In Memoriam

A Satsang was held at the Ashram President’s residence on Saturday the 21st of August 2010 on the eighth day of Ravi Ramanan’s Absorption in Bhagavan. Sri V.S. Ramanan, Susila Ramanan, Ranjani Ravi Ramanan, her mother Mangalam, daughters Rasika and Raksha, and many relatives and other devotees of Bhagavan were present. Nochur Sri Venkataraman spoke on the occasion when he expressed his heart-felt feelings to Ranjani and other bereaved members of the family and proceeded to explain how devotees of Bhagavan may effectively face such a crisis in the light of Bhagavan’s teaching. He began by saying that he knew the mental agony of one who loses a dear one, especially at a young age. His sister’s husband passed away young last year and the agony lingers in his heart. However, as devotees of Bhagavan we have no choice but to listen to his words and live by them and attain the highest goal of life. Bhagavan’s own life and his teachings give us very precious insights into the phenomenon of death.

In fact, Death is the most important happening in Sri Bhagavan’s life. About the middle of July in the year 1896, young Venkataraman, not yet 17, took on Death, as it were, vanquished It and came out of the experience as a Deathless One. No more, to him, the sense of identity with the body, no more the personal I, no more duality. From that moment, the timeless time, he abided as the Self uninterruptedly throughout the rest of his life. After the Death Experience, he remained in form without form (vadivilāvadivānavan) to show us in the most dramatic and telling manner that there is no death. The body may go, but “are we the body?”

Kathopanishad, one of the most important Upanishads, is in the form of a dialogue with death, the dialogue of young Nachiketa with Lord Yama. This Upanishad may be called a brief biography of young Ramana. Nachiketa asked Yama to tell him how death may be conquered and Yama taught him how to conquer it with the (Nachiketa) fire. Venkataraman conquered Death with the fire of Jnana Vichāra.

Bhagavan is the supreme symbol of jnana and peace. Peace is our real nature and Bhagavan is our own true nature. In that supreme state, there is neither joy nor sorrow. Bhagavan has said that peace is itself mukti, liberation. If we live by Bhagavan’s words, peace is inevitable. For one who has found that supreme inner peace, what can health and ill-health matter? For these pertain to body and mind whereas peace is the very nature of Self. Death and birth are only moving shadows on the screen of the Self. By doing Self-enquiry or by surrendering to Bhagavan, we can conquer the fear and sorrow of death once and for all.

Bhagavan has poured his Grace on Ravi like a torrent. Ravi was totally devoted to Bhagavan and identified himself with the interests of the Ashram. It is for us to realize that Bhagavan’s ways cannot be comprehended by our finite minds and accept whatever happens. His basic teaching “Whatever is destined to happen will happen, do what you may to prevent it,” is like a mantra, which, when followed in actual practice, is sure to give us peace. Bhagavan’s basic teaching, quoted above, is a Cosmic Law and death and birth happen in nature strictly according to that Law. Ravi’s illness and death were according to that Law. But Bhagavan’s arul (Grace) made it so sacred that his own parents and his wife could feel its sacredness and maintain an amazing inner calmness and composure at the moment of the happening and afterwards. This shows how deep was Ravi’s devotion to Bhagavan and how abundant is Bhagavan’s Grace on the whole family.

What is death? Well, it can aptly be viewed as an acronym of Divine Eater And Teacher of Humanity. Devotees of Bhagavan, of course, see it as Absorption in Arunachala Ramana. How can we be afraid of or mourn such Absorption? We were all, of course, praying for Ravi’s complete cure. However, the way it has happened, the way he faced the challenge over a period of two years and the incredible calmness and dignity with which he left his body must awaken us all to the real meaning of death and the purpose of life. In other words, we should take Bhagavan’s teachings ever more seriously and live by them. Bhagavan never minced matters, certainly not on the subject of death. He told everyone, young or old, devotee or a visitor, that “Body is another name of death”. So long as we nurse the idea that “I am the body”, we are wedded to death. The only way to deathlessness, to immortality is by realizing the Self which is ever bodiless, ever free, ever blissful, eternal and of the very nature of peace.