Shri Ramana Maharshi and Devotee from Maharashtra

Bhaurao Athavale was a Maharashtrian and before he had the first darshan of Bhagavan Ramana in 1922, he used to visit Alandi near Pune, to have darshan of the samadhi of Janeshwar. The family also had held one yogi, Swami Narasimha Saraswathy, as the family guru. This guru was no longer in body.

Athavale further writes:-

Even though the Swami left this world and was enshrined in samadhi before by birth, that many devotees had the good luck to have his darshan even after his nirvana, made me ardently feel that I should have his darshan in flesh and blood and I used to pray so to him for many years. In spite of many happy incidents of grace in our family, my yearning for his darshan remained unsatisfied, though I was insistent on it. I was not even satisfied with his darshan in a dream and so continued to pray for the same off and on.

From 1939 to 1942, I suffered from sciatica due to over exertion in my engineering work and became very weak. As I did not like, in this sstate, to be a burden to my old father, I went to Vai, a sacred place on the bank of Krishna, about 70 kms from Pune, rather dejected about my health. Still I used to pray to the Swami of Alandi to give me darshan.

After some months of disappointment, I changed my prayer to the Swami Narasimha Saraswathy that I should at least have a darshan of a great Mahatma like the Swami before my death.

In February 1942, I had a dream where there was a Cave in a Hill and a Master, about 22 years old, was sitting there, with some disciples with matted locks.

After this only distant friend of mine, who had been returning to Maharashtra after a visit to Rameswaram and other south Indian temples came and told me that he met a great Siddha Purusha in a small town called Tiruvannamalai, in Madras Province.

I immediately grew restless and started in that very condition by rail to Tiruvannamalai via Madras and reached that holy place on the third morning at dawn.

As I approached the Hall at 6 am, the driver of the bullock cart who took me inside, showed me Bhagavan Ramana. As I prostrated before Him, He asked kindly: "Are you coming from Pune? You seem to be quite exhausted..." I was wonderstruck, since I had not informed anyone in the Asramam about my coming. Nevertheless, all arrangements for my stay had been arranged by the Asramam manager.

In the afternoon, when I sat before Him, He kindly enquired about my health. I immediately told him about my health and my life story and my desire to have the darshan of Swami Narasimha Saraswathy etc., etc., I also handed over a photograph of Narasimha Saraswathy to Him. He smiled and indicated His divine intimacy with the Swami.

He then graciously said to me: You can stay here in peace. You disease is not incurable. He quoted a verse from Srimad Bhagavad Gita (II.14): O Son of Kunti, the contacts between the senses and objects, which give rise to the feelings of heat and cold, pleasure and pain etc., are all transitory and fleeting. Bear with them, O Arjuna.

I felt exteremely relieved. In three months, I was completely relieved from my sciatica which is only due to His Grace.

~ Arunachala's Ramana, Boundless Ocean of Grace, Volume 6. Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai.

Arunachala Siva.