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The following excerpts are from 'A
Sadhu's Reminscences of Ramana Maharshi by Sadhu Arunachala
(A.W. Chadwick), Alan Chadwick, a retired British military officer was one of the first European devotees of Ramana Maharshi. He came to his Guru in November of 1935 and stayed until Ramana's passing in 1950 (April 14, 1950 at 8:47 p.m.). He had the remarkable experience of being intimate with Ramana on a daily basis which gives this book it's unique insight into the day to day life of this great Sage of Inida. Bhagavan was a very beautiful
person; he shone with a visible light or aura. He had the
most delicate hands. I have seen with which along he could
express himself, one might almost say talk. His features
were regular and the wonder of his eyes was famous. His
forehead was high and the dome of his head the highest I
have ever seen. As this in India is know as the dome of
Wisdom it was only natural that it should be so. His body
was well formed and of only medium height, but this was not
apparent as his personality was so dominant that one looked
upon him as tall. He had a great sense of humour and when
talking a smile was never far from his face. He had many
jokes in his repertoire and was a magnificent actor, he
would always dramatize the protagonists of any story he
related. When the recital was very pathetic he would be
filled with emotion and unable to proceed. When people came
to him with the family stoies he would laugh with the happy
and at times shed tears with the bereaved.
Bhagavan always radiated tremendous
peace, but on those occasions when crowds were attracted to
the Ashram such as Jayanthi, Mahapooja, Deepam and such
functions, this increased to an extraordinary degree. The
numbers seemed to call up some reserve of hidden force, and
it was a great experiene to sit with him at such times. His
eyes took on a far-away look and he sat absolutely still as
if unconscious of his surroundings, except for an occasional
smile of recognition of some old devotee prostrated.
Bhagavan was never strong, at least
not after about thirty years of age. this was no doubt owing
to the strain he inflicted on his body in the early years in
Tiruvannamalai. For yhears he suffered from asthma and
photograph taken at Skandasraman shows him as little more
than a skeleton. Suddenly after fifteen years, for not
apparent reason, the asthma left him almost entirely, he
told me. But he was always liable to bad colds and had
frequent digestive trouble. Later he had more and more
difficulty in walking. Innumerable oils were tired and he
was massaged morning and evening, but with little
effect.
Talks With Ramana Maharshi | The Heart | Do Guru's Feel Pain | Ramana's Appearance | Chadwick's First Darshan | Saints Turn Into Light | Somerset Maugham | Mercedes D'Acosta | Ramana's Teaching According to Adi Da | Published from the Ashram | The Seer and The Seen | Mandukya Upanishad | Three States of Consciousness | The Five Great Elements | India and Peru | Ramana's Will |
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