Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

constructed, the evening Veda Parayana has been shifted
there. It was after this change that the Maharani of Baroda
presented a white peacock to the Ashram.

During the early days after its arrival, Bhagavan watched
over it with great care, for it was very young. It slept at night
in Bhagavan’s old hall; being summer time, Bhagavan himself
slept out in the Jubilee Hall at night, and hence, the morning
scripture chanting (the Upanishad parayana) was held there.

But now, with the onset of winter, the attendants moved
Bhagavan back into the old hall at nights. The peacock at
night rested on a beam in the hall with the consequence that
the floor underneath it became very dirty by the morning
and much inconvenience was felt at the early morning
parayana, some people being actually obliged to sit outside.

This disgusted the attendants, and on expressing their
disgust, Bhagavan said, “Why are you disgusted? Why not
get a cage made and keep the peacock in it in the Jubilee
Hall?” Taking the hint, a devotee immediately had a cage
made.

The cage was placed in the Jubilee Hall next to the
stone couch of Bhagavan, and this automatically became the
home of the peacock. The day it was moved out to the Jubilee
Hall, Bhagavan who had been sleeping in the old hall until
then, insisted on his bed too being shifted outside to the
Jubilee Hall. But, as it was now very cold at night, it was
feared that sleeping in the open hall would adversely affect
Bhagavan’s health. On the devotees expressing their fears,
Bhagavan laughed and said, “The peacock came to us from
somewhere. What respect is it to that guest if we make him
sleep outside while we sleep inside? If a relative comes to
your house, is it proper to make him sleep on the verandha
while you sleep inside the house? If possible, we have to take
him inside, or else, we too should sleep outside on the
verandah.” Turning to his attendants, he said, “If you are
afraid of the cold outside, you can sleep inside.”
The attendants said, “Sleeping outside will be bad for
Bhagavan’s health. If necessary, one of us will sleep there to
keep the peacock company.”
“Enough, enough of this!” said Bhagavan. “Will that
not affect your health? If you want to, you can sleep inside.”
However much they pleaded, Bhagavan was adamant
and slept that night out in the Jubilee Hall.

Next afternoon, as soon as Bhagavan went out for
his walk at about 4-45, his attendant Krishnaswami
removed Bhagavan’s things from the Jubilee Hall back
into the old hall and arranged for the Veda Parayana to be
held there. Seeing this, on his return, Bhagavan said, “This
is what I don’t like, keeping the peacock a prisoner in its
cage and leaving it there outside, while we are all here
inside. Not only that, it was because this hall was found to
be insufficiently small for the Veda Parayana that we shifted
outside to the Jubilee Hall. Has this hall then grown any
bigger? Are we again to allow some people into this hall
while others are forced to be outside? Why is all this? If
everything is done there in the Jubilee Hall, the peacock
will not feel lonely and we shall have ample space. From
tomorrow arrangements should be made accordingly. If
you shift my seat here, I will not sit here, so take care!”
Having spoken thus, Bhagavan had his bed transferred
after food to the Jubilee Hall and slept there keeping the
peacock company.

The next day, Bhagavan went back to sit in the old
hall but on going out in the afternoon, Bhagavan looked at
the peacock’s cage and again said, “It is all right if, by the
time I return, you have arranged for the Veda Parayana to
be held in the Jubilee Hall; otherwise I will spread my towel
and sit here alone. If you find it difficult to change my seat
from one hall to the other, I will stay all day long in this
Jubilee Hall only. It is just as you please. After all, what do
I need? This towel is enough for me.”
By the time Bhagavan returned from his walk, his seat
was shifted into the Jubilee Hall. It was after this incident that
the old hall was extended and that Bhagavan continued to
stay there all the time. Treating all living beings that come
into his presence as near and dear relatives is possible for
Bhagavan alone. Is it possible for us?