What is meditation? Ramana Maharshi's answer

This was a question haunting a small boy. His parents were at wit's end, as they could not explain it in a simple language the boy could comprehend.

Once the family went for a darshan to Shri Ramana Maharshi. The boy put forward his question to Ramana Maharshi.

Shri Ramana laughed to himself. Then with smiling face, he asked his devotee to serve the boy a dosa from the kitchen.

So, on a plain leaf, a dosa was served. Shri Ramana looked at the boy and said,

"Now I will say 'Hmm.' Then only you should start eating. Then again I will say 'Hmm.' After that no piece of dosa should be left on your plate."

The boy agreed. He was so excited. Others were watching expectantly. Now the boy was eagerly waiting for the signal by looking at Shri Ramana's face. When he gave the signal "Hmm" the boy started eating. Now his attention was on Shri Ramana. He wanted to finish the dosa before the second signal.

The boy was eating the dosa in a hurry, tearing big chunks of dosa, but all the time keeping his attention on Shri Ramana. The dosa was reducing in size gradually. There was a small piece left.

The boy was looking anxiously at Shri Ramana for the second signal. The moment he gave the signal, the boy immediately put the dosa in his mouth.

Now Shri Ramana asked him, "Where was your attention till now? On me or on dosa?"

The boy replied, "On both."

Shri Ramana said, "Yes. You were actively involved in finishing dosa, with your attention on me. You were not distracted at all. Like this when you do your daily activities with your attention or thoughts on God in the back ground, it is known as meditation."

The two signals "Hmm" are birth and death. Within these two events, one can engage in meditation, as demonstrated by Shri Ramana Maharshi. But to understand this we all need divine grace to mellow and mature.

We all differ from each other and hence take different time to comprehend this great truth.