"Arunachala! Thou dost root out the ego of those who meditate on Thee in the heart. Oh Arunachala!"

— The Marital Garland of Letters, verse 1

December 1999 Jayanti Issue Vol 36, Nos. 3 & 4

135 Beyond Time and Space — Editorial

141 Sri Bhagavan: His Early Years at Tiruvannamalai

— B.V. Narasimha Swami

153 The Soul of Silence — Swami Tapovan Maharaj

155 Manisha Panchakam — Shankaracharya

157 The Bhagavad Gita — W.Q. Judge

162 The Solitude of Alexander Selkirk — William Cowper

164 The Extraordinary Life of Saint Marie-Eustelle

— Dr. Susunaga Weeraperuma

173 Manuscripts of Sri Bhagavan

183 Sanatsujatiya

195 Saint Benedict's Monastic Path to the Divine

— Dr. Susunaga Weeraperuma

207 Shakespeare's King Lear Re-viewed — Rosalind Christian

216 Municharya Panchakam (The Way of the Recluse)

— Narayana Guru

219 The Practice of the Presence of God — Brother Lawrence

226 Tales of Tenderness — D.E. Harding

233 Age-old Advice — J. I . Van Mukt

235 The Mystic Poetry of Robert Browning — Alan Jacobs

251 Book Reviews

259 Ashram Bulletin

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THE MOUNTAIN PATH is dedicated to

Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi

JAYANTI ISSUE

DECEMBER 1999

Vol. 36, Nos. 3 & 4

E D I T O R I A L

Beyond Time and Space

IN o u r cognition of the external world which is an easy, effortless process, we

are a ided by a space-sense as well as a time-sense. We see objects, their size and their part icular location. We are aware that events occur in t ime. And, we are conscious of the stretch of dura t ion or in­terval between two events or happenings . T h u s t ime and space are p r ime elements in o u r apprehens ion , or basic knowledge of the world and its p h e n o m e n a .

An impor t an t conclusion of m o d e r n physics is that t ime and space cannot be s e p a r a t e d . A c c o r d i n g to H e r m a n Minkowski, "From hencefor th space in itself and t ime in itself sink to m e r e shad­ows, and only a kind of un ion of the two preserves an i n d e p e n d e n t existence."

T h e t e rm 'space-time , is now common e n o u g h to be unde r s tood by the layman.

It means the world is a four-dimensional manifo ld in which t ime is t he four th dimension, in addi t ion to the th ree di­mens ions of space. T h i s is a resul t of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, a m o n u m e n t a l contr ibut ion to the world of science. Einstein describes the world as a space-time cont inuum.

Science and phi losophy d o no t form a c o m m o n area of interest. Nevertheless, there is an overlap between the two.

T h e theory of relativity is basically sci­entific in content . However the re is a dis­tinct metaphysical significance to it. This is valuable in so far as it provides a pointer to the h igher t ru th , however indirect it may be.

Theoret ical calculations as well as ex­per imental observation have proved that

136 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

the velocity of l ight is constant t h rough­out the universe, u n d e r all circumstances. This factor is of crucial impor tance to the theory of relativity.

I t was expec ted by the earlier physi­cists that the ear th ' s mot ion would have a definite effect on the velocity of light.

T h e Michelson Morley e x p e r i m e n t d o n e in 1881 (and also repea ted thereaf­ter) p roved that the orbital mot ion of the ea r th ( ignor ing the ro ta t ional mot ion) had n o effect whatever o n the velocity of light. T h e velocity of light was constant, regardless of the mot ion of the observer or the source (of light). 1

T h e negative result of the Michelson and Morley expe r imen t stands in contra­diction to the laws of classical physics like the Galilean law for addi t ion of velocities as well as Newtonian concepts of abso­lute space a n d absolute t ime.

Einstein therefore p roposed in 1905 that these concepts be discarded.

Einstein's formulat ion is that ne i ther space (length) n o r t ime is absolute. T h e relevant measu remen t s are t rue only for specific or definite frames of reference. With increasing speed objects suffer con­traction. 2 Similarly t ime suffers dilation, that is, it slows down w h e n the frame of reference changes. Viewed from any one system, the clocks of every o the r system moving with respect to it appea r to be losing time. Simultaneity of events is rela­tive. 3 It is no t absolute.

According to Einstein the re is also no such th ing as absolute motion. All mo­tion is relative.

Once , in response to a reques t from Swami Madhavat i r tha for his comments , Sri Bhagavan po in ted ou t an e r r o r in the theory of relativity. (The Swami had sent his book entit led Maya to Sri Bhagavan earlier, for his perusal . T h e pu rpose of his work was to p rove tha t Shankara ' s concept of maya was b o r n e o u t by the m o d e r n theory of relativity).

Swami Madhavat i r tha says:

This theory, as is well known, main­tains that t ime and space are purely relative notions d e p e n d e n t entirely on the conditions governing the observer and the object u n d e r observation and that there is no such th ing as objec­tive time and space. W h e n two observ­ers, taking different positions in space, observe a part icular event, they obtain different time-space measures , which will conflict with each o the r and nec­essarily vitiate any conclus ion they may arrive at concern ing the part icu­lar event.

1 Precisely stated the law for propagation ©flight is: T h e velocity of light (in vacuum) is the same in all inertial frames of reference; it always has the value, c=2,99,800 km per second (1,86,300 miles per second).

2 An object (say, a metre rod) travelling at .9c (c = veloc­ity of light) would shrink to about half its length.

3 Example:

If the street lights in New York and Boston (about 300 km apart) are switched on simultaneously (in the reference frame of the earth), say at 6 P.M. EST, then there would be a time difference as reckoned by an observer in the frame of reference of a spaceship trav­elling at .9c in the direction New York -» Boston. This would amount to (-) .00087 sec . It would appear to the observer (on the spaceship) that the lights in NY are switched on later than those in Boston by .00087 sec.

1999 BEYOND TIME AND SPACE 137

Sri Maharsh i po in ted o u t to m e tha t the very p r e s u m p t i o n of two observ­ers be ing si tuated at two given points is itself an u n w a r r a n t e d one . T h a t is, taking for g ran ted tha t t he re are two ind iv idua l obse rvers , t he no t i on of relativity must itself apply to the space-measure separa t ing the two. In o the r words, the space between one observer and another being relative and unreal , the re cannot be m o r e than one real observer.

I at once recognized my e r r o r in the t r e a t m e n t of the concept of maya. I should have shown in my book how the p resumpt ion (taken for granted by all scientists) tha t t h e r e can be two observers separa ted by a fixed time-space measure is itself subject to all the imperfections i n h e r e n t in o u r percep­tions, as established by the theory of relativity.

I t was a r e v e l a t i o n to m e t h a t Sri Maharshi could j u d g e off-hand, as it were , such m o d e r n theories as that of relativity, p roceed ing entirely on the basis of his o w n e x p e r i e n c e of t he Absolute. 4

I t is an e r r o r to p r e s u m e that scien­tists d o no t have religious beliefs or con­

vect ions . Often his own work helps the scientist have a gl impse of the t ru th .

T h e observations of Sir Issac Newton, the great scientist — p e r h a p s the great­est of t h e m all — o n the subject of the planetary system, t ime and space, reveal wisdom a n d spir i tual insight of a very high order. I t is clear that Newton saw

the h a n d of God in the work ing of the universe .

Newton says:

This most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets, could only p r o ­ceed from the counsel a n d domin ion of an intelligent a n d powerful Being.

And if the fixed stars a re the centres of o t h e r like sys tems , t h e s e b e i n g formed by the like wise counsel , mus t be all subject to the domin ion of O n e ; especially since the light of the fixed stars is of the same n a t u r e with the light of the sun, and from every sys­tem light passes into all the o the r sys­tems; a n d lest the systems of the fixed stars should, by their gravity, fall on each other, he ha th placed those sys­tems at immense distances from one another .

H e is not eternity and infinity, bu t eter­nal and infinite; he is no t du ra t ion or space, bu t he e n d u r e s and is present . H e e n d u r e s for ever, a n d is every­where present ; and by existing always and everywhere , he constitutes du ra ­tion and space.

As a blind m a n has no idea of colours, so have we n o idea of the m a n n e r by which the all-wise God perceives and unde r s t ands all things. H e is utterly

4 Supplement to The Golden Jubilee Souvenir, First Edn. (1949).

138 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

void of all body a n d bodily figure, and can t h e r e f o r e n e i t h e r be seen , n o r h e a r d , n o r touched ; n o r o u g h t to be worsh ipped u n d e r the representa t ion of any corporea l th ing. We have ideas of his at tr ibutes, b u t what the real sub­stance of any th ing is we know no t . 5

T h e advent of the theory of relativity does not m e a n the total a b a n d o n m e n t of Newtonian physics. Newtonian mechan­ics still holds good in o rd inary situations, t h a t i s , t h e d i f f e r e n c e s b e t w e e n Newtonian and relativistic mechanics are not appreciable when we are dealing with objects travelling at o rd inary speeds (not comparable to that of light). T h e differ­ences are most p r o n o u n c e d in the case of fast particles (which travel at speeds comparable to that of light).

Science be ing an exact discipline, a scientist, even an ou t s tand ing one , func­tions only at a certain level. And study­ing the intricacies of science normal ly means going fur ther down into the realm of may a.

However, o n account of the integra­tion of t ime and space as well as o ther features, the theory of relativity has in­t roduced an e lement of subdety into sci­ence. A study of this theory is r eward ing for the reason that it takes us to the bor­derland between physics and metaphysics.

With reference to conclusions d rawn from the theory of relativity, Sir J a m e s Jeans says:

We find t ha t space m e a n s n o t h i n g apar t from o u r percept ion of objects, and t ime means no th ing apar t from

our experience of events. Space begins to appea r merely as a fiction created by o u r own minds (our physical bod­ies are m e r e things in space), an ille­g i t ima te e x t e n s i o n to N a t u r e of a subjective concept which helps us to unde r s t and and describe the a r range­m e n t of objects as seen by us; while time appears as a second fiction, (with­ou t the past and the future, time as generally conceived is but a myth) serv­ing a similar purpose for the arrange­ment of events which happen to us . 6

Sir Ar thu r Edd ing ton says:

T h e frank realisation that physical sci­ence is concerned with the world of shadows is one of the most significant advances. . . . In the world of physics we watch a shadow-graph per form­ance of the d r a m a of familiar life. T h e s h a d o w of m y e lbow res t s o n t h e shadow table as the shadow ink flows over shadow paper . 7

It mus t also be r e m e m b e r e d that we should cross even the level of metaphys­ics to arrive at the absolute t ru th .

T h e best explanat ion as to the na tu re of t ime and space can be given only by one who has t ranscended them, himself. Maharsh i is one such a n d one u n d e r ­stands from his teaching that t ime and space a re only crea t ions of t he m i n d . T h e y have no i n d e p e n d e n t existence by themselves.

5 Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Book III,

General Scholium [explanatory note] . 6 The New Background of Science. 7 The Nature of the Physical World.

1999 BEYOND TIME AND SPACE 139

I t is no t u n c o m m o n for a devotee to feel that he is at a d isadvantage w h e n he is (physically) far away from the master. Maharshi d iscouraged this view.

T h e e x p l a n a t i o n g i v e n to Dr. R a d h a k a m a l Muker jee by Maha r sh i is typical.

T h e following episode is on record :

T h e Professor asked Sri Bhagavan to ex tend His Grace to h im a l though he would be a t h o u s a n d miles off. Sri Bhagavan said that time and space are only concepts of mind . Bu t swarupa (the Real Self) lies beyond mind , time and space. Distance does no t coun t in the Self.

T h e lady with h im was most re luctant to leave the mas ter a n d r e t u r n h o m e . T h e master said, "Th ink that you are always in my presence . T h a t will make you feel r ight ." T h e y left after dusk . 8

I n s t r u c t i o n o n t h e s a m e l ines was given by Maharsh i to a Swiss lady who visited h im (in December 1936). An ex­tract from the conversation is r ep roduced below:

Devotee: If one is miles away in Eu­r o p e and invokes your aid? . . . .

Maharshi: W h e r e is Europe? I t is in you.

Devotee: I have come here ; I would like Maharshi to come there . (Saying it, she laughed gently. . . Silence for some minutes.)

Maharshi: You see the physical body a n d so you find limitations. T i m e and space opera te on this plane. So long as you think of the gross body the re

will be differences found as different bodies. O n the o ther hand , knowledge of the real Maharshi will set all doubts at rest.

Are you in Ind ia now? Or, is Ind ia in you? Even now this not ion tha t you are in Ind ia mus t go. Ind ia is in you. In o rde r to verify it, look to your sleep. Did you feel that you were in E u r o p e o r in Ind ia while asleep? You were nevertheless existing the same as now.

Space is in you. T h e physical body is in space, bu t no t you . 9

In a dialogue with a visitor r ecorded by Devaraja Mudaliar, Maharsh i draws o u r a t tent ion to the changeless reality, the Self.

T h e following is the en t ry for 18-3-46 (in Mudaliar 's account):

O n e Mr. Gi rdhar i Lai, an old res ident of Aurob indo ' s Ash ram, came h e r e last e v e n i n g a n d is s t ay ing at t h e A s h r a m . H e asked B h a g a v a n this morn ing . "It is said in the pur anas that the kali yuga consists of so many thou­sands of years, a n d that so m u c h of it has passed and that so m u c h yet re­mains, etc. May I know when this yuga is to e n d "

Bhagavan: I don ' t consider time real. So I take n o interest in such matters . We know no th ing about the past or the yugas which were in the past. Nor

8 Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, Talk N o . 6 8 , page 76 (1994 Edn.).

9 Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, Talk No . 3 0 4 , page 264 (1994 Edn.).

140 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

d o we know about the future. But we know the p resen t exists. Let us know about it first. T h e n all o the r doubts will cease. After a p a u s e h e a d d e d , "Time and space always change. But t he r e is some th ing which is e te rna l a n d c h a n g e l e s s . For e x a m p l e , t h e world and time, past or future — noth­ing exists for us d u r i n g sleep. But we exist. Let us try to find ou t that which is changeless a n d which always exists. How will it benefit us to know that the kali yuga s tar ted in such and such a year and that it would end so many years after now?" 1 0

Scriptures are very clear on the point t ha t the S u p r e m e Be ing is free f rom the constraints of space and time. O n e of t h e n a m e s of Dev i ( S h a k t i ) is : Desakalaparicchinna (unlimited by space a n d t i m e ) . C o m m e n t i n g o n th i s Bhaskararaya says:

T h e Yoga Sutra (1.26) says: " H e is the G u r u even of the ancients because he is no t defined by t ime."

Ancients: B r a h m a etc. Guru: father.

Limited by space: T h e absolute non-ex­istence of a th ing in a certain place (saying) 'This is no t h e r e /

Limited by time: 'This was not before and it will no t exist in future ' , a th ing having no antecedence or precedence.

T h e Saura Samhita says: " T h e Person is o m n i p r e s e n t like ether , as every­thing, except himself, is illusory; he is said to be unl imited as to space, time and things."

Limited as to the things, relative differ­e n c e ( o r m u t u a l n o n - e x i s t e n c e )

between things such as 'this is here and that is not there , e tc . ' 1 1

In the verse tha t follows, S h a n k a r a explains how Brahman, the Reality which is unmani fes t in its pr is t ine state, still manifests itself as the universe. Ishwara, the Lord , uses his power (of maya) for this purpose . T h e universe is created by an act of his will. T i m e and space are crea­tions of maya.

Shankara says:

To him who like a magician or even like a great yogi displays, by his own power, this universe which at the be­g inn ing is undi f ferent ia ted like the sprout in the seed, bu t which is m a d e differentiated u n d e r the varied con­ditions of space, time and karma and posi ted by maya: to h im , the G u r u Daksh inamur t i , may this obeisance be ! 1 2

T h e whole subject of t ime and space is s u m m e d u p in o n e v e r s e of Sr i Maharshi. This reveals the ultimate t ruth.

Sri Maharshi says:

Apart from us where is time and where is space? If we are bodies, we are in­volved in time and space, bu t a re we? We are one and identical now, then , and for ever, he re , there , and every­w h e r e . T h e r e f o r e we, t imeless a n d spaceless Being, alone a r e . 1 3

10 Day by Day with Bhagavan, pp. 151 -152 (1977 Edn.). 1 'Commentary on Lalita Sahasranama (thousand names

of Lalita), Name 701 . 1 2 Verse 3 , Dakshinamurti Stotra (Hymn to Dakshinamurti). 1 3 Verse 16, Reality in Forty Verses.

Sri Bhagavan: His Early Years at Tiruvannamalai

(1896-98) B y B.V. N a r a s i m h a Swami

At The Father's Feet

Rock of Ages, cleft for me , Let m e h ide myself in T h e e , Now, rest my long divided hear t , Fixed on this blissful centre rest, N o r ever from thy Lord depar t , With H i m of every good possessed. 1

Alighting at Tiruvannamalai station on t h e m o r n i n g of 1st Sep tember , 1896, V e n k a t a r a m a n b e h e l d his ' p r o m i s e d land* in the ' s tarry-point ing ' towers of Arunachaleswara Temple from afar. As with the Saint N a n d a , the very sight of the towers filled his soul with joy, arising not merely from the sense of achievement bu t also from the close proximity to bliss itself. With quick steps and a b o u n d i n g hear t , he p roceeded straight to the great temple . T h e gates of the th ree high com­p o u n d walls a n d all the inner doors were open . T h e r e was no t a soul beside h im there ; and it looked as t h o u g h the Fa­ther was thus p r e p a r i n g to welcome his 'beloved son,' who marched straight to the inmost shr ine , the Holy of Holies, wi thout any h i n d r a n c e a n d addressed Arunachaleswara {Lingam) thus:

O, God, obedien t to T h y call, H e r e have I come, deser t ing all.

T h a t m o m e n t , all physical and men­tal e x c i t e m e n t d i s a p p e a r e d ; h e felt a soothing sensation; his cup of bliss was full to the br im.

"Tis d o n e , the grea t transaction's d o n e .

I am the Lord ' s , and H e is mine; H e drew me and I followed on , C h a r m e d to confess the voice divine." 2

T h a t was the s u p r e m e m o m e n t of his life, the point at which the old and false worldly life may be said to be ' r u n g out ' , and the new and t rue life in the Father and the Self ' r u n g in.' H e stood a while there in ecstasy, and left the sanctuary. H e had sealed his future and del ivered it over to God; and henceforward he was bu t a baby in the a rms of his Father, to be tossed about, or played with, as H e chose.

From the author's biography o f Sri Bhagavan , Self-Realisation, Pub: Sri Ramanasramam (1936).

T h e contents o f chapters IX and X are reproduced here. (To be precise the events recorded here occurred bet­ween September 1896 and August 1898.)

1 From Sankey. 2 Ibid.

142 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

"Perfect submission, perfect delight , Vision of r a p t u r e burs t on his sight. Perfect submission, all is at rest. H e rests in t he L o r d , e 'e r h a p p y a n d

blest . 3

Now that he had seen the Lingam, he felt tha t it was n o t any m e r e ex t e rna l physical object, b u t the omnipresen t , all-p e r v a d i n g Spirit , tha t h a d d r a w n h im and was still d rawing h im away from his old groove. T h r e e years passed, before he again went in to see Arunachala at the temple . Cons tan t visits to the shr ine, he felt, were needless in the face of the con­stant presence that filled his hear t , of the hourly protect ion that he received, and of the s t r eng then ing realization that he was the immor ta l spirit.

T h e lives of saints constandy pass from the personal to the impersonal , and vice versa\ m o m e n t s of passive characterless consciousness al ternate with d e e p devo­tion to a Personal God. T h e youth felt this t ru th a n d o the r aspects of t ru th in a hazy undef ined way, for till t hen he had no book- learning, n o r a teacher to ana­lyse for h im all he felt, to show h im for instance that the finite proves, on analy­sis, to be the infinite; the Personal, to be the Impersonal ; the many with forms and attr ibutes, to be the Absolute Real.

W h e n Venka ta raman (or the y o u n g Swami as we may hencefor th call him) left his F a t h e r ' s p r e s e n c e , w h e r e d id he go?

" T h e world was all before h im where to choose

His place of rest; and Providence his guide."

H i s c h o i c e was of c o u r s e T i r u ­vannamalai , and in it, his Father 's imme­diate presence , that is, the premises of the great temple . According to scripture (sastra) t h e p r o p e r r e s i d e n c e for a n anchori te (parivrajaka) is a temple , a hill, a cave, the foot of a t ree or the banks of holy waters; and the young Swami found the temple (as many others before, and after h im, did) to be the most conven­ient. T h e very a tmosphe re the re is p u r e a n d l a d e n wi th sp i r i t ua l power . T h e constant peals of the t emple bells, the f r equen t s t reams of p ious visitors ap ­p r o a c h i n g t h e i r G o d , wi th Tevaram, Tiruppugazh and o the r hymns , the p ro ­cessions of the sacred images followed by a band of youths chant ing aloud the sa­cred Vedas with the very accent and in­tonat ion which the rishis, the seers of the forest, employed thousands of years ago, and many o ther phases of religious life that one constantly meets with in these precincts, fully justified the selection so far as impulses to vir tue and piety were concerned. If however one wished to get away even from externa l contacts and to c o m m u n e in solitude with himself or his God, even then the precincts were par­ticularly sui ted to one ' s needs . T h e r e were the flower ga rden , the plantain gar­den , the h igher chambers of the n u m e r ­ous towers , especially t he skyscraping e a s t e r n o n e 4 o f t h i r t e e n s to reys , a n d many a nook and corner of this vast tem­ple measuring over two furlongs in length

3 From Sankey. 4 T h e eastern tower is 216 feet high; the length of the

temple is 1480 feet and its breadth 680 feet.

1999 SRI BHAGAVAN: HIS EARLY YEARS AT TIRUVANNAMALAI 143

This is the first photograph of Sri Bhagavan on record (1900).

144 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

a n d o n e in b r e a d t h a n d the n u m e r o u s mino r shr ines the re in — all these p r o ­vide adequa te soli tude.

T h e ascetic has n o n e e d for secrecy and h e has n o t h i n g to keep o r lock u p . Foxes have holes , a n d b i rds of the air have nests, b u t the son of God ha th n o place which h e calls his own. Every place is his; the ear th ' s surface everywhere is a bed for h im; the trees a re his umbrel las , the m o o n his lantern; a n d all the folk he meets a re his b ro thers a n d sisters, fathers and mo the r s provid ing h im with food. Was the y o u n g Swami ever t roubled by the t h o u g h t whe re he was to get a meal? Never; never has he t roubled himself to th ink w h a t h e shou ld d r i n k , w h a t h e should eat, a n d wherewithal h e should be clothed. His Father knows his need of these things; a n d h e thinks only of his Father a n d his self (\fyth is the k ingdom of God) and all these a re added u n t o him. T h e thousand-pi l la red hall served as the first res idence for the y o u n g 'Brahmana Swami', — tha t is the n a m e by which he has always been known to the masses at T i ruvannamala i . H e sat t he re d u r i n g his per iod of sdmadhi wi thout so m u c h as a cloth, m u c h less a mat , a r u g , o r shawl to spread o n the cold slabs; his a r m was his pillow; his pa lm was his plate; and any rag found by the wayside was his dress . 5

O n the very day of his arrival, he h a d aimlessly walked o n to the Ayyankulam Tank a n d t h r o w n away the b u n d l e of s w e e t m e a t g iven to h i m at t h e Ki lu r Bhagavatar 's house saying to himself, "To this block (i.e., t he body) why give any sweetmeat?" As h e walked back from the t a n k , a n d c a m e n e a r t h e t e m p l e ,

someone accosted h im a n d asked, "You want your tuft of hair to be removed, eh?" "Yes," repl ied the y o u n g Swami who was immediately taken to a ba rber and ha I the ent i re hair o n the head removed .

As a boy at Dindigul a n d Madura , he was noted for the beauty of his locks, (fine long jet-black locks), a fair complexion, and a h a n d s o m e face; a n d now at one stroke he pa r t ed with his locks wi thout a sigh. A clean-shaven head was the token of asceticism (sannyasa) i.e., of his par t ­ing with all the vanities of the world, a n d en te r ing u p o n a solemn course of life in which, things far higher, far m o r e seri­ous , should occupy every minu te of his a t t e n t i o n . H e t h e n t o r e his c lo th to shreds, and wearing one of t hem as a cod­piece (kaupina) cast away the rest and all his money, i.e., t h ree rupees a n d a half. H e also removed the sacred th read from his body and threw it away. H e was no t going to touch, and never after did he touch, money. These vows of austerity, of "holy poverty," were essential details of the good pa th he had chosen, and they served to set off a n d s u p p o r t his h igh tapas. T h e wear ing of the cod-piece was

5 (1) W h e n there is the earth to lie u p o n , why trouble about a bed? When one's arm is readily available why require pillows? W h e n there is the palm of one's hand, why seek for plates and utensils? W h e n there is the at­mosphere or a bark or other similar stuff to clothe one­self in, what need is there of silks? (2) Are there no rags by the wayside? D o not trees yield their gifts? Have streams, that always support others, dried up? Is not God (Sri Krishna) the friend o f those who have surrendered everything? Why then d o the Wise wait u p o n the rich, w h o are blinded by and in­toxicated with their wealth?

— Srimad Bhagavata, II.2.

1999 SRI BHAGAVAN: HIS EARLY YEARS AT TIRUVANNAMALAI 145 not merely for decency; it typified, and served as a r e m i n d e r of, the in ternal fas­tening of the will, the vow of celibacy, of puri ty in though t , word a n d deed , the sublime vow no t even to think of sex; for, as the great r e fo rmer and , spiritualiser of Juda i sm showed, lust in the hea r t is quite as ru inous to one 's spiritual flights as any lust in speech or act.

T h e casting away of the sacred th read had its solemn significance. T h e y o u n g Swami was realising his own na tu re , a n d discarding all tha t was no t the self. T h e body was no t himself; he had effectively discarded it by realising himself as the cur ren t or energy (avesam); and when the body was thus discarded, with it mus t go all distinctions a n d ideas based u p o n the not ion that the body was the self. A boy, if asked suddenly " W h o are you?," says "I am a brahmin, I a m a H i n d u , I a m the son of Ramaswami Iyer, I a m a sixth form s tudent , etc." His real self never occurs to him. T h e y o u n g Swami, who was liv­ing in the Real, wished to cast away even the last vestiges of distinctions based o n the body. T h e sacred th read r e m i n d e d one of his claim to brahmin descent, breed­ing, and the superiori ty connected there­with. H e was get t ing far ther and far ther away from such distinctions. H e was in­ferior to n o n e , supe r io r to n o n e . T h e sacred th read h a d d o n e its du ty so far; it had n o fur ther function for h im to fulfil; and it was therefore cast away. "Love of wealth is the root of all evil"; so the Swami threw away what wealth he had in the shape of coins and clothes. H e who feeds t h e r a v e n a n d t h e s p a r r o w , H e w h o clothes the lilies of the field, was feeding a n d c l o t h i n g h i m . Ins t inc t ive ly , t h a t

He who has attained the Supreme Goal discards all such objects as name and form, and dwells as the embodiment of Infinite Conscious­ness and Bliss.

— Atma Bodha, v.40.

is, w i t h o u t a n y i n t e r n a l s t r u g g l e o r p r o g r e s s i v e effort , t h e y o u n g Swami reached these t ru ths a n d d e n u d e d him­self of everything that he could get r id of. After his shave he did no t ba the , b u t addressed his body thus (mentally) — "Should this block be accorded the com­forts of a ba th?" — a n d passed on to the temple .

T h e few w e e k s of his stay a t th is mantapam were no t all rosy a n d pleasant. O n e may feel qui te sure that the y o u n g Swami would have at least his share of thorns and pin-pricks to e n d u r e . A young m a n of seventeen, wi thout any k insmen o r s u p p o r t e r s , m o v i n g u p a n d d o w n , never speaking, p rovoked first the curi­osity and nex t the mischievous tendency of t hose a b o u t h i m , especial ly of t h e youth . T h e y h a d seen already for four o r five years, o n e Seshadri (later known as the famous Seshadriswami) walking u p and down the streets of T i ruvannamala i , had called h im a crazy fellow, and t reated h im as t h o u g h h e were mad . T h e new arrival, they though t , was a bi rd of the same feather a n d accordingly called h im " C h i n n a S e s h a d r i " (i.e., S e s h a d r i t h e Younger) and paid h im the compl iment of flinging a few stones at h im, as he sat in meditat ion. O n e day w h e n the y o u n g

146 December

T h e silent one.

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Swami sat o n t h e cen t r a l dais of tha t mantapam a n d p l u n g e d in meditat ion, he found stones whizzing from beh ind him, and in front of h im. Luckily they did no t touch his body.

So he moved to the da rk recess of a large pit (known as Patala Lingam) in that same hall , w h e r e h e h o p e d to be free from such at tent ions. T h e change how­ever seems to have been from the frying p a n into the fire. T h a t da rk pit despite the sacred images in it, was neve r lit, never swept a n d never cleaned. I t was mostly d a m p a n d insect pests flourished luxuriantly there . As the young mouni6

sat there , enjoying the bliss of his soul, netdes, wasps, bees, ants, mosquitoes, and o ther vermin , the rightful occupants of the pit, at tached themselves to the intrud­er 's body a n d rejoiced in d r ink ing his blood. T h e ne the r side of his thighs and legs as he sat the re , was full of sores from which blood and pus issued. Even when one Ra tnammal went into this da rk pit to give h im food, po in ted ou t these dis­advantages and invited h im to he r house, the Swami gave no response by act, word o r even ges tu re ; a n d w h e n she left a newly washed cloth, reques t ing h im to use it as a bed or a seat at least, to ward off the attack of these pests , he never cared even to touch it. Such was the in­tensity of his t rance that he never noticed the pests. As for the kind attentions of mischievous youths , the Swami did not entirely escape them. Afraid of the dark­ness, they stood afar a n d hu r l ed b roken pots , which app roached the pit and were sha t t e red to pieces with a loud crash. Even the throwing of stones did not cease.

S e s h a d r i S w a m i a p p e a r s to h a v e m o u n t e d gua rd over this young Swami at times. But unfortunately, his presence, on some occasions at any rate , increased the risk and not the comforts, of the ward.

O n e Venkatachala Mudal i thus de ­scribes such an occasion which led to a change in the Swami's res idence. O n e noon , going near the thousand-pi l lared hal l , M u d a l i f o u n d a g r o u p of boys , mosdy Moslem boys, hur l ing stones in the direction of the pit. Enraged at the sight, he r an , seized a twig, a n d was at t he young scamps who fled away promptly. Suddenly from the da rk recesses of the hal l t h e r e i ssued fo r th t h e f igure of Seshadri . Mudal i was taken aback, bu t soon recovering himself, enqu i red of the Swami if the stones pel ted by the boys h a d h u r t h im. " O h , n o , " r ep l i ed t he Swami, "but go and see the Chinnaswami there ," pointed towards the pit, and went away. Proceeding fur ther inside, Mudali could make ou t no th ing for a while, as he was coming from the glare into the darkness . In a few minutes , the faint out­lines of a young face were discernible in that pit. Somewhat fr ightened, he went out to the adjoining flower-garden where a sadhu was working with his disciples. Men t ion ing the facts to t h e m h e took some of t hem with him. Even then the youthful figure sat motionless and with closed eyes, despite the noise of the foot­steps of this g roup . T h e n they lifted the Swami from the pit, carr ied h im away

1999 SRI BHAGAVAN: HIS EARLY YEARS AT TIRUVANNAMALAI 147

from the hall u p a flight of steps a n d deposi ted h im in front of the shr ine of Subrahmanya . T h e Swami still r emained u n c o n s c i o u s ; his eyes still r e m a i n e d closed; evidendy h e was in d e e p samadhi. T h e y no ted the large n u m b e r of sores caused by ants a n d fleas o n the ne the r side of the Swami's thighs and legs, and w o n d e r e d how a n y o n e cou ld r e m a i n unconscious of his body amidst such tor­tu re . R e g a r d i n g it as i r r eve rence , nay imper t inence , to make any fur ther noise in such presence , they bowed and went away.

Years of Strenuous Life

" T h e he igh t s by g rea t m e n r e a c h e d a n d k e p t

Were n o t a t t a ined by s u d d e n flight: But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward : in the night ." 7

Brahmana Swami was looked after 8

by the Mouna Swami, who lived in the shr ine of Subrahmanya and by a g r o u p of mendican t sadhus who lived in the ad­jo in ing ga rden . Some others also occa­sionally assumed care of him. But not one of these was attached to h im permanendy. Mouna Swami used to give h im the milk which was w a s h e d o u t f rom Godde s s Uma's shrine. This was a curious mixture of milk, water, tu rmer ic powder, sugar, plantains, raw or r ipe , and sundry o ther articles; a n d the passionless Brahmana Swami would gulp it down without any revulsion.

T h e temple priest, who noticed it one day, was gready pa ined, and o rde red that the p u r e milk used for the Goddess and i m m e d i a t e l y c o l l e c t e d w i t h o u t a n y

a d m i x t u r e , shou ld t hence forward be sent daily t h r o u g h the Mouna Swami in o r d e r t h a t h e m a y give p a r t of it to Brahmana Swami. After a short stay of one or two months in the above shr ine the Swami took u p his residence in the ad­jo in ing flower ga rden . H e r e , u n d e r the o leander (alari) plants , several of t hem ten or twelve feet high, he would sit ab­sorbed in d e e p samadhi, and sometimes discover at the e n d of it, that he was un­de r a totally different p lant many yards away from where he first sat. H e nex t re­moved himself to the hall where in the vehicles of the sacred images a re kept. H e r e the sport of the mischievous lads compelled h im to re t rea t far into the in­terior, and he would seat himself between the legs of a vehicle in the d e e p dark­ness, and lose himself in samadhi. Some­times he would wake u p to find his body u n d e r n e a t h ano the r vehicle, somehow having crossed many obstacles, without injury.

From this hall he moved on to the foot of a bel t ree , then to the foot of an iluppai t ree a n d , finally to the Manga i Pilliar temple . T h e iluppai t ree was quite close to a regular road within the first enclo­sure , the road in t ended for processions

7 Ladder of St. Augustine, Longfellow. 8 That Brahmana Swami needed looking after would ap­

pear sufficiently clear from Venkatachala Mudali's ac­count given in the previous chapter. A further proof of it may be cited here. T h e Swami was so rapt in his moods and would sit absorbed for so many hours (even eight or ten hours) at a stretch, without rising for a meal that food had sometimes to be thrust into his mouth and for about a month at the end of 1896, he was totally without any drapery — not wearing even his usual cod-piece.

148 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

within the temple . T h e Swami had al­ready at t racted the a t tent ion of the pil­g r ims a n d of t h e local p u b l i c in t h e Kartikai season , N o v e m b e r - D e c e m b e r , 1896; and hence crowds were constandy flocking to see h im. I t was h e r e that the first 'd isc ip le ' 9 o r p e r m a n e n t a t t endan t on the Swami, U d d a n d i Nayinar, came to him. This Nayinar was a pious scholar who had read sacred books and books of philosophy, b u t found no peace of m ind there in , a n d at tained no realisation. H e chanced to see the y o u n g Swami at the foot of the iluppai t ree , r ap t in ecstasy, and evidendy oblivious of his body. "Here indeed ," said Nayinar to himself, "are realisation a n d peace , and h e r e mus t I seek them." Thenceforward , he was con­standy at the Swami's side, looking after his bodily needs , recit ing Vasistham and Kaivalya Navanitam10 a n d wait ing with eager expecta t ion to hea r from his lips some blessed words of upadesa (instruc­tion) which migh t t ransform his learn ing into realisation a n d give h im the peace sup reme .

N a y i n a r ' s p r e s e n c e k e p t off i d l e crowds a n d minimised the dis turbance to samadhi. Bu t he could no t remain with the Swami always. Dur ing the long spells of Nayinar 's absence, no t only was the re f requent d is turbance by the curious, b u t the pest of frolicsome youths also revived its attack. T h e r e was n o da rk pit he r e to h ide in; a n d m a n y of t h e m still consid­e red Swami a crazy you th who was law­ful game for all their mi r th and play. T h e liberties they took may be illustrated by citing o n e instance. O n e day as he sat in samadhi at the foot of the iluppai t ree , for­getful of his body, some mischievous imp

took the oppor tuni ty , w h e n n o one was in sight, of approach ing h im from behind and testing the intensity of his absorp­tion. Liquid filth descended o n the back of the Swami, thereby wett ing his rags, and the lad mus t have tittered away won­de r ing at his own cleverness. This y o u n g Swami was quite u n a w a r e of what had h a p p e n e d . Sometime later, his conscious­ness revived, by reason of his wet rags, p e r h a p s ; a n d h e w o n d e r e d why these should be wet. T h e n from the smell he ga thered the p r a n k that some litde fel­low had played u p o n him, though no boy was s tanding near, at the time. N o anger was raised in his breast at such t reatment .

"For a man 's own angry p r ide Is cap and bells for a fool."

Pe rhaps also, hav ing played such a p r a n k d u r i n g his infancy, he t h o u g h t , " T h u s , the whirligig of time brings in his revenges." Anyhow, this iluppai t ree was a place of m u c h dis turbance.

At a b o u t this t ime , o n e A n n a m a l a i T a m b i r a n c a m e a l o n g wi th U d d a n d i Nayinar a n d was pay ing cons tant a n d reverent at tention to this Swami. By p u r e austerity and singing of Tevaram11 with crowds of followers, he collected alms, fed

9 T h e term 'disciple' should not be understood to imply a formal initiation (diksha). Brahmana Swami appears never to have formally given diksha or initiation to anyone, or undertaken the position of a 'Guru'. But in fact he instructed many people w h o went to him; and these claim to be his "disciples," T h e Swami himself had no Guru, and no diksha or initiation.

1 0 Standard Tamil works expounding advaita philosophy.

1 1 Tevaram is the name given to the sacred songs of the three Tamil poet-saints, Appar, Sundaramurti and Sambandar.

1999 SRI BHAGAVAN: HIS EARLY YEARS AT TIRUVANNAMALAI 149

the poor, a n d main ta ined the worship of his adheena G u r u in a bui ld ing which was therefore k n o w n as G u r u m u r t a m in a suburb of T i ruvannamala i . H a p p e n i n g once to pass nea r the iluppai t ree , he was deeply impressed with the puri ty of hear t a n d the ecstatic state of the y o u n g Swami a n d thereafter cons tandy accompanied Nayinar to see h im. O n e day h e told the Swami that his G u r u ' s shr ine was away f rom t h e vil lage, qu i t e a r e t i r e d spot where the Swami could carry on his medi­ta t ion u n d i s t u r b e d by p e o p l e a n d re ­q u e s t e d h i m to go t h e r e . T h e Swami agreed , a n d took u p his residence at the shrine. T h e Tambi ran daily recited the re h u n d r e d s ofTevaram hymns , which were e l eva t ing a n d in s t ruc t ive , a n d which might even be a sufficient outfit for one 's spiritual cul ture .

As t h e S w a m i ' s vairagya ( n o n -at tachment) m a t u r e d , a n d as he contin­u e d to neglec t his comforts a n d even cleanliness, he rose in popu l a r esteem. His body was besmeared with unwashed dirt , his hair became one clotted mass, and his fingernails grew so long and curly that his hands were no t useful for any purpose . H e sat for some weeks on a floor which was always infested by ants, and despite their constant crawling a n d bit­ing, h e sat for h o u r s with eyes closed, leaning against the wall in samadhi, and left on it the impr in t of his back. T h e visi­tors could not e n d u r e even for a few min­utes the an t t rouble which he was e n d u r ­ing for hours , days and weeks, losing his b o d y cons c i o u snes s . T h e Swami was therefore p rov ided after some time with a stool in a corner, the feet of the stool

be ing placed in water. Bu t even then the Swami leaning on the wall gave the ants their chance and left ano ther wax impress on the wall which is even now faindy dis­ce rn ib le . Peop le s w a r m e d to see this he igh t of self-neglect; some said "This Swami mus t be very old," a n d poin ted to the leng th of his nails as proof. Many people at once j u m p e d to the conclusion that, being so saindy, he could grant them all the boons they desired, such as wealth, heal th, issue, a n d salvation, a n d p o u r e d praises into his ears and offerings at his feet. All this developed the Swami's hu­mility, pat ience, e n d u r a n c e , and self-re­pression, — t h o u g h to some ex ten t they p roved dis turbances to his medi ta t ion, which however were minimised by a bam­boo palisade a r o u n d him.

His fame steadily increased as days p a s s e d ; a n d t h i s m e a n t i n c r e a s e d dis turbance and increased self-restraint, t hough the quest ion of food supply (if it eve r was a q u e s t i o n ) was comple t e ly solved. For t h e first m o n t h o r two at G u r u m u r t a m , t he T a m b i r a n supp l ied naivedya i.e., food offered at the shrine of his G u r u . T h e T a m b i r a n t h e n left, telling Nayinar to look after the Swami, and promised to r e t u r n in a week. But in fact, he did no t r e t u r n till after a year. Nayinar also was called away to his mutt (rel igious founda t ion ) in a few weeks after Tambiran left. So no one was left to look after the Swami. But with the in­creasing fame of the Swami, t he r e was no difficulty in respect of food supply. Many came with thei r occasional food offerings, and a few u n d e r t o o k a regular supply of the daily food and each insisted

150 December

! It is hardly necessary to assure the readers that no dis­respect towards or attack against worship of idols is intended by the above recital or a similar recital in Chapter XIV. See also for Maharshi's views on the sub­ject, infra.

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raft to cross this ocean of t roubles, and his a n c h o r for t h e r e m a i n i n g t e r m , (nea r ly t w e n t y - o n e years ) of his life. Palaniswamy a t t ended constandy o n the Swami, in fact followed h im like a shadow, received the bits of food-offerings sup­plied, mixed t h e n ! u p a n d offered them, (a cupful at noon) to the Swami as his mid-day meal , a n d r e t u r n e d the rest of the offerings to those who b r o u g h t them, as bhuktasesha o r prasada, that is, the bless­ing of the Swami.

O n e or two incidents of the Swami's life at G u r u m u r t a m may be set d o w n he re , as indicative of his a t t i tude towards o thers and their a t t i tude towards him.

T h e T a m b i r a n was g e t t i n g o v e r -zealous in his at tent ion; and one day he was a r ranging to get oil, sandal paste, etc., and mak ing grea t p repa ra t ion for treat­ing the y o u n g Swami, exacdy as the sa­cred idol in all t emples is t rea ted . H e p roposed , in fact, to p o u r over the Swa­mi's head oil, water, milk, food, etc. T h e young Swami did no t relish the p roposed t r ea tmen t . So the n e x t day before the Tambiran arr ived with food, the young Swami had writ ten with a piece of char­coal u p o n the adjoining wall, the Tamil words Idarku tondu iduve which means , "This (food) alone is the service (needed) for this (body) ." W h e n t h e T a m b i r a n

that h e o r she should have the mer i t of feeding this ascetic. T h e only difficulty was to k e e p t h e r u s h away f rom t h e Swami; a n d after Nayinar left, t he re was no p e r m a n e n t a t t endan t to pe r fo rm that function. I n a few mon ths , even this was solved.

T h e r e was a M a l a y a l i by n a m e Palaniswamy carrying o n the worship of God Vinayaka in the town, a n d living u p o n the naivedya (food offered to the God) as his solitary meal for the day, no t even us ing salt for seasoning his food. O n e Srinivasa Iyer, seeing h im at this devot ion to the image, advised h im to d r o p o r a l ter his course . " W h a t use , " said Iyer, "is t he re in spend ing your life­time with this s tone Swami? T h e r e is a y o u n g S w a m i in f lesh a n d b l o o d a t G u r u m u r t a m . H e is s teeped in austeri­ties (tapas) like the youthful Dhruva men­tioned in the Pur anas. If you go and serve him, a n d a d h e r e to him, .your life would serve its pu rpose . " O the r s also po in ted o u t t o h i m t h a t t h e S w a m i h a d n o a t tendant , a n d tha t it was a blessing to serve such a r a p t soul. S p u r r e d on by s u c h e n c o m i a , P a l a n i s w a m y w e n t to G u r u m u r t a m , saw the Swami and at once realised tha t he h a d discovered his Sav­iour. At first, Palaniswamy cont inued his worship at the Vinayakar temple , bu t in a shor t while, his faith in the living G u r u increased a n d became all-absorbing; and he discont inued his worship at the tem­ple. T h u s the old o r d e r changed , yield­ing place to new; a n d God (Vinayaka) f u l f i l l e d 1 2 H i m s e l f by s e n d i n g t h e d e v o t e e o n to Brahmana Swami, w h o thenceforward was his all in all, his only

1999 SRI BHAGAVAN: HIS EARLY YEARS AT TIRUVANNAMALAI 151

came and placed the food before him, the Swami p o i n t e d to t h e wr i t ing o n t h e wall, and thus m a d e h im unde r s t and that the os ten ta t ious wor sh ip p r o p o s e d by h im was unacceptable . Incidentally, the r e v e l a t i o n was f i r s t m a d e to t h e T i r u v a n n a m a l a i p u b l i c t h a t t h i s Brahmana Swami o r Gurumurtam Swami was a pe r son with educat ion who could write Tamil — even good Tamil.

This discovery led to the early disclo­sure of his identity. Amongs t the sincere admirers that constandy visited h im was a Taluk H e a d Accountant , Venkatarama Iyer. W h e n h e f o u n d tha t t he Swami could write, the idea seized this elderly gent leman, that he mus t learn the iden­tity of the Swami, tha t is, his n a m e and the place he hailed from. In the presence of Tambiran and o thers he p u t the ques­t ion to t h e Swami , w h o h o w e v e r r e ­m a i n e d silent, desp i t e r e p e a t e d ques­tions. Iyer, with the persistence of Delilah and Vivien, declared that he would not m o v e f rom t h e r e till h e shou ld l ea rn those facts, even if his p r o l o n g e d stay the re should involve official t rouble d u e to his absence at the Taluq Office, and intensity of h u n g e r by keeping away from h o m e . Moved by the a r d o u r of this aged a d m i r e r ' s zeal, t h e Swami t h e n wro te d o w n h i s n a m e a n d v i l l a g e as " V e n k a t a r a m a n , T i r u c h u z h i . " T h e officer w o n d e r e d w h a t " T i r u c h u z h i " was, b e i n g u n a c q u a i n t e d with any such p l ace . T h e S w a m i t h e n p i c k e d u p a c o p y of Periapuranam l y i n g by h i s s i d e , a n d s h o w e d h i m t h e n a m e ' T i r u c h u z h i , ' as t h a t of a v i l l a g e h o n o u r e d b y t h e c l a s s i c s o n g of Sunda ramur t i Swami.

T h e r e were tamar ind trees in the gar­den sur round ing G u r u m u r t a m and those in charge of it had gone away somewhere one day. A gang of thieves came in and wanted to collect and carry off the tama­r ind p roduce . Noticing the silent Swami at the foot of the tamar ind tree without any a t tendant , one thief said to another , "I say, br ing some kallipal (the corrosive milk ju ice of euphorbia tirucalli); let us throw it into this man 's eyes; and let us see if he will speak or not ." T h e Swami who mainta ined his mounam (rule of si­lence) , n e i t h e r spoke n o r m o v e d ; he showed no concern as to what might hap­p e n to his body, o r to the t amar ind fruit. So, a n o t h e r b r o k e o u t a n d said, "Oh , don ' t m ind him, what does he d o un to us? Let us get along." So, wi thout mo­lesting him, they carr ied off the p lunder . Alike at the t ime of the p lunder , as at the time of the threat , the Brahmana Swami merely looked on unconce rned .

Tennyson puts it thus:

. . . . let the world have its way: For Na tu re is one with rap ine , a h a r m

no p reacher can heal. T h e May fly is to rn by the swallow, the

sparrow spear 'd by the shrike, And the whole little wood where I sit

is a world of p l u n d e r and prey.

For the maker ' s drift is da rk , an Isis hid by a veil.

W h o knows the ways of the world, how God will b r ing t h e m about?

152 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

I have n o t m a d e t h e wor ld , a n d h e t ha t m a d e it will g u i d e .

T h e Swami's daily rou t ine of life, du r ­ing the year a n d a half tha t h e stayed at G u r u m u r t a m , was to be in r a p t samadhi, to get d is turbed by the noise of visitors, and by the d i n n e r cup — a sort of olla podrida. This was his only meal a n d suf­ficed jus t to keep body a n d soul together ; n o wonder , t he fo rmer grew th in a n d looked like a skeleton. H e h a d no exer­cise and was const ipated; a n d sometimes days passed before a slight relief was af­forded to the dis tended bowels. H e would sit on the bench, mosdy dazed, no t know­ing and no t car ing if it was m o r n i n g or evening, one day o r a n o t h e r of the week. H e would have ju s t s t rength and clear­ness e n o u g h to re ta in his sitting pos tu re , but if he t r ied to get u p , he was unsuc­cessful. H e would jus t lift himself u p some inches, a n d feeling giddy, sink back into his seat as the safer position. Again, he would try, with similar results. Only af­ter r epea t ed efforts could be get u p and go out . O n one such occasion, he had got u p a n d was at the d o o r w h e n he found Palaniswami ho ld ing h im with bo th his arms. Reproachfully, h e asked his faith­ful Adam, "Why d o you hold me?" T h e latter repl ied, "Swami was about to fall, and so I held h im and prevented the fall." T h e Swami was at the time hold ing the d o o r with b o t h his a rms , a n d was n o t aware tha t h e was about to fall.

After e ighteen mon ths had been spent thus in the midst of visitors' d is turbance, to p r e v e n t w h i c h Pa lan i swamy of ten locked the Swami in w h e n he went out , the Swami a n d his a t t endan t moved on

to t h e ad jo in ing m a n g o g rove , which n o n e was allowed to enter, except with t h e p e r m i s s i o n of t h e o w n e r , o n e Venka ta rama Naicker. T h e Swami a n d Palaniswamy, each occupied a field-watch­man 's loft, (paran) u n d e r the shade of a m a n g o tree. H e r e unmoles ted by visitors, they felt freer; a n d six mon ths were thus happily spent. I t was du r ing these months tha t Palaniswami hav ing ample leisure a n d access to a l i b r a r y in t h e t o w n , b r o u g h t several Tamil books o n Vedanta, e .g . , Kaivalya Navanitam, Vedanta Chudamani, Vasishtham, etc. H e was strug­gling painfully with them, word by word , in t he Swami's p r e s e n c e . T h e Swami, wishing to l ighten his labour, took each book from him, rapidly absorbed its con­t e n t s , a n d r e t a i n i n g t h e s a m e in his memory , impar t ed the gist of it to the wonde r ing disciple. T h e study of books was no t necessary for his (the Swami's) rel igious con templa t ion o r realisation. T h a t had been achieved already and re­qu i red n o fresh buttress . I t was the need to expla in its ethical a n d metaphysical basis and to answer the questions of those who resor ted to h im, book in h a n d or after s tudying books, that m a d e h im look into such books. With his natural ly clear intellect and retent ive memory, assisted by his i l luminating exper ience , he easily u n d e r s t o o d a n d expla ined t h e m to his ques t ione r s . I t is in t h e same way h e picked u p a knowledge of religious books in o the r languages also, e.g., in Sanskrit, T e l u g u a n d M a l a y a l a m , as a l so by m o v i n g closely w i th t h o s e w h o h a d considerable mastery of these languages a n d in cour se of t ime h e was able to express his living t h o u g h t in writ ing in all these languages.

The Soul Of Silence B y S w a m i T a p o v a n Maharaj

SI L E N C E is T r u t h . S i lence is Bliss. Silence is Peace. And hence Silence is

Atman. To live this Silence as such is the Goal. I t is moksha. I t is the end of the end­less cycle of births and deaths. Sri Ramana Maharsh i was an e m b o d i m e n t of such Silence. H e was the Silence Itself. T h e r e ­fore he did no t preach the Silence. Only when one comes back to the 'noisy' from the Silence, can one preach the Silence. H o w c a n t h e S i l e n c e p r e a c h I t s e l f t h r o u g h Silence?

Nearly thirty-five or forty years ago, I h a d t h e g o o d f o r t u n e of h a v i n g t h e darshan of Maharsh i at T i ruvannamala i when he was living the re in a cave a long with his m o t h e r a n d brother . O n e mid­day, a young brahmachari at tha t time, I went u p the Hill to the cave, saw the Maharsh i and , p lac ing a b u n c h of ba­nanas at his feet, bowed a n d sat before him. At the same m o m e n t some monkeys j u m p e d on to the scene, scrambled for the fruits and r an away with them.

Maharshi looked lovingly into my face. T h a t was all. H e spoke bu t silence — not a word passed be tween us. A sup reme , dynamic and divine Silence prevailed. An h o u r passed by, all in Silence. H e rose for his meals (bhiksha). I too rose from my seat, bowed again a n d walked down the Hill. T h e divine Silence sank d e e p e r and d e e p e r into m e at each step! Some­one came r u n n i n g beh ind and pressed

m e to take some prasad. Thankfu l ly I declined. I was full — full with the Si­lence. Maharshi called h im back and ad­vised h im no t to press me . T h e n I left the cave and walked away.

Maha r sh i was an idol of Peace a n d Silence. I t is the first du ty of all those who admi re and follow h im to seek after that Divine Silence. T h e e n q u i r y in to tha t Divine Silence is b u t the enqui ry "Who am I?"

O h , man! Enqui re and be immersed in that inne r Silence. Do all works of this world to reach that goal, to attain that Divine Silence. If you have already at­t a ined tha t Si lence, d o strive for loka sangraha (the salvation of the world) if you choose to d o so. T h e ocean ' s surface d a n c e s in waves , l a u g h s in s p a r k l i n g foam, roars as its t h u n d e r o u s waves clap and clash! And yet d e e p in its inner vaults it rests in eternal Silence and peace. With­ou t such a divine and spiritual dep th , the works and activities of this universe prove worthless and aimless.

"Works shou ld be u n d e r t a k e n a n d pu r sued to take us ultimately to the work-less Abode of Divine Silence a n d endless Peace." This is the secret doct r ine of all o u r Vedas a n d ancient scriptures.

Reproduced from The Mountain Path, January 1980.

Manisha Panchakam (Five verses on the Guru)

B y Shankaracharya

The story goes that when Shankaracharya was walking along the streets of Benares one day, he saw a chanda la (a person belonging to a community of outcastes) coming towards him. Not wishing to be polluted by the proximity of the chanda la theAcharya called out, 'Go away, go away\ The chandala , however stood his ground. In fact he was Lord Shiva come in disguise to test the Acharya's spiritual maturity and to teach him that Advaita {the doctrine of non-duality) is not merely a matter of intellectual understanding but has to be put into practice in everyday life. He said: V distinguished ascetic! Is it this body built up by food that you wish to keep at a distance from that body which is also built up by food, or do you wish to separate Pure Awareness which is present here from the same Awareness present there? Is it not a delusion to think that there are distinctions like b r a h m i n and svapacha 1

in our innermost essence which is like a waveless ocean of spontaneous bliss ? Is there any difference in the Sun reflected in the water of the holy Ganges and that which is reflected in a stagnant pool in a street of chanda las? Again, is there any difference between the space enclosed in a vessel made of gold and that enclosed in a pot made of clayV On hearing these words the Acharya realised his mistake. He composed five verses on the spot to show that there are no distinctions in the pure Existence-Consciousness-Bliss that is Brahman. Shiva then revealed Himself to him and blessed him.

These five verses are known as the Manisha P a n c h a k a m as each of them ends with the words man isha mama, meaning (my opinion9 or 'what I think9. The following is a free rendering of them:

1. 'I am truly Pu re Awareness which clearly manifests itself in the states of wak­ing, d r e a m i n g a n d sleeping, which is the cognizer of the universe and is immanen t in all bodies from that of B r a h m a (the four-faced god) to that of an ant. I am n o t an object of p e r c e p t i o n (like t h e body). ' O n e who has this firm conviction is, in my opinion, a t rue G u r u , whe the r he is a brahmin o r a chandala.

2. T am B r a h m a n . This en t i re uni ­verse is merely a play of Consciousness. I t is simply imagined by me on account of n e s c i e n c e c a u s e d by t h e t h r e e modalities (gunas)\ O n e who has this firm convic t ion a b o u t t he S u p r e m e B e i n g

Reproduced from The Mountain Path, January 1974. 1 Another name for chandala, literally, one who cooks dog's

flesh.

156 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

which is p u r e a n d e ternal bliss is, in my opinion, a G u r u , whe the r he is a brahmin or a chandala.

3. T h e en t i re universe is constantly changing . 2 O n e who has hea rd this from the Guru ' s lips will sincerely and cease­lessly think about B r a h m a n with a tran­quil mind . H e will b u r n u p the sins com­mitted by h im in the past and those that may be commit ted in the future in the fire of Self-knowledge, and will let his body exper ience the consequences of his acts which have come to fruition in this life. This is my opinion.

4. Pure awareness is exper ienced in­wardly as T by all beings, celestial, hu­m a n and inferior. T h e body, the sense organs and the mind which are inert by

na tu re become sentient (as it were) by Its effulgence (i.e. intelligence). T h e Yogi who always contemplates with a tranquil mind this effulgence which, like the Sun, is hid­den by the (very) objects which it illumines, is, in my opinion, the t rue Guru .

5. T h e bliss enjoyed by I n d i a and o t h e r ce l e s t i a l b e i n g s is b u t an infinitesmal por t ion of the ocean of bliss (which is B rahman) . T h e sage exper i ­ences the latter in his extremely tranquil mind. H e whose mind is dissolved in the eternal ocean of bliss is verily Brahman , not merely a knower of Brahman . Such a person is ra re and is adored by Indra , the lord of the devas. This is my opinion.

Lit. perishing.

SRI BHAGAVAN'S SELECTIONS FROM YOGA VASISHTA

Steady in the state of fulness which shines when all desires are given up, and peaceful in the state of freedom in life, act playfully in the world, O Raghava!

Inwardly free from all desires, dispassionate and detached, but outwardly active in all directions, act playfully in the world, O Raghava!

Outwardly full of zeal in action but free from any zeal at heart, active in appearance but inwardly peaceful, work playfully in the world, O Raghava!

Free from egoism, with mind detached as in sleep, pure like the sky, ever untainted, act playfully in the world, O Raghava!

Conducting yourself nobly and with kindly tenderness, outwardly con­forming to conventions but inwardly renouncing all, act playfully in the world, O Raghava!

Quite unattached at heart but for all appearance acting as if with attach­ment, inwardly cool but outwardly full of fervour, act playfully in the world, O Raghava!

tsr

The Bhagavad Gita Chapter XI

V I S I O N OF T H E D I V I N E F O R M S A S I N C L U D I N G ALL F O R M S

E n g l i s h r e n d i t i o n b y W i l l i a m Q u a n J u d g e

W.Q. Judge was a great Theosophist whose favourite book was the Gita. His rendition of Chapters II and XVIII have been published in these columns earlier}

ARJUNA: My delusion has been dis­persed by the words which thou for my soul's peace hast spoken concerning the mystery of the adhyatma — the spirit. For I have hea rd at full length from thee , O thou whose eyes a re like lotus leaves, the origin and dissolution of existing things,

and also thy inexhaust ible majesty. I t is even as thou hast descr ibed thyself, O

R e p r o d u c e d with kind permiss ion from T h e o s o p h y Company (India) Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai - 4 0 0 020 .

1 The Mountain Path, Dec. 1996, Dec. 1998.

158 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

mighty Lord ; I now desire to see thy di­vine form, O sovereign Lord . Wherefore , O Lord , if t hou thinkest it may be be­held by me , show me , O Master of devo­tion, thine inexhaust ible Self.

KRISHNA: Behold, O son of Pritha, my forms by h u n d r e d s and by thousands, of diverse kinds divine, of many shapes and fashions. Behold the Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Aswins, a n d the Maruts, see things wonderful never seen before, O son of Bharata . H e r e in my body now behold , O Gudakesha , the whole universe ani­ma te a n d i nan ima te g a t h e r e d h e r e in one , and all things else thou hast a wish to see. Bu t as with thy na tura l eyes thou art no t able to see me , I will give thee the divine eye. Behold my sovereign power and might!

SANJAYA: O king, having thus spo­ken, Har i , 2 the mighty Lord of mysteri­ous power, showed to the son of Pri tha his s u p r e m e form; with m a n y m o u t h s and eyes and m a n y wonderful appear ­ances , wi th m a n y d i v i n e o r n a m e n t s , m a n y c e l e s t i a l w e a p o n s u p r a i s e d ; a d o r n e d w i th celes t ia l g a r l a n d s a n d robes, ano in ted with celestial o in tments and per fumes , full of every marvellous t h i n g , t h e e t e r n a l G o d w h o s e face is t u r n e d in all directions. T h e glory and amazing sp l endour of this mighty Being may be l ikened to the radiance shed by a t housand suns rising toge ther into the heavens. T h e son of Pandu then beheld within the body of the God of gods the whole universe in all its vast variety. Over­whe lmed with wonder , Dhananjaya, 3 the possessor of wealth, with hair s tanding on end , bowed d o w n his head before the

Deity, and thus with jo ined p a l m s 4 ad­dressed him.

ARJUNA: I behold , O God of gods, within thy frame all beings and things of every kind; the Lord B r a h m a on his lo­tus t h rone , all the Rishis and the heav­enly serpents . 5 I see thee on all sides, of infinite forms, having many arms, stom­achs, mouths , and eyes. But I can discover ne i ther thy beginning, thy middle , no r thy end , O universal Lord , form of the universe. I see thee crowned with a dia­d e m and a rmed with mace and chakraf a mass of splendour , da r t ing light on all sides; difficult to behold, shining in every direct ion with light immeasurable , like the b u r n i n g fire or glowing sun. T h o u ar t the sup reme inexhaustible Being, the end of effort, changeless, the S u p r e m e Spirit of this universe, the never failing gua rd i an of e terna l law. I es teem thee Purusha,1 I see thee without beginning, middle , or end , of infinite power with a rms i nnumerab l e , the sun and m o o n thy eyes , t hy m o u t h a f l a m i n g f i re , overmaster ing the whole universe with thy majesty. Space and heaven, and ear th and every point a round the three regions of the universe are filled with thee alone.

2 Hari, an epithet of Krishna, meaning that he has the power to remove all difficulty.

3 Arjuna. 4 This is the Hindu m o d e of salutation. 5 These are the uragas, said to be serpents. But it must

refer to the great masters of wisdom, who were often called serpents.

6 A m o n g human weapons this would be known as the discus, but here it means the whirling wheels of spir­itual will and power.

7 Purusha, the Eternal Person. T h e same name is also given to man by the Hindus.

1999 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 159

T h e triple world is full of fear, O thou mighty spirit, seeing this thy marvellous form of terror. Of the assemblage of the gods some I see fly to thee for refuge, while some in fear with jo ined hands sing forth thy praise; the hosts of the Maharshis and Siddhas, grea t sages and saints, hail thee, saying 'svasti,'8 and glorify thee with m o s t e x c e l l e n t h y m n s . T h e Rudras, Adityas, the Vasus, a n d all those beings — the Sadhyas, Vishwas, the Ashwins, Maruts, and Ushmapas, the hosts of Gandharbhas, Yakshas, and Siddhas9 — all stand gazing on thee and are amazed. All the worlds alike with me are terrified to behold thy w o n d r o u s f o r m g i g a n t i c , O t h o u of migh ty a r m s , with m a n y m o u t h s a n d eyes, with many a rms , thighs and feet, with many stomachs and projecting tusks. For seeing thee thus , touching the heav­ens, shining with such glory, with widely o p e n e d m o u t h s a n d b r igh t e x p a n d e d eyes, my inmost soul is t roubled and I lose bo th f i rmness a n d tranquill i ty, O Vishnu. Beho ld ing thy dreadfu l tee th and thy face like the b u r n i n g of dea th , I can see nei ther heaven no r ear th; I find no peace; have mercy, O Lord of gods, thou Spirit of the universe!

T h e sons of D h r i t a r a s h t r a with all these rulers of men , Bhishma, Drona and also K a m a and o u r principal warriors , seem to be i m p e t u o u s l y p rec ip i t a t ing themselves into thy mou ths terrible with tusks; some are seen caught between thy teeth, their heads g r o u n d down. As the rapid streams of full flowing rivers roll on to mee t the ocean, even so these he­roes of the h u m a n race ru sh into thy flaming mouths . As t roops of insects car­ried away by s t rong impulse find dea th in the fire, even so d o these beings with

swelling force p o u r into thy mou ths for the i r own des t ruc t ion . T h o u involvest and swallowest all these creatures from every side, licking t h e m in thy flaming lips; filling the universe with thy splen­dour, thy sharp beams b u r n , O Vishnu. Reverence be u n t o thee , O best of Gods! Be favourable! I seek to know thee , the Primeval O n e , for I know not thy work.

KRISHNA: I am T ime matured , come hi ther for the destruct ion of these crea­tures; except thyself, no t one of all these warriors he re d r awn u p in serr ied ranks shall live. Wherefore , arise! Seize fame! Defeat the foe and enjoy the full grown k ingdom! T h e y have already been slain by me; be thou only the immediate agent, O thou bo th -a rmed o n e . 1 0 Be not dis­t u r b e d . Slay D r o n a , B h i s h m a , J a y a -dra tha , K a m a , and all the o ther heroes of the war who are really slain by me . Fight. T h o u wilt conquer all thine enemies.

SANJAYA: W h e n he of the resplend­ent d i adem 1 1 hea rd these words from the m o u t h of Keshava, 1 2 he saluted Krishna with j o i n e d pa lms and t rembl ing with fear, addressed h im in b roken accents, and bowed down terrified before him.

ARJUNA: T h e universe , O Hr i she-kesha , 1 3 is justly del ighted with thy glory

8 This cry is supposed to be for the benefit o f the world, and has that meaning.

9 All these names refer to different classes of celestial be­ings, some of which are now called in theosophical lit­erature, "elemental"; the others are explained in H.P. Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine.

1 0 Arjuna was a famous archer who could use the celestial bow, Gandiva, with either hand equally well.

1 1 Arjuna wore a brilliant tiara.

12 & 13 K r i s n n a > by other names.

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and is filled with zeal for thy service; the evil spirits a re affrighted and flee on all sides, while all t he hosts of saints bow d o w n in a d o r a t i o n b e f o r e t h e e . A n d w h e r e f o r e s h o u l d they n o t a d o r e t h e e , O migh ty Be ing , t h o u w h o a r t g r e a t e r t h a n B r a h m a , w h o a r t t h e first Maker? 0 e t e rna l God of gods! O habitation of the universe! T h o u ar t the one indivis­ible Being, and non-being , that which is sup reme . T h o u ar t the first of Gods, the most ancient Spirit; t hou ar t the final su­p r e m e recep tac le 1 4 of this universe; thou art the Knower and that which is to be known, a n d the s u p r e m e mansion; and by thee , O thou of infinite form, is this universe caused to emana te . T h o u ar t Vayu, God of wind, Agni, God of fire, Yama, God of dea th , Varuna, God of wa­ters; thou ar t the m o o n ; Prajapati, the p r o g e n i t o r a n d grandfa ther , a r t t hou . Hail! Hail to thee! Hail to thee a thou­sand times repeated! Again and again hail to thee! Hail to thee! Hail to thee from before! Hail to thee from behind! Hail to thee on all sides, O thou All! Infinite is thy power and might ; thou includest all things, therefore thou ar t all things!

Having been ignoran t of thy majesty, 1 took thee for a friend, and have called t h e e ' O K r i s h n a , O son of Yadu , O f r iend/ a n d b l inded by my affection and presumpt ion , I have at times treated thee wi thout respect in sport , in recreat ion, in repose , in thy chair, and at thy meals, in private a n d in public; all this I beseech thee , O inconceivable Being, to forgive.

T h o u ar t the father of all things ani­mate and inanimate ; thou ar t to be hon­o u r e d as above t h e guru himself, a n d

wor thy to be adored ; the re is n o n e equal to t hee , a n d how in t he t r iple wor lds could h e r e be thy superior , O thou of unrivalled power? Therefore I bow down and with my body pros t ra te , I implore thee, O Lord , for mercy. Forgive, O Lord , as the friend forgives the friend, as the father p a r d o n s his son, as the lover the beloved. I am well pleased with having beheld what was never before seen, and yet my hear t is overwhelmed with awe; have mercy then , O God; show m e that o the r form, O thou who ar t the dwelling place of the universe; I desire to see thee as before with thy d i adem on thy head , thy hands a r m e d with mace and chakra; assume again, O thou of a thousand arms a n d u n i v e r s a l f o r m , t hy f o u r - a r m e d shape! 1 5

KRISHNA: O u t of kindness to thee , O Arjuna, by my divine power I have shown thee my s u p r e m e form, the uni­verse , r e s p l e n d e n t , infinite, p r imeva l , and which has never been beheld by any o ther than thee. Nei ther by s tudying the Vedas, n o r by alms-giving, no r by sacrifi­cial rites, no r by deeds , no r by the sever­est mortification of the flesh can I be seen in this form by any o the r than thee, O best of Kurus. Having beheld my form thus awful, be no t d is turbed n o r let thy faculties be confounded , bu t with fears allayed and happiness of hear t look u p o n this o the r form of mine again.

1 4 That is, that into which the universe is resolved on the final dissolution.

1 5 Arjuna had been accustomed to see Krishna in his four-armed form, not only in the images shown in youth, but also when Krishna came into incarnation, and could therefore look on the four-armed form without fear.

1999 THE BHAGAVAD GITA 161

SANJAYA:Vasudeva 1 6 having so spo­ken , r e a s sumed his n a t u r a l form; a n d thus in milder shape the Grea t O n e pres-endy assuaged the fears of the terrified Arjuna.

ARJUNA: Now tha t I see again thy placid h u m a n shape , O J a n a r d a n a , who art p rayed to by mortals , my mind is no m o r e dis turbed and I a m self-possessed.

K R I S H N A : T h o u hast seen this form of mine which is difficult to be perceived and which even the gods are always anx­ious to behold . But I am not to be seen, even as I have shown myself to thee , by study of the Vedas, n o r by mortifications, no r alms-giving, n o r sacrifices. I am to be app roached and seen and known in t ru th by means of that devotion which

has m e a lone as the object. H e whose actions a re for m e alone, w ho es teemeth m e the s u p r e m e goal, w ho is my servant only, wi thout a t t achment to the results of action and free from enmity towards any c rea tu re , cometh to m e , O son of Pandu .

Thus in the Upanishads , called the holy Bhagavad Gita, in the science of the Supreme Spirit, in the book of devotion, in the colloquy between the Holy Krishna and Arjuna, stands the Eleventh Chapter, by name —

THE VISION OF THE DIVINE FORM

AS INCLUDING ALL FORMS

A name of Krishna.

SRI BHAGAVAN'S DAYS O N T H E H I L L

By A. Devaraja Mudaliar

Bhagavan spoke about the way in which in the old days he used to climb to the peak at any time he felt like it, and that by any route or even no route . H e said only the grass-cutters knew some of the routes he used. "Sometimes people would come from Madras and other parts and, setting out to reach the top of the hill , would stray near Skandasramam. Finding me seated there, they would ask me for the route to the hill top. When I told them the route was to their r ight and turned northward, some would say, 'Do you know who we are and wherefrom we come? We are from Madras. None of your tricks with us . The top is here straight above us and you want to lead us astray.' I used to keep quiet. They would try to climb in a straight l ine, and after a long time, they would re tu rn tired out, finding that all their efforts to reach the peak were in vain. Near ing me they would bow their heads in shame and go away, avoiding m e . "

The Solitude of Alexander Selkirk B y W i l l i a m C o w p e r

This well known poem is based on an episode in the life of Alexander Selkirk (Selcraig), a Scottish sailor.

Cowper here gives a poetic picture of the thoughts crossing the mind of a man living alone.

Selkirk lived all alone for more than four years on Mas a Tierra, one of the uninhabited islands known as the Juan Fernandez group, off the coast of Chile. He was not exactly marooned, but put ashore at his own request, following a dispute with his captain (in the course of an expedition). He was subsequently rescued. He then continued his career as a sailor and died in harness on board the Weymouth , a British man-of-war.

We are fortunate to have the comments of Sri Bhagavan on this poem. He has explained the true significance of solitude in the following passage:

14th February , 1938

Quoting Alexander Selkirk's soliloquy Sri Bhagavan said, "The happiness of solitude is not found in retreats. It may be had even in busy centres. Happiness is not to be sought in solitude or busy centres. It is in the Self'.1

I a m m o n a r c h of all I survey, My r ight there is n o n e to d ispute ;

F r o m the centre all r o u n d to the sea I a m lord of the fowl and the b ru te .

0 solitude! where are the charms T h a t sages have seen in thy face?

Bet ter dwell in the midst of alarms T h a n reign in this horr ible place.

1 am ou t of humani ty ' s reach, I mus t finish my j o u r n e y alone,

Never hea r the sweet music of speech; I start at the sound of my own,

T h e beasts that r oam over the plain My form with indifference see;

1 Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, Talk N o . 4 5 9 , p.435 (1994 Edn.).

1999 THE SOLITUDE OF ALEXANDER SELKIRK 163

T h e y a re so unacqua in ted with m a n , T h e i r tameness is shocking to me .

Society, f r iendship, a n d love Divinely bestow'd u p o n man ,

O had I the wings of a dove How soon would I taste you again!

My sorrows I t hen might assuage In the ways of religion and t ru th ,

Might learn from the wisdom of age, And be cheer 'd by the sallies of youth .

Ye winds that have m a d e m e your sport , Convey to this desolate shore

Some cordial e n d e a r i n g r e p o r t Of a land I shall visit n o m o r e ;

My friends, do they now and then send A wish or a t h o u g h t after me?

O tell me I yet have a friend, T h o u g h a friend I am never to see.

H o w fleet is a glance of the mind! C o m p a r e d with the speed of its flight,

T h e tempes t itself lags beh ind , And the swift-winged arrows of light.

W h e n I think of my own native land In a m o m e n t I seem to be the re ;

But , alas! recollection at h a n d Soon hur r ies me back to despair .

But the seafowl is gone to he r nest, T h e beast is laid down in his lair;

Even he re is a season of rest, And I to my cabin repair .

T h e r e ' s mercy in every place, And mercy, encourag ing though t !

Gives even affliction a grace And reconciles m a n to his lot.

The Extraordinary Life of Saint Marie-Eustelle

B y Dr . S u s u n a g a W e e r a p e r u m a

The author was inspired to write this article on seeing the comments of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi on St. Estella and her teachings (reproduced below).

17th J a n u a r y 1937 In the morning Sri Bhagavan read out a short passage from St. Estella

in the Tamil R a m a k r i s h n a Vijayam. Its purport is:

"Your enemies are lust, passion, etc. If you feel injured turn within and find out the cause of the injury. It is not external to you. The external causes are mere superimpositions. If you cannot injure yourself, will the all-merciful God injure you in any manner?"

Sri Bhagavan further said that St. Estella was a good saint, whose teachings were quite sound.1

KN O W N as the Angel of the Eucha­rist, Eustelle was b o r n on April 19th

1814 in the town of Saintes which is near the Atlantic coast of France. Interestingly e n o u g h , in F rench the word "saintes" means "female saints."

Despite he r saintly disposition, Marie-Eustelle H a r p a i n (1814-1842) was never canonized. Nevertheless, she was a highly vene ra t ed saint. I t is a pity tha t many God-realised persons have no t been can­onized.

H e r father Rene , a tha tcher of roofs, was d o i n g his Chr i s t i an du t i e s at t h e beg inn ing bu t he did no t persevere for long. H e was led astray by bad people

and he became a drinker. Rene s topped celebrating Easter and a t tending church. H e was par t of a g r o u p of persons who disliked the piety of Eustelle. She found his conduct and remarks objectionable. H e was ea r thbound . In contrast, she was religious, delicate and sensitive. H e r fa­the r ' s b e h a v i o u r p a i n e d her. Eustel le prayed for he r father 's .soul and m a d e sacrifices to God.

Al though in he r lifetime she did not have the satisfaction of seeing he r dea r

1 Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, Talk No. 329 , p.297 (1994 Edn.).

1999 THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAINT MARIE-EUSTELLE 165

Saint Marie-Eustelle

166 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

father 's conversion or r e t u r n to God, we know that Eustelle, after h e r own dea th , was responsible for intercession with the Divine on his behalf. Consequendy, at the time of Rene 's demise , which h a p p e n e d ten years after tha t of his daughter , he was already a peni tent Christian, who had in fact m a d e his peace with God.

Eustelle described he r m o t h e r as an excellent Christ ian who was 'gentle and pa t ien t in all h e r trials' . As a resul t of Marie Picotin's ma r r i age to Rene , five children were b o rn of w h o m Eustelle was the second. T h e last th ree chi ldren and Eustel le w e r e all ra i sed t o g e t h e r ; t he former outlived the latter. Charles , the youngest , followed in his father 's foot­steps and worked as a tha tcher for seve­ral years, b u t later he desi red to become a pr ies t , which h e d id . Char les main­tained that he had felt called to become a priest because of Eustelle's prayers and advice. Eustelle h a d already been dead for four years at the time of his ordinat ion in Pons.

Eus t e l l e ' s y o u n g e r s i s te rs , M a r i e -Angele a n d Madele ine-Anastas ie were w o r k e r s w h o h a d t h e r a r e v i r t u e of humility. Al though they were almost as pious as Eustelle, they were never the recipients of ex t raord inary divine graces. Eustelle was different from he r sisters in this respect. Eustelle was amiable, expan­sive a n d playful as m u c h as h e r sisters, especially Anastasie, were quiet a n d re­served. T h e s e two sisters of Eustelle were devou t b u t they were no t popular ly re ­ga rded as saints. I t was Eustelle who was widely viewed as the servant of God bo th d u r i n g a n d after h e r life.

Anastasie a n d Char les were the last surviving member s of the H a r p a i n fam­ily, after the dea ths of Eustelle, Angele and their mother . Anastasie a n d Charles , the abbot, were p re sen t w h e n their sister Eustelle was pos thumous ly glorified. O n tha t occasion Char les talked abou t his angelic sister Eustelle; he asked people to read he r writings and biography. T h e pious were also shown the tabernacle be­fore which Eustelle had prayed .

We know that Eustelle went to school for six years where , a m o n g o the r things, she learn t how to r ead a n d write; two years later she had he r first c o m m u n i o n and confirmation. At the t ende r age of fifteen she exper ienced a conversion to God; it was the spiritual change from sin­fulness to r ighteousness . Eustelle started leading a completely new life, a l though people mocked the girl and heaped scorn on her. Two years later she finished serv­ing he r apprent iceship and began do ing h e r dut ies as a day labourer . I n 1834 Eustelle m a d e an unsuccessful a t t empt to become a n u n at t he seapor t of La Rochelle. At the age of twenty two, when Eustelle was a y o u n g woman , she vowed herself to a life of chastity. T h e following year she ceased being a day labourer; she also s topped living with he r parents . Af­ter that time Eustelle, taking God to wit­ness, b o u n d herself by a vow of poverty. In 1839 she was in charge of the sacristy (a r o o m w h e r e t he sacred vessels a n d vestments of a church are kept) . She re­covered from h e r first major illness in 1840. She was requi red to write down the story of h e r life by he r spiritual directors. T h e n e x t year she fell ill aga in . As a

1999 THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAINT MARIE-EUSTELLE 167

result of he r final illness Eustelle peace­fully passed away in J u n e 29th 1842 at the age of twentyeight.

Eustelle's Letter

Reproduced below is a moving letter of Eustelle that was writ ten jus t four years pr ior to he r demise. Addressed to a cler­gyman, this telling d o c u m e n t testifies to the fact that Eustelle was a very serious person who a d o r e d Jesus with grea t in­tensity. In it she has touched u p o n a ques­tion tha t was a major wor ry for m a n y outs tanding Christ ian mystics. This p rob­lem has been t e r m e d "aridity"; St Teresa of Avila, for instance, called it "aridity in p r a y e r . " O f t e n it w a s t h e case t h a t devotional saints s tar ted feeling a p p r e ­hensive whenever they exper ienced some degree of d iminut ion of their devot ion. Over the ages the saints of every kind a n d clime have struggled, with or without much success, to maintain at its highest peak their devotion to the Supreme Being.

Saintes

December 28 1838

May the cross of Jesus live eternally in your hear t !

At the m o m e n t my soul is in a sad situ­ation, a l t hough it is a litde be t te r t han before.

God a lone , I tell it to you from the bot tom of my hear t , has been the Knower of the infinite sufferings that I have been bear ing for four weeks. O h , what a terr i ­ble trial! W h o is the pe r son who can tell m e that he has never m a d e a mistake ? I shall no t go into the details concern ing my afflictions, because it seems to m e that

you would n o t be able to believe it. I r e n d e r thanks to the Lord , a n d I request you to jo in m e in thank ing H i m for the very special s t rength that H e has given m e d u r i n g this per iod . If you want to know m o r e about it I will tell it to you in ano ther letter. Meanwhile my confidence and t rust in God has no t waned . By writ­i ng these l ines m y faith in G o d gets s t r eng thened . Jesus 's sweet love for m e enlivens m e a n d encourages m e to be m o r e a n d m o r e d e v o t e d to H i m . Sir, t h r o u g h your prayers please obtain for m e some spark from this Divine Fire, because living wi thout loving God is the worst misery. W h a t are the reasons for my n o t loving God , I w h o have b e e n overwhelmed by His graces, I who have been the recipient of His mercy in such abundance ? Let us therefore love God W h o is so good a n d so generous ; let us love this t e n d e r Father Whose h a n d is led by the hea r t a n d W h o punishes only because H e wants to reward us. I desire God 's love no t ju s t for m e b u t also for you. The re fo re love H i m for H e is good a n d lovable. Love H i m and work with all your s t rength so that H e may love you. May your soul find rest in Him. May you find solace in H i m while facing the suffer­ings that are pa r t and parcel of your min­istry. Pa rdon m e for taking the liberty of conversing with you in this manner . I t ill becomes m e to say these things b u t God knows the reason why. I would like to love H i m b u t I a m unwor thy of the de­gree of love for God that I long to have. There fo re I h o p e that o thers would have tha t a m o u n t of love for H im. I wish you would love God in this way as you are already aware of its charm and sweetness.

168 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

R e q u e s t this Divine S p o u s e of o u r souls never to allow m e to offend Him. Request H i m to g ran t m e the holy vir tue of humility. I fear tha t I a m often lacking in humility.

I felt tha t you have h a d a lot of work from what you said in your letter ... Have courage ; in this I see you conforming m o r e to your Divine Master, H e , W h o , d u r i n g His earthly life was devoured by zeal for the glory of His Father and W h o only looked for His rest in cont inuous work by which H e b r o u g h t about o u r sal­vation. You have deal ings with a good Master W h o is going to pay you to the very last farthing. But you know that the motive of a reward should no t alone mo­tivate us. Are we no t already paid enough by the fact that H e finds us worthy to d o someth ing for Him? Let us therefore al­ways strive towards perfection. May the interest of His glory be the incentive for o u r thoughts , words and actions. Let no unwor thy cowardliness delay us in mak­ing the sacrifices which H e has the r ight to requ i re of us.

I have ju s t finished r ead ing the vol­u m e s of Saint Francis of Sales.

T h e year is end ing ; with what speed the year has passed! Only graces have b e e n rece ived a n d m a y b e I have n o t m a d e good use of them! Another year will soon begin and the Lord is p repa r ­ing Himself to g ran t us His new bless­ings. May God g r a n t your wishes and help you to walk a long the pa th of saint­hood as well as to safeguard your life so that you can obtain His glory for a long time. It is no t my wish that you should have the goods of this world; you know

how fragile and cosdy they are . I thank God for the saintly simplicity and disin­terestedness that I have found in you. Let us love and practise the dea r virtue of poverty. Oh , only riches can be found in this virtue! Let us practise it until ou r last b rea th so that we may die in its a rms. Because in this way, devoid of worldly things, we may in the celestial homeland fill ourselves with the highest good that is God Himself.

Tell good Mary a lot of things on my behalf. I wish he r a bet ter year than the previous one and I h o p e that God would g ran t it to her. I wish he r all the best as regards her sanctification. May she there­fore have m o r e faith and confidence in God, m o r e love, m o r e gra t i tude for His gifts. Finally, I wish he r that which I de­sire for myself, namely that God lives in her mind and rules in her heart.

Sir, stay at all t imes in the hea r t of Jesus . I find you often there . How nice it is in this holy dwelling !

Your respectful sister,

Eustelle

Eustelle was secretive about the graces and ex t raord inary favours that she was privileged to receive. These she divulged only to he r spiritual directors and Sister Anastasie because she m a d e it a mat ter of conscience. She asked them to be ab­solutely discreet about it.

O n e day an inquisitive lady questioned her, "Do you see God? Are you favoured with ext raordinary graces ? Tell it to me." Eustelle replied, "What kind of person do you think I am ? A poor miserable woman w h o sees God! W h a t d o you t h i n k ? "

1999 THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAINT MARIE-EUSTELLE

Saint Marie-Eustelle at prayer

Eustelle gave an evasive answer as she did not want to h u r t this lady's feelings.

Eustelle was filled with disgust when others sang he r praises as m u c h as she e x p e r i e n c e d satisfaction w h e n p e o p l e railed against her. Never enslaved by the vanity of clothes, she wore the simplest of d r e s se s t h a t w e r e always c lean . A woman who was indifferent to h e r ap­p e a r a n c e , she eschewed jewel lery a n d o rnamen t s . Eustelle was ill at ease with u p p e r class people ; she enjoyed the com­pany of the poverty-stricken and those who were as lowly as herself.

While r emain ing in a motionless bod­ily pos ture Eustelle would contempla te G o d . L o v e is t h e r e s u l t of mys t i ca l

con templa t ion a n d also its cause. T h e more one contemplates God, the stronger the love for Him. T h e soul that contem­plates is often favoured with visions, in­n e r voices a n d revelat ions tha t a re all useful for fur ther contemplat ion. Such spiritual exper iences testify to the exist­ence of supe rna tu ra l gifts of which the soul is t h e benef ic iary. I n t h e life of Eustelle the re were n u m e r o u s instances of superna tu ra l graces of this kind.

For Eus t e l l e , t h e r e c e i v i n g of t h e Eucharist (the holy b read and wine) had a d e e p e r significance t h a n mere ly re ­m e m b e r i n g the last suppe r of Jesus with his disciples. Evidently, on a few occasions it was the celebrat ion of the Eucharis t

170 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

that precipitated Eustelle's ecstatic visions of Jesus .

In H i n d u te rms the Eucharist is the prasada, t h e pur i f ied a n d consecra ted food that the devotee consumes and en­joys and in t roduces into the body, which is a symbolic r e m i n d e r of the impor tance of t u rn ing in an inward direction for ex­per iencing the bliss of God-realisation.

Once she was sweeping the floor of her little house . While worsh ipping he r Be­loved interiorly, Eustelle suddenly found herself in the presence of Jesus whose body was covered in blood. His h a n d s were b o u n d . Jesus engaged he r for mak­ing a m e n d s for the ingra t i tude of man­kind by means of he r own grat i tude and love. T h i s vision lasted for a b o u t ten minutes .

O n one occasion Eustelle had jus t re­ceived the divine Eucharist. Next she was in the act of giving thanks reverentially. Quickly and unexpec ted ly she felt that he r soul o p e n e d with the result that she was filled with joy. Jesus appea red before her. "My daughter ," he r Master said, "I want you to occupy yourself in the work of h o n o u r i n g Me by the sacrament of my love. Do this as your only occupation. I t is t rue that many souls are serving Me faith­fully. But a m o n g t h e m there are few who worship interiorly, which alone can make them true worshippers."

O n hea r ing Jesus 's voice within her­self, she shouted: "O Lord , you know the dep ths of my misery. I 'm unwor thy of such favoured t reatment!"

T h e r e u p o n he r Saviour explained the richness of His mercy: H e distributed His

gifts on the weakest whenever H e found t h e m obedient to His will.

Jesus 's r emark that one should wor­ship interiorly implies that: first, God is within, no t without; second, only those w h o t u r n i n w a r d s , as all C h r i s t i a n s should, are the t rue worshippers .

T o w a r d s t h e l a t t e r p a r t of 1839 Eustelle once again interiorly hea rd the voice of Jesus: / take delight in your com­pany; I wish that you take delight in Me. I am delighted to be with you. But I insist that your heart should remain perfectly detached.

Let us pause for a few moments and c o n s i d e r t h e p h r a s e "pe r f ec t l y d e ­tached." T h e r e is an unmistakable sug­gest ion tha t perfect devot ion o r p u r e bhakti should be disinterested in the sense that it must have the quality of unself­ishness. How many are capable of loving God for His own sake, instead of expect­ing in r e tu rn any advantage or reward?

In addit ion to the foregoing descrip­tions that are inspir ing, Eustelle's own repor ts below about he r visions d u r i n g the years 1840 and 1841 provide an in­sight into he r spiritual state.

She wrote these accounts for he r spiri­tual directors:

A few days ago when I was hear ing the holy Mass I saw... ou r divine Re­d e e m e r humbled before His celestial Father, and offering Himself all over again for the work of ou r salvation. It seems to me that I still see Him turn­ing t o w a r d s me tenderly and making me hear His words 'I am thirsty... I am still thirsty'. His look was for my hea r t a flash of love that m a d e me

1999 THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAINT MARIE-EUSTELLE 171

I would no t have the pa in of seeing H i m dying wi thout me .

O n c e a g a i n Eus t e l l e was k e e n o n self-abnegation; she wanted to sacrifice h e r very life for the sake of Jesus . Noth­ing was m o r e impor t an t for this devotee t han immolat ing herself for Jesus .

Eustelle says:

Last Sunday after having rested within Jesus in holy c o m m u n i o n for almost two hou r s ... I p r e p a r e d to decora te t he al tar of t h e Holy Virgin w h e n , passing nea r the tabernacle, I had the inspirat ion to go d o w n o n my knees again because Jesus was nex t to me . At this m o m e n t I felt completely trans­formed in O u r Lord with the result tha t I became totally unaware of my­self. Never before h a d I found myself in such a state; the adorable h u m a n ­ity of Jesus absorbed my whole being. I was very astonished by this exper i ­ence, and in my limbs I saw and felt only the limbs of Jesus. T h e n I r emem­bered the words of the aposde: I am crucified with J e sus : never the less I live; yet no t I bu t Jesus lives in me .

Conclusion

A l t h o u g h s h e is n o t w e l l - k n o w n , Eus te l le r a n k s a l o n g s i d e o t h e r g r e a t Chris t ian saints in mora l a n d spiri tual excellence. H e r mystical striving culmi­na ted in the identification of h e r indi­vidual will with tha t of the Divine. In Vedantic terms Eustelle's separated, con­di t ioned and limited self lost its life as it merged into the infinitely vast, uncondi ­t i o n e d a n d l imit less S e l f ' h a t k n o w s nei ther bir th n o r dea th .

u n d e r s t a n d t h e l o v e o f t h i s God-Man . . . Jesus is still thirsty ... H e was thirsty d u r i n g His earthly life; in the G a r d e n of G e t h s e m a n e H e was thirsty; in Calvary after so m u c h tor­m e n t and humil ia t ion H e complains of thirst. Ah! I still hea r H i m in the Eucharist how H e complains of thirst and I u n d e r s t a n d why and for what His divine soul is thirsty. Poor Jesus! Tender and celestial Friend! T h y thirst will only be q u e n c h e d after centuries . But my divine Master, can I no t share it with T h e e ? . . . I am also thirsty b u t my thirst is be ing b r o u g h t about by T h e e . Yet, far from complaining about the pain tha t this thirst causes me . I ask T h e e ea rnes t ly to increase t h e thirst to such an ex ten t tha t it makes m e die.

T h e thirst of Jesus probably refers no t only to the Master ' s eagerness to save souls bu t also to His agonising dea th . Af­t e r t h e c ruc i f ix ion J e s u s said "I a m thirsty" bu t the killers offered H i m not w a t e r b u t v i n e g a r i n s t e a d ! ( J o h n 19:28-29). Such was he r self-effacement a n d self-denial tha t Eustelle identified herself with Jesus .

She wrote:

No sooner had the holy Eucharist been placed on the altar t han I saw Jesus nailed to the cross by two beasdy hang­men. . . H e was raised between Heaven and Earth; H e seemed to be filled with souls w h o w e r e a t His feet, b u t of which the greatest n u m b e r were only dead bodies. My eyes were fixed on this divine cross and I reques ted this friendly Saviour to pe rmi t m e to sac­rifice myself toge ther with H i m so that

172 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

The Divine Image B y W i l l i a m B l a k e

To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love All pray in their distress; And to these virtues of delight Return their thankfulness.

For Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love Is God, our father dear, And Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love Is Man, his child and care.

For Mercy has a human heart, Pity a human face, And Love, the human form divine, And Peace, the human dress.

Then every man, of every clime, That prays in his distress, Prays to the human form divine, Love, Mercy, Pity, Peace.

And all must love the human form, In heathen, Turk, or Jew; Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwell There God is dwelling too.

Manuscripts of Sri Bhagavan

We reproduce here the following manuscr ip ts in the handwr i t ing of Sri Bhagavan.

1. Atma Vidya of Sri Bhagavan in Tamil (pp. 174-175).

2. Sri Arunachala Mahatmyam (The Glory of Sri A r u n a c h a l a ) in Sanskr i t , consis t ­ing of selections from Skanda Purana by Sri Bhagavan.

3. Sri Arunachala Mahatmyam containing the Tamil translation of (2) above, by Sri Bhagavan.

4. Sri Arunachala Pancharatnam (Five Stanzas to Sri Arunacha l a ) in Sanskri t , com­posed by Sri Bhagavan.

5. Sri Arunachala Pancharatnam (Five Stanzas to Sri Aruncha la ) , the Tamil render ­ing by Sri Bhagavan of (4) above.

In all these cases (Sis. 2 to 5 — p p . 176-181) the Sanskrit text appears on the left page and the corresponding Tamil render ing on the facing page.

6. A kirtana (song) on Sri Bhagavan composed by Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni (p.182).

A translation of the kirtana will appear in our next issue.

174 THE M O U N T A I N PATH December

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From the Ashram Archives ...

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Taken on 28-12-1928, Jayanthi Day.

(Sitting) Left to Right: 1. A.R. Doraiswamy Iyer, 2. Kavyakanta Ganapathj Muni, 3. Sri Bhagavan, 4. Krishnananda Swami, 5. Dandapani Swami, 6. Not identified.

(Standing, first row) Left to Right: 1 to 4. Not identified, 5. T.N. Venkataraman, Age 14 (Now Swami Ramanananda), 6. Kumbakonam Natesa Iyer, 7 to 10. Not identified, 11. Brother of Ranga Rao (angavastram on shoulders), 12. M.G. Shanmugam, 13 to 14. Not identified, 15. Arunachala Swamy, 16. Not identified, Three children standing immediately behind Krishnananda Swami and Dandapani Swami not identified.

(Standing, second row) Left to Right: 1. Kumara Guru, father of Subramania Swamy, 2 to 4. Not identified, 5. Ramanatha Brahmachari, 6. Singampunari Narayana Iyer, 7. Eswaran, teacher, 8 to 9. Not identified, 10. Kunju Swami, 11 to 12. Not identified, 13. Subramanya Swami, 14. Madhava Swami.

Sanatsujatiya Sanatsujatiya contains the teachings of Sanatsujata, one of the four

sons begotten by the power of thought of Brahma, the Creator of the universe. It is also called the Dhr i t a r a sh t r a -Sana tkumara Samvada. This episode deals with j n a n a (knowledge).

The blind and aged king Dhritarashtra was beset with fear as the clouds of war were gathering on the horizon. He could not dissuade the Pandavas from fighting for their rights. And his partiality for his own sons, the Kauravas, stood in the way of his forcing them to yield to the Pandavas what was due to them. He spent anxious days and sleepless nights. It then occurred to him to send for his half-brother, the wise Vidura, whose words, he hoped might comfort him. But they failed to remove his fear and anxiety.1 (The episode begins here).

DH R I T A R A S H T R A said, "Vidu ra , your words are wonderful . If there

is any th ing m o r e , please tell me . I am eager to know."

U p o n this Vidura said: "I am bo rn of a sudra w o m a n a n d c a n n o t t h e r e f o r e speak to you about certain matters . I am prohibi ted from speaking about them." Still he wished to enl ighten Dhri tarashtra with the Knowledge of Brahman. So, with t he h e l p of his yogic power , h e m a d e Sanatsujata a p p e a r before them.

After duly h o n o u r i n g the sage, Vidura said: "Bhagavan! Dhri tarasht ra has some d o u b t s which I c a n n o t clear. Kindly, therefore, speak to him. O n hear ing your words he will t ranscend the cause of all misery like gain and loss, love and ha­tred, old age and death , poison-like pr ide and delusion, h u n g e r and thirst, fear and fearlessness, u n h a p p i n e s s a n d iner t ia , desire and anger, growth and decay."

(The text p r o p e r begins here.)

Chapter I 1. T h e l e a r n e d a n d n o b l e k i n g , Dhri tarashtra , wishing to attain the Su­p r e m e State, approved of the words spo­ken by Vidura and , taking Sanatsujata to a secluded place, asked him:

2. "O Sanatkumara! I hear that accord­ing to your teaching there is no death . But it is said that the devas (celestial be­ings) and the asuras (demons) led a life of brahmacharya2 with the object of t ran­scending death . Which of these is t rue?"

Sanatsujata replied: 3. Some believe that one can attain the s t a t e of d e a t h l e s s n e s s by m e a n s of

Sanatsujatiya was serialised earlier in The Mountain Path between April 1973 and January 1974 (inclusive).

1 See The Mountain Path January 1968 issue for "Vidura's advice to Dhritarashtra".

2 Living with a sage observing celibacy.

184 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

re l ig ious c e r e m o n i e s . O t h e r s say t ha t there is n o dea th at all. O King! Listen to my words . Do n o t d o u b t t hem.

4. O kshatriyal Seers say (lit. admit) that ignorance (or delusion) a n d dea th have existed from the very beginning. I tell you forgetfulness (of ou r t rue nature) is death and constant mindfulness, immortality.

5. It is o n account of their forgetfulness that the asuras were defeated. T h e suras (devas) became B r a h m a n 3 by being mind­ful (of their t rue na ture) . Death does no t actually d e v o u r beings like a tiger, for n o one has seen even its shape.

6. Some say tha t dea th is no t what I say bu t Yama 4 the immorta l being who dwells in the Self and inheres in B r a h m a n . 5 This god (Yama), they say, rules over his king­d o m in the world of t h e i r s (manes) a n d that he is gracious to the good and stern to the wicked.

7. This d e a t h 6 comes o u t of the egos of men in the form of anger, ignorance , and de lus ion . Following evil ways, as m e n generally d o , u n d e r the impulse of the ego (lit. in the wake of the ego), hardly anyone attains u n i o n with the Self.

8. Being d e l u d e d a n d u n d e r its sway (of death) they again (repeatedly) go the re (that is, Yama's world) w h e n they d e p a r t from this world. Bu t they come back to this wor ld (when the i r mer i t s a r e ex­hausted) . T h e i r senses follow them. T h u s they go from dea th to dea th .

9. Act ion p r o d u c e s a t t a c h m e n t to t he fruits of action. And those who are en­a m o u r e d (lit. go after them) of it never t ranscend dea th . N o t knowing how to a t t a in u n i o n wi th Real i ty , e m b o d i e d

beings work pure ly for the sake of sense enjoyments .

10. Th is (working for sense enjoyments) is the delusion of the sense organs which makes o n e perpetual ly a t tached to un ­real objects. And o n e who is overcome by his a t tachment to unrea l objects always thinks of t h e m a n d is devoted to them.

11. A m a n is first overpowered by han­kering after sense enjoyments. Desire and ange r possess h im next . T h e s e lead fool­ish m e n to dea th . Bu t m e n of discrimi­nat ion t ranscend dea th .

12. H e who discriminates deeply and re­jects these transitory pleasures , t reat ing t h e m with con tempt and never giving a t h o u g h t to them, becomes as it were , a slayer of dea th . A wise m a n overcomes his desires in this manner .

13. H e who submits to his desires per i ­shes a long with them. Bu t he who tu rns his back on t h e m expiates his sins, if any.

14. This iner t body is a hell for all be­ings. Those who are e n a m o u r e d of it and p a m p e r it are like the blind who walk into places full of pits, thorns , etc.

15. O kshatriyal N o t knowing any th ing else (that is, anything better) one does no t learn (what should be learnt) . One ' s life t hen becomes worthless like a tiger m a d e of straw. Deluded a n d terrified by anger and greed one experiences dea th in one 's own body.

3 That is, realized that they were Brahman. 4 T h e God o f Death. 5 T h e first half of this stanza in the original does not make

much sense; the text seems to be imperfect. 6 That is, forgetfulness o f our true nature as defined by

him.

1999 SANATSUJATIYA 185 16. O n e who knows thus the origin of dea th and is established in wisdom does not fear death . H e annihilates dea th even as dea th annihilates one who is in its grip.

Dhritarashtra asked: 17. T h e Vedas say that the happy, e ternal and meri tor ious worlds gained by sacri­fices p e r f o r m e d by t h e t w i c e - b o r n {brahmins) const i tute the h ighes t good. How then can an intelligent m a n abstain from such work?

Sanatsujata replied: 18. On ly a n i g n o r a n t m a n r e so r t s to t hem. T h e Vedas descr ibe the r ewards gained from them. A wise m a n does no t care for them. H e follows the r ight pa th , t u rn ing aside from w r o n g paths .

Dhritarashtra asked: 19. If it is t rue tha t the u n b o r n and an­cient Being creates all this and enters into it, who compels H i m to do so? What is His object? In what way is H e imperfect? O wise man! Kindly explain everything fully.

Sanatsujata replied: 20. T h e r e is grea t objection to accepting a n o t h e r a g e n c y (bes ides B r a h m a n ) . W h e n (the u n b o r n a n d ancient) Being unites with what is beginningless (maya) beings come into existence perpetually.

2 1 . O r it may be that the Eternal (Lord) creates the universe because of His abil­ity to t r ans fo rm Himse l f (vikara yoga) which is r e g a r d e d as His power . T h e Vedas suppor t this view also.

Dhritarashtra asked: 22. As some persons follow dharma and o t h e r s w h a t is n o t dharma, is dharma

vanquished by what is no t dharma or does dharma vanquish what is no t dharma}

Sanatsujata replied: 23. I t is well known that even while en­gaged in activity a wise m a n transcends both of t h e m (i.e., dharma and adharma, or, good and evil) with his wisdom. It is also known that in regard to others meri t is acquired by following dharma and de­meri t by do ing evil.

24. H e w h o does b o t h good a n d bad deeds reaps their transient rewards in the o ther world. But the intelligent m a n ex­piates his demer i t by dharma. You must know that this is the bet ter way.

25. Those brahmins who vie with one an­o ther in do ing acts of dharma, become, when they die, br ight beings in heaven (swarga).

26. But in the case of brahmins who d o no t vie with one ano the r in do ing acts of dharma, their acts become the means of acquir ing wisdom. W h e n they leave this world they go to the heaven which is be­y o n d t h e t h r e e w o r l d s (or s ta tes — trivishtapa).

27. T h o s e who a re well-versed in the Vedas cons ide r t h e c o n d u c t of such a pe r son good, a l though his relations and o thers may no t esteem h im much .

28. A t rue brahmin (lit. o n e who is like I n d r a a m o n g brahmins) should live where food and d r ink are plentiful like water and grass in the rainy season. H e should be free from anxiety.

29. As he does not make himself known he may meet with threats and ill-treatment in some places. But he shou ld n o t d o

186 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

anyth ing to reveal his greatness. Such a m a n is truly great , no t o thers .

30. T h e food offered by one who does not ill-treat the unobt rus ive (sage) or rob a brahmin of his belongings, is r ega rded as p u r e (lit. acceptable) by the pious.

3 1 . A t rue (brahmin) should think: "Let me always r ema in u n k n o w n . " W h e n he lives with his relatives he should no t take (excessive) interest in anything.

32. Which brahmin can conceive of the in­ner Self devoid of all attributes, immuta­ble, pure and free from all traces of duality?

33. H e who regards the Self as o ther than what it really is, is a thief who robs him­self and commits sin.

3 4 . A ( t r u e ) brahmin s h o u l d n o t b e overactive. N o r should he accept gifts. His conduc t should be i r r ep roachab le and acceptable (to the wise). Al though learned he should no t display his learn­ing. Such a pe r son is a knower of Brah­man , a seer.

35. T h o s e who live by displaying their accomplishments are like dogs which de­v o u r the i r own vomit a n d the reby d o h a r m to themselves.

36. T h o s e brahmins who are p o o r materi­ally bu t rich in Vedic lore are invincible a n d unshakeab le . K n o w tha t they a re B r a h m a n personified.

37. Even a pe r son who knows how to of­fer sacrifices to all the gods is no t the equal of such a brahmin. To h im the gods themselves make offerings.

38. If the serene (brahmin) is h o n o u r e d , he should no t feel flattered. Nor should he be p e r t u r b e d if he is scorned.

39. W h e n he is h o n o u r e d he should think thus : "Lea rned m e n h o n o u r m e as it is the i r n a t u r e like the o p e n i n g a n d the shut t ing of the eyes."

40. W h e n d i shonoured he should think thus: "Foolish people who have no t stu­died the scriptures d o no t know what is r ight conduct a n d therefore d o no t hon­o u r one who is wor thy of honour ."

4 1 . (The desire for) h o n o u r (mana) and serenity (mauna) — lit. silence, i.e., silent q u i e t u d e — d o n o t go toge ther . T h e former per ta ins to this world while the latter relates to the o the r world.

42. O kshatriyal As material prosperi ty is based on meri tor ious acts, it is an obsta­cle to spiritual well-being which is rarely at tained by one who is no t truly wise.

43 . T h e wise poin t ou t several difficult e n t r a n c e s (to sp i r i tua l wel l -being) — t r u t h , s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d n e s s , modes ty , sense-control, puri ty and learning. These six are inimical to delusion and pr ide .

Chapter II

Dhritarashtra: 1. W h o is in a state of (true) Silence? 7

W h a t is ( t rue) Si lence? O wise sage! Kindly explain the n a t u r e of (true) Si­lence. Does a learned man , O Silent Rec­luse, attain the state of (true) Silence by abstaining from speech? How is Silence to be observed?

There is a play upon the words mauna (silence) and muni (a silent recluse) in this stanza which cannot be brought out in translation. T h e word mauna means abstention from speech as well as the highest beatitude.

7999 SANATSUJATIYA 187 Sanatsujata:

2. T h a t which nei ther speech nor thought can c o m p r e h e n d , is (true) silence. T h a t f rom which the Vedas a n d the (world) arose is self-resplendent, O King!

Dhritarashtra: 3. Does a twice-born pe r son (a brahmin) who studies (or chants) the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda and the Sama Veda incur sin when he does sinful acts or does he not?

Sanatsujata: 4. O intelligent man! Nei ther the Rig Veda nor the Yajur Veda n o r the Sama Veda will save h im from the result of his sinful acts. I am telling you the t ru th .

5. T h e Vedas d o no t absolve from sins the hypocri te , who commits sinful acts. T h e Vedas abandon h im jus t as nesdings desert their nests when they grow wings.

Dhritarashtra: 6. O wise sage! If the Vedas have no power to save one who studies t hem why do the brahmins always boast of their efficacy?

Sanatsujata: 7. This world, O noble soul, truly con­sists of special names and forms of T h a t (i.e. Brahman) . After reaching this con­clusion the Vedas hasten to explain that, neve r the les s , I t is en t i re ly d i f ferent 8

from the world.

8. It is for realizing Tha t , that austeri­ties, sacrifices, etc., have been prescribed. By these a wise m a n acquires merit . Af­ter expiat ing his sins by his merits he be­comes enl ightened t h r o u g h knowledge.

9. T h e wise man realizes the Self t h rough K n o w l e d g e . W h e n h e a d o p t s o t h e r

means it shows that he desires to enjoy the fruits of his actions. Car ry ing with h im the reward of every act d o n e by him in this world, he goes to the nex t world and enjoys it there . Afterwards he comes back to this world.

10. T h e reward of austerities (tapas) prac­tised in this world is enjoyed in the next . T h e aus te r i t i e s of (true) brahmins a r e very efficacious, while those of o the r s a re n o t so.

Dhritarashtra: 11. How can extremely efficacious aus­terities be m a d e perfect? Please tell me how I should unde r s t and this.

Sanatsujata: 12. W h e n austerities are not tainted (by selfish motives) they b e c o m e perfect . T h e y also become very effective.

13. O kshatriyal All these mat ters about which you are asking me are rooted in austerities. Those who (truly) know the Vedas attain sup reme immortali ty by vir­tue of their austerities.

Dhritrarashtra: 14. O Sanatsujata ! You have told m e about p u r e austerities. Now tell m e about i m p u r e austerities so that I may know that ancient secret of austerities.

Sanatsujata: 15. O King ! Twelve obstacles ( to spir­itual progress) , seven inglorious qualities and twelve good qualities such as knowl­edge are described in the scriptures and are known to the twice-born.

8 That is, in spite of its appearing as names and forms.

188 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

16. Anger, lust, g reed , desire for worldly knowledge , cruelty, envy, p r i d e , grief, longing for sense enjoyments , jealousy a n d c o n t e m p t fo r o t h e r s — t h e s e twelve (sic) should always be avoided by a vir tuous person .

17. O I n d r a a m o n g kings! Each of these circles r o u n d a m a n waiting for an op ­portuni ty to assail h im like a h u n t e r stalk­ing game.

18. O n e w h o always t h i n k s of sense en joyments , o n e w h o rises by pu l l ing down others , one who regrets a gift m a d e by h im, one who is mean , one who has little u n d e r s t a n d i n g , one who glories in sense enjoyments , one who hates his wife — these are the persons in w h o m one finds the seven inglorious qualities.

19. Wisdom, truthfulness, sense-control, scr iptural l ea rn ing , absence of malice, modesty, for t i tude, absence of envy, ob­servance of religious ceremonies , gifts, steadfastness, m ind control — these are the twelve grea t beneficial qualities to be cultivated by a brahmin.

20. H e who never abandons these twelve g o o d qual i t ies can c o n t r o l t h e who le world . T h o s e who possess th ree , two or even o n e of these will be gradually liber­ated a n d attain the state of Silence.

21-23. Self-control lies in oppos ing the eighteen bad qualities, namely, falsehood, m a l i g n i t y , h a n k e r i n g a f t e r s e n s e -enjoyments , ill-will towards everybody, i g n o r a n c e , d i s c o n t e n t , h a t r e d of t h e world, excessive p r ide , quarre lsomeness , cruelty, false accusat ion, talkativeness, vain regre t , impat ience, fickleness, lack of l e a r n i n g , d o i n g s in fu l ac ts a n d

violence. H e who is free from these bad qualities is r ega rded by the wise as a m a n of self- control .

24. Egotism is composed of these eight­een bad qualities which are opposed to self-control.

25. Renunciat ion is of six kinds which are all extremely good. T h e third is difficult, by which one t ranscends misery and ac­complishes everything.

26. Giving away one ' s son a n d wealth to a deserving and needy pe r son is the first kind of renuncia t ion. T h e second is mak ing gifts in the course of religious ceremonies o rda ined by the Vedas a n d o the r scriptures, with a s t rong sense of dispassion.

27. T h e third, O I n d r a a m o n g kings, is the renuncia t ion of desires. O n e who has achieved the six kinds of renuncia t ion is a careful (i.e. mindful) pe r son . Mind­fulness consists of eight qualities.

(Note: Only th ree ou t of trie six kinds of renuncia t ion have been described. T h e text h e r e seems to be incomplete.)

28.-29. T h e bad qualities ment ioned in connect ion with self-control should be a b a n d o n e d . T h e a b a n d o n m e n t of bad qualities is b rough t about by mindfulness 9

which has eight characteristics, namely t ru th fu lness , c o n t e m p l a t i o n (dhyana), samadhi, i n v e s t i g a t i o n , 1 0 d i s p a s s i o n , non-stealing, celibacy (brahmacharya) and non-acceptance (of gifts).

9 T h e word apramada is the opposite oipramada, which means forgetfulness or inadvertence.

1 0 Lit. question (chodyam).

1999 SANATSUJATIYA 189

30. O I n d r a a m o n g kings! Be a m a n of t ru th . T h e wor lds a re based o n t ru th . T h e y are the faces of t ru th . Immortal i ty is based on t ru th .

3 1 . O n e should t u r n away from evil and lead an austere life. Th is is the conduct orda ined by the Lord . Truthfulness is the chief 1 1 vir tue practised by pious men .

32. W h e n austerities are accompanied by the good qualities a n d are free from the bad qualities men t ioned above they are very efficacious and perfect.

33 . O I n d r a a m o n g kings! I shall answer your question briefly. Such austerities are p u r e and overcome sins, bir th , old age and dea th .

34. O Bharata! H a p p y is the m a n who becomes free from the (distraction) of the five senses, the (distractions of the) mind and the (haunt ings and fears of the) past and future.

Dhritarashtra: 35.-36. Some (brahmins) talk highly of the five Vedas, including the Puranas a m o n g them, some talk of the four Vedas, some of the th ree Vedas, some of the two Vedas and some of one Veda. Some d o not ac­cept the Vedas. Tell m e which of these I should r ega rd as the best brahmin}

Sanatsujata:

37. O I n d r a a m o n g kings! It was because the one real Veda, the only t ru th , was not p roper ly u n d e r s t o o d that several Vedas came into existence. Rare is the person who inheres in Tru th .

38. H e who knows the T ru th is a truly wise man . Gifts, scriptural learning and

r e l i g ious sacrifices a r e m o t i v a t e d by greed.

39 . T h e des i res of those w h o devia te from t ru th remain unfulfilled. It is be­cause T ru th is no t realized that religious c e r e m o n i e s h a v e b e e n e x t e n s i v e l y prescribed.

40. A brahmin who studies much is to be regarded merely as a man of many words. Only he who does not deviate from Truth is to be regarded as a t rue brahmin.

4 1 . O Best of men! T h e Vedas a re them­selves 1 2 the authori ty in these mat te rs . 1 3

T h e r e f o r e wise m e n (aryas) w h o have studied the Vedas follow t h e m (literally). T h e y d o not know what is to be known (i.e., T ru th or Brahman) .

(Note: This and the following two verses are highly alliterative with a play on the words vid (to know) and its derivatives Veda, Vedyam (what is known) and Vedita ( t h e k n o w e r ) . T h e m e a n i n g is n o t explicit.)

42. T h e r e is hardly anyone who (truly) knows the Vedas.14 Wha t is k n o w n 1 5 can nei ther know itself no r (the real impor t of) the Vedas. H e w ho knows (the real impor t of) the Vedas knows also what is k n o w n . 1 6 H e w h o knows only wha t is known (i.e., the non-Self) does no t know the Tru th .

11 Lit. the only virtue. 1 2 That is, they are regarded as the ultimate authority. 1 3 That is, religious and spiritual matters. 1 4 That is, their real import. 1 5 T h e object or the non-Self, here the intellect. 1 6 T h e non-Self.

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43 . H e who truly knows the Vedas knows also what is k n o w n . 1 7 Bu t ne i ther the Ve­das n o r those w h o mere ly s tudy t h e m truly k n o w H i m ( B r a h m a n ) . Still, t he brahmins who have s tudied the Vedas try to know their impor t with the he lp of the Vedas themselves.

44. Ju s t as a b ranch of a t ree is useful for poin t ing ou t the crescent moon , so also the Vedas a re considered to be indirectly useful for realizing the e ternal and Su­p r e m e Self which is the goal of life.

45. I know that a pe r son who is clever and can e x p o u n d (the Vedas) is called a brahmin. B u t on ly h e w h o knows t h e S u p r e m e B r a h m a n is a (true) brahmin.

46 . T h i s ( B r a h m a n ) shou ld n e v e r be sought for in what is no t the Self.1 8 I t is no t to be looked for even in the Vedas. Only then does one see Him, the Lord .

47. O n e should silendy meditate on Brah­man , absolutely free from desires. Brah­man will t hen reveal Itself to h im and he will become the all-comprehensive (Brah­man) .

48. O n e becomes a muni (i.e. a silent rec­luse) by vir tue of one 's silent qu ie tude , not merely by living in the forest. H e who knows the Imperishable (Brahman) is the best of munis.

49. O n e who br ings o u t (vyakarana) all the meanings (of words) is called a gram­mar i an (vaiyakarana). Br ing ing ou t (or manifesting) is really the work of Brah­man . But it is also, as a mat te r of cour­tesy, a t t r ibuted to a g rammar ian .

(Note: H e r e too the re is an alliteration. T h e r e is a play in this stanza on the words

vyakarana ( g r a m m a r ) a n d vaiyakarana (grammarian) which cannot be b r o u g h t ou t in translation. T h e m e a n i n g is no t explicit.)

50. O n e w ho can clearly s e e 1 9 all t he worlds is a seer of all (sarvadarsi). But the wise m a n who inheres in Brahman , the Reality, is a knower of all (sarvavid).

5 1 . O kshatriyal Even o n e who has ac­quired only (the qualifications such as) wisdom, 2 0 realizes Brahman . So also one who follows the me thod laid down in the Vedas.21 This is what I say, O King!

Chapter III

Dhritrarashtra: 1. O Sanatsujata ! Wha t you have said about B r a h m a n is very impor t an t and comprehensive (visvarupa). Please there­fore tell me also about the o ther transcen­dental matters which are rarely spoken about.

Sanatsujata: 2. O King! This B r a h m a n you are urg­ing me to speak about cannot be realized by one who is impatient . T h e Wisdom which arises when the intellect is com­pletely quiescent and the mind entirely free from thoughts is at tained by living

1 7 T h e objective world. 1 8 That is, the body or the senses or the external world. 1 9 That is, has acquired the power of seeing the various

worlds like Bhuh, Bhuvah, etc. 2 0 See stanza 19. 2 1 That is, hearing, reflecting and practising.

1999 SANA TS UJ A TIYA 191

with a realized sage a n d observing celi­bacy (brahmacharya).22

3. You are talking abou t the pr imal a n d t rue wisdom which is a t ta ined by the vir­tuous t h r o u g h brahmacharya. O n attain­ing it one tu rns away from the world of men . This wisdom is generally found in those who have learnt it from gurus.

Dhritrarashtra: 4. O wise man! Please tell m e what is that brahmacharya t h r o u g h which this wisdom is p roper ly acquired.

Sanatsujata: 5. Those who go to the Acharya (guru o r teacher) and , a re accepted by h im as his disciples, 2 3 practise brahmacharya and be­c o m e a u t h o r s o f s c r i p t u r a l w o r k s (sastrakara). And w h e n they leave their bodies they attain the S u p r e m e Being.

6. T h e y conquer their desires and wait pa t i en t ly to rea l ize B r a h m a n . 2 4 T h e y clearly u n d e r s t a n d that the Self is no t the body and de tach it j u s t as one extracts the pi th of the ishika r eed from its ou te r layers.

7. Father and mo the r br ing only this body into existence. T h e bir th which one takes from the Acharya is the t rue and immor­tal bir th.

8. H e (the guru) protects (the disciple) and makes h im immortal . T h e disciple should n o t , t h e r e f o r e , k n o w i n g l y t r a n s g r e s s against h im. H e should salute the guru daily. H e should be eager to learn from h im and be always attentive.

9. T h e learning acquired by following the conduct prescr ibed for disciples is p u r e (beneficial). Th i s is said to be the first quar te r of brahmacharya (course of study).

10. T h e disciple should conduc t himself towards the Acharya9s wife a n d chi ldren exacdy as h e would towards the Acharya. This is the second quarter .

11. H e should always r e m e m b e r what the Acharya has d o n e for h im, recognize its value, feel that he has been for tunate in having h im for his Acharya and be grate­ful to him. This is the th i rd qua r t e r of brahmacharya.

12. H e should please the Acharya with his body, m ind and speech, giving u p even his life a n d proper ty , if necessary. This is the four th quarter .

13. O n e qua r t e r is gained by coming to the guru, ano the r by intelligent persever­ance, a th i rd by s tudying the scriptures and a four th in course of t ime.

14. T h e twelve good qualities such as wis­d o m a n d the o the r requisites (see II — 19, 21-28) and s t rength (of mind) yield results only w h e n one comes into con­tact with the Acharya. Brahmacharya be­comes fruitful w h e n one realizes un ion with B r a h m a n .

15-16. T h e devas a t ta ined their celestial status t h r o u g h brahmacharya. T h e sages (rishis) b e c a m e e m i n e n t t h r o u g h brahmacharya. T h e apsaras25 living with the gandharvas b e c a m e beaut i fu l t h r o u g h brahmacharya. T h e S u n i l l umines t h e world by vir tue of brahmacharya.

2 2 This word ordinarily refers to celibacy or the life o f a celibate student. But here it is used in the wider sense of practising the discipline necessary for realizing Brah­man, that is living with a realized person and following his advice.

2 3 Those w h o go to h im and are accepted by him as his disciples (sishya).

2 4 That is, to realize that they are Brahman. 2 5 Celestial nymphs .

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17. Ju s t as o n e attains one 's desires with t h e h e l p of t h e wish- fu l f i l l ing g e m (chintamani), so also t h e y 2 6 a t tained their p resen t status by first realizing the value of brahmacharya.

18. But they at tained only worlds which are finite, no t the Self, which is infinite. T h e wise attain that Eternal Effulgence t h r o u g h wisdom. T h e r e is n o o the r way of at taining it.

Dhritrarashtra: 19. A brahmin of spiritual a t ta inments 2 7

sees within himself the colours white, red, black, silvery and bluish. Which of these is the colour of the immorta l and imperi­shable S u p r e m e Being?

Sanatsujata: 20. I t is ne i ther white n o r red , no r black no r silvery n o r bluish. I t is no t found on ear th n o r in the sky, no r is it found in the waters of the ocean.

21-22. I t is no t found in the stars or the l ightning or the clouds or the air or the gods govern ing the sense organs or the sun or the m o o n or the Rig Veda o r the Yajur Veda o r the holy Sama Veda or the rathantara2S o r the brihadratha.28 I t is re­alized within oneself by h im who prac­tises great auster i t ies . 2 9

23. It is no t possible to t ranscend It. It is beyond darkness (ignorance). Everything finally en ters into It at the t ime of de­struction (of the worlds). I t is tinier than the tiniest and bigger than the mountains.

24. Everything shines in Its effulgence. T h e Knower of the Self perceives It by the yoga of Knowledge (jnana yoga). T h e ent i re world is based on It. Those who realize this become immortal .

Chapter IV

(Several stanzas in this chapter a re cryp­tic as well as allegorical, r emind ing one of the Vedic hymns . T h e mean ing is not always explicit.)

Sanatsujata: 1. T h a t which is immaculate , a great ra­diant effulgence, supremely glorious, is medi ta ted u p o n by the devas and makes the sun shine. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord (Bhagavan)30.

2. B r a h m a n (the Creator) emerges ou t of that Immaculate Being and flourishes 3 1

by its power. T h a t I m m a c u l a t e Being shines in the midst of o the r shining ones. It is no t i l lumined by anyth ing bu t is self-luminous . Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord .

3. F rom the Whole emerges the whole. There fo re it is said that what comes out of the Whole is the whole. T h e whole is t aken away f rom the Whole . Still the Whole remains whole. Yogis clearly per­ceive Him, the Eternal Lord .

4. Like space and sky and ripples in the G a n g a , e v e r y t h i n g , m o v i n g a n d u n m o v i n g r i ses f r o m B r a h m a n a n d merges in It. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord .

5. (The subtle form of) water emerged first from Brahman . From it arose this

2 6 Devas and others. 2 7 T h e word used is vidvan (a learned man). 2 8 Kinds of hymns of the Sama Veda. 2 9 That is, one who possesses the virtues already described

(in Chapter II). 3 0 This last sentence is found at the end of almost all the

stanzas of this chapter like a refrain. 3 1 Lit. grows.

1999 SANAT. ATIYA 193

3 2 T h e body. 3 3 T h e individual self and the Supreme Self. 3 4 Lit. n o form (rupam). 3 5 Our bodies composed of the five organs of knowledge,

the five organs of action, the mind and the intellect. 3 6 T h e fruit o f their action.

body composed of ( the five e lements) . Wi th in t he space in t he m i d d l e of i t 3 2

dwell the two shining o n e s 3 3 . Facing each o ther and enclosing all the directions of space these two s u p p o r t the ea r th and heaven. Yogis clearly perceive H i m , the Eternal Lord .

6. Horses carry to heaven the br ight , di­vine and immor ta l be ing seated o n the chariot of the Immutab le Being whose deeds do not perish. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord .

7. T h e r e is n o t h i n g 3 4 which can be com­pa red to It. N o n e can see it with the eyes. Those who realise it with the mind , the intellect a n d the hea r t become immor­tal. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eter­nal Lord .

8. T h e moving assemblages of twelve 3 5

dr ink the honey u n d e r the protect ion of the shining one and , repea tedly hanker ­ing after it, w a n d e r a b o u t in t e r r ib le places. Yogis clearly perce ive H i m , the Eternal Lord .

9. T h e bee dr inks in the course of half a m o n t h , the honey ga the red (dur ing the previous half mon th ) . T h e Lord bestows u p o n all beings the sacrificial offerings 3 6

d u e to them. Yogis clearly perceive H im, the Eternal Lord .

10. T h e fledglings resor t to the p e e p u l t ree with leaves of gold. T h e r e they grow into birds and fly abou t as they like. Yogis clearly perceive H i m , the Eternal Lord .

11. T h e ou tgo ing vital air (prana) absorbs the ingoing air (apana). T h e Moon ab­sorbs the u p c o m i n g air. T h e Sun absorbs the Moon. T h e S u p r e m e Being absorbs

the Sun. Yogis clearly perceive H i m , the Eternal Lord .

12. T h e swan does not , while flying, raise one leg ou t of the water. If it were to keep it ra i sed always, t h e r e will be n e i t h e r dea th n o r immortality. Yogis clearly per­ceive H im, the Eternal Lord .

13. T h e indwel l ing p e r s o n , small as a t h u m b , always wanders about (in samsara) on account of his association with the sub-de body (linga). I g n o r a n t persons d o no t perceive that shining a n d adorable pri­mal being who pervades everything. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.

14. Jus t as serpents, after killing men with their poison, hide themselves in caves, so also the sense organs, after beguiling fool­ish persons with pleasures, delude them a n d keep them(perpetual ly) in samsara. Yogis clearly perceive H i m , the Eternal Lord.

15. A foolish pe r son does no t realise the Self in himself a n d therefore f lounders about in the well of samsara. H e who ig­nores the Self a n d enjoys sense pleasures is truly an ass. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord .

16. This (the Self) is seen to exist in those who possess the spiritual qualifications as well as those who do not. It is the same in the state of Liberation and the other state (i.e., the state of bondage) . Yet only those

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who are one with it enjoy Supreme Bliss. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord.

17. O n e w h o knows ( B r a h m a n ) gains both the worlds. Even if such a person d o e s n o t p e r f o r m t h e fire c e r e m o n y (agnihotra) h e gets the benefit of it. Do not t reat the knowledge of B r a h m a n as un impor t an t . T h e wise attain that State which is called Absolute Awareness. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord .

18. T h e grea t Self described above, the Person (purusha), swallows the fire. H e who knows that pe r son does not lose 3 7

his Self. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord .

19. The re fo re one should always inhere in the Self. T h e r e is no dea th for such a person , so where is the question of im­mortality? T ru th and u n t r u t h alike de­p e n d u p o n the one Reality. T h e origin of t ru th and u n t r u t h is one and the same. Yogis clearly perceive Him, the Eternal Lord .

20. T h e indwelling person who is as small as a t h u m b and abides in the hear t is no t perceived. H e is u n b o r n bu t moves about tirelessly, day and night. W h e n one knows H i m one becomes an enl ightened seer.

21 .-22. Vayu (the air) emerges from It and merges in It. Agni and Soma rise from It. Also Prana. T h a t is the basis (of all), that is Immorta l i ty a n d the worlds. T h a t is B rahman . T h a t is Glory. All beings rise from It a n d merge in It.

23. T h e Br ight Being suppor t s the two shining o n e s 3 8 , the ea r th and heaven, the directions of space and the world. T h e qua r t e r s a n d r ivers flow from It. T h e great oceans are control led by It.

24. Even if one possessed thousands of wings and flew as fast as the mind one cannot come to the e n d of that Primal Being. Yogis clearly perce ive H i m , the Eternal Lord .

25. It cannot be perceived (by all). Those who are extremely p u r e in mind perceive It. T h e wise m a n who is free (from likes and dislikes) perceives It clearly. Those who know It become immortal .

26. H e who sees himself in all beings and is one with them everywhere, why should he grieve?

27. Just as one has no use for a reservoir when there is a big flood everywhere, so also a brahmin who knows Brahman (Real­ity) has nothing to gain from others.

28 .1 am your father and mo the r and am likewise your son. I am the Self of all that exists or has ceased to exist.

29. O Bharata! I am the old grandfa ther as well as the father and the son. You are all in me. But you do not belong to me , nor d o I belong to you.

30. T h e Self is my abode. It is also my origin. I pene t ra te everything t h r o u g h and th rough . I never grow old. I am the suppor t (of all). I am u n b o r n bu t am nev­ertheless active day and night. H e who knows me becomes an enl ightened seer.

3 1 . 1 am tinier than the tiniest, the p u r e mind dwelling in all beings and the fa­ther of all — the wise realise me in the lotus (that is, the heart) .

3 7 Lit. his Self does not perish. 3 8 T h e Lord and the individual.

Saint Benedict's Monastic Path to the Divine

B y D r S u s u n a g a W e e r a p e r u m a

ST. B E N E D I C T of Nurs ia (480-547), the founder of the Benedict ine Or­

der is respectfully r ega rded as the 'Father of Western Monasticism , . T h e Benedic­tine way of life is a ha rmon ious b lend of in te l lec tua l a n d m a n u a l w o r k . Whi l e t rea t ing l e a rn ing with d u e de fe rence , they value physical work. T h e dic tum Ora et Labor a ("Pray a n d Work") is frequently at t r ibuted to the Rule of Benedict .

"Not only on account of his n u m e r ­ous miracles was St. Benedict a shining light to the wor ld ," observed Pope St. Gregory the Grea t (540-604), "but also by reason of his precepts and his teach­ings. H e wrote a ru le for monks which is distinguished for its wonderful discretion and clearness of thought . " 1

B o r n in the I ta l ian town of Nurs ia (Umbria) in 480, Benedict was sent by his paren ts to school in R o m e bu t he fled the city in disgust owing to its immora l life. T h e p e o p l e t h e r e w e r e n o t self-dis­ciplined. H e moved from place to place unti l he discovered a cave where he de ­cided to live in secrecy. His whereabouts were known only to one friend, a m o n k called R o m a n u s f rom a n e i g h b o u r i n g m o n a s t e r y , w h o n o t o n l y c l o t h e d Benedict in the monast ic habit bu t also p r o v i d e d h i m wi th food . As befits a

hermi t , Benedict lived austerely in the cave, devot ing his t ime to solitary prayer and contemplat ion. At all times God was his invisible Compan ion .

Benedict became well known and the monks of a nearby monas tery pe r suaded h im to become their abbot. H e accepted t h e pos i t ion . B u t w h e n B e n e d i c t ex­pressed his opposi t ion to their immora l lifestyles and tried to stop their bad con­duct, the monks a t tempted to poison him. T h e r e u p o n Benedict r e tu rned to his cave a n d his disciples followed.

After r e t u r n i n g to Subiaco, Benedict was responsible for establishing twelve monaster ies in various places which were all u n d e r his genera l control and direc­tion. As his work was held in h igh r epu t e Roman patricians and senators ent rus ted their sons to Bened ic t who t ra ined them as monks . Unfor tunate ly he had to leave Subiaco because of the jealous hostility of a priest. U n d a u n t e d by such setbacks and accompanied by a few monks , Benedict travelled southward to Cassino where he founded a famous monas tery on a high moun ta in over looking the town. T h e r e

1 The Life of St. Benedict: The Great Patriarch of the Western Monks, by St. Gregory the Great, p .52 , T a n Books (1995).

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he p reached and converted many pagans to Christianity.

T h e r e is a dea r th of information about B e n e d i c t ' s l ife. We a r e i n d e b t e d to Edward van Speybrouck for the follow­ing lines relat ing to the e n d of the saint's earthly existence: "St. Benedict, the great Pat r iarch of t he Western m o n k s , d ied March 2 1 , 547, on the Saturday prece­d ing Passion Sunday. His edifying and victorious dea th was indeed suited to so grea t a champion of Christ. In his last hour, he assumed a s tanding position and thus manifested the power and au tho­rity his soul had at tained over his body; even to the last m o m e n t , while a b u r n i n g fever was consuming his life and strength, he he ld himself erect . H e d ied in the chu rch , in tha t sanctified place w h e r e daily with his b r e t h r e n he had sung the praises of the Tr iune God and assisted in the celebration of the Sacred Mystery, the life-giving Sacrifice of the Mass. Even to this day, his sacred remains are rest ing beside those of his sister, St. Scholasticain in the church of St. J o h n the Baptist at Monte Cassino. In the course of years, number less miracles have glorified his tomb. Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604) ment ions that at his t ime, miracles were w r o u g h t t h r o u g h the intercession of St. Benedict whenever the pet i t ioner was pene t r a t ed with lively faith."

St. Benedict 's extensive influence in the Chris t ian world is traceable to the famous 73 chapters in The Rule of Saint Benedict whereby he regula ted monastic life. T h e fact that his rules have remained una l te red for four teen centuries is a trib­u te to their intrinsic excellence. H e did

no t prescribe annoy ing austerities. T h e monks were permi t ted to have the bare necessities of life such as p r o p e r clothes, sufficient food and adequa te sleep. How­ever they were requ i red to fast till mid­day. Field work for t h e m is what he had in mind , bu t monks mus t d o whatever work is most useful.

Al though the abbot is vested with the power to govern the monastery with un­quest ioned authority, he is nevertheless required to consult the whole community on impor tan t issues. Even the youngest should be given a fair hear ing. O n less impor tan t matters the abbot must seek the advice of the e lder monks . But in all quest ions the decisions rest absolutely with the abbot and everyone is requi red to acquiesce in his j u d g e m e n t s . Wha t re­strains him from abusing this seemingly arbitrary m a n a g e m e n t power is his even­tual answerability to God.

Chap te r 53 of The Rule of St. Benedict is about the welcoming of guests, which is one of the first duties of monks. All guests should be received as though they were Christ himself, who would say: / was a stranger and you made me welcome. Guests must be honoured , especially the pilgrims and those who share o u r faith. After a guest has been announced , the super ior and the bro thers ough t to mee t h im with the courtesy that is bo rn of love. Initially, they should pray together and thus re­main in peace with one another. W h e n poor people and pilgrims arr ive, they all

2 The Life of St. Benedict: The Great Patriarch of the Western Monks, by St. Gregory the Great, p . 5 1 , T a n Books (1995).

1999 SAINT BENEDICT'S MONASTIC PATH TO THE DIVINE 197

196 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

he p reached and converted many pagans to Christianity.

T h e r e is a dea r th of information about B e n e d i c t ' s l ife. We a r e i n d e b t e d to Edward van Speybrouck for the follow­ing lines relat ing to the e n d of the saint's earthly existence: "St. Benedict, the great Pat r iarch of t he Wes te rn m o n k s , d ied March 2 1 , 547, on the Saturday prece­d ing Passion Sunday. His edifying and victorious dea th was indeed suited to so great a champion of Christ. In his last hour, he assumed a s tanding position and thus manifested the power a n d au tho­rity his soul had at tained over his body; even to the last m o m e n t , while a b u r n i n g fever was consuming his life and strength, he he ld himself erect . H e d ied in the chu rch , in tha t sanctified place w h e r e daily with his b r e t h r e n he had sung the praises of the Tr iune God and assisted in the celebration of the Sacred Mystery, the life-giving Sacrifice of the Mass. Even to this day, his sacred remains are rest ing beside those of his sister, St. Scholasticain in the church of St. J o h n the Baptist at Monte Cassino. In the course of years, number less miracles have glorified his tomb. Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604) ment ions that at his t ime, miracles were w r o u g h t t h r o u g h the intercession of St. Benedict whenever the pet i t ioner was pene t r a t ed with lively faith."

St. Benedict 's extensive influence in the Chris t ian world is traceable to the famous 73 chapters in The Rule of Saint Benedict whereby he regula ted monastic life. T h e fact that his rules have remained una l te red for four teen centuries is a trib­u te to their intrinsic excellence. H e did

not prescribe annoying austerities. T h e monks were permi t ted to have the bare necessities of life such as p r o p e r clothes, sufficient food and adequa te sleep. How­ever they were requ i red to fast till mid­day. Field work for t h e m is what he had in mind , bu t monks mus t d o whatever work is most useful.

Al though the abbot is vested with the power to govern the monastery with un­quest ioned authority, he is nevertheless required to consult the whole community on impor tan t issues. Even the youngest should be given a fair hear ing. O n less impor tan t matters the abbot must seek the advice of the e lder monks . But in all quest ions the decisions rest absolutely with the abbot and everyone is requi red to acquiesce in his j u d g e m e n t s . Wha t re­strains him from abusing this seemingly arbitrary m a n a g e m e n t power is his even­tual answerability to God.

Chap te r 53 of The Rule of St. Benedict is about the welcoming of guests, which is one of the first duties of monks. All guests should be received as t hough they were Christ himself, who would say: / was a stranger and you made me welcome. Guests must be honoured , especially the pilgrims and those who share o u r faith. After a guest has been announced , the super ior and the bro thers ough t to meet h im with the courtesy that is bo rn of love. Initially, they should pray together and thus re­main in peace with one another. W h e n poor people and pilgrims arr ive, they all

2 The Life of St. Benedict: The Great Patriarch of the Western Monks, by St. Gregory the Great, p . 5 1 , T a n Books (1995).

1999 SAINT BENEDICT'S MONASTIC PATH TO THE DIVINE 199

clothes and the like ; loving simpli­city a n d pove r ty ; r e g a r d i n g o n e self as a n u n w o r t h y b a d s e r v a n t in all o u r tasks;

7. H a v i n g a low self-image a n d view ing oneself as lower than even the worst sinners;

8. A v o i d i n g all love of u n i q u e n e s s in words or deeds ;

9. Loving the pract ice of silence a n d actually do ing it;

10. Avoiding immoral amusemen t and loud laughter ;

11. Nei ther speaking loudly nor using words without restraint;

12. Practising humility in all ou r exte­r io r d e e d s , by k e e p i n g the eyes cast down.

We r e t u r n to the t heme of humility when considering Chapter 29 which deals with the quest ion whe the r b ro thers who have left the monas tery should be read­mitted. W h e n monks who have given u p the monastery because of their own faults, later wish to r e tu rn , they mus t promise full r e p a r a t i o n for hav ing g o n e away. T h e n they are received back in the lowest place so that their humility is p u t to the test. W h e n monks are humiliatingly rele­ga ted to t he lowest s ta tus , the i r egos would be deeply hur t . No h a r m will come to them because the existence of even an iota of p r ide leads to the downfall of any spiritual aspirant .

St. Benedict explained that monks fall into four main categories. T h e first are the Cenobites. These monks live together w i t h o t h e r m o n k s in m o n a s t e r i e s ,

observing specific rules u n d e r the guid­ance of an abbot. T h e second kind of monks are the Anchorites or Hermits . Be­cause they had once associated with other monks in monaster ies whe re they had learned the art of fighting the Devil, they know how to live in solitude. O n account of the Almighty's he lp and their own in­ner strength, they have the ability to over­come the temptat ions of both body and mind . H a d St. Benedic t been alive he would probably have likened the sannyasis of India to the Anchorites. T h e third cat­egory of monks are the Sarabaites, who in their actions 'conform to the s tandards of the world' ; they live in twos or threes or even alone; whatever they think or decide to do , that they te rm 'holy'. St. Benedict found them detestable. T h e last category of monks are the Gyrovagues who spend their days wander ing from place to place; they give in to their wills and they eat to excess. In their behaviour they are worse than the Sarabaites. It is signifi­cant that St. Benedict sought God's help to p rov ide for the Cenobites. Benedict­ines and Cistercians may be described as Cenobites.

O n e of the reasons why St. Benedict was disgrunt led with the Gyrovagues was their vainglorious practice of giving in to their individual wills. T h e total abandon­m e n t of self-will was central to the teach­ings of St. Benedict. "I have come down from Heaven," declared Jesus, "not to pu t into action my will bu t to p u t into action the will of H i m who sent m e " . 5 J e sus

5 John . 6:38.

200 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

deserves to be r e g a r d e d as a m a n of God precisely because h e allowed the Divine will to eclipse tha t of his own. W h e n the self d isappears , the Self is resp lendent .

W h e t h e r m o n k s should have any pos­sessions of the i r o w n is t h e subject of Chap te r 33 . N o n e m u s t give o r receive anything wi thout the abbot 's permission. Nobody can own any th ing whatsoever; for monks mus t no t even have their bod­ies and wills at their own disposal. W h a t they can have are only those things that the abbot has allowed t h e m to keep. In justification of this ru le , which ensures a simple and aus tere life, St. Benedict re ­ferred to the Acts 6 where in it was stated that all things were c o m m o n p rope r ty to these early Christians for they were of one hea r t and soul. T h e Bible very clearly suggests the idea that all wealth h a s to be jointly owned in a perfect world that is based on Christ ian principles. Presum­ably in such a mil lennium, if it ever comes, the distinction between the haves and the have-nots would no longer exist. Besides, what is the po in t in having any posses­sions, let a lone riches, d u r i n g o u r tem­porary sojourn in this world? Are we per­m a n e n t residents? Are we no t like birds of passage here? As J o b r e m a r k e d in des­pera t ion: "Naked did I come from my m o t h e r ' s w o m b a n d n a k e d shall I go a w a y " . 7 T h i s p a r t i c u l a r r u l e of St. Benedict is a constant r e m i n d e r of that inevitable last day when we will sadly have to leave beh ind everything.

T h e r e is a long list of religious rules called " T h e Tools of Good Works" in Chap t e r 4. T h e s e guidelines may seem simple or trivial, bu t actually they are very

impor tan t all the same. These are the do's a n d the don ' t s of the spir i tual life. St. Benedict was no t a theoret ician given to metaphys ica l specula t ion , b u t a d o w n -to-earth teacher whose practical instruc­tions have to be strictly followed for spir­itual advancement :

In the first instance, love the Lord with all your hear t , soul a n d s t rength.

T h e n love your ne ighbour as yourself.

Do no t kill.

Do no t commit adultery.

Do no t steal.

Do no t be covetous.

Do no t bear false witness.

H o n o u r all h u m a n beings.

Don ' t d o to ano the r what you would no t have d o n e to yourself.

For the p u r p o s e of following Christ practise self-denial.

Chastise the body.

Do no t seek a j o b where the re is no need for ha r d work.

Love the practice of fasting.

Give relief to the poor.

Give clothes to the naked.

Visit the sick.

Bury the dead .

He lp people in their afflictions.

6 Acts o f Apostles. 4:32. 7 J o b . 1:21.

1999 SAINT BENEDICT'S MONASTIC

Console the sorrowful.

Eschew m u n d a n e behaviour.

Prefer the love of Chris t to everything else.

Never give in to anger.

Never bea r a g r u d g e .

Have a hear t that is devoid of cunning .

Do no t p r e t e n d to make peace.

Do no t give u p be ing charitable.

Do no t swear, because by chance you may be stating someth ing you d o no t mean .

L e t b o t h y o u r h e a r t a n d m o u t h express the t ru th .

Do no t r e t u r n evil for evil.

Do no t w r o n g anyone ; w h e n others w r o n g you, e n d u r e it patiendy.

Love all your enemies .

Do n o t curse those w h o curse you: bless t hem, instead.

F o r t h e s a k e of j u s t i c e e n d u r e persecut ion.

Never be p r o u d .

Never d r ink wine excessively o r too frequendy.

Do no t be a glut ton.

Avoid be ing drowsy.

Avoid be ing lazy.

Do no t be a grumbler .

Do no t cast aspersions o n people .

God is the h o p e of all.

PATH TO THE DIVINE 201

Ascribe all you r good qualities to God a n d no t to yourself.

Acknowledge tha t you a re the au tho r of y o u r o w n m i s f o r t u n e s a n d b a d traits.

Regard J u d g e m e n t Day with fear a n d d r e a d Hell.

Yearn for e te rna l life.

Never lose sight of dea th even for a day.

Keep your deeds u n d e r constant ob­servation.

Be sure that God observes you wher­ever you are .

W h e n evil t h o u g h t s occu r to you , crush t h e m immediately o n the rock of Christ a n d express t h e m to your spiritual father.

Refrain from saying tha t which is evil a n d morally cor rup t .

Do no t be fond of talking much .

N e i t h e r u se useless w o r d s n o r say things tha t cause laughter.

Do no t be given to l aughing violendy.

Be h a p p y w h e n you hea r the sacred scriptures.

Pray often.

In your daily prayers confess your past sins to God with r epen tance .

Reform yourself so that you d o no t sin again.

Do no t yield to carnal desires.

Detest your own will.

202 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

I n all mat ters obey the abbot 's o rders , even if he himself were acting contrary to them.

Do no t desire to be called holy before you a re really so.

I n y o u r dai ly d e e d s c a r r y o u t t h e c o m m a n d m e n t s .

Be chaste.

Ha te n o n e .

Do no t be jea lous or envious.

Do no t be given to disputat ion.

Purge yourself of vainglory.

Hold the seniors in reverence.

Love the jun io r s .

Pray for your enemies in the love of Christ.

Before sunset make peace with your opponen t .

Never lose h o p e of receiving divine mercy.

Many indeed were the miracles that St. Benedict per formed. What follows are only a few of this saint's wondrous deeds tha t testify n o t only to his own ext ra-ordinariness b u t also to the much greater unfa thomable mystery of the Divine.

W h e n P o p e St. G r e g o r y the G r e a t wrote the passages that follow it is signifi­cant that he often referred to St. Benedict as a 'man of God ' :

Pope St. Gregory says:

"One day, as the b r e t h r e n were build­ing the cells of the cloister, the re lay a s tone in t h e mids t , which they de te r ­m i n e d to lift u p a n d p u t i n t o t h e

bui lding. W h e n two or th ree were not able to move it, they set m o r e to it, but it r emained as immovable as if it had been held by roots to the g r ound , so that it was easy to conce ive t h a t t he old e n e m y [DEVIL] sat u p o n it, since so many men were no t able to lift it. After much labour in vain, they sent for the m a n of God to he lp t hem by his prayers to drive away the enemy; he presendy came, and hav­ing first p rayed , he gave his blessing; when behold, the stone was as easily lifted as if it had no weight at all!"

"One day late in the evening, as the venerable Father was at his repast , it hap­p e n e d that one of his monks , the son of a lawyer, held the candle for him; and while the m a n of God was eating, he , s tanding in that manner , began by the suggestion of p r ide to say within himself, 'Who is he whom should wait u p o n at table, or hold the candle u n t o with such at tendance? W h o a m I who should serve h im? ' To whom the m a n of God, presently turn­ing, checked h im sharply, saying, 'Sign thy breast, Brother ; what is this you say? Sign thy breast' . T h e n he forthwith called u p o n the b r e t h r e n and willed t hem to take the candle ou t of his h a n d and bade him for that time to leave his a t tendance and sit down quietly by him. T h e monk , being asked afterward by the b r e th r en concerning his thoughts at that t ime, told them how he was puffed u p with a spirit of p r ide and what he spake against the man of God secretly in his own heart . By this it was easily to be perce ived tha t

The Life of St. Benedict: The Great Patriarch of the Western Monks, by St. Gregory the Great, pp.27-28.

1999 SAINT BENEDICT'S MONASTIC PATH TO THE DIVINE 203

no th ing could be kep t from the knowl­e d g e of venerab le Benedic t , in whose ears t he words of u n s p o k e n t h o u g h t s r e sounded . "

"At ano the r t ime, a certain Goth, poor in spirit, desir ing to lead a religious life, repa i red to the m a n of God, Benedict , who most willingly received him. O n e day he o r d e r e d an axe to be given to h im to cut brambles in a place which he in tended for a ga rden . This place which the Goth had u n d e r t a k e n to p r e p a r e was over the lake's side. While the Goth laboured in cutt ing u p the thick briers , the i ron, slip­p ing ou t of the hand le , fell into the lake in a place so d e e p that the re was no h o p e of recovering it. T h e Goth , having lost his axe , r a n t r e m b l i n g to t h e m o n k Maurus and told h im the mischance, con­fessing his fault penitently, who presendy informed Benedict , the servant of God thereof. Immediately, the m a n of God came himself to the lake, took the hand le ou t of the Goth 's h a n d and cast it into the lake, when behold , the i ron rose u p from the bo t tom a n d en t e r ed into the hand le as before. Which he the re ren­de red to the Goth, saying, 'Behold! Work on and be not discomforted. '

"At ano the r time, also in the country of Campania , began a grea t famine, and

all people suffered from great scarcity of food, so that all the wheat in Benedict 's monastery was used, and likewise almost all the bread , so tha t only five loaves re­m a i n e d for t h e b r e t h r e n ' s re fec t ion . W h e n the venerab le Fa ther perce ived t h e m sad, he e n d e a v o u r e d by a mild and gentle r ep roach to r e p r e h e n d their pu­sillanimity and with fair promises to com­fort them, saying, 'Why is your soul sad for want of bread ? Today you are in want, bu t tomorrow you shall have plenty' . T h e nex t day there were found two h u n d r e d sacks of meal before the monas te ry gates by w h o m God Almighty sent it, as yet no man knoweth. Which, when the monks beheld, they gave thanks to God."

In conclusion, the life and the Rule of St. Benedict demons t ra te that, generally speaking, the supervisory cont ro l a n d personal direction of an abbot can be a contributory factor de te rmin ing the spir­itual evolution of many monks . T h e in­dividual guidance that monks receive in monas t e r i e s can be helpful . Absolute self-reliance is difficult for many aspirants.

9 The Life of St. Benedict: The Great Patriarch of the Western Monks, by St. Gregory the Great, p.36.

10Ibid., pp. 19-20. n/&uf.,pp.34-35.

BRAHMAN IS INFINITE

Space, time and the objects in them being illusions caused by maya, there is no limitation of Brahman by them. Infinity of Brahman is therefore clear.

— Vidyaranya's Panchadasi, 3.36.

Advice from a Caterpillar (A Story from Lewis Carroll)

Alice's A d v e n t u r e s in W o n d e r l a n d and T h r o u g h the Look ing Glass have been immensely popular for a century and more. They are now as well known as the traditional Aesop 's Fables and Ande r son ' s Fairy Tales .

It is a delightful experience for readers in general and children in particular, to go through the Alice stories of Lewis Carroll describing her adventures and confrontation with strange characters or creatures.

However there is also a serious side and an inner meaning to these stories. They contain elements of political and social satire (applicable to the Victorian age) and literary parody. What is more, many of the episodes are of deep metaphysical significance.

In the episode presented here the Caterpillar puts the pointed question Who are y o u ? ' to Alice (more than once). This is a pointer to the core of man, his real personality. Simultaneously the Caterpillar ridicules Alice's reservations as to her physical size or changes therein. This implies that one's external physical characteristics are not important. What is important is the reality in man, the Self.

(In the course of h e r adventures Alice sees a large blue caterpillar, sitting on top of a m u s h r o o m , with its a rms folded. It was quietly smoking a long hookah.)

T h e Caterpi l lar a n d Alice looked at each o the r for some time in silence: at last the Caterpil lar took the hookah ou t of its m o u t h , a n d addressed he r in a lan­guid, sleepy voice.

"Who are you?" said the Caterpillar.

This was no t an encourag ing o p e n i n g for a conversation. Alice repl ied, r a the r shyly, " I — I h a r d l y know, Sir, j u s t a t p resen t — at least I know who I was when I got u p this m o r n i n g , b u t I th ink I mus t

have been changed several times since then."

"What do you m e a n by that?" said the Caterpillar, sternly. "Explain yourself."

"I can't explain myself, I 'm afraid, Sir," said Alice, "because I 'm no t myself, you see."

"I don ' t see," said the Caterpillar.

" I 'm afraid I can't p u t it m o r e clearly," Alice repl ied, very politely, "for I can't unde r s t and it myself, to begin with; and being so many different sizes in a day is very confusing."

"It isn't," said the Caterpillar.

1999 ADVICE FROM A CATERPILLAR 205

"Well, pe rhaps you haven ' t found it so yet," said Alice; "but when you have to tu rn into a chrysalis—you will some day, you k n o w — a n d t h e n after tha t into a butterfly, I should th ink you'll feel it a lit­tle queer, won't you?"

"Not a bit," said the Caterpillar.

"Well, p e r h a p s your feelings may be different," said Alice: "all I know is, it would feel very quee r to me."

"You!" said the Caterpillar con temp­tuously. "Who are you}"

Which b rough t them back again to the beginning of the conversation. Alice felt a little irri tated at the Caterpillar 's mak­ing such very short remarks , and she drew herself u p and said, very gravely, "I think you ough t to tell me who you a re , first."

"Why?" said the Caterpillar.

H e r e was ano the r puzzling question; and , as Alice could no t think of any good reason, and the Caterpillar seemed to be in a very unp leasan t state of mind , she t u rned away.

206 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

"Come back!" the Caterpillar called af­ter her. "I've something impor tant to say!"

Th i s s o u n d e d p r o m i s i n g , certainly. Alice t u r n e d a n d came back again.

" K e e p y o u r t e m p e r , " s a i d t h e Caterpil lar .

"Is t ha t all?" said Alice, swallowing down he r ange r as well as she could.

"No," said the Caterpillar.

Alice t h o u g h t she might as well wait, as she had no th ing else to do , and per ­haps after all it migh t tell he r someth ing w o r t h h e a r i n g . For s o m e m i n u t e s it puffed away wi thout speaking; b u t at last it unfolded its a rms , took the hookah ou t of its m o u t h again, and said, "So you think you ' re changed , d o you?"

" I 'm afraid I am, Sir," said Alice. "I can't r e m e m b e r things as I used — and I don ' t keep the same size for ten minutes together!"

"What size do you want to be?" it [Cat­erpillar] asked.

" O h , I 'm n o t par t icu la r as to size," Alice hastily replied, "only one doesn't like changing so often, you know."

"I don't know," said the Caterpillar.

Alice said nothing: she had never been so much contradicted in all her life before, and she felt that she was losing her temper.

"Are y o u c o n t e n t n o w ? " said t h e Caterpi l lar .

"Well, I should like to be a little larger, Sir, if you wou ldn ' t m ind , " said Alice: " three inches is such a wretched height to be."

"It is a very good height indeed!" said the Caterpillar angrily, r ea r ing itself u p ­r igh t as it spoke (it was exactly t h r e e inches high).

"But I 'm no t used to it!" p leaded poor Alice in a pi teous tone. And she t hough t to herself "I wish the creatures wouldn ' t be so easily offended!"

"You'll get used to it in t ime," said the Caterpil lar; and it p u t the hookah into its mou th , and began smoking again.

THE PURE-HEARTED MAN The pure-hearted man fulfils the supreme purpose of life through the instruc­

tions of his Guru, even though they may be casually imparted. The worldly-minded man studies and enquires throughout his life, yet remains unenlightened.

A distaste for the objects of sense is liberation; attachment to those objects is bondage. This is wisdom; now act as thou wilt.

Knowledge of the imperishable Essence makes a worldly, active and eloquent man inactive, silent and wise. What wonder that the holy Truth is shunned by those still attached to the pleasures of the world.

— Ashtavakra Gita, XV. 1-3.

Shakespeare's King Lear Re-viewed By Rosalind Christian

(King Lear, A Summary)

K I N G LEAR, a m a n of great age, in­t e n d s to dives t h imsel f of t h ings

worldly a n d t u r n his thoughts towards his end . H e will re tain only his kingly ti­tle and a re t inue suitable to his position. His k ingdom is to be divided between his three daughters , a n d he asks each in t u rn the quality of he r love for him. T h e two e lder Pr incesses , G o n e r i l a n d R e g a n , speak with mos t fu lsome flattery, b u t Corde l i a , r e d u c e d a l m o s t to s i lence , refuses to p u t into words h e r love for he r father. She is ban ished , a long with the faithful Earl of Ken t who speaks u p for her. Very soon Lear learns to r e p e n t the ex t reme rashness and pe tu lance of his actions. Goneri l a n d Regan set ou t to di­vest the King of every shred of his royal status. After a scene of terrible bit terness Lear walks ou t into the night .

H e r e the second plot of the play con­cerning the Duke of Gloucester a n d his two sons opens u p . Lear ' s d e p a r t u r e , af­ter his quar re l with his daughte rs , is from Gloucester 's castle, a n d the d u k e feels impelled to offer h im some aid. His p lan is bet rayed by his bastard son E d m u n d , w h o m he has t rus ted implicidy, and he is b l inded by Regan 's h u s b a n d Cornwall .

H e is saved a n d rescued from despair by his t r u e son E d g a r w h o m d a n g e r has forced to take a s t range a n d r e p u g n a n t disguise. Cordelia, now Q u e e n of France, lands at Dover to aid he r father, b u t he r s i s ters ' forces a r e v i c to r ious . T h i s is E d m u n d ' s m o m e n t of t r i u m p h a n d he is wooed by both sisters. To make his power m o r e secure he secredy o rde r s the dea th of Cordelia. Bu t E d m u n d ' s t r i u m p h is short . His t reachery is p roved by an un ­k n o w n war r io r w h o reveals himself as Edgar. Goneri l poisons Regan a n d kills herself. Lear en ters carrying Cordelia 's body and "dies", says the Oxford Compa­nion to English Literature, "of grief".

Part I O n the third of March 1887 the Coun­

tess Tolstoy wrote in h e r diary, "Masha is ill a n d I have been r ead ing King Lear to her." (One cannot he lp feeling sorry for Masha!) "I love Shakespeare bu t he some­times does no t know where to d raw the line — witness all those bru ta l m u r d e r s and innumerable deaths." 1 T h e Countess '

The Countess Tolstoy's Diary, edited by Cathy Porter.

208 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

views were mild compared to those of he r revered husband . H e wrote that Shake­speare had ru ined the fine old play of King Leir, misguidedly inventing a villain, E d m u n d , a n d his 'unl i fel ike ' b r o t h e r Edgar. H e had also taken u p o n himself to make Lear m a d , and , unforgivably, to kill Cordelia. Tolstoy was only one , if the most ex t r eme , of the many critics of Lear. Actors found the play difficult too. For many of the actions the re seemed to be little motive — so how to in te rpre t the characters? A great actor tells how a de­pressed cast were cheered by the advice of dramatist-critic Granville Barker. "H e told us to th ink of it as something from the Old Tes tament or one of the great fairy stories — 'Once u p o n a t ime there was an old k ing with th ree daughte rs ' , ' and it i l luminated it all for us. ' " 2

O n e feels glad to see this view ex­pressed because of the fact that Shake­speare had an intuitive unde r s t and ing of fo lk ta le , a n d u s e d s o m e of its m a i n themes. T h e s u p r e m e example is the tale of The Two Brothers (identical twins) whose story and m e a n i n g found its way into the Comedy of Errors. T h e twins are linked with ano the r story, The Three Brothers (some­times triplets) which carries on the idea of l inked incarnat ions moving towards mean ing in the th ree pa ths they follow — karma 9jnana a n d bhakti mar gas — the paths of body, mind and spirit. 3

A tripart i te pa t t e rn stands ou t clearly in two of Shakespeare 's plays, Cymbeline and Lear. I realised as I read them, in t he l ight of t h e M a h a r s h i ' s t each ings a n d of t h e folktales t hemse lves , t h a t these ideas a d d e d a new dimens ion of

mean ing to the two plays. I can still re­m e m b e r something of the shock of rec­ognit ion as I saw old themes recur.

People g rumble at all the improbabili­ties in Lear:

1. Why did Lear, obviously a King of high standing, act with such sudden and inexpl icable fury? P e r h a p s t h e r e was some cause we don ' t discern.

2. Why did Cordelia answer h im so shor t ly even sternly? P e r h a p s ' she ' is something m o r e than what we think.

3. Why did the two e lder sisters attack the old King — a m a n close to dea th anyway — with such instant cruelty? Per­haps ' they' are not wholly what we take them for.

4. Why does Gloucester so easily fall i n t o t h e t r a p se t by t h e v i l l a i n o u s E d m u n d ? W h o are E d m u n d and Edgar?

Was Lear, then , essentially a struggle between body-mind and Spirit? This sur­mise receives s u d d e n e n c o u r a g e m e n t from the ex t raord inary words of Lear to his eldest d a u g h t e r Goneri l . F rom the m o m e n t he takes his abode with he r she assiduously u n d e r m i n e s his status and after only two weeks a re gone d e m a n d s the dismissal of half his r e t i nue . Lear angry and bitter sets off to find his sec­ond daughter . T h i t h e r also goes Goneril to be greeted by Lear 's bitterest words:

2 An Actor in his Time, by J o h n Gielgud. 3 See articles in The Mountain Path: 'The T w o Cooks', 'The

Maharshi and the Royal Herd of Catde', T h e Maharshi and the Golden Casde'.

1999 SHAKESPEARE'S KING LEAR RE-VIEWED 209 I p r i thee , daughte r , d o no t make m e

m a d ; I will n o t t r o u b l e t h e e , my chi ld;

farewell, We'll n o m o r e meet , n o m o r e see one

ano the r ; But yet t hou ar t my flesh, my blood,

my daugh te r ; O r r a the r a disease that 's in my flesh, Which I m u s t n e e d s call m i n e : t h o u

ar t a boil A plague-sore, an embossed carbuncle, In my c o r r u p t e d blood. Bu t I d o no t

chide thee: Let shame come w h e n it will, I d o no t

call it;

I can be patient; I can stay with Regan, I and my h u n d r e d knights . 4

" T h o u a r t m y flesh, m y b lood , my daughter ." We pass this over l ighdy as it is a figure of speech we all accept. Bu t suppose we were to take it exacdy as it stands, wha t then? Could 'Goneri l ' s tand for Lear ' s relat ions with body — body consciousness we migh t say? I n an ear­lier s c e n e 5 Lea r heaps on h e r a domaine of riches, beauty a n d fertility. H e luxuri­ates in the descript ion of the lovely land he gives her. I t is as t h o u g h Lear had re­t u r n e d , momentar i ly , to his youth a n d looked u p o n the body with h o p e , admi­rat ion a n d affection. Bu t all too soon he feels the nips and pricks o f 'he r ' t rue tem­per. So, he'll to Regan. Of course his im­age of Regan is likewise false.

Regan is a less filled out character than Goneri l . She is a c r ea tu re of the most c rue l a n d mal ic ious logic. T h e r e a r e many examples , the most glar ing being

h e r r e m a r k w h e n h e r h u s b a n d has to rn ou t Gloucester 's eye:

"One side will mock another ; th ' o ther too —"

and her dispatch of the blinded Gloucester:

"Go t h r u s t h i m o u t of ga tes , a n d let h im smell his way to Dover."

I t is the togetherness of the two sisters which is so interest ing. "Pray you, let us hit together" , says Goner i l to Regan as soon as they see how Lear has fallen into their power. T h e sisters ally themselves to strip their father of every shred of his old state. Goneril demands why he should need an hund red knights, ten or even five?

"What need of one?"

This last h a m m e r homeof logic, with­ou t feeling, or even a sense of decorum, is p u r e Regan.

Small wonde r t hen that some w omen commenta tors look askance at these two she-devils as samples of womanhood! But if we t ranspose t h e m into aspects of Lear himself they lose that sting. T h e sisters collude to destroy Lear 's self respect and keep h im at their mercy. And they feel pre t ty sure of their man , after all has he n o t chosen them b o d y - m i n d , a n d ban­ished Cordelia, Spirit? More immediately they sense that their h o u r of t r i u m p h has come, because, outs ide the casde walls, in a wild a n d lonely wilderness, a titanic s torm is beg inn ing to rage . N o one bu t a fool would refuse to compromise on such a n igh t as this. Bu t Lear is every inch a king. H e makes n o compromise for fire, or bed or board , b u t strides ou t into the

4 Act II, scene 4. 5 Act I, scene 1.

210 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

n igh t — with only his fool (jester) for company!

This is Lear ' s finest hour . Divesting himself of any t h o u g h t of body he calls on the s torm to d o its worst:

Blow, winds , a n d crack y o u r cheeks! rage! blow!

You cataracts a n d hur r icanoes , spout. . . 6

H e calls o n the l ightning to singe his white hair a n d tries to tear off his clothes to feel the full lash of the tempest. In short he throws away all regard for the body as one might throw away a rot ten apple.

At last some r o u g h shelter is found for the King, Clown and Kent (now disguised as a servant) and h e r e Lear stages his last act of defiance of the body-mind complex and breaks their power over h im for ever. H e r e he meets Edgar disguised as a Bed­lam beggar — a harmless lunatic licensed to beg, bu t all too often mercilessly per­secuted. H e r e Lear sets u p his mock court to try Goner i l a n d Regan , placing the naked a n d j ibber ing lunatic, the jes ter a n d the servant o n the j u d g e ' s bench together.

Lear to the Fool, " T h o u s a p i e n t sir, sit he re . "

Lear to Edgar, " T h o u r o b e d m a n of justice, take thy place."

All t he ca tegor ies of m i n d , the en­t renched power of learn ing and intellect, a re t h rown down in this ex t raord inary scene — a scene of such fantastic imagi­nat ion as only Shakespeare could have conceived. K e n n e t h Muir, the edi tor of the A r d e n edit ion of this play sums it u p in a well chosen quotat ion.

"H e ha th p u t down the mighty from their seat, and ha th exalted the humble and meek."

"As for happiness" , says the Maharshi , "it is o u r essential na tu re . All suffering and misery per ta in only to the body. If you do not identify yourself with the body then the p r o b l e m is no t t he r e . " 7 H o w calmly this reads and how stormy is the scene when Lear refuses to identify him­self with body! But now the battle has been won and the exhaus ted King falls asleep on a pile of straw, m a k i n g this charming envoy.

"Make no noise, make no noise; draw the curtains: so, so.

We'll go to suppe r i' th ' morn ing . " 8

Now everything h a p p e n s to Lear. H e does nothing. A litter is found and the sleeping King is b o r n e away by night to­wards Dover where Cordelia has landed to br ing h im succour. T h e Self is begin­n i n g to e x e r t its s t u p e n d o u s power . Cordelia, like the Princess in folktale, is beginning to draw h im to 'Herse l f . How does Cordelia look in this role? H e r com­pass ion , h e r qu ie t , h e r s i lence even , would no t surpr i se any of Maharsh i ' s devotees. But what is Lear 's a t t i tude to her? This is how he first addresses her :

Now, o u r joy, Al though o u r last, and least; to whose

young love T h e v ines of F r a n c e , a n d mi lk of

B u r g u n d y

6 Act III, scene 2. 7 Diary of N.N.Rajan. 8 Act III, scene 6.

1999 SHAKESPEARE'S KING LEAR RE-VIEWED 211

Str ive to be in t e re s s ' d [ l inked] ; w h a t can you say, to d raw

A th i rd m o r e o p u l e n t t han your sisters? Speak . 9

"Noth ing , my Lord . " "Noth ing?" "Noth ing ."

At this the wave of Lear 's fury breaks over the p o o r Princess. S t r ipped of h e r dower, banished his sight, she is rescued by the King of France and depar t s far, far away, we feel, beyond all recall. But this is no t so. By little hints we learn that she is no t powerless in the land she has left. I t seems she has spies and inform­ers everywhere — a h u m o r o u s touch this, if we th ink of Cordel ia as Atman or Self. 'She ' knows full well what will h a p p e n to Lear a n d how it will t u r n out . Lear takes he r words as a total rebut tal . H e tells us that he felt to rn apa r t and shaken to the foundat ions . 1 0 " H e has ever loved o u r sis­ter most", says Goner i l to Regan. T h a t is to say he has p u t the spiritual quest first — a n d now, old a n d tired, he longs for H e r response offering joy and peace as he draws closer and closer to H o m e . (We migh t guess that he no t only longs for it, he counts for it, he counts on it.). Instead, noth ing .

I th ink every sadhaka will u n d e r s t a n d Lear 's anguish. Often after long devotion and effort he fears that he has at tained exacdy no th ing — zero. A lot of devotees came to Maharsh i to say exacdy that. Let m e give one quote . I n October 1935 Ma­j o r Chadwick left England a n d came to the feet of his chosen g u r u , Ramana . "I have since been specially asked to state

what I have gained from my residence. . . a n d all I can r a the r surprisingly reply is no th ing ," he said. Bu t Major Chadwick was clearly a very pat ient m a n and not old! H e waited. Lear was a very passion­ate o n e in every sense of the word . Why, he mus t have asked himself, had he lost o u t o n all the joys of body and mind for a c h i m e r a — j u s t n o t h i n g ? Now with Cordel ia banished he' l l enjoy real life! He' l l feast a n d go hun t ing . H e does!

" H e ha th b u t ever slenderly known himself," comments Regan on Lear 's sud­d e n volte face. I n this context it means he slenderly knows the power of mind-body. All this m igh t seem highly speculative were it not that exactly the same story had been told far back in the mists of time, by the creator of the stories of The Two Brothers and The Three Brothers. W h e n the Simple Son re tu rns t r iumphant ly h o m e br inging, say, the Golden Princess, or the Bird of Tru th , the fruit of his quest , his two e lder b ro thers set out , ostensibly to welcome him, bu t actually to ambush and kill h im. 1 1 Goner i l and Regan lay them­selves ou t to e n t r a p their father and then to kill the spiritual t endency of the King. Why? So that the wheel of re-bir th maybe kept tu rn ing . T h e ancients knew that the d a n g e r po in t was w h e n th£ sadhana was nearly H o m e . T h e Simple Son in spite of warnings is unable to imagine the resur­gen t power of body a n d mind . I t is the same with Lear.

9 Act I, scene 1. 1 0 Act I, scene 4. 1 1 See 'The Maharshi, An Ambush and A Forsaken Bride',

in The Mountain Path.

212 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

This view of Lear takes much of the sting ou t of the play. I t even adds touches of humour . I t strikes one , for example , t ha t t he p ro t e s t a t i ons of Goner i l a n d Regan of their grea t love for Lear, are far from false! Goner i l declares she loves h im "no less t h a n life". Of course she does, bo th because he is h e r life and be­cause if she can finally break his link with Spirit, the body-mind complex will take on a new incarnat ion with some of its la­tent tendencies car r ied forward. Body and mind are fighting for their survival.

W h e n we nex t mee t Lear, he is wan­d e r i n g a lone picking flowers. His wits have gone, bu t we must be cautious about 'madness ' in Shakespeare . I t usually con­ceals a d e e p e r mean ing . Lear has gone beyond body and mind , and he is happy as a child. T h e child who is pa r t of the K ingdom of Heaven . His r eun ion with Corde l ia is H e a v e n to Lear. Howeve r harsh the world, let us bu t be together and life is bliss, he says. At this poin t the t heme of the second plot takes over. T h e d a r k p o w e r s p r e v a i l , a n d L e a r a n d Cordelia are taken pr isoners .

Part II

As one reads the play it appears that in E d m u n d and Edgar we had almost a r e t u r n to p u r e myth — the da rk b ro the r and the light b r o t h e r found in several mythologies. 'Bro thers ' equal linked in­carnations, yes, bu t these two have noth­ing to d o with the identical 'Twins' who work in t a n d e m and achieve immortal­ity: they are their opposites. T h e impli­cation of such myths seems to be that light and da rk a re ever in conflict in mankind .

T h e story of these two 'brothers ' is the story of Osiris and Set, pa r t of the myth of Isis — the most perfect myth that we know. Everything is dark about E d m u n d , w h o tells us candidly, t ha t he has n o though t except for himself. H e follows what he sees as na ture ' s own law which resembles the post Darwin view of 'na­ture red in tooth and claw'. H e destroys a kindly father and thereby gains a Duke­d o m and cares not a j o t for Goneri l and Regan who dote on him:

W h i c h of t h e m shal l I take? Both? One? O r nei ther? Nei ther can

be enjoyed If both remain alive. 1 2

If E d m u n d ' s aim is absolute power he is supremely endowed to disguise it be­hind words of sense, protestat ion of hon­esty, even diffidence. Evil, Shakespeare is telling us, can look very attractive — at first. Yes, and E d m u n d has immense pa­nache. H e is no t a thin l ipped creep but a figure of glamour. We are r eminded of the rise of the Nazis to power with their specious promises overlaid by the eye­catching appea l of thei r public rituals. This is the story of evil unperceived for what it really is. Ord ina ry m a n is gullible and thus an easy victim of evil.

Gloucester, who stands between his two sons, is jus t an ord inary man . H e is dis­quieted by the strange t u rn of events that lead to the division of Lear 's k ingdom. As he gradual ly perceives the dange r s that su r round his old master, so he slowly exerts himself on the King's behalf. It is

1 2 Act V, scene 2.

1999 SHAKESPEARE'S KING LEAR RE-VIEWED 213

a loyalty which costs h i m his sight. H e is ma imed a n d th rown into a wilderness, jus t as so m a n y o rd ina ry G e r m a n s were thrown into a wilderness of confusion and starvation.

However, we should no t r ega rd blind­ing in a pure ly physical way — symboli­cally it suggests the gaze dr iven inwards . This inward search implies t r ue vision. In no way is King Lear fatalistic. Few plays a re so full of choices. T h e choice tha t t u r n s t he whole cour se of t he play is the choice of a single servant. H e cannot stomach m o r e of the cruelty of Cornwall , Regan 's lord. H e stabs his mas ter a n d is h imsel f slain — b u t t h e w o u n d h e has g iven is m o r t a l . N o w t h e forces of evil beg in to crack f rom wi th in , as Shakespeare is telling us they are b o u n d to do .

Edgar ' s posit ion is the exact opposi te of his bro ther ' s . His father 's mind hav­ing been po isoned against h im a n d in deadly danger , he is p r e p a r e d to take his place a m o n g the most despised a n d re­j e c t e d of m a n k i n d . G o o d n e s s , Shake­speare is telling us , does no t need fame and power ; it can work from the g r o u n d upwards .

Towards the play's close Edga r a n d E d m u n d m e e t in a d u e l — as s o m e mytholog ica l ' b r o t h e r s ' d o . G o o d tr i ­u m p h s and E d m u n d sees all his d e e p laid plans b rough t to nothing, " T h e wheel has come full circle. I a m here ," he says. Here , is on the g r o u n d , b leeding to dea th . Ju s t as Set a n d Osiris a re at last reconciled, so too E d m u n d a n d Edgar. E d m u n d with his last gasp suffers some recoil from evil. H e confesses his o r d e r to h a n g Cordelia.

T h e a n c i e n t s u n d e r s t o o d t h a t m a n progresses by coil a n d recoil — like the serpent . Only nea r the summi t of their evolution d o the 'brothers ' move forward with a steady pu rpose .

T h e messenger is too late to save the Q u e e n and Lear, with d e e p lamentat ions enters carrying he r body. This last scene is deeply enigmatic. I t has to be , to carry two sets of ideas. It could be said that Lear dies of despair (and many say it) bu t it could equally be said that he dies of joy at seeing flickers of life in his beloved d a u g h t e r . S h a k e s p e a r e re fuses to let Cordel ia h a n g herself as in the old tale bu t he retains this same m o d e of dea th . I surmise that hang ing , like d rowning , has s o m e s t r a n g e after effects. T h e ind i ­vidual, if rescued quickly, may recover comple te ly o r part ial ly, t h u s showing signs of life that a re wholly positive, or mere ly spasmodic . Lear ' s whole be ing comes to be concent ra ted on discerning gl immerings of life. H e asks a bystander to he lp h im u n d o the bu t ton of his cloak, pe rhaps the closer to gaze at Cordelia. W h i l e t h e o t h e r s p r e s e n t h a v e eyes mainly for the King, Lear has eyes only for her. Edwin Mui r discussing Lear ' s d e a t h n o t e s t h a t t h e S h a k e s p e a r e a n scholar A.C. Bradley had a quite contrary in terpre ta t ion of Lear ' s last m o m e n t s to the genera l persuas ion. In Lear ' s end , Bradley holds , we see agony t u r n e d to ecstasy. Let m e quote .

"Suddenly with a cry r ep resen ted in the oldest text by a four times r epea ted ' O ' he exclaims:

'Do you see this? Look o n her, h e r hps Look the re , look there!"

214 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

These a re the last words of Lear. H e is sure at last tha t she lives: and what had he said while he was still in doubt?

'She lives! if it be so, I t is a chance which does r e d e e m all

sorrows T h a t ever I have felt.'

Of course taking the body-mind-spir i t g r o u p of ideas this has to be o u r conclu­sion too. Given the t enor of Lear 's long life, and his s truggle with suffering to­wards its e n d , Cordel ia (Spirit) had to win. Essentially it migh t be said that Lear dies knowing that Spirit cannot die. T h e inner d r a m a is complete .

I would like to add that this conclu­sion is the most t rue to the spirit of Shake­speare. Not one of his t ragedies ends on a n o t e of h o p e l e s s n e s s — n o t e v e n Macbeth which I take to be the darkest . T h e spiritual status of the great figures of these plays are indicated by the titles, Prince, King a n d so forth — b u t each reveals a mistake into which even an ad­vanced soul may fall. Some of these same mistakes can be seen in folktale. Lear, like the Simple Son, is overconfident of his powers to reach ' H o m e ' — which is Re­alization of the Self.

As we have seen, Shakespeare comes in for some h a r d knocks over Lear — perhaps m o r e recently for the s t rong at­tack on sex it contains, and very marked stress on diseases of the flesh. In Act IV sc.6, t h e ' m a d ' L e a r m e e t s t h e b l ind Gloucester , a n d p e r h a p s r e m i n d e d of G l o u c e s t e r ' s a d u l t e r y lets r i p wi th a fantastic a n d h a r d hi t t ing attack on sex — particularly the hypocrisy of women. All of which is quite inappropr ia t e in this

c o n t e x t , say m a n y m o d e r n c r i t i c s . Howeve r , G r a n v i l l e - B a r k e r comes to Shakespeare 's defence. Let me quote :

T h e (superficial) inapposit ion of this passage is q u o t e d nowadays as evi­dence of Shakespeare 's morbid occu­pa t ion with. . .sex. Bu t it is by no means inapposite to the larger moral scheme of the play. Goneril 's lust has become an impor tan t factor in the ac­tion. Shakespeare cannot give much space to its deve lopment , no r does he care to set the boys acting women to deal directly with such matters . So he uses, I think, the queer intuition of the mad mind as a mi r ro r in which vile-ness is reflected and dilated.

Granvi l le-Barker does well to po in t towards Goneril and Regan whose sexual passions b r ing abou t the i r m u t u a l de­s t ruc t ion . However , t h e views h e ex­presses fit even be t t e r with the body-mind-spiri t in terpre ta t ion of the play — its inner theme as I believe. We are told that sex is the last a n d s trongest bond body-mind exerts to hold the evolving soul to rebir th — and the re are s t rong hints that Shakespeare knew this. T h u s Lear 's t i rade is not misplaced. It is always noticeable that in Shakespeare the he ro rails at what he most fears. Lear has in­tuitive knowledge of the latent power of sex, especially in his own case. However, the t irade is short and the scene between Lear and Gloucester closes with words of patience and forgiveness. We feel that the 'mad' Lear has gone beyond fear. As to the stress on disease, it is central to the body-mind-spiri t t heme in the play — for it is disease which begins to consume the body and dominate the mind of the very old.

1999 SHAKESPEARE'S KING LEAR RE-VIEWED 215

" T h e body itself is a disease", says the Maharshi .

Shakespeare n e e d e d language r icher in words t h a n this to please his Eliza­be than audience! A contemporary , p rob ­ably wr i t i ng a b o u t S h a k e s p e a r e said, " T h i s p o e t ' s r a r i t y of d i s c r e t i o n so p repares his m ind that he can ba the in the strains (dregs) of b u r n i n g lust, fury, mal ice o r d e s p a i r , a n d ye t b e n e v e r scalded or e n d a n g e r e d by them."

T h e idea that the Shakespeare of Lear a n d Timon was in a d i s t r a u g h t s ta te , haun ted by sickness and sex, is nonsense .

Nobody in that state could give us the balance, subtlety a n d intricacy of Lear. (And Shakespeare h a d o the r duties be­sides playwright. H e was a thea t re man­ager, actor, d i rec tor a n d m u c h more!) T h e play is o n a h u g e scale, and in spite of the lack of a perfect text we realize that it is wonderfully crafted. W h a t is Lear} Is it the story of an angry king who fool­ishly pu ts himself into the power of his ungrateful a n d evil chi ldren? ^It is bo th these; and these a re set against the back­d r o p of good and evil as they create and tear apa r t o u r frail earthly habitation.

ACHYUTADASA'S VISIT T O SRI BHAGAVAN

By Viswanatha Swami

Achyutadasa was one of the earliest to discern Sri Bhagavan's spiritual greatness. He was known as Abboy Naidu before he renounced the world, and was skilled in playing upon the mridangam. He has composed Tamil kirtanas (songs) of great merit, which are devotional and advaitic. Having heard about Sri Bhagavan he went to Gurumoortham, the Samadhi temple of a sadhu, where Sri Bhagavan was living deeply immersed in nirvikalpa samadhi, during the closing years of the last century. He sat in front of Sri Bhagavan and waited.

As Sri Bhagavan who was then a young lad, opened his eyes, he paid his respects to him, massaged his feet and exclaimed with great devotional fer­vour, "One may be a great scholar, an author or composer and everything else in the world. But it is indeed very rare to come across anyone actually established in the Self Supreme like you." He then announced to his own disciples that there was "something very rare at Tiruvannamalai", meaning Sri Bhagavan. Achyutadasa's samadhi is at Kannamangalam, a few miles north of A m i in the Nor th Arcot district of Madras State.

This is an instance of how spiritually minded people were impressed with Sri Bhagavan's greatness at the very sight of him even in his early years at Tiruvannamalai.

Add (after children) Or is it the eternal story of the struggle between body, mind and Spirit as death approaches?

r2) ^°

Municharya Panchakam (The Way of the Recluse)

By Narayana Guru

Narayana Guru composed the following stanzas after a visit to Bhagavan Sri Ramana in 1916, obviously having the Maharshi in mind.

For the he rmi t whose a t tachments are gone , His a rm , makes it no t for h im a pillow? T h e ea r th w h e r e o n his footsteps fall Gain ing sin-dispelling power , Makes it no t for h im a couch? For such as he , what use of goods here? Ever m e r g e d as his m ind is in the verity of T h a t thou art ' His bliss t ranscends inclusively all forms of joy.

Desireless as he is, for no th ing ever asking, Par tak ing of food b r o u g h t to h im by chance T h e body j u s t to sustain; F r o m all cares free, sleeping on the tho roughfa re , Ever immersed in the vision of the Self, T h e he rmi t , a t ta ining to the unity of life and Self-supreme, H e comes to his own state, rad ian t — everlasting — Of Being-Knowing-joy.

I n discourse the recluse excels, B u t often res t ra ined in words , he is seen h e r e as one ignorant , W a n d e r i n g , sitting, or s tanding still;

T h e translation is by J o h n Spiers.

1999 MUNICHARYA PANCHAKAM 217

Having once come to this chang ing body, sanct ioned by t ime, H e ever contempla tes the state Of Selfhood's u n c u t Consciousness s u p r e m e . Outs ide the scope of wha t is spoken of as existing o r non-exis t ing, As un th inkab le , ungraspab le , m inu t e , not -shor t , stainless or s u p r e m e , Immobi le , erect , o r most exal ted, H e seeks to attain tha t all-fourth (turiya) state T u r n i n g away from bo th this and that As o n e who aims p rope r ly T o reach beyond bo th be ing and non-be ing .

Let h im live in his own h o m e , or in the forest, O r at the water 's edge — no mat te r — With mind ever fixed in the Absolute T h e Yogi ever dwells, seeing all h e r e in t e rms of Selfhood; Like a mi rage in a deser t land. H e enjoys bliss, that Silent O n e Con templa t i ng tha t Absolute s u p r e m e which is beyond all compare .

The Practice of the Presence of God B y Brother L a w r e n c e

(Selections from his Letters)

Nicholas Herman of Lorraine, France (1605-91), while yet in his teens, once saw a dry and leafless tree in mid-winter. It was clear to him at once that it would grow to its full stature, with the onset of spring. This signified the power of God. His realisation of this fact was so vivid that it proved a turning point in his life. He embarked on a religious career.

He was admitted a lay brother amomg the (barefooted) Carmelites in Paris in 1666. Since then he has been known as Brother Lawrence.

Brother Lawrence lived a holy life of communion with God. His main teaching is that one should live in constant awareness of the Presence of God.

T h e Practice of the Presence of God containing the maxims, conversations and letters of Brother Lawrence, is a valuable guide to seekers.

We present here some selections from the letters, originally published on the recommendation of Cardinal Noailles, Archbishop of Paris.

I

SI N C E you desire so earnesdy that I s h o u l d c o m m u n i c a t e to y o u t h e

method by which I arrived at that habitual sense of God's presence, which our Lord, of His mercy, has been pleased to vouchsafe to me, I must tell you that it is with great difficulty that I am prevailed on by your importunities; and now I do it only u p o n the terms that you show my letter to no­body. If I knew that you would let it be seen, all the desire that I have for your advancement would no t be able to de­te rmine m e to it. T h e account I can give you is:

Having found in many books different

m e t h o d s of go ing to God , a n d divers practices of the spiritual life, I t hough t this would serve ra ther to puzzle me than facilitate what I sought after, which was noth ing but how to become wholly God's. This m a d e me resolve to give the all for t h e all; so after h a v i n g g iven myself wholly to God, that H e might take away my sins, / renounced, for the love of Him, everything that was not He, and I began to live as if there was none but He and I in the world. Somet imes I cons ide red myself before H im as a poor criminal at the feet of his j u d g e ; at o ther times I beheld Him in my hear t as my Father, as my God. I w o r s h i p p e d H i m t h e o f tenes t t h a t I cou ld , k e e p i n g my m i n d in His holy

220 THE MOUNTAIN PATH December

presence , a n d recalling it as often as I found it w a n d e r e d from Him. I found no small pa in in this exercise, and yet I cont inued it, no twi ths tanding all the dif­ficulties tha t occur red , wi thout t roubl ing or disquiet ing myself w h e n my mind had wande red involuntarily. I m a d e this my business as m u c h all the day long as at the appo in ted times of prayer ; for at all times, every hour , every minu te , even in the he ight of my business, I d rove away f r o m m y m i n d e v e r y t h i n g t h a t was capable of i n t e r rup t ing my thoughts of God.

Such has been my c o m m o n practice ever since I e n t e r e d in re l ig ion; a n d t hough I have d o n e it very imperfectly, yet I have found grea t advantages by it. These , I well know, are to be impu ted to the m e r e mercy a n d goodness of God, because we can d o no th ing wi thout Him, and / still less t han any. But when we are faithful to keep ourselves in His holy pres­ence, and set H i m always before us, this not only h inde r s o u r offending H i m and doing any th ing that may displease Him, at least wilfully, b u t it also begets in us a holy f reedom, and , if I may so speak, a familiarity with God, wherewith we ask and, that successfully, the graces we stand in need of. In fine, by often repea t ing these acts, they become habitual, and the presence of God r e n d e r e d as it were natu­ral to us. Give H i m thanks , if you please, with me , for His grea t goodness toward me, which I can never sufficiently admire , for the m a n y favours H e has d o n e to so miserable a s inner as I am. May all things praise Him. Amen .

I am, in o u r Lord ,

Yours, etc.

I I

To the Reverend —

N o t f i nd ing m y m a n n e r of life in books, a l though I have no difficulty about it, yet, for greater security, I shall be glad to know your thoughts concerning it.

In a conversation some days since with a pe rson of piety, he told m e the spiri­tual life was a life of grace, which begins with servile fear, which is increased by hope of eternal life, and which is consum­mated by pure love; that each of these states had its different stages, by which one ar­rives at last at that blessed consummation.

I have not allowed all these methods . O n the contrary, from I know not what instincts, I found they discouraged me. This was the reason why, at my ent rance into religion, I took a resolution to give myself u p to God, as the best r e t u r n I could make for His love, and , for the love of Him, to r enounce all besides.

For the first year I c o m m o n l y em­ployed myself d u r i n g the time set apar t for devotion with the t hough t of dea th , j u d g e m e n t , heaven, hell, a n d my sins. T h u s I cont inued some years, applying my mind carefully the rest of the day, and even in the midst of my business, to the presence of God, w h o m I considered always as with me , often as in me .

At length I came insensibly to d o the same th ing d u r i n g my set time of prayer, which caused in m e g rea t de l ight a n d consolation. This practice p r o d u c e d in me so high an esteem for God that faith alone was capable to satisfy m e in that point .

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Such was my b e g i n n i n g , a n d yet I mus t tell you that for the first ten years I suffered much . T h e apprehens ion that I was no t devoted to God as I wished to be , my past sins always p r e s e n t to my mind , and the grea t u n m e r i t e d favours which God did me , were the mat te r and source of my sufferings. Dur ing this t ime I fell often, and rose again presently. It seemed to me that all creatures , reason, and God Himself were against me , and faith a lone for me . I was t roubled some­times with thoughts that to believe I had received such favours was an effect of my p resumpt ion , which p r e t e n d e d to be at once where o thers arr ive with difficulty; at o the r times, that it was a wilful delu­sion, a n d tha t t h e r e was n o salvation for me .

W h e n I t hough t of no th ing but to end my days in these t roubles (which did not at all diminish the t rust I had in God, a n d which served only to increase my faith), I found myself changed all at once; and my soul, which till tha t t ime was in t rouble , felt a p ro found inward peace, as if she were in he r centre and place of rest.

Ever since that t ime I walk before God simply, in faith, with humili ty and with love, and I apply myself dil igendy to do no th ing and th ink no th ing which may displease Him. I h o p e that when I have d o n e what I can, H e will do with me what H e pleases.

As for what passes in me at present , I cannot express it. I have no pain or diffi­culty about my state, because I have no will bu t that of God, which I endeavor to accomplish in all things, a n d to which I a m so resigned that I would no t take u p

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a straw f rom t h e g r o u n d aga ins t His o rder , o r f rom any o the r motive t han pure ly that of love to Him.

I have qui t ted all forms of devotion and set prayers bu t those to which my state obliges me , and I make it my busi­ness only to persevere in His holy pres­ence, where in I keep myself by a simple at tention, and a genera l fond regard to God, which I may call an actual presence of God; or, to speak better, an habitual, silent, and secret conversation of the soul

_with God, which often causes me joys and r ap tu re s inwardly, and somet imes also outwardly, so great that I am forced to use means to mode ra t e t h e m and pre ­vent their appea rance to others .

I n shor t , I a m a s su red b e y o n d all doub t that my soul has been with God above these thirty years. I pass over many things that I may not be tedious to you, yet I think it p r o p e r to inform you after what m a n n e r I consider myself before God, w h o m I behold as my King.

I consider myself as the most wretched of men , full of sores and cor rup t ion , and who has commit ted all sorts of cr imes against his King. Touched with a sensi­ble regret , I confess to Him all my wick­edness, I ask His forgiveness, I a b a n d o n myself in His hands that H e may d o what H e pleases with me. T h e King, full of mercy and goodness , very far from chas­tising me, embraces me with love, makes me eat at His table, serves me with His own hands , gives m e the key of His treas­ures ; H e converses and delights Himself with me incessantly, in a thousand and a t housand ways, a n d treats m e in all respects as His favour i te . I t is t hus I

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consider myself f rom time to time in His holy presence .

My most useful m e t h o d is this simple at tent ion, a n d such a genera l passionate r ega rd to God , to w h o m I find myself often attached with greater sweetness and delight than that of an infant at the moth­er 's breast; so that , if I d a r e use the ex­pression, I should choose to call this state the bosom of God, for the inexpressible sweetness which I taste a n d exper ience there .

If some t imes m y t h o u g h t s w a n d e r from it by necessity or infirmity, I a m presendy recalled by inward motions so c h a r m i n g a n d d e l i c i o u s t h a t I a m ashamed to men t ion them. I desire your Reve rence to reflect r a t h e r u p o n my great wretchedness, of which you are fully informed, t han u p o n the grea t favours which God does m e , all unwor thy and ungrateful as I am.

As for my set h o u r s of prayer, they are only a cont inuat ion of the same exercise. Sometimes I consider myself the re as a stone before a carver, whereof h e is to make a s ta tue; p r e s e n t i n g myself thus before God , I des i re H i m to form His perfect image in my soul, a n d make m e entirely like Himself.

At o the r times, w h e n I apply myself to prayer, I feel all my spirit a n d all my soul lift itself u p wi thout any care or ef­fort of mine , a n d it cont inues as it were suspended a n d firmly fixed in God, as in its cent re a n d place of rest.

I know that some charge this state with inactivity, delusion, a n d self-love. I con­fess that it is a holy inactivity, a n d would

be a happy self-love if the soul in that state were capable of it, because, in effect, while she is in this repose , she cannot be dis­tu rbed by such acts as she was formerly accustomed to, and which were then he r s u p p o r t , b u t which would now r a t h e r h i n d e r than assist her.

Yet I cannot bear that this should be called delusion, because the soul which thus enjoys God desires he re in no th ing bu t Him. If this be delusion in me , it be­longs to God to r e m e d y it. Let H i m do what H e pleases with m e : I desire only Him, and to be wholly devoted to Him. You will, however, oblige m e in sending me your opinion, to which I always pay a great deference, for I have a singular es­teem for your Reverence, and am, in ou r Lord .

Yours, etc.

I l l

I have taken this oppor tun i ty to com­municate to you the sent iments of one of o u r society, concerning the admirable ef­fects and continual assistances which he receives from the presence of God. Let you a n d m e both profit by them.

You mus t know his cont inual care has been , for about forty years past that he has spent in religion, to be always with God, and to d o nothing, say nothing, and think no th ing which may displease Him, and this wi thout any o the r view than pure ly for the love of H im, and because H e de­serves infinitely more .

H e is now so accustomed to that di­vine presence that he receives from it con­t inual succors u p o n all occasions. For

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about thirty years his soul has been filled with joys so continual , a n d sometimes so great , that he is forced to use means to mode ra t e them, and to h i n d e r their ap­pear ing outwardly.

If sometimes he is a little too m u c h absent from that divine presence, God pres­ently makes Himself to be felt in his soul to recall h im, which often h a p p e n s when he is most engaged in his ou tward busi­ness. H e answers with exact fidelity to these inward drawings, e i ther by an el­evation of his hea r t toward God, or by a meek and fond regard to Him; or by such words as love forms u p o n these occasions, as, for instance, My God, here I am all de­voted to Thee. Lord, make me according to Thy heart. And then it seems to h im (as in effect he feels it) that this God of love, satisfied with such few words , reposes again, and rests in the fund and centre of his soul. T h e experience of these things gives h im such an assurance that God is always in the fund or bo t tom of his soul that it r ende r s h im incapable of doubt­ing it u p o n any account whatever.

J u d g e by this what content and satis­faction he enjoys while he continually finds in himself so great a t reasure . H e is n o longer in an anxious search after it, bu t has it o p e n before him, and may take what he pleases of it.

H e complains m u c h of o u r blindness, and cries often that we are to be pitied who content ourselves with so little. God, saith he, has infinite treasure to bestow, and we take up with a little sensible devotion, which passes in a moment. Blind as we are, we hinder God and stop the current of His graces. But when He finds a soul penetrated with a lively

faith, He pours into it His graces and favours plentifully; there they flow like a torrent which, after being forcibly stopped against its ordinary course, when it has found a passage, spreads itself with impetuosity and abundance.

Yes, we often stop this t o r r en t by the little value we set u p o n it. But let us stop it no more ; let us enter into ourselves and break down the bank which h inders it. Let us make way for g race ; let us r e d e e m the lost time, for pe rhaps we have but little left. Death follows us close; let us be well p r e p a r e d for it; for we die bu t once, and a miscarriage there is irretrievable.

I say again, let us en te r into ourselves. T h e time presses, the re is no r o o m for delay; our souls are at stake. I believe you have taken such effectual measures that you will not be surprised. I commend you for it; it is the one th ing necessary. We must , nevertheless, always work at it, be­cause not to advance in the spiritual life is to go back. But those who have the gale of the Holy Spirit go forward even in sleep. If the vessel of o u r soul is still tossed with winds and storms, let us awake the L o r d , w ho reposes in it, a n d H e will quickly calm the sea.

I have taken the liberty to impar t to you these good sent iments , that you may c o m p a r e t h e m with y o u r own. I t will serve again to kindle and inflame them, if by misfortune (which God forbid, for it would be indeed a great misfortune) they should be, t h o u g h never so little, cooled. Let us then both recall o u r first fervours. Let us profit by the example and the sen­timents of this brother, who is little known of the world, bu t known to God, and ex­tremely caressed by Him. I will p ray for