Ramana Maharishi Says....

Question...... (A Punjabi gentleman ) How can I remove the spiritual drowsiness of
my friends or of other people in general?

Maharishi...... Have you removed your own ‘spiritual drowsiness?’ The force
which is set up to remove your own ‘drowsiness’ will also operate in other centres.
There is the will-power with which you can act on others. But it is on a lower plane
and not desirable. Take care of yourself first.

Question.... How to remove my own ‘drowsiness’?

Maharishi....... Whose ‘drowsiness’ is it? Enquire. Turn within. Turn all your
enquiries towards search for Self. The force set up within you will operate on others also.

 

Question.....An American lady asked Bhagavan what his experiences of samadhi
were. When suggested that she should relate her experiences and ask if they were right,
she replied that Sri Bhagavan’s experiences ought to be correct and should be known,
whereas her own were unimportant. She thus wanted to know if Sri Bhagavan felt his
body hot or cold in samadhi, if he spent the first three and a half years of his stay at
Tiruvannamalai in prayers and so on.

Maharishi.......Samadhi transcends mind and speech and cannot be described. For
example, the state of deep slumber cannot be described; samadhi state can still
less be explained.

Question........But I know that I am unconscious in deep sleep.

Maharishi.... Consciousness and unconsciousness are only modes of the mind.
Samadhi transcends the mind.

Question...... Still you can say what it is like.

Maharishi......You will know only when you are in samadhi.

 

Question...What is Brahma bhavana?

Maharishi..... Not to think “I am Brahman” or “All is Brahman” is itself jivanmukti.

Questioner.. asked about inspired action.

Maharishi....... Let activities go on. They do not affect the pure Self.

 

Question....What is nishkama karma?

There was no reply. After a time Sri Bhagavan went up the hill and a
few followed him, including the pandit. There was a thorny stick lying on the way
which Sri Bhagavan picked up; he sat down and began leisurely to work at it. The
thorns were cut off, the knots were made smooth, the whole stick was polished with
a rough leaf. The whole operation took about six hours. Everyone was wondering at
the fine appearance of the stick made of a spiky material. A shepherd boy put in his
appearance on the way as the group moved off. He had lost his stick and was at a loss.
Sri Bhagavan immediately gave the new one in his hand to the boy and passed on.

The pandit said that this was the matter-of-fact answer to his question.