Ashram Bulletin

The Great Transition

On Friday the doctors and attendants knew it was the last day. In the morning he again bade them go and meditate. About noon, when liquid food was brought for him, he asked the time, punctual as ever, but then added, "But henceforth time doesn't matter."

Delicately expressing recognition of their long years of service, he said to the attendants, "The English have a word 'thanks' but we only say santosham (I am pleased)."

In the morning the long crowd filed past the open doorway silent with grief and apprehension, and again between four and five in the evening. The disease-racked body they saw there was shrunken, the ribs protruding, the skin blackened, it was a pitiable vestige of pain. And yet at some time during these last few days each devotee received a direct, luminous, penetrating look of recognition which he felt as a parting infusion of Grace.

After darshan that evening the devotees did not disperse to their homes. Apprehension held them there. At about sunset Sri Bhagavan told the attendants to sit him up. They knew already that every movement, every touch was painful, but he told them not to worry about that. He sat with one of the attendants supporting his head. A doctor began to give him oxygen but with a wave of his right hand he motioned him away. There were about a dozen persons in the small room, doctors and attendants.

Two of the attendants were fanning him, and the devotees outside gazed spellbound at the moving fans through the window, a sign that there was still a living body to fan. A reporter of a large American magazine moved about restlessly, uneasy at having been impressed despite himself and determined not to write his story till he got away from Tiruvannamalai to conditions that he considered normal. With him was a French press- photographer.

Unexpectedly, a group of devotees sitting on the veranda outside the hall began singing 'Arunachala-Siva'. On hearing it, Sri Bhagavan's eyes opened and shone. He gave a brief smile of indescribable tenderness. From the outer edges of his eyes tears of bliss rolled down. One more deep breath, and no more. There was no struggle, no spasm, no other sign of death: only that the next breath did not come.

For a few moments people stood bewildered. The singing continued. The French press-photographer came up to me and asked at what precise minute it had happened. Resenting it as journalistic callousness, I replied brusquely that I did not know, and then I suddenly recalled Sri Bhagavan's unfailing courtesy and answered precisely that it was 8.47. He said, and I could hear now that he was excited, that he had been pacing the road outside and at that very moment an enormous star had trailed slowly across the sky. Many had seen it, even as far away as Madras, and felt what it portended. It passed to the north-east towards the peak of Arunachala.

After the first numbness there was a wild burst of grief. The body was carried out on to the veranda in a sitting posture. Men and women crowded up to the veranda railing to see. A woman fainted. Others sobbed aloud.

The body was placed garlanded upon a couch in the hall and the devotees thronged there and sat around it. One had expected the face to be rock-like in samadhi, but found it instead so marked by pain that it gripped one's heart. Only gradually during the night the air of mysterious composure returned to it.

All that night devotees sat in the large hall and townsfolk passed through in awed silence. Processions streamed from the town and back singing 'Arunachala-Siva'. Some of the devotees in the hall sang songs of praise and grief; others sat silent. What was most noticeable was not the grief but the calm beneath it, for they were men and women deprived of him whose Grace had been the very meaning of their life. Already that first night and much more during the days that followed, it became clear how vital had been his words: "I am not going away. Where could I go? I am here." The word 'here' does not imply any limitation but rather that the Self is, that there is no going, no changing, for That which is Universal. Nevertheless, as devotees felt the inner Presence of Bhagavan and as they felt the continued Divine Presence at Tiruvannamalai, they began to regard it as a promise full of love and solicitude.

During the night of vigil a decision had to be taken as to the burial. It had been thought that the body might be interred in the new hall, but many devotees opposed the idea. They felt that the hall was, in a sense, an adjunct to the temple and would make the shrine of Sri Bhagavan seem subordinate to that of the Mother, reversing the true order of things. Next day, by general agreement, a pit was dug and the body interred with divine honours in the space between the old hall and the temple. The crowd, packed tight, looked on in silent grief. No more the beloved face, no more the sound of his voice; henceforth the lingam of polished black stone, the symbol of Siva, over the tomb was the outer sign, and inwardly his footprints in the heart.

Continued Presence

The crowds dispersed and the Ashram seemed an abandoned place, like a grate with the fire gone out. And yet there was not the wild grief and despair that has so often followed the departure of a Spiritual Master from earth. The normality that had been so pronounced still continued. It began to be apparent with what care and compassion Sri Bhagavan had prepared his devotees for this. Nevertheless, during those first days and weeks of bereavement few cared to remain at Tiruvannamalai, and some who would have cared to could not.

Many years previously a will had been drawn up stating how the Ashram was to be run when the Master was no longer bodily present. A group of devotees took this to Sri Bhagavan and he read it through very carefully and showed approval, after which they all signed as witnesses. Briefly, it stated that puja (ritualistic worship) should be performed at his tomb and that of the mother, that the family of Niranjanananda Swami's son should be supported, and that the spiritual centre of Tiruvannamalai should be kept alive.

Everywhere his Presence is felt, and yet there are differences of atmosphere. Morning and evening there is parayanam (chanting of the Vedas) before the tomb, as there used to be before his bodily presence, and at the same hours. As the devotees sit there in meditation it is the same as when they sat before him in the hall, the same power, the same subtlety of guidance. During parayanam, puja is performed at the tomb and the 108 names of Bhagavan are recited. But in the old hall is a softer, mellower atmosphere breathing the intimacy of his long abidance. Some months after the Mahasamadhi (leaving the body) this hall was damaged by a fire that broke out, but was fortunately not destroyed.

There is also the little room where the last days and hours were spent. A large portrait which hangs there seems to live and respond to devotion. Here are the various objects that Sri Bhagavan used or touched - his staff and water vessel, a peacock fan, the revolving bookcase, many little objects. And the couch now forever empty. There is something infinitely poignant, inexpressibly gracious about the room.

In the new hall a statue of Sri Bhagavan has been installed. It was one of the terms of the will that a statue should be set up, but no sculptor has yet been found to make one adequate. He would have to feel the mystery of Sri Bhagavan, to be inspired by him, for it is not a question of rendering human features but the divine power and beauty that shone through them.

Not only the Ashram premises are hallowed but all the neighbourhood around. The peace that abides there encompasses and permeates: no passive peace but a vibrant exhilaration. The very air is redolent with his Presence.

True, his Presence is not confined to Tiruvannamalai. It never was. The devotees, wherever they may be, find his Grace and support, his inner Presence, not merely as potent but even more potent now than before. And yet, now as before, the solace of a visit to Tiruvannamalai sinks into the soul and residence there has a beauty hard to describe.

No Return

There have been Saints who have promised to return to earth for the renewed guidance of their devotees in life after life, but Sri Bhagavan was the complete Jnani in whom there is not even that vestige of an ego that may indicate rebirth, ant the devotees understood this. His promise was different. "I am not going away. Where could I go? I am here." Not even "I shall be here" but "I am here", for to the Jnani there is no change, no time, no difference of past and future, no going away, only the eternal 'Now' in which the whole of the time is poised, universal, spaceless 'Here'. What he affirmed was his continued, uninterrupted Presence, his continued guidance. Long ago he had told Sivaprakasam Pillai, "He who has won the Grace of the Guru shall undoubtedly be saved and never forsaken," and when devotees spoke during the last sickness as though he was forsaking them and pleaded their weakness and continued need of him he retorted, as already mentioned, "You attach too much importance to the body."

They quickly discovered how true this was. More than ever he has become the Inner Guru. Those who depended on him feel his guidance more actively, more potently now. Their thoughts are riveted on him more constantly. The vichara, leading to the Inner Guru, has grown easier and more accessible. Meditation brings a more immediate flow of Grace. The repercussion of actions, good and bad alike, is more swift and strong.

After the first shock of bereavement devotees began to be drawn back to Tiruvannamalai. The mystery of Arunachala Hill also has become more accessible. There were many formerly who felt nothing of its power, for whom it was just a hill of rock and earth and shrubs like any other. But from the time when the Spirit left the body and a bright star trailed towards the Hill devotees have felt more directly that it is holy ground; they have felt in it the mystery of Bhagavan.*
_________________________
* Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge, pp. 185-192, by Arthur Osborne, Rider & Co.

Shrine And Ashram

'Naturally, there are not the same crowds at the Maharshi's Ashram at Tiruvannamalai that there were during his lifetime. Many of these were visitors eager to have a sight of the holy man. Many also, especially from Western countries, were intellectuals, students of philosophy or psychology, who came to pose academic questions. It is possible that a higher percentage of these who come now are genuine seekers or true devotees.

'The tomb of the Maharshi was made just outside the old meditation hall where he sat with his devotees for so many years. The beginnings have been made of a shrine over it of beautiful polished black and grey stone from Arunachala, but funds are awaited to complete it.

'There is no spiritual head of the Ashram in human form. The Presence of the Maharshi is so powerful and pervading that it would be a redundancy to have some person there as a guru. Instructions for meditation are given in his writings and sayings; spiritual support comes direct from him; all that is needed is practice.'*
_________________________
* Sri Ramanasramam, Yesterday and Today, pp. 5-6, Sri Ramanasramam.

Management and Organization

During the lifetime of the Maharshi the Ashram had been run by his younger brother Sri Niranjanananda Swami, known also as Chinnaswamy or 'the Little Swami' and entitled the Sarvadhikari or Governor. He took sannyasa after the early death of his wife, while the Maharshi was still living in a cave on Arunachala; and when the Maharshi came down to the foot of the hill after his mother's death and took up his abode there, it was he who organised the Ashram that we now know. After the death of the Maharshi a Committee of devotees was formed to advise him but he continued the Ashram management.

The Sarvadhikari did not long outlive the Maharshi. He died on January 29, 1953. By the general wish of the devotees he was buried in the Ashram precincts and a small shrine erected where he lay. He was succeeded by his son, T. N. Venkataraman, who is the present President of the Ashram. Even before becoming the President, he had been serving in the Ashram from 1938. He is fondly addressed by fellow-devotees as 'Venkatoo'.

'The premises are kept clean and tidy, meals are served punctually, all are free to sit and meditate, and apart from that the Ashram management is of little concern to visitors. It is better, however, to write to the President before coming because now also, as in the lifetime of the Maharshi, there is often difficulty in finding accommodation. As a reflection of the informality of the Maharshi's teaching and method of training, the Ashram has never undertaken precise or ample arrangements for visitors. Even for those who stay in its guesthouse there is no tariff of charges. They are expected to make a donation when they leave, but it is up to them.

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 Tiruvannamalai. The prefix 'Tiru' means 'blessed' or 'auspicious', like the prefix 'Sri' in the names 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.'*
_________________________
* Ibid., pp. 6-8.

Publications

During his lifetime the Maharshi showed great interest in Ashram publications and himself revised proofs and made revisions. One of the signs of the continued vitality of the Ashram since his death is the number of its books that have needed new editions and the number of new books it has published. Below is a complete list of books published by the Ashram [in 1964].

ADVAITA BODHA DEEPIKA: Translated into English for the first time from an ancient classic at the instance of Sri Maharshi.

BHAGAVAN RAMANA: A Sketch of Maharshi's Life-By Dr. T. M. P. Mahadevan.

CRUMBS FROM HIS TABLE: Teachings and Talks of Sri Maharshi - Reprinted after 20 years - Gives useful hints in understanding Maharshi's teachings.

DAY BY DAY WITH BHAGAVAN: From the Diary of A. Devaraja Mudaliar - a recording of the enchanting talks by the Maharshi with numerous devotees from far and near, covering a period of two years (1945 & 1946), Vol. I, covering May to July 1946 - Volume II covering the rest of the above period, 1945-46. [Now in one volume]

FIVE HYMNS TO SRI ARUNACHALA: English translation of the five famous Hymns composed by the Maharshi, four in Tamil and one in Sanskrit.

GLIMPSES OF THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF RAMANA MAHARSHI: By Frank H. Humphreys. The earliest European to meet Bhagavan, in 1911, now reprinted after 36 years.

GOLDEN JUBILEE SOUVENIR: Commemorating the 50th year of the Maharshi's advent in Tiruvannamalai, in 1946. Contains 54 articles of permanent interest by eminent devotees and admirers, both Eastern and Western.

GURU-RAMANA-VACHANA-MALA: A necklet of sayings of Guru Ramana by "WHO", the author of MAHA YOGA. Fit for study and meditation.

LETTERS FROM SRI RAMANASRAMAM: Translated from the Telugu original of Soori Nagamma, a lady devotee: Delightful pen pictures of day-to-day life of the Maharshi, bringing out His humour, humanity and Universal love.

MAHARSHI'S GOSPEL: Books I and II: Talks with the Maharshi by several disciples on many important problems of Sadhaks. Practical advice throughout.

MAHA YOGA: By "WHO". A treatise of supreme interest to every student of Advaita, lucidly explaining Sri Ramana Maharshi's teachings in the light of Upanishadic lore.

MY RECOLLECTIONS OF BHAGAVAN: By the author of "Day by Day with Bhagavan". A delightful and instructive book describing the Magic of Bhagavan's Personality and Grace.

POEMS OF RAMANA MAHARSHI: Rendered into English by Sadhu Arunachala (Maj. A. W. Chadwick).

RAMANA ARUNACHALA: By Arthur Osborne.

RAMANA MAHARSHI & HIS PHILOSOPHY OF EXISTENCE: By Dr. T. M. P. Mahadevan: Translation with commentary on 'Ulladu Narpadu' (Reality in Forty Verses) and 'The Supplementary Forty Verses' with a sketch of Bhagavan's Life and Reflections of the Author.

REFLECTIONS ON "TALKS WITH SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI": By S. S. Cohen, author of "GURU RAMANA". Elucidating various important points raised during the TALKS with the Maharshi. A helpful guide to Sadhaks.

A SADHU'S REMINISCENCES OF RAMANA MAHARSHI: By Sadhu Arunachala (Maj. A. W. Chadwick), who came to see Bhagavan in 1935 and never went back.

SAT DARSHANA BHASHYA: By "K" (T. V. Kapali Sastri): Sanskrit rendering of Maharshi's Tamil "Ulladu Narpadu" (Reality in Forty Verses) with English translation and commentary, a detailed introduction to the subject and also a record of Talks with the Maharshi.

SELF-ENQUIRY: Instructions given to Gambhiram Seshayya by the Maharshi in his days of Silence about the year 1901. Translated from the Tamil original.

SELF-REALISATION: or Life and Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi by B. V. Narasimha Swamy, with an epilogue by S. S. Cohen: Graphically describes the fascinating life of the Maharshi from his birth in 1879 to his Mahanirvana in April 1950.

SONG CELESTIAL: 42 Verses selected by the Maharshi from the Bhagavad Gita: Sanskrit text with English translation, with an Explanatory Note giving the significance of the verses in this selection.

SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTION: Being the Maharshi's teaching given to his disciple Natanananda. Published originally in Tamil with the title 'Upadesa Manjari' in the form of a dialogue. Revised translation.

SRI MAHARSHI: A brief Sketch of the Sage's life with 117 illustrations of the Master in different periods of life, various personalities who came into touch with him, the different spots he lived in etc. A valuable album to treasure.

SRI RAMANA, the SAGE OF ARUNAGIRI: A subjective study of the Maharshi's Life, by "Aksharajna" with a supplement containing valuable extracts from the Maharshi's teachings.

SRI RAMANA GITA: Containing the teachings of the Maharshi composed into 300 Sanskrit verses (18 Chapters) by Sri Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni with English translation by Prof. G. V. Subbaramayya. Contains very useful hints on Bhakti, Yoga and Jnana Margas with special stress on the Maharshi's unique method of 'Self-Enquiry'.

TALKS WITH SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI: A faithful record of talks with the Maharshi by numerous devotees, some of them from far-off lands, on their personal spiritual problems. The records cover a period of about four years, 1935 to 1939.

TECHNIQUE OF MAHA YOGA: A handy and practical guide to Sadhaks treading the Path of Self-Enquiry, written from the personal experience by N. R. Narayana Iyer.

THUS SPAKE RAMANA: Selected Gems from the sayings of Bhagavan. (Second Edition).

TRIPURA RAHASYA: or The Mystery Beyond the Trinity: An ancient Sanskrit work translated into English at the instance of Bhagavan by the Recorder of "Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi" explaining the mystic Doctrine and Practice of Advaita Sadhana. Lucid, interesting and instructive.

TRUTH REVEALED: Translation of the Maharshi's Forty Verses 'Ulladu Narpadu' and the Forty Supplementary Verses, and containing a Synopsis of the 'Ulladu Narpadu' and a preface by Grant Duff. The quintessence of Maharshi's philosophy.

UPADESA SARAM: English translation of the Maharshi's THIRTY VERSES, a detailed commentary and also a translation of the Thirty Verses in Sanskrit by the Maharshi himself, and in English by Major A. W. Chadwick (Sadhu Arunachala).

WHO AM I?: Translation from the Tamil of the Maharshi's teachings given in writing to one of his earliest disciples, Sivaprakasam Pillai, about the years 1901-1902. Contains the essence of the Maharshi's teaching which is the path of Self-Enquiry.

Apart from our own publications, the following books also are available:

GURU RAMANA: By S. S. Cohen. Personal reminiscences and delightful notes of chats of Sri Bhagavan recorded by the writer on various dates from 1936 to 1950, and also excerpts from the author's diary graphically describing the last two years of the Master's life.

THE QUINTESSENCE OF WISDOM or The Thirty Verses of Sri Ramana: Freely rendered into English with an Introduction and Commentary by M. Anantanarayanan, I. C. S., and with a Foreword by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, President of India,

RAMANA MAHARSHI AND THE PATH OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE: By Arthur Osborne. (Rider & Co., London and Jaico Publishing House, Bombay).

COLLECTED WORKS OF RAMANA MAHARSHI: Edited by Arthur Osborne. (Rider & Co., London and Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai).

TEACHINGS OF RAMANA MAHARSHI IN HIS OWN WORDS: Edited by Arthur Osborne. (Rider & Co., London and Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai).

Milestones

Not only the Sarvadhikari but a number of other devotees also have been snatched away by death since the Maharshi left the Ramana body he had worn.

In particular we must mention Major Alan Chadwick, widely known as Sadhu Arunachala. He was not the first European to come here but he was the first to settle down and make the Ashram his home. He came as far back as 1935 and was here together with Paul Brunton. The difference was that he stayed on, obtaining permission from the Sarvadhikari to build himself a small house in the Ashram premises, incidentally the first private room to be built within the Ashram.

He became a familiar figure in the Ashram and a comfort to many, especially to visitors who had never seen Bhagavan in the body.

It seemed at first that the chanting of the Vedas which had been practised morning and evening in Bhagavan's lifetime might come to an end simply because there was no one to carry it on. People regretted this, since it had been and still was a welcome occasion for meditation, the chanting itself helping to still the mind. It was Mr. Chadwick who averted the danger by organising a Patasala, that is a traditional boarding school where the boys learn Vedic chanting as well as Sanskrit, English and some general education, with tuition, board, clothing, all provided. It was an expense, but Mr. Chadwick collected donations for it so that it should not be a burden on the Ashram. Since his death it has been ably carried on by Mrs. F. Taleyarkhan. Donations for its upkeep are always welcome.

Remarkably enough, it was also Mr. Chadwick, a European, who started the Sri Chakra Poojas. These are beautiful and impressive services and are widely appreciated. They are held every Friday and full-moon day and on the 1st of every Tamil month. Devotees who wish a special prayer to be made on their behalf write to the President to be included in one of them, enclosing a fee of Rs. 10.

Another prominent devotee who has left us is Swami Ramanananda Saraswathi. During Bhagavan's lifetime, it was he who, while still a householder under the name of Sri Munagala Venkataramiah, compiled the 'Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi', the largest record of Bhagavan's teachings. Since then also he has added several valuable titles, like, 'Tripura Rahasya' and 'Advaita Bodha Deepika', to our book list. His profound knowledge of scriptures and western philosophy and his austere life, and childlike ways made others revere him as a gem among the disciples of Bhagavan. His death caused, outwardly, a vacuum in the Asramam.

Gridalur Sambasiva Rao of Nellore, a lawyer, first came to Sri Maharshi as early as 1923, with his brother Sri Narayana Rao and his sister Smt. Lakshammal. The power and grace of Bhagavan's look overwhelmed him at one stroke, as it were. All his worries vanished and devotion surged up in him. He remained a staunch devotee till his last days. Not only that, but through him numerous families from Andhra Pradesh came to know of Sri Maharshi and received his blessings. He was a great support to the Ashram management in all its various activities. One particularly great honour was that when Sri Maharshi accepted the terms of a will drawn up for him in 1938, it was his privilege to sign on behalf of Sri Maharshi (actually Maharshi drew a line and Sambasiva Rao signed on his behalf, since Bhagavan had no name to sign). After the Mahanirvana of Sri Maharshi he was made secretary of the Ashram managing committee and he continued to serve the Ashram with the same whole-hearted zeal till his death on November 5th, 1962, The loss was a personal one to many of the inmates of the Ashram. His devotion to Sri Maharshi was complete. May he rest in peace at the feet of Bhagavan!

Sama Iyer was a deaf old man, who had served Bhagavan for a long time until, due to old age and physical debility, he asked Bhagavan to let him go, since he could no longer physically serve him. Bhagavan, laughing, said: "For such long service you deserve a pension which will be in the form of eating and keeping quiet." He also has passed away and our very old devotees still miss him in the Ashram.

V. Narayanaswami Iyer, popularly known as 'Chellam Iyer', the cashier of the Ashram (incidentally, he is also related to the Maharshi) who served the Ashram for 17 years, also passed away this year.

A number of new people have come and new houses been built to add to our small colony.

There is also a constant flow of visitors from India and abroad, the majority of whom nowadays are people who never saw Bhagavan in his lifetime.

Apart from private residences, two new guesthouses have also been put up, thanks to the donations of Sri K. Padmanabhan and Sri H. C. Khanna. This is particularly useful for lady visitors, as they are not allowed to stay in the Ashram premises. For single-men a number of self-contained rooms have been built.

Work is proceeding with a shrine and meditation-hall over the Maharshi's Samadhi Shrine. The plan is ambitious but the work has to keep pace with available funds.

Life Members - Sri Ramanasramam

H. C. Khanna, Kanpur.
D. Subbanna, Bangalore.
K. S. N. Rao, New Delhi.
M. Sadasiva Setty, Chikmagalur.
A. R. Narayana Rao, Madras.
V. Venkatakrishniah, Nellore.
C. Padmanabha Rao, Tirupathi.
G. Sesha Reddi, Nellore.
Y. Ramakrishna Prasad, Madras.
Narendra C. Amin, Mangalore.
A. R. Natarajan, Bangalore.
Vegi Venkateswara Rao, Visakhapatnam.
G. V. Subbaramayya, Nidubrolu.
Penmacha Jegannatha Raju, Jinnur.
A. K. Ramachandra Iyer, Madras.
Bh. Venkata Lakshmi Narasimha Raju, Jinnur.
Rayavarapu Sankarayya, Nellore.
A. Dasaradha Rami Reddi, Nellore.
M. Suryanarayana Iyer. Nellore.
R. V. Raghavan, Calcutta.
S. Krishnamurthy, Neyveli.
T. R. G. Krishnan, Bangalore.
Tupili Ramana Reddy, Nellore.
Mr. & Mrs. Suresh Chandra Khanna, Kanpur,

The Journal, Its Birth

A short note might be added on the genesis of The Mountain Path, since this also is Ashram news. It had been felt long back, even in the lifetime of Bhagavan, that there should be an Ashram journal. It was even suggested to him, but he did not respond; his face showed no interest, so the matter was allowed to drop.

Bhagavan very seldom said no, but so tremendous was the power of his presence that if he did not show interest and encouragement none would presume to undertake a project.

After he left the body the idea was again considered but again came to nothing. It was mentioned to the present editor who replied, as he then felt, that he had neither the ability nor the interest to undertake such a task.

As late as September 1963 it occurred independently to both the editor and the managing editor that there should be an Ashram news bulletin published annually at the time of Sri Bhagavan's Jayanti (birth anniversary) and distributed free to devotees, as so many who were not able to come here liked to be kept in touch with developments. A preliminary draught of this was written and shown to a member of the Ashram managing committee, and he immediately suggested that it should be not an annual but a quarterly and should contain articles also. That, of course, raised questions of writing, organization and finance.

In a clear intuition from Bhagavan it occurred to these concerned that this was the solution, that the time had now come and an Ashram journal was now appropriate, and before the end of September the project of The Mountain Path was agreed upon. There are times when nothing goes right, the wheels are not greased, a project cannot move forward; this was just the opposite. From the very beginning every one co-operated, and gladly, not grudgingly. Blessings and messages of goodwill flowed in, the immediate financial problems were surmounted, the printer took the work up in a spirit of service to Bhagavan, with a short but impressive puja a newly constructed office was opened for the journal at the Ashram, people contributed articles, encouragement came from all sides, hundreds of people took out advance subscriptions, purely on trust, so that in December, a bare three months from its first conception, it is already a full grown reality. If we feel confidence now that it is due to come before the public, it is not confidence in our own work or powers but in the Grace of Bhagavan which we feel so strongly to be on this venture.

The Mountain Path - Life Subscribers

V. Subramanian, Durgapur.
B. S. Ranganathan, Nellore.
Dr. T. N. Krishnaswami, Madras.
Miss Elizabeth Merston, Sri Ramananagar,
K, K. Nambiar, Bombay.
Dwarakanatha Reddy, Chittoor.
A. S. K. R. Trust, Madras.
Satyanarayan Tandon, Kanpur.
M. A. Chidambaram, Madras.
M. M. Varma, Jaipur.
S. S. V. S. Muthiah Chettiar, Tiruvannamalai.
A. R. Narayana Rao, Madras.
D. S. Sastri, Madras.
Mukund M. Thakore, Ahmedabad.
N. Balarama Reddi, Vutukuru.
Ashok Pal Singh, Bombay.
Rani Padmawati Devi, Bhopal.
Miss Mahalakshmi, Madras.
K. Gopalrao, Bombay.
V. Seshadri, Calcutta.
Lieut. D. Subbanna, Bangalore.
Bhupen Champaklal, Bombay.
G. J. Yorke, Gloucester, England.
Mrs. Banoo J. H. Ruttonjee, Hong Kong.
Dinshaw S. Paowalla, Hong Kong.
Miss Gertrude Fugert, Munich, Germany.
Trudel Elasaesser, Waldhof, Germany.
Prof. Dr. Friedrich W. Funke, Seelscheid, Germany.
Louise Trachsler, Coppet, Switzerland.
Henri Hartung, Paris.

SRI RAMANASRAMAM CHARITIES

Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai

An Announcement - (No longer active)

"SRI RAMANASRAMAM CHARITIES, TIRUVANNAMALAI" is a newly registered body under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 with the following objects:

1. To construct an Auditorium and Library and a Reading Room.

2. To hold discourses periodically, sometimes daily, on Indian Philosophy and Culture including those relating to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

3. To be a centre for the diffusion of Spiritual Knowledge.

4. To house books and periodicals on Eastern and Western Philosophy and depicting different cultural aspects of life in India and other countries.

5. To run a school where the students are taught Sanskrit, English, Tamil, Vedas and Upanishads, and Mathematics etc. and lodging.

6. To run a dispensary where medical attention is given free of charge.

In carrying out the above objects of general public utility, the Association shall not undertake the carrying on of any activity for profit.

The benefits of the Association will be open to all without any disqualifications by reason only of religion, community, caste, creed, race or sex.

On this body being registered on 28-10-1963, the Central Board of Revenue, Government of India, New Delhi, in their Notification, F. No. 68/17/63-I.T. dated 19th November 1963, have decided that donations made to SRI RAMANASRAMAM CHARITIES, TIRUVANNAMALAI, MADRAS STATE, would be entitled to the benefit of the exemption under Sec. 88 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 in the hands of donors, subject to the limits specified therein and the donations will also be exempted from Gift Tax.

The Management of Sri Ramanasramam appeal to the public in general and to the devotees of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi to contribute liberally to the "SRI RAMANASRAMAM CHARITIES, TIRUVANNAMALAI" so as to enable them to carry on the objects specified above, particularly item (1), the construction of which is on hand.

It may please be noted that all remittances to Sri Ramanasramam Charities by Cheques, Drafts or Money Orders should be made payable to SRI RAMANASRAMAM CHARITIES only.

T. N. VENKATARAMAN, President

AN APPEAL - (No longer active)

The Managing Committee of SRI RAMANASRAMAM has now resolved to open a roll of Donors and Life Members, the contribution being Rs. 1,000/- and upwards for the former and Rs. 100/- and upwards for the latter (£100 & $300 and £10 & $30).

Such contributions will be deposited in a Bank and the interest realised thereon utilised for the upkeep of the Ashram and for providing facilities for its members and visitors.

The Members who so contribute will have the satisfaction of helping the Ashram build up a capital fund and also of forwarding its activities by enabling it to avail itself of the interest thereon.

The Management request you kindly to enrol yourself as a Donor or Life Member and also to recommend such of your friends to do so as may feel an urge.

May the Grace of Sri Maharshi be ever with you and yours.

T. N. VENKATARAMAN.
President.

B. S. RANGANATHAM
Secretary.