A.W. Chadwick - Sri Ramana

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Sri Ramana

Major A.W. Chadwick (Sadhu Arunachala)

 

The author was a well-known and ardent devotee of

Sri Bhagavan, who stayed at the Ashram for over a quarter

of a century without any thought of return to England. He

used to spend many hours in meditation adhering strictly to

a regular time-table. He was a model of steadfast sadhana

which he kept up after Bhagavan’s Mahasamadhi till the

end of his life in 1962.

 

Ramana Maharshi was unique in that he was an

out and out advaitin. There were no half-measures with

him. Now to be an advaitin of this description is extremely

difficult. While for most of us, it is all intellectual gymnastics,

for him it was his life. At the early age of sixteen he had realized

the Self, and had never swerved from it or come down to a

lower function ever after. When he was asked about his

movements in the temple and his period of mounam, if his

state had not become more stabilized as a result of this sadhana

he emphatically stated that, “No change had occurred, nothing

new since then had ever happened. It’s the same now as then.”

 

But for himself he saw nothing wonderful in it. It was the

natural state and it was really strange that others should find

any difficulty in realizing or being it themselves. “You are the

Self ”, he repeatedly said, “nothing but the Self. How can you

be anything else? There are not and cannot be two selves, one

to know the other. Just be yourself!”

 

Put like this, of course, it sounds easy but experience teaches

us another tale. Every word is true, but vasanas are so persistent

and desires of such long standing that they get in the way and

prevent the pure vision. Habits are deep within us and refuse to

be rooted out.

 

Countless are the number of existences lived in the past

with which we have been associated. Just to sit quiet and forget

them even for a moment seems impossible. Rather does it seem

to cause those long forgotten existences to bubble up and fill

the mind with their inanities.

 

Yet sitting in his presence the thing became so transparent

that one was convinced for the time being, that all troubles

were ended, and one was forced back on oneself in spite of all

obstacles. And this was the wonder of his presence.

It was not in the few words he set on paper or the verbal

instructions he gave to sincere enquirers that his real teaching

lay but in his silent presence. Then questions would drop away

unasked, difficulties of meditation vanished and the mind

became still. It was unbelievable how easy it suddenly became.

 

Not only the effect of his presence but the shining example

of himself, left indelible marks on those who had the good fortune

to spend some time with him. There was no use in saying it could

not be done. Here was one who had done it. One might tell oneself

that the state could be nothing but one of blankness and convince

oneself that it was not to be desired but here was he, exhaling bliss

which overflowed out of its superabundance to even the meanest

of us sitting there with him. It was marvelous! Was there ever

another like him? What silent power! And what a fountain of hope!