Chinna Katha -8

Athma Tatwa is One and the same in all.
There was a guru with a large number of disciples and the guru was telling them some good things. One day, when the lesson was going on, the teacher told the disciples that while they are engaged in puja and meditation, no matter what obstacles come their way, they must take care to see that their meditation is not disturbed. The disciples had great faith in the guru. There were also some disciples who were staying in the âs'ram itself. On a birthday of the guru, one disciple decided to offer special prayers to the guru by repeating the 108 names of the Lord. The disciple collected a photograph, 108 flowers and wanted to perform the puja in the traditional manner. One other disciple invited the guru and took him to his house. The guru while going told this other disciple, who wanted to do the worship at the âs'ram itself, to be careful and asked him to keep the front door closed. The day was very hot and the guru neither had slippers for his feet nor did he have sufficient hair on his head to protect him from the sun. When the guru came to the âs'ram and wanted the door to be opened, the disciple inside was engaged in offering puja. The guru knocked at the door and asked the disciple to open the door. The disciple replied that he was engaged in puja and that the guru must wait till the puja was over, as the puja was not to be interrupted. Today ninety-nine out of hundred people are like the disciple. They only worship the photograph of the person whose grace they long for, and continue to do so even when the latter is knocking at the very door of the worshipper.

Sai in Chinna Katha.

Where Stillness moves.

Would a circling surface vulture
know such depths of sky

as the moon would know?
would a weed on the riverbank
know such depths of water
as the lotus would know?
would a fly darting nearby
know the smell of flowers
as the bee would know?
O Lord white as jasmine
only you would know
the way of your devotees:
how would these
these
mosquitos
on the buffalo’s hides?

Akka Mahadevi.

Nature is the best Teacher - 7

Bodies come and go. Soul is Eternal. It is ageless. With the encasing in the womb,with the first fortification and form,confusion of "I" starts and the merry dance begins.

Krishnamachari Santhanam

Reality

Athma Tatwa is One and the same in all.
There was a guru with a large number of disciples and the guru was telling them some good things. One day, when the lesson was going on, the teacher told the disciples that while they are engaged in puja and meditation, no matter what obstacles come their way, they must take care to see that their meditation is not disturbed. The disciples had great faith in the guru. There were also some disciples who were staying in the âs'ram itself. On a birthday of the guru, one disciple decided to offer special prayers to the guru by repeating the 108 names of the Lord. The disciple collected a photograph, 108 flowers and wanted to perform the puja in the traditional manner. One other disciple invited the guru and took him to his house. The guru while going told this other disciple, who wanted to do the worship at the âs'ram itself, to be careful and asked him to keep the front door closed. The day was very hot and the guru neither had slippers for his feet nor did he have sufficient hair on his head to protect him from the sun. When the guru came to the âs'ram and wanted the door to be opened, the disciple inside was engaged in offering puja. The guru knocked at the door and asked the disciple to open the door. The disciple replied that he was engaged in puja and that the guru must wait till the puja was over, as the puja was not to be interrupted. Today ninety-nine out of hundred people are like the disciple. They only worship the photograph of the person whose grace they long for, and continue to do so even when the latter is knocking at the very door of the worshipper.

Sai in Chinna Katha.

Silence that speaks

Sri Bhagavan once told the story ...that follows to Sri Muruganar. This brings out the profound significance of the Supreme Silence in which the First Master, Sri Dakshinamurti is established.



Sri Bhagavan said, “When the four elderly Sanaka...di rishis first beheld the sixteen-year-old Sri Dakshinamurti sitting under the banyan tree, they were at once attracted by Him, and understood that He was the real Sadguru.


They approached Him, did three pradakshinas around Him, prostrated before Him, sat at His Feet and began to ask shrewd and pertinent questions about the nature of reality and the means of attaining it.


Because of the great compassion and fatherly love (vatsalya) which He felt for His aged disciples, the young Sri Dakshinamurti was overjoyed to see their earnestness, wisdom and maturity, and gave apt replies to each of their questions.


But as He answered each consecutive question, further doubts arose in their minds and they asked further questions. Thus they continued to question Sri Dakshinamurti for a whole year, and He continued to clear their doubts through His compassionate answers.


Finally, however, Sri Dakshinamurti understood that if He continued answering their questions, more doubts would arise in their minds and their ignorance (ajnana) would never end.


Therefore, suppressing even the feeling of compassion and fatherly love which was welling up within Him, He merged Himself into the Supreme Silence. Because of their great maturity (which had ripened to perfection through their year-long association with the Sadguru), as soon as Sri Dakshinamurti assumed Silence, they too automatically merged into Supreme Silence, the true state of the Self.”


Wonderstruck on hearing Sri Bhagavan narrating the storyin this manner, Sri Muruganar remarked that in no book was itmentioned that Sri Dakshinamurti ever spoke anything. “Butthis is what actually happened”, replied Sri Bhagavan curtly.From the authoritative way in which Sri Bhagavan replied andfrom the clear and descriptive way in which He told the story,Sri Muruganar understood that Sri Bhagavan was none otherthan Sri Dakshinamurti Himself!