The Guru

 “He who turns you towards Self and reveals to you the knowledge of Self, is the Guru. In truth He is Self and He is God. Cling to Him. Without killing the body, but by killing, with His compassionate glance, the ego which poses as if it were really existing, the Guru exposes the entire fiction of name and form as nonexistent, and reveals the shining of the one Supreme Self as the only real existence. Just as a deer caught in the jaws of a tiger cannot escape, so those who are caught by the glance of the Sadguru’s grace will never be abandoned, but, having their ego and vasanas completely destroyed, they will realize the non-dual truth.” Sri Ramana Maharishi, Guru Vachaka Kovai

No words can begin to describe the glory and the mystery of the Guru.

Looking upon all with an equal eye, he sees only the Self everywhere.

On all those who take refuge at his feet, he showers divine blessings unstintingly.

His arrow of grace pierces the lotus of the Heart and grants perfect freedom and bliss.

The Guru is the grace-bestowing power of God.

He is Shiva, he is Brahman, he is the Self in every being.

Beyond space and time, he is the essence of Vedanta, pervading all that exists.

Though his true nature is formless, absolute, infinite and immortal, out of  compassion for his devotees, he sometimes takes a human form.

“Sri Ramana is not a theme for discussion; he is an experience; he is a state of consciousness. Sri Ramana was the highest reality and the cream of all scriptures in the world. He was there for all to see  how a Master can live in perfect detachment. Though in the mortal form, he lived as the beauty and purity of the Infinite.” Swami Chinmayananda

Sri Ramana Maharishi, the sage of Arunachala, left his body in 1950, after 54 years spent at the foot of his beloved mountain. He said “ Though they say I am dying, I am not going anywhere. Where can I go? I am here.”

Those who saw the sage while he was in his mortal form were truly blessed. His samadhi and the surroundings of Ramanasramam continue to be permeated by a wondrous, powerful, undiminished grace. Millions from all over the world have been drawn there and experienced the deep peace and compassionate blessings of the sage. There are even those who have never been to the Ashram but only worshiped from afar, reading his teachings and seeing his luminous gaze in photographs. 

Like thousands of fortunate souls, I bear witness to the living presence of Sri Ramana , at Ramanasramam and in my Heart. By his compassionate grace, all my deepest longings have been fulfilled. I cannot count his multitudinous blessings nor begin to describe the marvel of the transformation he has wrought in my soul. All I can do is bow at his sacred feet and give thanks, again and again. Om namo bhagawathe, Sri Ramanaya! 

The Art of Dying

 “Arise! Awake! Approach the great and learn. Like the sharp edge of a razor is that path, so the wise say—hard to tread and difficult to cross.”– Katha Upanishad

This human birth is a precious gift – use it wisely!

Experience your true nature-  the divine Self that is the source and the substance of everything.

You have lived a long life, a full life, had your share of all that the world can offer.

In this, the fading twilight of your life, will you wake up at last?

Are you prepared or will you fall unconscious into that dark limbo of death and rebirth?

Will you meet death in a fog of pain and sadness and fear  or will you embrace it in the clear light of truth: alert, aware, unafraid and joyful?

At the edge of eternity, do not waste energy on attachment and desire, worry and anger and regret.

Make your choice while you still can- practice now: learn how to die before your body dies.

“If you have firmly decided on one big unchanging goal, you can move forward without losing your way, no matter how many choices you may face.” Maitreya Buddha

Turn inwards with earnest determination – dive deep into yourself. 

Seek the core of being in devoted, humble surrender.

Give yourself totally to the prayer and the seeking, let the thirst for God be greater than all others.

While you still draw breath, practice every day.

Shravana - listen to the Truth.

Manana - ponder upon the Truth.

Niddhidhyasana - meld with the Truth.

Again and again and again.

Until you are one with the One.

"When a man knows God, he is free: his sorrows have an end, and birth and death are no more. When in inner union he is beyond the world of the body, then the third world, the world of the Spirit, is found, where the power of the All shines, and man has all—for he is one with the One.” KrishnaYajur Veda, Shvetasvatara Upanishad