Arunachala Shiva

Ramana Maharshi says in one of his stotras about Arunachala (Shiva): "I gave "me", and I got YOU in return, so who of us is the intelligent one?"

Om Namah Shivaya!

Be with us always

A lady devotee prayed to Bhagavan, "My only desire is that you may always be with us".

Bhagavan exclaimed, "Look at her, she wants us all to turn into stones, so that we may sit here forever"

-- Recounted by Chalam

Bhagavan's gift to Subrahmanyam

One full moon day the ladies worshipped Bhagavan, chanting His holy name most movingly. Arati was offered. Bhagavan took kumkum from the plate and applied it to his forehead. On that day He was truly a sight for Gods to see.
Before returning I purchased a copy of 'Upadesha Saram' and requested Him to write something in it. He slowly wrote 'OM' as a sculptor seeking perfection would use his chisel. He humorously told me:
You can now show it to everyone. See, the great Ramana Maharshi has written it specially for me.
-- Subrahmanyam, 1935 (UY, p124)

"I am also Bhagavan"

... I (Annamalai Swamy) had tried to give Bhagavan some nungus (palmyra fruit). ... When Bhagavan came past, He looked at me suspiciously and asked several times, "Why have you come here?"

After some hesitation, I told Bhagavan, "I came here to cut and give these nungus to Bhagavan." Bhagavan accepted the fruit, but said at the same time, "You should have eaten them yourself, and while you were eating them you should have thought, 'I am also Bhagavan'."

Bhagavan then dug out many of the fruits and with His fingers sucked the juice. Finally after exclaiming, "Appadi*! I cannot carry the stomach", He walked away.

[* expression of contentment]

Oho! You belong to us!

Some people cane from the south for Bhagavan's darshan. Among them was a 5-year old boy. He did namaskar and then approached Bhagavan and looked at Him very lovingly. Bhagavan placed His left hand on the boy's head and asked Him, "What do you want?"

The boy replied firmly, "I don't want anything."

"Oho!", said Bhagavan, "You belong to us."

Then, addressing the people he came with, He added, "If he remains in the "dont wan't" state, everything will come to him".

Bhagavan mistaken for stone image !

23rd November, 1938

Talk 584.

A certain visitor began to pull the pankah (fan). Sri Bhagavan said: "Because it is cold , they have placed fire by my side. Why should the pankah be pulled?"

Then he continued: "On a cold morning, when I was in Virupaksha cave, I was sitting in the open. I was feeling cold. People used to come, see me and go back. A group of Andhra visitors had come. I did not notice what they were doing. They were behind me. Suddenly a noise `tak' - and water over my head! I shivered with cold. I looked back. They had broken a coconut and poured the water on me. They thought that it was worship. They took me for a stone image."

Photo of Bhagavan's statue in Mother's temple taken by author, free to copy/use.
Acalayoga