Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

Bhagavan said: “This body itself is a cart. Another cart for
this cart! A bullock to pull this cart! For a work done like this
(going round the hill), people say, ‘We have done it.’
Everything is like that. People come by train from Madras
and say, ‘We have come’. It is the same thing with the body.

For the self, the body is a cart. The legs do the work of
walking and people say, ‘I walked, I came.’ Where does the
Self go? The Self does not do anything but appropriates to
itself all these acts.” So saying, he enquired, “Did they walk
at least some distance?” I said that they walked up to Gautama
Ashram, doing bhajan, but could not walk further because of
the hot sun. “That is something. They walked at least some
distance,” said Bhagavan.

You know, Vidya is a mischievous child. Ever since she
came she has been asking a lot of questions about Bhagavan.

“Won’t Bhagavan Thatha (grandfather) come anywhere? Why
not?” Not satisfied with my replies, on the 24th she herself
asked Bhagavan why he did not go anywhere. As you are
aware, Bhagavan is very pleased with the words of little
children. Looking at her affectionately, he said, “You want
to take me to your place? That is your idea, isn’t it? That is
all very well but if I go anywhere, all these people will also
come with me and on the way, ever so many people will
invite me to their places. If I don’t go, will they agree to
that? No. They will take me there bodily. From there, some
more people will start. Can you take them all with you? Not
only these people. If I move out, the whole of Arunachala
itself may start. How can you take it away? See, I have been
kept in this jail. Even if you take me away, someone will
catch me on the way and again put me in some other jail.

What can I do? How can I come, tell me? Will all these people
let me go? What do you say?” Vidya could not reply. From
that time onwards, he used to tell people, “This child is
inviting me to her place.”
Yesterday, having heard that the two children were
leaving for their native place that day, and seeing Vidya
standing near the doorway, Bhagavan, while going out at
9-45 a.m., caught hold of her hand and said, “Child! Will
you take me also with you? Tie me up firmly, put me in a
cart and take me away.” Before leaving, Vidya took
Bhagavan’s photos to him and showed them. As soon as he
saw the photos, Bhagavan said, “So you are taking me away.

Tie me firmly and throw me in the cart.” Every one present
felt happy, and Vidya in her great joy, frolicking, began
saying, “Yes, I am taking away Bhagavan Thathayya.”
Who? Where can one go? Which is the cart? Which is
the jail? If the mountains themselves move, how can they be
stopped? All these are problems!