WHERE IS OUR PENCIL

Where is our own pencil? See where is it and bring it said bhagwan Ramana Maharshi,We are somewhat surprised initially by this, Why our own? Can one imagine this great Mahatma who had no sense of "I" use an expression of ownership, why he wanted this, he wanted this ‘our pencil’ to be found. A devotee brought some expensive pencils. " Bhagwan these are expensive pencils, Please use them, he said and left taking his blessings.Devotees never come with empty hands. They give something or the other, they call it "pranami". Maharshi took it found it really good and said, these are good ones, keep it safely and bring our own pencil. Please find.Somebody searched in a box and found one in a wooden box and gave it to Maharshi.You may ask why this fuss? There is a point which we may not grasp. Did the person searched for the pencil make sure that the pencil that Bhagwan asked for is the same that he found before giving it. He did not even ask “is this the one asked for? he simply assumed or it seems to be, this assumption but automatically made. Doesn’t it show a little bit of, I don't know whether one can call it so, carelessness.Bhagwan was one of those who never made any distinction between worldly wisdom and the so called spirituality. He was meticulous about everything. His words were precise, unambiguous in any matter. Whether pencil or pranayama, it never made any difference to him. Everything has to be exact.Bhagwan looked at the pencil and said why this one, Devaraja Mudaliyar gave this, put this safely, I asked for our own pencil. It must be somewhere here.Very categorical reply, everywhere they searched but could not find it. Search properly and find it, said Bhagawan. Search properly, you can apply straightaway search......who am I, bhagawan's mantra for self realization. And if you search properly you are bound to find it. So the proper search is common register. But the same process of finding a pencil marks the quest for the self, the abiding self. Once we are centered there every act acquires sanctity and thoroughness. The energy is perhaps the same.Normally we do not bother about small things and yet quote, dutifully the Gita definition of "yoga is skill in action". Any action should be done skillfully with care and concern, when bhagawan said search properly and find it, this is an example of the dictum