Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

Yesterday she was in the last throes of death. Though she
was suffering like that since morning, she did not breathe
her last till 5 p.m. Bhagavan got up at 4-45 p.m. to go behind
the Gosala as usual.

While returning, he turned towards the place where that
cow was, stopped at the shed constructed for the calves and
watched for a while her agony. As Bhagavan is the embodiment
of kindness, it is natural that his heart should melt with pity. He
favoured the cow with a look of deliverance from bondage,
came back and sat as usual on the sofa.

After his benign look fell upon her, the jiva remained
in the body for only five minutes. It was waiting and waiting
for his benevolent look and as soon as that was obtained, it
left the body. It is said that if a person can think of God at
the time of death, that person gets freed from bondage. How
fortunate should that cow be that she could get freed from
bondage at the time of her death by Bhagavan’s holy and
benevolent look! Bhagavan told us several times that though
several animals suffered for days together, it never used to
occur to him to look at them and that in some cases, it
suddenly occurred to him to look at them in their agonies of
death. He added that in such cases, the animals pass away
peacefully immediately after. I have just seen an instance of
this.