Bhagavan and Nayana

First Edition  1983
Second Edition 1997
Third Edition  2014

Table of Contents

    PART 1
 1. Initiation . .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3
 2. Realization  .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 10
 3. Fulfilment . .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 19
 4. Propagation  .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 30

    PART 2
 5. Upadesa Saram  .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 43 *
 6. Saddarshanam . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 63 *
 7. Sri Ramana Gita .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 69 *
 8. Vision of Vasiṣṭha Muni .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 79
 9. A Sloka For Invoking The Presence  .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 85

    PART 3
10. Sri Vasiṣṭha Ganapati Muni: A Life Sketch .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 91
11. Compositions Extempore  .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 111
12. Uma Sahasram . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 125 *
13. Isopanisad Bhasyam . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 132
14. Kavyakantha’s Style  .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 153
15. Kavyakantha’s Works  .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 161

* entries marked by '*' link to the subject matter on other pages of this site,
  not the book itself.

Initiation

Two o’clock in the afternoon. It was like any other day in Tiruvannamalai. An ardent aspiring soul, full of faith and fervour, Kavyakantha Ganapati Śāstṛi famed as Vāsiṣṭha Ganapati Muni, felt on that day, wretched. After years of sādhanā he had come to the end of his tether. Everything appeared bleak; frustration and futility seemed to stare him in the face. Renowned as a versatile genius, a scholar and poet of no mean order, there was no area in the vast field of Sanskrit language and literature he had not traversed, no nook or corner of the ancient lore of the land which had escaped the searchlight of his scrutiny. He had delved deep into the mysteries of the Vedas, quaffed at the fountain springs of the Upaniṣads, mastered the spiritual and ritual sides of the tantra. At his hands, the śāstra had regained its original meaning of science, religion and ritual had revealed their rationale, tradition and practice bared their foundation of Truth.

But he was not satisfied....

A Sloka For Invoking The Presence

The easiest way to progress on the path blazed out by the Maharshi’s teachings is to open oneself to his influence, learn to invoke his presence and surrender oneself completely to that ineffable sānnidhya.

Opening itself is difficult. There should be sincere aspiration, first in the centre of one’s being, and it should slowly but surely spread to the other parts of the being. Doubt and disbelief vitiate the opening. A constant awareness and sincerity are required for the purpose.

Then we have to invoke his Presence. How to do this? If a person had already seen Bhagavan, had been the recipient of his grace, the thing is easy, A mere remembrance of the fact creates the favourable vibrations and one is able to relive the past experience and feel the presence of the Maharshi. But for those who had not the good fortune to have seen him in the body, his photographs, numerous and striking as they are, may not convey the significance of the living reality. The Tantra Śāstra has devised a method of invocation, more powerful than an ordinary human memory or the most moving pictorial record.

The gods and goddesses are posited in the Supernal Ether paramam vyoma and they take names and forms to operate in this world constituted of name and form. Each deity has its own particular name, form and characteristics and it responds just like a person when called by name. Each deity has its own nāda, lines of vibration in the high supernals. The Rishi, the seer when he meditates on the deity, comes into contact with the particular lines of vibration that constitute the deity and is able to formulate in human language, the name, the form and the characteristics of the deity. Such a formulation is what is usually known as dhyāna śloka an articulated piece in the form of verse for meditation on the deity. The Dhyāna Śloka is the voice of the seer, who has seen the vision and has recorded in words that line the living experience. Such a Śloka can only issue from divine inspiration and direct realisation. Thus for each deity there is one particular Dhyāna Śloka, recognised and used by all those who contemplate on the chosen deity, because they are convinced that the import of the Śloka was directly realised by the great seer of the Tantra and articulated by him for the benefit of mankind. Such a Dhyāna Śloka when uttered under proper conditions, becomes a vibrant vehicle through which the name, form and characteristics of the subject crystallise again and the Presence of the deity is sensed immediately.

For invoking the presence of the Maharshi we have fortunately a Dhyāna Śloka bequeathed to us by the great Vāsiṣṭha Ganapati Muni. This occurs in Sri Ramaṇa Gītā, amongst the verses which describe the characteristics of the Maharshi. (XVIII. 13).

Later, this verse with slight amendment was quoted as “Sri Ramana Dhyānam” by Sri Kapali Śāstṛiar in his Sanskrit commentary darpaṇam on the Maharshi’s aruṇācala pañcaratna out of the innumerable verses by so many poets all extolling the qualities of the Maharshi; why did the commentator choose this particular verse alone as a Dhyāna Śloka?

First, the author of this verse is Sri Vāsiṣṭha Ganapati Muni who was a great sage and seer in his own right. And he had accepted the Maharshi as his Master, after having had a direct vision born out of actual realisation of the Divine Personality enshrined in the young ascetic and had claimed him as an avatāra of Guha. Secondly, the Maharshi himself quoted with approval the view of someone that this śloka deserved to be the dhyāna śloka of the whole Ramaṇa Gītā. To quote Sri Kapali Śāstṛiar from his Dedication of Ramana Gītā Prakāśha,^[1] “When I came to the verse nilāravinda the Maharshi made a remark. Speaking for five to ten minutes, he stated, naming a gentleman, ‘He said that the verse is quite fit to be the Dhyāna Śloka of the whole Gītā’. It is very significant that Sri Maharshi, who had been silent so far, quoted here approvingly the opinion of another that this should be considered a verse appropriate to describe the Maharshi himself. There are two elements in the verse which I may note in passing: one is the blooming of the eyes. The other is the Silence by which Shiva as Dakshinamurti teaches his disciples”.

Here is the famous verse^[2]:

निलखान्द्सुहदा सदृशं प्रसादे
तुल्यं तथामहसि तोयज बान्धवेन |
बराह्मयां स्थितो तु पितरं वटमूलवासं
संस्मारयन्त मचल तमनुस्मरामः॥

nīlāravindsuhadā sadr̥śaṁ prasādē
tulyaṁ tathāmahasi tōyaja bāndhavēna |
barāhmayāṁ sthitō tu pitaraṁ vaṭamūlavāsaṁ
saṁsmārayanta macala tamanusmarāmaḥ ||

In showering grace, he is like the moon - friend of the blue water-lily.
In the same way, in lustre he is like the sun - kinsman of the lotus.
In his Brahmic state, he reminds us of his Father abiding under the Banyan tree.
Him, the moveless one we lovingly remember.

Even to the blue flower, not pure white, the moon is a friend. Likewise, the Maharshi’s grace is available even for those whose hearts are not quite pure. His eyes shine like full- blown lotuses. With grace they emit rays cool as the moon’s. When dispelling the darkness of the heart they shine like the resplendent sun. He is always in the Brahmic state. Silence is his eloquence. Son of God, he reminds one of his Father Dakshinamurti seated under the Banyan tree, expounding in silence, the principle of the Supreme Brahman to four aged disciples. He is described as acala unmoving, symbolised by the mountain Arunachala. Again the moon is the symbol of the Bliss, the sustaining sap in all things, ānanda. The sun represents the blazing energy, tapas, the knowledge as Consciousness, cit. The Brahmic state denotes the Pure Existence, sat. Thus the Maharshi is the Divine personality in the threefold poise of sat cit ānanda, come down on earth, as the son of God, to save mankind.

When one recites with devotional fervour this Dhyāna Śloka of Sri Maharshi, the sound vibrations recreate the vision and the direct experience that the great Vāsiṣṭha Ganapati Muni had formulated in this verse. The unmistakable Presence, sānnidhya of Sri Maharshi is felt as Peace, peace and more peace.

Peace descends as a block of moonstone making the whole body brim with cool nectar. A divine glow descends making the being strong and effulgent like the sun. And one abides as a potent vastness, calm without a ripple.