Maharshi and His Message

Paul Brunton (Raphael Hurst) came to India in the early 1930’s in search of the Truth behind the ancient mysteries. This journey led him to many yogis and fakirs, but he was singularly unimpressed by any of them. It was not long however, before he was guided to Sri Ramana Maharshi, the Sage of Arunachala, through the gentle persuasion of Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, the Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt.
Brunton chronicled his encounters in India in his magnum opus, A Search in Secret India . Three chapters from this book recounting the story of his retreat at the foot of Arunachala, and his extraordinary experiences in the company of the Maharshi are herein culled and placed before the reader.
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“One could not forget that wonderful pregnant smile of his, with its hint of wisdom and peace won from suffering and experience. He was the most understanding man I have ever known; you could be sure always of some words from him that would smooth your way a little, and that word always verified what your deepest feeling told you already.
“The words of this Sage still flame out in my memory like beacon lights. ‘I pluck golden fruit from rare meetings with wise men,’ wrote trans-Atlantic Emerson in his diary, and it is certain that I plucked whole basketfuls during my talks with this man. Our best philosophers of Europe could not hold a candle to him. . .”