When four aged Sanakadi rishis [Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumara and Sanatsujata] first saw the youthful Dakshinamurthi sitting under a banyan tree, they at once got attracted to him, and understood that he was the real sadguru.
They approached him, did three pradakshinas around him, prostrated before him, sat at his feet and began to ask very shrewd and pertinent questions about the nature of Reality and the means of attaining it. Because of the great compassion and fatherly love (vatsalya) which he felt for his aged disciples, the young Dakshinamurthi was overjoyed to see their earnestness, wisdom and maturity, and gave apt replies to each of their questions.
As he answered each consecutive question, further doubts arose in their minds and they asked further questions. Thus they continued to question Dakshinamurthi for one whole year, and he continued to clear their doubts through his compassionate answers.
Finally, Dakshinamurthi felt that if he continued to answer the questions more doubts would arise in their minds and there would never be an end to their ignorance (ajnana). Therefore, suppressing the feeling of compassion and fatherly love, which was welling up within him, he merged himself into Supreme Silence.Because of their great maturity (which had got ripened greatly due to their year-long association with the sadguru), as soon as Dakshinamurthi assumed silence, they too got merged into Supreme Silence, the true state of Self.
http://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Face_to_Face_with_Sri_Ramana_Maharshi.pdf
They approached him, did three pradakshinas around him, prostrated before him, sat at his feet and began to ask very shrewd and pertinent questions about the nature of Reality and the means of attaining it. Because of the great compassion and fatherly love (vatsalya) which he felt for his aged disciples, the young Dakshinamurthi was overjoyed to see their earnestness, wisdom and maturity, and gave apt replies to each of their questions.
As he answered each consecutive question, further doubts arose in their minds and they asked further questions. Thus they continued to question Dakshinamurthi for one whole year, and he continued to clear their doubts through his compassionate answers.
Finally, Dakshinamurthi felt that if he continued to answer the questions more doubts would arise in their minds and there would never be an end to their ignorance (ajnana). Therefore, suppressing the feeling of compassion and fatherly love, which was welling up within him, he merged himself into Supreme Silence.Because of their great maturity (which had got ripened greatly due to their year-long association with the sadguru), as soon as Dakshinamurthi assumed silence, they too got merged into Supreme Silence, the true state of Self.
http://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Face_to_Face_with_Sri_Ramana_Maharshi.pdf
