ஊன மகன்ற ஒளிசே ரனுபவமெய்ஞ்
ஞான மணங்கமழ்செந் நாவினால் – மோனவருட்
பார்வையா லாண்டகுரு பாதானு பூதிசொலல்
சேவையாத் தேறுகின் றேன்

திருநாட் சிவராத் திரியெனத் தெரியாது
ஒருநாள் பட்டினி யிட்டெனை மறுநாள்
விசர்புற வலம்புரி வித்தரு ணந்தனைப்
பசிப்பதம் அறிந்துஊண் பரிந்தளிப் பித்தும்

என்னைத்தன் பாலே யிருத்தியெனக்(கு) இன்னமுதத்
தன்னருள்பா லித்த தயாசொருபன் – அன்னையினும்
மிக்கபே ரன்பு விளங்குசிவச் சீர்மையென்னுள்
சிக்கெனவே தொக்கது சீர்த்து

ĕṉṉaittaṉ pāle yiruttiyĕṉak(ku) iṉṉamutat
taṉṉarul̤pā litta tayācŏrupaṉ – aṉṉaiyiṉum
mikkape raṉpu vil̤aṅkucivac cīrmaiyĕṉṉul̤
cikkĕṉave tŏkkatu cīrttu

Meaning: He drew me into his embrace and retained me to bestow his divine nectar of grace. His very form is an embodiment of love itself. He showered upon me a love so profound, surpassing even that of my own mother, to eternally establish the auspicious glory of Lord Shiva within my heart.

Muruganar's legacy continues as an enduring source of inspiration, reminding us that the path to Self-realization isn't about accumulating knowledge or accomplishments, but about surrendering the ego and experiencing the connection with the divine. His life story continues to inspire and guide us on our quest for liberation, emphasizing the enduring importance of sincere devotion, absolute surrender, and steadfast abidance in the spiritual heart. It teaches us to allow life's events to unfold, be they pleasant or otherwise.

Indeed, along the way, Muruganar arose as one of the greatest poets nurtured by mother Tamil, who endowed him with a magnificent faculty and intellect to employ her beautiful language in singing, worshiping, celebrating, blessing, and immersing himself in the bliss and devotion experienced while worshiping his beloved Lord Ramana.

As we reflect upon his legacy, is there another poet, in any language, from any era, residing in any corner of the world, belonging to any religion, who has displayed such unwavering devotion as Muruganar did, while filling every fiber of their very being with devotion to their living Sadguru and glorifying the divine brilliance of that Sadguru so splendidly?

Muruganar built a poetic monument for his Sadguru, Bhagavan Sri Ramana, unlike any other disciple in history has done for a living guru. This monument stands for all to see, appreciate, and marvel at for ages to come. However, comprehending its significance requires careful perception. Unlike conventional monuments, Muruganar laid the foundation for this monument through his own realization. Each verse he composed serves as a brick, his devotion acts as the mortar, his unconditional love is the water, and Bhagavan's grace is the cement binding it all together. Brick by brick, he constructed his masterpiece, which demands the reader's imagination, devotion, and realization to fully grasp and admire it. Within this monument, he placed an enormous throne – one that resides perpetually in every heart, yet remains often misunderstood and unrealized. Muruganar spent numerous lifetimes preparing this throne, meticulously crafted through years of solitude, surrender, and, above all, soliciting the grace of his Sadguru. In that throne, his Sadguru, Lord Ramana, is seated in all His glory and radiance, quietly observing, guiding, and embodying the perception of all perceptions. He remains unrelenting, never weary of the antics of egos, sustaining each life with His complete silence, ever ready to assist anyone who surrenders to His grace.

Prof.K.Swaminathan movingly wrote, “To practice His presence and to explain His teachings the poet uses words, which whether richly sensuous or austerely intellectual, are invariably appropriate, while his repertoire of metrical forms is astounding in its vastness, flexibility and power. Like some great temple complex, with its shrines and towers, its tanks and groves, the immense output of this poet constitutes a massive and worthy literary monument to the Master, whose mighty message Sri Muruganar manages to convey, because he is himself a consummate and humble scholar, manipulating with unerring tact and taste the inexhaustible resources of an ancient and still living language unsurpassed in the range, depth and continuity of its devotional and metaphysical poetry.”

Prof.K.Swaminathan aptly encapsulated an extraordinary historical event. No other culture, religion, land, or language has witnessed anything quite like what transpired with Muruganar. No individual has composed over 30,000 verses exclusively dedicated to their living Guru to the exclusion of all else. Muruganar, even though he had forsaken all material possessions and lived a life devoid of worldly attachments, has erected the grandest and most unassailable monument to his Guru and personal deity, Bhagavan Sri Ramana, through his absolute surrender and boundless imagination. He allowed his own master to channel the creation of these verses. This represents the highest form of surrender, wisdom, devotion, and yoga – precisely what Bhagavan Krishna urged Arjuna to embrace.

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Day by Day with Bhagavan

22 Nov 1945

Dr.Srinivasa Rao told the Swami, “I have heard from one, who said he saw it, that when Bhagavan was in Skandasramam, a snake once crept over his body.” Bhagavan said, “Snakes raise their hoods and look into our eyes and they seem to know when they need not be afraid, and then they pass over us. It did not strike me either that I should do anything to it.”

Later Bhagavan said, “Even though we usually describe the reality as Sat, Chit, Ananda, even that is not quite a correct description. It cannot really be described. By this description, all that we endeavour to make plain is that it is not asat, that it is not jada and that it is free from all pain.”

Again, Bhagavan said, “We are all in reality Sat-Chit-Ananda. But we imagine we are bound and are having all these pains.”

I asked, “Why do we imagine so? Why does this ignorance or ajnana come to us?” Bhagavan said, “Enquire to whom has this ignorance come and you will find it never came to you and that you have always been that Sat-Chit-Ananda. One performs all sorts of penances to become what one already is. All effort is simply to get rid of this viparita buddhi or mistaken impression that one is limited and bound by the woes of samsara.”

Later Bhagavan said, “The spark of jnana will easily consume all creation as if it were a mountain-heap of cotton. All the crores of worlds being built upon the weak (or no) foundation of the ego, they all topple down when the atomic bomb of jnana comes down upon them.” Bhagavan said, “All talk of surrender is like pinching jaggery from the jaggery image of Lord Ganesa and offering it as naivedya to the same Lord Ganesa. You say you offer your body, soul and all possessions to God. Were they yours that you could offer them? At best, you can only say, ‘I falsely imagined till now that all these which are yours (God’s) were mine. Now I realise they are yours. I shall no more act as if they are mine.’ And this knowledge that there is nothing but God or Self, that I and mine don’t exist and that only the Self exists, is jnana.” He added, “Thus there is no difference between bhakti and jnana. Bhakti is jnana mata or mother of jnana.”

Talking of the innumerable ways of different seekers after God, Bhagavan said, “Each should be allowed to go his own way, the way for which alone he may be built. It will not do to convert him to another path by violence. The Guru will go with the disciple in his own path and then gradually turn him into the supreme path at the ripe moment. Suppose a car is going at top speed. To stop it at once or to turn it at once would be attended by disastrous consequences.”

The talk then turned to the names of God and Bhagavan said, “Talking of all mantras, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says ‘AHAM’ is the first name of God. The first letter in Sanskrit is A ‘अ’ and the last letter Ha ‘ह’ and ‘Aha’ thus includes ‘Aham’, all refer to the same thing. In the Bible also, ‘I AM’ is given as the name of God.” everything from beginning to end. The word ‘Ayam’ means that which exists, Self-shining and Self-evident. ‘Ayam’, ‘Atma’, ‘Aham’, all refer to the same thing. In the Bible also, ‘I AM’ is given as the name of God.”

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Visitors to Arunachala Ashrama in Nova Scotia will certainly recall the friendly and welcoming smile of Darlene Delisi Karamanos, who has been sharing her devotion to Sri Bhagavan with devotees for over fifty years now. We have all benefitted from her kindness and friendship and her unrelenting resolve to keep the Ashrama as a sacred place for those seeking peace. Below is an article that was published in our local newspaper recently by Mr.Joey Fitzpatrick, detailing his interview with Darlene about the Ashrama.

The physical and psychological benefits of meditation have been well documented. A practice that has been used for thousands of years, meditation reduces stress while enhancing self awareness and focusing the mind on the present.

For years, people have been dropping into the meditation hall at the Nova Scotia Arunachala Ashrama in Clarence, just outside of Bridgetown, to find peace and serenity.

The meditation hall dates back to 1879, when it was built as a one-room schoolhouse. At some point, it had been relocated, and when Nova Scotia Arunachala Ashrama purchased the property in 1972, they purchased the building and returned it to its original location.

“Farmers in the area, with their tractors and skids, moved this 40-ton building back to its original spot,” recalls Darlene Karamanos, who oversees day-to-day operations at the facility. “Some of the neighbours who had attended the school when they were young were happy to see their schoolhouse go back to where it belonged.”

Prayers, meditation, readings and chanting of the Vedas, an ancient Sanskrit text, are held throughout the day, and the meditation hall is open to visitors. The readings are from works by or about Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, an Indian Hindu sage and jivanmukta, or liberated being. Arunachala Ashrama is a non-profit organization, and the retreat is open to all regardless of religious belief or creed — including those of no particular faith — who seek peace.

“There are certain places, like an old growth forest, that you can feel peace, and the thoughts that torture our brains just become quiet,” Karamanos says. “This is one of those places.”

The Ashrama also maintains a temple and retreat facilities with guest rooms for individuals and families who wish to deepen their spiritual experience and stabilize themselves in the practice of self-awareness and surrender.

There are two libraries, along with sitting rooms, and people are welcome to come and read. Books on many different religions, philosophies and spiritual practices are available both to borrow and to purchase.

“We have some really old texts on everything from Christian mystics to Hindu saints to Eckhart Tolle,” Karamanos says. “People are often quite amazed at the books they find here.”

Those wishing to stay overnight are required to make arrangements ahead of time. Visitors are responsible for cooking their own vegetarian food during their stay and ensuring their rooms have been cleaned before departing. Facilities are normally available from May through October, and visitors can occasionally be accommodated during winter months.

A native of Chicago, Darlene moved to Nova Scotia in 1973 and began teaching at Bridgetown Elementary School, where she worked for 32 years.

“Even before coming here, I was interested in meditation,” she says. She met her neighbours at the Ashrama and was invited to come to the centre to meditate.

“I had never heard of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi before, but eventually I started reading some of what he had to say, and it was a perfect fit for me,” Karamanos recalls. “The core teaching of all great religion and philosophy is to know yourself.”

The Valley Wire - 04 Feb 2024