Ramanodayam, Jul 2020

Editor’s note

Brahman: the one that shines in multiple guises

Right from birth, our body and mind have undergone a lot of changes. According to modern science, the body replaces itself with a largely new set of cells every seven years or so. We go through various emotions every fleeting moment. The one constant amidst all of this is the “I” thought. In deep sleep, when all else has ceased to exist, the “I” still persists. It wakes up along with the body and mind in the morning. What is this “I” that prevails even when the body and mind are eliminated? Bhagavan has said that one cannot fathom this through the body-mind apparatus but the “I” is experiential. The self-enquiry of ‘Who am I”, as prescribed by Bhagavan, has for its object the investigation into this “I” and turning inward.

Atma transcends the body, mind and language. Ego is the “I” (individual sense) in your mind’s idea that “I am a separate entity”. When this egotistical “I” is extinguished what remains is the Self or “I” as noted by Bhagavan. When there is singular focus on whence the “I” arises, if the feeling that I am the body or the mind falls off, then the mind disappears. Bhagavan states that, now, we can experience the bliss of “I” by being one. As per Bhagavan, this “awareness” is untouched by the sufferings of the body and faults of the mind, and is the one eternal Infinite Existence.

Bhagavan’s teaching is devoid of any dogma or injunction, there is no reference to even God in here, and is the most succinct teaching ever made. Even the staunchest atheists (non-believers in God) were attracted to Bhagavan’s teachings as they were logical.

While Bhagavan was the ocean of self-knowledge, he was also the epitome of Bhakti (devotion). One steps into self-enquiry with an yearning to find the source of “I”. Bhagavan is emphatic that the culmination of this investigation, where the self is realized and the mind is annihilated, is only through the grace of God.

Space, air, fire, water, earth - these five elements
And the beings and things that sprung from the combination of these elements
These are not separate from You, the brilliant light of consciousness
Then how can I alone remain separate from you, O faultless one?

Worship [any of the eight forms] thinking that all the eight forms are forms of God, is good worship of God.

Mahakavi Bharatiyar praised Kali as the one that manifests as everything,

Oh Kali, you stood as everything,
You were full everywhere

True to the Mahakavi’s words, Bhagavan, abiding in the Self, was also the epitome of true devotion. He cannot be descibed as having a specific quality or skill etc as he is omnipotent. In our quest to know Him, we pick a form that appeals to us the most and meditate on this with steadfastness. This provides strength as our sādhanā deepens, and eventually destroys all other thoughts, and like the stick used for stirring the funeral pyre, it will itself be burnt up in the end.

By the strength of meditation [that is, by the strength of such ananya-bhava or Self-attention], abiding in the state of being, which transcends meditation,
alone is the truth of supreme devotion [para-bhakti-tattva].

Now the question arises, what is the best form to meditate upon? Muruganar answers this in Ramana Puranam:
(He) remains merged with each being through its ‘I’, existing and shining forth in all the beings of the world as their own Self-nature.

When the love that we experience towards the different forms of life (and relations) in this world, sublimes and transcends the form as love towards the One, it becomes Bhakti. Lord Krishna also says,

I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge and the most dear friend.

Muruganar waxes eloquent about the various guises that we encounter and the one true Self that illuminates all of these forms.

Pinnacle of Worship

Bhagavan expresses the strong ties between Aruṇāchala and Himself by the utterance “The son is absorbed in the father”. Muruganar, in turn, considers Bhagavan as the Father who guides him in his poem.

Commencing with Thou art my father, he goes on to say that the mother, children and all the beings in the world art Thee

It is the responsibility of the father to make the son proficient. Having taken the form of our father, it is He who makes us proficient in self-knowledge. Purananuru (Tamiḷ sangam text) states that “It is for your father to make you an ideal and a good man,”, and Muruganar shows us how Bhagavan is that ideal father. He ensures that his children don’t get caught in the worldly web of troubles and cautions them to stay safe. S.S. Cohen wanted to test the theory - “The Ordainer controls the fate of souls “ - and tried to drown by jumping into the temple tank, not once, not twice but three times. Each time he was saved by some power, and when he went back, Bhagavan, with a fatherly countenance, instructed him that “one should have faith in these things and not test every theory.” On another occasion, knowing what was to come he instructed another devotee of his to be under Spiritual Quarantine for three months, and asked him not to step out of the ashram.

Merciful like a mother

Muruganar likens Ramana, the protector, to his mother as well. Purananuru also establishes the duties of the mother by stating that “It is for your mother to birth and raise you.” Much like a mother who rushes towards her child covered in dirt and cleans it rather than expecting the child to clean itself up before coming to her, Bhagavan embraces his devotees, warts and all.

If a child does something naughty, it is only fitting that the mother should tolerate and pardon that misdeed. Likewise, if there is any misdeed on my part, done either knowingly or unknowingly, may you overlook it, thinking it nothing, and give me your joyful approval.

Muruganar extols that just like a mother who embraces the child, ignoring and looking past the mistakes committed by it, Bhagavan doesn’t pay heed to the errors made by him unintentionally and showers him with His grace.

My Lord, the hill of philosophy

Devoid of any will or ego, considering God as the Lord and Master who has supreme power is another form of worship.

Makes me serve him all the time and everywhere
Anchors me thus by seating himself in my mind

"Right after I accepted you as my Lord, you made my mind your abode and ensured no other thoughts or desires enter it", says Nammalvar. Muruganar paints a similar scene of Ramana taking over him.

We are related to you in all our seven births.
We are answerable to you only and we will serve thyself only.

Muruganar declares,

We will unite with devotees who have singular devotion towards Ramana, and will serve only at Thy holy feet for the seven births to come.

Sundarar (8th century Nayanar) proclaims that

The Lord (Shiva) who dances in the cremation ground of Thiruvalankadu has won me over for all my seven births. I will be a servant (devotee) to His servants (devotees).

In the same vein is Bhagavan’s plea in Aksharamanamalai,

Let me be the votary of the votaries of those who hear Thy name with love, Oh Aruṇāchala!

Muruganar lived a life that exemplified the sentiment that “At all times and forever by His side, (we) must perform blemishless service.“ Muruganar’s sense of complete surrender to His Guru was evident in his actions. While prostrating before Bhagavan, if he was asked a question by his Master, he would respond without any thought of getting up. When asked why, his response would be that “the minute I hear my Master’s voice, I lose all other senses except the need to respond. “ He was always at his Master’s service without any other intention or inclination. He dedicated his entire self to Bhagavan and with the singular aim of spreading Bhagavan’s teachings, he did yeoman service by writing Guru Vachaka Kovai and Ramana Sannidhi Murai.

Friend of the Master

Periyapuranam (the saga of the Nayanmars) recounts the episode where Shiva restrains Sundarar by stopping his marriage, and ensuring that he doesn’t fall in the ocean of Samsara. Though Muruganar came to Bhagavan as a samsari (a married man), He ensured that Muruganar lived a life devoid of attachment. Shiva, in an incorporeal voice, promised Sundarar his friendship. In much the same way, Muruganar got His grace of friendship.

Muruganar talks about his beautiful friendship,

O Ramana! You ask us to transcend both friendship and enmity, and tread the middle path but Your friendship is the only path that I consider.

Again, we see strands of similarity between Muruganar and Sundarar, as this is not very different from Sundarar’s declaration:

Even if You do not get along, still I, your slave, would get along (with You). Though I am a slave of those who reach at Your Feet, I would not stop singing (about You). Since I knowingly Befriended (You) singing and seeking, I will not forget, Oh beloved of nāttiyaththān kuḍi !

Ramana, the object of my love

In the tamiḷ literary universe, Ahatturai (literature dealing with inner/personal aspects) works are very captivating. Amongst these, the ones that delve into love towards one’s God has deep philosophical insights. Muruganar conveys the deep love for his master in his poems by depicting various emotions - the love to reach and be one with God, the longing to attain Him, a mother’s anxiety about her daughter withering away in His thoughts, consolatory notes from friends and finally, the blissful state of attaining and merging with the Supreme.

“I will not live if I am to marry any human,” declared Andal, professing her love for the Lord of Brindavana and refusing to think of any human being in similar terms. Much like Andal, the Ahatturai literature places God as the object of our love and the one to attain.

Considering himself to be the beloved who is yearning to be with her love, Muruganar writes

“O Mother! Ramana is the wicked stone-hearted one who kills the life (‘ego’) of those who reached His feet with the intention of attaining self-realization. Even then, my heart swells just at the thought of the love showered from his grace filled eyes. What a wonder is this!”

The lament of the mother, looking at her daughter pining for Ramana without any other thought, is well captured in Ramana Sannidhi Murai, Nattrai Iyrangal, 806.

Should my destiny be so! Once Ramana took seat in the heart, in any form, all my ego, desires and the suffering caused by them subsided and there was just bliss” recounts Muruganar. He clearly states that by the grace of Ramana, desire, ego and fear will vanish.

To the one who rejoices at Ramana’s feet Suffering verily subsides; yama-niyama practices become unnecessary, the vasanas of ego and delusion go, filling the heart with unbridled joy”

Further, he says,

“Sadguru shows the path to and makes you experience the Brahman that is not separate from the “Self”, ensuring that the worldly suffering and sorrows are laid to rest. A priori I was caught in the delusionary worldly web, but now that I am at Thy feet and with Thou firmly established in my heart, I do not have any fear.”

Certainly fear is born of duality.

“When there is no one other than Self, what is there to fear?”, asks Muruganar.

“Ramana destroyed the bondage that was the root cause for all my desires”, states Muruganar

Aruṇāchala, the one who showers grace,
Took the form of Ramana - with a singular intent to
Dispel the darkness (ignorance) in Thy devotees’ heart
Fill it with the radiance of jnana (knowledge).

Bhagavan’s uniqueness lies in the fact that he never criticized any religion or found fault with any path. While expounding the path of Jnana (knowledge) to realize the all-pervading Infinite Self through enquiry, Ramana also elucidates the path of Bhakti (devotion) to completely surrender and be lost in God. When one completely surrenders to God with a single-pointed devotion, the mind is purified and is led to liberation.

Bhagavan never gave any lectures or talks (except for once when he was forced to, on Geeta Sara Talatu - Lullaby of Geeta Essence - at Esanya Mutt). He was a unique Master who provided the path to Liberation in the most lucid manner to any and everyone who came to him. Mere words were not the sufficient vehicle for His teaching, Silence was the most profound language to initiate. He would fix His gaze on a devotee, till the power of His eyes pierced into one’s inner being and broke down the thought-process. Having experienced the Self in Madurai, much like Meenakshi - the fish-eyed one -, the abiding deity of Madurai, his initiation was through the eyes. He realized the Self without an external guru and recognized the need for a guru for the seeker. One needs grace to realize, and this grace comes in the form of Guru, when needed.

D. What is guru’s grace? How does it lead to Self-realization?

M. Guru is the Self... Sometimes in his life a man becomes dissatisfied with it, and, not content with what he has, he seeks the satisfaction of his desires, through prayer to God etc. His mind is gradually purified until he longs to know God, more to obtain His grace than to satisfy his worldly desires. Then, God’s grace begins to manifest. God takes the form of a guru and appears to the devotee, teaches him the Truth and, moreover, purifies his mind by association. The devotee’s mind gains strength and is then able to turn inward. By meditation it is further purified and it remains still without the least ripple. That calm expanse is the Self.

Towards the end of Ulladu Narpadu - Anubandham (Supplement to Forty Verses on Reality ), the advaitic text that teaches the nature of reality and the means by which we can attain it, Bhagavan states

Keep advaita within the Heart.
Do not ever carry it into action.
Even if you apply it to all the three worlds,
O son, it is not to be applied to the Guru.

The luminescence of Bhagavan that merged with the Mountain of Light (Aruṇāchala) shall continue to guide us!

As time passes by, we see that seekers are attracted to Bhagavan and his teachings by the multitude. Mr.Sundar Ramanan, who as the President of Sri Ramanasramam was doing yeoman service to help these devotees be touched by Bhagavan’s grace, has passed on the mantle to Dr.Anand (Venkatramanan). May the glory of Ramanasramam attain even greater heights under his able and skillful leadership!

Sri Ramanasramam

Attaining fame through union with the meek

by A.Kumar Raja

“I will not part from you and go anywhere else. I am scared that if I go elsewhere, I might die there” Bhagavan recalled that Mother used to say this to him. When her daughter Alamelu built a new house, and pleaded with Mother to just come over and set foot in the house and stay there, she refused.

She used to say, ‘Even if you were to throw away my dead body in these thorny bushes I do not mind but I must end this life in your arms.’” And that’s how it came to be. When Mother’s end came at Skandashram, through the effort and grace of Bhagavan, she attained liberation. It was a moorland where Mother was buried, but as it was Bhagavan’s golden touch that has ensured the evolution of this into Matrbhuteshwara Temple and the spiritual epicenter of Sri Ramanasramam.

After arriving at Aruṇāchala, when Bhagavan was then living at Pavalakkunru, Mother pleaded with Him, “Why are you suffering here? Come back home. I will feed you as you are uncared for here.You can continue your spiritual life there.” Bhagavan did not respond and sat still. Upon being requested by devotees who took Mother’s case, Ramana wrote, “The Ordainer controls the fate of souls in accordance with their past deeds. Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen, try how hard you may. Whatever is destined to happen will happen, do what you may to stop it. This is certain. The best course, therefore, is to remain silent.” But when Mother arrived to stay with Bhagavan, He made her go through intense training in spiritual life leading up to her liberation at the end. This was on 19th May 1922 at Skandashram. The next day Mother’s body was brought down to the banks of Pali Tirtham and the spot where it was interred has blossomed into Matrbhuteshwara Temple and the surrounding Ramanshram.

Shortly thereafter, Bhagavan left Skandashram for good and went to live in the hut built over Mother’s samadhi, along with his intimate devotees. Slowly the ashram started to grow and take shape. An old devotee of Bhagavan, Perumal Swami, filed a case to take over the ashram and its management.

With the help of some of Bhagavan’s devotees, like Yogi Ramaiah, Rajagopala Iyer and Retd. High Court Judge, Justice Sundaram Chettiar, the case was resolved in 1936. To avoid similar troubles in future, devotees convinced Bhagavan of the necessity of drawing up a Last Will and Testament. Justice Sundaram Chettiar and S. Doraiswamy Iyer drafted the Will, and after Bhagavan’s approval was executed March 1938 in the presence of six witnesses. As per the Will, the Ashram was to be maintained by a Trust as a spiritual center and its management was to vest in his brother Swami Niranjananda and, after him, his son Venkatramanan, and his male descendants. Bhagavan drew a line at the foot of it and asked Sambasiva Rao to sign on his behalf, and register it formally.

Keeping in mind the welfare of devotees and Ashram leadership for generations to come, the Will was declared genuine and valid by the (then) Madras High Court.

When Bhagavan left the body on 14th April 1950, trouble started brewing for the Ashram Management. It was all laid to rest with the help of a long-time devotee of Bhagavan and former premier of the Madras Presidency, O.P. Ramaswamy Reddiar.

Meanwhile, in their despondency over Bhagavan’s physical departure, devotees left Tiruvannamalai, in droves, and in the 1950s the ashram wore a desolate look. Many cases were filed to wrest control of the Ashram and the Hindu Endowment Board moved towards bringing Sri Ramanasramam under its control. Before Bhagavan’s Mahanirvana, when the Hindu Endowment Board approached Bhagavan with the

idea, he simply asked them: “[But] is this like any other [Hindu] temple?” The representatives had no ready response then, but now in Bhagavan’s physical absence, the Board made fresh appeals.

Chinnaswami suffered numerous challenges in the aftermath of Bhagavan’s departure. Heart disease made him bedridden and he formed a 14-member Executive Committee, under the leadership of Mr.O.P.Ramaswamy Reddiar. On 28th January, 1953, from his deathbed, he summoned his son, Venkatraman and other key members of the ashram and gave them the following advice: “I am leaving you with clean hands and heart. Not a single pie of the Ashram was used for my personal needs. All the property of the Ashram belongs to Bhagavan. It is to be safeguarded with due care. Put your heart and soul into his service and his grace is sure to follow. Righteousness and straightforwardness are the only real ornaments for us. Uphold our traditions while running the Ashram. I have followed these principles in my life...”

Chinnaswam left the world after living a life of selfless service. As per Bhagavan’s will, his only son, Venkatraman, had to take charge of the Ashram. Even before he could take charge of the Ashram, problems (court cases, by the dozen, were knocking at his door. Without the physical presence of Bhagvan and his father, and absence of devotees, the Ashram’s income dramatically fell and was saddled with debts. His family of 12 had to be taken care of. Litigated by different groups of devotees, he found himself saddled with no less than thirty court cases and obtaining the ‘certificate of succession’ in itself was a challenge.

Venkatraman had lost his mother at a very young age and it was his aunt, Alamelu who had raised him. Her end came during this time and right after cremating the mortal remains of his aunt, without even taking time to change out of his wet clothes, he had to appear before the Commissioner of the Hindu Endowment Board for a hearing. Though he made it in time for the hearing, the decision went against the Ashram. He had to take care of his young family, sort out the issues with Ashram management and find the way out of the litany of cases.

A devotee, Srinivas Rao, lit the Ashram on fire and blame fell upon Venkatraman. He was about to be arrested. The then Chief Minister Kamaraj intervened and made sure Srinivas Rao was put behind the bars. The adversities he had seen from his birth - starting with losing his mother at a very tender age -, prepared Venkatraman to face the trials and tribulations that life threw at him with courage.

Bhagavan’s way was to throw people into the water, to make them learn to swim. This is how Kanakammal, who didn’t know Tamiḷ, was blessed to write commentaries on Bhagavan’s teachings in Tamiḷ, with guidance from Muruganar. This opportunity was denied to many scholars in Tamiḷ. Thus Venkatraman who had no prior knowledge in law came to be the one to untangle the ashram from all the court cases. With no money in hand and donning Khadi clothes as a Gandhian, Venkatraman standing in front of lawyers pleading lawyers to fight the case for the welfare of the ashram was a familiar sight. Some would come forward to fight the case and many days he would wait for hours on end at their doorstep. Though he faced a lot of legal hurdles that seemed insurmountable, Venkatoo (as he was fondly called) continued to fight without losing heart.

Finally, in August 1954, on the strength of Bhagavan’s Will, the Chennai High Court declared his right to manage the Ashram.

However the case filed by the Hindu Endowment Board to take over the Ashram was ruled in its favor by the District Court of Vellore in 1956 which legally nullified Bhagavan’s clearly expressed wish that his family should run the ashram after his Mahanirvana. It seemed that the Ashram management would be transferred to the Government. An appeal was filed at the Madras High Court. In the interim, it looked like the Ashram will be taken over by the Government. Again, the then Chief Minister Kamaraj came to the rescue and he put a temporary stop to the take over and assured the Ashram Management of further support and assistance, if needed.

When the case was being fought in the Chennai High Court, Justice M.Ananthanarayanan, came up with a novel suggestion to make the Ashram a Public Trust as it is frequented by members of all religions. As Matrbhuteswara Temple was the central feature of Ramanasramam and as it was supported by a community of devotees from all over India and the world which included non-Hindus, it need not be construed as, strictly speaking, a Hindu temple. Thus it came to be that Ramanasramam became a Public Religious Trust.

Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi transcended all religious differences. Devotees came to him seeking spiritual knowledge from all over the world, and were entertained without any difference of caste, creed, race etc. On December 12th 1959, the Honorable judges of the Chennai High Court ruled in favor of the Ashram and the Ashram’s sovereignty was restored.

Subsequent to this, in a meeting headed by Minister Mr.Bhaktavatcalam, a scheme under which Ramanasramam would be recognized as a public trust was drawn. It was attended by Venkataraman along with Secretaries of Law and Finance as well as the Advocate General of the State.

Here it was decided that the Ashram will be run by a 5 member governing body. As per Bhagavan’s wishes, the legal heir, Mr.Venkatraman (and his male descendants) will head the trust as a permanent member and be the president of Sri Ramanasramam. The four nominated trustees had a fixed term of 3 years in office. He was allowed to designate two more trustees, while the government was allowed to nominate two, upon mutual consultations. This was brought into vogue during Venkatoo’s lifetime (but is in practice currently).

Thus Mr.Venkatoo ended up heading the Ashram Management as per the wishes of Bhagavan’s devotees on the strength of Bhagavan’s will. This is not to establish the interest or claim of Bhagavan’s family but to ensure the Ashram (and the devotees) are cared for and looked after well. This charter was crafted by senior devotees of Bhagavan during his time so that Ashram can be an abode of peace catering to future generations of devotees without any interference.

This requires no further elucidation as evidenced by anyone visiting the Ashram today.

Once it was firmly established that Venkatoo was the Ashram President, there were several other woes, including the Ashram’s mounting debt, that he had to contend with in addition to taking care of his family of 12, his young kids’ education, etc.

Having realized that Bhagavan’s devotees are Ashram’s single greatest asset, he toured the country and re-established contacts with old devotees. Amidst all this, he also got his children educated and daughters married. Devotees’ love and affection poured on him. Major Chadwick, Dr.T.N.Krishnaswamy, K.K.Nambiar, S.S.Cohen, Arthur Osborne and Balarama Reddiar were invaluable in their service and contributed immensely to the growth of the Ashram.

Renewal of contact with Prof. K. Swaminathan, hard at work on Gandhi’s collected works in Delhi, was invaluable as he found wise counsel and moral support in him. A.R.Natarajan also proved influential in dealing with government matters.

In 1961, his second son, Mr.Ganesan who had studied philosophy joined the Ashram and assisted his father. After Bhagavan’s nirvana, many devotees had left Tiruvannamalai and moved to different places. Just as “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.”, the devotees, one after the other, started coming back to the Ashram.

Mr.Ganesan made his life’s mission to re-establish contacts with senior devotees and convinced them to take up residence at the Ashram. He also ably supported his father in the administration of the Ashram. It bears mentioning that he remains a bachelor and dedicated his entire life to the development of the Ashram.

Both the elder son, Sundar Ramanan and the younger son, Subramanian studied to be engineers. In 1985, Venkatoo’s youngest son, V. Subramanian (affectionately known as Mani or Mani Anna) took voluntary retirement as Project Manager in ACC-Vickers Babcock Ltd., Bombay, and returned to Tiruvannamalai to assist his father in Ashram administration. Already trained and experienced in management, he proved invaluable as an administrator in the day-to-day running of the Ashram.

Under the able leadership of Venkatoo, the Ashram grew in splendor.

“Hey, Tambaram!”, was how he used to call me as I was a resident of Tambaram, a suburb of Chennai. Whenever he saw me, he used to remark “Tambaram has become gold” (Note: Tamaram in Tamiḷ meant bronze). He was adept at managing people with different viewpoints. He would advise that in order to handle people who differ with you, you need to first win them over.

He would take me to every nook and cranny of the Ashram, and describe the progress. The reason for iron-gated roof for the cowshed (it was done to protect the cows from tigers that used to frequent), the connection between the Dakshinamoorthy in Matrubhuteswara Temple and Rajaji etc would be recounted. He took me once to the Ashram kitchen and talked about the time when a fight broke over 4 idlis, and now, in the same kitchen more than 600 idlis are being made daily. Finally, he took me to his residence (A-19) a small room that was prepared by the Ashram for him to stay!

Every now and then, he would also point to the place where he wanted to be interred and requested that the place was not altered after his departure.

A person of such stature taking the time to talk to a commoner like me, and go around the Ashram that he toiled hard to build, without any sense of entitlement or attachment would leave me stunned. It is for all to see that it was due to his dedication that the Ashram continues to be a spiritual abode of peace for devotees as per Bhagavan’s wish.

With the singular aim to establish and ensure that the devotees have a dedicated place to continue their spiritual practice, he faced and overcame all the legal hurdles that were thrown at him. The one desire he had shared with me was to see the new house that his first grandson (the current President of the Ashram, Dr.Venkat S.Ramanan) had built in the United States, but alas! that couldn’t be fulfilled due to his old age. He reached Bhagavan’s feet on 26th December 2007. In 1994, Venkatoo took Sannyasa at the Sivananda Ashram and made his first son, Mr.Sundar Ramanan the President of the Ashram. Around this time, his second son Ganesan (Ganesan Anna) also quit Ashram Management to take up spiritual practice full time.

Sri Sundar Ramanan, fondly referred to as ‘Sundar Anna’ is an embodiment of love - towards the Ashram and its devotees. His brother. Sri Mani was by his side helping administer the Ashram just as he did with his father. He played a crucial role in Bhagavan’s greatness across the world via the dissemination of his photographs and publishing several books on Bhagavan. He supervised the computerization of the Ashram. Under his stewardship, Bhagavan’s name and form traveled far and wide, and the verses from “Aksharamana malai”, a text filled with Bhakti and Jnana, reached very many hearts and mouths.

He provided support for the establishment of Ramana Satsangs in different parts of the World. The trust as outlined in the Court order came to be established during his tenure, and it discharged the duties in a very competent manner under his leadership. Ashram kitchen, Library, Vedapathashala, Guest Accommodation, Ramanasrama dispensary to distribute medicines to the poor and needy were established and/or improved during his time.

To preserve the articles that Bhagavan used, his handwritten manuscripts, an archive was established. Not just Tiruvannamalai, all the other places associated with Bhagavan (Tiruchuzhi, Madurai etc) were revitalized.

His second son, Sri Ravi Ramanan who had built a successful career in the US and was managing the Ashram website along with editing the Saranagati newsletter passed away in 2010. This was a major personal setback for Sundar Anna. He continued his active service in the Ashram for another eight years.

In 2018, citing health reasons, he informed the Board of Trustees that according to Bhagavan’s Will, he was nominating his son, Dr.Venkat S.Ramanan to take over as President.

His brothers, both now in their eighties, are not in a position to manage the ashram owing to old age. In the midst of a global pandemic, Dr.Venkat Ramanan who runs his own practice in the US, as per the wishes of the devotees and the will of Bhagavan, left his family in the US and traveled to Tamiḷ Nadu. Letting go of the opportunities to accumulate material wealth and fame, with an intent to serve the devotees, on the morning of the 17th June 2020, with the blessings of his uncles, Sri Ganesan and Sri Mani, his mother, Smt.Susheela Ramanan and his father, Sri Sundar Ramanan who is on the mend, and the cooperation of other trustees, Dr.Venkat S.Ramanan took charge as the 4th President of Ramanasramam.

Aside from being a doctor, he is also an able administrator. We pray to Aruṇāchala Ramana to bestow a long life upon him to be in the service of Bhagavan’s devotees.

The current generation of Ramana devotees bow their head to the senior devotees who had the forethought that the Ashram and its management should remain with Bhagavan’s brother’s family for the welfare of the devotees and got Bhagavan to acquiesce to this decision. We also bow our head to Bhagavan’s family for their selfless actions - always prioritizing the service towards Bhagavan’s devotees above everything else.

At different crucial junctures, various devotees of Bhagavan have heard the call of their Guru and served the Ashram. Foregoing their own personal comforts, many devotees have thrown themselves into the service of the Ashram. The list of devotees who left their familial ties and took up residence in the ashram thereby reestablishing Ashram as the spiritual epicenter is endless. We also bow our heads to these devotees who wish to remain nameless!

The trustees while maintaining a low profile work with the Ashram management to contribute to the smooth running of the Ashram while keeping the spiritual energy in the Ashram bears mention and our appreciation!

Thus our Ramanasramam has been attaining fame through its union with the meek!