91 The One who Dwells Within
[Sri Nannaguru] We sat on the floor in a small group for a while waiting for him to come, everybody absorbed in meditation. When he appeared he was dressed in an immaculate and dazzlingly white dhoti and tundu. He sat down on a chair that had been made ready for him, with the mountain behind him. His eyes were clear and sparkling, and one knew they reflected a great inner purity.
We sat for a long time together in deep silence. Occasionally our eyes met, and when they did there was a stillness and an emptiness there, for one felt that these were the eyes of someone who had no needs and no fears, and they therefore had nothing to hide, no image to project; his very being spoke of peace in a way that words cannot convey.
He was smiling gently, kindly, as he looked at each one in turn, but after some time he was no longer able to contain himself, and his frame shook as sweet laughter bubbled up from within...
On another occasion he sat under a banyan tree with his disciples at his feet. This was a much larger group, maybe a hundred or so, who had made a pilgrimage so as to be with him for a while. Behind him the mountain stood immoveable, a silent witness to the events below. He was younger today, and much more serious, and our eyes met more frequently and for longer periods, and when they met there was a quiet that seemed to pervade all things. When the mind is silent like this, it is as though all limitations have been annihilated, and one is as open as the heavens above, and one can say that there is nothing so light, so beautiful, as an empty heart. At times the world around him seemed to fall into a vortex, unformed and flowing, but all the time he remained clear, floating, as it were, in the void.
Your presence brings peace to the world,
to a world wounded by strife.
You are at ease with all people,
no need to say who you are.
Simplicity, humility,
are the signs of your greatness.
You sit and you move among us
and take time to talk to all.
Your life is a gift to others
to tame whatever they may.
We give thanks for your presence lord,
for your guidance along the way.
[Annamalai Swami] On another day he appeared as a frail old man, now quite weak. A handful of people had gathered in his room, and he sat on his bed, and we sat on the floor around him. They said he had been ill lately, and it was clear that he was uncomfortable. Our eyes met but once that day, one could feel that he was tired and it seemed unnecessary to strain him any further.
We sat quietly together, aware that the blessing of his presence was now a very fragile thing, something that would not last forever, and it seemed for that reason to be even more precious, a sharing while there was still the opportunity. We sat for an hour or more, and during that time nobody moved, all was quiet, as he held us all in his loving embrace.
Eyes of Light (Vijayadasami Day)
What was it, lord, that made you laugh,
that made you shake with mirth?
Was it that you saw your children.
and the sight filled you with joy?
Did the bliss of being at peace
need to find an expression?
Or perhaps when looking at up
you saw just how funny life is.
For there we sat, a score of eyes,
and all looking the wrong way.
“Look within,” you said with a smile,
“all you seek is in your heart.
Coming here only distracts you
from the need to look within.”
He rose to go, but turning back,
he granted one long last look
at those laughing eyes of light.