SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI BESTOWS MUKTI ON A CROW

[Guest guest]

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.

 

SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI BESTOWS MUKTI ON A CROW

 

In the early days of the present Ramanasramam a spring was discovered

near the old hall. Devotees had placed a dried tree stump on the

ground at its center in order to support themselves when gathering

water. Once they found a crow sitting on top of this stump for two

days without leaving. On the third day, when Bhagavan returned from

his usual walk, Kunju Swami [ Bhagavan's personal attendant] told him

about the crow. Bhagavan immediately rose from the couch and walked

outside. Going close to the crow Bhagavan enquired, " What is the

matter? " The crow slowly opened its eyes. Bhagavan asked the

attendant to bring his kamandalu, and holding the crow in one hand he

poured a few drops of water into its beak. Immediately after this,

verily in Bhagavan's hands, the crow breathed its last. When some

one remarked that the crow must have been a great soul waiting for

Bhagavan's touch, he replied, " Yes! It appears so. " (Source: One

Hundred & Twenty Five Years of Grace)

 

Another version of the incident recorded by T.R.Kanakammal in her

book Cherished Memories, is as follows:

 

One day, Bhagavan was sitting in the verandah with some devotees.

Suddenly a wounded crow flew in at great speed and fell at Bhagavan's

feet, who picked it up and stroked it gently. When the crow died in

his hand, Bhagavan said, " Some siddha purusha has left his body

today " , and gave instruction for entombing the crow. Swami

Pranavananda who was on the scene broke into tears and

said, " Bhagavan, did you not grant liberation to Jatayu in the last

yuga? Now you have done the same for a crow. " Hearing this, the

devotees were moved by Pranavananda's devotion to Bhagavan, who

himself looked on silently as though he accepted everything. (The

tomb of the crow is at the northern side of the compound near the old

hall along with the samadhis of the cow Lakshmi, the dog Jakee and

the deer Valli.)

 

[swami Pranavananda (S.Narasimham before sannyasa), uncle of

S.Radhakrishnan, former President of India, was a munshi in the

Police Training College and taught local languages to Europeans.

Among others, he wrote Ramana Maharshi Charitramu, Sri Ramana

Stutipaatalu and Sri Guru-Anugraha Avataramu. He was the first to

translate Who am I? into Telugu.]

 

Note: Both the books referred to above can be had from the

Kendram's bookstall.