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Inside this issue
Happy New Year - 2008
A Pair of Pigeons
Sri Arunachaleswarar Giripradakshinam
The Son is Beholden to the Father
Ashram website updates
Dear Devotees,
With Sri Bhagavan’s Grace we are pleased to publish an eNewsletter from Sri Ramanasramam’s website. The purpose is to bring together devotees of Sri Bhagavan from across the world.
Saranagathi, a monthly eNewsletter, is being developed to help devotees share their experiences, about satsangh, meetings and other events that are held within various centers of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi around the world.
It is proposed to have one feature article for each issue. The feature article would focus on events that happened during the years between 1879 and 1950 as captured in popular books like Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, Letters from Sri Ramanasramam and others, which are available for download from the ashram website.
Our earnest request, to all devotees, satsangh groups and centers is to share with us their events, stories and experiences. Please email them to saranagathi @ sriramanamaharshi.org
Ever Truly In Sri Bhagavan,
President, Sri Ramanansramam.
A Pair of Pigeons
17th January, 1946
One morning about September or October 1945, a devotee from Bangalore, by name Venkataswami Naidu, brought a pair of pigeons and gave them to the Ashram as an offering. Seeing that, Bhagavan said, “We have to protect them from cats, etc., is it not? Who will look after them? A cage is required, food must be given. Who will do all that here? It is better for him to take them away.”
The devotee said he would make all the required arrangements and requested that they should be kept in the Ashram. He placed the pair of pigeons in Bhagavan’s lap. With overflowing affection and love, Bhagavan drew them near him, saying, “Come dears! Come! You won’t go back? You wish to stay on here? All right, stay on; a cage will be coming.” As he thus petted them with affection, they became absolutely quiet, closed their eyes as if they were in samadhi, and stayed on there without moving this way or that.
Bhagavan thereupon keeping them on his lap stopped petting them, and with his gracious eyes fixed on them, sat in silence, deeply immersed in samadhi. It took nearly an hour for the devotees in the Ashram to find and bring a cage for them. The wonder of it is, all through that one hour, the pigeons sat in Bhagavan’s lap without moving one way or the other as if they were a pair of yogis in samadhi. What could we say about their good fortune? Is it not the result of their punya in previous births that this great sage should seat them on his lap, cajole them by patting them from the head down to the feet with his hands, bless them and thereby bestow on them divine bliss? Not only that, when the cage was brought in, Bhagavan patted them cajolingly and put them in the cage, saying, “Please go in. Be safe in the cage.” Then Bhagavan said, “In the Bhagavatham, pigeons also are stated to be in the hierarchy of Gurus, in the chapter relating to Yadu Samvadam. I remember having read that story long ago.”
While the pigeons were on his lap, one devotee came and asked, ‘What is this?” Bhagavan said, without attachment but assuming responsibility, “Who knows? They come, and decline to go back. They say they will stay here only. Another family has come upon me, as if what I already have is not enough.” Dear brother, it is very interesting to witness these strange happenings. It is said that in olden days Emperor Bharatha renounced the world and performed great tapas (meditation), but towards the end of his life he could think only of his pet deer and so was born a deer in his next life.
In Vedanta Sastras, in the Bharatham and Bhagavatham there are many stories like this. Bhagavan had told us long ago: “Any living being that comes to me, it is only to work out the balance of its karma. So don’t prevent anyone from coming to me.” When I looked at those pigeons, it occurred to me that they might be great saints who had fallen from their austerity in meditation; otherwise, how could they get into the lap of Bhagavan, a privilege which is impossible for ordinary people? In canto V of Bhagavatham there is a verse which says that people born in Bharatavarsha are blessed, since Hari has come there a number of times as an avatar and blessed them by His precepts, help and guidance.
The above incident is an illustration of this, is it not? What do you say?
Sri Arunachaleswarar Giripradakshinam
A Report from Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai.
Sri Arunachaleswarar, the presiding deity of Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple at Tiruvannamalai goes round the Arunachala Hill twice a year. First, on the third day after the Deepam festival and the second time on the third day of the Tamil month of Thai i.e. around January 16".
Immediately after the Deepam festival, the Lord is accompanied by His consort and escorted by the deity from Adi Annamalai. However, in the month of Thai, He goes alone on the day after ‘Tiruvoodal’ festival. Both the times He is received with great reverence and humility by devotees.
As usual the procession, passed Sri Ramanasramam this year on 26% of November around 1p.m, the Ashram President offered the Lord a garland, dhoti, coconuts, fruits on behalf of all devotees and arati was performed.
Every time Sri Arunachaleswarar passes the Ashram, the old devotees witnessing the event are reminded of Smt.Suri Nagamma's account of it in ‘Letters from Sri Ramanasramam’. The following is an excerpt from the book.
The Son is Beholden to the Father
21st November 1945.
The day before yesterday being full moon, the usual Deepotsava (festival of lights) was celebrated on a grand scale. This morning Sri Arunachaleswarar started for giripradakshinam (going round the hill) with the usual retinue and devotees and accompaniment of music. By the time the procession reached the Ashram Gate, Sri Niranjanananda Swami (the Sarvadhikari) came out with Ashram devotees, offered coconuts and camphor to Sri Arunachaleswarar, and paid homage when the procession was stopped and the priests performed Arati (waving of the lights) to the God. Just then Sri Bhagavan happened to be going towards the Goshala (cowshed) and seeing the grandeur he sat down on the pial near the tap by the side of the book depot.
The Arati plate offered to Sri Arunachaleswarar was brought to Bhagavan by Ashram devotees and Sri Bhagavan took a little Vibhuti (holy ashes) and applied it to his forehead, saying in an undertone “Appakku Pillai Adakkam’ (The Son is beholden to the Father). His voice seemed choked with emotion as he spoke. The expression on his face proved the ancient saying “Bhakti Poornathaya Jnanam” (the culmination of Devotion is Knowledge). Sri Bhagavan is Lord Siva’s. son. Sri Ganapati Muni’s saying, that he is Skanda incarnate, was confirmed. It struck us that Bhagavan was teaching us that since all creatures are the children of Ishwara, even a Jnani should be beholden to Ishwara.
Publisher: V.S.Ramanan
Editorial Team: Ranjani Ramanan, Prashanth Visweswaran, Ravi Ramanan
Email: saranagati@gururamana.org