Golden Throne of Enlightenment

Heads of Mutts or traditional monasteries belonging to the Vedic Tradition are called Peetadipatis. All these heads or Peetadipatis sit on a traditional throne known as a Peeta. The Peeta or throne is usually called a simhasana (seat of the lion) and represents the mastery over ones emotions. The lion also symbolises the ability to lead others into liberation. There are thousands of such Peetas and Mutts spreading across the length and breadth of India whose leaders work tirelessly preserve the Vedic tradition and help millions to lead a life of health, wealth and fulfillment. Most of these thrones are made of wood. The wooden thrones are later covered either with a sheet of copper lacquer coated with golden paint or a sheet of pure silver for good appearance. Some examples of these beautiful Simhasanas are shown here. We restrict the number of examples due to lack of space!.

Even enlightened masters such as Sri Ramana Maharishi had their throne made during their lifetime. On the legs of the thrones the images of deities representing creation, preservation, rejuvenation, and illusion are carved intricately. The seat itself represents Enlightenment. Together they form the five actions of existence. In Vedic Tradition the Guru is above ALL these actions of existence and hence qualified to sit on the throne. Shown below is the throne of Sri Ramana Maharishi at the Ramanasramam in Tiruvannamalai (This implicitly indicates that Sri Ramana Maharishi has also created an institution to spread the knowledge of the Self). The throne is made of pure granite with great workmanship. There are also some closeup shots of the four legs of this beautiful Simhasana used by the great sage.

Sri Ramana Maharishi beautifully seated on his throne at Tiruvannamalai


A more closer look


Observe the deities representing creation, protection, rejuvenation, and illusion on the legs of this beautifully carved granite throne.

For the delight of the readers, BHAGAWAN Sri Ramana Maharishi seated on the majestic throne when He walked the planet. Observe that the seat is place at the same spot in the ashram. Notice the lions on the sides and the intricate lotus carving on the back.

Sringeri Sri Sarada Peetam

Sakatapuram Shankaracharya Peetam

Datta Peetam

Ahobila Mutt

Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam

Many a time when Sri Ramana Maharishi was alive, his disciples such as Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni and others would praise him and compare him with the Gods of the Vedic Tradition and hence fit for being seated on the ‘Throne of Enlightenment’. For example, in this beautiful verse, Ganapati Muni emphatically declares that Sri Ramana is Subrahmanya incarnate. Other times Sri Ramana is also described as the form of Dakshinamoorti.

yat-pürvam çruti-päradarçidhiñaëo

dvaipäyano’dhyäruhat paçcäd bodha-kalävidhütatimiraù

çaìkäpahaç-çaìkaraù|

tat-sampratya-khilävané-talajuñäm äcäryasiàhäsanaà

deva tväm prativékñate naratano

gérväëa-senäpate||17||

yat - which, pürvam - before, çruti - Vedas, pära -

fullest extent, darçi - seeing, dhiñaëo - wise,

intellegent, dvaipäyano - Vyasa, adhyäruhat -

mounted, paçcäd - after, bodha - knowledge, kalä - a

single portion (one-sixteenth), vidhüta - dispelled,

timiraù - darkness, çaìkä - fear, apahaç - removing,

çaìkaraù - Sankara, tat - that, samprati - now, akhilä

- whole, avané - world, tala - surface, juñäm - suffering

in, äcärya - teacher, siàhäsanaà - lion’s throne (seat

of honor), deva O Lord!, tväm - you, prativékñate -

(it) awaits, naratano - embodied as man, gérväëa -

gods, senäpate - O army chief!

That Lion’s seat of honor (the seat seen in previous pictures) which was previously

mounted by the wise Vyasa, who saw the fullest extent

of the Vedas, was afterwards occupied by fear destroying

Sankara, who with a single portion of his

knowledge dispelled the darkness (of ignorance). Now

that throne of Acharya, (to save) those who are

suffering in the world awaits thee, O Lord embodied

as man, O Army Chief of the Gods (Skanda)!

The above verse also confirms that the great enlightened masters Sri Veda Vyasa and Sri Adi Shankara also sat on precious simhasanas (lion’s seat of honor) similar to the one used by Sri Ramana with different deities representing creation, preservation, rejuvenation, illusion and enlightenment on the legs of the simhasana (throne). The traditional picture of Sri Adi Shankara as shown below re-emphasises this wonderful tradition.

Sri Adi Shankaracharya seated on the Sarvagya Peetam

A few words of wisdom on Guru

A few words of beauty from a great Guru, Nisargadatta Maharaj. He talks on his experience and about the trust on the Guru.

Trust

Q: Is not the grace of the Guru responsible for the desire and its fulfilment? Is not the Guru's radiant face the bait on which we are caught and pulled out of this mire of sorrow?
M: It is the Inner Guru (sadguru) who takes you to the Outer Guru, as a mother takes her child to a teacher. Trust and obey your Guru, for he is the messenger of your Real Self.

Q: How do I find a Guru whom I can trust?
M: Your own heart will tell you. There is no difficulty in finding a Guru, because the Guru is in search of you. The Guru is always ready; you are not ready. You have to be ready to learn; or you may meet your Guru and waste your chance by sheer inattentiveness and obstinacy. Take my example; there was nothing in me of much promise, but when I met my Guru, I listened, trusted and obeyed.

Q: Must I not examine the teacher before I put myself entirely into his hands?
M: By all means examine! But what can you find out? Only as he appears to you on your own level.

Q: I shall watch whether he is consistent, whether there is harmony between his life and his teaching.
M: You may find plenty of disharmony -- so what? It proves nothing. Only motives matter. How will you know his motives?

Q: I should at least expect him to be a man of self-control who lives a righteous life.
M: Such you will find many -- and of no use to you. A Guru can show the way back home, to your real self. What has this to do with the character, or temperament of the person he appears to be? Does he not clearly tell you that he is not the person? The only way you can judge is by the change in yourself when you are in his company. If you feel more at peace and happy, if you understand yourself with more than usual clarity and depth, it means you have met the right man.

Take your time, but once you have made up your mind to trust him, trust him absolutely and follow every instruction fully and faithfully. It does not matter much if you do not accept him as your Guru and are satisfied with his company only. Satsang alone can also take you to your goal, provided it is unmixed and undisturbed. But once you accept somebody as your Guru, listen, remember and obey. Half-heartedness is a serious drawback and the cause of much self-created sorrow. The mistake is never the Guru's; it is always the obtuseness and cussedness of the discipline that is at fault.


Obedience

Questioner: In one's search for the essential, one soon realises one's inadequacy and the need for a guide or a teacher. This implies a certain discipline for you are expected to trust your guide and follow implicitly his advice and instruction. Yet the social urgencies and pressures are so great, personal desires and fears so powerful, that the simplicity of mind and will, essential in obedience, are not forthcoming. How to strike a balance between the need for a Guru and the difficulty in obeying him implicitly?

Maharaj: What is done under pressure of society and circumstances does not matter much, for it is mostly mechanical, mere reacting to impacts. It is enough to watch oneself dispassionately to isolate oneself completely from what is going on. What has been done without minding, blindly, may add to one's karma (destiny), otherwise it hardly matters.

The Guru demands one thing only; clarity and intensity of purpose, a sense of responsibility for oneself. The very reality of the world must be questioned. Who is the Guru, after all? He who knows the state in which there is neither the world nor the thought of it, he is the Supreme Teacher. To find him means to reach the state in which imagination is no longer taken for reality. Please, understand that the Guru stands for reality, for truth, for what is. He is a realist in the highest sense of the term. He cannot and shall not come to terms with the mind and its delusions. He comes to take you to the real; don't expect him to do anything else.

The Guru you have in mind, one who gives you information and instructions, is not the real Guru. The real Guru is he who knows the real, beyond the glamour of appearances. To him your questions about obedience and discipline do not make sense, for in his eyes the person you take yourself to be does not exist, your questions are about a non-existing person. What exists for you does not exist for him. What you take for granted, he denies absolutely. He wants you to see yourself as he sees you.


Grace

Q: Am I permitted to ask you how did you go beyond the mind?
M: By the grace of my Guru.
Q: What shape his grace took?
M: He told me what is true.
Q: What did he tell you?
M: He told me I am the Supreme Reality.
Q: What did you do about it?
M: I trusted him and remembered it.
Q: Is that all?
M: Yes, I remembered him; I remembered what he said.

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Incentives

Q: A crude, unevolved man will not work without a reward. Is it not right to offer him incentives?
M: He will create for himself incentives anyhow. He does not know that to grow is in the nature of consciousness. He will progress from motive to motive and will chase Gurus for the fulfilment of his desires...