Sri Annamalai Swami condensed the key understandings that he got from Bhagavan over the years and wrote them down in a notebook in the form of 175 Teachings and 33 Questions with Answers. This section of the website presents selected pages from that precious notebook along with English translation.
Page 1
GURU ALONE IS THE REFUGE
06-05-1961
These golden words of noble path through the help of Sri Bhagavan’s Blessing power as appeared in Sri Annamalai Swami’s heart, were written and blessed. If one reads this daily, one’s growth of knowledge is certain. Knowledge is indeed wisdom. Wisdom alone can give changeless bliss. OM SHANTI! SUBHAM!
There is no protector equivalent to Guru, there is no happiness equivalent to dispassion.
The fool who does not consider the other person either like (he knows) himself or more than himself has (to be beaten) and fall only!
Annamalai Swami
SRI RAMANA BHAGAVAN’S HOLY FEET ARE THE REFUGE
GOLDEN WORDS OF THE NOBLE PATH
1. The most important thing for a man to do is to realize the Truth of his Self.
2. However much lofty penance one may do, unless he surrenders to a Guru who is a true Jnāni, he will not attain the bliss of liberation.
3. An ignorant person becoming a Guru of an ignorant disciple, is like the blind leading the blind.
4. The one who thinks about a Guru who is a true Jnāni as a human being, is a great sinner and a person with a dirty mind.
Page 2
5. As long as there is the identification that ‘I am the body’, one can never become a Jnāni, nor will he attain any peace whatsoever.
6. Due to the devotion that one had in the past, God himself appears out of compassion in human form as the Guru.
7. Just like a lion in an elephant’s dream wakes the elephant up, a Jnāni Guru will wake his disciple up from the dream of ignorance.
8. Only Jnānis are men of noble character. Those who are in ignorance of Self are of ill-character indeed. So associating with Jnānis alone is very beneficial for the bliss of liberation.
9. Having hidden the Self, the falsehood that shows itself as the Truth, is a world of dreams. In a state of Wisdom the whole world appears as the Self.
10. What proof is there to think that the world is real? If you think that the world is real, then for sure you must believe that mirage water and the oyster-silver are real.
11. Through the blessings earned in countless births, only to those who have no desire for here or hereafter, the experience of Self can happen.
12. During sleep when there are no affairs, having experienced the superior happiness of the Self, yet man looks to worldly affairs for his happiness. The only reason for this is the absence of enquiry.
Page 3
13. Having been bound by the ropes of desire, all living beings suffer tremendously. If one drops all desire, there is no suffering. It is because of desire that even the stainless, great scholars and the courageous still suffer in misery.
14. For all living beings it is desire which is the sorrow that never leaves, just like death never spares them. Desirelessness alone results in bliss, that is free of sorrow.
15. Owing to desire like a lion which is chained those who are noble will get inferior. Eyes get blind because of desire.
16. If we conquer strong desires we can attain God. Cupid is more wicked than the God of death. The God of death kills at the end; Cupid tortures you throughout.
17. Like sesame that is caught in the oil-press, man gets crushed by desires. Like dry leaves charred in the fire of strong desires he gets burnt and frustrated.
18. Poison kills if one eats it; a knife kills if one cuts with it; strong desire kills if one just thinks about it or just sees objects of desire.
19. Other than one’s mind there is no enemy outside but if one tames it through wisdom there is no better friend than him in the world.