SRI RAMANA

---

Major A.W. Chadwick (Sadhu Arunachala)

The author was a well-known and ardent devotee of
Sri Bhagavan, who stayed at the Ashram for over a quarter
of a century without any thought of return to England. He
used to spend many hours in meditation adhering strictly to
a regular time-table. He was a model of steadfast sadhana
which he kept up after Bhagavan's Mahasamadhi till the
end of his life in 1962.

RAMANA MAHARSHI WAS UNIQUE in that he was an
out and out advaitin. There were no half-measures with
him. Now to be an advaitin of this description is extremely
difficult. While for most of us, it is all intellectual gymnastics,
for him it was his life. At the early age of sixteen he had realized
the Self, and had never swerved from it or come down to a
lower function ever after. When he was asked about his
movements in the temple and his period of mounam, if his
state had not become more stabilized as a result of this sadhana ^[?]
he emphatically stated that, "No change had occurred, nothing
new since then had ever happened. It's the same now as then."

But for himself he saw nothing wonderful in it. It was the
natural state and it was really strange that others should find
any difficulty in realising or being it themselves. "You are the
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Self ", he repeatedly said, "nothing but the Self. How can you
be anything else? There are not and cannot be two selves, one
to know the other. Just be yourself!"

Put like this, of course, it sounds easy but experience teaches
us another tale. Every word is true, but vasanas ^[?]are so persistent
and desires of such long standing that they get in the way and
prevent the pure vision. Habits are deep within us and refuse to
be rooted out.

Countless are the number of existences lived in the past
with which we have been associated. Just to sit quiet and forget
them even for a moment seems impossible. Rather does it seem
to cause those long forgotten existences to bubble up and fill
the mind with their inanities.

Yet sitting in his presence the thing became so transparent
that one was convinced for the time being, that all troubles
were ended, and one was forced back on oneself in spite of all
obstacles. And this was the wonder of his presence.

It was not in the few words he set on paper or the verbal
instructions he gave to sincere enquirers that his real teaching
lay but in his silent presence. Then questions would drop away
unasked, difficulties of meditation vanished and the mind
became still. It was unbelievable how easy it suddenly became.

Not only the effect of his presence but the shining example
of himself, left indelible marks on those who had the good fortune
to spend some time with him. There was no use in saying it could
not be done. Here was one who had done it. One might tell oneself
that the state could be nothing but one of blankness and convince
oneself that it was not to be desired but here was he, exhaling bliss
which overflowed out of its superabundance to even the meanest
of us sitting there with him. It was marvellous! Was there ever
another like him? What silent power! And what a fountain of hope!

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