Fw: [RamanaMaharshi] AS I SAW HIM - 2 -by S. S. Cohen

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RamanaMaharshi

Sunday, September 09, 2001 11:06 PM

[RamanaMaharshi] AS I SAW HIM - 2 -by S. S. Cohen

source : http://www.sentient.org/newslet.htm***AS I SAW HIM - 2***

by S. S. CohenTHE THIRD OF FEBRUARY 1936, early morning, saw my

horsecartrolling on the uneven two-and-a-half mile road from

Tiruvannamalairailway station to Ramanashramam. Two sleepless nights

in the trainfrom Bombay found me tired in body and mind. My head was

swimmingand my senses confused. I had hoped for some rest at the

Ashrama,but when I arrived there at last there was not a soul to be

seen anywhere.Presently, a corpulent man with a giant, rugged head

and scarlet-red lips from perpetual chewing of betel nuts appeared.

"Is that Mr. Cohen?Follow me quickly before the Maharshi goes out for

his walk," he called out.I obeyed, extremely eager to see the great

sage who had haunted me nightand day for three long months. I was led

to a small dining room, at the doorof which I was asked to remove my

shoes. As I was trying to unlace them my eyes fell on a

pleasant-looking middle-aged man inside the room,wearing nothing but

a koupin, with eyes as cool as moonbeams, sitting on the floor before

a leafplate nearly emptied and beckoning me with the gentlestof nods

and the sweetest smile imaginable. It was then the Ashrama's custom

to honour the newcomer by giving him hisfirst meal in a line directly

opposite the Maharshi's seat and at hardlyfour feet distance from it.

I took no notice of the cakes, although my handfingered them,but

directed my whole look at the peaceful countenance of SriBhagavan. He

had by then finished eating and was slowly rolling a betelleaf for a

chew, as if deliberately to give me a little more of hiscompany, when

a man entered from the back door, which was the passage tothe small

kitchen, and in a low voice said something in Tamil to him.

ThenMaharshi rose, looked at me by way of farewell, and left the

room. Ihastily swallowed half a cake, gulped the cup of tea and went

out in searchof my room to which my luggage had been taken,when

someone announced thatSri Maharshi was coming to the Darshan Hall. I

rushed straight to the Hallwith my hat and full suit on. Behind me

calmly walked in the tall,impressive figure of the Maharshi with

leisurely though firm steps.I was alone in the Hall with him. Joy and

peace suffused my being-such adelightful feeling of purity and

well-being at the mere proximity of a man,I never had before. My mind

was already in deep contemplation of him-himnot as flesh, although

that was exquisitely formed and featured, but as anunsubstantial

principle which could make itself so profoundly felt despitethe

handicap of a heavy material vehicle. When after a while I became

awareof my environment, I saw him looking at me with large,

penetrating eyes,wreathed in smiles rendered divinely soothing by

their childlike innocence.Bhagavan was then enjoying the sound,

robust health of middle age and couldvery well afford to be available

at almost all hours of the day todevotees. The years 1936-1938 were

very blissful, indeed, to us, when wecould gather round his couch and

speak to him as intimately as to a belovedfather, tell him all our

troubles and show him our letters without let orhindrance. After 8:00

p.m. when the Hall contained only the localresidents, we sat round him

for a 'family chat' till about ten o'clock.Then he related to us

stories from the Puranas or the lives of saints,yielding to

transports of emotion when he depicted scenes of great bhakti,or

great human tragedies to which he was sensitive to the extreme. Then

heshed tears which he vainly attempted to conceal.On one occasion,

Bhagavan recited from memory a poem of a Vaishnava saintin which

occurred the words, "Fold me in Thy embrace, O Lord," when thearms of

Bhagavan joined in a circle around the vacant air before him andhis

eyes shone with devotional ardour, while his voice shook with

stifledsobs which did not escape our notice. It was fascinating to

see him actingthe parts he related and be in such exhilarated moods

as these. Some disciples and his attendants used to sleep on the

floor of the Hall atnight. Bhagavan's sleep was very light. He woke

every now and then andalmost always he found an attendant nearby

fully awake to say a few wordsto, and then sleep again. Once or twice

he would go out for a few minutesand, by 5:00 a.m, when the Veda

chanters came from the township, they foundhim fully awake and

chatting in a soft, subdued voice. Now the parayanamwould get started

and go on for little less than an hour, during whicheverybody

abstained from talking and Bhagavan often sat cross-legged

andcompletely indrawn. Then he went out on the hill and returned at

about7:30, when visitors and devotees began trickling in-men, women

and childrentill they filled the Hall by about 9:00 a.m. This morning

hour of theparayanam was the best time of the day for meditation. The

congregation wassmall, women and children absent, the weather cool,

and the mind had notyet completely emerged to run its usual riot.

Over and above this, Bhagavanthen shone in the stillness of his

samadhi, which permeated the hall andthe meditation of his

disciples.Bhagavan went out at his usual hours. These were: 9:45, for

a few minutes;11 o'clock, for luncheon, followed by the midday stroll

in Palakottu;evening, 4:45 on the hill, preceding the evening Veda

parayanam; and 7o'clock for dinner. The constant influx of visitors

was of some help in that it afforded themuch-needed relaxation to an

otherwise tense life. Secondly, the peculiarproblems which visitors

brought with them were a useful study. Watching themasterly ways

Bhagavan tackled these problems was a sadhana in itself.Rationality

was the very essence of his arguments, while the ultimateanswer to

all the questions was always the same, namely, "Find out who youare."

He first met every questioner on his own ground, and then

slowlysteered him round to the source of all problems-the Self-the

realisation ofwhich he held to be the universal panacea. When the

audience shrank, he attimes became humorously autobiographical about

his early school and homelife or about his many experiences on the

hill with sadhus, devotees, etc.As time passed and the Master's state

of mind and ideas took firm root inme, I ceased to ask questions, or

to intercept him in his walks outside theAshram grounds, as I used to

do in the first six months. The finalconclusion to which I came in the

end of these six months I reported oneday to Bhagavan. He showed his

gracious approval by a gesture of finalitywith his hand and said: "So

much lies in your power, the rest must be leftentirely to the Guru,

who is the ocean of grace and mercy seated in theheart as the

seeker's own Self."The builders had put the finishing touches to my

small mud hut in Palakottugarden on April 4, 1936. I completed my

arrangements for the warmingceremony, known here as griha pravesham,

to take place the next day. Theinvited devotees gathered in my hut,

and about noon the Master himselfstrolled in, on his way back from

his usual walk and, refusing the specialchair I had ready for him, he

squatted like the others on the mat coveredfloor. After the ceremony,

Bhagavan left. I followed him from a distance,waited till the

devotees cleared away and approached him. "Bhagavan," Istarted, "you

have given a home for my body, I now need your grace to grantthe

eternal home for my soul, for which I broke all my human ties

andcame." He stopped in the shade of a tree, gazed silently on the

calm waterof the tank for a few seconds and replied: "Your firm

conviction broughtyou here; where is the room for doubt?Where is

the room for doubt,indeed?" I reflected. Three years had passed since

that griha-pravesham day. "Bhagavan," I saidon a day then near my hut,

"I feel a strong urge to go on Yatra(pilgrimage). I feel that I need a

change for some months, which I intendspending in holy places." He

smiled approval and enquired about the dateand time of my starting

and whether I had made arrangements for my stay inthe various places

I was to visit. Extremely touched by his solicitude, Ianswered that I

was going as a sadhu, trusting to chance for accommodation.For three

months thereafter I lay on a mat in Cape Comorin, immenselyrelieved

of the mental tension which the Master's physical form had causedme.

In solitude I plunged into reflections on his blissful silence and

calmrepose. The stillness of his mind haunted me everywhere I went-in

thebeautiful, gem-like temple of the youthful virgin goddess, on the

shores ofthe vast blue ocean around me and the sand dunes, in the

fishing villagesand endless stretches of coconut groves, which ran

along the seashore andthe interior of the Cape. I felt his influence

in the depth of my soul andcried: "Oh Bhagavan, how mighty you are

and how sublime and all pervasiveis the immaculate purity of your

mind! With what tender emotions do we,your disciples, think of your

incomparable qualities, your gentleness; yourserene, adorable

countenance; your cool, refreshing smiles; the sweetnessof the words

that come out of your mouth; the radiance of yourall-embracing love;

your equal vision towards one and all, even towardsdiseased stray

animals."Evening ShadowsThe years 1948-50 saw the evening shadows

gathering and closing on themortal coil of the Master. Advancing age

brought a series of mishaps toit-a fall, a nervous hiccup lasting

many days, a clinging rheumatism, and,lastly, a malignant tumor which

inch by inch ate the flesh of his left arm,poisoned his blood and

finally rang down the curtain on an immaculate life.22 February

1949About a fortnight ago, the Ashrama doctor, Dr. Shankar Rao,

assisted by Dr.Srinivasa Rao, removed a very small growth from the

left elbow of theMaharshi, since when it has remained bandaged; but

today the bandage hasbeen removed and it is left exposed-it is

presumed to have healed. 27 March 1949The lump which was

removed from Maharshi's left elbow last month and whichwas thought to

be healing satisfactorily, subsequently started to growagain, so that

the eminent surgeon, Dr. Raghavachari, came today fromMadras with

surgical instruments to remove it. The surgeon, we are told,performed

the operation skillfully by cutting deep and removing the lastcell of

growth. He does not expect a recurrence of the growth.4th December

1949This is Deepam day, most holy to Hindus in the South. The holy

beacon willbe lighted tonight on top of Arunachala. Tonight Sri

Maharshi sat in thenorth verandah of the Darshan Hall. All around him

hundreds of devoteessquatted. This jubilation is not without a sting.

Will the health of SriMaharshi favor us with another Deepam day and

he be with us in the flesh,or is this to be the last? As we see him

seated fresh and bright as ever,gazing expectantly at the top of his

beloved Arunachala, we cannot helpbeing optimistic of his recovery.

The body which is stricken by a mostmalignant disease, hacked on many

occasions by the surgeon's knife, burntby radium, and drugged by all

sorts of powerful drugs, bears no trace ofthe agonizing ordeal in the

brilliance of its eyes or in the joyfulexpressions of its face. What

miracles are being performed in it! What areits mysteries! *The

preceding was gathered from the pages of S.S. Cohen's book, GURU

RAMANA.

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