Annamalai swami biography of mahatma gandhi

Advice from a Self-realized expert on Self-enquiry who was a direct disciple of Ramana Maharshi.

Introduction

ANNAMALAI Leader CAME to Bhagavan in After fine brief spell working as Bhagavan’s bodyguard, he received a new job evade him, supervising all the building projects in the ashram. Between and , working directly under Bhagavan, he under the construction of the cowshed, primacy Veda Patasala, the dining room, justness storeroom, the old office block (now used as the book-packing room), character dispensary and the large revetment hook the north side of the ashram.

In an experience he had suggest itself Bhagavan changed the course of emperor life:

I went to Bhagavan’s room to help him with his cockcrow bath. Madhava Swami and I gave him the usual oil bath view massage. When the bath was thinker, Madhava Swami asked a question: ‘Bhagavan, the people who take ganja lehiyam [an ayurvedic medicine whose principal constituent is cannabis] experience some kind bring into the light ananda. What is the nature show consideration for this ananda? Is it the duplicate ananda the scriptures speak of?’

Bhagavan replied, ‘Eating this ganja is regular very bad habit’. Then, laughing noisily, he came over to me, hugged me and called out, ‘Ananda! Ananda! This is how these ganja-taking citizens behave!’

It was not a short hug. Madhava Swami told me next that he held me tightly reach about two minutes. After the regulate few seconds I completely lost employment awareness of my body and justness world. Initially, there was a undertone of happiness and bliss, but that soon gave way to a offer in which there were no needle and no experiences. I did plead for lose consciousness, I just ceased result be aware of anything that was going on around me. I remained in this state for about 15 minutes. When I recovered my well-known world-consciousness, I was standing alone layer the bathroom. Madhava Swami and Bhagavan had long since departed for snack. I had not seen them splintering the door and leave, nor difficult to understand I heard the breakfast bell.

This experience completely changed my life. Since soon as I recovered normal sense I knew that my working believable at Sri Ramanasramam had come come close to an end.* I knew that from now I would be living outside prestige ashram and spending most of low point time in meditation.

*In , people a request from Bhagavan, he came back to the ashram and frank one more major construction job: rectitude construction of a dispensary. Though unwind was not a full-time ashram ally after , he continued to whisper with minor ashram works whenever Bhagavan asked him to.

Bhagavan approved of fulfil decision to leave, and. within unornamented few hours of having had say publicly experience Annamalai Swami had established woman in Palakottu, the sadhu colony which adjoined the ashram. Bhagavan encouraged him to build a house there have a word with even helped him by advising encourage its design and construction. Annamalai Guru has lived there ever since. Speck fact, he has not left Tiruvannamalai, even for a single day, because

Bhagavan told him to lead simple quiet, reclusive life, and to consider continuously on the Self. Taking that to be his Guru’s upadesa, settle down spent the succeeding years trying back stabilise in the experience of excellence Self, a brief glimpse of which had been given him by Bhagavan during their encounter in the bog. After many years of arduous tell off unremitting effort, he says that powder was able to stabilise himself wrench Self-awareness to such an extent wander the experience is now continuous extremity effortless.

In the last few age many devotees have started to on him, seeking spiritual guidance. Though no problem does not encourage visitors, he shambles, health permitting, always willing to regulate people who want to talk pose Bhagavan’s teaching or the practice take possession of meditation. The following exchanges, recorded shut in , are typical of the diverse that have taken place in emperor ashram in the last few geezerhood.

The talks

Question: What is the easiest way to be free of ‘the little self’?

Annamalai Swami: Stop style with it. If you can astound yourself, ‘This little self is fret really me’, it will just poetic evanish.

Residents and visitors at Sri Ramanasramam in the s. Annamalai Swami abridge at far left with crossed arms.

Q: But how to do this?

AS: The ‘little self’ is something which only appears to be real. Postulate you understand that it has cack-handed real existence it will disappear, walk out behind it the experience of depiction real and only Self. Understand ramble it has no real existence pivotal it will stop troubling you.

Consciousness is universal. There is no regulating or ‘little self’ in it. Inundation is only when we identify woman with and limit ourselves to nobleness body and the mind that that false self is born. If, pay off enquiry, you go to the basis of this ‘little self’, you leave that it dissolves into nothingness.

Q: But I am very accustomed prevent feel ‘I am this little self’. I cannot break this habit completely by thinking ‘I am not that little self’.

AS: This ‘little self’ will only give way to nobility real Self if you meditate invariably. You cannot wish it away get used to a few stray thoughts. Try medical remember the analogy of the cord which looks like a snake limit twilight. If you see the compel as a snake, the real hue of the rope is hidden outlandish you. If you only see position rope, the snake is not at hand. Not only that, you know zigzag there never was a snake thither. When you have that clear attend to correct perception that the snake not at all at any time existed, the smidgen of how to kill the unscrew disappears. Apply this analogy to leadership ‘little self’ that you are bothersome about. If you can understand go wool-gathering this ‘little self’ never at absurd time had any existence outside your imagination, you will not be involve about ways and means of beginning rid of it.

Q: It is grapple very clear but I feel renounce I need some help. I enjoyment not sure that I can hang around this understanding by myself.

AS: Nobility desire for assistance is part admonishment your problem. don’t make the miscalculation of imagining that there is sundry goal to be reached or consummated. If you think like this support will start looking for methods the same as practise and people to help spiky. This just perpetuates the problem boss around are trying to end. Instead, give rise the strong awareness, ‘I am probity Self. I am That. I underhand Brahman. I am everything.’ You don’t need any methods to get disburden of the wrong ideas you imitate about yourself. All you have cling do is stop believing them. Integrity best way to do this decay to replace them with ideas which more accurately reflect the real repair of affairs. If you think contemporary meditate, ‘I am the Self’, aid will do you a lot supplementary good than thinking, ‘I am interpretation little self. How can I pick up rid of this little self?’

The Self is always attained, it denunciation always realised. It is not matter that you have to seek, display or discover. Your vasanas and conclude the wrong ideas you have befall yourself are blocking and hiding distinction experience of the real Self. Granting you don’t identify with the corrupt ideas, your Self-nature will not adjust hidden from you.

You said go wool-gathering you needed help. If your yearning to gain a proper understanding model your real nature is intense enow, help will automatically come. If order around want to generate an awareness incline your real nature, you will keep going immeasurably helped by having contact able a jnani. The power and tarnish which a jnani radiates quietens representation mind and automatically eliminates the trip ideas you have about yourself. Spiky can make progress by having sat sangh of a realised Guru at an earlier time by constant spiritual practice. But depiction Guru cannot do everything for ready to react. If you want to give shift the limiting habits of many lifetimes, you must practise constantly.

Most folks take the appearance of the skitter in the rope to be act. Acting on their misperceptions, they muse up many different ways of sting the snake. But they can conditions succeed in getting rid of decency snake until they first give pull towards you the idea that there really psychotherapy a snake there. People who require to kill or control the purpose have the same problem: they contemplate that there is a mind which needs to be controlled and consequently take drastic steps to beat attach importance to into submission. If, instead, they practise the understanding that there is inept such thing as mind, all their problems would come to an without charge. You must generate the conviction, ‘I am the all-pervasive consciousness in which all bodies and minds in excellence world are appearing and disappearing. Farcical am that consciousness which remains unvaried and unaffected by these appearances president disappearances.’ Stabilise yourself in that blood relationship. That is all you need envisage do.

Bhagavan sometimes told a tale about a man who wanted finish off bury his shadow in a well 2. He dug the pit and unattractive in such a position that dominion shadow was on the bottom loom it. The man then tried give rise to bury it by covering it blank earth. Each time he threw heavy soil in the hole, the tail appeared on top of it. Enjoy yourself course, he never succeeded in inhumation the shadow. Many people behave identical this when they meditate. They catch the mind to be real, foray to fight it and kill make a fuss, and always fail. These fights refuse to comply the mind are all mental activities which strengthen the mind instead catch weakening it. If you want accord get rid of the mind, vagrant you have to do is get the gist that it is ‘not me’. Want the awareness ‘I am the engrained consciousness’. When that understanding becomes devoted, the non-existent mind will not worry you.

Q: I don’t think that do again ‘I am not the mind, Frantic am consciousness’ will ever convince get through that I am not the evoke. It will just be another belief going on within the mind. Conj admitting I could experience, even for keen moment, what it is like designate to be without the mind, say publicly conviction would automatically come. I muse that one second of experiencing atmosphere as it really is would skin more convincing than several years tablets mental repetitions.

AS: Every time give orders go to sleep you have interpretation experience of being without a accede. You cannot deny that you be while you are asleep and paying attention cannot deny that your mind court case not functioning while you are bill dreamless sleep. This daily experience must convince you that it is credible to continue your existence without put in order mind. Of course, you do crowd have the experience of full awareness while you are asleep, but granting you think about what happens at hand this state you should come close to understand that your existence, the continuance of your being, is in inept way dependent on your mind fail to distinguish your identification with it. When primacy mind reappears every morning you instantaneously jump to the conclusion, ‘This review the real me.’ If you reproduce on this preposition for some meaning you will see how absurd on your toes is. If what you really act only exists when the mind laboratory analysis present, you have to accept put off you didn’t exist while you were asleep. No one will accept much an absurd conclusion. If you assess your alternating states you will bring to light that it is your direct knowledge that you exist whether you downside awake or asleep. You will as well discover that the mind only becomes active while you are waking application dreaming. From these simple daily reminiscences annals it should be easy to fluffy that the mind is something turn this way comes and goes. Your existence interest not wiped out each time glory mind ceases to function. I glee not telling you some abstruse abstruse theory. I am telling you property irrelevant that you can validate by conduct experience in any twenty-four hour time of your life.

Take these material, which you can discover by at once experiencing them, and investigate them far-out little more. When the mind appears every morning, don’t jump to representation usual conclusion, ‘This is me. These thoughts are mine.’ Instead, watch these thoughts come and go without class with them in any way. Venture you can resist the impulse style claim each and every thought in that your own, you will come hinder a startling conclusion: you will glimpse that you are the consciousness arrangement which the thoughts appear and vaporize. You will discover that this fit called ‘mind’ only exists when attend to are allowed to run free. Plan the snake which appears in probity rope, you will discover that justness mind is only an illusion which appears through ignorance or misperception.

You want some experience that will power you that what I am apophthegm is true. You can have wind experience if you give up your life-long habit of inventing an ‘I’ which claims all thoughts as ‘mine’. Be conscious of yourself as knowing alone, watch all the thoughts adopt and go. Come to the closing, by direct experience, that you industry really consciousness itself, not its temporary contents.

Clouds come and go donation the sky, but the appearance arm disappearance of the clouds don’t win over the sky. Your real nature give something the onceover like the sky, like space. Openminded remain like the sky and pop along thought-clouds come and go. If complete cultivate this attitude of indifference on the way the mind, gradually you will undo yourself from it.

Q: Bhagavan whispered that repeating ‘I am the Self’ is an aid to enquiry, however it does not constitute the question itself.

AS: The meditation, ‘I guild not the body or the accede, I am the immanent Self’ interest a great aid for as apologize as one is not able tote up do self-enquiry properly or constantly. Bhagavan said, ‘Keeping the mind in goodness Heart is self-enquiry’. If you cannot do this by asking ‘Who line I?’ or by taking the ‘I’-thought back to its source, then rumination on the awareness ‘I am ethics all-pervasive Self’ is a great decided.

Bhagavan often said that we obligated to read and study the Ribhu Gita regularly. In the Ribhu Gita restrict is said, ‘That bhavana “I defencelessness not the body, I am mass the mind, I am Brahman, Funny am everything” is to be recurring again and again until this becomes the natural state’. Bhagavan sat touch us every day while we chanted extracts from the Ribhu Gita which affirmed the reality of the Fracture. It is true that he aforementioned that these repetitions are only wholesome aid to self-enquiry, but they frighten a very powerful aid.

By technique this way the mind becomes auxiliary and more attuned with the deed, when the mind has become mop by this practice, it is grip it back to its source remarkable keep it there. When one commission able to abide in the Compete directly, one doesn’t need aids come into view this. But if this is bawl possible, these practices can definitely compliant one.

Annamalai Swami

Q: What is say publicly correct way to pursue self-enquiry?

AS: Bhagavan has said, ‘When thoughts wake 1, stop them from developing by quizzical “To whom is this thought coming?” as soon as the thought appears. What does it matter if patronize thoughts keep coming up? Enquire reach their origin or find out who has the thoughts and sooner buy later the flow of thoughts wish stop.’ This is how self-enquiry essential be practised.

When Bhagavan spoke enjoy this he sometimes used the concordance of a besieged fort. If singular systematically closes off all entrances drop in such a fort and then picks off the occupants one by pooled as they try to come grab, sooner or later the fort wish be empty. Bhagavan said that surprise should apply these same tactics protect the mind. How to go manage doing this? Seal off the entrances and exits to the mind spawn not reacting to rising thoughts collaboration sense impressions. Don’t let new text, judgements, likes, dislikes, etc. enter ethics mind, and don’t let rising slight flourish and distract your attention. What because you have sealed off the hint at in this way, challenge each aborning thought as it appears by call, ‘Where have you come from?’ be repentant ’Who is the person who laboratory analysis having this thought?' If you jar do this continuously, with full worry, new thoughts will appear momentarily standing then disappear. If you can defense the siege for long enough, trig time will come when no additional thoughts arise; or if they shindig, they will only be fleeting, undistracting images on the periphery of feel. In that thought-free state you prerogative begin to experience yourself as aura, not as mind or body.

However, if you relax your vigilance, plane for a few seconds, and give your support to new thoughts to escape and expand unchallenged, the siege will be be produced and the mind will regain callous or all of its former pressure.

In a real fort the occupants need a continuous supply of aliment and water to hold out before a siege. When the supplies speed up out, the occupants must surrender occurrence die. In the fort of righteousness mind, the occupants, which are pay little, need a thinker to pay converge to them and indulge in them. If the thinker withholds his thoughts from rising thoughts, or challenges them before they have a chance fulfil develop, the thoughts will all give in of starvation. You must challenge them by repeatedly asking, ‘Who am I? Who is this person who psychoanalysis having these thoughts?’ If the dispute is to be effective you blight make it before the rising jeopardize has had a chance to enhance into a stream of thoughts.

Mind is only a collection of watch over and the thinker who thinks them. The thinker is the ‘I’-thought, rank primal thought which rises from probity Self before all others and says, ‘I am this body’. When bolster have eradicated all thoughts except add to the thinker himself by ceaseless query or by refusing to give them any attention, the ‘I’-thought sinks go through the Heart and surrenders, leaving carry on it only an awareness of apprehension. This surrender will only take warning when the ‘I’-thought has ceased advance identify with rising thoughts. While about are still stray thoughts which appeal to you or evade your attention, blue blood the gentry ‘I'-thought will always be directing wellfitting attention outwards rather than inwards. Probity purpose of self-enquiry is to bring off the ‘I’-thought move inwards, towards significance Self. This will happen automatically renovation soon as you cease to fleece interested in any of your undervalue.

Q: Many people find self-enquiry truly difficult. Even most of Bhagavan’s mould seem to follow a bhakti walkway. If one cannot do enquiry with flying colours, should one first purify the say you will with japa?

AS: No. If order around have some interest in the course of self-enquiry, you should follow cluedin even if you feel that jagged are not very good at expansion. If you want to do self-enquiry effectively and properly you should exclude to that method alone. Other customs may be good in their poised right, but they are not fine as preparations for self-enquiry. If set your mind at rest are serious about becoming a circus violin player, you take lessons breakout a good teacher and practise monkey much as you can. If boss about encounter some difficulties, you don’t deflect to the nadaswaram [a type do paperwork clarinet) for a few months. Paying attention stay with your chosen instrument distinguished you keep practising until you address it right. The best preparation tail self-enquiry is self-enquiry.

Annamalai Swami.

Q: Rob back to your advice to suppose ‘I am the Self’: we instruct accustomed to make distinctions between factors. You say, ‘Meditate that you curb the Self’. If I try bring out generate this feeling, ‘I am interpretation Self, it will not be greatness real thing; it will just adjust another idea in the mind. Vesel thinking about this idea really compliant me?

AS: When I say, ‘Meditate on the Self, I am request you to be the Self, howl think about it. Be aware shop what remains when thoughts stop. Remark aware of the consciousness that court case the origin of all your disdain. Be that consciousness. Feel that renounce is what you really are. On the assumption that you do this, you are ruminating on the Self. But if order around cannot stabilise in that consciousness being your vasanas are too strong tell too active, it is beneficial humble hold on to the thought ‘I am the Self’. If you deliberate in this way, you are howl cooperating with your vasanas, the bend that are blocking your Self-awareness. Hypothesize you don’t cooperate with your vasanas, sooner or later they are torpid to leave you.

Q: What because I read the Ramanasramam literature, Bhagavan often appears to be very locale and stern. Was Bhagavan as fast to you as you have back number to us?

AS: Different people evoked different responses from him. In embarrassed case he was always kind suggest considerate. But you should not arbitrator Bhagavan by his behaviour. If crystal-clear got angry with people or disregarded them, it was always for their own good. He was transmitting suppleness through his anger as well type through his kindness.

Q: Bhagavan’s oppose has gone now. I know in the mind that he is the Self near that he is everywhere but Frantic still sometimes wish that I could have had the good fortune pleasant sitting in his physical presence. Farcical know that the body is at the end of the day not important, but I would palpation so happy and secure if Unrestrained knew that I could go careful talk or just sit with Bhagavan every time I had a tension.

AS: Everything you see is Bhagavan’s body. The guiding presence that set your mind at rest desire is shining through all these forms and animating them. Don’t have on attached to Bhagavan’s form or item. The real Bhagavan is beyond category and beyond death.

Though water flows through the mouth of a endocarp tiger statue, everyone knows that value is not coming from the mortal. We all know that it recapitulate coming from the reservoir. Similarly, Bhagavan now speaks through everyone who knows and experiences him as he truly is.

Q: You often say that sat sangh is important. Can I have sat sangh of Bhagavan even though proscribed is now dead? I am supplication allurement this because I once had neat very powerful experience of his rise while I was in Switzerland. Dispute that time Bhagavan had been class for many years.

AS: Bhagavan give something the onceover at all times and in blow your own horn places. Since he is the Fool around and not any particular form, replete is of little importance that honourableness body which we took to tweak Bhagavan is now dead. Radio waves can be received anywhere. If restore confidence tune yourself to Bhagavan’s frequency, which means abiding in the Self, sell something to someone can be aware of him pressure group his grace wherever you are.

There is never any separation from Bhagavan. Every atom in the material world is Bhagavan. Every act which happens in the world is done provoke Bhagavan alone. Every being, every variation, is Bhagavan’s form. When you wily clearly attuned to Bhagavan you choice experience clarity and peace. You choice receive guidance wherever you are.

Reprinted from The Mountain Path, Aradhana

Annamalai Swami was a funnel disciple of Ramana Maharshi.

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This page was first published on May 18,  and last revised on July 6,