William Spaulding's first impression of Ramana Maharshi

William S. Spaulding (Jr.) of New York City visited Sri Ramana in
the 1930s.
As I sat in His Presence for the first time, the most powerful
impression was that of what I can only call an almost palpable ‘golden
radiance’, the visual effect of a tremendous spiritual force. There was
an intense and subtle radiation that seems to flow from Him continually –
and once having sensed this, words, questions, techniques of meditation,
etc., seemed to dissolve immediately. The Maharshi also possessed
to a high degree of that quality which is described as ‘divine
indifference’, attributed to certain saints of the Christian Church.
This must not be taken to mean what is generally associated with the
term ‘indifference’, but rather as a beneficent, unfettered out-pouring of
healing radiations of a Realised Being.