Description

Scattered throughout the religious scriptures of India, parables and stories abound, weaving a colorful thread around the most profound spiritual truths of mankind. Handed down from parent to child, these religious treasures of India remain a relevant force today. In Sri Ramana’s own words the beauty and wisdom contained in such stories are made ever more beautiful and the essence made even clearer.

Sri Bhagavan would not only tell the story but would act out the part to the delight of his devotees. If the story was particularly moving, tears would flow freely from his eyes. “Such was the attraction of these stories”, Kunju Swami related, “that when we heard Sri Bhagavan beginning a story, even if we had heard it numerous times before, we would literally stop whatever we were doing and run to his side to hear it again!” S. S. Cohen in Guru Ramana relates, “Bhagavan was reciting from memory a poem of a Vaishnava Saint, in which occurred the words, ‘Fold me in Thy embrace, O Lord’, whereupon the arms of Bhagavan joined in a circle round the vacant air in front of him, while his eyes shone with devotional fervour and his voice shook with stifled sobs which did not escape our notice. It was fascinating to see him acting the parts he related, and being in such exhilarated moods as these.” On another occasion while Bhagavan was reading and explaining a story about Tara Vilasam his eyes became full of tears and his voice became tremulous. It looked as if the whole drama was being enacted in his presence. Noticing this Suri Nagamma remarked, “Bhagavan appears to have been transformed into Tara herself.” Pulling himself together the master said with a smile, “What to do? I identify myself with whosoever is before me, I have no separate identity. I am universal.”