How

I Came to the Maharshi

By Chhaganlal V. Yogi
IT was in the darkest period of my life that I frst heard of Sri Ramana Maharshi. At that time, I
seemed heading swiftly towards scepticism ;the world appeard to me full .of inustice, cruelty, greed
and hate and other e!ils, the e"istence of which logically led me to a strong dis#elief in $od. %or, had
He truly e"isted could anything dark or e!il e!er ha!e &ourished, I 'uestioned. (ou#t upon dou#t
assailed me to lose whate!er re!erence I might ha!e had for sadhus and sanyasins.
)ne day, while tra!elling on an electric train to the o*ice, I suddenly happened to meet a friend who
had spent o!er a decade in +urope and America. I had not met him for 'uite a while and sometimes
used to wonder where he had disappeared to. He said that he had #een to Sri Ramanasramam, and
while trying to descri#e to me his e"perience of the darshan of the Maharshi, he drew out from his
pocket a small packet which he o*ered me. He e"plained that it contained something e"tremely
precious ,, some vibhuti , ashes #rought from the Ashram. He insisted on my accepting it, #ut I was
amused and scornfully wa!ed it aside. He felt insulted. I said
- .ell, if that #e so, to .please you, I will take a pinch of the ashes -. He insisted that Sri Ramana
Maharshi was not one of those / socalled 0 saints, #ut an / authentic 0 Sage, acknowledged all o!er the
world, and ga!e me a #ook, to start with, , Sri Maharshi, #y the late Sri 1amath of Sunday Times.
%rom another friend, I #orrowed a copy of Self Realization. My interest grew e!en without my #eing aware
of it. Something made me write to Sri Ramanasramam for all the literature on the Maharshi a!aila#le
in +nglish. I studied it with great a!idity and found that my outlook on life and the world #egan to
undergo a su#tle transformation ; yet at the #ack of my mind there still lurked the old scepticism,
which would not yield place so easily to the new faith. I argued with myself
that while so many #ooks were wonderful to read, their authors, more often than not, were not
so wonderful to know. It was possi#le for men to teach truths which they could not li!e themsel!es.
.hat then was the use of #ooks 2 I decided to correspond with the Maharshi, which I did for a few
months with more and more fre'uency. Answers to my letters reached me with rare punctuality. 3ut
they hardly ga!e me a glimpse into the nature of the daily life li!ed #y Him. An ine"plica#le desire to
!isit the Asramam and see things for myself #egan to haunt me.
4o fulfl that desire, I paid my frst !isit to Sri Ramanasramam in the 5hristmas of 6789. .hen I
arri!ed at0 the Asramam I met with
terri#le disappointment. 4he Maharshi was erri seated on a couch, as 'uiet as a statue which did not
mo!e or speak. :either did His presence seem to con!ey anything unusual. I was !ery sad when I
noticed how indi*erent towards me His whole attitude was. I had e"pected warmth and intimacy, yet
now, I seemed to stand #efore some#ody who lacked #oth. %rom morning till e!ening,. I sat waiting to
catch a glimpse of His grace, #ut He seemed cold and una*ected. My mind #ecame a !acuum, my
heart nearly #roke in despair. I decided to lea!e that !ery night, more sceptical than #efore. 4he ;eda
<arayana chanted e!ery e!ening in His presence and which many considered the most attracti!e item
in the daily programme of the Asramam, fell &at or, my ears. 4he sun was setting and darkness slowly
crept on the Hill and over my heart. I could not #ear the stu*y atmosphere. I walked out of the Hall
to #reathe fresh air outside.
=ust then a young #oy came up to me and asked me where I had come from. 03om#ay0 I said. And had
I #een introduced to the Master, he asked. I said / :o 0. He was surprised. Immediately he led me to
the o*ice and introduced me to the Sarvadhikari, Sri :irananananda Swami, and proceeded with me to
the Hall, where he introduced me to the Maharshi. .hen the Maharshi heard my name, His eyes
looked straight into mine and twinkled like stars. .ith a smile #eaming with $race, He asked me if I
was a $uarati. I said, I was. Immediately He sent for a copy of the
translation #y Sri 1ishorelal Mashruwala of the / >padesa Sar ', a few copies of which had only ust then
arri!ed. He then asked me to chant the $uarati !erses from the #ook. - I am not a singer -, I said,
and for a moment I hesitated. 3ut soon I got o!er my hesitation and #egan to chant !erses from the
#ook, ffteen of which I had hardly completed when the #ell for the e!ening meal rang. .hile I was
chanting, I could feel Sri 3haga!an keenly o#ser!ing me ; the light of His eyes, as it were, su*used
my consciousness, #ringing a#out a su#tle #ut certain transformation within me. 4he darkness, which
a few moments #efore had seemed hea!y and un#eara#le, gradually lightened and turned into a
warm glow. I felt in my heart an ine"plica#le oy.
I sat at the e!ening meal close to Sri 3haga!an and while I ate e!ery morsel seemed to ha!e an
unusual and ethereal taste. 4his was an actual e"perience, of which I had not had a glimpse either
during the morning ti*in or the lunch at noon. ?iterally I felt that I was sharing some hea!enly meal
in the !ery presence of $od. 4he thought of lea!ing the Asramam that night !anished. I stayed on for
three days longer in order to enoy the e"perience of di!ine grace.
(uring my three days near the Master, 6 found my whole outlook entirely changed. I #egan to see the
folly and the futility of seeing only the dark side of life and of the world.
4he di!ine magician had wrought a miracle and transformed the world for me. It was now full of hope
and oy. His presence on earth was promise of a #etter future for su*ering humanity. %or the frst time
then, I understood the meaning and purpose of Darshan.
.hile I lay in #ed in the guest,room of the Asramam, I recalled the entire scene on the electric train
in 3om#ay. I saw that prasad from the Master was a gift of $race which no wealth could #uy. .hat a
miracle of transformation @ .hy did it take half a lifetime #efore I could meet my Master 2 In the
following years, !isit after !isit seemed to #e miraculously arranged #y the Maharshi who knew my
need to #e close to Him physically from time to time. +!ery succeeding !isit deepened the light and
oy within me