Sadhus Reminiscences of Raman Maharshi

Author(s): Arunachal Sadhu
Publisher: Ramanasramam Tiruvannamalai

Page 91

A Sadhu's Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi
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sympathise, and in certain cases even offer advice and help them in any way possible. Once he unexpectedly came to visit me when I was lying sick in my room. He had been to Devaraja's place so as to be the first to enter a new room he had just built and was told that I was unwell and would be delighted if he paid me a surprise visit. He immediately complied. Therefore the mystery of his behaviour in the case of mad people becomes all the greater. He was sympathetic by nature to one and all, so this one exception remains somewhat of a riddle.
Many people consider it most auspicious to handle anything that their Guru has touched intimately. Old ladies would wait outside the bathroom to sip the water running from Bhagavan's bath, or the water on the ground left after he had washed his feet on returning from a stroll. So it was considered especially blessed to eat from a leaf that Bhagavan had already used for his meal. But Bhagavan himself was dead against such things and did his best to discourage them. It was the habit in the Ashram for each person to remove his own leaf after he had eaten, with, of course, the exception of Bhagavan. But one of the attendants was responsible to see that this was thrown away without anybody being allowed to get hold of it. I know for a fact that if the attendant had not already had his own meal he would have it served on Bhagavan's leaf; but Bhagavan was not aware of this or there would have been trouble.
One day Bhagavan noticed a young girl hanging round and watching him eating. She was obviously waiting for something. Eventually he asked the doting parents,