Some Stories from Bhagavan's Life

"There's No Use of having Devotion, Respect, Love for Me Alone Without Having It for Others As Well" -------------------------------------------------------------- In 1944, I stayed in the Ashram for one week. One Monday at lunch time I heard the attendant telling Bhagavan, "Tonight we are all having puri". (a dish deep fried from wheat flour)  Bhagavan said calmly,  "Okay, but there should only be rice on my leaf ". We all sat for dinner at 7.30pm. I sat next to Bhagavan. There's a rule in the ashram. Bhagavan should be served only after all are served. That day Bhagavan was uncommonly serious. After serving everyone the server came to Bhagavan.  Bhagavan said in a loud voice  "put rice".  The server was standing there trembling. Chinnaswamy was standing far away with a pained countenance. "Doesn't Bhagavan eat puri?", I asked. "Um, the doctor said wheat is not good for this body", he said.  "Doctor Nambiar u

Building works, part 14 As the cowshed was nearing completion (Chinnaswami) came up to me and said, 'This building will be a success because of Bhagavan's plan. It is only because of his grace that we have been able to finance it. Now I believe you.'  Bhagavan often came to the cowshed to give instructions and to see what progress had been made. He even used to visit the site during the night.  Once, as we were supervising the work together, Bhagavan told me, 'If you build this cowshed for Lakshmi, we will get all the necessary punya [merit accumulated from performing virtuous acts] to build a bookstore, a dining room, and a shrine for the Mother. All this will happen in due course. This area will eventually become a town.'  Lakshmi herself often came to see how we were progressing with her new home. If Bhagavan were there he would often pat her on the head and say, 'You must wait for a few more days. The work isn't finished yet.'  In those days Lakshmi

When Masthan Swami became ill, he moved from his village to another village because he did not want to give anyone trouble. Rarely did Bhagavan go out of his way for anybody, but in this case Bhagavan called Desurammal and said, "Wherever Masthan Swami goes, be with him and look after him."  I have rarely heard of Bhagavan giving this kind of instruction for the sake of any other devotee. Masthan Swami's last days were very beautiful. After he dropped his body, Desurammal came to Bhagavan and narrated, "Bhagavan, in his last days we thought he was in delirium. He was saying, 'Nandi has descended and Siva's celestial devotees, the bhutaganas, are dancing, saying, 'Masthan! Come, come, come to us.'"  She continued, "Perhaps, he was blabbering in his delirium. But Bhagavan, in his last moment he stood up. It was absolutely impossible for him to stand up in that state. He stood up and then with tears in his eyes said, 'Apeethakuchambal has c

Sambasiva Rao was the eldest brother of a large family who came from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. All of them were devoted to Bhagavan. They were introduced to Bhagavan shortly after their father, Venkatachalamaiah Garu, passed away. A few days later his wife had a dream in which her late husband appeared in their puja room. He was worshipping the gods there along with someone she had never seen before.  Venkatachalamaiah Garu spoke to her and said, 'I am going away now. I am leaving my entire family in this man's charge.'  It was not until much later that his wife identified the other man in the dream as Bhagavan.  It was the third brother, Satyanarayana Rao, who was the main cause of the rest of the family coming into contact with Bhagavan. When he was employed as a schoolteacher in Vellore, he became acquainted with Pranavanandam Garu, a great bhakta of Bhagavan. Since Vellore was only about fifty miles from Ramanasramam, he visited regularly and soon became a devotee.  Sa

TRYING TO ESCAPE I was very happy to have found such a great Guru as Bhagavan As soon as I saw him I felt that I was looking at God Himself However, initially, I was not very. impressed either by the ashram or by the devotees who had gathered around him. The management seemed to be very autocratic and most of the devotees didn't seem to have much interest in the spiritual life. So far as I could see, they were primarily interested in gossiping. These early impressions disturbed me.  I thought to myself: 'Bhagavan is very great. But if I live in the company of these people I may lose the devotion that I have.'  I came to the conclusion that it would not be spiritually beneficial for me to associate with people who didn't "seem to have much devotion. I know now that this was a very arrogant attitude, but those were my true feelings at the time. These thoughts disturbed me so much that for three or four nights I was unable to sleep. I finally came to the conclusion th

THE GURU IS EASWARA Bhagavan's childhood friend Vilacheri Ranga iyer once wrote to Bhagavan to say that he was going to Kumbakonam with his family, to participate in the Mahamaham ritual (a holy dip in the sacred tank which is done once every twelve years.)  Ranga iyer went to Kumbakonam as planned, but on the day of the festival, he suddenly decided to come to Skandasram. Seeing him and his family, Bhagavan exclaimed, "What is this, Ranga! You said you are going to Kumabakonam, but you are here! Why did you change your plans?" Rangaiyer replied, "This place is more sacred to me than Kumbakonam. I feel that the Lord who is here is even greater than the Lord in Kumbakonam."  Bhagavan did not say anything. On the day of his departure, Ranga iyer came to take leave of Bhagavan. He stood in front of Bhagavan with tears in his eyes, unable to tear himself away from his beloved Master. Bhagavan looked at him and, in the gentlest, most compassionate