All This From Ajnani's View

Sri Ramana Maharshi

18-1-1946 Afternoon

In the English abridgement of Srimad Bhagavatam I found it said that Prithu let his body be dissolved into the several elements of which it was composed. As this sounds very much like that is generally reported of Ramalinga Swamy (that he got into a room and locked himself up and that,when after some days the room was broken open, it was found empty), I asked B whether realized men could make their bodies disappear thus. 

He said, "The books tell us that some saints went away with their bodies to heaven, riding on elephants etc., sent specially to take them. They also speak of saints disappearing as light or flame, as akasa or ether, and as stone lingam. But it must be remembered that all this is only in the view of the onlooker. The jnani does not think he is the body. He does not even see the body. He sees only the Self in the body. If the body is not there, but only the Self, the question of its disappearing in any form does not arise."