The Greatest of Them ALL

COW LAKSHMI

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30 June 2023 is Cow Lakshmi day according to the Tamil calendar. A tribute to who we consider as the greatest devotee of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. She attained Mukti on 18th June 1948.

An account of her last day and her interment at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai.

On 18th June 1948, Bhagavan went to the cowshed at 9-45 a.m. as usual to see Lakshmi. He sat on the hay by her side, lifted her head with both his hands, and passing one of his hands lightly over her face and throat, and then placing his left hand on the head, began pressing her throat right down to the heart with his righthand fingers. After pressing like that for about a quarter of an hour he said, addressing Lakshmi, “என்னம்மா சொல்றே, நான் இங்கே இருக்கணுமா? இருந்தா எல்லாரும் இங்கே வந்துடுவா, எங்கம்மாவுக்கு ஆனா மாதிரி. நான் போக்கட்டுமா? What do you say, Amma? Do you want me to stay here? I could stay, but what to do? All people could be around you as in the case of my mother. So, shall I go?”

One must notice here that Bhagavan addressed Lakshmi as ‘Amma’. He would always refer to her as அவள் ‘She’ and not as அது ‘It’, as we ordinary mortals are wont to do in the case of animals. Whenever Lakshmi came to the darshan hall, he would address her, “வாம்மா லக்ஷ்மி, என்ன வேணும் உனக்கு Come Lakshmi, what is it you want?” Or உனக்கு குழந்தை பிறந்திருக்குன்னு என்கிட்டே சொல்ல வந்திருக்கியா? இதோ வரேன் உன் குழந்தையை பார்க்கறதுக்கு You have come to tell me that you have a new child, haven’t you? Wait, I’ll come and see her”.

Going back to the scene on Lakshmi’s last day. To Bhagavan’s query as to whether he could return to the darshan hall, Lakshmi remained calm, as though she were in samadhi. There were tears streaming down her eyes. Bhagavan sat there unwilling to move.

Turning towards Lakshmi and gently stroking her head and neck, Bhagavan said, “What do you say? May I go?” Won’t you tell me?” Lakshmi looked at him proudly. What reply Bhagavan got from Lakshmi, no one knows but Bhagavan rose and went away to the Old Hall.

With the divine touch of Bhagavan, the outer breath of Lakshmi began subsiding and the movement of the body began to decrease. When the veterinary doctor came at 10-30 and gave an injection Lakshmi remained unaffected as if the body was not hers. There was no death agony. Around 11-30 a.m. Lakshmi was absorbed in Bhagavan. Ten minutes later Bhagavan came to the cowshed and asked, “Is it all over?” Then he took Lakshmi’s head on his lap and said, “Oh Lakshmi, Lakshmi,” and then, to those who were around him, controlling his tears, he said, “Because of her, our family, the ashram has grown to this extent.”

The next day, all arrangements were made on the Northern side of the ashram to inter Lakshmi, next to the samadhis of the crow, Valli, the deer and Jackie, the dog. Bhagavan sat on a chair and as Lakshmi’s body was wheeled to the site, began narrating her great and fascinating story to the devotees gathered there. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he talked about her devotion, her total surrender. As Lakshmi’s mortal remains were lowered into the pit and flowers, garlands, sacred ash, vermillion etc., were scattered on her, it was clear to all assembled that this was a saga that would not be repeated. Lakshmi had attained moksha, she was not going to return to this planet, nor could there be a repeat of this phenomenon. Because her devotion and surrender to Bhagavan were total.

A day later Bhagavan wrote an epitaph in Tamil on his beloved Lakshmi. At the request of certain devotees he also translated the epitaph into Malayalam and Telugu. Here’s the translation:

“On Friday, the 5th of Ani, in the bright fortnight, in Sukla Paksham on Dvadasi in Visaka nakshatra in Sarvadhari year, that is on 18.6.48, the cow Lakshmi attained Mukti (Liberation).”

That great devotee Devaraja Mudaliar, on his next visit to the ashram, after Lakshmi’s Samadhi was completed, read out the stanza in the Old Hall and asked Bhagavan whether the use of the word Vimukti, liberation, was just conventional, or whether it really meant Nirvana. Bhagavan replied that it meant Nirvana or in other words, Moksha.

When another devotee asked Bhagavan as to why he came away without being with Lakshmi in her last moments as he had done for his mother Azhagamma, Bhagavan replied, “அம்மாவுக்கு நிறைய கர்மா பாக்கி இருந்துது ஓய். அதனால நான் கடைசி வரைக்கும் கூட இருக்க வேண்டி இருந்துது. லக்ஷ்மிக்கு கர்மா எதுவும் பாக்கி இல்லை. அதனால அவ கூட கடைசி வரைக்கும் இருக்க வேண்டிய அவசியம் இருக்கலை. Mother had a lot of karma left to be dissolved. Therefore, I had to stay with her till her end. But Lakshmi did not have any karma left. Therefore, I didn’t have to stay with her till the end”.