This Chapter is Taken from The Book “Glimpses of The Life and Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi” described by Frank H. Humphreys.
A man was sent to find out if Sastriar was a seditionary. He found him in a cave, sitting in meditation. The man was in disguise, and said he revered Sastriar and wished to become his chela. Sastriar received the visitor with kindness and put him a few questions. The man had been primed and answered readily. Thus they sat for some little while and Sastriar fell again into meditation.
The man had come straight on his mission, so there was no means by which Sastriar could have received news of his coming. He had put Sastriar no questions and had merely posed as a prospective chela.
Then Sastriar said, “You come from such and such a town; you want to find out if I am a seditionary. Why did you tell me untruths?” The man owned up, and eventually became Sastriar’s chela.
Sastriar has twelve special chelas. To each he has entrusted the subject he is best fitted to expound. On one occasion he enumerated the subjects to a chela, asking him to choose. This the chela did. On looking up, he detected a quiet smile on the Master’s face, which told him that he knew beforehand which it would be.
Another time Sastriar said, “England, France, Germany, Italy, America — I go everywhere.” Such things are said simply, without a suspicion of boasting, as mere statements of fact.
Sastriar was asked: Could a man remain in perpetual meditation? Could he keep his eyes open so long? Sastriar said “Yes”. Then he was watched day and night for a week, during which time he never closed his eyes. If you look at the Maharshi’s photo, you will see that the eyes are open. Yet he is sunk in deep meditation and oblivious to all in the outer world. Those who have slept in the cave with the Maharshi, say that practically he never sleeps at all.