perfection itself

When we did not have sufficient rice, we used to go and collect different kinds of greens. When we were cleaning them, Sri Bhagavan would talk about the characteristics of each one of them, how one produced heat in the body, another cold, etc.

After cleaning them, we used to put them all in a big vessel and cook them in the way suggested by Sri Bhagavan. He asked us to eat the greens as the main dish and rice as the side dish! It used to taste like nectar.

We don't know how he came to know about the qualities of various greens. It was amazing that he knew so much about making pickles, leaf-plates, garlands, etc. He was perfection itself and there was not anything that he did not know. We used to bring leaves to make leaf-plates. Sri Bhagavan used to stitch them more beautifully than Echammal or her sister and others. He also did the work faster and neater. Everything he did was perfect.

~ Kunjuswami, Living with the Master

like a Mother, Our Beloved

The residents of Palakothu used to return to Palakothu from the Ashram every day around 11 am. Sri Bhagavan used to come to Palakothu around 11:30 am, after finishing his lunch. We used to wait for his darshan there. He would come and ask about our welfare like a Mother. We used to be overjoyed at his kind words.

Every day I used to participate in the Tamil parayana done in his presence. There was hardly a day when I didn't talk to him. When the Ashram expanded and visitors increased, there were occasions when I could not speak to Sri Bhagavan. On those days I would deliberately leave out a line while chanting in his presence. Sri Bhagavan would immediately complete it for me. I used to feel happy that he would talk to me.

If I copied something in my notebook, I would deliberately leave out a line. I knew Sri Bhagavan would make the correction in his own hand. I wanted Sri Bhagavan's handwriting to be in my notebook. I have done this several times. I treasure that notebook.

I wanted to paste a picture of Arunachala hill in the notebook. I could not get it. Sri Bhagavan came to know of this and drew a picture of Arunachala. I consider it as an act of Grace. It is this picture that appears in the Mountain Path.

~ Kunjuswami, Living with the Master, Reminiscences by Kunjuswami

the echo you hear from your heart

A few days after my return to the Ashram, I told Sri Bhagavan of what had happened at Periayur. I said, "People from our Ashram are asked a number of questions on Vedanta when they visit mutts. It will be a reflection on the Ashram if we can't answer such questions. So I asked Krishnananda of Tirukoilur to teach me Vedanta. He said he would teach me as fast as possible in the traditional way if I went to Tirukoilur. I am planning to go to Tirukoilur".

Sri Bhagavan laughed and said, "Now you want to study Vedanta; later Siddhanta, Sanskrit, Disputations, etc., etc. If you learn how to be in your Self, that amounts to learning everything. What Vedanta did I study? If you are in the Self, the echo you hear from your heart will be in tune with everything. That is what is called the 'Divine Voice'."

Immediately I lost all interest in studying Vedanta. I have been able to answer questions by listening to the Voice within. This is due to Sri Bhagavan's Grace.

Sri Bhagavan has said in Atma Vidya:

When you haven't understood yourself,
What's the point of understanding other things?
When you have understood yourself,
What else is there to understand?

~ from Living with the Master, Reminiscences by Kunjuswami

Merge the mind in the heart

Kunjuswami came to Bhagavan in January of 1920, and remained until Bhagavan's mahasamadhi in 1950. Because the plague had come to Tiruvannamalai, no one was supposed to get off the train there, but through Bhagavan's grace, Kunjuswami was able to find his way to Skandashram.

Soon Kunjuswami was left alone with Bhagavan. Here he recounts part of their conversation:

"When I asked him how to realise the Self, he said I should first know who I am. When asked how I could find out who I am, he said, "Find out where thoughts start from." When asked how I should do it, he said, "Turn inward and merge the mind in the heart." After saying this, he fell into his natural silence. Thinking I should also be like him, I sat in silence. Sri Bhagavan's gracious looks were on me. My mental agitation vanished that very moment and I attained a peace and joy that I had not experienced earlier." (quotation from Living with the Master, Reminiscences by Kunjuswami)