RE: From the Maharshi Newsletters March/ April 2002

[Guest guest]

OM NAMO BHAGAVATE SRI RAMANAYA

 

 

 

DEAR HARSHA

 

 

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH

 

 

 

T H I S I S I T

 

at least i feel like this

 

 

in Ramana

 

michael

>Harsha

>

>, RamanaMaharshi,

>advaitin

> From the Maharshi Newsletters

>March/ April 2002

>Mon, 08 Nov 2004 10:57:54 -0800

>

> Pundit and Peasant

>

>Once during a visit to the Ashram in the 1940s I was sitting outside the

>Old Hall with many devotees, facing Sri Bhagavan who was reclining on a

>couch. A group of learned pundits were discussing certain passages from

>the Upanishads with great enthusiasm and profundity. All, including

>Bhagavan, appeared to be attentively listening to this interesting

>discussion when, all of a sudden, Bhagavan rose from his couch, walked

>thirty meters to the north, and stood before a villager who was standing

>there looking lowly with palms joined.

>

>Immediately the discussion stopped and all eyes were turned to Bhagavan

>and the villager standing at a distance. They appeared to be conversing,

>but at such a distance no one could tell about what. Soon Bhagavan

>returned to his couch and the discussion resumed.

>

>I was curious about this villager and why Bhagavan had gone out of his

>way to meet him. So, while the discussion continued I slipped away and

>caught up with him before he left the Ashram. I asked the villager what

>he and Bhagavan had talked about. He said that Bhagavan had asked him

>why he was standing there so far away. "I told Bhagavan, 'I am only an

>ignorant, poor villager. How am I to approach you who are God incarnate?'"

>

>"What did the Maharshi say then?" I asked.

>

>"He asked me my name, what village I was from, what work I did and how

>many children I had, etc."

>

>"Did you ask Him anything?"

>

>"I asked Him how I could be saved and how I could earn His blessings."

>

>"What did He tell you?"

>

>"He asked me if there was a temple in my village. I told him there was.

>He wanted to know the name of the deity of that temple. I told Him the

>name. He then said that I should go on repeating the name of that deity

>and I would receive all the blessings needed."

>

>I came back to Bhagavan's presence and sat among the devotees listening

>to the learned discussion, in which I had now lost all interest,

>realizing that the simple humility and devotion of this peasant had

>evoked a far greater response from our Master than any amount of

>learning. I then decided that, though a scholar by profession, I should

>always remain a humble, ignorant peasant at heart, and pray, like that

>villager, for Bhagavan's grace and blessings.

>

>- Professor K. Swaminathan

>

> >

>

 

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