Ramana Maharshi says to perform worldly duties so long as one has the feeling of ego,love and hatred

17th May, 1949

Letter 243

A young lady, by name Rajamma, the daughter of Thiruppapuliyur Krishnaswami Iyer, a devotee who has been coming to the Ashram off and on, came here recently, rented a house in Ramananagar and began staying all alone in that house.

It seems there were differences between herself and her husband and, as they had no children, she came away in 1945, saying that she would remain permanently in Bhagavan’s presence. She was the only daughter of her parents. Perhaps because they were too old, or because of some other reason, the parents could not come to stay here permanently.

As they felt it was not proper to allow their middleaged daughter to stay all alone here, they were writing letters to her saying that she should stay either with her husband or with them. They had no objection to her going to Bhagavan for darshan now and then but they were unwilling to let her stay here permanently. She used to inform Bhagavan about all this and say that she did not feel like going back.

For some time Bhagavan kept quiet as if he had not heard her properly.

At last one day he said, “Look here. You have elders who want you there, but you insist on staying here. You may do as you please. Stay if you like or go if you want to. Why tell me all this? Your parents have been visiting this place for a very long time. If they come here and ask me, ‘Swami, what is this?’, what can I tell them?” She was upset by what Bhagavan said and went out.

Immediately after that, Bhagavan looked at Ramachandra Iyer and said,“When the parents advise her either to stay with her husband or with themselves, what is the use of her coming and telling me all this? What can I do? Will they not think that instead of advising her properly, Swami has kept her near himself? Both the parents are old. She is the only child. Whoever asked her to discard her duties and stay alone here? Whoever asked her to come here?”

Is it not clear from this that Bhagavan wants everyone to perform worldly duties so long as one has the feeling of ego and also the feeling of love and hatred?

Bhagavan wants everyone to perform worldly duties so long as one has the feeling of
ego and also the feeling of love and hatred?

Sources:

1) Letters from Sri Ramanasramam VOLUMES I, II & Letters from and Recollections of Sri Ramanasramam By SURI NAGAMMA Translated by D. S. SASTRI
2) Arunachala's Ramana Volume VIII Book