The ego is the greatest hinderance on the spiritual path. One may have the rare fortune of sitting at the feet of a living God-realized sage, yet there is no guarantee that the ego will not raise its ugly head and spoil the opportunity.
In the life of almost all God-realized sages there are the stories of those unfortunate devotees who turn hostile, and attack the divine guru himself. In his book: The Human Gospel of Ramana Maharshi, V Ganesan has narrated one such episode.
Though Perumal Swami disliked Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi’s mother, when she passed away in 1922, it was he who, along with others, carried her body to the present site of Ramanashram.
After putting the body down, he went into town and got all the ingredients necessary for creating her samadhi (memorial). However, Bhagavan after a while, began staying in the present Ramanashram, which was then just a simple thatched grass shed over the grave of his mother.
When Bhagavan began staying there, Perumal Swami did not like it. He also intensely loathed Bhagavan‘s brother Niranjanananda (Chinna Swami). Slowly, the management of Ramanashram was being handed over to Chinna Swami, which he stoutly opposed.
He went to court and filed a suit against Bhagavan and tried to pull Bhagavan into court. He even created a statue of Bhagavan, started another Ramanashram in town and then proclaimed it as the real Ramanashram!
Further, he declared himself the secretary of this institution! Chinna Swami was the secretary of the original Ramanashram. Whenever mail arrived, there was always a tug-of war in the town post office.
Then Bhagavan solved it very simply. He said, “Let all the letters go to Perumal Swami. Whatever he wants to take let him take, and whatever he does not want, let us take. Where is the need to quarrel?”
When Perumal Swami was thus frustrated and agitated, Bhagavan sent word through Kunju Swami: “Tell Perumal Swami that he should not swerve away from spiritual sadhana.” Perumal Swami did not listen, but Bhagavan never gave up on him.
When he lost the court case and felt humbled, he fell ill. He sent word to Bhagavan: “Bhagavan, I want to come and apologize. I have committed a sin.”
The rest of the people in the Ashram said, “No! He is the person who went against you, Bhagavan. He should not be allowed to come inside the Ashram.”
When Bhagavan heard this, he said, “Why do you say so? He is our Perumal Swami. Let him come.”
When Perumal Swami came, everyone looked at him with ‘acid’ eyes. He broke down before Bhagavan and said, “Bhagavan, I have committed such a terrible sin. I will surely go to hell.”
Bhagavan smiled at him and said, “Perumal Swami, will I not be with you even there?”
That was a turning point for Perumal Swami. He chose a small cave near Seshadri Swami Ashram and started living there in meditation and contemplation. Even after Bhagavan dropped the body, he felt he must have prasad of Ramanashram.
Hence, Kunju Swami came from Ramanashram with rice and rasam for Perumal Swami twice a day. That is how Bhagavan took care of him. He may have been rough-edged, but Bhagavan took care of him. So we can be sure that he, too, was absorbed back into Arunachala, the divine stillness.
