The Great Transition Part Four

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THE GREAT TRANSITION

 

 

PART FOUR

 

 

 

 

TIRUVANNAMALAI

 

 

‘It is no accident that the Maharshi made Tiruvannamalai and its

sacred mountain of Arunachala his home.

Each of the spiritual centres of India has its own character and its

own line of tradition; and among them all it is Tiruvannamalai (or

Arunachala) that represents the highest and most direct, the most

formless and least ritualistic of paths, that is the path of

Self-enquiry, the gateway to which is the silent initiation.

This is expressed in the old Tamil saying: “To see Chidambaram, to be

born at Tiruvarur, to die at Banaras or even to think of Arunachala

is to be assured of Liberation.” “Even to think of” because in the

case of the direct path physical contact is not necessary.

 

‘Tiruvannamalai is a medium sized South Indian town, 120 miles

south-west of Madras. There is railway connection but journey by bus

is more direct and convenient, taking less than five hours. There are

very good buses, including one State Government Express bus, plying

between Madras and Tiruvanna-malai.

The prefix ‘Tiru’ means ‘blessed’ or ‘auspicious’, like the prefix

‘Sri’ in thenames of North Indian towns. ‘Malai’ means ‘mountain’ and

‘Anna’ ‘supreme’, so that the name signifies, ‘The auspicious supreme

mountain’.

It is an ancient town with a large and splendid temple.

There are certain yearly festivals when it is crowded with pilgrims

from all over South India. Especially is this so at Karthigai (known

also as Deepam), falling usually in November (it is impossible to

give the exact date of an Indian festival, as they vary with the

phases of the moon, like the Christian Easter).

On this occasion a beacon of clarified butter contributed by devotees

and pilgrims is lit at nightfall on the summit of the mountain and

burns the whole night, often indeed the whole of the following day

and night also.

 

At the Ashram itself, of course, the greatest festivals are the

anniversaries of the birth and death of the Maharshi (Jayanti and

Aradhana), falling respectively at the winter solstice and the spring

equinox.’ 3

 

 

3. Ibid., pp. 6-8.

 

End of Part Four

To be continued

 

THE MOUNTAIN PATH

(Quarterly)

Editor: Arthur OsborneL1

JANUARY 1964

yes"> No 1

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