MERCIES OF BHAGAVAN

By Dr. S. Siva

HE came into my life when I was at a tender age. In 1938 1
accompanied my parents to Ramanasramam. I remember
sitting in the old meditation hall watching Bhagavan. The
hall was crowded with people. Restlessly I waited to go
outside to play with the peacocks and roam the Ashram
grounds.

After our return home I began worshipping Bhagavan as
God. I had seen this God with my own eyes and it was easier
to visualise his form than God in other forms.

Some years later I was sent to live in the home of an ardent
devotee of Bhagavan. He was a shining example of a true
bhakta ^[?] and all around him were drawn closer to Bhagavan.

When Bhagavan shed his body I thought he had left us
forever. Many years were to pass by before I felt his presence
once more. Worldly activities turned me away from him time
and again, but mercifully I would always return to his lotus
feet. Like a ship lost at sea, seeking a lighthouse to guide it
safely to port, I would seek him in troubled moments and let
him carry me to safety.

Then, during one especially difficult period of my life, I
surrendered totally to him. I began for the first time to study
his teachings in earnest. All doubts and problems began to
fade. I visited his Ashram again after a lapse of thirty years.
Nothing had changed; Bhagavan's presence was felt
everywhere. I had finally come home.

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