hermit's chronicles

Last night I was in my washroom, on the throne, reading Fight Club . A foolhardy mosquito buzzed in my left ear. Irritated, I swatted at it reflexively with my right hand. Surprise! It dropped to the floor. A couple of minutes later, guilt arose. I moved the book to a side to see if it was still there. Two teeny weenie ants were carrying the mosquito away on the dry floor, millimetre at a time. Compassion arose. I wanted to tell the toiling ants, “I am going to have a shower in a minute.”

Once an earnest seeker came, prostrated in all humility to Bhagavan (Ramana Maharshi) and asked him: “Bhagavan has said that the real nature of the Self can be attained only by constant dhyana . But how is it possible for one like me saddled with official responsibilities and the management of household affairs? If a major part of one’s life is spent managing these, where is there time for atma vichara , much less uninterrupted dhyana ? What is the way out? I beseech Bhagavan to enlighten me on this.” Looking at him compassionately, Bhagavan said: “Suppose you leave your house with the intention of coming to the Ashram and on the way you meet a friend. You greet him, exchange pleasantries and then take leave of him, proceeding to Ashram while your friend goes his way. Now you don’t go away with your friend but rather continue toward the Ashram, do you not? The thought of coming to Ashram is so fixed in your mind that whomsoever you happen to meet on the way is spoken to in the p...