Sage of Arunachala

TIMELESS IN TIME - Sri Ramana Maharshi: A. R. Natarajan; Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, 40/41, Second Cross Lower Palace Orchards, Bangalore-560003. Rs. 200.

THE BOOK under review which presents the life-history and the teachings of Ramana Maharshi, the Sage of Arunachala, along with nearly 100 rare photos of the saint as well as men and matters connected with his life, is indeed a pictorial album which will be of great interest to his followers and admirers.

The book is divided into six sections. It starts with an account of the Maharshi's encounter with death when he was only a student of the tenth standard. A sudden fear of death made him question his identity. ``Who am I'', was the query raised by him unlike others who would have shouted for help or called the family doctor. But Ramana did not and he realised that death was only to his body and not to the ever-shining Self. After his experience, Ramana lost interest in worldly affairs, was indifferent to studies and spent most of his time in meditation. This angered his brother and other family members who even scolded him. Taking this to his heart, he went to Thiruvannamalai after leaving an unsigned letter in which he referred himself in the third person neuter ``this'' and said ``This was leaving to see the Father. No one should worry about this and no effort should be made to search for this''.

What follows in the book after this are descriptions of his birthplace, Tiruchuzhial, which is now known as Thiruchuzhi, his parents, his early years in Dindigul and Madurai where the self enquiry by the saint began in his uncle's house. It was at Madurai that the saint received the first call from Arunachala hills. Then we are told about the enlightenment that he got at a house in Chokkappa Naicken Street at Madurai. As the saint narrated his experience to his disciples later, it looked as though his was a process of reasoning. But according to him this was not so. In his own words: ``It was something very real. Fear of death had vanished once and for all. From then on I continued like the basic `sruti' note that underlies and blends with all the other notes.'' Thus the young saint found himself on the peak of spirituality without any arduous practice or meditation. This was how the young boy flowered into a saint.

When he left Madurai for Tiruvannamalai he had not taken enough money for train fare and had to get down at Villupuram and walk all the way to Tiruvannamalai. In between he stayed in the temple at Arayaninallur where he had a vision. He sat in deep meditation but was woken up by the temple priests. He walked some more distance and fainted, was given some food and water and the next morning, Gokulashtami day, he went to the house of a Brahmin, Muthukrishna Bhagavatar, whose wife fed him sumptuously and gave the money and some sweet packets to help him continue the journey.

Then follows the description of the saint's ecstatic experiences at the temple of Arunachaleswara which marked the end of his epic journey from Madurai to Tiruvannamalai. It was here that the saint discarded his belongings including his tuft and sacred thread and the sweet packets given by the Bhagavatar's wife. From then on he made the temple his resting place but the madding crowd would not allow him to meditate peacefully. He shifted to obscure corners in the hills including a place known as ``Patala Lingam'' where he used to sit in deep meditation. When he was disturbed here also by the urchins, he was saved by another mendicant, Sri Seshadri Swamigal. He had to be frequently shifted to various places just to keep him away from the urchins.

Later he stayed at a place known as Gurumurtham and also a grove. It was in these places that his relatives including his mother tried to take him back. All their weepings and wailings had no effect on him and all that he did was to write his reply in a small piece of paper. He wrote, ``In accordance with one's past deeds what will happen will not fail to happen however much one may try to prevent it. Similarly what will not happen will never happen. This is certain''.

The book contains an account of all these incidents and also the simple and direct teachings of the saint besides the opinions of foreigners like Paul Brunton, F.J. Humphrey, Carl Jung, Somerset Maugham and a host of others who have left their impressions of the Maharshi.

The author has meticulously collected and presented them in a most impressive manner. There are also accounts of the more familiar as well as lesser known devotees and disciples of the saint. His various qualities, especially his treating all men and women alike irrespective of their caste and creed are recalled. The last days of the saint and his attaining Mahanirvana are very movingly told. The author's and the publisher's claim of their collecting vast, varied and authentic material and presenting them in a single volume in a most appreciable way, looks to be genuine. A 34-page list of references in this 400-page volume makes it a complete work on Ramana. The book deserves to be placed at the hands of each devotee of the ``Saint of Arunachala'' who is indeed a ``timeless guru''.

T. A. SRINIVASAN

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