Sri Arunachala Bhakta Bhagavat

On April 10th, 2000, 25 years ago, Arunachala Bhaktha Bhagawat merged in his Master - Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi - in Arunachala Ashrama NY, the ashrama that he established in 1966.

Born in a remote village in Bihar, a series of serendipitous events finally brought him to the US and somehow Bhagavan worked through him to establish Arunachala Ashrama in NY and Canada. The story of his life, trials and tribulations, is in itself a testament to Bhagavan’s Grace and is deeply enriching and inspiring.

The following is a humble attempt at celebrating his life and legacy.

Bhagawat Prasad Singh was born on November 8th, 1912 in a remote village of Bihar, the legendary state of Mithila, where Mother Sita, the consort of Sri Rama was born. His parents, though not formally educated, were extremely pious and wanted young Bhagawat to be well educated. He grew up listening to Tulsidas Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita.

At the age of 10, he stepped out of his village(the first one to do so) for higher education. The non-cooperation movement that was started by Mahatma Gandhi, at the tail end of World War I, was sweeping through the country and had woken the sleepy village to the drum beat of national independence. Steeped in spiritual ambience from early childhood, he was drawn simultaneously to both national and spiritual freedom.

His participation in the non-cooperation movement landed him in jail at age 17. His parents were however keen that he should continue his education and sent him to Calcutta to finish his high school diploma. Soon after that he got his Bachelor’s degree from Patna University and his Master’s in Journalism from Benares Hindu University.

While working in Darjeeling as a teacher, in 1941, he came across a book “Gupt Bharat ki Khoj” the Hindi translation of Paul Brunton’s “A Search in Secret India”. Upon seeing the picture of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, he knew instinctively that he had found his Master. Though the desire to go to Tiruvannamalai flashed across his mind, it did not come to fruition. Instead, the chapter on astrology in ‘A Search in Secret India’ titled ‘Written in the stars’ gripped his attention and he went to Ujjain to pursue astrology.

The pursuit did not bear any fruit. After dabbling with astrology he sought to go back to Darjeeling. Since he had a prison history in his record, he was no longer welcome in Darjeeling which was by then a politically sensitive area. Unemployed and living in the peak of India’s freedom struggle,he was drawn to the democratic ideals of the new world in America. Maintaining himself doing some odd teaching jobs, he finally secured a fellowship opportunity in journalism at the University of Iowa and he set sail to the US in 1947.

Bhagawat completed his fellowship in Journalism from the University of Iowa in 1949. He landed a job in the Indian embassy as the Information officer in Washington DC and he started to settle in.

As was the cultural norm of those days, Bhagawat was engaged to be married at a fairly young age of 17 and his future wife who was barely 8 at the time of the engagement stayed at her parents' place while Bhagawat completed his academics and found a stable job. Finally in the year 1952, Bhagawat’s wife joined him in the US, and they welcomed their first child a year later.

Oct 13th, 1954, was a day etched in the memory of Bhaktha Bhagawat forever. That was the day when Bhagawat felt the tangible presence of Bhagavan at his bedside in a very vivid dream. That experience shook him to the core and changed the course of his life forever. He was then a simple family man raising a toddler living in a rented space in Eastern Pennsylvania. This dream somehow gave him a certain direction and rekindled the deep devotion that he held for Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi when he first laid his eyes on his picture in 1941.

Bhagawat’s devotion deepened and his lost opportunity of seeing Bhagavan in the human form was haunting him deeply. However, he could feel the palpable presence of Bhagavan right next to him. He read many books on Bhagavan’s teachings like Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi and Day by Day with Bhagavan. Many hours a day, he was lost in the bliss of Bhagavan in his heart. In 1957 he received an invitation for a teaching job in Iowa. Eager to get close to his alma mater, he quit his job in DC. Sadly, the Iowa offer did not materialize. His financial situation took a chaotic turn. Completely believing that it was all Bhagavan’s will, he continued his futile search for a job for another two years exhausting all his savings and then he finally headed back to his village in India.

This year was 1959 - twelve years after India’s independence from British. India was a young democracy trying to find its place in the world. He could not find a job that would provide reasonable sustenance for his young family. An eternal optimist, he jumped at the first opportunity to go to Arunachala, the place that had been throbbing in his heart since 1941.

Yes, it had been 19 years since he first glimpsed the picture of Sri Ramana Maharshi, and He had finally called him to His abode.

The experience is best described in his own words - “As soon as we caught the first glimpse of Arunachala, I was swimming in the bliss of Bhagavan. After 19 years Bhagavan had brought me to His lotus feet. The greatest dream of my life was fulfilled on Dec 30th 1960, Friday morning when Rambahadhur and I were in Sri Ramanasramam.“

It was during this visit that he met Arthur Osborne, a staunch devotee of Bhagavan who had authored several books and was the founding editor of 'The Mountain Path' journal, the quarterly publication of Sri Ramanasramam. He encouraged Bhagawat to hold weekly meetings in the US centered on the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi. Granted, at the time when the conversation took place, Bhagawat had no idea he was going to return to US. But he did. He soon took up a position in the Indian mission to UN in NY city in 1962. This eager devotee from the green farming villages of rural India found the concrete jungle of NY city pretty stifling. But, he also believed that it was Bhagavan’s will. Again, what followed is best expressed in his own words.

“iBhagavan made it possible for me to find employment once again in the US. But NY was the last place where we wanted to live. In spite of my best efforts to get away from NY, Bhagavan held me here. He must have some purpose in not helping me find employment elsewhere.“ The purpose would soon reveal itself.

The series of serendipitous events that brought Bhagawat back to the US starts with his joining the Indian commission to the UN. He had a teaching job in Maine which he gave up after a year in 1963. However, since he had a diplomatic visa because of his employment with the UN, he was offered a green-card (permanent resident) status to stay indefinitely in the US. The years ‘62-‘63 were pretty stressful with the loss of a child and the emotional upheavals that come with it. His reliance on Bhagavan as his sole refuge strengthened and he poured his feelings and thoughts on paper, typing away pages and pages of pleas, petitions, and prayers. This habit stayed with him the rest of his life. These voluminous collections of his outpourings came to be later known as “prayer manuscripts“.

Propelled by a compulsion to start a center to have Satsangs in America, he first rented a room at the American Buddhist Society in November 1965 and started conducting weekly meditation sessions. Most weeks it was just him, his wife, and their 12 yr old son. They would have packed pictures of Bhagavan, prayer mats, other books, and some refreshments and traveled 12 miles to the room and conducted their session even when no one else showed up. Undaunted, they continued with their weekly meetings.

In 1966, Arunachala Ashrama-Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi center, was registered as a nonprofit entity with the city of NY.

Soon, Bhagavan’s Grace came through another fellow spiritual aspirant by the name Jean Marie who rented him a place at 78 St.Marks place in the East village. Here, they started holding daily meetings and the Grace of Bhagavan drew more and more people to the fold. Their first big celebration was the 16th Aradhana of Bhagavan in April 1966. The event was well attended with chanting, singing, and meditation sessions. A brief write up and a picture was published in The Mountain Path, Jan 1967. The group was growing with more and more repeat visitors and Bhagawat’s hopes soared. He started dreaming of building a temple for his Bhagavan in the middle of the bustling Fifth avenue in NY where the corporate melting pot could find respite in Bhagavan.

In 1969, the next move happened, not quite 5th avenue, but close to the First avenue at 342, East Sixth street. This would be the home of Arunachala Ashrama for the next 17 years.

On 14th April 2000, Arunachala Bhaktha Bhagawat was cremated in NY. His last conversation on the 9th of April was about the then upcoming 50th Aradhana of Bhagavan. He passed away on the 10th. He had touched the lives of many people. His spiritual legacy is deeply inspiring and is bound to grow with the passage of time. Today is the 75th Aradhana anniversary of Bhagavan.

In 1966, at the new store front location at 342, East 6th street location, Arunachala Ashrama was gaining momentum. The everyday evening routine of chanting followed by sessions of deep meditation was drawing sincere spiritual seekers. It was the late 60s and early 70s in the US. Vietnam war, Civil rights movement, etc. were changing the societal outlook and an entirely new generation of spiritual seekers were afoot. NY was showcasing many such alternate lifestyle gurus and here was Bhagawat, a very unconventional man with hardly any organizational skills or experience encouraging people to sit quietly every evening, listen, and follow the sound of their heart and trace their breath. He would famously claim that he was just the doorman and the doormat and pointing to the picture of Bhagavan, would often say “He teaches and we practice”. Sitting in front of the picture of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, they sank deep into the most eloquent, eternal, and enduring teaching of Bhagavan’s silence. Bhagawat was noted to have often quoted that “This is Arunachala Abhyāsa Ashrama”.

Great emphasis was placed in the practice of meditation, self-enquiry, and tracing the breath to the cave of the heart. Every session culminated with a simple yet hearty meal of rice and lentils tastefully prepared by him or his wife.

As more and more devotees, thronged the daily meetings of the ashram, Arunachala Bhaktha Bhagawat’s optimistic enthusiasm fueled their spiritual energy and each one was steadily drawn to the call of establishing Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi’s country Ashrama in the west.

A green pastoral Ashrama, where a weary Wall Street worker can find solitude and solace and listen to his own true inner self and abide in peace.

Sounds utopian?! Not to Bhagawat. Drunk in the thought of Bhagavan he wanted to “shout from the highest tower to every corner of earth, the glory and majesty of Arunachala Shiva Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi Sachidananda Parabrahma Dakshinamoorthy”.

…and yes… someone listened

It was the summer of 1971, the storefront Arunachala Ashrama was reverberating with the chanting of Lalitha sahasranamam, the singing of Tulsidas Ramayan, the reading of passages from Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi’s work and the stilling silence of mediation.

Bhagawat, a prolific writer, would often say “Unless my mind sinks into the Heart, I cannot write.”

In 1970, he began writing a piece “Bhagavan! Thou art the Self”. It was akin to penance in front of the typewriter.. it ran for 3500 pages before he finally completed it in 1973.

During this time, Bhagavan made His presence felt. In the summer of 1971, David Sewell a young professor at the Novascotia School of Art and Design came to visit Arunachala Ashram at the East Sixth street location. Like most devotees that met Bhagawat at that time, he also heard Bhagawat’s pining for a country ashrama for his beloved Guru. He stated that the land prices in Nova Scotia were about a fifth of the prices in upstate NY, and that he would be willing to help procure them some land for their need. What happened next is nothing short of a miracle. Joan and Matthew Greenblatt a young couple who were drawn to the teachings of J. Krishnamoorthy happened to enter the Arunachala Ashrama for the first time a few weeks after David Sewell’s visit.

After the very first Satsang, they felt they had arrived home. That September they left in their car to NS to meet Sewell. The original farm sale however fell through and Sewell’s life situation had changed. Feeling bad for having drawn Joan and Matthew on this wild goose chase, he gave them a check for $ 5,000 and apologized. The young couple were undeterred. They felt that Bhagavan had meant for that to happen and taking a few location clues from Sewell, started scouring the countryside for the prospective ashram premises.

A point to note - this young couple had just been introduced to Bhagavan’s teaching; they had not yet been to Tiruvannamalai or Sri Ramanasramam and they were the foot soldiers of Bhagawat in the cold Canadian countryside scouting for property. Of course, Bhagavan had His plans. The couple end up in the picturesque and peaceful Annapolis valley and knocked at the door of the owners of a 130 acre property. The elderly couple who had not even thought of selling the farm suddenly felt the prospect of selling their farm and settling in the town to spend their golden years appealing. A contract was drawn and earnest money was deposited but the sale price of $15,000 seemed unattainable. As if by divine intervention the necessary funds came from almost improbable sources. Lex Hixon, a disciple of Swami Nikhilananda, happened to visit the NY ashrama and quietly left a check for $5,000 on his way out. The timing could not have been better. They were still not at the target sale price. Around November 1971 Dennis Hartel also came into the fold. Pooling all their life savings and some, guided by His Grace, four enthusiastic devotees -Bhagawat, Joan, Matthew, and Dennis - went to NS in March 1972 to finalize the sale. Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi’s country ashrama in the west was about to become a reality!

The long Canadian winter was beginning to wane. There was some lingering snow on the ground.

The glistening Annapolis valley was peaceful and quiet. Upon arrival, Bhagawat beheld a steep rocky outcrop near the top of North Mountain. He excitedly remarked “It was right there on that cliff, that I had the vision of Bhagavan standing and looking down on me!” That experience convinced Bhagawat that they were standing at the place that was destined to become Sri Bhagavan’s country ashrama. Later, at that very spot, a cave was discovered and was appropriately christened “Virupaksha Cave”.

By April, 1972 the required funds miraculously came in and the 130 acre farm with its 60 foot barn and large house was purchased in the name of Arunachala Ashrama!

Bhaktha Bhagawat started making frequent trips between NY and NS. Meanwhile Joan, Matthew, and Dennis moved to NS and started working tirelessly in the farmhouse to make it a sanctuary of peace and happiness.

The pristine greenery and the surrounding mountains afforded the retreat and solitude for sincere seekers to dive deeper in their quest. The country ashrama was a place of quiet contemplation.

Every time Bhaktha Bhagawat came to NS, he was immediately attracted to a 100 by 75 foot corner lot that was about 50 yards from the ashrama house. He would visit that spot daily and was fascinated by its tortoise shaped elevation. On that spot there was a granite slab foundation and an old hand-powered water pump. This was all that remained of a school building that had once stood there until 1969. He would stroll on the grounds chanting Sri Lalitha Sahasranamam, praying to the divine mother to bless her children with a temple building on that spot so that they could honor their Guru. He longed to build a temple, a place to gather and devote themselves to His teaching of Self-Enquiry.

No prayer ever goes unanswered... more miracles are about to happen!

The year is 1879. In the quiet pristine Annapolis valley in Nova Scotia there was a lot of excitement. A brand new school called West Clarence School was being inaugurated. It was a modest sized school with one big room and a few annexe rooms but the community was elated to have this space to educate their young ones. West Clarence School was here to stay.

10,000 miles away, in a small village in India, in December of the same year, a baby was born, a baby who would grow up to be one of the most significant spiritual gurus for decades to come. None knew at that time that this building would link back to him almost 95 years later.

The school served the community for many decades and finally in 1969 it was closed. The land was sold and the building was moved to a different area down the street.

Back to 1974/75 - Bhagawat kept staring at the property, fascinated by the tortoise shell concrete slab foundation and started praying for a temple on that spot.

This time, Bhagavan acts through some sympathetic locals. Mr. BK Raju, a prominent businessman from Halifax took interest in the project and started a trust fund to collect donations towards this venture. Matthew Greenblatt who had been living in NS since April ‘72 happened to talk to a local sea captain who told him about the current owners of the land and the displaced building.

The BK Raju trust and some timely benevolent patrons including Lex Hixon made it possible to engage a contractor to lift the 30 tonne school structure, move it back to the original location, hoist it 5 feet above the ground, and anchor it back to its original foundation. Sounds like a fantasy tale! All this really happened in 1975 in a rural town in Canada!

Clearly in hindsight, we can all attribute this to the depth of their devotion and Bhagavan’s Grace. The temporal progression of these events must have fueled their conviction even more and with great enthusiasm and rapidity the temple for Bhagavan soon became a reality!

On August 29, 1975 “Sri Arunachala Ramana Mandiram” was formally inaugurated in a very traditional way. The event is best described in Bhagawat’s own words.

“Thou hast been building Thy own temple in the cavity of the lotus of my heart so that I may worship Thee with the fruits and flowers of my breath.”

– Arunachala Bhakta Bhagavat

The following are excerpts from Bhaktha Bhagawat’s article on the inauguration of the temple written in September 1975.

With the infinite Grace and Mercy of Sri Arunachaleswara Shiva Bhagavan Sri Ramana Dakshinamurty Parameshwara, consecration and inauguration of Sri Arunachala Ramana Mandiram was performed on the morning of Friday, Aug 29th,1975 by two South Indian Brahmins of advaitic background, Professor J.S.S.Lakshminarayana and Dr Subba Rao Durvasula. The day was in keeping with Bhagavan’s journey from Madurai in pursuit of His Father. The ceremonies started on Friday the 29th and continued till Monday the 1st of September 1975. This was the 80th anniversary of Bhagavan’s advent at Arunachala.

In the midst of chanting, Vedic recitation, accompanied by the divine recording of Nadaswaram(a traditional South Indian musical instrument), the pictures of Sri Arunachala, Sri Bhagavan, Sri Chakra, Sri Ganesha, and Sri Nataraja were carried from the Shrine in the farm house to the newly built temple and placed under the canopy of a large new chaadar (cotton sheet) by the devotees while Sri Madhavaji (Matthew) filmed and photographed the occasion.

This modest structure befits the simplicity and humility of the one to whom it is dedicated and whose radiant presence is experienced by all sincere seekers who walk through its doors.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Folks, this August 29th, 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of this landmark event. Many, in this group have already been to NS and know what a special blessing it is. If you are one of the few, who have not experienced the tranquil of Annapolis valley, I urge you to join in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of consecration of the Mandiram.

Fortunately for us, many of the members of the core team that Bhagavan acted through, are in our midst.

Today, let us place our request at the feet of Bhagavan that all these dear foot soldiers that made the dream of Arunachala Ramana Mandiram in the West a reality are able to come together once again under one roof to celebrate His Grace.

It is very likely, I am the least qualified to write this essay on Bhagawat. I have barely seen or spoken to him or heard him utter a single word. My only excuse is that I am truly amazed by the audacity of his dream, his ability to unconditionally surrender, inspire, and bring out the best in people around him.

With the establishment of a country ashrama in Nova Scotia and the building of the Mandiram in 1975, a crucial step was taken towards bringing to life, the teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi in the West. Darlene, a local resident in Bridgeport, NS serendipitously joined this young group of spiritual seekers in 1973 and would some day come to play a crucial role through the thick and thin of this ashram. These young seekers put in a lot of hard work through the mid seventies to create a true spiritual retreat.

Bhagawat was already in his sixties, but he continued to inspire them through his eternal optimism, unalloyed love, and his constant reminder of abhyasa or practice. He was mainly managing the storefront ashram in 6th East street. He would however make frequent trips to NS. The Mandiram was getting suffused with the spiritual energy of daily chanting and meditation sessions. The culture of coffee and conversation, ‘CC’ as Bhagawat would call it, started taking roots. Immersed in the path of Self enquiry, their everyday life was a true reflection of their spiritual sadhana.

Meanwhile the storefront ashram was steadily attracting more and more sincere aspirants and frequently Bhagawat would recommend devotees to go to the country ashrama in NS to deepen their spiritual experience.

The great emphasis on “abhyasa” (practice) and the value of a daily routine helped many devotees, and they adhered to the path with utmost sincerity.

The 70’s - 80’s saw a tremendous growth of devotees around Bhagawat. Their role in the Bhagavan Ramana movement was going to take a very big next step soon….

After the establishment of the ashrama in NS a team of 7 devotees which included Bhaktha Bhagawat visited Sri Ramanasramam in August 1973. This was the first of many such visits. These visits led to not only a deep spiritual relationship between them and many of the older devotees that had seen, heard, and moved with Bhagavan, but also fueled their zeal to serve the ashram in a very unique way.

Sri Ramanasramam in the 70s was a very quiet place with not so many patrons and financially fragile. This exposure infused new energy and gave many ideas and avenues to serve and enhance the world wide Ramana movement.

A milestone event was drawing close in 1979 - the birth centenary year of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. An idea of a pictorial biography was conceived by Bhagawat and with a team of enthusiastic volunteers headed by Joan and Matthew a beautiful pictorial Biography was brought forth. The young Greenblatt couple who had just come into the fold of Bhagavan lived in the harsh conditions of a South Indian summer which extends almost 9 months out of twelve. Completely rejoicing in the Grace of Bhagavan the couple dedicated a good part of 18 months in this project. The artistic value and the accurate depiction of the biographical detail in that book has stood the test of time and many editions have since been published. Another gem of an offering was also the “Stories from Bhagavan” - a compilation of spiritual stories narrated by Bhagavan - skillfully presented by Joan Greenblatt. Besides these books, the centenary year had yet another inspired offering from Arunachala Ashrama. The biggest one yet. To appreciate its complexity, let’s step back into the late 70s. The US did not have a huge Indian population and among the few that were there, not many were familiar with Bhagavan or His teachings. The Ashrama was still in the fledgling state and Bhagawat agreed to host a 24 member musical group from India that was going to perform Bhagavan Ramana Music in different cities in the US. The logistics of taking on such a task seems daunting even now with widespread Ramana centers. One wonders what amount of devotion can afford a person the conviction to pull that off.

By now, Bhagawat had a young and dedicated team of devotees willing to go above and beyond to serve Bhagavan and His devotees.

After the excitement of the centenary celebrations settled down, Bhagawat’s all time desire to hoist the banner of Bhagavan on the highest building in 5th Avenue surged up yet again. It was time to move from the storefront.. let’s see where it leads to…

By the time Arunachala Ashrama got established in NS in 1972, Bhagawat was entering his 60s. Let us take a moment to look at the family life which was running parallel to his dream. Sometime in the early 60s they lost their second son in infancy. Devastating as it was for Yogamaya, Bhagawat drew strength from his prayers. That loss further steeped their devotion and surrender. In 1966 when the weekly meeting started, he was accompanied by his wife and 12 yr old son. When he was at times disappointed at the poor attendance, they cheered him on. With all the contacts that he had by working in the Indian High commission, he could have made much material progress but his calling was elsewhere. He at times felt sorry for his family because he was not doing what an average householder would do to enhance their comfort. Yogamaya’s silent, sincere support of his unmaterialistic pursuit is commendable. Back in NY, the store front ashrama was gaining momentum. He often pined to go to India and be back in the hallowed grounds of Sri Ramanasramam, but at that time it was not financially feasible. Later in the 70s and early 80s, through the exclusive Grace of Bhagavan, Bhagawat made multiple trips to India, each time accompanied by fellow devotees. They met with the older devotees in Sri Ramanasramam and recorded many reminiscences. Each of these trips added to the rich archival treasures of the Ramana literature. Apart from the significant publications, these recordings and acquaintances and regular correspondence with the Ramanasramam devotees made the spiritual connection with Arunachala very real for many devotees who stepped into the ashrama either in NY or NS after hearing or reading about Bhagavan for the first time. From the mid 70s a steady stream of devotees were introduced to Bhagavan teachings and spiritual path and they made their own pilgrimage to Tiruvannamalai and expanded their devotional fervor even further. Age was catching up with Bhagawat. Back in NY, he was still commuting back and forth from his Brooklyn residence to the East street storefront Ashrama everyday. With no rent control in place, the rent for the East street storefront more than quadrupled by 1987. By this time a great number of sincere devotees had come under the fold of Bhagavan and the space for even day to day meetings was getting cramped.

Shocked by the steep rise in rent, they sought to move into the borough of Queens for a more reasonably priced accommodation. For the next 9 years the Ashrama rented a townhouse on Yellowstone Boulevard. Bhagawat and Yogamaya lived in the house. The living room was the grand satsangh room where the chanting and singing and meditation sessions happened and all the devotees were treated to a home like environment. The basement served as the Ashrama’s office. Yogamaya, Bhagawat’s wife developed an eye disease, a complication of diabetes and became completely blind. Devotees saw how he lovingly took care of Yogamaya until her final day. Yogamaya, married to an eccentric, idealistic, Bhagawat drunk in the devotion to Bhagavan with a bombastic dream of building a grand temple in NY, at times reckless, at times unrealistic, but always optimistic, served him and her family, and devotees with unflinching love and devotion. Through the 90s Bhagawat was noticeably quiet and was more self absorbed. His family had grown in the midst of devotees, his son got married and Bhagawat became a grandparent. However, he never addressed them as my son or my grand kid. It was always our son and our grandkid.. his way of guileless selflessness was hard to understand and harder to emulate.

I had started writing a “concluding” part to the series a while back. The joy of Dennis’s return on April 10th was overwhelming and I felt there was no more to write. His return on the 25th anniversary of the passing of Bhagawat is not a coincidence. It had to be Bhagawat’s blessing. It was clear that there can’t be an end to Bhagawat’s saga. So, the story continues…

After the passing of Bhagawat’s wife Yogamaya, his health further steadily deteriorated. Around the fall of 1998, he suffered a stroke and became wheelchair bound. He was still very involved with what was going on around him. In a tribute, one of the devotees, noted his fascination for the cordless phone and its speed dial feature. Conversing with fellow devotees and singing the praises of Bhagavan often found him in his joyous elements. He suffered physically a significant bit in his final months, yet he dealt with it with utmost dignity. All the young devotees that he had once lovingly nurtured were now eagerly taking care of him in his hour of need. As is wont of any physical body, his frail frame gave up its strength to live on. He passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of 10th April 2000. 14th April 2000 would have been the 50th anniversary of Bhagavan’s Mahanirvana. That was the last conversation that he had before going to sleep on the 9th. His remains were interred after a brief ceremony on the 14th of April the Mahanirvana day of his beloved guru. He also passed away within a day or so of the annual birthday celebration of Sri Rama, the hero of Tulsi Ramayan that he devoutly chanted all through his years.

Yet, with his physical absence, there was no dirth to the inspiration he had provided through his life long service to Bhagavan. A whole new generation of service minded devotees had come of age and the 90s and early 2000s saw some of the most inspirational conservation work that Arunachala Ashrama ever undertook. The Archival films project has forever left an indelible mark in the debt book of devotees for generations to come. The precious interviews, photographs, and video footage continues to inspire us.

An old famous poem goes thus..

“Only the actions of the just smell sweet and blossom in their dust…”

Physically he did not build or sponsor. His lamentation in the form of prayer manuscripts that even he never read after typing them leave a sense of awe about the depth of devotion when one reads them today. Besides that, he did not create much, but Bhagawat help mold the spiritual path of quite a few people who all have contributed and continue to contribute tremendously to the ever growing spiritual world of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

There are many new centers all over the US now.

But Bhagawat’s legacy was built against the greatest odds. He dreamed of building a temple when he barely had resources to buy a door knob. His life and work is an example of Grace and surrender and the league of sincere devotees that came together through him continue to inspire us all.

– Nimmi