Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

As it is Tuesday today, I went round the hill and came
to the Ashram a little later than usual. I did not therefore
know what had happened in the morning in Bhagavan’s
presence. As soon as I went to the Ashram in the afternoon
at 3 o’clock, prostrated before Bhagavan and sat down, the
old American lady came in. Looking at me, Bhagavan said,
“The old lady over there wrote a letter and showed it to me
this morning. It is stated therein that she would like to go
the Himalayas to move about with the animals there and
remain in solitude. There are lots of people here now. She is
perhaps unable to put up with the noise. Last night some
one else also complained to me about the noise and I told
him that he could not live in solitude even in the forest
because, if there were men here there would be animals there.

Why should anyone go to the Himalayas to live in solitude?”
I asked, “Does the saying ‘Ekaki Yatachittatma’ (living in
seclusion with the mind subdued) apply to the mind only?”
Bhagavan: “Yes. That is so.

yaegI yuÃIt sttmaTman< rhis iSwt>,
@kakI yticÄaTma inrazIrpir¢h>.

The Yogi who has subdued his mind and body and who is
free from desire and bereft of possessions, living in seclusion
all by himself, should constantly engage his mind in
meditation.

Gita, VI: 10
“That means a Yogi must remain steadily in the secret
place called Atman, realise that there is none other but his
Self, and keep his mind in the Atman without his mind being
deflected to any other matter. ‘Viviktadesasevitvam’ also means
the same thing.

miy canNyyaegen Éi ́rVyiÉcair[I,
iviv ́dezseivTvmritjRns

Unflinching devotion to Me through exclusive attachment
of the mind, living in secluded and sacred places, absence
of pleasure in the company of men. Gita, XIII: 10
“It means one has to remain in a state where nothing
else but one’s own Self is existent, without attachment to the
outer world and with exclusive devotion to the Self; living in
a place without thoughts, and unattached to worldly
matters.” Hence solitude refers to the mind and not to the
body. If men are here, animals are there. Will they not be
noisy and disturb peace? An American, by name Haig, used
to live in our Palakothu.* About ten years ago, he went away
to the Himalayas for the same reason. Recently we received
a letter from him, saying he is coming back and that he will
stay here alone till his death. Many people are like this. They
go away saying they do not get peace here. They wander
from place to place and come back here again.”