Answer:
It is not an ordinary hill.
It is spirituality Itself.
It has a powerful, magnetic
pull
to the Self. Seekers who come
to this place with the
intention of realizing
the Self
will have untold benefits to
dopradakshina on a full
moon. There is water
everywhere under the ground,
but there are some places
where it is easier to get to.
Likewise,
the Self is everywhere; there
is no place that is without
it, but it is also true
that there are certain places,
certain
people, around which the presence
of the Self can be more
easily felt.
In
the proximity of this holy
hill the presence
of the Self
is more powerful and more
self-evident than anywhere
else. Indian
mythology speaks of a
wish-fulfilling tree. If
you find
this tree and tell it what
you want, your wish will
be granted. Arunachala
also has
this reputation. This is
why so many people come
here
on a full moon night
and walk
around it. But very few people
come here and ask for
their complete freedom,
for
undisturbed peace. All beings
are ultimately searching
for undisturbed peace,
so it
is surprising how few people
ask directly for it.
Question:
Is it faith in Arunachala that produces
results, or is there some inherent power
that is independent of my belief in it?
Answer:
Arunachala is a light. It shines whether
or not you believe in it. It is the light
of the Self, and the light of the Self
will continue to shine on you whether you
believe it or not.
Question:
Is Arunachala the only place that is
like this, or are there other places?
I have heard there are some very powerful
places in India and the Himalayas.Answer:
Bhagavan himself said that
Arunachala is greater than
all other religious places.
There are other holy, powerful
places in
the world, but none have the
power of Arunachala. Bhagavan
has continued to write about
this.
There is a huge amount of shakti,
or spiritual energy, here.
We can take as much as we
want, but no matter how much
we take, the original amount
is never diminished. Even
before Bhagavan came here,
there were innumerable sages
who discovered the power of
Arunachala’s
liberation for themselves.
Many came here, realized the
Self and attributed their
realization to the power and
grace of the mountain.
Bhagavan
always maintained that
the power of this mountain
was not
a matter of belief. He said
that if you sit in the
shade of a tree, whether
or
not you believe in the shade,
it is a physical fact.
He said, “If you go around this
hill enough times, it will give you grace,
even if you do not want it.”
