JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME !

When will the world which is the object seen be removed?

When the mind, which is the cause of all cognition and of all actions, becomes quiescent, the world will disappear.

                                                                                                            -Ramana Maharishi[1]

Can one train journey make a difference in your life? If you do not believe me read this.  This true incident happened in the first week of April 2000 that changed my outlook of life forever.

We were living in Chennai then. I was returning by train to Chennai on that evening after attending an interview at Hyderabad. It had been one of the downward phases of my career. After a very successful professional growth in the early years, I had been going through a rough patch which made me leave the best jobs at regular intervals. This made us  moving from one metro to another within India.

                I met a couple in the train. They must be in their early 40s. Both were humble down to earth. The husband who looked like a Swami to me was wearing a dhoti covered with Angavashtram. There was a sparkle in his eyes which you rarely see in people. Swami was calm and composed.  They were kind to the co-passengers listening to them with rapt attention. Afterwards they started offering them the food they had brought.

The couple then started singing Bhajans and the passengers listened to their soulful songs. I felt divinity in their songs and the way they sang from the heart. One of the co-passengers who appeared to be an illiterate could not follow the classical bhajans and asked them,

“Swami can you sing Tamil film songs for me?”

The couple obliged and changed track from Bhajans to film songs to please him. They started singing old classic film songs of the golden age (60s) of Tamil music that of music director Visvanathan Ramamurthy with lyrics of  Kannadasan.

“One more song Swami”, the passenger kept asking.

The couple sang the old melodies for quite some time until it was time for the passenger to leave at the next station. He simply fell down at their feet before leaving thanking them for obliging his requests.

I started communicating afterwards with Swami. When he asked about me I told my background.  Later when I asked him he said he was working in a senior position for a leading firm in Chennai. He got a call from his Guru, the saint Ramana Maharishi, in his dream to come and serve in his ashram. The couple who are staunch devotees decided to leave Chennai .He quit his job and the couple decided to do service at the Ramana Ashram at Tiruvannamalai. Both are now staying close to Ashram at Tiruvannamalai. They had come to Hyderabad to attend some function and were returning back.

Normally I will not talk about personal issues with strangers. However, there was something I saw with my Swami that night which made me comfortable. There had been lifetime of questions for which I was waiting to get answers. The Swami looked like my guru who patiently listens to me. I opened up my heart and told all my frustrations that was making my mind restless.

               
                  I told them about instances of office politics where I had been humiliated by my own colleagues. The Swami asked me how I respond to those humiliations. I told him that I feel insulted and get depressed. Then he told me something which I have never thought. He said, “How about retaining the same smile even after all the setbacks”. He said that if even after every insult I smile, that will make my colleagues uneasy. If after all, this man can still smile as if nothing happened, the colleague will start doing the introspection. This was a new way of looking at things.

Afterwards, he told me some of the preaching of Ramana on mind control. Although I have heard of Ramana Maharishi, this is the first time I learnt his preaching through his dear disciple. He told all about the teachings of Ramana Maharishi till midnight. He asked me to visit Ramana Ashram whenever possible.

I went to bed and the sound of “Chai Chai“from the platform outside the train woke me up in the morning. I looked for my Swami. The couple has left already at the previous station. I cursed myself for not getting their contact number or address to be in touch.

I started looking at life in a different way from then. Once the mind is in control, things started changing for the better.

After six months, I got a job offer from the US. I was planning to visit the Chidambaram Natarajar temple, where I spent my childhood before leaving for US. Then I remembered what Swami has told me that night. I thought I should visit the Ashram before going to Chidambaram. I went to the Tiruvannamalai temple which I saw for the first time. It was awesome. I finally reached the Ashram from the temple in the evening.

What a surprise! The couple was standing outside the Ashram and that was one of the finest moments of my life. Swami recognized me immediately. To me, it looked like my Guru waiting to show me the righteous path. He took me inside and showed around the Ashram and finally asked me to sit at a place and meditate for some time. “This is the spot where Ramana has lived. Meditating here will make your mind at peace,” He said. I don’t know how long I stayed there. I experienced divinity there.

There was another surprise. I saw my Aunt who is a distant relative there after a long time. She was staying in the Ashram. I wanted to thank my Swami and searched for him inside and outside the Ashram as I came out of the Ashram. The couple could not be found. I heard that they are staying somewhere close by. It was a strange coincidence that I could see them when I got into the Ashram.  It looked like they were there to show me a path. It is for me to proceed from there.

After coming to the US, we visited India this summer after a gap of 7 years. I rushed to Chidambaram to see my lord Nataraja during the Aani Tirumanjaman car festival. I remembered my Swami and planned to visit Tiruvannamalai from there.  Alas, I could not make it this time. I tried within that short stay a separate visit to Ramana Ashram. Due to other commitments, we could not make it.

Maybe during our next visit to India we will start with Ramana Ashram and hopefully I will see my Swami again.

Since then whenever my mind is restless I read Ramana’s preaching which gives me peace of mind. Here I am giving below my favorite quotes of Ramana Maharishi taken from “Who am I?”

What is happiness?

Happiness is the very nature of the self. Happiness and the self are not different. There is no happiness in any object of the world. When the world disappears, i.e. when there is no thought, the mind experiences happiness; and when the world appears, it goes through misery.

Of the devotees, who is the greatest?

He who gives himself up to the Self that is God is the most excellent devotee. Since the supreme power of God makes all things move, why should we, without submitting ourselves to it, constantly worry ourselves with thoughts as to what should be done and how, and what should not be done and how not? We know that the train carries all loads, so after getting on it why should we carry our small luggage on our head to our discomfort, instead of putting it down in the train and feeling at ease?

References

 [1] The Collected Works of  Sri Ramana Maharishi -  Sri Ramana Ashramam

Chapter 2 “ Who am I”

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Sivaram