Sri Ramana Pada Malai
Back in 1902 Sivaprakasam Pillai queried Sri Bhagavan as to the nature of 'I' and in response received the enlightening exposition enshrined in Sri Bhagavan's "Who Am I?". This great devotee has also placed us under a debt of gratitude for this following poem, which answers a wide range of spiritual questions and contains Sri Bhagavan's direct and simple instructions (the original is in Tamiḷ).
Refrain: (To follow each verse)
Blessed be, blessed be The Feet of Lord Ramana, Blessed be, blessed be and forever blessed be!
1. Blessed be the Feet of the Master, the embodiment of Grace. Blessed be the Knower of the Veda whose Feet remove ignorance and confer Knowledge.
2. Blessed be the Feet of God who attracts the minds of those who see Him. Blessed be His Feet, the One of clear Knowledge who has neither likes nor dislikes.
3. Blessed be the Feet of Him who is all Light. Blessed be the Feet of Him, the true Devotee, who had the Grace of the Lord.
4. Blessed be the Feet of Him the embodiment of Truth, who realized the Truth and rejected all (else). Blessed be the Feet of Him who shows the path of emancipation as it really is.
5. Blessed be the Feet of Him who truly knows but does not show Himself off as a Knower. Blessed be the Feet of Him who teaches the way of highest devotion.
6. Blessed be the Feet of Him who removes the fears of those who take refuge in Him. Blessed be the Feet of Him who regards even poison as nectar.
7. Blessed be the Feet of Him, the Supreme. Blessed be the Feet of Him who lets no danger come (to His devotee).
8. Blessed be the Feet of Him who returns good for evil. Blessed be the Feet of the Creator who melts even stony hearts.
9. Blessed be the Feet of Him who does not expect any reward. Blessed be the Feet of Him, the Lord whose speech is like nectar.
10. Blessed be the Feet of Him who teaches, "Seek 'Who am I ?' and leave the rest." Blessed be the Feet of Him, the Peaceful One, who says that sorrow will go if one becomes Oneself.
11. Blessed be the Feet of the One who gives the knowledge that "I am not the body which is so dear." Blessed be the Feet of Him who says "Throw the burden on the Lord."
12. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says that the Divine will bear any burdens. Blessed be the Feet of Him who says, "Stick to the Path which is shown."
13. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says that all is the work of the Lord. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says that the ego and nothing else is the whole trouble.
14. Blessed be the Feet of the One who teaches, "That which rises as the 'I' is the mind." Blessed be the Feet of the One who teaches that the mind is dissolved in the vision of Jnana.
15. Blessed be the Feet of the One who instructs, "Do not think anything and be still." Blessed be the Feet of the One who says "Keep your mind fixed in the Self."
16. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says, "Do not slacken in Self-Enquiry but continue it till you achieve Abidance in the Self ."
17. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says, "All evil that hovers around identification with the body will vanish with Self-Enquiry."
18. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says that bliss will surge up and up as one dives deeper and deeper into the 'I'.
19. Blessed be the Feet of the Lord who instructs, "Offer the wandering mind to the Lord. It is the highest devotion."
20. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says, "Do not dissociate yourself from the Lord who is within but appears separate and without."
21. Blessed be the Feet of the One who instructs, "If the mind goes after sense objects, stop it; this is offering the soul to the Lord."
22. Blessed be the Feet of the One who teaches, "Quell all thoughts which rise; that is vairagya."
23. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says, "Many are the ways to control the mind. The best among them is Self-Enquiry."
24. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says, "If controlled by other methods it (the mind) will rise again. This is due to the force of vasanas."
25. Blessed be the Feet of the One who explains, "By mantra japa the mind will be quiescent. Japa is a means of enquiry."
26. Blessed be the Feet of the Murti (one with form) who says, "(Contemplation on) Form will make the mind one-pointed. Considered well it is also a way."
27. Blessed be the Feet of the One who teaches, "If Prana (breath) is controlled, mind is temporarily controlled. Pranayama (breath-control) is also a means."
28. Blessed be the Feet of the One whose teaching is "The best in the code (for sadhakas) is moderate eating. (Also) One word spoken leads to a hundred."
29. Blessed be the Feet of the One who teaches, "Control of mind is the gist of any book (teaching). What book do you need to see yourself !"
30. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says, "Desire is the play of (material) atoms. Desirelessness is Jnana."
31. Blessed be the Feet of the One who enjoins, "Get rid of the discrimination between the sexes. Marriage is a way of achieving it."
32. Blessed be the Feet of the Noble One who explains that giving to others is giving to oneself, if there is the knowledge as to who one is.
33. Blessed be the Feet of the One who stays humble and says, "To humble oneself more and more is good. Avoid contempt towards those who are low."
34. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says, "If one wants to rule over (others), others will do the same. If one stays humble others will also do likewise."
35. Blessed be the Feet of the One who instructs: "Don't go back on your word. Do not interfere in other's affairs."
36. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says, "It is best to let one raise himself by himself. Grace helps where there is effort."
37. Blessed be the Feet of the Yogi who says, "It is dangerous to discard traditional rules of conduct. Try to think and understand their significance."
38. Blessed be the Feet of the One who teaches, "Regard everything as the Will of the Lord. Considered well the world is only a dream."
39. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says, "It is proper for the wife to act in compliance with the husband. She will derive the same peace as the husband acquires."
40. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says, "Fix the mind in the Self. That is respecting the Guru's word."
41. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says, "Nothing else is expected of you - be rid of the feeling of difference (between the jiva and the Self)."
42. Blessed be the Feet of the One who says, "Formal respect is only for the outside world. Where is this consideration when there is unity between man and wife?" (Symbolically the relationship between the master and the disciple, though bound by the rule of respect in one sense, is really one of Unity.)
43. Blessed be the Feet of the One who sees merits even in faults. Blessed be the Feet of the Jnani who has saved me, possessed of little tapas.
44. Blessed be the Feet of the One who like the Sun makes the hearts of the devotees blossom. Blessed be the Feet of the One who lives in Arunachala.
45. Blessed be the Feet of the One who was born in Holy Tiruchuli. Blessed be the Feet of the One who was born through Grace as son to Sundaram Iyer.
Blessed be, blessed be The Feet of Lord Ramana, Blessed be, blessed be and for ever blessed be!
Dr.Ajay Kumar
When aspirations are sincere, efforts one-pointed and Grace is obtained, the Lord himself fulfills the noble desires of His devotees. This we have recently witnessed in the life of a friend and fellow devotee, Dr. Ajay Kumar of Pennsylvania.
On June 14th Ajay left alone for a 2-1/2 week visit to Sri Ramanasramam. He had been planning the trip since February, and this was not his first visit since he heard of the Maharshi some ten years ago. But during the last year or two a noticeable change came over Ajay. His habits were abstemious. He would talk very little, eat very little and though attending to all his required tasks in life, he expressed how he found no real purpose or satisfaction in them. His inner attention became centered on Bhagavan's life and teachings. Ajay would spend all his spare time and much of the quiet time at nights attending to what he found most meaningful - his spiritual ideal. And whatever little sleep he took was on the floor itself. In short, his vairagya had matured considerably and his mind turned inward.
Ajay appeared to have a premonition about not returning from this India trip. He expressed it to a devotee at the New York Ashrama. But in no manner did it dampen his joy and inspiration upon reaching Bhagavan's abode on the morning of June 16th. He was like a carefree boy, joyously frolicking about his most cherished playground (Sri Ramanasramam). Ajay was cheerful and friendly to all, supremely happy residing in his gracious Father's abode.
Then came the morning of Thursday, June 26th. A messenger came to his room with a note at 7:45 A.M. Though the door was not locked from within there was no response from Ajay when summoned. An official from the office was called for and upon entering the room found Ajay's lifeless body on his bed with his legs dangling down to the floor. At age 47 he had suffered a massive heart attack during the night.
His body was preserved in an icebox. Relatives were contacted and gathered in Echammal's cottage by Friday night, keeping vigil. Early Saturday morning devotees grouped outside the cottage and chanted "Akshara-manamalai," and at 8 A.M. the body was taken to the cremation ground. The Ashram President, V.S.Ramanan, V.Ganesan, Captain Narayan, Chandramouli, along with Ajay's family members followed. All the devotees at the Ashrama felt that Dr. Ajay was certainly a blessed soul, coming all the way from the USA to leave his body at Arunachala and be absorbed in Sri Bhagavan.
Only a few nights earlier while doing pradakshina of Arunachala with devotees, Ajay expressed his fervent desire to shed his body there, at the feet of Arunachala. It was not the first time this was expressed. Being a physician, we can have little doubt that Ajay knew that his heart was failing that night. He was evidently sitting up and we can be certain that his mind was fully fixed on Sri Bhagavan at the last moment. Ajay was, indeed, a blessed soul. The inspiration we received from him during his lifetime continues now in greater measure, instilling us with determination, faith and devotion.
Ajay's mother had told Padmani, Ajay's wife, on several occasions that a Mahatma who saw Ajay soon after he was born commented that the boy was a yoga brashta, one who had slipped from his state of yoga. "At some point in his life it will all come back to him and he will return to his yogic state," he concluded. The Mahatma's words were fulfilled.
On July 19th and 20th devotees from Arunachala Ashrama gathered at Dr.Ajay's home in Hummelstown, PA. There they recited Bhagavan's works, read his teachings, discussed about the rare good fortune of having Ajay's noble friendship. Padmani, her mother and daughter, with much fortitude and strength, acknowledged the wonderful good fortune of Ajay's destiny. Nevertheless, his family members and all devotees will certainly miss this rare soul and friend whose life, and death, proved a testimony to the Master's teachings and grace.
Note: When Sri Bhagavan's father died, Bhagavan was 12 years, 7 weeks old. This was calculated while reading through Ajay's "Time Line" of Bhagavan (see Sri Ramana Leela below). Can we say it is only a coincidence that Ajay's only child, Natasha, was also 12 years 7 weeks old upon his passing?
Sri Ramana - Leela
Evidence of Dr. Ajay Kumar's one-pointed devotion to Sri Maharshi is found in the extensive chronology (/ramana/life/timeline/) he left us, detailing interesting and relevant events in Bhagavan's life gathered from various books.
Guru Purnima at Arunachala Ashrama, New York
Guru Purnima was celebrated at Arunachala Ashrama in New York City on Sunday, July 13. Peter Fell reports that the program started at 9:00 A.M. with a puja to Ganesha for the removal of obstacles. At 9:30 the "Aruna Prashna" was chanted. This text from the "Aranyakam" of the Krishna Yajur Veda is traditionally chanted in the morning of festive occasions and has a powerful impact in restoring and preserving bodily health. At 10:45 A.M. the "Mahanyasam" was chanted. Like the "Aruna Prashna," the "Mahanyasam" is often chanted on important occasions and serves the purpose of purifying those present and the surrounding environment.
Then at noon followed the "Rudrabhishekam," with worship of the Siva Linga and the chanting of "Rudram," an ancient litany to Rudra from the "Samhita" of the Krishna Yajur Veda, as well as other Vedic hymns. The worship was completed with reverential chanting of the 108 names of Siva and of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. Dr.M. G.Prasad then made some pertinent comments to the assembled devotees about the meaning of Guru Purnima. The finale of the program was a recitation of the second chapter of the Taittiriya Upanishad. In this text, recited every morning at Sri Ramanasramam, both now and during the time of Sri Bhagavan, the Guru imparts wisdom to the disciple - a fitting close to a program in honor of the Guru.
The Guru Purnima program at Arunachala Ashrama was attended by approximately a hundred devotees, many of whom brought delicious offerings of food, which were enjoyed by all during the distribution of prasadam. The program was led by Sri Chalapati Sharma, a Yajur Veda ghanapathi, who retired recently as administrator of the Venkateshwara Temple in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Ably assisting him were Mr. Vishnubhatla Murthy as pujari and Dr. M. G. Prasad, who led the chanting of "Sri Ramana Ashtottaram."
