#girivalam

Holy Hill Arunachala and Sanchara Samadhi

Sri Kunju Swami said, “Once, Bhagavan pointed to the Holy Arunachala Hill and said: 

‘This is the storehouse of all spiritual power. Going round it you benefit in all ways. Just as it is particularly beneficial when you perform japa in Varanasi, so by going round the Hill you get countless benefits thereby. It is called sanchara samadhi. While walking round the Hill the body is active but the mind is at rest at its source. The mind is then free from distractions. Through sanchara samadhi one easily gets sahaja samadhi. Hence, our forefathers praised the value of pilgrimages. A pilgrimage (on foot) enables one to get established in sanchara samadhi.’ ”

Kunju Swami once asked Bhagavan, “If thoughts rise up while doing pradakshina [going round the Hill], what are we to do?” Bhagavan replied, 

“Just do nothing. Ignore them. Keep yourself away from them as you do automatically when a donkey or dog crosses your path while walking round the Hill. If you ignore them they will go away of their own accord.”

Sri Bhagavan also joked at that time: 

“For you the problem is how to eradicate the thoughts; for us (meaning himself) the problem is how to bring forth thoughts, how to raise a thought!”

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~ https://archive.arunachala.org/newsletters/2013/mar-apr

Today Sri Ramanasramam celebrated Vinayaka Chaturthi.

We wish you a very happy Vinayaka Chaturthi. 

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The glory of Vinayaka or Lord Ganesh can be understood by the fact that every Hindu worships begins with worship of Lord Ganesha. 

There is an interesting anectode mentioned in “Letters from Sri Ramanashram”, by Suri Nagamma [1]:

      One morning last May, Bhagavan asked Sundaresa Iyer, “Did you go round the hill by way of pradakshina?” “No,” said the devotee. Looking at me, Bhagavan said, “Last night when people were going out for giripradakshina because of the moonlight, he also started to go. But he felt he could not complete the round. When they were starting out after telling me, he went round me quickly. When I asked him why he did so, he said, ‘I am afraid I cannot go round the hill. So I have gone round Bhagavan.’ ‘Go round yourself. That will be Atma pradakshina,’ I said.” So saying Bhagavan began laughing. 

“It means that he has done what Vinayaka once did,” said one devotee. “What is that story?” asked another devotee. Then Bhagavan began telling it: 

“Once upon a time, Lord Parameswara wanted to teach a lesson to His son Lord Subrahmanya who fancied Himself to be a great sage; so Parameswara sat on the top of Mount Kailasa with Parvati, with a fruit in His hand. Seeing the fruit both Ganapati and Subrahmanya asked their father, Parameswara for it. Then Ishwara said that He would give the fruit to whoever of them got back first after going round the whole world. 

With self-confidence and pride that he would win the race, Subrahmanya started immediately riding on his favourite mount, the peacock, and began going at a fast pace, frequently looking behind to assure himself that his elder brother Ganapati was not following. What could poor Ganapati do, with his huge belly? His vahanam (mount) was after all a mouse. So he thought it was no good competing with Subrahmanya in the race round the world, and went round Parvati and Parameswara, bowed before them and claimed the reward. When They asked him whether he had gone round the world, he said, “All the worlds are contained within you; so if I go round you, it is as good as going round the whole world.” Pleased with his reply, Parameswara gave him the fruit and Ganapati sat there eating it.”

That is the story. 

The significance is that the ego which goes round like a whirlwind must get destroyed, and must get absorbed in Atma. That is Atma Pradakshina,” said Bhagavan. 

Source:  @SriRamanaMaharshi

[1] Letter 64 - Atma Pradakhina (Going Round The Self)

Hoje o Sri Ramanasramam celebrou Vinayaka Chaturthi.

Desejamos a todos um feliz Vinayaka Chaturthi. 

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A glória de Vinayaka ou Senhor Ganesha pode ser melhor compreendida pelo facto de que todos os cultos Hindus começam com a adoração a Lord Ganesha.

 Existe um conto interessante mencionado por Suri Nagamma no seu livro “Cartas do Sri Ramanasramam” [1]:

Em Maio passado, num dia de manhã, Bhagavan perguntou a Sundaresa Iyer: "Você deu a volta à montanha em pradakshina?" “Não,” disse o devoto. Olhando para mim, Bhagavan disse: "Na noite passada, quando as pessoas estavam para sair para fazer giripradakshina por causa do luar, ele também ia, mas sentiu que não conseguiria completar a volta. Depois de me informarem, as pessoas começaram a sair, mas ele começou a andar à minha volta rapidamente. Quando lhe perguntei por que fez isso, ele disse: 'Acho que não consigo fazer o percurso todo à volta da montanha. Por isso andei à volta Bhagavan.' 'Ande à volta de você mesmo. Isso será Atma pradakshina,' disse eu." Assim dizendo, Bhagavan começou a rir. 

“Isso significa que ele fez o mesmo que Vinayaka uma vez fez”, disse um devoto. “Qual é essa história?” perguntou outro devoto. Então Bhagavan começou a contar:

“Era uma vez, o Senhor Parameswara queria ensinar uma lição ao Seu filho, Senhor Subrahmanya, que Se imaginava um grande sábio; então Parameswara sentou-se no topo do Monte Kailasa com Parvati, com um fruto na Sua mão. Ao verem o fruto, tanto Ganapati como Subrahmanya pediram-no ao seu pai, Parameswara. Então, Ishwara disse que daria o fruto a qualquer um deles que chegasse primeiro depois de dar a volta ao mundo inteiro. 

Cheio de autoconfiança e orgulho de que venceria a corrida, Subrahmanya começou imediatamente a montar na sua montada favorita, o pavão, e partiu a um ritmo veloz, olhando para trás frequentemente, para se certificar de que o seu irmão mais velho, Ganapati, não o estava a seguir. O que poderia o pobre Ganapati fazer, com sua barriga enorme? Além disso, a sua vahanam (montada) era um rato. Então ele achou que não adiantava competir com Subrahmanya na corrida ao redor do mundo, e deu a volta em torno de Parvati e Parameswara, curvou-se diante deles e reivindicou a recompensa. Quando eles lhe perguntaram se ele tinha dado a volta ao mundo, ele disse, “Todos os mundos estão contidos dentro de vós; então, se eu andar à volta de vós, é tão bom quanto andar à volta do mundo inteiro." Satisfeito com a sua resposta, Parameswara deu-lhe o fruto e Ganapati ali se sentou para o comer.”

É esta a história.

O significado é que o ego, que anda à volta como um redemoinho, deve ser destruído e deve ser absorvido no Atma. Isso é o Atma Pradakshina”, disse Bhagavan.

Fonte: @SriRamanaMaharshi

[1] Carta Nº 64 - Atma Pradakhina (Going Round The Self) (Andando À Volta Do Ser)

Arunachala and rainbow

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Living the Inspiration of Sri Ramana Maharshi

A dialogue between David Godman and Maalok, an Indian academic now teaching in America (excerpt) (2)

Maalok: Ramana Maharshi was a prime example of living detachment. However, it is said, if there was one thing that he had slight attachment to, it was Arunachala. Perhaps you could explain why the Maharshi never moved from Arunachala after reaching there as a teenager.

David: Arunachala has been a spiritual magnet for as long as records have been kept. Various saints, yogis and spiritual seekers have felt its call for at least 1,500 years, probably much longer. Some inexplicable power draws people to this place and keeps them here. Seen in this context, Ramana Maharshi is just the latest and most famous saint to feel the pull of this place. When he was very young, he had an intuitive knowledge that the word Arunachala denoted God or a heavenly realm, but at the time he didn’t realize it was a place he could actually visit. He didn’t find this out until he was in his early teens. A few weeks after he realized the Self at the age of sixteen, he left home, traveled to Arunachala and spent the rest of his life there.

  Why this place? For him it was his father, his Guru and his God, Siva. It may sound strange to say that a mountain can be all these things, but Sri Ramana was not alone in seeing Arunachala in this light. This is what a famous local saint, Guru Namasivaya, wrote a few hundred years ago:

Mountain who drives out the night of spiritual ignorance. Mountain who is the lamp of true knowledge to devotees. Mountain in the form of abundant knowledge. Mountain who came to me, a mere dog, As father, mother and Sadguru: Annamalai.

  Annamalai is the local Tamil name of the mountain. This is what the Tamil purana of Arunachala, also written centuries ago, has to say about the holiness of this place:

Beginning with these first ones and continuing up to the present day, many are those who have attained the deathless state of liberation through dwelling on Aruna[chala] in their thoughts, through lovingly speaking its praises, through hearing of it, and then coming to gaze upon it, through performing pradakshina (*) of it on foot, through dwelling there in a state of righteousness, through walking in the path of truth there, through bathing in its broad tanks, and through carrying out good works, performing holy service in the temple and worshipping there at the feet of that Effulgent Light.

  That is the tradition of this place. Throughout its history Arunachala has attracted ardent seekers and liberated them. Yet, surprisingly, it remains relatively unknown even within India.

  Arunachala has always been regarded as a manifestation of Siva, not just a symbolic representation of Him, or a place where He lives. The mountain itself is a lingam that has the full power and authority of Siva Himself. This is what millions of South Indian believe, and their belief is backed up, authenticated by many great saints who have gone on record as saying that it was the power of this mountain that brought about their own spiritual liberation. Ramana Maharshi was one of them. He was quite categorical that Arunachala was his Guru, and that Arunachala had been the agent that brought about his own realization. Seen in this context, why should he not spend the rest of his physical life in its vicinity?

  Sri Ramana loved this mountain passionately. He wrote devotional poetry about it that at times verged on the ecstatic, and in all the fifty-four years he lived here, he could never be persuaded to go more than a mile from the base of the mountain.

http://davidgodman.org/interviews/al5.shtml

Next to Ramanasramam is Pali Tirtham...  On the roadside bank of the tank, a majestic Peepul Tree (Ficus religiosa) is seen. It has a raised platform around it. Under this tree, you will see statues of Ganesha and other deities carved in stone.

https://richardarunachala.wordpress.com/2010/05/29/temples-and-shrines-along-arunachalas-outer-pradakshina-route/

The Pali Tirtham

The Pipal Tree and Platform at the Pali Tirtham

Source: Living in the Embrace of Arunachala.Blog, by Richard Clarke  

Temples and Shrines along Arunachala’s Outer Pradakshina* Route - Big Nandi, facing Arunachala. 

If you want to get a message to Siva, whisper it into Nandi’s ear. Nandi is Siva’s mount, vahana in Sanskrit. Nandi is Siva’s prime worshipper. Nandi is facing Siva in every Siva temple. You can approach Nandi, but may not be able to approach Siva.