This chapter is taken from The Silent Power – Selections from The Mountain Path and The Call Divine
It is common to see people flock to those who exhibit occult powers and perform miracles like curing ailments, floating on water, sitting buried under earth etc. but Self- realisation and miracle mongering are poles apart. The jnani does not care for miracles. To the jnani the control of the senses leading to realisation of the Self is the only aim. This is really the greatest miracle, and to achieve it is the jnani’s goal.
The great jnani that he was, Bhagavan Sri Ramana always revelled in the natural state of supreme bliss. He did not wish to perform miracles. In fact, he warned people against it. This does not mean that he had no powers. He had them in abundance, as witnessed by many, only Bhagavan never liked to exhibit them.
He behaved as any ordinary man would. Regarding the manifestation of powers seen by devotees, it might be due to his infinite compassion that the miracles happened and he might not have been particularly intent on them.
One evening, while I was sitting outside Sri Bhagavan’s hall, just in his view, suddenly I noticed an expressive gesture in his face as he leaned forward from his reclining position. It looked as though he was calling me to say something. I was impelled to respond to the gesture by getting up and going near him but he did not tell me anything. I resumed my seat only to find, in a couple of minutes, another jerk and a similar expressive movement in him as before. This time also I was stirred and when I went nearer there was no further indication. I took my seat again but now became restless. I could not resist the urge to leave the place at once with the expectation of some urgent matter demanding my presence. I prostrated to Sri Bhagavan and I left the hall without a word.
A major train accident had happened at my headquarters station about nine miles off. I had been forewarned by Bhagavan in a strange manner as recorded above and due to his grace, I was free from the blame of not being on the spot in the emergency. Obviously Bhagavan’s warning was quite in advance of the actual happening. The way he did it is most noteworthy. There was no public demonstration or publicity. An act of grace to a devotee, in his own unique way and with no means of others knowing that a miracle was actually performed. This is typical of our Bhagavan.