Rama Tirtha

The lotus Petals of the human heart were the pages of his reference and he found that every man and woman embodied in their Self the meanings of Vedanta. Every rising race vindicated its truth and every dying one showed the lack of its realization. Every hero beaconed its light. Every saint did shed its lustre. Every poet tasted its glory. Every artist rolled it down from his eyes in his ecstatic tears. ever did a happy and satisfied face greet Rama without being entitled by him! a Vedanta face. ever did a victor come across him whom he did not call a Practical Vedantin. "e observed the daily life of #apanese and called them the followers of his Vedanta. The daring adventures of the $merican people in their scalings of the $lps and the Rocky mountains and in their swimmings across the iagara rapids! he spoke of as manifestations of the Vedantic spirit. %hen he read the news of some noble offers by some persons of their own bodies for the purpose of scientific research by vivisection! he saw the practical realization of his philosophy. &n such occasions! his face glowed and his eyes became moist! and he said! 'This is indeed the service of Truth.' (n modern ideals of true democracy and true socialism! Swami Rama saw the final triumph of the &riental Vedanta. Standing on the truth of the fundamental unity of the inner man and the inner nature! he says that those alone live who realize the universal harmony of love. Those alone have the real )oys of life who recognise the blood in the veins of the lily and the violet to be their own. To see all things in one*s own Self! and to see one*s own Self in all things is to have a real eye! without which there can be no love nor beauty attracting it! and without love or attraction he asks what is life+ (n this spirit! whenever he sees in individual life rising into spheres above body and mind! he sees a rainbow in the sky and leaps with an infinite )oy. Vedanta is to him by no means a mere intellectual assent but a most solemn and sacred offering of body and mind at the holy altar of love. (ntellectual assent can feed upon philosophies and logics! books and ,uotations! learning and rhetoric! and thus grow big! but such are not the means by which one can realize Rama*s Vedanta. The body and mind can be actually and practically renounced only when the hearth fire of love is lit in the soul. -ental renunciation of the body and every muscle of it in love! and the dedication of mind in loving service opens the portals of the paradise within man. Rama*s Vedanta is the beautiful calm of the super consciousness which transcends the limits of body and mind! where all sound dies! where the Sun and -oon get dissolved! where the whole .osmos ripples like a dream and is eddied into the (nfinite. (t is from here that he throws the ladder for us to reach him and see the sights of the world below. Perennial peace in diffused there and the man is entirely lost in /od. $ll discussion ceases there. $nd those who are there simply look around and smile and say to every ob)ect! 'Thou art good!' 'Thou art pure!' 'Thou art holy!' 'Thou art That.' either the Sun shines there! nor sparkles the -oon! Pranas and sound are hushed into Silence.

$ll life reposes in Soul*s Sweet Slumber! o /od! no man! no cosmos there! no soul! aught but golden .alm and Peace and Splendour.

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E1actly the same way! Vedanta tells you this world is like a mirror house! and all these bodies are like different mirrors! and your true $tman or real Self is reflected on all sides! )ust as the dog saw his figure reflected from the four wails. #ust so does the &ne (nfinite $tman! the &ne (nfinite 2ivinity! the (nfinite Power reflect itself in different mirrors. (t is the &ne infinite Rama that is being reflected through all these bodies. (gnorant people come like dogs in this world and say3 'That man will eat me up! that man will tear me to pieces! destroy me.' &! how much of )ealousy and fear in this world4 To what are this )ealousy and fear due+ To the ignorance of the dog! to doglike ignorance is all this )ealousy and fear of the world due. Please turn the table. .ome into this world like the master of the house of looking glasses and mirror pieces. .ome into the world not as d0 o0g but as /0&02! and you will be the master of the mirror house! you will be the owner of the whole universe3 it will give you pleasure when you see your rivals and your brothers and your enemies advance3 it will give you )oy when you find any glory anywhere. 5ou will make a heaven of this world.

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"ere is a translation of one piece of an 6panishad verse! but it is not a perfect translation.

( am the 6nseen Spirit which informs $ll subtle essence4 ( flame in fire! ( shine in Sun and -oon! planets and stars4 ( blow with the winds! roll with the waves4 ( am the man and woman! youth and maid4 The babe newborn! the withered ancient! propped

6pon his staff4 ( am %hatever is7 The black bee and the tiger and the fish! The green birds with red eyes! the tree! the grass! The cloud that hath the lightning in its womb! The seasons and the seas4 (n -e they are! (n -e begin and end.'

86panishad! Sir Edwin $rnold*s translation9

(nfinite you are! that (nfinity you are! and as that (nfinity! as it were! have created these imaginary! false illusory bodies3 you have made this world like a mirror house for yourself. Take care of the &ne (nfinite! 6niversal /od and the same you are! that dwells and permeates this world.

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:reak! break! break at the feet of thy crags! oh sea! :reak! break! break at my feet! & world that be! & suns and storms! & earth,uakes! wars! "ail! welcome! come! try all your force on me4 5e nice torpedoes fire4 my playthings! crack4 & shooting stars! my arrows! fly4 5our burning fire4 can you consume+ & threatening one! you flame from me3 5ou flaming sword! you cannon ball! -y energy headlong drives forth thee4 The body dissolved is cast to winds3

%ell doth (nfinity me enshrine4 $ll ears my ears! all eyes my eyes! $ll hands my hands! all minds my minds4 ( swallowed up death! all eyes my eyes! "ow sweet and strong a food ( find4 o fear! no grief! no hankering pain3 $ll delight! or sun or rain4 (gnorance! darkness! ,uaked and ,uivered! Trembled! shivered! vanished! for ever -y dazzling light did parch and scorch it! #oy ineffable4 "urrah44 "urrah444

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