Story of Swami Ramdas and the Maharshi

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> The following is a beautiful story.

>

> The Mountain Path

> Vol. 2 - JANUARY 1965 - No. 1

>

> How I Came to The Maharshi - V

> By Swami Ramdas

>

> In his early autobiography, In Quest of God, (published by

> Anandashram,

> Kanhangad) Swami Ramdas (for an article on whom see our

> issue of January

> 1964) describes how he attained the Divine Vision through

> the Grace of the

> Maharshi. Years later he told this story to Dilip Kumar Roy

> who reproduced

> it in his latest book, The Flute Calls Still (published by

> Indira Niloy,

> Hari Krishna Mandir, Poona, and reviewed in our issue of

> October 1964).

> Since some parts of the story are more detailed in one

> account and some in

> the other, we have here combined them. We are grateful to

> both ashrams for

> permission to quote from their

> publications.

>

>

> " Papa, " I said, " would you mind telling us about your

> final Realization

> which they call 'Vishvarupa Darshan'? "

>

>

> He readily acquiesced and gave a long description of his

> burning aspiration

> and yearning which had led him to Arunachala Hill, hallowed

> by the tapas of

> the peerless saint Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. I can give

> here only the gist

> of his long narration ....

>

>

> One day the kind Sadhuram took Ramdas for the darshan of a

> famous saint of

> the place named Sri Ramana Maharshi. His Ashram was at the

> foot of

> Arunachala. It was a thatched shed. Both the visitors

> entered the ashram

> and, meeting the saint, fell prostrate at his holy feet. It

> was really a

> blessed place where that great man lived. He was young but

> there was on his

> face a calmness and in his large eyes a passionless look of

> tenderness which

> cast a spell of peace and joy on all those who came to him.

> Ramdas was

> informed

> that the saint knew English, so he addressed him thus:

> " Maharaj,

> here stands before thee a humble slave. Have pity on him.

> His only prayer to

> thee is to give him thy blessing. "

>

>

> The Maharshi turned his beautiful eyes towards Ramdas and

> looked intently

> for a few minutes into his eyes as though he was pouring

> into Ramdas his

> blessing through those orbs, then shook his head to say he

> had blessed. A

> thrill of inexpressible joy coursed through the frame of

> Ramdas, his whole

> body quivering, like a leaf in the breeze ....

>

>

> Now at the prompting of Ram, Ramdas desired to remain in

> solitude for some

> time ... The sadhuram was ever ready to fulfil his wishes.

> Losing no time,

> he took Ramdas up the mountain behind the great temple.

> Climbing high up he

> showed him many caves. Of these, one small cave was

> selected for Ramdas,

> which he occupied next day. In this cave he lived for

> nearly a month in deep

> meditation of

> Ram. This was the first time he was taken by Ram into

> solitude

> for his bhajan. Now he felt most blissful sensations since

> he could hold

> undisturbed communion with Ram. He was actually rolling in

> a sea of

> indescribable happiness. To fix the mind on that fountain

> of bliss, Ram,

> means, to experience pure joy ... He went on taking the

> Name in an ecstasy

> of longing when, lo, suddenly his Lord Rama ... appeared

> before him and

> danced and danced ...

>

>

> " Did you see him with closed eyes or open? " I interjected,

>

>

> " With open eyes, as Ramdas is seeing you, " Papa answered.

> " But it was not

> this momentary vision that Ramdas's heart craved. For he

> knew that a vision

> like this, was unlikely to last and so, when the Lord would

> vanish, Ramdas

> would revert to his darkness. Therefore he prayed for the

> great darshan, the

> Vision of visions, which comes to stay for ever so there is

> no more parting,

> namely the Vishvarupa

> Darshan, longing to see Rama always in everything;

> that is nothing less would satisfy Ramdas. "

>

>

> Papa paused and then resumed with a beatific smile: " And it

> came one morning

> apocalyptically - when, lo, the entire landscape changed:

> All was Rama,

> nothing but Rama - wherever Ramdas looked! Everything was

> ensouled by Rama -

> vivid, marvellous, rapturous - the trees, the shrubs, the

> ants, the cows,

> the cats, the dogs - even inanimate things pulsated with

> the marvellous

> presence of the one Rama. And Ramdas danced in joy, like a

> boy who, when

> given a lovely present, can't help breaking out into a

> dance. And so it was

> with Ramdas: he danced with joy and rushed at a tree in

> front, which he

> embraced because it was not a tree but Rama Himself! A man

> was passing by,

> Ramdas ran towards him and embraced him, calling out:

> 'Rama, O Rama!' The

> man got scared and bolted. But Ramdas gave him chase and

> dragged him back to

> his

> cave. The man noted that Ramdas had not a tooth in his

> head and so felt

> a little reassured: at least the loony would not be able to

> bite him! " He

> laughed out and we swelled the chorus.

>

>

> " And then? " I asked, after the laughter had subsided.

>

>

> " The bliss and joy came to be permanent, like a torrent

> rushing downhill

> till it finds a placid level of limpid purling stream. This

> experience is

> called sahaja samadhi, in which you can never be cut off

> from the

> consciousness of being at one with the One who has become

> all, in which you

> feel you are one with all because you have perceived that

> all is He, the

> One-without-a-second. "

>

>

> Finally we end with a comment made by Swami Ramdas - In

> 'Vision', the

> monthly journal published by Anandashram, about forty years

> later.

>

>

> Ramdas went to Ramana Maharshi in a state of complete

> obliviousness of the

> world. He felt thrills of ecstasy in his presence. The

> Maharshi made the

> awakening permanent in Ramdas.

>

>

> Some people told Ramdas: " You went to Maharshi and you got

> illumination.

> Give us illumination like that. " Ramdas said, You must come

> to Ramdas in the

> same spirit and in the same state as he went to Maharshi.

> Then you will also

> get it. Where was his heart? How intense was his longing?

> What was the world

> to him at that time ? If you come in that state it is all

> right. "