Ramana as I know Him

[Guest guest]

Even when I first saw the Master, his head had begun to nod. The shaking head

seemed to be saying 'neti, neti' (not this, not this) And, all on a sudden the

nodding would stop, the vision of the Master would become fixed, and the spirit

of silence would envelop everyone present. In the stillness of the Heart, one

would realize that the 'Self is peaceful quiet' ('santo yam atma'). Many of

those who came with long lists of questions used to depart in silence after

sitting for a while in the Master's presence. When some did put questions to

him, they received the replies they deserved. It was evident that many could

not even frame their questions properly. In such cases, Sri Ramana himself

would help in the framing of questions. When he chose to answer questions or

instruct through words, it was a sight for the Gods to see. Each sentence was

like a text from the Upanishad, so full of meaning that it required calm silent

pondering over in order to be understood. Sri Ramana's answers never remained on

the surface. He would go straight to the root of a question and exhibit to the

wondering questioner the implications of his own question which he could not

even have dreamt of. Not unoften would the Master make a questioner resolve his

own doubts. But each time, the supreme Lord would gently guide the seeker to the

stage of inner silence where all doubts get dissolved and all questions ceased.

(Dr T. M. P. Mahadevan in 'Surpassing Love and Grace', Sri Ramanasramam,

Tiruvannamalai, 2001; p. 191)