RAMANA MAHARSHI ANSWERS THE COMMISSION SET UP BY THE COURT

[Guest guest]

RAMANA MAHARSHI ANSWERS THE COMMISSION SET UP BY THE COURT

 

One Perumal Swami, who was Sri Ramana's attendant for many years

thought himself best suited for managing the Ashram. Failing to get

an opportunity to do so, he went to the court and staked his claim

to the Ashram land and property. He lost the case after a prolonged

litigation. At the instance of Grant Duff*, a devotee, whose uncle

was Governor of the Madras Presidency in the 1880s; Madras

Government issued a gazette notification exempting the Maharshi to

appear in the court and to be interrogated by the court's commission

at the Ashram itself. The following questions and answers are an

extract from the official record dated November 15th, 1936.

 

*He was the first European to declare loudly and clearly in 1935

that Sri Ramana was God incarnate. Refer his introduction to the

book Ramana Gita, which is available at the Kendram's bookstore.

 

 

Lawyer: Swami, what is your name?

Bhagavan: People have called me by different names. Which of them is

to be called mine? (Laughter)

Lawyer: Nowadays people call you Ramana Maharshi. Is this not

correct?

Bhagavan: Yes.

Lawyer: According to the Hindu sastras there are four asramas:

brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. Which asrama you

are in?

Bhagavan: I am in ativarnasrama. This transcends the other asramas.

Lawyer: If that is true, are there any rules for this asrama?

Bhagavan: The ativarnasrama is without any rules.

Lawyer: Do you have any desires for things in this world?

Bhagavan: I have no desire to acquire properties, but properties

come and I accept them. I admit that it is worldly to keep

properties but I do not hate the affairs of the world.

Lawyer: Each day many people come to see you. Why do they come?

Bhagavan: Each person has his own reason for coming. I don't tell

them to come, to go or stay.

Lawyer: Do you have any enemies?

Bhagavan: There are neither enemies nor friends for me.

Lawyer: Who is your Guru?

Bhagavan: There is neither Guru nor disciple for me.

Lawyer: Can one achieve anything without a Guru?

Bhagavan: Indeed one cannot.

Lawyer: Then who is your Guru?

Bhagavan: For me Self itself is the Guru.

Lawyer: Do you handle money?

Bhagavan: No.

Lawyer: People say that you are the incarnation of Lord Subramania.

Bhagavan: That and all gods are only one. (Laughter)

Lawyer: Perumal Swami has written in his diary that you are an

avatara of Lord Subramania. [The lawyer then showed Bhagavan a verse

in Perumal Swami's diary.] This verse says that you are Subramania.

Is this handwriting yours?

Bhagavan: The handwriting is mine but the idea was of Perumal Swami.

The verse in the diary was: “The six-faced Lord who came on the earth borne by

Mother Azhagu and Sundaram in Tiruchuzhi in order to remove the defects of his

devotees by saying ‘Fear not’, who bears twelve hands in order to bestow his own

state by destroying the karmas of those seeking refuge at his feet, who having

subdued the five senses rides upon the peacock of the elevated mind-lotus, and

who plays the game of throwing the spear which is the glance of jnana, he is

indeed the Lord who blissfully abides as Arunachala-Ramana.”

Bhagavan had composed this verse while he was in the Virupaksha Cave. At that

time, several of Bhagavan’s devotees used to write verses in praise of Bhagavan.

Perumal Swami complained to Bhagavan that he felt left out because he was unable

to compose verses of that kind. Bhagavan helped him out by composing the above

verse, and wrote the same in his diary. At the end of the verse he wrote the

name Perumal Swami, so that he could recite the verse and claim it as his own.

[The lawyer who asked the question was perhaps hoping that he could discredit

Bhagavan by making him admit that he was claiming to be an incarnation of God.]

Lawyer: Do you have any special love for your brother?

Bhagavan: I love him in the same way as I love all people.

Lawyer: Who receives donations that come to the Ashram?

Bhagavan: They are all given in my name but I am not alone in using them. All

the people here share them.

Lawyer: If Peruamal Swami wants to stay in the Ashram again, will you permit him

to stay?

Bhagavan: If he undertakes to behave like the other devotees he will be

permitted to stay.

Lawyer: Was Perumal Swami the manager of Skandashram?

Bhagavan: He was managing while I was in Skandashram, but even there his conduct

was not good. He squandered a lot of money.

 

There were many other questions, mostly about management matter. The lawyer who

asked the questions was unnecessarily disrespectful and argumentative. Within a

few weeks, his son went mad and started to wander about the streets of

Tiruvannamalai. Then the lawyer himself went mad. Both of them died a short time

later. Many devotees felt that this happened because he was so disrespectful to

Bhagavan. It may be noted Bhagavan would never have wished or desired any such

thing to happen. But as per the rule of Automatic Divine Action, the harm which

the lawyer was planning to cause to Bhagavan, got transferred to him.

(Source: Living by the Words of Bhagavan by David Godman. The book is available

at the Kendram’s bookstore. )

 

prof laxmi narain (prof_narain)

 

Source and courtesy: Sri Ramana Kendram, Hyderabad

This article was published in Sri Ramana Jyothi,

monthly magazine of the Kendram.