"The very first step in understanding what this is all about is giving up the concept of an active, volitional 'I' as a separate entity and accepting the passive role of perceiving and functioning as a process." - Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Friday, December 19, 2014

Arunachala - The Medicine Hill

Sri Annamalai Swami

B sometimes called Arunachala 'The medicine mountain'. He used to say, 'For all ailments of body and mind giri pradakshina is good medicine.'

In order to get people to  sample this medicine, he often prescribed daily pradakshina for those sadhus who spent most of their time sitting in meditation. He told them that doing pradakshina once a day was a good way to keep the mind in sattva guna (a quiet harmonious state).

B once expounded on the greatness of Arunachala by comparing it to a famous mountain in the Ramayana.

'When Rama, Lakshmana and their army entered Lanka, Indrajit, the son of Ravana, launched a very powerful arrow against them. The arrow caused even Rama and Lakshmana to lose consciousness. Everyone in the army except Hanuman became unconscious. Hanuman went back to India and returned with a whole mountain which contained the healing herb sanjeevini. When the air which had touched this herb touched Rama, Lakshmana and their army, they were all awakened and healed.'

B concluded his story by saying, 'This Arunachala mountain is more powerful than that mountain.'

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I AM THAT. -- Amritabindu Upanishad