Different postures are prescribed but the general principle is to hold the spinal column free. That posture which comes easiest to the student is recommended. The third limb of yoga is Asana, or posture. A Sanskrit proverb says: ‘To feed a cobra with milk without first taking out its poisonous fangs is only to increase its venom.’ Niyama signifies certain habits and observances, such as austerity, study of the scriptures, contentment, purity of body and mind, and devotion to God. Without self-control, the practice of Yoga can injure both the Yogi and others. The discipline of Yama includes non-injury, truthfulness, non-covetousness, chastity, and non-receiving of gifts all these bring about purity of mind, without which spiritual contemplation is not possible.
The first two, Yama and Niyama, denote, in general way, self-control. Hence the scriptures elaborately set out the modalities of how his body should be interred in the Samadhi and worshipped.Raja yoga consists of eight ‘limbs’ or parts:
But a ‘jnani’ who is ever abiding in the Self is not different from God. Consequently when he drops his body, when there is a physical ending of it, the delusion that he is no longer living would follow. We superimpose it on the guru’s body also. It follows from our identification with our body. Identification of a guru with his body is a mistake of the gravest order. It may not be an exaggeration to say that there are more Ramana disciples and devotees now than when he was in the body.įor this there are many reasons. The ever growing number of earnest seekers who swear by the efficacy of this path is there for everyone to see and bears more than ample testimony to Ramana’s continued guidance. The question would still remain as to whether this firm grip of Ramana on our egos till the journey’s end is continuing even after his Maha Nirvana in 1950.
It experiences the joy of a thought – free mind. For the mind has been freed from its addiction to work, to thought. One does not have to seek another job quaking with fear about idleness or boredom. The present binding character of action, attachment to its fruits, is not there. It is alert, like a panther stalking its prey, yet totally detached from the action. Then the mind is not identified with the work, with the action in which it is engaged. For if one’s mind is understood, the busiest hour is also the quietest hour. Work too is meditation! Can one believe this? But it is true. For meditation, the silence of the mind alone is enough. In fact he labels as mere ignorance the idea that the two are separate and opposite. Can the two go hand in hand? ‘Yes’ says Ramana. In such a situation it is imperative to restore the balance, to find a way which can combine work and wisdom. The fascination of the immediate, the sensate attractions are blown up in a mind exposed to the media explosion. One does not care enough to sacrifice everything for the ultimate. Old values of living the life of a monk or a sannyasi for the exclusive purpose of finding out the truth have by and large crumbled. People are steeped in hectic activity, pushed and motivated by the competitive spirit to forge ahead towards materialistic goals. This raises the question, ‘What is so special about Ramana’s teaching?’
Radhakrishnan, Swami Ramdas, Swami Muktananda, to mention a few, declare in one voice the uniqueness of Ramana’s life and teachings. Swami Sivananda, Swami Tapovan Maharaj, Swami Chinmayananda, Dr. We find the Dalai Lama writing that “Ramana Maharshi’s spiritual greatness is guiding millions of people”. The world renowned psychologist Carl Jung says “We find that the life and teaching of Sri Ramana is the purest of India. Ganapati Muni is not alone in his praise. Hence he christened Ramana as Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, meaning God, the one who revels in the Self, and sage among sages. For, his teaching had the timeless character of the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. He at once wrote to each of them that he had found his guru in Ramana, not only his guru but a universal guru.
At that time the Muni had a large following. In 1907, the great sage Ganapati Muni learnt the secret of penance from Ramana. Ramana is the trail blazer of a simple and direct path to Self-knowledge.