The Blessed Pigeons And Bhagavan Ramana

By Staff

Tuesday, July 21, 2009, 14:49

Ramana Maharshi, Letters from Ramanashram

It is a natural state for the one who is immersed in totality to be accommodative. Bhagavan Ramana, though having left His hearth and home to the call of Arunachala, was flocked by devotees far and wide. The Ramana family is still on its expansion and will ever be, as the Grace and the compassion of the master is irresistible and overwhelming.

Suri Nagamma, in her "Letters from Ramanashram" has recorded her keen observations of the happenings that took place in the Maharshi's presence. A beautiful reference to a pair of pigeons that became a part of the Ramana family is made by her along with the spiritual truths that lay concealed beneath the incident.

One day, a devotee called Venkataswami Naidu, in the year 1945, sometime during the month of September or October offered two pigeons to the ashram. Bhagavan was first hesitant about having them on account of the care involved in raising them. However the devotee said that he would do the necessary arrangements involved in taking care of them. Saying so he placed the pigeons on Bhagavan's lap. Bhagavan addressed them and cajolingly said " Come dear ones come. You will not go back?. Alright then stay here. A cage will be coming soon." Saying so Bhagavan patted the pigeons lovingly and ran His hands from their head to feet. He fixed His gracious eyes on them and it was only too natural for the pigeons to close their eyes due to the divine contact. Suri Nagamma has referred to the state of the pigeons as " like two Yogis being in Samadhi".

Time ticked off and it was almost an hour for the cage to arrive. All the while the pigeons basked in the out pour of Bhagavan's Grace. The cage arrived and Bhagavan endearingly put them in cage. He then recalled the mention of pigeons being in the hierarchy of Gurus as stated in 'Bhagavatham'. Suri Nagamma on her part, has associated the state of the pigeons to Bharatha who after having engaged in arduous spiritual practises was born a deer due to the thought of his pet deer towards the end of his life.

Could the pigeons also be fallen from their spiritual state in their previous birth that they have come to finish off their karma at the feet of Bhagavan? Suri Ngamma reflects thus as per the words of Bhagavan Himself, "Any living being that comes to me, it is only to work out the balance of its karma".

Having come to the fold of Bhagavan is there anything that one needs more? Where can need be when the very one who needs is itself consumed by His divine Grace?