Prabhu and Gorakh

Sri Ramana Maharshi

Prabhulinga, the founder of the Lingayat sect, was touring the land for the uplift of the spiritually minded. He met the famous Yogi Gokarnath in Gokarnam. The Yogi welcomed him respectfully but was proudly conscious of his own extraordinary powers over the elements. He considered his guest more or less his equal, expressed pleasure at meeting him and on his greeting him asked him who he was.

Prabhulinga replied that he only who had destroyed his ego, root and branch, and realized "himself" could know who he was and wondered what he could say to a nonentity, a person who clung to his perishable body.

Gokarnath, who identified his body with his Self, replied, "That person alone who has gained the immortality of the body by the favor of Shiva and consumption of Gulikas will never die. Therefore, one who has not gained such immortality dies."

Prabhu observed: You speak as if existence in an imperishable body is your real existence and the death of the body your death. Evidently you appear to think that the body itself is your Self. You can only be matched by the ignorant masses. If the body be yourself, why do you say "my body"? Everyone speaks of his possessions as "my clothes, my gold etc." Tell me if anyone identifies himself with the clothes, or the gold etc. and says, "I am the clothes, I am the gold etc.

Gorakh replied: Men say 'I think, I walk' etc. Please tell me what the 'I' signifies in such instances.

Prabhu: 'I think' signifies the association with the faculty of thinking. Similarly also in other instances, association with the body, the senses and the faculties is meant. If, on the other hand, 'I' be identical with them how many I's are there? You are mistaking a superimposition for the reality.

Gorakh asked Prabhu to explain what is meant by saying 'I lose my life'. Is there one life to lose another?

Prabhu said: Life-breath is the real meaning of the word 'life' whereas the Self is also referred to as 'life' figuratively. Why do you seek your own ruin by identifying yourself with the perishable body composed of flesh, blood, bones, fat etc. notwithstanding the scriptural statement that the Self is Existence, Knowledge and Bliss? One who, disgusted with this body, the thing responsible for the interminable recurrence of births and deaths, is intent upon obtaining freedom, will look at this body with the same disgust as one who has unwittingly trodden on loathsome offal on the path. While the wise pray to Shiva to free them from taking a body anymore, just as a man would take medicine to rid himself of a malady once and for all, is it not a matter for wonder that you should seek to perpetuate the body by divine favor? Does not this correspond to a sick man taking medicine to perpetuate the malady?

Has even one such glorified body ever been born which has not met with death? There never was a case of a stone thrown up that has not come back to earth. So also anything having a beginning must also have an end, some time or other. Only if there was anything that was not born could it remain without death.

You have based the immortality of your body on the use of drugs and divine favor on on other assumption that the days you would live with this body are interminable. This assumption is untenable. Oh! You who are great in penance! Desire at least hereafter to obtain salvation.

(To be continued)