The Story of Arunachala Ashrama,
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi Center
in America and Canada

An Impractical Dreamer Becomes the Instrument
of Bhagavan Sri Ramana's Grace in the West

There probably could not have been a more unlikely candidate to light the torch of devotion and dedication to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi in the West. But the ways of Providence are inscrutable, and only now after half a century has passed do we more clearly understand the gracious wisdom of divine will in action.

Bhagawat Prasad Singh was born in a remote farming village of Bihar, India. His parents were illiterate and no one up until then had ever even left the village for education. Bhagawat tells the story like this:

“My mother, Srimati Pancha Devi, and father, Sriman Girivar Roy, although illiterate, were a very religious and God-fearing couple. I was their youngest child and was brought up in the hope of being given a formal education so that I might be able to read and recite the religious epic poem Ramayana of Goswami Tulsidas, the immortal saint-poet of the Hindi language. Thus, my Lord, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, inspired my parents to name me ‘Bhagawat’ (a devotee of the Lord) and to put me under the care of the village teacher so that I might read and learn about the world.

From my earliest childhood I remember being given to contemplation and to very serious and deep conversation. That is why the villagers often called me ‘an old man in the body of a child’, and I can picture myself as I used to go about the village with a serious countenance and deep purpose.”

Even before reaching the age of ten Bhagawat became active in the Non-Cooperation Movement of Mahatma Gandhi. This may have disconcerted his older brothers and parents, but Bhagawat was an incorrigible idealist right from his youth. Any high ideal outside the normal pursuits of life invariably captivated his heart and mind and he would throw his whole being into it with the utmost sincerity and intensity. It happened again when he read the life of Gautama Buddha in upper primary school. As a teenager his motto became, “National Liberation and Self-realization”.  His zeal for independence landed him in prison when he was seventeen years old. His education was interrupted. Despite financial difficulties, Bhagawat’s family was still keen to send him for higher studies. After his release from jail he completed his high school in Calcutta, attended the Varanasi Hindu University and finally completed his B.A. at Patna University in Bihar. He then took employment as a teacher in a Hindi school in Darjeeling, a Himalayan hill station. It was here, about a month before his 29th birthday, that he first read the Hindi version of A Search in Secret India. The moment his eyes fell on the photo of Sri Maharshi he wanted to fly to his abode at Arunachala. Bhagawat had always believed that he would be his guru to whom he need not ask any questions.

Although he did not set off for Arunachala then, of this time in his life Bhagawat later wrote: “I never wavered in my devotion to Bhagavan Ramana and tried my best to draw the attention of my hometown teacher to the wonderful Sage who was radiating His Grace from Arunachala. With my mind’s eye I saw Bhagavan sitting in Arunachala and looking at me. He was pouring His Grace on me, but He did not make it possible for me to go to Him.”

As an idealist, Bhagawat was always inspired by the American independence movement of the 18th Century and the purest forms of American democratic ideology. A longing in his heart arose to travel to the “New World”, even though he had no contacts in the West or financial means to make the journey. He somehow intuitively felt that his future was linked to America and no one could dissuade him from this apparently impracticable dream. Only his sister encouraged him by saying, “I do not know where you will find the money to go to America, or how you will do it, but you are so intent on going, so sincere in your desire, I believe God will make it possible for you to go.” And he did go in 1947, the year in which India attained independence.

The University of Iowa offered him a fellowship and a sympathetic friend lent him the money to make the ocean journey.

After two years in Iowa, Bhagawat received an M.A. degree in journalism and began a job as the Information Officer at the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C..

In accordance with the prevailing custom in India, Bhagawat was married to Yoga Maya Devi when just a boy of 17. She was only 8 at the time. As he constantly moved about to procure his education and an income during his early years, he had been unable to stay with her for any lengthy period. She joined him in the U.S. only in 1952. They gave birth to a son in 1953. It was the following year, by the grace of Bhagavan Ramana, that Bhagawat experienced a dramatic surge in his inner life. He later wrote about it:

“On Wednesday, October 13th, 1954, I was in the guest cottage of a Quaker couple, Helen and Albert Baily, Jr., located on their farm in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The cottage was situated in a valley near their residence. On the second floor of the cottage my wife, Yogamaya, our 15-month-old boy and I were occupying the large wooden-framed bed that night. In the second half of the night I saw Bhagavan Ramana sitting on the bed near my head. Although this was a dream, I saw it as clearly as I see the sun during the day, and remember it vividly. His famous figure was near my head and His legs were dangling. Arunachala Shiva Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi stayed near my head for quite a while so that I could drink deep in Him. Bhagavan simply kept on looking at me and I was filled with joy and happiness and could not turn my eyes away from Him. I do not know how long this lasted. But once I woke up I could not return to sleep and sat on the bed meditating on Him. All morning and day I kept on thinking of the darshan Bhagavan had given me in my dream. That dream enabled the sugar doll to be dissolved into the Divine Ocean of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. Since then I have not been the same Bhagawat I used to be.”

The following night he had another stirring dream wherein he saw the Sanskrit word “Upanishad” written on a loose leaf. Then the leaves of text began to turn one by one until he awoke.

These experiences rekindled the fire of devotion to Guru Ramana that had first ignited in 1941. Though the Maharshi had left his body four years earlier, Bhagawat began writing letters to him at Sri Ramanasramam, as he now began to experience him as a living Presence.

After eight years of working for the Indian Embassy, Bhagawat resigned and returned to his “Bharat Mata”, home of his heart’s longing. Then only, in 1960, was he able to visit Sri Ramana Bhagavan’s abode in Tiruvannamalai for the first time: “As soon I caught the first glimpse of Sri 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 Friday morning, December 30th, 1960.”

It was here at Sri Ramanasramam that Arthur Osborne, a staunch devotee, author of several profound books on Sri Ramana Maharshi and founder of the Mountain Path magazine, encouraged Bhagawat to start some regular meetings in America centered on Sri Maharshi when he returned. Bhagawat did not know for sure at that time that he would return, but he did, taking a position at the Indian Mission to the United Nations in New York City in 1962.

In 1965, Bhagawat, reflecting on the recent events of his life, wrote: “Bhagavan made it possible for me to find employment once again in the United States. But New York was the last place we wanted to live. In spite of my best efforts to get away from New York, Bhagavan held me here. He must have had some purpose in not helping me find employment elsewhere.”

The purpose would soon reveal itself. On November 12th, 1965, Bhagawat began weekly meetings in a room at the American Buddhist Society on the West Side of Manhattan. He wanted it to be a meeting place for sincere aspirants who wished to deepen their spiritual lives in the light of the Maharshi’s guidance and grace. In 1966, Arunachala Ashrama, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi Center was incorporated and registered as a charity with the state and federal governments. Then, in 1967, a meeting room at 78 St. Marks Place was rented and the weekly gatherings became daily.

In 1967, Bhagawat resigned his job and dedicated himself fully to the Ashram. He legally adopted the name of Arunachala Bhakta Bhagawat. Thus, began his daily routine of traveling by subway to Manhattan from his Brooklyn apartment. He was now 55 years old, unemployed and without funds to support his wife and son, totally taking refuge in his Master and Lord, Ramana Bhagavan. About this period of his life he wrote: “I wander about like a drunken person who does not care what the world thinks of him, as he is oblivious to the physical world in his inebriated state.”

In 1969 the Ashrama moved to a rented storefront on 342 East 6th Street, near First Avenue, and remained there for the next seventeen years. Slowly a small group of sincere seekers began to attach themselves to the Ashrama and the daily practice of prayer and meditation. Bhagawat’s mission of “raising the Flag of Self-enquiry and Self-surrender” in the Western Hemisphere slowly began to take shape.

What inspired the few sincere seekers who ultimately dedicated themselves to the Ashrama was Arunachala Bhakta Bhagawat’s emphasis on the need for spiritual practice. He often would say, “This is Arunachala Abhyāsa Ashrama.” Abhyasa means ‘spiritual practice.’ Pointing to Sri Bhagavan’s photo, he often told new visitors, “He teaches, and we practice. He has made me His servant and servitor, His doorman and doormat.”

Bhagawat was a prolific writer and the inspiration to dedicate his life to establish Sri Ramana Maharshi’s Ashrama in the West can be easily understood by reading just a few pages of the manuscripts that became part of his spiritual practice. He used to say, “Unless my mind sinks into the Heart, I cannot write.” And it would sink, and the writing went on and on. All his spare time would be occupied with “worshipping at the altar of Hermes 3000 [typewriter] with the fruits and flowers of my breath.” He would be seen either sitting inwardly absorbed in front of the typewriter or outwardly absorbed typing thousands of pages of what he called “prayer manuscripts”.

In 1970, he began writing a piece titled, “Bhagavan! Thou Art the Self”. This went on for 3,500 pages. “From the top of my voice I declare to the world that Thou art the very breath for me and day and night I find myself immersed in the surging Ganga of the Silent Sage of the Holy Hill of the Beacon Light, Sri Arunachaleshwara Shiva Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi...”

And these direct experiences described in his writings or expressed directly to his friends confirmed the faith in the minds of Western seekers that though Bhagavan Ramana is no longer physically available, his Divine Presence, guidance and grace are continually flowing to those who turn to him. He is a LIVING Guru. Bhakta Bhagawat realized that Bhagavan did not allow him to see him in the physical form for the simple reason that he did not want him to confuse that form with his real being, the Self of all. New seekers from the West had their faith in the continued presence of Sri Ramana confirmed in the life of Arunachala Bhakta Bhagawat.

Sri Arunachala Ashrama in Nova Scotia, Canada

A retreat where people from Wall Street can sit on the grass

In 1972 Arunachala Ashrama branched out into Canada. Even now, understandably, we are asked, “Why did you go all the way up to Nova Scotia to open a country ashrama? Couldn’t you have found a place nearer to New York City?” This question will be easier to answer if we explain a little more detail about the founder of Arunachala Ashrama, Arunachala Bhakta Bhagawat.

Bhagawat had a dream of a country ashram dedicated to the practice of the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi “where people from Wall Street can sit on the grass”. And, certainly, he did wish that the country ashrama be near New York City to make it easier for seekers of the metropolitan area to visit. But how did he go about fulfilling this dream? Much as he did in all other matters, he fixed his mind and heart on Ramana Bhagavan, surrendered at His Lotus Feet and waited for Him to bring someone to the Ashrama who would make it happen.

We should keep in mind that by 1970 there was a deluge of yogis, teachers, and spiritual masters flooding into the USA and making New York City their first stop. Also, at that time, masses of disillusioned youth were traversing the country in search of alternative lifestyles less focused on material values than those of their parents. The spiritual teachers who arrived in America made disciples and opened ashramas and spiritual centers around the country that served as havens for a good number of these youth who were often labeled ‘hippies’.

In contrast to all these famous bearded yogis in robes that attracted thousands was this penniless villager called Bhagawat, a married man who offered no initiation, no secret mantra, had no disciples, possessed absolutely no skills for organization, and who acted purely on intuition, calling himself a “servant, doorman and doormat” of the tiniest abode of his Master, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. On top of this, the guru of Arunachala Ashrama, Sri Ramana Maharshi, had been interred 20 years earlier.

Nevertheless, the upsurge of Bhagawat’s inner, overwhelming experience of the presence of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi in his heart constantly inspired him to “shout from the highest tower, proclaim to every corner of the earth, the glory and majesty of my Guru, Arunachala Shiva Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi Dakshinamurti!” But how was he to do it? Who was there to listen? None. So, he resorted to the confines of his Hermes 3000 typewriter to express his aspirations and experience, and thousands upon thousands of pages of “prayer manuscripts” poured forth.

By 1970 or 1971, gradually, a few sincere seekers began to hear his call, frequent the Ashrama and receive a vibrant spark of inspiration to one-pointedly pursue the path taught and peerlessly demonstrated by Sri Ramana. Every evening the Ashrama resounded with chanting followed by deep, silent meditation. Bhagawat would have already prepared a dinner to serve the devotees after the meditation. These meals, which consisted mostly of rice, dhal and potatoes, cooked in his own unique village style, were sometimes memorable to the unwary visitor who had no knowledge of Bhagawat’s fondness for chilies! It was during these after-dinner meetings that devotees came to know of Bhagawat’s desire to open a country ashrama.

And in answer to his prayers, David Sewell, a young professor from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, visited the Ashrama on East 6th Street in New York City during the summer of 1971. David told Bhagawat of the abundance of inexpensive farms and land available in this province of Canada. He offered to buy a property for the country Ashrama there. The land prices in Nova Scotia were only 20 percent of what it would cost within a 60-mile radius of New York City. A back-to-the-land movement had pushed property values up in the nearby countryside, and Bhagawat had no money anyhow.

By 1971, Joan and Matthew Greenblatt, a recently-married young couple, had already become dedicated to Bhagavan and the New York Ashrama. They were also taken with Bhagawat’s dream of living a dedicated life of spiritual practice and service in a country setting. As soon as they heard of this offer in Nova Scotia they set off in their Volkswagen Beetle (a wedding gift) to meet David and establish a retreat for Arunachala Ashrama in Nova Scotia. That was in September of 1971. Providentially, by the time the Greenblatts arrived in Nova Scotia and met with David Sewell, his circumstances had changed. Disappointed but not deterred, the Greenblatts decided to go out in search of a property themselves, even though they had no means to purchase one. Joan and Matthew had the conviction and faith that Bhagavan had brought them all the way up there for a reason. So, from farm to farm, house to house, they worked their way through the province, inquiring about farms for sale from the friendliest and gentlest people they had ever met. Eventually, the search was narrowed down to the historical, idyllic Annapolis Valley, and after several days of search they found themselves returning to the home of an elderly couple who lived on a 130-acre farm nestled up close to the slopes of the North Mountain. This kindly couple were the Taylors, who in due course revealed to our pilgrims that, in fact, they themselves had been thinking about selling their farm and moving into town. Won over by the Taylors’ kindness and the potential that they saw in their farm as a country ashrama, a price was settled upon and an agreement drawn-up and signed. This was a pure act of faith on the part of Joan and Matthew, for they did not possess, nor did Arunachala Ashrama, the means to purchase it.

In March of 1972, Bhagawat, Joan, Matthew and Dennis Hartel, who had become a resident of the New York Ashrama in November 1971, drove up to Nova Scotia to see the farm and make the final decision on its purchase. Nova Scotia was still cold with snow on the ground, but the warm hospitality of the Taylors and the other residents they met brightened and warmed their hearts. Gazing upon the hill behind the Taylors’ farm, Bhagawat was amazed when he saw a steep rocky outcrop near the top. “Look there!” he said excitedly, “It is right there on that cliff that I had the vision of Bhagavan standing looking down at me!” This provided Bhagawat with the certitude that the Taylor farm was the place destined to become Sri Bhagavan’s country ashrama. Later, at that very same spot, a cave was discovered and was immediately christened “Virupaksha Cave”.

By April of 1972, the required funds were somehow collected and this farm of 130 acres, together with its 60-foot barn and large house, was purchased in the name of Arunachala Ashrama, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi Center for $15,000. That may not sound like much money these days, but at that time when the few devotees of the Ashrama possessed practically nothing but their faith as collateral towards the fulfillment of a noble dream, its purchase appeared to them as nothing short of a manifestation of His Divine Will in their lives.

That very same month, Joan, Matthew and Dennis moved into the new country Arunachala Ashrama in Canada. The house had been neglected, the barn had holes in its roof, the landscape around the buildings was eroded, yet none of these flaws could dampen the enthusiasm of these few sadhakas. Having traversed the world in search of a safe harbor in which to drop their anchors and dedicate their lives to the ideal that flooded their hearts with joy, nothing outwardly could slow their march to the inner sanctuary of peace and happiness. Their outer activity was now in perfect harmony with their inner spiritual aspirations, which they understood to be the only true purpose of human existence. This filled their hearts with joy and their bodies with energy and purpose. They were building a home for the children of their guru, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, who had said: “By serving my devotees you are serving me.” And they experienced his guiding presence at every turn, leading them on to rest forever in the final state of pure awareness and joy.

Now, to return to the question posed in the first paragraph: “Why did you go all the way up to Nova Scotia to open a country Ashram?”

After the ashramites had settled into their new home, the advantages of a country ashrama in Nova Scotia became increasingly clear.  Many youths of the counter-culture movement of the late 1960s and early 70s had begun to question the focus on fulfillment in life through material gain. Among them were some young people who along the way had lost sight of the value of discipline, hard work and dedication devoted to an ideal. They would float from one commune to another or from one ashrama to another. To take the trouble to travel all the way up to Nova Scotia a certain amount of sincerity and genuine interest in the ideals of Arunachala Ashrama was required. Consequently, only the most earnest of seekers visited the Nova Scotia Ashrama, insuring that the Ashrama thus remained an oasis of deep peace and harmony.

Also, anyone who visits the pristine province of Nova Scotia, Canada immediately realizes how special and unspoiled the land and its people are. The unpolluted lakes and streams, the uninhabited natural Atlantic coastline never far from wherever one may be, the open fields, forests, farms and the softly rolling hills of the Annapolis Valley themselves are a healing balm for all the ills of a restless mind.

As one dives ever-deeper into the heart of Bhagavan Ramana’s teachings, life at the Nova Scotia Ashrama shines radiantly in the vast dark sky of human existence. Those who visit the Ashrama with a sincere desire to deepen their experience of the Divine Presence both within and without can testify to this fact.

Sri Arunachala-Ramana Mandiram

It was the first year of classes in the newly-built, one-room school house, picturesquely located in the quiet rural community of Clarence in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, Canada. The year was 1879. At the same time, far across the globe in another quiet, remote place, a village in South India, on the night of December 30, a son was born to Alagamma and Sundaram Iyer. Who could have ever imagined that this rural school house and that new born boy, then linked in time, would once again be linked in spirit ninety-five years later?

Soon after the Nova Scotia, Arunachala Ashrama, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi Center was founded in 1972, Arunachala Bhakta Bhagawat began his regular visits from New York City. Immediately, he was attracted to the property on the Ashrama's lower field, just off the Clarence Road, about 50 yards from the Ashrama house. It was a 100-by-75-foot corner lot that had been donated to the local school board in 1879 by the then owner of the Ashrama farm. The Ashrama did not own this lot. Someone had bought it from the school board three years earlier.

Bhagawat would almost daily visit this small, empty plot, always commenting on its "tortoise shape”, an elevation with gentle downward slopes on all four sides. On this lot the Clarence West School had stood until 1969. The granite slabs that served as its foundation and an old hand-powered water pump were all that remained. Bhakta Bhagawat would daily stroll the grounds, reciting the "Sri Lalita Sahasranam Stotram”, praying to the Divine Mother to bless her children by building a Temple on this land for devotees to gather and immerse themselves in the direct teachings of Self-enquiry. After two years, in 1974, his dream began to materialize.

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Mr.B.K.Raju, a prominent, yet humble and devoted businessman of Halifax, Nova Scotia, began to take an active interest in the prospect of buying the lot and the old school house, reuniting them once again for yet another type of schooling ‑ the training of the spirit. He started a trust for borrowing funds, arranged for the purchase of the school, engaged an architect, all of which injected the necessary impetus in the hearts of Joan and Matthew Greenblatt and Dennis Hartel, who then lived in the Ashrama, and Darlene Delisi, who lived nearby. They felt charged with energy and genuine inspiration, watching their lofty ideals of head and heart now taking shape in the form of a Temple.

The logistics of returning the school house back to the Ashrama, lifting the thirty-ton structure five feet in the air and then sliding it onto its new, raised foundation were certainly mind boggling for these young devotees. But every obstacle was calmly met with a growing faith that established itself in their hearts so firmly that it has been serenely carrying them safely through life’s troubled waters ever since.

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More than the physical obstacles were the financial hurdles. Mr. Raju's trust fund proved unproductive and was terminated. Daily wages had to be met, supplies bought, contractors paid. The young aspirants of the Ashrama were not fund raisers, nor were they financially savvy. Their only wealth was the devotion and faith that filled their hearts and the only course for them was to depend entirely on these to meet their needs. Their faith and devotion were at times severely tested, but proved ultimately triumphant. During this time, the Maharshi repeatedly assured them of his all-pervasive presence in many ways both seen and unseen. Their faith remained steady and help came, especially from the noble hearts of the late Alexander Hixon and Dr. Mohender Goomar, who generously relieved the construction debts and ensured that Sri Arunachala Ramana Mandiram would stand as a lasting tribute to the Silent Sage of the Holy Hill of the Beacon Light, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. The Temple was inaugurated on September 1, 1975, the 79th Anniversary of Sri Ramana Maharshi’s Advent at Arunachala.

For more than fifty years, from these two Ashramas in New York and Nova Scotia, Canada — dedicated to the life and teachings of the Sage of Arunachala — a steady shower of grace has been inundating the Western Hemisphere, slowly seeping into the awareness of sincere aspirants from all walks of life.

Expansion of Grace in New York City

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As the New York City Ashrama grew, a larger residential home was rented in Forest Hills, Queens in 1987. Then, in 1996, a house was purchased nearby. This proved inadequate to accommodate all the devotees during functions and halls were rented for events. In 2005 a large building was bought in Jamaica Estates, in the same New York City borough, and in 2012 a meditation hall and shrine was added on to it. This spacious new Ashrama regularly attracts numerous visitors and guests who unanimously declare that within its precincts the deep silence of Bhagavan Ramana is pulsating.

Our Founder Merges in Sri Arunachala-Ramana

In the New York Arunachala Ashrama, on Monday morning, April 10th, 2000, Arunachala Bhakta Bhagawat looked as if he were asleep. On closer examination it was found that his life breath had left the body and he had left with it. From all appearances no one could have guessed that he was about to depart. The previous night he had been quietly absorbed in listening to both the morning and evening Veda Parayanas one after the other, then had a meal, smiled and conversed with the Ashrama friends who had gathered that night, but showed no signs that this was his final night.

Since suffering a stroke eighteen months earlier, he had been unable to walk and, of course, was weak.  He would routinely sit in a wheel chair for five hours every day and, although functioning in a limited way, he was hardly conscious of his frailty, occasionally forgetting that he was unable to walk. Nevertheless, he remained ever cheerful and grateful, rarely asking for anything other than a warm blanket and to be helped into bed when he was tired.

“It is now fifty years since Bhagavan’s Mahanirvana,” were the last words he heard before he fell asleep and the lights were dimmed. He nodded his head and closed his eyes. In the morning he was gone. It was Rama’s Birthday. On April 14, 2000, exactly fifty years to the day of his Master’s Mahanirvana, Arunachala Bhakta Bhagawat’s body was cremated.

Continued Service

Quietly spreading the life and message of the Maharshi, Arunachala Ashrama has published a bimonthly newsletter since 1991, produced videos on the Maharshi, distributes all the English publications from Sri Ramanasramam and serves devotees and seekers throughout the Western Hemisphere. To this day all these activities have been enthusiastically carried out by a dedicated handful of devotees.

During the last 20 years, two dozen Ramana Satsang groups have sprung up in Canada and the USA. Arunachala Ashrama has always offered its resources and encouragement to the ever-growing number of sincere seekers who have experienced the gracious Presence of the Master. In these family-like gatherings devotees support and strengthen their faith and practice as they experience firsthand the manner in which Bhagavan reaches out to embrace and protect all those who turn to him for grace and guidance.

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In January of 2017, the construction of a replica of Bhagavan’s Old Hall of Sri Ramanasramam, the abode of the Maharshi for over 20 years, was completed and inaugurated at the Ramana Jayanti Retreat in Tampa, Florida by devotees of the USA and Canada. Also, a devotee from Ottawa, Canada has built a new Ramana Mandiram, overlooking the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Northern New York State.

Now, as 2018 is approaching, we feel that a new era, an even-more-pervading phase of influence in the life of sincere seekers of truth, is about to unfold in the development of Sri Ramana’s Arunachala Ashrama in the West. The certainty of His guiding presence, the inner response of surrender and submission, of freedom and joy, perpetuate this vision that opens our heart to the guidance of His Divine Will.

We invite all those who wish to dedicate their life to the experience of the one Self of all, embodied in the life and teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, to join us on our march to the Holy Hill of the Beacon Light and make their lives blessed.