Atmānanda- Laharī

Just Be (Summa Iru)  As I sat in the weekly satsangs on Ramana Maharshi, Bhagavan’s question echoed within me: “When are you coming to Tiruvannamalai?” That question did not remain a question for long. It ripened itself. The long vigil of Maha Shivaratri, chanting the Ramana Tamil parayanam and the 26th chapter of the Ribhu Gita, deepened the saṅkalpa into something steady and irreversible. After a week-long Vedanta camp in Rishikesh, the journey unfolded almost on its own. Flights were booked. A car was arranged from Chennai. For the first time, plans were made not for the world or family, but for the Self. And in that sincerity, something remarkable happened: the universe did not resist. No one in the family objected. It was as if life itself stepped aside. Despite war and unrest disrupting travel across the world, when asked, “Are you still going?” the response arose effortlessly: “If it has to happen, it will.” In the bustle of Rishikesh, the mind wandered through sense objects...

    From Flow to Stillness: Back to OM With the saṅkalpa of discovering the Absolute Truth, a lone bird set out toward the East, crossing oceans and uncertainties, brushing past the shadows of war, death, and disease. Its outward journey began near the Golden Gate Bridge and came to rest by the gentle suspension of Janaki Jhula, at the sacred grounds of Arsha Vidya Pitham in Rishikesh. The flow of Ganga Words tremble in the presence of Ganga. They hesitate, as though aware of their own inadequacy. Her brilliance is not merely seen but felt. The mind, restless by habit, finds stillness upon her banks. Seekers gather here like constellations in motion. Yogis hold silence in their postures. Devotees offer songs with arati that echoes into the sky. Some whisper prayers with flowers and diyas, while others attempt to capture eternity through the fleeting eye of a camera.  Some sit quietly at her edge. Some step into her waters and shiver, as if awakening from a long dream. And...