Martin Wolff, In Memoriam

om namo bhagavate śrī ramaṇāya

My connection with Martin began with chanting the sacred vedas in the New York Ashrama. His pursuit towards perfection always amazed me. Not only in chanting the mantras but also in wearing the appropriate attire. I especially enjoyed whenever we split into two groups, wherein he and I would be in one group and Peter on the other and we alternated the verses from upanishads and other vedic hymns in responsorial mode. It was my understanding that the inspiration for this was largely Martin and I am very, very thankful for that.

I believe Martin viewed his medical issues with a healthy sense of humor! One when he was recovering from a wound on his foot, I asked him about it, he said, "The foot is good, good enough to shovel a foot of snow." He was able to see himself beyond his physical appearance, despite his health condition. One time, we were talking about whether he would be able to attend a monthly Ekadasa Rudra Parayana at the Flushing Hindu Temple, right after the Ashrama Gita Parayana which also included Rudram. At that time he was recovering from symtoms like cough. He said, "We will have to see what Mr.Body says." Nonetheless we will miss his physical presence, which is a source of inspiration for me, whether remotely or live. I am reminded of Yoga Vasiṣṭha, in which Sri Rama says "Death is incessantly staring in our face and growling like the cat that looks and purrs at the mouse in order to devour it." Martin would have understood the import of this verse with the blessings of Sri Bhagavan. And certainly, he is in a better place.

om namo bhagavate śrī ramaṇāya