Animal devotees - Excerpts

[Guest guest]

Excerpt 1

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Professor Venkatramiah has told in his diary of a remarkable

case of devotion in the Ashram dogs:

"At that time (i.e. in 1924) there were four dogs in

the Ashram. Sri Bhagavan said that they would not accept

any food unless he himself had partaken of it. The pandit

put this to the test by spreading some food before them,

but they would not touch it. After awhile Sri Bhagavan

put a morsel of it into his mouth and immediately they fell

upon it and devoured it."

 

The ancestress of most of the Ashram dogs was Kamala,

who came to Skandashram as a puppy. ....

A large canine family did indeed grow up, but they all had to be

treated with equal consideration.

On the occasion of her first delivery, Kamala was

given her bath, painted with turmeric, decked with vermilion

on the forehead and given a clean place in the Ashram where

she remained for ten days with her pups.

And on the tenth day her purification was celebrated with regular

feasting. She was an intelligent and serviceable dog.

Sri Bhagavan would often depute

her to take a newcomer round the Hill.

"Kamala, take this stranger round";

and she would guide him to every image, tank

and shrine around the hill.

......

Source: Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge

by Arthur Osborne

(can be downloaded from ramana-maharshi.org

Go to Page Links and then to Downloads Page)

 

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Excerpt 2

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They (ashram dogs) had strange names like Kamala, Neela, Jack, Rose,

Karuppan.

When Kamala died, Bhagavan offered condolences to Rose.."Alas..Your

grandmother Kamala expired!"

He named the dogs' generation as Jack I, II, III etc.

.....

Jack ! Very humble one.He was an ascetic.

Had full control of his senses ! (He was a ) Peace lover. Ate only

the prasad.

 

(Everyday) Jack used to take prasad from a home below,

and would accompany the priest to walk till Guhai Namasivaya Temple.

After that he would reach the Maharshi at Virupaksha and lie down

peacefully in a nearby cave.

At 9 o'clock Jack would go to Guhai Namasivaya temple, eat the prasad

and return to the ashram cave (Virupaksha).Jack will not indulge in

competition or fights with other dogs nor would search for female

dogs.

In the evening Jack would go down and take food in the

usual home and sleep in the Sanyaasiyaar math.He was a great

peaceloving and dispassionate one.

In 1905 Jack got bitten by a leopard, fell sick

and reached the holy feet of Arunachala.

 

Jack the Second (Jack II)

Jack got the rare Hastha Deeksha from Bhagavan everyday and he was an

example to the humans...

When he fell sick, he stopped taking any food except milk.In the last

days he stopped even milk and died in uttarayana punya kaalam

(auspicious time)in the Tamil month of Thai.

Jack received the gift of a Samadhi from the hands of Bhagavan.

 

Source: Sri Ramana Vijayam (Tamil) by Swami Suddhaananda Bharati

(1932)

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Notes:

Jack II and Karuppan were the dogs in the ashram during the attack of

the thieves in June 26th, 1924 and got beaten.

Chinna Karuppan (Little Blackie) is apparently another dog when

Bhagavan lived in Virupaksha.

 

Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya!

 

-ramasamy

[Guest guest]

Dear Ramasamy,

 

Thanks very much. Here is a picture of our Jack. Regards - Prashanth

 

 

 

r_ramasamy <rramasamy wrote:

Excerpt 1

***********************************************

Professor Venkatramiah has told in his diary of a remarkable

case of devotion in the Ashram dogs:

"At that time (i.e. in 1924) there were four dogs in

the Ashram. Sri Bhagavan said that they would not accept

any food unless he himself had partaken of it.....