Cherished Memories

Chapter 08 - Ramakrshna Iyer

My uncle Ramakrishna Iyer, was one of the earlier devotees to come to Bhagavan. He had surrendered himself to Bhagavan while the Master was staying in the Virupaksha Cave. Ramakrishna Iyer’s younger brother, Ranganatha Iyer, is my father. Our ancestral village is Padi Agraharam, in Chengam Taluk. This village is about 20 miles to the west of Tiruvannamalai. This is where my uncle and my father were born. In their adult years, both the brothers settled down in Tiruvannamalai. My uncle was the Munsif of Tiruvannamalai Town. This being an influential position, my uncle’s family was comfortably placed in life. My father was a contractor. His work took him to the Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh, and he eventually settled down there. But even after establishing his business in Andhra Pradesh, my father could never stay away from Tiruvannamalai for long. He often visited his brother, and would go with him to Ramanasramam. It is only because of my elders’ devotion to Bhagavan that I came into his fold eventually.

My Uncle’s wife, Ponnammal was an extraordinary lady. She had no worldly attachments at all. She had received initiation from Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni, and was constantly engaged in prayers and puja. She paid little attention to household affairs. Nevertheless, the household functioned quite smoothly, and there was no dearth of visitors to the house./p>

My aunt was a beautiful lady with a radiant face. She never plaited her hair, but let it hang loose all the time. She worshipped Goddess Shakti. She used to say that because of her intense devotion to the Goddess, she experienced something like an electric shock, if ever her bare feet touched the ground. So, she always wore a pair of wooden sandals on her feet. She never wore any jewels on her person.

If relatives or guests arrived unexpectedly, my aunt would immediately pick up her slippers and go into her room. She neither welcomed visitors nor objected to their visits. She simply did not get involved in taking care of guests. But my uncle never complained about this. Instead, he took care of the details himself. There was a young Brahmin boy to take care of the cooking and my uncle managed all the other household affairs.

In any situation, the Ashram authorities could depend upon my uncle for prompt and generous assistance. Once, Chinnaswami sent word that the priest who usually performed the puja at the Ashram temple had not come that day. Immediately, my uncle sent his cook to the Ashram, so that the puja could be performed on time. In the early days, the Ashram had to deal with a number of problems. Every time trouble arose, my uncle used to take charge of the situation and try to find a suitable solution for the problem. When thieves broke into the Ashram it was my uncle whom Kunjuswami fetched from the Town. My uncle could always be depended upon, to assist the Ashram authorities in every possible manner. Whenever the need arose, Chinnaswami would send word to him, and my uncle never let him down.

My aunt had a great regard for Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni (Nayana). Very often, Nayana would come to stay in my uncle’s house, with a group of his disciples. All their needs were well taken care of. Even after Nayana set up his own house in Tiruvannamalai, my aunt used to send provisions and other essentials to his house, through the servants. My uncle never objected to this practice.

In the same way, my aunt did not object to the streams of visitors who arrived at the house, especially during the Deepam and other Temple festivals. All the guests were assured of a very comfortable stay, and my aunt never interfered with my uncle’s arrangements for their welfare. My uncle and aunt had an excellent understanding and a high regard for each other. Neither of them ever criticised or even questioned the activities of the other. They were an unusual couple. Though they lived within the framework of family life, they had no worldly attachments.

This unique couple had only one son named Radhakrishnan and everybody called him ‘Radha’. He had acquired his parents’ unique qualities. Worldly pursuits held no attraction for him. He was devoted to Bhagavan, and spent all his spare time in Ramanasramam. Bhagavan had a special regard for this young man. Radha spent all his college vacations in the Ashram. He would often go around the Hill with Bhagavan. He spent all his time in spiritual pursuits, under the guidance of Bhagavan.

Neither Radha nor his mother showed any interest or involvement in the affairs of the relatives. My uncle alone attended weddings and other family functions. The poorer relatives could always count upon my uncle for generous monetary help in all situations.

Radha finished his studies and found employment as an engineer in the Railways.

He requested his parents to come and live with him. But my uncle refused to leave Tiruvannamalai and Bhagavan. In the end, Radha was forced to leave my uncle to manage on his own. He took his mother with him and looked after her with great affection and dedication.

After a while, my uncle started having some difficulty in living alone. He stayed with us in Madras for some time. He also stayed at Ramanasramam for a while. Occasionally, he would go to stay with his son for a few days. In his last days, my uncle was in Ramanasramam, where Chinnaswami took very good care of him. But in spite of the best treatment, my uncle’s health declined rapidly. Finally, the Ashram authorities sent word to Radha. He came immediately and took his father to his house, and did his best to restore his father’s failing health. But all of Radha’s efforts were in vain. In 1934, my uncle Ramakrishna Iyer breathed his last.