Episodes

  • Śrī Aruṇācala Navamaṇimālai Verse 1
    Nov 16 2024
    In a Zoom meeting with the Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK on 9th November 2024, Michael discusses Śrī Aruṇācala Navamaṇimālai verse 1. ஸ்ரீ அருணாசல நவமணிமாலை: Śrī Aruṇācala Navamaṇimālai Verse 1 அசலனே யாயினு மச்சவை தன்னி லசலையா மம்மையெதி ராடு — மசல வுருவிலச் சத்தி யொடுங்கிட வோங்கு மருணா சலமென் றறி. acalaṉē yāyiṉu maccavai taṉṉi lacalaiyā mammaiyedi rāḍu — macala vuruvilac catti yoḍuṅgiḍa vōṅgu maruṇā calameṉ ḏṟaṟi. பதச்சேதம்: அசலனே ஆயினும், அச் சவை தன்னில் அசலை ஆம் அம்மை எதிர் ஆடும். அசல உருவில் அச் சத்தி ஒடுங்கிட, ஓங்கும் அருணாசலம் என்று அறி. Padacchēdam (word-separation): acalaṉē āyiṉum, a-c-savai-taṉṉil acalai ām ammai edir āḍum. acala uruvil a-c-satti oḍuṅgiḍa, ōṅgum aruṇācalam eṉḏṟu aṟi. அன்வயம்: அசலனே ஆயினும், அச் சவை தன்னில் அசலை ஆம் அம்மை எதிர் ஆடும். அசல உருவில் அச் சத்தி ஒடுங்கிட, அருணாசலம் ஓங்கும் என்று அறி. Anvayam (words rearranged in natural prose order): acalaṉē āyiṉum, a-c-savai-taṉṉil acalai ām ammai edir āḍum. acala uruvil a-c-satti oḍuṅgiḍa, aruṇācalam ōṅgum eṉḏṟu aṟi. English translation: Though being actually he who is motionless, in that assembly hall he dances opposite Mother, who is acalā. Know that when that śakti subsides back in the motionless form, Arunachalam is exalted. Explanatory paraphrase: Though he [Lord Siva] is actually acalaṉ [he who is motionless, being the one immutable ground from which and in which everything else appears], in that assembly hall [of Chidambaram] he dances [in the form of Nataraja] opposite [the divine] Mother, who is acalā [the consort of acalaṉ]. Know that when that śakti [the divine Mother] subsides back in the motionless form [the original, natural and fundamental form of Lord Siva], Arunachalam is exalted [that is, in the motionless form of Arunachalam, which rises high above all his other forms, Lord Siva shines exalted in his natural state as pure being]. Padavurai (word-explanation): அசலனே (acalaṉē): actually motionless, actually he who is motionless {acalaṉ is the masculine form of the neuter acalam, a Tamil form of the Sanskrit acala (the negative and opposite of cala, ‘moving’, ‘moveable’, ‘unsteady’, ‘unfixed’, ‘inconstant’ or ‘fickle’), ‘unmoving’, ‘motionless’, ‘immoveable’, ‘steady’, ‘fixed’, ‘constant’, ‘permanent’ or ‘mountain’; and the suffix ē is an intensifier that in this context implies ‘actually’, ‘definitely’ or ‘certainly’} | ஆயினும் (āyiṉum): though being, though [he] is {ā is a verb that means ‘be’, ‘become’ or ‘come into being’; āyiṉ is a conditional form of it, ‘if being’ or ‘if [anything] is’; and the suffix um when added to a conditional changes its meaning from ‘if’ to ‘even if’ or ‘though’, so āyiṉum means ‘though being’ or ‘though [anything] is’} >>> so ‘அசலனே ஆயினும்’ (acalaṉē āyiṉum), means ‘Though being actually he who is motionless’, thereby implying: Though he [Lord Siva] is actually acalaṉ [he who is motionless, being the one immutable ground from which and in which everything else appears] <<< அ (a): that {distal demonstrative prefix} | சவை (savai): assembly, meeting, council, assembly hall, court {a Tamil form of the Sanskrit sabhā, referring here to the cit-sabhā, the ‘court of awareness’, namely the sacred hall in Chidambaram where Siva in the form of Nataraja danced before his consort, the divine Mother, in order to still her frenzied dance} | தன்னில் (taṉṉil): in it {locative (seventh case) form of the generic pronoun tāṉ, serving here as a case-marking suffix to savai, so a-c-savai-taṉṉil means ‘in that assembly hall’} | அசலை (acalai): she who is motionless, the Goddess as the consort of the motionless Lord Siva {Tamil form of the Sanskrit acalā, the feminine form of acala, ‘unmoving’ or ‘motionless’} | ஆம் (ām): being, who is {future adjectival participle used generically in a present tense sense} | அம்மை (ammai): mother, the divine Mother {an alternative form of ammā} | எதிர் (edir): before, opposite, in front of {adverb} | ஆடும் (āḍum): he dances {third person ...
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    1 hr and 29 mins
  • How to practise silence?
    Nov 9 2024

    In a Zoom meeting with the San Diego Ramana Satsang (ramana-satsang-sd@googlegroups.com) on 3rd November 2024, Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings.

    This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.

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    1 hr and 55 mins
  • Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu Anubandham verses 21 and 22
    Nov 7 2024

    In a Zoom meeting with Sri Ramana Center, Houston, on 2nd November 2024, Michael James discusses Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu Anubandham, verses 21 and 22.

    The translation of verse 21 by Michael can be found here: https://blog.sriramanateachings.org/2024/05/ulladu-narpadu-anubandham-tamil-text.html#una21

    The translation of verse 22 byMichael can be found here: https://blog.sriramanateachings.org/2024/05/ulladu-narpadu-anubandham-tamil-text.html#una22

    This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.

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    1 hr and 58 mins
  • Without investigating oneself, how to achieve self-annihilation?
    Nov 2 2024

    In a Zoom meeting with the Chicago Ramana devotees on 27th October 2024, Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings.

    This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.

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    2 hrs and 4 mins
  • To investigate what we are, we must first distinguish the knower from the known
    Oct 29 2024

    In a Zoom meeting with the Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK on 26th October 2024, Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings.

    This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.

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    1 hr and 51 mins
  • If we attend to ego carefully enough we will see what we actually are
    Oct 16 2024

    In a Zoom meeting with the Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK on 12th October 2024, Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings.

    This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.

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    2 hrs and 6 mins
  • What is desirelessness and what is renunciation?
    Oct 11 2024

    In a Zoom meeting with the San Diego Ramana Satsang (ramana-satsang-sd@googlegroups.com) on 6th October 2024, Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings.

    This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.

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    1 hr and 53 mins
  • Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu Anubandham verse 20
    Oct 9 2024

    In a Zoom meeting with Sri Ramana Center, Houston, on 5th October 2024, Michael James discusses Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu Anubandham, verses 20.

    The translation of verse 20 by Michael can be found here.

    This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.

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    1 hr and 26 mins