How a anonymus came to Bhagavan

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THE MAHARSHI

January/February 2003Vol. 13 - No. 1

Produced & Edited byDennis HartelDr. Anil K. Sharma

 

THE MAHARSHI

January/February 2003Vol. 13 - No. 1

Produced & Edited byDennis HartelDr. Anil K. Sharma

 

 

 

How I Came to Bhagavan

 

We have all read stories written by devotees who came to the Maharshi

when he was physically living in his Ashram or on the slopes of the

holy Arunachala Hill. Reading these we feel the tangible effect of

his grace penetrating the hearts of seekers and guiding them to

deeper faith and experience. In the following article we read how

time and the dissolution of the Maharshi's body have failed to stem

the profusion of grace extended to seekers. The guidance and the

palpable presence once experienced by an earlier generation of

disciples and devotees can be experienced now. Certain events often

cross the borders of simple coincidence; inner experiences transform

our whole perspective on life and turn our attention to the one,

underlining Reality. The author, a devotee in the USA, wishes to

remain anonymous.

 

 

First Contact

 

I first learned about Bhagavan around 1980-81, when I picked up a book

on his teachings at Weiser's Bookstore in Greenwich Village in New

York City. Although I was motivated to buy the book because of the

pure Vedantic teachings it contained, I also remember being impressed

by the photograph of Bhagavan in its frontispiece. At the time,

however, I had already been involved in the teachings of J.

Krishnamurti and remained so for some years thereafter.

 

Visit to Sri Ramanasramam

 

Around 1989-90, I began reading more about Bhagavan's life and

teachings and was drawn to him. Bhagavan's pull increased to a point

where I decided to visit Sri Ramanasramam. I thus made my first visit

to Sri Ramanasramam on September 4, 1994. I remember the date well

because it followed my daughter's third birthday, which we had

celebrated at a hotel in Bombay. I had not known then how to contact

the Ashram and made my travel and lodging arrangements through a

relative in Bombay. After being informed that there were no rooms

available at the Ashram, she made reservations for two nights at a

good hotel in Tiruvannamalai. She also arranged to have a taxi

available to me for the entire trip.

The taxi picked me up at Madras airport on the morning of September

4th for the three-hour journey to Tiruvannamalai. I still remember

sitting in the taxi and wondering why I was making this trip since

Bhagavan was no longer there, and further rationalizing that at least

Arunachala, the holy hill that Bhagavan so adored and identified with,

was still there. I arrived in Tiruvannamalai around noon and went

directly to the hotel. It was not, as I had been given to believe, a

three or four-star hotel. My room was small and bare with just some

rudimentary furniture. This was bit of a surprise, and I certainly

had not come prepared with the things I might need for such

accommodations such as bed sheets, pillow cases, etc. In any event, I

left my bags in the room and, feeling hungry, decided go and eat in a

nearby restaurant. I sat down at an empty

table in the restaurant and waited to be served. After a few minutes,

a man came in a hurry from the rear of the restaurant and slid into

the bench across from me. He proceeded to lean forward with his

elbows on the table and subjected me to an unblinking, cockeyed

stare. He did not say a word. I ignored him initially but after about

five or ten minutes of such silent treatment and no service, I got a

bit unnerved and decided to leave the restaurant without eating

anything.

I then went to Sri Ramanasramam. There, I wandered around the Ashram,

visiting the Matrubhuteshwar Temple and sitting for quite a while in

the Samadhi Hall. I also spent some time on the lower slopes of the

hill just behind the Ashram. While on the hill, I made a decision to

return to Madras the same day. I was tired and hungry. I was not

comfortable with the hotel accommodations and was not sure where I

could have my meals. Before leaving, I visited the Ashram bookstore

and purchased some books. It was there that I first learned of the

existence of Arunachala Ashram, the Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi

Center in New York. I thought to myself then that I would like to

visit this Center but did not think it would likely be possible in

the foreseeable future. After spending about three hours at Sri

Ramanasramam, I returned to the hotel, checked

out, and drove back to Madras. I flew to Bombay the same night.

In retrospect, I don't know why, but I believe that this first visit

to Sri Ramanasramam was destined to be brief.

 

Visit to Arunachala Ashram

 

I was scheduled to return home to South Florida a few days later in

the company of my brother and his family. The day before our

scheduled departure, we called the airline to confirm our

reservations. We were shocked to find out that we had lost our seats

because we were supposed to reconfirm our reservations seventy-two

hours prior to departure and had neglected to do so. We rushed to the

airline office and managed after some trouble to get a different

flight itinerary. We were originally scheduled to fly

Bombay-Frankfurt-Miami. Our revised itinerary had us flying

Bombay-London-New York-Miami. Moreover, we had to overnight in New

York and were booked on the next morning's flight to Miami. Upon our

arrival at John F. Kennedy airport in New York, we looked for the

least expensive hotel we could find. When we got to the hotel, I had

a

brain-wave-the next day anyway was a Sunday and I did not need to be

back at work till Monday. I could then take an evening flight home,

allowing me to visit Arunachala Ashram in the morning! I checked on

the Ashram's address and found that it was relatively close to the

hotel! I immediately changed my flight and the next morning went and

visited Arunachala Ashram, meeting and having tea with Arunachala

Bhakta Bhagawat.

Little did I know that the wish I had in the bookstore at Sri

Ramanasramam of visiting the New York Center would come true in just

a few days time! To me, this serendipitous turn of events was

Bhagavan's way of drawing me into his fold.

Although I had spent a few scant hours in my first visit to Sri

Ramanasramam, over the subsequent months my faith and devotion

deepened and I began to experience the grace and sweetness of

Bhagavan's presence.

 

Darshan

 

Some months after my first visit to Sri Ramanasramam, while sleeping

one night, I had a wonderful dream or vision. Bhagavan appeared

before me, smiling and vigorously nodding his head up and down.

Surprised in the dream itself, I thought to myself that this can't be

real; it must be a dream. As if to refute that thought and vouch for

the authenticity of the experience, a smiling Bhagavan again

vigorously nodded his head up and down.

The scene immediately changed. I now found myself walking alone up the

slope of an arid dirt path of a mountain when, ahead and to the left

of this path, I beheld the Lord Shiva seated and looking downward

with eyes semi-closed in what appeared to be deep meditation or

contemplation. He was sitting in the pose that I now recognize as

similar to that of the Dakshinamurti Shiva, with his left foot

resting on his right knee; and in his lap, on his left thigh, sat the

Bal Ganapati (Baby Ganesha). Radiating from the Lord Shiva was the

sensation of immense power and energy, with absolute and perfect

control. The closest image I can conceive of to describe it is that

of a nuclear reactor with the tremendous power that it harnesses and

controls. In the dream, however, I was not particularly moved by this

sight and continued on to walk past the Lord,

observing Him with a sort of neutral objectivity and mild curiosity.

The next thing I knew, in an instant, I found myself involuntarily

thrown flat on the ground with my body prostrated full-length at His

feet. The Lord then brought his right arm around and down in a very

slow, deliberate, controlled motion and touched me on the top of my

head. At His touch, I felt a mild current pass through my head and on

into my body. I then awoke.

 

A Photograph of Bhagavan

 

In early 1995 there arose in me a desire to have a life-size

photograph of Bhagavan. I called Arunachala Ashram and was told that

they did not have a photograph of that size and that the largest

photograph they had was, as I recall it, around 8.5 by 11 inches. I

anyway asked for and received this smaller photograph.

A few months later, I was travelling on business in Brazil. One day I

was in the business district in downtown Rio de Janeiro, rushing to

an important meeting for which I was a bit late. Walking rapidly past

one of the many roadside vendors, I was completely amazed to see a

life size photograph of Bhagavan! I promised myself that I would

return there after my meeting, which I did. This roadside bookseller

had a number of blown-up and framed photographs on display but every

single one of them was of movie stars such as Marilyn Monroe or of

famous scenes such as the New York City skyline. The sole exception

was this life-size photograph of Bhagavan! I, of course, bought the

photograph, considering it a further manifestation of Bhagavan's

grace to me.

Who could have imagined that I would find the photograph I had sought

in this way-on the road, in the middle of a bustling business

district, in a foreign land, at the opposite end of the world from

India! Today, it is the centerpiece of my personal meditation area at

home.

 

Bhagavan's Nectarous Grace

 

In the summer of 1997, I made my second visit to Sri Ramanasramam. It

was the first visit I stayed in the Ashram. I stayed for three days

and was given the room where Sadhu Arunachala (Major Allan Chadwick)

once resided.

One evening around 7 PM, I was meditating in the Old Hall. I was

sitting next to the doorway, across from the foot of Bhagavan's

couch. There must have been no more than four or five other devotees

in the room. All of a sudden I was shocked and astonished to feel

emanating from the direction of Bhagavan's couch what I can only

describe as a nectarous grace. This nectarous grace was like the

ocean - I sensed it rolling toward me in a continuous series of

successive waves, drenching and saturating every pore and fiber of my

being. It inundated my entire being with a concentrated and intense

sensation of bliss. Wave after wave of this nectarous grace kept

rolling toward me and engulfing me from some inexhaustible,

unfathomable source. This must have continued for at least 10 or 15

minutes. Upon the ringing of the dinner bell at 7:30 PM, I

wondered if I should go to dinner or continue to sit and let these

nectarous waves of grace inundate me. I decided to go to dinner. I

prostrated, stood up and left for the dining hall, my skin slightly

numb and tingling, my nerves in a heightened state of sensitivity, a

trifle unsteady on my feet, and with my entire being and body feeling

like it was completely soaked and dripping with this bliss-laden,

nectarous grace.

This experience was particularly memorable and noteworthy because it

occurred when I was in the waking state, fully alert and aware;

because of its extended duration and the saturating intensity of its

blissfulness; and because of its origin from the direction of

Bhagavan's couch in the Old Hall.

Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya

*

 

 

 

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