Our Bhagavan-Stories

[Subramanian.R]

When Bhagavan Ramana was on the Hill, serpents
and peacocks used to remain quiet, friendly to each other
in His Presence.  Panthers which came to tanks and ponds
to drink water, finished their work and went away without
harming anyone.

Arunachala Siva.

[Subramanian.R]

The Best of Friends:

Bhagavan and Chadwick:

continues...

He talked to Chadwick all morning, right the way through till lunch.  As a newcomer to the Asramam,
Chadwick had no idea how highly favored he was. He did not yet realize that Bhagavan would generally
sit in silence for hours or even days on end, and that when He did answer a question, it was usually
pithy statement of a few short words.  Given the symbolic resonance of Chadwick's life, it is impossible
not to feel that this unusually long conversation also has a wider significance. This was Bhagavan's
message to the West.  The Gospels are the great question with which all spiritual Westerners find them-
selves confronted.  Sri Ramana Maharshi is the answer, the modern solution to the ancient riddle.
Now, in a series of revelatory statements He announced Himself.           

All new friendships start with an exchange of information.  We naturally want to know what the other
person believes and what they have gone through in life.  Chadwick explained it all in the ordinary way,
allowing the information to come out in the course of conversation.  But Bhagavan was a great spiritual
teacher, a famous man about whom books had been written. Rather than  explaining His life and ideas,
He could simply direct His new friend to the literature.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva. 

[Subramanian.R]

The Best of Friends:

Bhagavan and Chadwick:


The first thing He asked Chadwick to read as Who am I?, the little pamphlet that contained the essence
of His philosophy. The second was Self Realization, which told the extraordinary story of His life to date.
Much of this reading would have been done in the large room, now long since demolished, which
Chadwick shared with Annamalai Swami for the first three months in the Asramam.  Here Bhagavan
Himself would sometimes stop by on His morning walk to chat with the new arrival. Chadwick may
well have been engrossed in Self Realization at the very moment when Ramana Maharshi appeared
at the doorway. How extraordinary it would have been to look up from enchanting story of Gurumurtham
or Virupaksha Cave and find that the hero of those old fairy tales had materialized in the room before you.

Yet the familiar ease Chadwick had felt from the start was such that he did not even stand up when
the Maharshi appeared there, leaning on His stick while a respectful attendant followed with His water
pot.  Chadwick's failure to rise, like his continued use of that chair in the Old Hall, gave unconscious
offence to the Indian devotees.   But his friend Sri Ramana knew his heart, and understood his feelings.
Bhagavan was a man with no ego so He never cared if people treated Him like a god or if, when He sat
in the Old Hall, they sang the praises of Arunachala Siva, burnt incense and waved lights in the daily
pujas of formalized worship. 

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.     
         

[Subramanian.R]

The Best of Friends:

Bhagavan and Chadwick:

Part I:

He was like some absolute monarch who was embroiled in the elaborate formalities of the court.
But in Chadwick's room he put all that ceremony behind him for a while.  Here he was Sri Ramana,
stopping by like an ordinary person for a chat with His English friend Alan.  'He might pick up my
pocket-book and take everything out of it, a photograph, a membership card, and any odds
and ends it might contain, remark on each thing, and ask some question about it.  It might
have been embarrassing but luckily there was nothing questionable in the wallet. Not that Bhagavan
would have minded, for there could be nothing questionable or otherwise for Him.

Chadwick knew how to fire a gun, drive a car and ride a horse. He knew how to hail a cab, how to
check in a hotel and tip a bellboy, and even to lay a railway.  There was no end to the trivial things
that Chadwick knew, yet he also understood that Bhagavan, who lived an apparently circumscribed
life, knew something, far greater than  all the knowledge and experience Chadwick had gained from
his endless peregrinations.

During the weeks after Chadwick's arrival, their remarkable friendship blossomed. As a pioneer during
the war, Chadwick had been responsible for digging and construction. Now he got into the habit of
joining Bhagavan and Annamalai Swami on their daily tours of the Asramam building works, and no
doubt he was able to offer a few words of expert advice.  Of course, it was also another excuse to spend
more time with Sri Ramana. While the Indians had their siesta. Alan  would slip into the Old Hall and offer
to relieve Sri Ramana's attendants of his duties.The offer was usually accepted, and so Chadwick would
find himself all alone in the little room  with the spiritual colossus of the country.  Alas, Chadwick was
a very modest and rather secretive person, and will never know what passed between him and Bhagavan
at those private audiences.  But it seems safe to assume that Chadwick revealed everything about his
past which was perhaps why Bhagavan started humorously referring to him as 'Father Chadwick'.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.                 

[Balaji]

Sri Ramana's Boyhood in Madurai

N. R. Krishnamurti Aiyer

After the passing away of their father Sundaram Iyer at Thiruchuzhi, the boys Nagasami and Venkataraman (later to be known as Ramana Maharshi) were brought up by their paternal uncle Subbier, residing at Chokkappa Naickan Street (now known  Rarnana Mandiram) in Madurai. The brothers, who were robust and ardent sportsmen in their early teens, gathered around themselves a circle of sturdy young friends, among whom M. S. Vcnkataraman, Suppiah Thevar and Narayanasami were most
imminent. All these three predeceased the Maharshi. The writer of  his article knew these persons in the early 1930s and could get from  them the following accounts of their personal relations with boy Ramana.

The following account was given by M. S. Venkataraman, who was a clerk in the Health Department of the District board In Madurai.

M. S. Venkataraman was then just about ten years old, too young  to participate fully in the outdoor adventures of the boys. Nevertheless he had his share in them. The members of his family were co-tenants of the house with Subbiers family. Every night, when the whole house was silent in sleep, Nagasami and Ramana, whose beds were in a remote corner of the house, would appropriately  adjust their pillows and cover them up with their bed sheets  so that it would create the impression of their presence in their beds. It was the duty of the little  M. S. Venkataraman to bolt  the door of the house when the brothers went out at about 11pm , and to admit them on their return at about 4 a.m.  Now let us turn our attention to Suppiah Thevar. At the time the author saw Suppiah Thevar he was employed in a firewood depot. He also conducted, during the cool hours of the morning and evening, a physical training school in which young men had training in silambam, in which Thevar was an adept. Silambam is a sort of quarterstaff, a very hard bamboo stick of about five feet, to be whirled about so that the wielder could knock out any opponent who dared to come near. The stick was  an instrument of defence as well of attack. Strength of body and  muscle were also developed by physical training in the school
Suppiah Thevar was a master in this field. 


The following account was obtained from Suppiah Thevar who was himself an active participant of these boyhood activities . The venue of the activities, fixed well in advance, would either the sandy river bed of the Vaigai or the Pillaiyarpaliam  Kanmoi (rain-fed tank) close to Aruppukottai Road, on outskirts of Madurai city. Every member of the group would , while passing the house of Ramana, leave a pebble at the step. Nagasami and Ramana, as leaders of the group, would be  the last to sally forth from the house after a check of the pebbles  showed that all their friends had gone to the place of the meeting . There was rarely a defaulter. Ramana and his playmates had jolly time playing games on the sandy bed of the Vaigai River engaging in swimming contests in the Pillaiyarpaliam Tank. They would then return sufficiently early to their beds without exciting
the least suspicion of their absence from home.

The next account was obtained from Narayanasami. When the author met him he was librarian in the town hall of Madurai known as Victoria Edward Hall.

Usually, the terrace of the house and the small room in the boy Venkataraman made his "Self-enquiry" were vacant and  rarely used by the families in the ground floor. Here the youngsters  played. One of the games they played was what they called 'throw  ball'. Young Ramana would roll his body into something like a ball  and the sturdy group of youngsters would throw him fromone player to another. Sometimes the human ball fell down when the player failed to catch it. The wonder of it was that for all this rough tossing and dropping, there was not the least scratch on his skin, let alone any muscular sprain or bone fracture!

Narayanasami said that he used to see his friend sitting still for  long stretches of time in the small room on the first floor. Narayanasami asked Ramana whether he could also do likewise. Forthwith Ramana told his friend to squat on the floor with his legs crossed (as in the semi-padmasana posture) and pressed a pencil point midway between his eyebrows. Narayanasami losthis  sense of body and world and sat still in a trance for more than half an hour. When he came to himself he saw Ramana sitting, with his face wreathed in smiles. Narayanasami said that he failed
when he tried to repeat the experience by himself.

from the Ramana Smrti

[Subramanian.R]

The Best of Friends:

The story of Alan Chadwick:

continues...


There can be few more pleasant experiences in life than making a new friend, getting to know
one of those people with whom we feel immediately in tune.   When the new friend is Sri Ramana
Maharshi Himself, the experience must be utterly intoxicating. Yet, no matter how magical it may
all have been, Chadwick was not here just to make friends. He had come to solve once and for all
the spiritual questions that had always troubled him, to realize in himself the great truth he had
been seeking since his youth.  Given his highly religious background and the years he had already
spent meditating, he might naturally have expected to make rapid progress with a teacher of
Bhagavan's stature to guide him. But, as so often happens in spiritual life, things were not as simple
as they initially appeared.

On 5th February 1936, Chadwick frankly expressed his mounting disappointment and frustration.

'It is said that one look of a Mahatma is enough; that idols, pilgrimages, etc., are not so effective.
I have been here for three months, but I do not know how I have been  benefited by the look
of Maharshi.'

Bhagavan gave a well known reply: if the Mahatma was a spark, then then different categories
of men coming into contact with him were like gun powder,charcoal, and coal.  Chadwick might
have arrived here hoping that, gun powder, he would instantly ignite, but it had not happened.
So now he would simply have to accept that he was in one of the categories and that fire would
take longer to kindle than he had originally hoped.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.           

[Subramanian.R]

Once Bhagavan Ramana made a small four line Tamizh poem describing the Jnani's state. 
"Since a Jnani does not have the body consciousness, his moving about and doing work, is like
the state of a drunkard, who when stone-drunk does not know whether his clothes are there
on his body or not."

Bhagavan Himself changed some words and meter and finally completed this poem.  A copy was
made out by Devaraja Mudaliar in his notebook.  Bhagavan Ramana further added that there is no corresponding verse in Bhagavatam about  this concept, but in Sita Rama Anjaneya Samvadam, a
Telugu work, this state is given in great details while speaking about Jnani's state.  Balarama Reddiar
who was in the Hall at that time said:  Sita Rama Anjaneya Samvadam is to the Telugus
what Kaivalyam is to the Tamlzhians.  The book is full of advaita concepts.

(Source: Day by Day by Devaraja Mudaliar. 20.1.1946.
The actual Tamil verse is also available in the Volume 5
of Arunachala's Ramana, Boundless Ocean of Grace.)

Arunachala Siva.

[Subramanian.R]

The Best of Friends:

Bhagavan and Chadwick:

continues...

So it was that, within a few weeks of this conversation, Chadwick settled in the Asramam on a
more permanent basis.  In February 1936, he moved into little cottage which he was to occupy,
with only one interruption, until his death in 1962.  It was a very small dwelling for such a large
man to inhabit, and a very modest one for a relatively wealthy Englishman of independent means.
Indeed, by any worldly standards Chadwick's new home was not large, but in spiritual terms
Chadwick's cottage was the Taj Mahal. To live at the feet of Arunachala was already a rare blessing,
but to have your own personal dwelling within the confines of Sri Ramanasramam itself was beyond
all good fortune. This extraordinary privilege has only ever been extended to two or three others,
and Chadwick will always remain the only Westerner to have enjoyed it. From now on, Alan
Chadwick and Sri Ramana were almost next door neighbors,  separated from each other only
by the short walk along the edge of the Pali Tirtham tank. Having personally supervised the constriction
of Chadwick's cottage, the Maharshi further blessed his arrival by attending the consecration ceremony
in person.  Shortly afterwards, when Alan was temporarily away from the Asramam, Sri Ramana
gave further evidence of His solitude by noticing a leak in the guttering, and instructing Annamalai
Swami on how to repair it.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva..           

[Subramanian.R]

Like everything else in this remarkable story, Chadwick's cottage is a symbol that works on a
number of levels.  By moving in to this little cottage, Chadwick proved his determination to become
enlightened at all costs, his willingness to make sacrifices and turn his back on the world in his
pursuit of spiritual goals. Its location within a stone's throw of the Old Hall also symbolized his
unique position at the heart of the Asramam. From now on, he would always be part of Bhagavan's
innermost circle, a small group which was otherwise almost exclusively Indian.  The cottage therefore
also symbolizes that the West has a central part to play in the Asramam. Chadwick's humble dwelling is,
so to speak, its embassy in Arunachala. In  welcoming Chadwick so warmly and supervising the
construction of his new home, Bhagavan was welcoming us all. Now we too will always have our place
a stone's throw from the Old Hall.  So the cottage is a symbol of Bhagavan's global significance, and
thus of His own greatness and universality.  As Chadwick himself was at pains to point out, Bhagavan
came for the whole world, and He had a special message for the West.  Of course, Sri Ramana, was
a Hindu, just as Jesus was a Jew.  But the Maharshi, like the Christ, came for all souls. And there could
be no better symbol of this than  the dwelling he constructed at the center of His Asramam for the
most Christian of His devotees. After losing his priestly vocation, the young Englishman had wandered
the world like a lost sheep in search of his shepherd.   Now Father Chadwick had finally come home.

On a personal note and intimate level, the little cottage simply symbolizes the friendship between Alan
and Sri Ramana.  Its construction cemented their new relationship.  Alan had moved in. From now on
until the end of Sri Ramana's life, they would be ever the best friends.

Yet this most loyal of Englishman had only been living in his new home for three years when his
friendship was put to its severest test.

contd.,

(Will continue when the next issue of Mountain Path, is received.)

Arunachala Siva.           

[Subramanian.R]

When Bhagavan Ramana was in His last days [ He had pain, which should have been unbearable
for anyone else], the attendants asked Him:  "Bhagavan!  Is it paining too much?"
Bhagavan Ramana said:  "Yes, the body is paining!"  He was not the body or the mind.

Arunachala Siva.

[Subramanian.R]

When Bhagavan Ramana was on the Hill, serpents and peacocks used to remain quiet, friendly
to each otherin His Presence.  Panthers which came to tanks and ponds to drink water, finished
their work and went away without harming anyone.

Arunachala Siva.

[Subramanian.R]

On June 19, 1945, G.V. Subbaramayya wrote his 'Farewell Prayer' in six Telugu stanzas. 
This was titled Abhayam, 'Reassurance and Refuge:

The courage that never quails under any distress,
The equal bearing of honor and shame,

The same benevolence towards all,
The gratitude for others' good deeds,

The sense of fullness that Thou art everything,
The eternal devotion to Thy lotus-feet,

The knowledge that every occurrence is Thy doing,
The wisdom that everything happens for the best,

The inquiry "To whom are all these thoughts", "To me"
"Who am I?"

The consequent subsidence of all thoughts
And flash of Reality as Self Realization,

"O Father Ramana, grant to Thy child!"   

(Source: Arunachala's Ramana, Boundless Ocean of
Grace, Volume 5. Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai.)

Arunachala Siva.

[Subramanian.R]

Bhagavan Ramana approved all the four paths, karma, yoga, bhakti and jnana.  But He said that
karma should be nishkama, without desires.  Bhakti should mature into Atma Samarpana, the total
surrender.  He says in Who am I?  "One who renounces all the desires and stay in Atmanishta is the
greatest bhakta."

Surrender in its mature form is not different from self inquiry. Surrender concludes "You are the
only one."  Self Inquiry says, Who am I?  And stay without answer.  Then You becomes I.
Bhagavan Ramana did not of course, recommend raja yoga, since it involves a life time for itself.
Devotees like Suddhanda Bharati and Kavya Kanta Ganapati were great yogis.  But Bhagavan Ramana
said:  Watching the breath is adequate. At the end of the day, every path leads to Jnana.

Arunachala Siva.

[Subramanian.R]

Bhagavan Ramana's own philosophy [which is of course, the only true philosophy of this universe],
is reflected in His own works.  But in His life, He had to meet several people, with different
backgrounds/levels of maturity. Therefore He had to water down the message depending upon
the devotee.  These replies, should not be taken out of context. One cannot pick up one or two replies
and say that this is the final teaching of Bhagavan Ramana.

Take this illustration:-

1. Once Dilip Kumar Roy sang some nice songs and then asked Bhagavan whether the music
alone sung in devotion to god, would confer him liberation.  Bhagavan Ramana said:
"Why not? Pursue this with conviction."

2. To Devaraja Mudaliar, who got excited by some Tiruppugazh songs which were sung in
the Hall, asked Bhagavan Ramana, whether singing Tiruppugazh alone could take one to liberation.
Bhagavan Ramana said: "O Mudaliar! Go behind these songs and see the mounam, Silence
which is all pervading." 

Arunachala Siva.

[Subramanian.R]

Prabhavati Devi got married not long ago.  It must have been a year back. For about two years
before her marriage, she was staying in the Asramam.  She was a girl from Maharashtra, good
looking and cultured.  She wanted to be a great bhakta like Saint Meerabhai and so used to
sing and dance and say that she would never marry, and she would don ochre robe. She behaved
like a naughty child before Bhagavan.  Bhagavan knew that her naughtiness would not leave her
until she got married.  As last, somehow, she did get married.  Immediately after the wedding,
the bride and the bridegroom came in the wedding attire to the Asramam, with their relatives and
offerings of fruits and flowers, and bowed down before Bhagavan Ramana.

After a stay for two or three days, she came to Bhagavan one morning at 8'O clock with her husband
seeking Bhagavan's blessings before leaving to set up home in her husband's place.  Squirrels were
playing about Bhagavan's sofa and peacocks were wandering outside the Hall. There were not
many people.  It was calm and quiet in the Hall.  The young man bowed down to Bhagavan with
awe and respect, took leave of Him and stood waiting on the side of the doorway.
With downcast looks and bubbling shyness and tearful eyes, the child of the Asramam while waiting
there for Bhagavan's permission, looked like Shakuntala trying to tear away from the Kanva Maharshi's Ashram.  Bhagavan nodded His head in token of approval and then she bowed down to Him. No
sooner had she crossed the threshold, Bhagavan remaked looking at Suri Nagamma, "It was only yesterday, she had the chapter of Krishnavatar in Bhagavatam, copied out by Sundaresa Iyer."  I said with delight,
"She will come with a child in her arms, when she comes here next year."

Meanwhile, she began to sing in a full throated song full of devotion and voice as sweet as a nightingale
while going round the Hall in Pradakshina.  Bhagavan Ramana was so evidently moved and like Kanva Maharshi himself, He said: "Do you hear the hymn from Mukundamala?"  My eyes were filled with tears.

(Source: Suri Nagamma, Letters from Sri Ramanasramam,
24th November 1945.)

Arunachala Siva.