Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi Complete ... - BrahminVoice.org

Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi
Talk 592.
The Punjabi gentleman referred to the popular belief of a worm being
metamorphosed to a wasp (bhramarakita nyaya) which Sri Bhagavan
had mentioned to the ladies in the course of conversation yesterday.
Sri Bhagavan recalled some interesting reminiscences:
1. “I had previously heard of this bhramarakita nyaya. After I came to
Tiruvannamalai, when I was staying in Gurumoortham, I noticed a red
wasp construct a hive in which it placed five or six grubs and then flew
away. My curiosity was roused and I wanted to test the truth of the oftquoted
nyaya. I waited some days, maybe ten days. I then tapped the
hive. It broke and there I found that all the five or six grubs had united
together and taken the shape of a wasp, but it was white.
2. Later when I was in Virupaksha Cave, I saw a red wasp construct
five or six hives in each of which it placed five or six grubs and flew
away. After about ten days, a black beetle, smaller than the wasp,
buzzed round the hives and closed each of then, with a little black
mud and flew away. I was wondering at the intrusion of the beetle
on the hive of the wasp. I waited a few days and then gently opened
one of the hives. Five or six black bodies came out and each of them
was a black beetle. I thought it strange.
3. Again when I was in Pachyamman Temple, I saw a red wasp
constructing five or six hives on a pillar in the temple. It placed
five or six grubs in each of them and buzzed away. I watched it for
several days. The wasp did not return. There was no black beetle also.
After about fifteen days, I opened one of the hives. All the grubs had
united into a white mass of wasp-like form. It dropped down and was
stunned by the fall. After a few minutes, it began to crawl. Its colour
was gradually changing. In a short time, there were two little specks
on its sides which grew into wings as I watched and the full-grown
wasp flew away from the ground.
4. When I was in the Mango-Tree Cave I noticed a caterpillar-like worm
crawl up a wall. It stopped in one place and fixed two spots which it
later connected up with a thin filament from its body. It held the filament
with its mouth and rested its tail end on the wall. It remained so several
days. I was watching it. It shrivelled up in course of time. I wondered if
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