Stories of Bhagavan

[Guest guest]

I copied the following from the Ramana Maharshi website, interesting

happenings which I had never read before.

Vic

 

 

 

BHAGAVAN was most tender with people who thought themselves for some reason

or other to be miserable sinners and who went to him torn by repentance.

 

During summer evenings we used to sit in the open space near the well. We

would collect in the dining hall for dinner and come back to the well.

Suddenly, one day, a visitor started weeping bitterly, "I am a horrible

sinner. For a long time I have been coming to your feet, but there is no

change in me. Can I become pure at last? How long am I to wait? When I am

here near you I am good for a time, but when I leave this place I become a

beast again. You cannot imagine how bad I can be-hardly a human being. Am I

to remain a sinner forever?"

 

 

Bhagavan answered: "Why do you come to me? What have I to do with you? What

is there between us that you should come here and weep and cry in front of

me?"

 

The man started moaning and crying even more, as if his heart were breaking.

"All my hopes of salvation are gone. You were my last refuge and you say you

have nothing to do with me! To whom shall I turn now? What am I to do? To

whom am I to go?"

 

Bhagavan watched him for some time and said, "Am I your guru that I should

be responsible for your salvation? Have I ever said that I am your master?"

 

"If you are not my master, then who is? And who are you, if not my master?

You are my guru, you are my guardian angel, you will pity me and release me

from my sins!" He started sobbing and crying again.

 

We all sat silent, overcome with pity. Only Bhagavan looked alert and

matter-of-fact.

 

Bh: "If I am your guru, what are my fees? Surely you should pay me for my

services."

D: "But you won't take anything," cried the visitor. "What can I give you?"

Bh: "Did I ever say that I don't take anything? And did you ever ask me what

you can give me?"

D: "If you would take, then ask me. There is nothing I would not give you."

Bh: "All right. Now I am asking. Give me. What will you give me?"

D: "Take anything, all is yours."

Bh: "Then give me all the good you have done in this world."

D: "What good could I have done? I have not a single virtue to my credit"

Bh: "You have promised to give. Now give. Don't talk of your credit. Just

give away all the good you have done in your past."

D: "Yes, I shall give. But how does one give? Tell me how the giving is done

and I shall give."

Bh: "Say like this: 'All the good I have done in the past I am giving away

entirely to my guru. Henceforth I have no merit from it nor have I any

concern with it.' Say it with your whole heart."

D: "All right, Swami, I am giving away to you all the good I have done so

far, if I have done any, and all its good effects. I am giving it to you

gladly, for you are my master and you are asking me to give it all away to

you."

Bh: "But this is not enough," said Bhagavan sternly.

D: "I gave you all I have and all you asked me to give. I have nothing more

to give."

Bh: "No, you have. Give me all your sins."

D: The man looked wildly at Bhagavan, terror stricken. "You do not know,

Swami, what you are asking for. If you knew, you would not ask me. If you

take over my sins, your body will rot and burn. You do not know me, you do

not know my sins. Please do not ask me for my sins." And he wept bitterly.

Bh: "I shall look after myself, don't you worry about me," said Bhagavan.

"All I want from you is your sins."

 

For a long time the bargain would not go through. The man refused to part

with his sins. But Bhagavan was adamant.

 

Bh: "Either give me your sins along with your merits, or keep both and don't

think of me as your master."

 

In the end the visitor's scruples broke down and he declared: "Whatever sins

I have done, they are no longer mine. All of them and their results, too,

belong to Ramana."

 

Bhagavan seemed to be satisfied. "From now on there is no good nor bad in

you. You are just pure. Go and do nothing, neither good nor bad. Remain

yourself, remain what you are."

 

A great peace fell over the man and over us all. No one knows what happened

to the fortunate visitor; he was never seen in the Ashram again. He might

have been in no further need of coming.

 

Another time, a visitor started wailing before Bhagavan that he was being

quite crushed under the enormity of his sins.

 

Bhagavan asked: "When you sleep, are you a sinner?"

D: "No, I am just asleep."

Bh: "If you are not a sinner, then you must be good."

D: "No, I am neither good nor bad when I am asleep. I know nothing about

myself."

Bh: "And what do you know about yourself now? You say you are a sinner. You

say so because you think so. Were you pleased with yourself, you would call

yourself a good man and stop telling me about your being a sinner. What do

you know about good and evil except what is in your mind? When you see that

the mind invents everything, all will vanish. The good will vanish, the evil

will vanish, and you will remain as you are."

 

Once a visitor said: "I have been coming to you, Swami, many times, hoping

that something will happen and I shall be changed. So far I do not see any

change in me. I am as I was, a weakling of a man, an inveterate sinner." And

he started weeping piteously.

 

"On this road there are no milestones," replied Bhagavan. "How can you know

in which direction you are going? Why don't you do what the first-class

railway passenger does? He tells the guard his destination, locks the doors

and goes to sleep. The rest is done by the guard. If you could trust your

guru as much as you trust the railway guard, it would be quite enough to

make you reach your destination. Your business is to shut the door and

windows and sleep. The guard will wake you up at your destination."

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Dear Vic:

 

thanks and appreciate the posting below; how appropriate... and how

revealing;

 

though your predicaments in spiritual pursuits were not clear exactly

(about what types of unpleasantness or disturbances they were/are),

the Maharshi's words you discovered and presented below seem to be

answering some of your questions (by suggesting whole-hearted

surrendering of what we think or believe we have (sins, good deeds,

wealth, relations and many many other attachments)...

 

love....

 

RamanaMaharshi, "vic w" <shivaguy108@h...>

wrote:

>

> I copied the following from the Ramana Maharshi website,

interesting

> happenings which I had never read before.

> Vic

>

>

>

> BHAGAVAN was most tender with people who thought themselves for

some reason

> or other to be miserable sinners and who went to him torn by

repentance.

>

> During summer evenings we used to sit in the open space near the

well. We

> would collect in the dining hall for dinner and come back to the

well.

> Suddenly, one day, a visitor started weeping bitterly, "I am a

horrible