The Silent Power
When the bondas were served to the devotees at breakfast, as usual, Ramaswami Iyer said to me angrily, “Look here. Did I not ask you to prepare vadai? Then why have you made bondas?” I was afraid to say anything and so merely looked at Sri Bhagavan who immediately turned to Ramaswami Iyer and said, “What does it matter? If the cakes are flat and circular they are vadais, if spherical, bondas. The stuff is the same and the taste is the same. Only names and forms are different. Eat the prasadam (food offered to a deity) and don’t make a fuss.” Everyone was astonished at the ready and apt reply of Sri Bhagavan.
The Silent Power
Sri Sarma compiled a short history of Sri Bhagavan’s life consisting of 120 slokas in Sanskrit, known as Ramana Charitamrutasaram, which Sri Bhagavan graciously perused and corrected. He also composed songs in Tamil and presented them to Sri Bhagavan, who used to correct them only sparingly. Such corrections were not only grammatical in content but also vitally enriched them with spiritual depth. For instance, in the following verse: “Those who are caught in the mouth of a great tiger are certain to die in this world; but all those, caught in the glance (drishti) of the great tiger adorning the slopes of Arunachala, known as great Ramana, get merged with natural ease in the eternal happiness, discarding fear of even the Lord of Death,” Sri Bhagavan put in the word with natural ease ‘(iyal) in the place of daily’ (nidham) of Sri Sarma’s!
The Silent Power
Bhagavan never started to eat before all those who were present were served. The beggars waiting at the gate are even now given their food before inmates and visitors are served. No exception is made to this rule even on crowded occasions like the Jayanthi and the Aradhana. All these instances will show how considerate Bhagavan was to others!
The Silent Power
This is offered as homage to Sri Ramana and as testimony to the truth that all paths lead to the same Peak and that without Grace there is nothing, neither “light” nor “darkness”, neither “regress” nor “progress”; Grace is All.
The Silent Power
While Sri Nagarajan was employed at Sattur from 1955 to 1958 he organised a Ramana Mandali where Bhagavan’s songs like The Marital Garland of Letters were sung and devotees meditated every day. Talks were given periodically at this Mandali — Bhagavan’s Jayanti and Aradhana were also celebrated in a fitting manner. Sri Nagarajan also established a school named Sri Ramana Vidya Mandiram Elementary School at Sattur in memory of Bhagavan.
The Silent Power
Then in 1944 one day I went into the hall. Sri Bhagavan was reading some papers. I sat down and looked at him. Suddenly he put away the papers and turned his luminous eyes on me. I could not stand his gaze so I closed my eyes, tears streaming down my face.When I opened my eyes he was still looking at me. My heart was flooded with joy and an inner calmness! Later I went to see a friend of mine, Sri Munagala Venkataramiah,1 and told him in detail about this occurrence in the hall. He said that I was very fortunate to have received initiation from Sri Bhagavan. There was no doubt about it!
