Sadhus Reminiscences of Raman Maharshi

Author(s): Arunachal Sadhu
Publisher: Ramanasramam Tiruvannamalai

Page 43

A Sadhu's Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi 37 Reality, the eternal “I” behind all appearance, suffering? Or is it only an imaginary “I” that has no actual existence which is imagining the suffering?
Again, “To Maharshi the world was a place of suffering and sorrow.” What absolute rubbish! Bhagavan always insisted that there was nothing wrong with the world. All the trouble lay with us.
On reading Somerset Maugham one comes to the conclusion that he has again succeeded as a first class writer of fiction.
Bhagavan was invariably kind to all animals though he did not like cats, or, I believe, mongooses, this was principally because the cats hunted his beloved squirrels or chipmunks. These squirrels used to run in and out of the Hall window, over his couch and even his body. He would feed them with nuts and stroke them, some of them even had names. Their chief ambition seemed to be to make nests behind his pillows so that they might bring up their families under his protection. Snakes and scorpions were never allowed to be killed. Sometimes a snake would drop from the roof of the Hall at night. It was the duty of the attendant to show it out to safety by walking behind it with a lamp, as carried in front it would only dazzle the snake and it would become confused. Madhavan, the best attendant he ever had, who would anticipate Bhagavan's least wish was adept at picking up scorpions by the tail so that they could not sting, and carrying them outside where they could do no harm. For dogs Bhagavan always had a tender spot. One puppy that was born in the Ashram had