Silence

...“WHEN THE OCEAN IS SURGING AND CARRYING AWAY …”

The hall was full of silence, serenity and peace. About twenty people sat on the ground, apparently in deep meditation. When the bell rang for midday meal, the Maharshi invited us all with a nod of his head and we followed him to the dining hall.

Next morning, I sat facing the Maharshi. A government officer accompanied by his retinue entered the hall and at once started telling Bhagavan how corrupt the government servants were, how they abused and misused their positions, how he had been entrusted with the task of cleaning up the government machinery and in his anxiety to make a success of himself, he had lost his peace of mind and had come to Bhagavan to make him calm and contented. It was clear that he thought of himself to be a very important person whose request must be promptly met. After he had finished his long oration, he looked expectantly at Bhagavan as if saying, ‘Now it is your turn to show what you can do.’

Bhagavan did not even look at him. The clock was striking hours, but Bhagavan was completely silent. The officer lost patience, got up and said, “You are silent, Bhagavan. Does it mean that you want me to be silent too?” “Yes, yes”, said Bhagavan, and that was all.

One day, all the delegates to the conference for which I had come to Tiruvannamalai, went in a body to the Ashram. The president of the conference said, “Bhagavan, we are all social workers and disciples of Mahatma Gandhi. We have sworn to devote ourselves to work for the removal of untouchability. Be gracious to tell your view on the subject.”

Again there was no reply. One could not even make out whether he had heard the question. Time was passing. The delegates were getting tired of sitting quietly. When the situation grew embarrassing, Yagnanarayana Iyer, principal of Pachayappa College, Madras, got up and said, “Bhagavan our question concerns worldly life. Perhaps it was improper to put it to you. Kindly forgive us.”

“There is nothing to forgive”, said Bhagavan quite readily and with a bright smile. “When the ocean is surging and carrying away everything before it, who cares what are your views or mine?” The delegates could not find much sense in the answer. Only the great events years later gave meaning to it.

Face to Face with Sri Ramana Maharshi p 381.