Sri Ramana Teachings Sri Ramana Center of Houston

In a Zoom meeting with the Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK on 11th May 2024, Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings.
This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.  

This video begins with Sadhu Om singing verse 2 of ஸ்ரீ அருணாசல பதிகம் (Śrī Aruṇācala Padigam), ‘The Eleven Verses to Arunachala’, then Michael James explains and discusses its meaning:
அன்புரு வருணா சலவழன் மெழுகா யகத்துனை நினைத்துநைந் துருகுமன்பிலி யெனக்குன் னன்பினை யருளா தாண்டெனை யழித்திட லழகோவன்பினில் விளையு மின்பமே யன்ப ரகத்தினி லூறுமா ரமுதேயென்புக லிடநின் னிட்டமென் னிட்ட மின்பதெற் கென்னுயி ரிறையே.
aṉburu varuṇā calavaṙaṉ meṙuhā yahattuṉai niṉaittunain duruhumaṉbili yeṉakkuṉ ṉaṉbiṉai yaruḷā dāṇḍeṉai yaṙittiḍa laṙahōvaṉbiṉil viḷaiyu miṉbamē yaṉba rahattiṉi lūṟumā ramudēyeṉpuha liḍaniṉ ṉiṭṭameṉ ṉiṭṭa miṉbadeṟ keṉṉuyi riṟaiyē.
பதச்சேதம்: அன்பு உரு அருணாசல, அழன் மெழுகாய் அகத்து உனை நினைத்து நைந்து உருகும் அன்பு இலி எனக்கு உன் அன்பினை அருளாது ஆண்டு எனை அழித்திடல் அழகோ? அன்பினில் விளையும் இன்பமே, அன்பர் அகத்தினில் ஊறும் ஆர் அமுதே, என் புகலிட? நின் இட்டம் என் இட்டம்; இன்பு அது எற்கு, என் உயிர் இறையே.
Padacchēdam (word-separation): aṉbu uru aruṇācala, aṙaṉ meṙuhāy ahattu uṉai niṉaittu naindu uruhum aṉbu ili eṉakku uṉ aṉbiṉai aruḷādu āṇḍu eṉai aṙittiḍal aṙahō? aṉbiṉil viḷaiyum iṉbamē, aṉbar ahattiṉil ūṟum ār amudē, eṉ puhaliḍa? niṉ iṭṭam eṉ iṭṭam; iṉbu adu eṟku, eṉ uyir iṟaiyē.
English translation: Arunachala, the form of love, [after] taking possession [of me] does it befit [you] to ruin me [by] not granting your love [love for you] to me, who do not have love in which one melts, softening like wax in fire thinking of you in [one’s] heart? O happiness born [ripened or grown] in love, O satiating [or enduring] ambrosia, which wells up in the heart of devotees, what to say? Your iṣṭam [will, wish, desire or liking] is my iṣṭam; that is happiness for me, Lord of my soul [or life].
While discussing the meaning of this verse, Michael explained each sentence of it:
அன்பு உரு அருணாசல, அழன் மெழுகாய் அகத்து உனை நினைத்து நைந்து உருகும் அன்பு இலி எனக்கு உன் அன்பினை அருளாது ஆண்டு எனை அழித்திடல் அழகோ?aṉbu uru aruṇācala, aṙaṉ meṙuhāy ahattu uṉai niṉaittu naindu uruhum aṉbu ili eṉakku uṉ aṉbiṉai aruḷādu āṇḍu eṉai aṙittiḍal aṙahō?Arunachala, the form of love, [after] taking possession [of me] does it befit [you] to ruin me [by] not granting your love [love for you] to me, who do not have love in which one melts, softening like wax in fire thinking of you in [one’s] heart?
அன்பினில் விளையும் இன்பமே, அன்பர் அகத்தினில் ஊறும் ஆர் அமுதே, என் புகலிட?aṉbiṉil viḷaiyum iṉbamē, aṉbar ahattiṉil ūṟum ār amudē, eṉ puhaliḍa?O happiness born [ripened or grown] in love, O satiating [or enduring] ambrosia, w

In a Zoom meeting with the San Diego Ramana Satsang (ramana-satsang-sd@googlegroups.com) on 5th May 2024, Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings.
The passage from Day by Day (9-1-46 Afternoon) that Michael discussed at the beginning is:
It is false to speak of Realisation. What is there to realise? The real is as it is, ever. How to real-ise it? All that is required is this. We have real-ised the unreal, i.e., regarded as real what is unreal. We have to give up this attitude. That is all that is required for us to attain jnana. We are not creating anything new or achieving something which we did not have before. The illustration given in books is this. We dig a well and create a huge pit. The akasa in the pit or well has not been created by 102 us. We have just removed the earth which was filling the akasa there. The akasa was there then and is also there now. Similarly we have simply to throw out all the age-long samskaras which are inside us, and when all of them have been given up, the Self will shine, alone.
This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.  

In a Zoom meeting with Sri Ramana Center, Houston, on 4th May 2024, Michael James discusses Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu Anubandham, verse 14.
The following is Michael's translation of this verse:
வினையும் விபத்தி வியோகமஞ் ஞானமினையவையார்க் கென்றாய்ந் திடலே — வினைபத்தியோகமுணர் வாய்ந்திடநா னின்றியவை யென்றுமிறானாகமன லேயுண்மை யாம். viṉaiyum vibhatti viyōgamañ ñāṉamiṉaiyavaiyārk keṉḏṟāyn diḍalē — viṉaibhattiyōgamuṇar vāyndiḍanā ṉiṉḏṟiyavai yeṉḏṟumiṟāṉāhamaṉa lēyuṇmai yām. பதச்சேதம்: வினையும், விபத்தி, வியோகம், அஞ்ஞானம் இணையவை யார்க்கு என்று ஆய்ந்திடலே வினை, பத்தி, யோகம், உணர்வு. ஆய்ந்திட, ‘நான்’ இன்றி அவை என்றும் இல். தானாக மனலே உண்மை ஆம். Padacchēdam (word-separation): viṉai-y-um, vibhatti, viyōgam, aññāṉam iṉaiyavai yārkku eṉḏṟu āyndiḍal-ē viṉai, bhatti, yōgam, uṇarvu. āyndiḍa, ‘nāṉ’ iṉḏṟi avai eṉḏṟum il. tāṉ-āha maṉal-ē uṇmai ām. English translation: Investigating for whom are suchlike, karma, vibhakti, viyōga and ajñāna, is itself karma, bhakti, yōga and jñāna. When one investigates, without ‘I’ they never exist. Only being permanently as oneself is what is true. Explanatory paraphrase: Investigating for whom [or to whom] are those [defects] such as karma [action], vibhakti [lack of devotion], viyōga [separation] and ajñāna [ignorance], is itself [or alone] [what will fulfil the purpose and aims of each of the paths of] karma [desireless action or niṣkāmya karma], bhakti [devotion or love], yōga [joining, yoking or harnessing, particularly in the sense of yoking the mind to the object or target of its meditation or to any spiritual practice, and in this context referring to practices whose aim is to bring about ‘cessation of mental activity’ (citta-vṛtti nirōdhaḥ)] and jñāna [knowledge or awareness in the sense of true self-knowledge, which is awareness of oneself as one actually is]. When one investigates [oneself keenly enough], [the ‘I’ for whom karma, vibhakti, viyōga and ajñāna seem to exist, namely ego, will cease to exist, and] without [that] ‘I’ they [namely karma, vibhakti, viyōga and ajñāna] never exist. Only being permanently as oneself [one’s own real nature, namely pure awareness] is what is true [or real].
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This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.  

In a Zoom meeting with the Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK on 27th April 2024, Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings.
This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.  

During the international celebration of Bhagavan Ramana’s 74th Aradhana (anniversary of the day he left his body) organised by Arunachala Ashrama, New York, on 14th April 2024 Michael James discusses what the real 'seeing' or 'knowing' of God is.
This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.