Resplendent Ramana

Chapter 18

18. Resplendent Ramana

Sri Ramaswami Pillai narrated this moving incident:

“Miracles did take place in the presence of Sri Bhagavan. Strangely people like me, very close to Sri Bhagavan, never cared to notice anything happening, as we were all so thoroughly absorbed in Him, in His Presence!

“However, I am able to recollect a ‘miracle’ that took place. But, please don’t expect a display of spectacular siddhi. Yet, for me, this happening was a perfect siddhi, spontaneously performed by Bhagavan.

“A person from a town near Tiruvannamalai lost the sight of both eyes owing to small pox or severe fever. He was advised that if he went to Sri Ramanasramam, Ramana Maharshi would give him back his eyesight. With an assistant he arrived at the Ashram and was enquiring his way to Sri Bhagavan’s Hall.

“A few days back two young doctors had arrived for darshan of Bhagavan. They were totally captivated by Him. They were about to leave for Madras in their car. They had taken leave of Him and had just gone up to their car when they had an urge to have one more glimpse of Sri Bhagavan and so returned to the Old Hall. Meanwhile the blind man had entered the Hall and was praying to Sri Bhagavan that his eyesight be somehow restored by His Grace. Bhagavan was listening to everything, but kept absolutely silent. The doctors who had witnessed this, voluntarily offered to take the blind man in their car to Madras and treat him. So the blind man went with them eventually to Madras.

“After some months when I was one day in Bhagavan’s Hall a man came and prostrated to Him. He happily expressed great gratitude to Bhagavan for having restored his sight in one eye. The doctors, so he reported, took special care of him and did their best but could restore sight only in one eye. Bhagavan, again, listened to him unmoved, as if He had nothing to do with it!

“This is the natural way Bhagavan performed miracles. Rather, in His Presence plenty of miracles occurred daily, but who cared to pay any attention to siddhis, which, after all, are only fleeting experiences?”