#letter 162

Sri Esanya Jnana Desikar Mutt (Mutt: hut of an ascetic, monk or renunciate) 

Source: Temples and Shrines along Arunachala’s Outer Pradakshina (*) Route -  By Richard Clarke: Living in the Embrace of Arunachala.Blog 

(*) Pradakshina, or in Tamil, girivalam,  is the sacred walk around the holy hill Arunachala.

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30th November, 1947                        

[...]  Listening to the stories by Kunjuswami...

Continuing our conversation, we walked on and reached the turning which leads to the Isanya Mutt.  Kunjuswami then continued his narration: 

“Sometimes, while going round the hill, it would all of a sudden rain heavily. Others accompanying Bhagavan would run for shelter, but he never hurried his pace and walked on steadily, unaffected by the rain. Once at this turning, it began to rain heavily; we all ran to the Isanya Mutt, but Bhagavan walked as usual and was drenched by the time he reached the mutt. 

As a rule, he did not go to the mutt because they would detain him there unnecessarily; he would go alongside the hill to the Municipal Bungalow over there and sit on the narrow verandah in front of it. 

Except for one or two of his attendants, the rest of the party continued the walk after prostrating to him. This was because had they all gone together as a crowd, the people of the town would come to know about our circumambulation and would have gathered round and begun to do something in adoration of Bhagavan. So, after sending all the others off, he would cover himself with a shawl and reach the Ashram by a bye-path. Even so, sometimes a few people would recognize him and offer him something to eat.

 If he went round the hill at night, he would, on nearing the town, ask us not to sing or talk loudly as that might disturb the people in their sleep.”

By the time Kunjuswami had finished telling us these incidents, it was about 2 a.m. and we had reached the town. Everything was quiet... 

Arunachala - Tiruvannamalai -  Intersection of Girivalam and Velore Roads, and the arch to Pachaiamman Koil Temple.

Temples and Shrines along Arunachala’s Outer Pradakshina* Route - By Richard Clarke: Living in the Embrace of Arunachala.Blog

(*) Pradakshina, or in Tamil, girivalam,  is the sacred walk around the holy hill Arunachala.

30th November, 1947        

[...] It was about 2 a.m.... Everything was quiet, and he (Kunjuswami) again began reminiscing to us: 

“Another time, during summer, after supper we started to go round the hill. There was good moonlight and by the time we reached this place, it was as now about 2 a.m. All the people in the town were asleep and it was very quiet. Being summer, all the windows of the houses were open. All the shops were closed and locked; only the watchmen were patrolling the streets. Bhagavan, pointing this out to us, said,

‘‘Do you see how still the whole town is? The streets, the houses and the lights are there, but all the people are asleep except the watchmen. Hence it is all quiet. But when the day breaks, everyone will get up and there will be activity on all sides. That is like ‘savikalpa samadhi’(*). 

Do you see those big houses and small ones? The windows are open, but the one who sees is sleeping. That is like the turiya (*), or Fourth State. It could be said that the state of the Realized Soul is also the same and could be given as an example. It appears as though the eyes see; they, however, sleep peacefully.” 

After listening to this story, we reached our homes.

Excerpt from: Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma - Letter 162 (pdf)  

* Samadhi - Holding on to the Supreme State. When it is with effort due to mental disturbances, it is Savikalpa Samadhi. When these disturbances are absent, it is Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Remaining permanently in the primal state without effort is Sahaja Samadhi.

Bhagavan Sri Ramana

Pradakshina, ou em Tamil, girivalam, é o percurso sagrado ao redor da montanha sagrada Arunachala.

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30 de Novembro de 1947   

                     [...] Ouvindo as histórias de Kunjuswami ...

Continuando a nossa conversa, fomos andando e chegámos à curva que conduz ao Mutt de Isanya (Mutt: cabana de um asceta, monge ou renunciante). Kunjuswami então prosseguiu na sua narração:

"Às vezes, ao dar a volta à montanha, de repente chovia intensamente. Os outros que acompanhavam Bhagavan corriam à procura de abrigo, mas ele nunca acelerava o passo e caminhava com firmeza, sem ser afectado pela chuva. Uma vez nesta curva, começou a chover intensamente; todos nós corremos para o Mutt de Isanya, mas Bhagavan caminhou como de costume e estava encharcado quando chegou ao mutt.

Geralmente ele não ia para o mutt porque o detinham lá desnecessariamente; ele seguia ao lado da montanha para o Bungalô Municipal além e sentava-se no alpendre estreito em frente a ela.

Exceptuando um ou dois dos seus assistentes, o resto dos participantes continuava a caminhada depois de se prostrar diante dele. Isso porque, se todos tivessem ido juntos como uma pequena multidão, as pessoas da cidade iriam tomar conhecimento da nossa circunvolução e iriam reunir-se e começar a fazer algo em adoração a Bhagavan. Assim, depois de enviar todos os outros, ele cobria-se com um xale e chegava ao Ashram por um atalho. Mesmo assim, às vezes algumas pessoas reconheciam-no e ofereciam-lhe algo para comer.

Se ele fosse caminhar à volta da montanha à noite, ao aproximar-se da cidade, pedia que não cantássemos ou falássemos alto, pois isso poderia perturbar as pessoas no seu sono.”

Quando Kunjuswami terminou de nos contar esses incidentes, eram cerca de 2 da manhã e tínhamos chegado à cidade. Tudo estava silencioso ...

Adi Annamalai Temple – North side of Arunachala By Richard Clarke: Living in the Embrace of Arunachala.Blog

30th November, 1947                         

THE SLEEPER IN THE CART

Listening to the stories by Kunjuswami, we had gone beyond Adi Annamalai. On reaching Vetavalam Mandapam (*), he asked us whether we had heard why Bhagavan had written the verse 31 of the “Supplement to the Forty Verses”. On our answering in the negative, Kunjuswami related the following incident: 

“One night, as we were going round the hill with Bhagavan, just about here, two or three fully loaded bullock carts were passing along. The people in the cart were sound asleep, their legs stretched out, and free from all cares. Pointing them out to us, Bhagavan said, 

‘Did you see that? It is like the natural state, ‘sahaja nishta’. For the Realized One the Self (Atman) which sleeps in the body, all three states are the same, namely, that of waking, dream and deep sleep. For example, this cart is going, the man in the cart is asleep; that is like the working of the body of a Realized Soul. Supposing the man continues to sleep even when the cart stops on reaching its destination, is unloaded and the bullocks removed, and he continues to sleep all through. That is like the sleep of a Realized Soul. The body is for him a cart; while in motion, while standing still, or while being unloaded, that man goes on sleeping.’ 

Subsequently, the same idea was expressed in the verse referred to above.”

Excerpt from: Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma - Letter 162 (pdf)   

(*) Eluthu Mantapam which is also known as Ezhuthu and Vettavalam Zamindar Mantapam. This is now a dilapidated structure. Only twenty years ago, the roof was intact and pilgrims could rest inside its spacious quarters. It is sad to see this ancient structure, which has served devotees and pilgrims down through the centuries, in such a decrepit condition today.

Here is Arunachala from this point of view.