A. Devaraja Mudaliar-Recollections of Bhagavan, #6

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If there were any Asramam rule or accepted procedure, Bhagavn expected

everybody to observe it and did not approve of anybody claiming exemption

from it unless it was for some good reason. For himself, he would never dream

of acting contrary to regulations or allow himself to be treated as an exeption

to the general rule.

Of course, he did nor approve of rules being enforced in a rigid or thoughtless

way when an exception really was called for.The following story illustrates this.

One afternoon, a party of three Europeans, a bank official and two ladies

visited Bhagavan. They were sitting opposite Bhagavan in the old hall, leaning

against the Western wall and facing southwards. One of the ladies, being

unaccustomed to squatting on the floor, with legs crossed, as we do, was

stretching out her legs in front. One of the attendants considered this disrespectful

to Bhagavan and mentioned to her to deaw in her legs. The poor lady felt that where

she had come to show respect she had done something disrespectful and I had the

impression that she almost wept with chagrin. Bhagavan, who reads hearts and not

acts, felt very much for the distress caused to her. He told her there was no harm

in sitting as was most comfortable, since she was not accustomed to sit like us;

however she could not be persuaded again to do so.

Bhagavan himself was stretching out his legs on the couch, since the rheumatism

in his knees made it painful for him to sit cross-legged for more than a short time.

However, he now sat up cross-legged and could not be persuaded to relax again

the whole day. He said: "If it is a rule for her, it is a rule for all. I too should not

stretch out my legs."

However much we begged Bhagavan not to take notice of a foolish act on

the part of of attendant, he could not be dissuaded at all. It was only the next

day, if I remember right, that we succeeded in getting him to stretch out his

legs as usual whenever he felt like it.

 

 

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My Recollections of Bhagavan Sri Ramana

by A. Devaraja Mudaliar

 

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