K. Swaminathan-The pundits & the peasant

[Guest guest]

Thank you for sharing that

beautiful story Vicki.

That is what our Bhagavan was like in his physical form.

Making Himself invisible, He reveals Himself as the Heart, One's Very

Being.

Love to all

Harsha

viorica w wrote:

THE PUNDITS AND THE

PEASANT

Prof. K. Swaminathan

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 enthu-siasm

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 metres 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.

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