Meaning of ‘Shruti’ by Sri Ramana Maharshi:
‘When various notes are played or sung by the musician,
if you keep your attention fixed on the sruti, i.e., the accompanying tambur or harmonium with its monotone alone,
it will not be distracted by the diverse notes or tunes;
similarly, in the world which is nothing but sense-perceptions,
keep attuned to the sruti,
the one Reality alone,
and your inner awareness will remain undisturbed.’
Sri Ramana Maharshi
The name Shruti was given to me by my grandfather who spent many years studying the Vedas. As is most commonly understood in India – ‘Shruti’ and ‘Smriti’ refer to ‘that which is heard’ (the unchanging Truth as the Vedas communicate) and ‘that which is remembered’ (based on the Shruti).
The Guru’s Grace shows the deeper meaning as Sri Ramana Maharshi points out.
As in many other streams of spirituality, the Radhaswami Faith, notably, regards the Shabd, Shruti, Om, Naad or the original (Unspoken and Unwritten) Word as referring to the highest and the means of liberation.
Closing out 2020 with the Guru’s Grace
This year closes out on an incredibly auspicious note with Dattatreya Jayanti, a full moon in Ardra (Margashirsha Purnima) and Sri Ramana Maharshi’s Jayanti, following each other.
Sri Dattatreya, the Avadhut is also the Adi Guru. Like Bhagvan Ramana Maharshi (whose guru was the holy mountain Arunachala), he didn’t have a particular human guru but actually identified 24 gurus : earth, air, sky, water, fire moon, sun, pigeon, python, ocean, firefly, bee, elephant, honey-gatherer, deer, fish, a courtesan called Pingala, sparrow, child, a girl, archer, snake, spider and wasp (bhramara keelaka).). He was an incarnation of the trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva born to Ma Anusuya and Rishi Atri. The unmatched works on non-duality (Advaita) namely the Avadhuta Gita and the Tripura Rahasya are attributed to Sri Dattatreya. The former are his spontaneous utterances and the latter, his teachings/revelations to his disciple Lord Parshurama.
Margashirsha Purnima is an important day for Vishnu. On this day, 3 years ago, I was blessed to find myself at the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, a place reverberating with Vishnu’s cosmic form.
Sri Ramana Maharshi’s Jayanti marks the birth anniversary of one of the most revered sages of modern times. Do read the article: The Face of Grace, Ramana Maharshi for more on this great sage of Arunachala.
The power of the Gurus’ Grace…all the more palpable at this auspicious time.
You might also want to read:
Guru Purnima: Be a Light Unto Yourself
At the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple
The Face of Grace, Ramana Maharshi
