"O Bhagavan, can you show me God?"

December 22, 2000

Once a person approached Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi and said, ""O Bhagavan, can

you show me God?" Ramana Maharishi replied, "I can show you, but I do not know

whether you will see Him?"

The man felt insulted and said, "If you can show Him to me, why can't I see

Him? I have eyes." He did not realize that one must have more than just

physical eyes to see god; one must have the True Knowledge. The man insisted,

"No you show me and I will see." So Bhagavan Ramana sat in front of him. The

he just raised one finger and started moving it from one side to another.

Five, ten, fiteen minutes went by. The was still expecting some vision of god

to appear. Finally, the man asked, "I thought you were going to show me God.

Where is He?"

Bhagavan said, "I told you I can show yo God, bu you may not be able to see

Him."

The man said, "But you have not shown me anything."

Bhagavan said, "for twenty minutes I have been showing you God."

"How can that be?" asked the confused man.

Then Bhagavan raised his finger and asked "What is this?"

"A finger."

"But what is it doing?"

"It is moving back and forth," the man replied.

Ramana Maharishi said, "I am showing you God, but are seeing only a finger.

What can I do? That is your problem."

"But," the man protested, "anyone will say it is only finger!"

Ramana Maharishi replied, "If you cut this finger and put it on the table, doe

it move?"

"No, it does not move."

"Now, what is it because of which the finger moves?"

"There is life in it," answered the man.

"You see," said Bhagavan Ramana , "at most you can say there is life in the

finger, but life is only an expression of Consciousness. Therefore, that which

is expressing in the bod as life, as sentiency, is God. How can you deny its

existence?"

Source: Hindu Culture Part I, Mananam Publication Series Volume XIV: Number 4,

page 44-45.

Author: Swami Tejomayananda, Head, Chinmaya Mission.

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