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96 A Sadhu's Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi found by Bhagavan on the ground when he was going round the Hill. They were more than a foot in diameter.
One day Bhagavan set off in search of this spot. At length he found it and saw the tree in the distance, which he described as enormous. But the place was surrounded by a thick and impenetrable hedge of thorns, and this prevented his further approach. When he did try to push his way through, he disturbed a hornets’ nest, so that the enraged hornets violently attacked his leg and thigh. He did not move until they had expended their anger upon him as punishment for the harm he had done. He never moved forward as he now realized that he was not meant to proceed further. With regard to the hornets, he was most apologetic, as he said that he had had no right to disturb their nest so carelessly. So considerate was he.
In 1942 or 1943, a large party of devotees set out one morning in search of this place. Bhagavan had warned them that it would be useless, but they slipped away one by one, not telling where they were going and paying no heed to his admonition. The party was led by Kunju Swamy. They wandered about for a long time and became entirely lost in one of the valleys of the Hill from which they could find no way out, but just turned in circles, coming back again and again to the point where they had started, until they were utterly exhausted and prayed for help. At this point an old countryman appeared to whom they explained their plight. In ten minutes he had put them on the right road for which
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