Ramana Maharshi was reluctant for usage of electric fan

October 27, 2009

4th June, 1949Yesterday evening, by the time Bhagavan went out and came back, some of the modern civilised devotees switched on all the fans in the new hall and sat there comfortably, awaiting Bhagavan’s return.

As soon as he came, he looked up and while sitting on the couch, asked the attendants as to who had switched on all the fans. Pointing to the people sitting there,they said, “They wanted us to do so and we have done it.” “I see.

What a great thing you have done! If they were feeling so very sultry it would have been sufficient if only those fans where they are sitting had been switched on. Why all this?” asked Bhagavan. “They said that it would be very pleasant if all the fans were switched on,” said the attendants. “Is that so? What an amount of electric power will be consumed by these fans! What a costly bill! Why this expense on our account? Enough, enough. Stop that,” said Bhagavan.

“They are asking that they may be kept on until at least the Veda Parayana is over,” said Krishnaswami. “Oh! Is that so? They are rich people and so in their houses they can sit down with fans whose use may cost ten times more than this. Why should we have this?

Why this show? The hand fan is there and the hands are there. Stop them all,” said Bhagavan. At that, the attendants switched off all the fans except the one above those people.During the early days of my stay here, i.e. in 1941-42,someone brought an electric fan and requested that it be used by Bhagavan.

“Why this fan? The ordinary fan is there. We have hands. I will fan myself with it whenever necessary. Why do I require all these things?” said Bhagavan. “Is it not some trouble? If the electric fan is used there is no trouble whatsoever,” said that devotee. “What is the trouble? If the ordinary fan is used we get just as much breeze as we want.

The electric fan blows too much breeze and with a whizzing noise. Moreover, some electric current is consumed. For that,there will be a bill. Why should we make the office bear that expense on our account?” said Bhagavan.

“We have got it here, Swami, with the permission of the office,” said the devotee. “Oh, is that so? Then let them have the fan for themselves. They are people who work and it is necessary for them. Why should I need it?” said Bhagavan. The devotee did not say anything further but went away, leaving the fan

there.As it was a table fan, it was kept near Bhagavan’s sofa and it used to be switched on by someone nearby whenever it was sultry.Bhagavan would immediately say, “It is only because of such things I had said you should not keep it here at all. If you want a fan you can keep it near yourselves.”

And if nobody stopped it he used to stop it himself with the aid of a small stick.Source: Letters from Sri Ramanasramam VOLUMES I, II & Letters from and Recollections of Sri Ramanasramam By SURI NAGAMMA Translated by D. S. SASTRI

-- Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya

Prasanth JalasutramLove And Love Alone