Ramana Disciple Ganapati Muni #2

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Though Ganapati Muni was born in response to intense prayers of his parents for

a special and exceptional child, his childhood was a great disappointment. "He

did not articulate, disliked food, swooned often and was affected with some

illness or other. But suddenly at the age of six, a native treatment of branding

with and iron made him alright and his faculties began to shine. A new life

started to run in the veins of the child."

 

Ganapati was precocious and his memory was phenomenal. He because well versed,

in a few years, in the intricacies of the sacred syllables {mantra}, astrology

and ayurveda.

 

All generations of Ramana's disciples and devotees must remain indebted to Muni

because it was for his sake and seeing his great spiritual hunger and ripeness

that Ramana broke his silence of eleven years and gave the oral 'Upadesa'. This

happened on the epoch making day. on November 18, 1907. Since then, the

relationship between Ramana and the Muni has been a model. Ramana used to

affectionately call him 'Nayana', which has several shades of meaning in Telugu.

It is a term of endearment, it is a term by which one refers to one's father and

to a disciple as well.

 

The Muni was always frank and childlike in his letters to Ramana from Siris,

which included his spiritual problems. This has led to an opinion that the Muni

was not steadily Self-aware because he had sankalpas. The mere existence of

sankalpas does not negate the natural state. Ramana's view is that "a jnani is a

most natural person. he may have sankalpas but those sankalpas are not binding

in nature. They arise either because of prarabdha or due to divine promptings.

They do not bind a person whose mind is dead".

 

Again one should not forget that in the immediate presence of Ramana, while

Ramana was staying in the Virupaksha Cave and the Muni in the nearby Mango True

Cave, the Muni had the ultimate spiritual experience in the path of 'Sakti',

worship of the divine Mother.

He had what is known as 'Kapalabhedha'. Prior to this Muni was immersed in deep

penance for many days. All distinctions between inner and outer, between day and

night disappeared. yet the Muni would somehow visit Ramana once everyday. One

day the Muni felt as though his head was pierced and a stream of bliss was

shooting from there. The Muni managed to go the next day and report his

condition to his Sadguru. Ramana passed his hand over the Muni's head with great

compassion. He advised him to anoint his head with caster oil before his bath

and almond oil after. That night the Muni experienced 'Kapalabhedha'. Throughout

the Muni was surrender to his Master and Ramana's grace flowed uninterrupted.

 

To be continued from "Timeless in Time" by Natarajan