I still lack the words. The past few days have been shaped by thoughts about the Vedic scriptures. A fellow traveler from another life took me to Nishtha Muller, an Aurovilian who has devoted his life to the Vedic scriptures. For almost two hours, in his very modest dwelling in the forest he planted himself, he told us about Sanskrit, its roots, grammar, pronunciation, the deep spiritual force of the mantras, the cultural history and historical dimension. What stayed with me most were his reflections on the power of the word. In the beginning was the word… that is, of course, sound. In the Vedic tradition, millennia of oral transmission preceded the writing down. The mantras are composed in rhythmic verses and arranged in a logical or narrative sequence so that they can be kept in memory more easily. The manner of recitation has been passed down with great precision over many millennia. These mantras thus bear witness to the beginning of the word. In the beginning was the word… Words, sound, the production of sounds, memory, reciting together, worship of the gods. Perhaps here lies the ground of consciousness. OM.
Yoga
These texts are yoga; the yoga of the body and Ayurvedic philosophy are part of this primal ground. That fellow traveler from another life strongly advises me to learn Sanskrit and yoga. From the masters here, that is, not the New Age bloggers. With these thoughts in my heart, I accompanied her and a group from the guesthouse to Tiruvannamalai.
Tiruvannamalai
In Tiruvannamalai is the Ramana Maharshi Ashram. Ramana Maharshi lived in a cave for many years and meditated. There is only one small text by him: Who am I. Otherwise, records of conversations made by others. His statement that reading is not really necessary because all the essential texts ultimately say the same thing unsettles me. I understand in part why he thinks this, but I am not sure whether one should say it. It sounds very arrogant.
Quite different is the Arunachaleswara Temple. Here I really am still speechless. Photographs and video recordings are not allowed, but audio recordings are, so here is a short compilation from inside the temple complex:
Leave a Reply