12 April 2011

All Sentient Beings Are Equal: Ramana Video, 1946

7 comments:

  1. Nice one Dear Edji..
    Here's a true story about Ramana and Lakshmi(cow)

    Bhagavan did not give Lakshmi special treatment simply because he regarded her as a favored pet. He allowed her the freedom of the ashram because he recognized that she was a highly advanced devotee who had taken the form of a cow in order to be with him:

    Shantammal: She [Lakshmi] would come daily to the ashram, have her meals, graze on the ashram land, enter the hall and sit contentedly near Bhagavan. In the evening she would go back to the town with the other women.

    Once, when Lakshmi was pregnant for the third time, she came into the hall after lunch. Bhagavan was reading a newspaper at the time. Lakshmi came near him and started licking the papers.

    Bhagavan looked up and said, ‘Wait a little, Lakshmi,’ but Lakshmi went on licking. Bhagavan laid his paper aside, put his hands behind Lakshmi’s horns and rested his head against hers. They stayed like this for quite a long time. I stood nearby looking at the wonderful scene.

    After about ten minutes, Bhagavan turned to me and said, ‘Do you know what Lakshmi is doing? She is in samadhi.’

    I looked at her and noticed that tears were flowing in streams down her broad cheeks. Her breathing had stopped and her eyes were fixed on Bhagavan.

    After some time Bhagavan changed his position and asked, gently, ‘Lakshmi, how do you feel now?’

    Lakshmi moved backward, as if reluctant to turn her tail towards Bhagavan, walked round the hall and went out.

    Four days later Lakshmi gave birth to a calf. The man with whom Lakshmi used to stay brought her with her progeny and left them in the ashram for good. Lakshmi, with her three calves, came into the hall and lay down by the sofa.

    Bhagavan saw her and remarked, ‘All these days Lakshmi had to go in the evening to the town. She always left in tears. Today she is delighted because she need not go away anymore. She knows that her home is here now. We shall have to look after her. Look at her! With what self-assurance she has stretched herself out!’

    I love Ramana love for animals as I do yours master Edji.

    Much love always
    Randy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow..I'm speechless...Is such a deep and unbiased love ever possible for unrealized beings like us..? Let the Guru's grace touch us all so that we spread their love all around...Bowing down,..

    Sharada

    ReplyDelete
  3. Namaskar,

    Getting goosebumps and a lump at the throat reading this, how extraordinary. My deepest wish is that this family get even a fraction of the compassion of Shri Ramana, Edji or Rajivji and we will all be most blessed.

    Mona

    ReplyDelete
  4. This video is so extraordinarily important to me. Robert used to say to me that I needed to love people as much as I do animals, because I felt sort of cold towards people.

    Then both he and Satchi died in 1997, and I lost conscious feeling of love altogether, but still acted out love for animals.

    I have received so much criticism from facebook advaitins and comments to my blog, that imply that doing so much for animals is, in some way, unseemly for an advaita teacher who supposedly sees the world is unreal, and therefore should act in such and such a way.

    But this video is a kind of empowerment for me and the feeling of care, love and concern I have for all animals and now humans.

    I feel so much pain when the Republicans want to cut their own taxes and give less money to the elderly, poor, education, etc. Animal rescuers and No-Kill advocates are rarely Republican. I just wish their hearts would open as have the hearts of those who read this blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well I always have felt more love for animals than people for one simple reasons animals love you unconditionally and are always there for you. People Not, Animals are always truthful with you People Not.
    I could go on and on. I would give up this body/mind for my dog if needed. I honestly cannot say I would do this for a person.

    Much love
    Randy and Whiskey

    ReplyDelete
  6. When I was a child I used to step on bugs. A few years ago when I first heard of ramana and got the talks book, I had a change of heart. Since then I put insects outside, even spiders which I used to fear.

    Isaac

    ReplyDelete