Ambrosial Ramana
Chapter 1
Sri Muruganar, the poet-saint and staunch bhakta of Sri Bhagavan, was ever willing to help and guide earnest seekers. He would melt even at the very mention of the name, “Ramana”, yet he was firm like a rock in his steadfast adherence to His teachings. In him one found the perfect blend of bhakti and jnana. He was totally surrendered to His master that he earned the name: ‘Shadow of Bhagavan’! In guiding seekers and inculcating Bhagavan’s teachings, he was stern and uncompromising.
Once I told him that it was difficult for me to follow the vichara marga and hence it was better that I tried other simpler methods, grow in maturity and then come to the Enquiry method. He was quick in his response: “That is all escapism. Having come to Bhagavan and knowing His teaching you should plunge into Self-enquiry. One who has been drawn to Bhagavan is already on the direct path. When Bhagavan recommends other methods, they are meant only for those questioners, not for you. Bhagavan’s path is the only path meant for you. Having come to Him, why wander about?”
When I spoke to the same Muruganar a few days later, about the fascination of Bhagavan’s Form and the music in His Name, he burst out, with tears welling up in his eyes, ‘Yes, yes, Bhagavan’s Name is itself enough for us. HisFigure draws us to Him only to absorb us into Him. His Name is all-embracing! His Form is all-consuming!”
Princess Prabhavati Raje, immediately after her marriage, came with her husband to receive blessings from Bhagavan. She brought two beautiful rose garlands and along with her husband wanted to place them around the neck of Sri Bhagavan. Such things were, however, strictly forbidden. Yet, out of her intense love, she persisted in her request and took the garlands to Bhagavan who was seated on the couch. Bhagavan, while refusing the garlands, suggested: “Place them in the Shrine of the Mother”. Prabhavati was disappointed and, before leaving, deposited the garlands on the couch as she bent low to prostrate. She got up, took the garlands and left the hall, bitterly crying. A little later, Sri Kunju Swami showed her from a distance a remarkable sight. Bhagavan was picking, one by one, the petals that had dropped from the garlands on the couch and was slowly putting them into his mouth one after the other! Said Kunju Swami to the Princess: ‘Look! How lucky you are! You were disappointed that Bhagavan did not accept the rose garlands, but now your roses have served as His food. Is not this real acceptance?’ Her joy knew no bounds and her tears of anguish turned into tears of joy!
Ashram iddlis are so famous that when on some rare occasion iddlis were served in Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat, Gandhiji would remark: “ Ramanasramam iddlis!” (Sarojini Naidu, the ‘nightingale of India’, who had stayed with Bhagavan for some time and greatly liked Ashram iddlis had described them to Gandhiji!) It may be interesting to recall how iddlis came to be made in the Ashram. In those days, Bhagavan used to get up very early in the morning, cut vegetables and occasionally help in the preparation of uppuma. Once Lokammal (a staunch devotee and kitchen- helper) sent from her village, Pattakurichi, near Tenkasi, a large quantity of the best quality parboiled rice. Santhamma, another kitchen-assistant, not knowing how to utilise the half-boiled rice (only raw rice is cooked at the Ashram), in consultation with Bhagavan, prepared iddlis that day for breakfast and everyone loved it. Thenceforth, iddlis became the staple breakfast. Even today, Ashram iddlis are acclaimed for size, softness and taste. Full credit should go to Lokamma Patti!
“At Tiruvannamalai summer lasts for ten months” was a favourite joke among devotees at the Ashram! During May-June, the sun is at its fiercest; the whole earth burns, as it were. Bhagavan never used footwear in his lifetime. After lunch, every day, he would walk up to Palakothu between 12 and 1.30. The bare, sandy path would make walking barefoot impossible, yet Bhagavan would never vary the pace of His walk whether it was pouring rain or burning sun. He would walk slowly, but He would tell the attendant following Him, ‘Run, run and take shelter under that tree. Put your upper cloth under your feet and stand on it for a while”. He would insist on the attendant doing so, while He would Himself walk steadily, slowly!
Sri Sankarananda, a devotee of Sri Bhagavan, was employed in Madras in the Postal Department. As a result of a long practice of mantra japa, he attained mano laya, i.e. stillness of mind. He lost interest in all mundane things and could not attend to his duties either in the office or at home, as he was all the time immersed in laya samadhi. It was in this state that he came to Bhagavan on six months leave. He sat in the Old Hall with Bhagavan and soon lost all outer consciousness. Even after the lunch bell was rung he sat unmoved. Bhagavan brought him back to consciousness by giving a mild push and took him to the dining hall.
Since manolaya samadhi would not lead one to the ultimate Truth, Bhagavan asked Sri Kunju Swami, Sri Viswanatha Swami and others to take Sankarananda to the temple in the morning, to Samudram Lake in the evening and engage him in one way or another throughout the day, thus preventing him from relapsing into laya. For many days this process of keeping him awake in the daytime continued till he was overpowered by sleep. After some time, by the Grace of Sri Bhagavan, Sankarananda became normal. At the end of his leave, he returned home to continue life in the normal way and also earned a promotion!
It was this Sankarananda who later took Sri Niranjanananda Swami to Burma to procure teakwood for the construction of the Matrubhuteswara Temple.
Bhagavan was surrounded by devotees, even at night. All round his couch, people and even dogs would sleep.cw
Sri Somasundaram Swami, an inmate of the Ashram, used to drive out the monkeys to save devotees from their disturbance. He would sleep with other devotees in the hall. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, he would make peculiar noises (which were meant to drive away the monkeys) in his dream. Sri Ramakrishna Swami would say, “Yes, yes! The monkeys have gone away. Go to sleep!” Bhagavan would tell Ramakrishna Swami to wake him up so that his mind would not dwell in the dream. Bhagavan would say that one should go to sleep directly without dreams and likewise should get up immediately after the first impulse of waking.
None knew whether Bhagavan ever slept at all! At 2 or 3 in the morning He would be sitting up on the couch. Bhagavan would never disturb anybody’s sleep. But if after waking up anyone tried to resume sleep, He would tell them not to prolong sleep and indulge in dreams. With His stick He would gently prod them by way of signalling them to get up. Bhagavan was really a mother to His devotees!
Sri Bhagavan’s intense devotion to Arunachala is well known; but few know the following fact. Whenever, Bhagavan got a new pen, filled a pen with ink or sharpened a pencil, He would scribble on a piece of paper to test whether it was writing all right. Invariably, Sri Bhagavan wrote the word: “Arunachalam” or “Arunachalavasi” (in Tamil)!