Sri Annamalai Swami maintained a diary when he was serving Sri Bhagavan where he wrote down the teachings that came from Bhagavan. He also jotted down various incidents that happened in Bhagavan's presence. We present a few pages from that diary below.
From Sri Annamalai Swami's diary
THE DIARY
Sri Annamalai Swami used a calendar as his diary.
The first page of the calendar had this photo of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
SRI RAMANA SATGURU’S GOLDEN LOTUS FEET ARE THE REFUGE
SRI RAMANA BHAGAVAN’S TEACHINGS
1. He indeed is the true man who with no desire attends to the affairs that come up without losing his inner state of Being.
2. Indeed, he who does not think that he is the doer of everything is better than the one who thinks he has given up everything.
From Sri Annamalai Swami's diary
3. The one who thinks ‘I am a sannyasi’ is not a sannyasi. The grihastha (house holder) who does not think that he is a grihastha is indeed a sannyasi.
4. Everyone sees only himself everywhere, the attitude he is, the same way the world and God.
5. To enquire ‘Who am I’ indeed is freedom from all sorrow and attainment of supreme Bliss.
6. For the question I asked “Is there no medicine to escape the sorrows of the world?” Sri Bhagavan’s answer: ‘Staying without losing one’s inner state of Being is indeed the medicine.” he said.
7. Mounam (Silence) is to speak always. Staying present, is to work always.
8. Mounam (Silence) is the means of achieving all spiritual treasures.
From Sri Annamalai Swami's diary
9. One day, in response to my question “How did Sri Vishnu give Darshan to saints like Namadevar, Thukkaram, Thulasidasar? How did they see him?” Sri Bhagavan answered: “How? Just like this! I am seeing you, you are seeing me. Just like this they would have seen Him.” he said. Immediately I had horripilations and felt Blissful.
10. Once when I asked Sri Bhagavan, “How can one practice devotion while attending to daily affairs?”, he did not answer immediately. Ten minutes later when some female children came to have Darshan of Sri Bhagavan they started dancing. “Let us churn curd without forgetting Lord Krishna.”, thus singing they danced. Immediately Sri Bhagavan said: “What Sir, this is the answer to the question you asked and this is Karma Yoga.” saying this gave his blessings.
11. Desire indeed is Maya, and desirelessness indeed is God.
From Sri Annamalai Swami's diary
12. One night when I asked Sri Bhagavan “In the West, white people using their brain power and electricity invent aeroplanes which in one hour can cross so many oceans and also helps people to cross oceans. The same way why doesn’t Sri Bhagavan with Ātma Shakthi take us all faster to cross the ocean of samsara in an easy aeroplane?”. He replied, “We are all travelling fast but we don’t realise it. If you ask how?, it is like ordinary folks when traveling in a train for the first time ask, ‘Why does the train appear as though it is not moving!”. Your question is like this.” he said. We all laughed!
13. The one who thinks he is the body is indeed a wretch of suicide, one who thinks I am the Self is a blessed soul. If for one moment one meditates I am the Self, it destroys sanchitha karmas like the Sun dispels darkness. For a person who meditates always like this, will great karma remain undestroyed?
From Sri Annamalai Swami's diary
14. When I asked Sri Bhagavan the difference between being in Dhyanam sometimes and attending to daily affairs the rest of the time, Bhagavan replied: “Doing Dhyanam and engaging in activities are both the same. If you ask how?, it is like saying the same thing in two languages; like a crow seeing both sides with just one eye; like the elephant which uses the same trunk to breathe as well as drink water; like a cobra with just its sense of hearing, can both see and hear.
He also quoted a song from Kaivalya Navanitam and blessed us:
What matters to think so much and to do whatever
Like the dream that continues on waking up from sleep
Are not all false? Blissful form indeed I am!”