Spirit of Religion-A Collection of Rama's Lectures

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Born on 22 October 1873 in a very poor family in a remol village-Murariwala (Punjab) now in Pakistan, Swami Rama Tirth. previously known as Tirtha Rama, lived a life of 33 years on th phenomenal plane like a dazzling flash, spreading the glory of Truth Non-duality-so much so as to make him claim: Rama makes on Rama, nothing more, nothing less.

. Braving stark poverty, even missing meals for days together and living on three paise per day, t continued his studies, undeterred and unabated, to maintain his tradition -securing top position upto his la examination of M.A. course. Rejecting all worldy attractions, he chose to I a Sanyasin and lived as Vedan Incarnate.

Intoxicated in the glory of Self Realization, Rama travelled far and wide, without keeping a single paise with him and enchanted the people of Japan, U.S.A., Egypt and other nations, not so much by his learning but by feeling and throbbing as one with them. His oneness with All was his trait which prevailed all through Rama's whole being is submerged in 'OM'- omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient, nothing without it beyond it. The whole struggle, full of tribulations, which Rama had face, brought out Reality in him and it was his joy to travel bare foot on snowy peaks of Himaliyas or live in caves inhabited by fierce animals, including tigers and snakes.

Rama did so much in so little span of 33 years as was done Adi Shankaracharya, Christ, Sant Gyaneshwar or Swami Vivekanad to quote a few. There can be no comparision, which is futile.

TRUTH is One - complete and whole. -lt even embraces non- truth, which cannot exist without It. Such is Truth. It is the substratum of one and all. There is no substitute, no alternative to It. Truth is truth. That is Its definition.

Can we know Truth? That is the riddle. Truth is whole and complete and we, as we know ourselves, are simply an insignificant part of It. Being a mere part, can we know the whole? Is it possible? A small bubble of water wants to know the wholeness of the ocean. Can it do so ? It can, but it must pay the price first. That is the pre- condition. The price, the only price is: "Burst yourself". The bubble bursts and lo! it becomes the ocean itself. What a wonder! To know is to become.

That is the way, Rama tells. :" Deny the little self and Assert Real self. "The little self is your ego, your personality, your identity which you are attached to and is all - in- all to you. Transcend it, burst it, pay the price and you become Real Self, Divinity Itself. For raising oneself above the little self, the key is to live Vedanta. And Vedant is lived only through work, intense work, engrossing work. No alternative to work, which is :

" Pushing, marching labour

And no stagnant indolence,

Enjoyment of work,

As against teditious drudgery

. Pleace of mind,

And no cancer of suspicion .... "

Rama explains that it is work, which is intense, which is for work's sake, which creates harmony with Real Self and atonement with the universe. Intensity of work makes one rise above the little self, the small ego. It is perhaps every body's personal experience that whenever he is engrossed in some job, thought or any other thing, he becomes oblivious to his being. His body, mind and the intellect automatically rise above the little self. Engrossment is the soul of being in work.

Rama advises, " Keep the body in active struggle and mind in rest and love. Body is to be subjected to the laws of dynamics, being in action, and inner self always at statical rest.". This dispensation will make work impersonal so much so that labour will not be felt at all and the little self will be automatically sacrificed. Work, to be worship, is to be done in the spirit of unaffected witness, free from all entanglement. And then, the worker is the greatest as he is no worker to himself then.

Till India followed this spirit of work and adhered to Vedantic way of life, it continued to soar higher and higher and reached new peaks of prosperity and progress. But since it started to looking down the work and labour as something despisable, low and mean, its downfall was assured and this attitude resulted eventually in its slavery. The western countries, on the other hand, followed and translated into action the spirit and culture of work, that is Vedanta. though they were not acquainted with its theorical aspect. What matters is practice, which alone fortifies and not mere words which are lip-service only.

There are so many misgivings about Vedanta, such as it is best suited for discussions, debates, discourses and Vedanta is impossible to be practised, Vedanta is something bereft of life and is only an utopian concept. So is TRUTH held in that fashion, such as none can be true in the true sense of the word and is only meant for sermon ising, giving advice and projecting falsehood in the garb of truth. People swear by Truth, but behave anti-truth. Rama alleys these fears and doubts about' Vedanta and points to the ever-shining sun of TRUTH. In a straight, simple and direct manner, Rama unfolds the wrappers after wrappers which the people in general have laid around Vedanta and make the readers taste by themselves the pristine glory of Vedanta and bring them face to face to the Divinity. It is what is claimed by Rama, when he proclaims, " If Vedanta does not remove your chill, if it does not make you happy; if it does not cast off your burdens, then kick it aside." He also cautions, " Vedanta, printed in books and placed on shelves to be eater up by worms, won't do. You must live it". That is the crux.

"In Woods of God-Realization", Rama is roaring. Please listen to him, be with him and become what you are - "TATTVAMASI". No sermonising is needed. You are to judge, examine, scutinize, sift by yourself what Rama is saying. Please do not be led astray. Accept Rama's words, when and when only they come true to your test. Otherwise you need not. Reject them. It is an open bargain, " Give by this hand and receive by another." Realize yourself and be Divinity - that is what you receive. Offer the price.

**Contents and Sample Pages**