The Doctor Must be Given a Free Hand - Ramana Maharshi

M.: Your nature is happiness. You say that is not apparent. See what obstructs you from your true being. It is pointed out to you that the obstruction is the wrong identity. Eliminate the error. The patient must himself take the medicine prescribed by the doctor in order that he may be cured of his illness.

D.: The patient is too weak to help himself and places himself unconditionally in the hands of the doctor.

M.: The doctor must be given a free hand and the patient must only remain quiet without saying anything. Similarly keep quiet. That is effortlessness.

Devotee: How can one know whether a particular individual is competent to be a Guru?

Bhagavan: By the peace of mind found in his Presence and by the sense of respect you feel for him.
Is the World other than the Mind?

The world is made up of the five kinds of sense perceptions and nothing else. And those perceptions are felt as objects by the five senses. Since through the senses the mind alone perceives the world, is the world other than the mind?

Desire for Liberation

The Master cited very apt analogies to a disciple indicating the type of aspiration one should possess for attaining liberation.

"Suppose some dust falls into one's eyes, the person will hurry to wash the eyes and get rid of the dust. Till the dust is removed he will feel great unrest. He will forget everything of this world. His sole concern will be the removal of the dust from his eyes.

"Such should be one's aspiration for the attainment of God-realisation. The mind should be exclusively occupied with that one desire of attaining God-realisation. He should forget everything else. He should feel extremely restless and pine for God-realisation.

"A further analogy is that of a person under water. Suppose you keep the head of a man immersed in water, he will struggle for breath. He will desire intensely to get out of the water so that he could breathe. Such intense desire for God-realisation is called Mumukshutwa."
Purpose and Aim

"Atman is self-contained. You can get everything here. Develop virtues. Remember the basis and source. Have the ideal always before the mind. Realise the ideal. Rise above worldliness. Become a magnanimous soul. Wish eagerly and fervently to attain Self-realisation. Have a definite purpose and aim. Have faith, interest and perseverance. You are bound to succeed."
Purpose of Life

"Understand fully the aim and purpose of life. Do not be carried away by temptations. Maya is powerful. Live in the company of Mahatmas. This is a strong fortress to protect you in your initial stages of growth. Develop your inner faculties, conserve your energy, and acquire knowledge of the Self."
... Swami Sivananda
God or Guru

If God and Guru both come together in front of me,
I will accept only my Guru I will ignore God.
You want to know why?
My Guru is like my mother.
When I was a baby lying in its own filth,
My mother bathed me,
Cleansed me Dressed me and celebrated.
My father did not bother at that time.

Once my higher education is over,
Once I have arrived in a plum job
"He is my son" says my father
And celebrates.
My Guru picked me up and showered affection
Like a mother
When I was a sinner and ignorant
My Guru cleansed me
He cleaned the filth out of my mind
And gave a new attire to don

But God
Embraced me
And came to live in me
After I became clean
After I rose to a higher level

I love my Guru
Who picked me up when I was filthy
More than the God
Who came to me
After I became good.
My Guru is everything for me.

... Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya ... Ramasamy R.

Source: A Tamil book "Guru " by Balakumaran, a popular Tamil writer who is a disciple of Yogi Ram Surat Kumar of Tiruvannamalai. Balakumaran says the above was sung by Kabir Das, a 15th century saint.

"Bondage is of the mind, and freedom is also of the mind. A man is free if he constantly thinks: 'I am a free soul. How can I be bound, whether I live in the world or in the forest? I am a child of God, the King of Kings. Who can bind me?'...In the same way, by repeating with grit and determination, 'I am not bound, I am free', one really becomes so -- one really becomes free."

... Ramakrishna Paramahansa

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