Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

Addressing Bhagavan, a devotee said, “Some people put on
all sorts of false appearances to deceive the world.”
Bhagavan said, “Yes. Not some, but many. What of that?
If people put on false appearances, it is their own minds
that get troubled ultimately. They begin to be afraid of what
others would think of them and so their minds become their
own enemies. If people think of deceiving others by putting
on false appearances they themselves get deceived ultimately.

They think, ‘We have planned and have deceived others and
thereby have shown great cleverness.’ With pride they
practise more and more deceptions. The consequences of
their actions will be realised only when the deceptions are
discovered. When the time comes, they will collapse as a
result of their own deceits.”
While all were wondering whom Bhagavan had in mind,
Yogi Ramiah said, “Swami, this reminds me of an incident. I
remember to have read somewhere that Bhagavan had once
put on Panganamam.* Is it true?”
* Panganamam is the distinctive caste mark of a Vaishnavaite.

Bhagavan replied as follows: “Yes. That was during the
early days of my life on the hill. At that time some
Vaishnavaites used to come to me, and at their pressing
request I used to put on the namam, having nothing to lose
thereby. Not only that. Do you know what I did once? Those
were days when a Kalyana Mandapam was constructed in
Arunachaleswara Temple. It was Navaratri time. (Dasara
Festival). A bhajana troupe had arranged in the temple a
display of dolls for worship. They pressed me to go with
them to see the display. As I was afraid that somebody might
recognise me and start doing all sort of services, I put on a
dhoti of Palaniswami’s and covered my body with another
cloth, put on a namam like a Vaishnavaite and went with
them. The administrators of the temple knew me well. I
wanted to avoid them. They however recognised me at the
gate itself, and came after me saying, ‘Swami! Swami! You
also have come here to see the Swami? You yourself are a
Swami, aren’t you?’ What to do? I felt I was deceiving myself.

I somehow managed to evade them and get inside but I felt
that everyone was looking at me only. I did not see the
Mandapam nor could I see anything else. I turned back
intending to return unnoticed but the chief amongst the
archakas (priest) caught me again at the gate. ‘Swami! Swami!
You have come in this dress? Aha! How nice it is, Swami!
Please wait.’ So saying he stopped me, and addressing his
assistants, he said, ‘You fellow! bring a garland of flowers;
bring sandal paste; bring prasadam. Our Brahmanaswami has
come here putting on the dress of Lord Sri Krishna. It is
our great luck.’ So saying, they began to shower temple
honours on me. I somehow managed to escape their
attentions and went away. Later on, I tried a number of times
to hoodwink them and somehow go to the temple but
invariably they used to recognise me and give me all the
temple honours. Thereupon I gave up all further attempts
and stopped going to the temple altogether. It is the same
with everything. You can stay anywhere without fear, if you
are in your real form. If you put on a dress to deceive others,
you will be afraid every minute that someone might catch
you at your deception and so your mind becomes your own
enemy and troubles you,” said Bhagavan.