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The enclosed story has been documented by V Ganesan in his book: The Human Gospel of Ramana Maharshi. The sage was Ganesan’s grand uncle and Ganesan had the tremendous fortune to spend the first 14 years of his life in the Maharshi’s divine company.
Palani Swami (Nandi) was a reclusive ascetic. He religiously worshipped a stone image of Ganesa on the banks of a pool in Tiruvannamalai. Every day, he ate a simple single meal of boiled rice without salt or side dishes.
This simple ascetic had but one aim, and that was to recognize the Truth. One day, one of his friends told him, “What is the use of worshipping this stone image? This will not give you anything. There is a God in flesh and blood. Like the five-year-old Dhruva, who did penance standing on one leg during ancient Puranic times, there is this young ascetic totally absorbed in samadhi. Go and serve him. Your life‘s purpose will be achieved.”
Palani Swami went to Gurumurtam. Young Bhagavan (Maharshi Ramana) was totally immersed in samadhi. The very first look at him shook Palani Swami to his roots. He saw not just God, but his guru as well.
From that Darshan onward, for Palani Swami, there existed no world other than this supreme ascetic. Being an ascetic himself, he could perceive the boy saint‘s depth of spiritual surrender. He vowed to himself, “Until death, I will serve this saint.”
He then began to serve Bhagavan at Gurumurtam and saw to it that the insects did not bother his Master. While Bhagavan was immersed in Nirvikalpa Samadhi (deep body-less repose), people would shake the body, try to talk to him, and touch him. Palani Swami‘s duty was to protect this physical form and also ensure that this highest spiritual state remained undisturbed.
He would feed Bhagavan one cup of whatever food was collected. This way, some food was offered regularly to Bhagavan. He even raised a fence around Bhagavan who remained inside. Whenever Palani Swami needed to go outside, he would lock the door so that nobody could bother Bhagavan. In this manner he attended to Bhagavan for eighteen months, day and night. (After this period Bhagavan emerged to spread his Divine Knowledge into the world).
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