31. August 1896

[Guest guest]

Next morning was Monday the 31st of August, 1896,

Gukulashtami, the birthday of Sri Krishna. Ramana had still

twenty miles to reach Tiruvannamalai. Walking up and dawn again he

could not discover which road or path to take. Again he

felt fatigued and hungry. He remembered his ear-rings set with

rubies and decided to pledge to have some money for travel.

 

He walked on to the house of one Muthukrishna Bhagavatar and

begged there for food. He was referred to a dame in the house.

The lady rejoiced to see the youth arrive as a guest on this

sacred day of Sri Krishna's birth and gave him a copious cold meal,

and insisted on his eating the whole of it, despite his feeling

satiated after the very first mouthful.

 

Then he went to the Bhagavatar and, to avoid rousing undue

suspicion, professed to have travelled with his luggage with somehow

got lost on the way and to be reduced thus to the necessity of

pledging his ear-rings to raise four rupees to continue his pilgrimage.

The Bhagavater took the ear-rings and, finding them to be made of

gold and rubies, advanced the four rupees after getting his address

noted on a slip of paper and giving him a slip with his own address

in return.

 

In their house he was also given another meal at noon and the lady

gave him a packet of sweetmeats prepared for Sri Krishna, even

before they were offered at the formal puja, and sent him then off

to the railway station.

Venkataraman had to promise to come back and redeem the jewels,

but as soon as he left the house, he tore the address slip to pieces,

as he was not interested in.

With the sweetmeats and the money he marched to the station where

he slept as there was no train for Tiruvannamalai this day.

 

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according to Narasimha Swami: Self Realization

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to be continued