Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi Complete ... - BrahminVoice.org

Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi
Chintamani because his efforts had been too short and too little
to gain the gem. He discarded it and continued the tapas. Later
a sadhu placed before him a brilliant pebble with facets cut. The
man was taken in by its appearance but found that it could not fulfil
his desires as he originally supposed. Similarly, the Self, being
inherent, should not be sought for elsewhere.
Again, an elephant used to be often teased by its keeper. He once
had an accident and fell down. The elephant could have killed him
on the spot but did not do so. Later, however, the keeper dug a big
pit in the forest and killed the elephant.
Chudala illustrated Sikhidhvaja’s error by this story. He had vairagya
even while ruling his kingdom and could have realised the Self if
only he had pushed his vairagya to the point of killing the ego. He
did not do it, but came to the forest, had a timetable of tapas and yet
did not improve even after 18 years of tapas. He had made himself
a victim of his own creation. Chudala advised him to give up the
ego and realise the Self which he did and was liberated.
It is clear from Chudala’s story that vairagya accompanied by
ego is of no value, whereas all possessions in the absence of ego
do not matter.
19th April, 1937
Talk 405.
A respectable and orthodox gentleman asked about Sri Chakra.
M.: It has a deep significance. There are 43 corners with sacred
syllables in them. Its worship is a method for concentration of
mind. The mind is wont to move externally. It must be checked
and turned within. Its habit is to dwell on names and forms,
for all external objects possess names and forms. Such names
and forms are made symbolic mental conceptions in order to
divert the mind from external objects and make it dwell within
itself. The idols, mantras, yantras, are all meant to give food to
the mind in its introvert state, so that It may later become capable
of being concentrated, after which the superb state is reached
automatically.
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