Pondicherry and Tiruvannamalai

IN due course, Tirupapuliyur was reached and Ramdas was taken by the Sadhuram to the house of an old relation of his, where, on the verandah, the night was spent. Next morning, the Sadhuram advised him to go for alms to a few houses pointed out by him.

“Look here, Maharaj,” said the kind-hearted Sadhuram, “money is wanted for your plantains and milk. Ordinary food can be easily procured, but, for your food, money is needed.” He conducted Ramdas to a street, both sides of which were studded with houses owned by Vakils.

“Go from house to house, they might give you something. I shall wait for you at the other corner,” suggested the Sadhuram.

Ramdas, who was always at the bidding of his guide, did as directed. Begging at the door of about half a dozen houses, he got a handful of copper and other coins which were all handed over to the Sadhuram who, on counting found them to be about 10 Annas.

“Your Ram is really kind,” remarked the Sadhuram, smiling. “This sum will do for two days.”

In the course of the day, there was a talk about Pondicherry which, Ramdas came to know, lay only at a distance of about 20 miles from Tirupapuliyur. A desire sprang up in his mind to visit the place for the Darshan of Sri Aurobindo – the great Bengalee Saint. The wish was expressed to the Sadhuram and he agreed to it at once. The following morning, early before sunrise, both started, of course, on foot and went towards Pondicherry. At about 2 p.m. the outskirts of the city of Pondicherry were reached. The peculiarity here was that the entrance to the city was lined on both sides, a few yards from each other, by toddy shops! On entering the city inquiries were made for the home or Ashram in which Saint Sri Aurobindo lived. After knocking about for some time, the gate of a palatial building was pointed at by a friend, wherein, the Sadhus were told, the saint was residing. Entering, Ramdas inquired of two young Bengalees, whom he met in one of the rooms at the entrance of the building, if Saint Sri Aurobindo could be seen then. To this one of them replied:

“Sir, sorry, since Sri Aurobindo is in retirement, he will not give audience to anybody for a year to come.”

Ramdas then begged the favour of a mere sight of the great man which would satisfy him. Even this favour could not be granted. It was all Ram’s wish. So he came out and explained the circumstances to the Sadhuram who was waiting outside. While this was going on, a policeman was observed to be approaching the spot where the Sadhus were standing. Coming up to them, the ubiquitous policeman said:

“Friends, you are wanted at the police station. You have to follow me.”

At this, the Sadhuram was immensely frightened and pulling Ramdas aside, whispered to him that most probably the policeman was taking them to be flogged. Ramdas suggested that they might accompany the policeman and leave the future in the hands of Ram. About half a mile’s walk, and the police station was reached and the Sadhus found themselves standing in front of a tall man of middle age with fierce looks and a well-curved and twisted moustache. He spoke something sternly, which could not be grasped, for he must have done so in French. A reply in English was given by Ramdas and the man, who seemed to be a Police Inspector, simply stared in return to indicate that he did not understand what was spoken. Then, a talk in Tamil ensued between him and the Sadhuram. The import of what the Police Inspector said was that only two hours were allowed for the Sadhus to clear out of the city. At this, the Sadhuram remonstrated that after a walk of 20 miles at a stretch, the tired pilgrims required some rest and they preferred to remain in the city for the night and leave the place next morning. This reply not only did not satisfy the Inspector but also appeared to have offended him a bit. For now he talked fast, his eyes glistening and his hands twisting his moustache furiously.

The allowance of two hours was reduced to one hour, and, if they did not obey the orders promptly, he warned that they would be made to pay for it. This time the words he spoke were freely spiced here and there with some finely selected epithets of abuse. The Sadhuram at once pressed Ramdas to move away swiftly from that place for very life. He was, poor man, both frightened and annoyed at the sharp words of the Inspector. A few yards off the station, and the Sadhuram commenced to pour quite a shower of abuse on the Inspector. No amount of persuasion on the part of Ramdas for peace would stop the brisk play of his tongue. He was assured, it was all Ram’s wish and so there was no reason to grumble. Still, he continued to give vent to choice epithets of abuse. He seemed to be quite a master in that line. For about a mile the Sadhuram’s wrath did not cool down. Gradually, he became silent, may be, due to exhaustion of his stock of vocabulary or on account of an empty stomach, or it might have been all a trick of Ram to test Ramdas if he would join him in the game set on foot by Him! Ram alone knows and He alone can judge.

Retracing about four miles from the city of Pondicherry, the Sadhuram selected the verandah of a shop which was shut, for taking rest for the night. Early following morning, they started on their return journey to Tirupapuliyur, which place they reached at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Here it should be stated that the Sadhuram was looking after him so tenderly that he was a veritable foster-mother to him. Again, it was all Ram’s work, whose ways are at once loving and mysterious. Next day, the train carried both the Sadhus to Tiruvannamalai. Here, the Sadhuram conducted him to the house of a goldsmith with whom he was acquainted. The goldsmith was a pious man. He pressed both the Sadhus to remain in his house as guests. For some days, Ramdas occupied a closed verandah in this friend’s house for his meditation and rest. In the mornings and evenings he, along with the Sadhuram, would go to the huge temple of Mahadev.

One day, the kind Sadhuram took him for the Darshan of a famous Saint of the place, named Sri Ramana Maharshi. His Ashram was at the foot of the Tiruvannamalai mountains. It was a thatched shed. Both the visitors entered the Ashram, and meeting the Saint, fell prostrate at his holy feet. It was really a blessed place where that great man lived. He was young but there was on his face a calmness, and in his large eyes a passionless look of tenderness, which cast a spell of peace and joy on all those who came to him. Ramdas was informed that the Saint knew English. So he addressed him thus:

“Maharaj, here stands before Thee a humble slave. Have pity on him. His only prayer to Thee is to give him thy blessing.”

The Maharshi, turning his beautiful eyes towards Ramdas, and looking intently for a few minutes into his eyes as though he was pouring into Ramdas his blessing through those orbs, shook his head to say that he had blessed. A thrill of inexpressible joy coursed through the frame of Ramdas, his whole body quivering like a leaf in the breeze. O Ram, what a love is Thine! Bidding farewell to the Mahatma the Sadhuram and he returned to the goldsmith’s residence.