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Three distinct voices in this issues. First
a translation of a Celtic poem by Gabriel Rosenstock.
Next a translation from Tamil of verses
composed by Sri Ramana Maharshi. Ra Kumar Sankar's
translation requires the reader to look at Ramana's words with
different eyes because the sentence structure is unfamiliar. If
you read from the beginning, you'll experience this unique
sentence structure. At some point you'll encounter a familiar
sentence structure. In that moment of encountering the familiar
you might recognize how you are conditioned to respond to even
the most profound teachings. Witnessing that conditioned response
you may see that what you think is some spiritual insight-ing is
really nothing more than having been re-plugged into the Matrix,
into the mind. Hence the potential genius of Sankar's
translations.
The third article is a folksy,
powerful nondual take on Bible verse, by Eric
Chaffee.
--Jerry Katz
The Mystery
I am the wind that breathes upon the sea
I am the wave of the
ocean
I am the murmur of the billows
I am the ox of the
seven combats
I am the vulture upon the rocks
I am a beam of the
sun
I am the fairest of plants
I am a wild boar in
valour
I am a salmon in the water
I am a lake in the
plain
I am a word of knowledge
I am the point of
the lance of battle
I am the 'god' who created the fire
within the
brain ..
Who is it who throws light ..
into the meeting on
the mountain?
Who announces the ages of the Moon?
Who teaches the place wherein lies the
Sun?
.. If
not I ..
~ Amergin White Knee - Druid-Bard of the Celts -1,600 BC. ~
~ Dedicated To Eire - Mother Goddess of the Celts ~
Contributed by Gabriel Rosenstock
Ekanma Vivekam
Ra Kumar Sankar, translator
Dear Jerry
I have completed translating Ekanma Vivekam.
I am attaching the MS Word file containing
only the English translations of the verses.
Thanks for all the support through the years
Kind regards
Ra Kumar Sankar
Once Suri Naagamma, a devotee of Sri
Bhagawan requested Him to compose some verses in Telugu, her
mother-tongue.
Next day, upon request by Sri Muruganaar to
the same effect, Sri Bhagawan composed 3 Telugu verses and then
rendered them in Tamil.
With the same set of events repeating
themselves, Sri Bhagawan composed 2 more Telugu verses and then
rendered these also into Tamil.
These 5 Tamil verses were named ‘One-Self
5 Verses’, meaning 5 verses on the One Self.
Sri Muruganaar then composed one verse as
the final consummating verse.
Thereupon, Sri Bhagawan rendered all the 5
verses in veNpA metre into one kali veNpA. And, this text
was then renamed as ‘One-Self Discrimination’ or ‘One-Self
Truth’.
One-Self Truth/Discrimination
Introductory verse by Muruganaar
Now, by Grace, (the-)earlier-granted
'Ekaanma Panchakam'
[One-Self 5-Verse-(song-on)]
(Me)-Possessed-RamaNa-
Spiritual-Preceptor-Himself composed -
Again-True
Devotees for-chanting-help -as
(-composed,-'Ekaanma-)Vivekam'
(One-Self-Discrimination)-thus-called-(poem)
good-kali-veNpaa- as(in-the-form-of)-
(having-)kindly-consented.
Text
... He, the one
--- first
Self (having-)forgotten(,)
body-alone self-as-(having)-thought(,)
countless
birth(/s) (having)taken(,)-(at-the-)end -- Self
(having)perceived(,)
becoming-the-Self(,) (is)'universe-roaming
-dream'-from
waking-up-alone(,) perceive...
... --- At all
times,
with-oneself-abiding as-the-Self, himself, the-self-he,-the-one
'I-abiding place
which?', thus asking -- for-he,-the-one,
'I am who, (and)
which place am I (in)?', thus asked,-liquor
-drinking-he,-the-one,
equal (as), utter.
At all times,
with oneself abiding the Self,
for
the-self,-he,-the-one, thus asking himself,
'Which is the
I-abiding place?',
utter (as) equal,
(a) liquor-drinking-he,-the-one,
(who) thus asked,
'I am who, (and) which place am I (in)?',
...Satchit ---
aanandha-
Self-within (with the) body-abiding(,) Self-that insentient-body-
self-within
abiding-as self-thinking - he, of that type(,)
(The) drawing
within-abides-that drawing's substratum-
(of-)canvas(,)
thus-thinking he, the one(,) like will be he.
With the body
abiding within the Existence-Awareness-Bliis-Self,
He, with the
(contrary) type of thinking,
'Self is abiding
within that insentient body',
will be like he
who is thinking,
'That
drawing's-substratum-(of-)canvas abides within the drawing'.
... --- (the)
constituent -
gold- apart (from,) (the) ornament (does) exist (?)
Self leaving
(aside,) (the) body (where else is?) -- 'Self
(is the) body',
thus will say, he, the (one) ignorant (of the Self).
(and) 'As the
Self' will behold,
(the) Self-Known
Wise-One, (thus you will) hold (your perception).
Apart from the
constituent gold, does the ornament exist ?
Leaving aside the
Self, where else is the body ?
'Self is the
body', thus will say the one ignorant of the Self, and
'As the Self'
will behold the Self-Knower, thus you know.
... ---
By-Self-Light -
always existing-(is-)that One-Self- thing-alone.
That-Conscious(,)-that-
thing(,) (the-)Primal-Preceptor
(DhakshiNAmUrthi,
Lord Siva) -- without-having-uttered
uttering(,) made-as-known did- if(,)-who
uttering(,)
will-make-(the-Self-)known(to you?) (You)-utter.
Concluding verse
by Sri Muruganar
... Thus(,) ---
now(,)-'That-
One-Self- Truth
(is)-of-this-Kind'(,)-thus consoling(,)*-devotees'
'body-(is
the)-self' identification destroying -- One-Self
Gnosis- Form-as
approaching(,) Preceptor-Ramanan
Himself-uttered
this-verse-in (it)self.
* gently
persuading one to release oneself from the sorrow
rooted in the
false identification of oneself being the body alone
Eric Chaffee
Greetings! ("Hail, thou that art
highly favored, the Lord is with
thee" -Luke
MY UNDOING.
It's been a busy week in
although I was out of town for much of it. (This town is many,
many
miles from that other famous town on a lake,
home to many who are confused, quirky, and include more
than a few
mere positive thinkers. Our town's name reminds the citizenry of
our
entitlement, and of our duty -- that of being and seeing
Christ
(Messiah, the Anointed One, as promised in Isaiah). It reminds
me
that I may be the only glimpse
of Christ anyone else might encounter today, so I need to be
Christ
centered.
Last Sunday, before I left for a
sales conference in
brother fell off a ladder and was thought, perhaps, to have
broken
his neck.
Not! He's recovering nicely, although he was out-cold for
four
days. His doctors are expecting a full recovery. My
mom and I (and
many others, including Bible students I visit in prison) are
praying steadfastly to claim and behold God's everpresence,
knowing
that Scott has never been outside of His care. Progress is
very
evident now that he is conscious again. (They had doped
him.)
Neeedless to say I got to my meeting late --
opening party.
And I had to leave the meeting
early to race home for
preparations for a major roofing project. An Amish crew of
two dozen
men
was coming to tear off five layers of old shakes and asphalt, put
down new substrate over the shake rack, and apply beautiful
new
shingles which look like slate. The new roof is expected to
last 50
years.
Since it's been so dry I had to build an
outhouse; so many guys
flushing would surely have depleted our well. Yes, that
timeless
technology still works quite well when you are short on
water. And
toilets don't know how to function without water! But
privies don't
mind. Just sprinkle some limestone and some peatmoss or
sawdust down
the hole when you're done, thankyou.
(Don't forget to put a dime in the iron pig.)
This mornning, while reading the
story of Jacob wrestling with
God's messenger, I came across a tidbit worthy of sharing. It's
in the
Companion Bible, a heavily footnoted KJV Bible published in
London
by Samuel Bagster & Sons:
24 And Jacob was left alone; and
there wrestled a Man with him until
the breaking of day. [. . .]
27 And He said unto him, "What is
thy name?" And he said, "Jacob."
28 And He said, "Thy name shall be
called no more Jacob, but Israel: for
as a prince hast thou power with God
and with men, and hast prevailed."
The Companion Bible offers these footnotes:
Jacob=contender... Israel=God commands, orders, rules. Man
attempts
it but always, in the end, fails. Out of some forty Hebrew names
compounded with 'El' or 'Jah' God is always the doer of what the
verb
means. (cp. Dani-el, God judges). Prince=commander, orderer. Here
not
used to dignify but to reproach. Prevailed (28)=succeeded. He had
contended for the birthright and succeeded. He had contended for
the
blessing and succeeded. He had contended with Laban and
succeed; he had contended with "men" and succeeded. Now
he contends
with God--and fails. Hence his name was changed to Isra-el,
God
commands, to teach him the greatly needed lesson of dependence
upon God.
[Me, again]: "God is always the doer."[?] So,
that's my problem!
I've been meddling and tinkering, whenever I haven't cared for
God's
management of my life. A backseat driver, am I. Perhaps I
need to
ride in the trunk so I can't reach over seat for the wheel,
or
attempt to influence the Driver by whispering prayers in Her
ear.
Enjoying the ride is divinely stoic, if by that I am able to
convey
something vastly more than 'grin and bear it.' I guess I mean I
trust
the Driver. Trust makes the ride sublime.
~eric.