Introduction
This is a write up about my visit to the Ramanasramam from 1st
February to 5th February, 2025. This is a slightly lengthy one but might
be of interest to those who follow Ramana Maharshi and might help those who
want to visit Ramanasramam. Sub headings are given in the article, which might
help those, who cannot go through the entire article, to go to those portions
which would interest them. Since photography is not allowed inside the Asramam,
photos of Asramam premises are not available. Eventually, if it inspired you to
visit Ramanasramam or follow Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, I would be very happy.
Booking the accommodation
I was interested in the teachings of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi and had a desire to visit
the Ramanasramam, but it didn’t happen due to one reason or the other. Rather I
would say that I didn’t get enough time to plan the visit. When I left Infosys
on 5
th December 2024 without another job, I had enough time for
myself and was thinking of utilizing the time in the best possible way. I had a
discussion with Dr. Sachin of TISA and he also suggested me to view this as an
opportunity to spend time on something useful. He suggested that spending time
in an Asram would be a good idea. That was the inspiration to take the final
step to visit the Ramanasramam
The accommodation and food are free at the Asramam and maximum 5 days are allowed for Indians and
2 weeks for foreigners. Voluntary contributions are accepted. I went to their
website ( https://www.gururamana.org/ is the website of the Asramam from where you can navigate to https://stay.gururamana.org/home for booking the accommodation) and booked the accommodation for 1st to 6th
January and they responded with the revised dates of 1st to 5th
February. I readily accepted it as I had no other engagements!
The first day at Ramanasramam
Reaching Ramanasramam
I started from Bangalore on 1st February at 8 AM
and reached the Asramam at 12.10 PM. I went via Sarjapur, Kagganoor – Nallur
road, Hosur, Krishnagiri and Chengam (you can go via Electronic City, Attibale, Hosur too. The Google map showed the Asramam school
for special children and the dispensary of the Asramam as the destination but I
couldn’t see the arch of the Asramam. I enquired with a street vendor and he
told me to go a little ahead and that the arch would be near the autorickshaw
stand. He told there was no parking space inside and told me to park it
somewhere there. I thought of moving ahead, locate the place and then park
somewhere there. I could see the arch after a distance but couldn’t find a
parking space. So, I drove backwards and parked it near the special school.
The arch of Ramanasramam in
the night of the first day
Allotment of the room
After taking the copy of the Aadhar which they had asked
for, I went inside. I gave the footwear to the free footwear stand and visited
the accommodation office. Nobody was there, as all had gone for lunch. I could
see Mr. Anand Ramanan, the president of the Asramam at his office. One attendant
asked me to wait for some time, till the lady managing the computerised
accommodation requests came. The lunch is provided in the Asramam at 11.30 AM.
After 10 mins an elderly gentleman in white Dhoti and shirt came and enquired
about my presence. I later heard him say his name as Srinivasa Murthy. The
Hindu’s book on Ramana Maharshi mentions about one Dr. Srinivasa Murthy and I
think I met the same person. (K.S. Kannan, another person mentioned in the
book, was also seen on subsequent days; twice serving breakfast to the inmates
and on some other occasions inside the Asramam). He completed the formalities
and allotted the room. Though the Aadhar card or its copy was asked for, it was
not collected and stored with them.
Usage of the footwear
I asked whether the footwear could be used while using the
toilets inside the Asramam and he told me not to worry as the room was inside
the Asramam itself and the toilet inside the room could be used. He also told
that the footwear could be used if the general toilets had to be used. I also
had a query about the usage of the footwear while trekking to Skandasramam and
Virupaksha cave but he was a bit busy and I thought of asking it later. He told
me and a few others, who had also come to occupy the room, to wait for the other
person to come and update the online record. Since she was taking time, he told
us to come at 3.30 PM and meet her.
Shooting of the serial on Ramana Maharshi
At the same time a few people came to the president’s office
with camera and I could see an actress of the serial on Ramana Maharshi which
was going on in Sankara TV. A few portions were getting shot there. They were
there the next day too.
The accommodation inside the Asramam
As mentioned earlier, the room was allotted inside the
premises itself. The room number was A-9 and it was a single room. (It is not necessary that you would get a single room or a room inside the premises. During my second visit, I had to share a double room with somebody else, outside the premises. Please visit 'The second visit to Sri Ramanasramam' to read about that.) It was inside the compound where the
dispensary and the special school were functioning, the destination shown by
Google map earlier! I went to the security and he asked for the key of the
room. When I showed it, he allowed me inside and I parked my car in front of
the special school.
Entrance to the dispensary and
the special school
He told me to find out the room and take the luggage after
that, to prevent roaming around with the luggage. It turned out to be a good
suggestion as I had some difficulty in finding out the room. While roaming around,
searching for the room, I saw a big rock which had a structure built at the
bottom with a window and a door. I was wondering what it was. Later when I
viewed the video of David Godman to check the details of Palakothu, I realised
that it was a cave which was used by Yogi Ramaiah and later by Krishna Swamy,
who was an attender of Bhagavan. I came back and told him that I couldn’t find
the room. Another security came and he told me to go in a particular direction
and at last I located it.
The cave which was used by Yogi Ramaiah and later by Krishna Swamy (taken during my second visit)
It was close to Chadwick memorial, Yogi Ramaiah cottage and
A Devaraja Mudaliar cottage and the Samadhis of Chadwik, S. S. Cohen etc. It
was an old room with clay tiles but was neatly maintained. It had meshed
windows and door, a cot, fan, stool, table, chair and a shelf. The bathroom had a
geyser, European closet and a washbasin. It was surrounded by trees, and
monkeys and peacocks were seen around that. It had the advantage of being
inside the Asramam itself and it was possible to go to the Asramam whenever I
wanted. I understand that there were rooms outside the Asramam too and some of
them are quite new with ceramic tiles and all but I felt, that wouldn’t give
the feel of living in the Asramam.
Chadwick memorial and Yogi
Ramaiah cottage
A Devaraja Mudaliar cottage and
a peacock near that
The room at Ramanasramam
Monkeys near the room
Having lunch outside and finishing the check in formalities
Since the lunch time was over, I had lunch at Hotel Ananda
Ramana, just opposite the Asramam. Around 3 PM, I went to meet the person to
complete the formalities online. On the way to the Asramam, I could see the Samadhis
of Lakshmi the cow, Jackie the dog, Valli the deer and the blessed crow. Again,
though the Aadhar card or its copy was asked for, it was not collected and
stored with them.
Samadhis of Lakshmi the cow,
Jackie the dog, Valli the deer and the blessed crow at a distance
Usage of footwear while trekking uphill
After completing the formalities, I enquired with her
whether footwear could be used for trekking uphill and she told it could be
used. They will have to be kept outside the Skandasramam and Virupaksha cave.
She also told that the footwear could be worn on the pathway on the two sides
of the Asramam to reach the way uphill.
Food
Free breakfast at 7 AM, lunch at 11.30 AM, tea/milk at 4 PM and dinner at 7 PM are provided for
the inmates and special invitees. The security might ask for the room key to
check whether that person is an inmate or not. At 4 PM, I went for the tea. Tea
or milk without sugar was also available.
Afternoon routine
While waiting for the tea, I met one of the persons who was
also allotted a room along with me. He was from Chennai and was coming for the
third time. He told me not to miss going uphill and doing Girivalam
(circumambulating the Arunachala hill). After tea I decided to explore the Asramam
and roamed around; visited the book stall, the library, the cow shed etc. In
the book stall, I located a few books which I had in my mind and decided to buy
them on one of the subsequent days.
After that, I visited the Mathrubuteswara temple (Bhagavan’s
mother’s Samadhi) and the new hall which is more like a foyer to the temple, Bhagavan’s
Samadhi shrine, Samadhi room, Samadhis of Chinnaswami or Swami Niranjanananda (Bhagavan’s
brother) and his son T. N. Vekataraman or Swami Ramanananda and the old hall aka
meditation room and attended the evening chanting at Bhagavan’s samadhi shrine.
I spent some time meditating in the halls before the evening chanting. After
that, I went to the room, had a bath and came back for dinner at 7 PM. After
dinner, I meditated again in the Bhagavan’s shrine, the new hall and the old
hall and went back to sleep after visiting the Samadhis of Muruganar, Swami
Rajeswarananda, Viswanatha Swami, Ramaswami Pillai and Kunju Swami, which were
located inside the Asramam and opposite the place where the accommodation was
provided. This was more or less my afternoon routine
during the stay.
The daily routine of activities at the Asramam
Working hours of Asramam facilities
The second day at Ramanasramam
Skandasramam and the freezing of time
The next day went for the chanting at 6 AM and then for
breakfast. Decided to trek to Skandasramam and Virupaksha cave. I started the
trek around 8.25 AM and was using the footwear. While trekking upwards,
somebody asked the time and it was around 8.45 AM. On the way, there is a point from where you get a very good view of the Arunachaleswara temple. I reached Skandasramam by
8.55 AM. The footwear was left near the place where the security was sitting.
After visiting the Samadhi room of Bhagavan’s mother, I decided to leave around
9.20 AM, after meditating in the main building for some time. The time was 9.05
AM and after some time when I checked, it was still 9.05 AM and I realised that
the watch had stopped. It was recently serviced and was working well. I decided
to check the time on the phone, but was surprised to see that restarting. Though
it would have happened just like that, it was like telling me that in reality
there was no time! Surprisingly, the watch started to work later when I reached
home after the trip!
The view of Arunachaleswara temple
on the way to Skandasramam
Skandasramam
Virupaksha cave
After that, I visited the Virupaksha cave. We have to climb
down a bit from the Skandasramam to reach the Virupaksha cave. There was no
security guard but a person in ochre rob was manning the cave. The footwear was
left near the entrance. There are two chambers and you will have to bend the
head down while entering the inner chamber, lest it hits he ceiling. The book, ‘Who
am I’, which summarises the teachings of Bhagavan, in different languages, were
kept there for reading. I spent some time meditating in both the chambers.
Virupaksha cave
Ayya Mouna Guru Siva Narayana Swamy shrine
After that, I visited the shrine of Ayya Mouna Guru Siva Narayana Swamy, for which
we need to climb down a bit from the Virupaksha cave. He lived on the hill for around 17 years, till 2005, subsiting on a cup of tea and a cup of milk. The person, manning the
place, was asking the visitors to make donations using the QR code kept inside.
I went inside, sat for some time, made a small donation and came out. Some
books were kept in an adjacent room but I am not sure whether they were for
sale.
Initially, I had mistaken this place as Guhai Namasivaya temple and even wrote it like that in this blog post, as I had seen some boards about Guhai Namasivaya near this place. I guess I should have climbed further down to reach the Guhai Namasivaya temple and cave, which I should do in the next visit. (In my second visit, I did visit Guhai Namasivaya temple, mango tree cave etc. Please visit 'The second visit to Sri Ramanasramam' to read about that.)
Entrance to Guhai Namasivaya temple
Meeting a fellow visitor
At Guhai Namasivaya temple, one person, who was climbing along
with me, began to talk to me. He was a Telugu and was staying at Shiva Sannidhi
Asramam near Ramanasramam. He told the pathway downwards from Guhai Namasivaya cave
would lead to the Rajagopuram of Arunachaleswara temple and whether I was
interested in taking that. I was not planning the visit at that time and we
decided to walk back.
Unnamalai Amman temple and Mulaipal Theertham
While climbing back to Virupaksha cave, there was a pavement
to the right. My fellow traveller told, we could explore that, as a few people
were seen using that path. It led us to Unnamalai Amman temple and the nearby Mulaipal
Theertham. There, we could again see a pathway downwards and saw a few people
coming that way. That way, also led to the Rajagopuram and he suggested taking
that. I was not keen on that as the lunch time was 11.30 AM at the Asramam and
I wanted to reach before that.
Unnamalai Amman temple
Mulaipal Theertham
Climbing down
We started climbing down around 10.30 AM and reached back
around 11 AM. While climbing down, I decided to remove the footwear, when it
was around 400 mtrs away from the Asramam. The pathway was paved with stones
and it was not that difficult. I realised that the climb up also could have
been done without footwear, but anyway since I was not used to walking
barefoot, I think it was a good decision to use the footwear.
In the meantime, I noticed that most of the visitors were
either Telugus or foreigners. I asked the Telugu person accompanying me and he
told Telugus are like that. They wouldn’t leave any temple or religious places
and told, that would be the case in Sabarimala too, as he thought I would be
familiar with that place.
Annamalai Swami’s Samadhi
After coming back, I had lunch at 11.30 AM and then visited
Annamalai Swami’s Samadhi which was near the room. Only two or three people
were around and they were meditating. I also sat there for some time for
meditation. After that, I took the Prasadam which was kept there and went
around the shrine and went to the room.
Book store
After taking rest, I went to the book store and bought the
following books; 1) Sri Ramana Gita translated by Prof. K. Swaminathan (another
version by S. Sankaranarayanan was also available but that was a bit bulky. I
am a slow reader and decided to buy the smaller one), 2) Self-realisation, the
first English biography of Bhagavan by B. V. Narasimhaswamy, 3) Yoga Vasishta
Sara, 4) Self enquiry, 5) Kaivalya Navaneetham, 6) Essence of Ribhu Gita, (the
full version of Ribhu Gita was also available but I decided to read the essence
first) and 7) All is one. It cost me Rs. 425/-. I had a few more books in my
mind but decided to buy them after reading these.
Meeting the person from Chennai again
While having tea, I met the person from Chennai again and he
asked me what I had done for the day and what my plans were. I told him about
my visit uphill and that I was planning a visit to Sheshadri Swami’s Asramam and
Yogi Ramsuratkumar's Asramam, the next day. He told he went for Girivalam and
that it took 3.5 hours for him to finish. He covered Sheshadri Swami’s Asramam as
part of that and he told the cafeteria inside Sheshadri Swami’s Asramam was
very good. He had also visited an orphanage which do not advertise, spent time
with them and had lunch there. He told he couldn’t see the samadhi of Muruganar
and I pointed towards that as it was located close to the place where we were
standing. I told the samadhi of Annamali Swami was also nearby, which he was
not aware of. He told the samadhi of Sadhu Om was on the way to Yogi Ramsuratkumar's
Asramam.
The old dispensary
In the evening while coming back to the room, after listening
to the chanting, I decided to enter a building which I earlier thought was a cottage
which was allotted to somebody. I had seen some photographs and lights inside,
throughout the day. It was a gallery displaying the pictures and some articles
used by Bhagavan. I didn't realise it earlier and would have missed it. It was
near the Samadhi of Lakshmi the cow and all. Later, I got to know from the serial on Ramana Maharshi in Sankara TV that Bhagavan underwent surgery in that room. From another video of David Godman, I realised that it was the old dispensary.
The third day at Ramanasramam
Sheshadri Swami's Asramam
After breakfast, I visited Sheshadri Swami's Asramam which
was adjacent to Ramanasramam. There, I visited the different shrines and the
hall where the idols of various Swami's were kept. I meditated in the hall for
some time and left. Rooms are available there too but they charge some amount
for that. I also saw the cafeteria, which the person from Chennai, had
mentioned about.
Sheshadri Swami's Asramam
Yogi Ramsuratkumar's Asramam
After that, I visited Yogi Ramsuratkumar's Asramam. There, I
visited the hall which housed the Samadhi and an exhibition depicting his life.
The Sidhi Sthal or Samadhi room, where his belongings and photos are kept was
behind that and I visited that place too. After that, I went around the Asramam
which was marked as Girivalam. May be, this is a miniature version of Girivalam,
which was proposed by the Yogi. They were providing free breakfast as Prasadam
and I had a very small tiffin from there too. There too, I could see rooms for accommodation
but do not know the details. While going to Yogi Ramsuratkumar's Asramam, I was
looking for Sadhu Om’s Samadhi but I couldn’t see that.
Yogi Ramsuratkumar's Asramam
The view of Arunachala hill while
coming back from Yogi Ramsuratkumar's Asramam
Girivalam in an autorikshaw
After that I came back, meditated in the old hall and had lunch. After that, I took
an autorickshaw and visited the Ashtalingams and did an auto Girivalam. He
charged Rs. 700/- which was quite high. Since I had no company and was not
familiar with the place, I decided to go around in the autorickshaw. The Vayu
lingam, which is part of Ashtalingams, was closed by the time I reached there but
I saw the deity from outside. The Surya lingam which is not part of Ashtalingams
was also closed. There is Chandra lingam too which is not part of Ashtalingams.
Indra lingam couldn't be visited as he told it was near the Arunachaleswara temple
and it was difficult to go in an autorickshaw.
Pali Theertham, Palakothu and
meeting Ram
When I came back, I decided to take the pathway on the side
of the Ashram to reach the room and saw a pond on the way. I was wondering
whether it was Pali Theertham which I had read about in the books about
Bhagavan. I checked the Google map and almost confirmed it. Then I was checking
where Palakothu was and it showed that the area around Annamalai Swami's Samadhi
for that. At that time, I saw one of the attendants, who was regularly seen in
the Samadhi Shrine and old hall coming that way and I asked him. (His name was
Ram, which I got to know towards the end of that meeting). He asked whether I
was a Telugu since I spoke in English and I told I was a Malayalee. He
continued in English. He confirmed that the pond was indeed Pali Theertham and
that the area around and behind Annamalai Swami's Samadhi was Palakothu. The
place where the rooms were built can also be considered as part of Palakothu. Bhagavan
used to come for his walks in these places and I was living in a room which was
on a place frequented by him.
Ram showing Annamalai Swami’s house
He told the house of Annamalai Swami was also located near
his Samadhi and that Paul Brunton's house could also be seen from there. He
himself invited me to go along with him and I followed him. He showed the house
which I didn't realise earlier as Annamalai Swami’s house. He mentioned about
David Godman and asked me whether I knew him. When I said yes, he asked me how
and I told I had read about Ramana and seen David’s videos. I enquired about V.
Ganesan, who was the grandnephew of Bhagavan and he told, Ganesan was spending
most of the time at home and was not coming to the Asramam regularly. He opened
up and we discussed for some time about Ramana. David Godman had written ‘Living
by the words of Bhagwan’, a book on Annamalai Swami, after listening to Annamalai
Swami in that house.
Annamalai Swami’s Samadhi and house
Ram telling the meaning of
Palakothu
He asked whether I knew the meaning of Palakothu. I thought
it was related to milk as pal meant milk. He told Pala in Tamil means Jackfruit
and that the area was full of Jackfruit trees. Later I searched google and
found that Kothu meant cluster. So Palakothu means a cluster of jackfruit trees.
Ram showing Agasthiar Theerham and
Paul Bruton’s house
Then he took me to the top of Annamalai Swami's house and
showed the area behind that. It was Palakothu. I saw Agasthiar Theerham or
Palakothu Theertham, the Ganesha temple and Paul Brunton's house. Later I
learned from David Godman’s video that this house was initially bult by B. V.
Narasimhaswamy and was occupied by Brunton, when he left Tiruvannamalai to
visit Shirdi.
Agasthiar Theerham and Paul
Bruton’s house (behind the wall)
Ram mentioning about Ganga Maa and
David Godman writing a book about her
I asked his name. He was Ram. He told David would come for
parayana (chanting or reading) on Saturdays and Mondays and told he would show
him to me if I was there in the evening, as it was a Monday. He told Davind was
associated with a lady saint from Kerala, named Ganga Maa and was writing a
book about her. She lived in a place near Ramanasramam and the Satsangs
happened daily. He told I could visit her if I was interested.
Ram mentioning about Papa Ramdas
He spoke about Papa Ramdas and his Anandasramam in Kanhangad
in Kerala and asked whether it was close to my place. I told him that it was
about 300 KMs from my home town but that I was living in Bangalore. Then he
told visiting Ramanasramam from Bangalore was very easy and that I could visit
very often. He told several people from Ramanasramam visited Anandasramam
regularly.
Ram speaking about Girivalam
He asked me whether I was planning Girivalam and the temple
visit. I told him about the auto Girivalam and he told Rs.700/- was very high.
He told the autorikshaw drivers were fleecing the customers. Since the
foreigners and those from outside Tamil Nadu were paying whatever they asked
for, they were exploiting the devotees. He told if Girivalam could not be done,
Bhagavan had suggested going around the Arunachaleswara temple which was
equivalent to Girivalam and suggested me to do that.
Ram’s advice on visiting
Arunachaleswara temple and taking leave of him
I enquired about Pavalakundru and Gurumurtham temples where
Bhagavan had stayed. He told Pavalakundru was close to Arunachaleswara temple
but was slightly uphill and told me to explore it in the next visit.
Gurumurtham was a bit far and he told he himself hadn’t visited it. He told me
to avoid early morning and evening while visiting the Arunachaleswara temple as
it would be crowed. He told entry to the inner chamber will be closed by 8 PM
and the temple would be closed by 9 PM. Weekends and Mondays are crowded;
weekends due to the weekend crowd and Mondays due to the fact that they are special
days for Lord Siva. Since I was planning to go there on Tuesday, he told
Tuesday was the best day for a peaceful visit. He suggested going by bus
instead of autorikshaw and that I should pay only Rs.50/- if I was going by the
autorikshaw. He told the bus would cost only Rs.10/-. I bade him bye at that time and then went
back to the room. Most of the time, he was seen in the Samadhi shrine, writing
something after referring a book. I am not sure whether he was doing it as a
Sadhana or writing a book.
Archives
After tea, I went to the office to enquire where the archives
were kept. I had read about it in the book published by The Hindu. The
attendant told, it was not public. Though I was a bit disappointed, I accepted
it and moved ahead.
Buying a few more books
Then, I visited the bookstore again and bought three more
books, though I had decided to buy more books only after completing those which
were bought the previous day! I thought the following books were important and
I should not postpone buying them. They were 1) Periya Puranam, the only
spiritual book Bhagavan had read before his death experience and the subsequent
self-realisation, 2) Day by day with Bhagavan by A. Devaraja Mudaliar and 3) Ashtavakra
Gita, a Kannada to English translation which was earlier published by Mysore
palace. It cost me Rs. 520/-. I wanted to buy Talks with Ramana Maharshi too
but its paperback edition was not available.
Planning the trip to
Arunachaleswara temple
During Parayana, I was checking for David but didn’t see
him. Ram also told me that he didn’t come. In the night, I met Ram again and
asked whether walking to the Arunachaleswara temple was a good idea. He told if
I could walk, that was the best option. So, I decided to walk to the temple
next morning.
The fourth day at Ramanasramam
Visit to the Arunachaleswara temple
After breakfast I went to the Arunachaleswara temple by walk.
On the way, I took the photo of Sheshadri Swami’s Asramam which I had not done
the previous day. I started around 8.15 AM and reached the temple around 8.45
AM. I entered the temple through the gate before the Rajagopuram. The cloak
room was closed and I had to drop the footwear with a lady flower vendor. It
was not much crowded as told by Ram. Still, I decided to go for the special
Darsan by paying Rs.50/-. I struggled a bit to find the place to buy the
ticket. Somebody told me to go to the right and enter the compound from the
other side, which was the Rajagopuram side. I went there and joined the queue
for special Darsan.
The view of Arunachala hill while
going to the Arunachaleswara temple
Patala Linga shrine
The first visit was to the Patala Linga shrine, which comes
before the ticket counter and which I was very eager to see. It was the place
where Bhagavan had spent time, oblivious of the surroundings and where
Sheshadri Swami found him and brought him out. It was renovated by Ramanasramam
and I went inside. The shrine was open and the priest was available. He gave me
the Vibhuti and immediately after that closed the shrine. I was lucky enough to
reach there on time! I went around the shrine and came out.
Patala Linga shrine
Visiting the main shrine of
Arunachaleswara temple
After that I went to some small shrines and then took the
ticket for special Darsan. Unfortunately, that queue was longer than the normal
queue. I had the Darsan of the deity and other major deities and came out. After
that I went once again to visit the Patala Lingam, sat there and took a photo. While
going again they had closed the pathway with a gate and opened a small portion
of that. I didn’t notice the lower rung of that gate and hit against that and injured
my leg. Luckily it was not a big injury and I took it as a punishment for
whatever mistakes I had committed. After visiting the Patala Linga shrine, I came
out of the temple through the Rajagopuram. I couldn’t see the thousand pillared
hall though I wanted to see it and decided to do it in the next visit. It was
the name of this temple which initiated Ramana to the spiritual path. It is a
huge temple with great spiritual vibrations and a must visit.
Visit to Indra lingam and return
The Indra lingam, which I had missed in the auto Girivalam, was
close to the temple and I went there. I came back to collect the footwear and paid
Rs.50/- for that. At that time the cloak room was open, both at that gate and
at Rajagopuram. I am not sure whether the cloak room at Rajagopuram was open
when I visited the temple, as I had not entered through that but I think they
open around 9 AM or 9.30 AM. After that, I went around the temple, as suggested
by Ram, as it was equivalent to Girivalam. I walked back, after that, around
10.30 AM, and went to Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s Asramam once again as I wanted to
take the photo of the Asramam.
Old post office, Veda Pathsala and the
moulded model of Arunachala hill
In the evening, I decided to explore the Asramam once again
as I couldn’t see the old post office, the Veda Pathsala and the moulded model
of Arunachala hill in one of the store rooms which Annamalai Swami had made
based on the suggestion of Bhagavan. I had read in the book of ‘The Hindu’ that
the Veda Pathsala was close to the cow shed. When I visited the cow shed on the
first day, I had seen a few buildings on the left-hand side of that, while
going from the Samadhi shrine. One of the buildings had the board ‘No
admission’ and I had decided not to turn that way. I just decided to go in
front of those and realised that, that itself was the old post office. I sat at
the place where Bhagavan had sat in one of the famous pictures. Then I turned
towards the dining hall and saw the Veda Pathsala, adjacent to that building. When
I reached the dining hall, I decided to turn towards the library and looked
inside the store room on the right and there, to my surprise, saw the moulded
model of the hill!
Seeing David Godman
In the night, when I was coming out of the new hall when it
was getting closed, I saw David Godman entering the hall. He met a lady and
both of them went out. Since, I wanted to see him, I just followed them. They
went out of the Asramam and went away in a scooter. In the night, when I met
Ram, I told him that I had seen David. He told, the previous day when he went home,
he saw David there and he had not come for Parayana as he and his wife had gone
for Girivalam. He told there was an evening Satsang at Ganga Maa’s place on
Tuesdays and he and his wife would have come after that. I told I saw him going
out with a lady and he told it would be his wife. She is a professor of
philosophy in Australia and had come to India for vacation. He told, my wish to
see him was anyway fulfilled!
Dermatologist from Baroda
On one of these days, I was sitting near a dignified elderly
person for breakfast or lunch or dinner, I don’t remember for what. On more
than one occasion, his hand brushed against me. Initially, I thought, I was
sitting very close to him and moved a bit away but it happened again. He
apologised on all those occasions and in the end told he was very clumsy. I
just smiled and told it was alright. I sat near him again on the subsequent day
and he told he would try his best not to be clumsy! He didn’t brush against me
and in the end told with a smile that he succeeded in his mission. I affirmed
it and told that it was perfect!
On the fourth day, when I went for dinner, I saw a seat near
him again and he smilingly invited me. We got into a discussion and he asked
whether I was from Bangalore. It was a wild guess and it was correct! He told
he was basically from Baroda but had a house in Tiruvannamalai too. He asked
whether I was coming for the first time and I told yes. I asked about his visit
and he told he was visiting the Asramam from 1970. I told, I was not even born
at that time. He told it made him felt very old. I told he would have been
quite young at that time and he smilingly replied telling he was still young. I
agreed with him and told he was young but would have been quite young at 1970! I
told, I was planning to come there for a long time but it didn’t happen and
that I could find time as I left the job two months back. Then he told, you were
retired! That was what I was also thinking of myself and told it could be
considered as a semi-retirement! He asked in which field I was working and I
told IT. I asked him whether he was working somewhere or was into some
business. He told he was a Dermatologist and was working in Bahrain. He also
conveyed that, that visit was a special one as his son was visiting the Asramam,
along with his wife, for the first time after getting married. I wished them
the best in my mind. He was speaking impeccable English and I was also thinking
that he was highly educated. I didn’t ask his name. Otherwise, I would have
revealed his name, which luckily didn’t happen!
The fifth day at Ramanasramam
Sadhu Om’s Samadhi
Since the checkout was at 12 noon, I decided to use the
little time available till that to explore the Samadhi of Sadhu Om. I checked
the Google map and found that, it was immediately after the right turn towards Yogi
Ramsuratkumar's Asramam. Instead of turning right, we have to move straight. I
also checked the place of Ganga Maa and saw that, it was on the road towards
the left from where the right turn to Yogi Ramsuratkumar's Asramam had to be
taken. Instead of turning right, we need to turn left.
The gate of Sadhu Om’s Samadhi was bolted but not locked. It
also had the Samdhi of Thinnai Swami. I visited both the Samadhi shrines. The
office was closed. They had mentioned ‘Strictly no donations accepted’!
Sadhu Om’s Samadhi
Ganga Maa’s place
Then I visited Ganga Maa’s place. It was a house where
several foreigners had congregated. A book edited by David Goeman was kept for
sale, but nobody was manning the counter. The Satsang was at 9.30 AM and it was
only 8.45 AM. I decided to leave and learn about her first, before attending
the Satsang. There is a website about her but not much details are available
about her background. Let me wait.
Check out
I packed everything and kept them in the car. While going to
the car, I walked past Mr. K. V. Subrahmonyan, about whom there was an article
in the book by ‘The Hindu’. I had seen him on another day too. I decided to
have the lunch and check out after that. When I went to the accommodation
office, it was closed. I waited for some time and the lady looking into the online
room booking came and I went inside and gave the key. She updated the records
and the formalities were completed in five minutes. I asked how I can make some
contributions and she told me to scan the QR code available there and do it.
She told if I had come earlier and done it at the accounts office, they would
have given the receipt at that time itself. I told that was fine and
transferred the amount. The online receipt came after some time.
I thanked her for the stay and left around 12.30 PM and visited
the Vayu Lingam once again as it was closed during the auto Girivalam. It was
closed again as I had visited it almost at the same time earlier! I reached
home at 4.40 PM using the same route which I had taken in the forward journey.
Conclusion
Before starting, I was a bit apprehensive as to whether I
would like the stay but, in the end, it turned out to be a great experience. On
the first day I thought I would feel some current of the Self, which I used to
feel on and off earlier, immediately after sitting in one of the halls but it
didn’t happen. I think I was a bit anxious initially. On the second night,
suddenly, I began to feel the current. Though it has waned a bit, it still
continues. Hope it stays. For those, who are interested in spirituality, this
place is a must visit.
(Finalised on 15-Feb-2025)
