Prev Next 21st August, 1946
Yesterday afternoon, I went to the hall a little later than
usual. I believe it was 3 p.m. At the request of the devotees,
Bhagavan was relating some incidents from his life on the
hill. He was telling them how, when he was in Virupaksha
Cave, they had at first a mud pot for bringing food, then an
aluminium vessel, then a brass one, and then a tiffin carrier;
how the vessels accumulated one by one like this and how
the devotees quietly started cooking without heeding his
protests. Bhagavan told us another incident also, with a smile
on his face. “Once, when I was in Virupaksha Cave,
Rangaswami Iyengar, Gambhiram Seshayya, a Vaisya and a
Reddy happened to be there. One day they all felt like
cooking food and started doing so enthusiastically. Every one
of them had the yajnopaveetam (sacred thread), except the
Reddy. ‘Why should he not have it?’ they thought, and put
one on him. That was great fun for all of them and they
enjoyed the feast,” said Bhagavan. Rajagopala Iyer asked,
“Was it while you were there that grandmother came?” “Yes,
she came while we were there, and said that she would cook
food for herself. We told her that she could do so in the
small cave nearby. She agreed and started cooking, and said
to me, ‘Venkatarama, I am cooking today. You should not
therefore take any other food.’ I said ‘Yes’ and after she left,
I ate with the others as usual. It was some distance between
this cave and the other one, and so how could she know?
After she had cooked, I ate that food also. She really thought
I had not eaten anything else except the food she cooked.”
He continued, “We had a grandfather amongst our relatives.
He had the habit of abusing everyone. Even so, everyone
used to invite him so as to enjoy the fun of his abusive
language. That was because he was good-natured and did
not mean ill to anybody. He came to see me while I was in
Virupaksha Cave. Soon after he came, he said jocularly,
‘What, Venkataraman! It seems you have become a big
Swami! Have you grown horns on your head?’ It was when
mother was away in Kasi that all this happened.” It was really
interesting to hear Bhagavan narrating these incidents with
suitable modulations in his voice, and appropriate gestures.
See also:
206. Life on the Hill
(c) Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai