Arunachala Concept

	Followers of other religious denominations have also been attracted to Arunachala where they have carried out spiritual sadhana in accordance with their particular denomination. Thus the tombs of sufi saints and the monastries of Jains and Christians dot the land around Arunachala.  Initially established by fervent religious aspirants, these still serve as sources of inspiration to present day followers. Although all may not possess the inspiration their predecessors had, many still find that Arunachala is the silent guiding beacon. This is the case with Yogis too, it is well know that Yoga has many branches.
	The Bhagavad Gita describes bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, etc. An Aspirant following of any of the above mentioned disciplines finds that his outlook changes after coming into the fold of Arunachala. Arunachala allows the aspirant to follow his own chosen discipline according to the innate tendencies of the mind and plays along with him. The aspirant performs whatever acts have been laid down by that particular system of yoga or what his Master has taught him. But as he progresses steadfastly and sincerely, Arunachala slowly turns him towards Himself. Finally the Sadhaka and Sadhana (aspirant and aspiration) cease to exist and all that remains is the eternal Arunachala. This can be explained by the analogy. There are famous rivers like the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, the Godavari, the Kaveri, etc.. Flowing along the length and breadth of India and on the banks of these rivers, empires have risen and fallen, cities have been built and destroyed, battles have been won and lost, great civliizations have flourished and perished, and these rivers have been the sources of inspiration for all these momentous events, some inscribed in history, others totally forgotten. But finally all rivers merge into the sea where they lose their individual identity and it is all one expanse of water on which no civilization has been raised, about which no history has been written.
It is only on the river banks that historic events have taken place. But the great rivers and the small insignificant streamlets become one with that ocean and there is no more commotion. One cannot distinguish the waters of the Kaveri from the waters of Ganga. Likewise all systems of spiritual and religious practices have their individual distinctions as long as they keep away from the Lord of the Universe, Arunachala, but once the aspirant is drawn to Arunachala, the practices case and merge with Arunachala; a union in which there is no Sakta, no Vaishnavite, no Saivite, no Sannyasin, no Yogi. All merge into the infinite expanse of Knowledge. With the dissolution of the mind comes the dissolution of all systems and practices. Thus we have to abide in the supreme self in which,
-There is no imagination -Nor the one who Inquires -From which no universe emerges -In which no universe exists -Into which no universe merges -In which order than Arunachala there is nothing -In which all forms of meditation unite -In which all  forms of yogic practices die -In which all forms of ignorance are extinguished -In which even jnana is annihilated

Recommended links