Ramana Maharshi and Mahatma Gandiji

[Guest guest]

On the night of January 30th, the news of Mahatma Gandhi’s death became

known everywhere. I heard the news at home only, because women cannot be in

the Ashram in the nights. I went at 7-30 next morning. A prayer was being

broadcast over the radio. The news of the death was in the newspapers, and

Bhagavan reading it and hearing the prayer,said, “This is the prayer of

people who prayed like that throughout his life.” The song “Vaishnava

Janato” was broadcast over the radio and Bhagavan listened to it sadly. At

9-45, Bhagavan was about to go out when a newspaper reporter came and

requested him to give his views on the tragedy so that they might be

published.Bhagavan, his voice choked with emotion, said, “For the Mahatma’s

death in this tragic manner, every person’s heart is mourning. What is there

in particular that I could say? Who is there who is not grieved? If I say

anything, you will publish it and then, one after another, people will come

and ask me. What is the good of it?”

 

So saying, Bhagavan sent the reporter away and went for his walk. On his

return, “Vaishnava Janato” was again being broadcast and tears fell from

Bhagavan’s eyes.At 4-30 that afternoon, all the ladies began to sing

“Raghupati Raghava Rajaram”.1 With tears in his eyes Bhagavan signed to us

to continue. At 5 o’clock the conch shell blew and in view of the Mahatma’s

death a special arati (waving of lights) was offered in the Mother’s temple.

When the sacred ash and vermilion powder were brought,Bhagavan took them

with great reverence.

 

The day before yesterday, while reading the paper,Bhagavan remarked to

someone sitting near him, “Look, didn’t a comet appear some time ago? It is

written in this paper that the death of the Mahatma was due to that. So the

first result of it is now over.”

 

What exactly was in Bhagavan’s mind when he said that? Meanwhile, he took up

another paper and on reading it,said, “The person who fired the shot, it

seems, came up to the Mahatma and, after bowing down, asked him, ‘Why have

you come so late today, Sir?’ The Mahatma replied that it was due to some

work. The shot was fired immediately after.” Bhagavan then drew a parallel

from the Ramayana, saying,“It seems that after Rama killed Ravana, he forgot

that he,Rama, had to go to Vaikuntha. So the Devatas took counsel among

themselves and then sent Yama, the God of Death,to him. Yama came in the

garb of an ascetic, and respectfully said, ‘The work for which you have come

is now over; please come to heaven’. This is similar; ‘Swaraj has been

obtained; your work is over; why are you still here? Shouldn’t you go back?

It is already late’. Thus the Mahatma appears to have been sent away.”

 

I asked, “The story you have just told us is from the Uttara Ramayana, is it

not?”

 

Bhagavan: “Yes, but not only there. It has been written in another book

that, in the case of Krishna, the arrow of Vyadha was the cause of His

death; similarly it happened with the Mahatma.”

 

Yesterday, Harindranath Chattopadhyaya2 showed a photo of Mahatma, and said,

“It is a pity that there was never any meeting between Gandhi and Bhagavan.”

 

Bhagavan: “Some time ago, he came to Tiruvannamalai.A meeting had been

arranged for him to be held on the road around the hill, beyond the Ashram.

People here thought that he would come to the Ashram on his way back, but

owing to the pressure of the crowds it was impossible, and he went away

direct to the station. It seems that he very much regretted this afterwards.

Shankarlal Banker was very keen on bringing him here, and in 1938, when

Rajendra Prasad and Jamnalal Bajaj came here and saw Skandasramam, they

wanted to induce the Mahatma to stay there for some time.But it did not

happen. If at Sabarmati, or at Wardha anyone said that he was mentally

depressed, the Mahatma used to say, ‘Go to Ramanasramam and come back after

a month’s stay there’.When Ramaswami Reddiar went to see the Mahatma

immediately after taking office as Chief Minister, Madras State,the Mahatma,

it seems, asked him for how long he had been going to the Ramanasramam. When

he answered that he had been going there for over thirty years, the Mahatma

said, ‘Is that so? I have tried thrice, but so far have not been able to go

there’. What could he do? How could he come here when he was not left alone

for one moment?”

 

Bhagavan read in today’s paper a report to the effect that the Mahatma had

had from a dream the night before the tragedy, a premonition of his death,

and that therefore,he had quickly disposed of his papers which had caused

the delay in his coming to the prayer. Bhagavan commented, “Yes. For

enlightened people, will there not be that much of premonition? They will

know, but will not tell others.”

 

Source: Letters from and Recollections of Sri Ramanasramam Book