Letter to M.S. Venkataramani by S.R. Ranganathan
Spiritual experience or mysticism is rooted in intuition. Cent per cent intuition enables one to apprehend thing-in-themselves, and things in-entirety, quite unmediated by intellect or primary senses. A few persons are born with cent per cent intuition. Ramana Maharshi is an example of modern time. Anandamayi is another. I am sure you know about Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. All through the centuries, India has had such born mystics and their memory is still preserved by society, though the new generation is not familiar with their lives as those on my generation and the earlier ones. In the case of other persons, intuition may vary from a mere momentary one or a speck at one end through all percentages until we reach cent per cent stage. Those that have only fractional intuition will have to do much of intellectual work before intuition is spontaneously released for a short while. It is during this short period that most of the discoveries, inventions, formulation of fundamental laws etc., are made. But after the intuitive spell passes away, these very persons will have to follow up the results of intuition by persistent intellectual work. The industry of such people is immensurable. Newton is a historical example. Our mathematical Ramanujan was an example within my knowledge.
G. Kumar, Sociology of Information Management, New Delhi, Har-Anand Publications, 1998, pp. 200-201.
