Ramana Smrti
part 2, Ch.10, The Bhagavan I Know
Voruganti Krishnayya, popularly known as Krishna Bhikshu, is the biographer of Sri Bhagavan in Telugu (Sri Ramana Leela). He is well-versed in traditional lore, and is ever ready to discuss spiritual topics in light of his Master's teachings. A great scholar in Telugu and Sanskrit, his devotion to Sri Bhagavan is whole-hearted.
Once I wrote a poem in praise of Bhagavan and in it I said: "May you be successful in all your future births." Bhagavan heard this and said: "Look at him; is this birth not enough, that he wishes me many more?” People scolded me for writing so disrespectfully. Some said he was a great saint, beyond the need of rebirth; others maintained that he was the son of the great God Shiva Himself, who was never in need of a human body. I cut short the discussion by exclaiming: "Bhagavan will be reborn many times, not because he needs it but because we need him." Bhagavan listened carefully. "Right," he said, and became very quiet. The Hall was filled with power and silence and immense love which was pouring from Bhagavan like a mighty sea.
Somebody asked Bhagavan: "We have met at your feet, all of us. Was it our good luck, or is there a link between us from our previous births?’ Bhagavan: replied in quite a matter of fact way: “Were it not for the old links, how could you all have come here?" Bhagavan gave the same reply to many devotees on other occasions. Those who loved him in their previous births would come to him again in this. However far away they would be born, Bhagavan would pull them to himself.
Invariably they would find their way to him.
Once a visitor started weeping suddenly and cried out that he was a horrible sinner who could not reform himself. He asked Bhagavan if there was any hope for him and declared that Bhagavan was his Guru and as his Master he must save him. On his insistence Bhagavan told him that fees were due to the Master. The man said he would give him all his merit and whatever good he had done. Bhagavan told him that was not enough and demanded his sins too. The man was aghast and refused to offer his sins. But Bhagavan was adamant. He said, “Either give me your sins along with your merits, or keep both and don’t think of me as your Master”. Finally the visitor surrendered and declared that he was giving away all his sins and their results to Ramana. Bhagavan said, “From now on there is no good or bad in you. You are just pure, Go and do nothing, neither good nor bad. Remain yourself, remain what you are”. A great peace fell over the man and over us all. He was never seen in the Ashram again.
This was not an isolated incident. To everyone who deplored his sins Bhagavan said, “What do you know about yourself? What do you know about good and evil except what is in your mind? When you see that the mind invents everything, all will vanish. The good will vanish, the evil will vanish and you will remain as you are”. Thus Bhagavan was most tender with people who thought themselves for some reason or other to be miserable sinners, and went to him torn by repentance.