them. Perhaps one could only refer to Ramanas famous analogy of the child having been fed during its sleep, unknown to it, by its loving mother. The gurus grace and self-enquiry thus acting, step in step, interacting on each other merge the ego, the sense of separateness, into the source. Only the fullness of consciousness, the inundating joy of Self- knowledge fills one to the brim and is experienced by each and every pore of the body too!
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