Ramana Maharshi recollects the first time he covered the body with shawl after coming to arunachala

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That was when I was in the Virupaksha Cave. At that time I was not covering the upper part of the body with anything.For some unknown reason the trouble from mosquitoes was unusually great that year. Jayaraman bought a good shawl and pressed me to cover my body with that. I did not even touch it. He waited for some time. 

The shawl remained folded. The mosquito trouble continued unabated. Unable to bear the nuisance,the people near me conferred amongst themselves and without the knowledge of outsiders, made all preparations for going to Tirupati. 

They told me that we should go by this way and should come back by that way and the like. I nodded my head in assent to all that they said. They fixed an auspicious day for the journey, packed everything and,before starting, came to me saying, ‘Swami, shall we start?’ I said, ‘Yes. Do go and come back.’ ‘What about Bhagavan?’

‘Where can Bhagavan go? Where is he staying?’ I said. They said, ‘We are unable to bear this mosquito trouble, you see.’ I said, ‘If you are not able to bear it, you may go and come back. Is it for my sake that you are going? Did I say that I was not able to bear the mosquito nuisance?’ 

What more could they say? They felt that it was no use arguing further,gave up their journey, and began pressing me to cover my body with the shawl. Jayaram’s son Pichandi was at the time a very young fellow. He used to come every day covering

himself with an old rug. As I felt that they would not leave me in peace until I covered my body to avoid the mosquito bites, I told them that I would wear the old rug if they gave that young man the new shawl in exchange.

What could they do? Unwillingly they exchanged the new rug for the old one and I covered myself with the rug. That was the beginning of my covering the body with anything.

When I began covering myself with that prickly type of rug, the mosquitoes did not dare to come anywhere near me. It used to be warm too,” said Bhagavan.Source: Letters from Sri Ramanasramam VOLUMES I, II & Letters from and Recollections of Sri Ramanasramam By SURI NAGAMMA Translated by D. S. SASTRI

-- Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya

Prasanth JalasutramLove And Love Alone