Life of Ramana Maharshi - 2

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Last week:

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The time of RM’s birth was very auspicious. It was the confluence of two

great festivities or commemorations – 1. Arudra DarSanam; 2. Manifestation

of aruNAchala Hill.

 

This week:

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Lives of saints are filled with events and circumstances that are ever

fragrant with Divine Glories. One should approach the study of lives of

saints with an attitude of faith, reverence and humility. Such a study

apart from satisfying the academic interest of knowing the specific details,

dates and people involved in the saints’ life, also provide wonderful

opportunities to learn lessons on sanatana-dharma and in this case

advaita-vedanta. So as we proceed along the trails of RM’s life, we will

also use the opportunity to learn and discuss sanatana-dharma and

advaita-vedanta within the context of the events of His life.

 

We saw last time that RM’s birth was on the confluence of two great

festivals celebrated widely in TamilNadu. Let us look at the significance

of each of the festivals.

 

Arudra darSanam:

================

Lord Siva is called the “peravayakkai periyOn” (Tamil - one who has a body

as it were, that had no birth ie., the beginningless Ishwara). Yet Arudra

(Thiruvadirai in Tamil) is considered the naxatra of Lord Siva. The

following legend is the basis for that belief.

 

Once when Lord VishNu was lying on Adi Sesha in His Yoga-Nidra, Adi-Sesha

suddenly felt that his Lord had become very heavy. When he asked Him the

reason - Lord VishNu said that he was reminiscing over the Celestial Dance

of Lord Siva and enjoying it. Adi-Sesha developed a desire to witness that

great performance himself and asked Lord VishNu for a way. Lord VishNu bade

him to go to earth and perform tapasyA and seek Lord Siva’s Grace. The spot

suggested by Lord VishNu was Chidambaram (south of Madras, along the coast).

Adi-Sesha did as his Master bid him and came down to earth as Maharshi

Patanjali. He meditated on the sacred spot as directed by Lord VishNu.

 

In Chidambaram, at that time, there lived another holy saint by name

vyAghrapAda (vyAghra – tiger, pAda- feet). He had prayed to Lord Siva that

be granted the feet of tiger so that he may climb trees very early in the

morning to collect flowers, before the bees would visit them and offer it to

Lord Siva. He too was praying to Lord Siva to see His Celestial Dance for a

long time.

 

Lord Siva was pleased with the prayers of both and performed the Ananda

tANdavam – Blissful Dance. Both devotees were blessed with the holy darSan.

Since then, it has been the tradition in Saivite temples in TamilNadu (I

am using TamilNadu here because, I am not sure about other places) to

commemorate this event. Since the darSan was granted during the early hours

of the morning, the celebration in the temples is also done during the early

hours of the morning. The image at Chidambaram of Lord Nataraja (King of

Dancers) owes it to this legend. In homes, the festival is celebrated by an

early morning worship of Lord Siva and He is offered two special dishes

prepared only on that day – kaLi (a sweet) and thaLakam (a kind of mixed

vegetable “kootu”).

 

This festival is celebrated on the month of mrigaSira when sUrya is in dhanu

and during the late hours of the full moon night (or early hours of the next

day) when the moon would have moved into the naxatra Arudra.

 

The origin of the form of Lord Nataraja has another legend to it. It has to

do with Lord Siva appearing as Lord Nataraja to teach a lesson to the proud

Rishis of dAruka vanam. But it needs to pointed out that story is not

related to Arudra darSanam. That is the story of the manifestation of Lord

Siva as Lord Nataraja.

 

Manifestation of aruNAchala

============================

aruNAchala is a mountain in Tamil Nadu near the temple town of

ThiruvaNNamalai. aruNa means red (brownish red) light of early morning. It

refers to the light that is visible just before the sun rises when the orb

of the sun is still not visible. achala mean that which does not move –

here meaning mountain. The following is the significance of this mountain.

 

Once brahma and vishNu (seemingly) quarreled as to who was greater. As

their dispute was creating chaos in creation, the devas approached Lord

Siva. To resolve the dispute Lord Siva manifested Himself as a bright

column of light. From that column a voice declared that whosoever would

find either the upper or lower end of the column would be the greater.

Brahma took the form of swan and flew upwards to seek the peak and vishNu

took the form of a boar and dug into the earth to find the base. Brahma not

finding the summit, resorted to deception. Collecting a falling flower of

a mountain tree came back to say that he had reached the summit. vishNu

admitted his failure to reach the depths. He was declared the greater and

Brahma felt embarrassed.

 

The Devas and other Rishis prayed to Lord Siva to let everyone benefit by

His manifestation. Since the light was too bright and dazzling, He took the

form of a mountain. The light that became the mountain – aruNAchala. Lord

Siva blessed the world saying that He had taken this form for the benefit of

those who wish to obtain illumination. He also promised that He would

appear on the summit of the Hill every year in the Tamil of month of

Karthigai. Just as the moon derives light from sun, so will other places

derive sanctity from aruNAchala. So did He decree.

 

RM (later) declared that aruNAchala was the spiritual center of the earth.

Sri Sankara was supposed to have called it Mount Meru (I need to find

where). skanda-purANa calls it the secret and sacred heart center of Lord

Siva.

 

The practice of worhipping the Hill as Lord Siva Himself predates RM’s

advent. It is a belief among devotees of Lord Siva that a full pradaxiNa

(circumambulation) of the Hill is in itself, a worship. It is called

giri-pradaxiNam (giri – mountain). Devotees seeking liberation, people

seeking relief from miseries, others coming to pay their gratitude and

respects all do pradaxiNa to the Hill. A brisk walk takes about 3.5 to 4

hrs around the Hill. These days there is a clean road well laid out for

devotees to walk by without hindrance. (Although of late there have been a

lot of problems. RamaNAshram has taken up the cause, as there are lot of

new buildings that have come up which could potentially block the view of

the summit. The case is pending in the court. The local population

especially merchants are very insensitive to this holy place). RM would say

that the way to circumambulate the Hill was to walk like a

nine-month-old-pregnant-empress (ie., slowly) with the gaze constantly fixed

on the summit. Some try to climb the Hill and go to the summit. Except on

the full moon of Karthigai month, there is not much activity on the summit.

Once RM was asked as to where one should pray in the Hill and He replied

that the whole Hill was Lord Siva – every rock and stone. Some devotees out

of deep devotion do not wear footwear while performing pradaxiNa or climbing

the Hill.

 

aruNAchala has been the refuge of numerous yogis and siddhas who have

practiced their meditations in its various locations. A study of Saiva

Siddhanta would throw more light on the importance of the Holy Hill.

Adjacent to the Hill is the temple town of ThiruvaNNamalai. There is a

sprawling temple of Lord Siva. We will see the significance of the temple

when we travel along with RM to the temple.

 

Now let us get back to our main story…

 

Back at Thiruchuzhi, on that day, the procession of Lord Siva was conducted

and after going around the village the temple idols entered the temple back

at 1 AM in the morning. Adjacent to the temple was the house of Sri

Sundaram Iyer. Just as the idols entered the temple amidst jubiliation, the

cry of a baby was heard in the house of Sri Sundaram Iyer. Venkataraman

(RM) was born. It was the mystic association of the confluence of the

festivals and climax of the celebrations, along with RM’s teachings and

behavior that led his devotees during the years to come, to believe that

Lord Siva who manifested Himself as daxiNamUrthy for imparting Vedic wisdom

had manifested Himself again in RM. Then, in the house, there was a blind

nurse who was present within the confinement room. She witnessed a wondrous

light at the time of birth and remarked that the child just born must be a

divine being.

 

It will be a matter of surprise for readers that apart from this, there were

no other miraculous events surrounding the early life of RM. He was just

another boy. The wondrous exclamation of the blind nurse was soon to be

forgotten. Little did they know that the boy amidst them would one day be

revered by people far and wide. His destiny would be so intricately

interwoven with the Holy Hill aruNAchala that generations to come would

scarcely talk of one without thinking of the other. Anyone who worshipped

the Holy Beacon Hill would also think of the Sage of aruNAchala and devotees

who turned to RM would also accept aruNAchala as having manifested in Him.

 

[To devotees of RM, the birth of RM at the time of climax of procession

festival is a serious indication of the advent of the Master. To really

understand their feelings it is important to know something about procession

festivals are celebrated in Saivite-temple-towns of TamilNadu, which I will

endeavour to elaborate – for the benefit of those who do not know what it

might mean. I will do it in Part – 3].

 

Venkataraman (RM) was not very different from other boys. But he exerted a

strange attraction over others. But nothing gave a clue about His immortal

destiny. Years later when one of his childhood friends would ask Him that

He could have told atleast him, RM would reply – “How could I? I myself did

not know.”

 

Continued next week ...

 

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[Guest guest]

Thank you Sir for sharing such sacred stories with us. We are really

grateful.

 

The life of Patanjali is very interesting.

>

> S. V. Subrahmanian [svskotra]

> Once when Lord VishNu was lying on Adi Sesha in His

> Yoga-Nidra, Adi-Sesha

> suddenly felt that his Lord had become very heavy. When he

> asked Him the

> reason - Lord VishNu said that he was reminiscing over the

> Celestial Dance

> of Lord Siva and enjoying it. Adi-Sesha developed a desire

> to witness that

> great performance himself and asked Lord VishNu for a way.

> Lord VishNu bade

> him to go to earth and perform tapasyA and seek Lord Siva's

> Grace. The spot

> suggested by Lord VishNu was Chidambaram (south of Madras,

> along the coast).

> Adi-Sesha did as his Master bid him and came down to earth

> as Maharshi

> Patanjali.

 

I seek the kind permission of Sri Subrahmanian to add a little bit more

about this story.

 

 

Sri Patanjali dropped from the sky in to the hands of his mother. She was

offering arghya to the Sun God at that time standing in the water. Exactly

while she is performing this ritual, he dropped in to her hands. She got

bewildered and she drops him from her hands thinking something has fallen

from sky. The name "pata+anjali" (fallen+(from)hands) signifies that he has

fallen from the hands of his mother. After dropping him she realizes that

it is a small serpent.

 

Curious in knowing about him, she asks him in Sanskrit:

 

kO bhavAn - "who are you"? In her astonishment she did not utter the words

properly, instead of saying "kOr bhavan" she asked "kO bhavan" by forgetting

the letter "r" which is essential to convey the meaning!

 

Patanjili laughed out loud by listening at the mistake in the language, then

it seems he replied: "sappOhaM" - I am a serpent. In order to make the

point he also ignored the letter "r" from the word "sarpa" and instead said

"sappa"

 

His mother immediately recognizes his mistake and questions him: "rEfah

kvaH gataH?" -- where is the letter "r"? (she meant: you are supposed to

say as "sarpOhaM" but instead you said "sappOham" where the letter "r"?)

 

For that - Patanjali seem to have smilingly replied: "tvamEva apahRUtaH" -

you only stole it! (because she did not use the letter "r" so he did not use

it :-))

 

At that very moment she realized that this serpent is not an ordinary one!

She also says that she understood his teaching that "people are quick in

finding fault in others while they forget about their own faults!". She asks

him what she can do for him. He asks her to be his mother. She agrees to

it on one condition that the boy should take a human form. Patanjali

assumes the human form.

 

While witnessing the Ananda Tandava of Lord Shiva, he compiled a famous

stotra which is named as "caraNa sRUMga rahita shiva tAMDava stOtraM". The

word "caraNa sRUMga rahita" signifies two meanings. The first one is that

serpents do not have hands and legs so it says the stotra is written by one

who do not have hands and legs. The other significance is that in Sanskrit

you require two essentials called "carana" and "srumga" in order to compile

a stotra. This stotra is written with out these two. The linguists agree

that it is near impossible to compile such a stotra. Only Patanjali is

capable of achieving the near impossible, such is the command he got on the

language.

 

The stotra sounds quite good to listen:

"sadaMcita mudaMcita dRUgaMcita padaM, jhala jhalaccalita maMju kaTakaM...

para cidaMbara naTaM hRUdibhaja (Oh my heart -- sing the glory of the of

this great Lord Chidambara [Lord Shiva] who is dancing blissfully)

 

While dancing Lord Shiva made 12 sounds out of his damaru (small drum) which

he is holding in his hands. From those sounds Patanjali compiled 12 famous

sutras.

 

Yours,

Madhava