91

CHAPTER 4

MYSTIC POEMS ON A MOUNTAIN

92

CHAPTER 4

MYSTIC POEMS ON A MOUNTAIN

Arunachala towers at a height of 2668 feet over the town of Tiruvannamalai, in

the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. In Tamil, the word Arunam means ‘red’ or ‘fire’.

According to legend, Lord Siva manifested himself in the form of a limitless pillar of fire,

which then transformed into this mountain. The legend is perhaps a reference to a

volcanic eruption that resulted in the formation of this mountain. Geological evidence

reveals that the rock of this mountain is about 2500 million years old. In comparison, the

Himalayas are only 50 million years old. Arunachala ranks among the most ancient

natural shrines in the world. The red mountain of Arunachala is considered a lingam, an

iconic representation of Lord Siva.

The Puranas are a genre of Sanskrit literature written over two thousand years

ago that present philosophical concepts through stories. The origin and sanctity of

Arunachala is described in the Skanda Purana and Linga Purana. About three hundred

years ago, Ellappa Naavalar translated the portions of these two Puranas that are related

to Arunachala into Tamil verse. This work is known as Arunachala Puranam. There have

been numerous poetic and literary works on sacred Arunachala since ancient times. Many

great saints have composed exquisite poems with Arunachala as a symbol of divinity.

Notable among them are the four saints, Jnanasambandar, Thirunavukkarasar, Sundarar

and Manickavachakar, who lived during the 7th-9th century A.D. The devotional poems

and hymns written by these saints more than a thousand years ago are held in reverence

and sung even today.

93

Jnanasambandar is captivated by the natural beauty of Arunachala. In his poems,

he presents various scenes such as the clap of thunder on top of the hill, the sound of

waterfalls cascading down the slopes of Arunachala and herds of elephants and deer

roaming on the hill during moonlit nights. Through his poems, Jnanasambandar takes us

on a journey to Arunachala and we get a glimpse of the exquisite natural beauty of the

mountain. Jnanasambandar’s poems on Arunachala are also filled with the spirit of

devotion and surrender to the Lord. To him, Arunachala was no mere mountain, but the

Lord manifesting his grace in tangible form.

Tiruvachakam, composed by the saint Manickavachakar, is a classic. It is said that

the person whose heart does not melt upon reading the Tiruvachakam will not be moved

by any other hymn. The intensity of Manickavachakar’s devotion is reflected in more

than a hundred and fifty verses composed in adoration of Arunachala. In another

exquisite poem known as Tiruvembavai, Manickavachakar calls upon slumbering souls to

awaken and hasten to Arunachala. Even today, in the temples of Tamil Nadu, the

Tiruvembavai is sung at dawn during the month of Margazhi (Dec 14th to Jan 14th

The saint Thirunavukkarasar has composed several devotional hymns in praise of

Arunachala. In his Thevara Padigams, he declares his unswerving love to Arunachala

and hails the holy mountain as the Lord with matted hair, bearing the crescent moon. He

assures the seeker that merely thinking of Arunachala leads to liberation. His poems are

filled with gratitude for the grace that Arunachala has showered upon him. The saint

Sundarar has also composed several devotional hymns in which he portrays Arunachala

as the manifest form of Lord Siva. In the 15

).

th century, the saint Arunagirinathar, whose

very name refers to this sacred mountain, composed his famous hymn called

94

Thiruppugazh. This work contains over eighty hymns that revere and extol Arunachala as

the very manifestation of the Lord.

Sivanandalahari, a devotional work composed by Sri Adi Sankara says, “That

state of mind is called Bhakti wherein all movements of thought go automatically to the

lotus feet of the Lord” (61). Srimad Bhagavatham says, “When the joy of devotion to the

Lord takes hold of the mind, man frees himself from the bondage of the world. He

realizes the Truth and knows the Self” (4). Narada Bhakti Sutra, an ancient work that

contains eighty-four sutras (aphorisms) on the path of devotion, says:

By discussing cooking often

The hunger is not appeased

By a seeker, for liberation

Hence is, love alone, to be cultivated. (Sutra 33)

The Periapuranam is a literary work compiled in the 12th

There is one infallible means, which shatters all bonds. It is bhakti

(devotion). The devotee practicing bhakti has no cares of his own. Just as

century by Sekkizhaar.

This work narrates the stories of sixty-three great devotees of Lord Siva called the

Nayanmars. While he was a boy growing up in Madurai, Sri Ramana happened to come

across this ancient Tamil text. During the few weeks that he continued to stay at Madurai

after his mystic experience, Sri Ramana often visited the nearby temple, dedicated to

Goddess Meenakshi. With tears flowing from his eyes, Sri Ramana prayed before the

images of the Nayanmars at this temple that he too may become a devotee like them. The

devotion of these great saints is also portrayed in the ancient Sanskrit text,

Sivabhaktavilasam. This text provides insight into the value of devotion:

95

the kitten is carried by the mother from one home to another, he surrenders

himself to the Lord’s pleasure. Even as the baby monkey does not let go

the mother, come what may, so should the devotee take refuge in the Lord

under all circumstances. Such supreme devotion ultimately eliminates all

bondage. (4)

Sri Ramana composed five devotional poems on Arunachala: Akshara Mana

Malai, Nava Mani Malai, Arunachala Padikam, Arunachala Ashtakam and Arunachala

Pancharatnam. These five poems are collectively known as Arunachala Stuti

Panchakam. Sri Ramana’s poems on Arunachala are a blend of mysticism, devotion and

poetic beauty.

1.

The poem Akshara Mana Malai consisting of one hundred and eight verses in

Tamil was composed in 1914. The words of this poem came to Sri Ramana

spontaneously while he was walking on the hill. In Ramana Maharshi and the Path of

Self-knowledge, Arthur Osborne writes about the way the song was composed.

Akshara Mana Malai

Tears of ecstasy streamed down his face as he wrote, sometimes blinding

his eyes and choking his voice. The poem became the great devotional

inspiration of the devotees. All the pain of longing and all the bliss of

fulfillment are mirrored in its glowing symbolism. (197)

This hymn is replete with a variety of symbols and imagery that portray the

longing of the soul for the Lord. Arunachala is viewed in myriad ways: as the manifest

form of divinity, as the bliss of mystic experience, as a loving mother, as a silent teacher

96

who bestows spiritual wisdom and as the epitome of divine grace. However, the

predominant metaphor is bridal mysticism, with the individual soul depicted as the bride

and the Arunachala as the bridegroom. The word Akshara means ‘letter’ and Mana

Malai means ‘bridal garland’. The poem, therefore, is a bridal garland strung out of

letters.

The hundred and eight verses of the poem begin with the successive letters of the

Tamil alphabet. Nevertheless, the poem was spontaneous and heartfelt. When Sri

Ramana was asked for the interpretation of some of the verses, he replied: “You think it

out and I will too. I didn’t think while I was composing it; I just wrote as it came”

(Osborne 198). The entire song is punctuated by the joyous refrain, ‘Arunachala Siva

Arunachala Siva Arunachala Siva Arunachala’. Selected verses of this poem are quoted

here from the translation by Prof. K. Swaminathan titled “Marital Garland of Letters”

(Five Hymns to Arunachala and Other Poems of Sri Ramana Maharshi 11).

Ripe fruit in my hand, O Arunachala,

Arunachala as the Mystic Experience

let me drink in your true sweetness and

be mad with joy. (23)

The mystic experience is one of great bliss. Many great saints who have

experienced the mystic state have been known to sing and dance in ecstasy, oblivious of

the world. The mystic experience transformed the young boy Venkataraman into a sage.

For the sea of joy to surge,

for speech and feeling to subside, rest,

O Arunachala, there in the heart. (31)

97

When the bliss of the mystic experience surges from one’s heart, speech naturally

subsides! The Kaivalya Upanishad says, “Higher than heaven, seated in the cave of the

heart, He shines” (3).

As snow in water melts,

let me dissolve as love in you

who is all love, O Arunachala. (100)

The snow flake is only apparently different from water, but the substance is the

same. Here, Sri Ramana is making a loving plea to Arunachala to dissolve his apparent

individuality in the experience of pure love. The Narada Bhakti Sutra extols the one who

gains a pure, unbroken flow of devotional love. In his commentary on this ancient text,

Swami Chinmayananda writes:

Such love, continuously flowing towards the Reality is rare. In most

cases, it is not a constant flow – only a drop here and there, broken

throughout the day by our sense of identity with our body, mind and

intellect and other baser ideas and anxieties. … Once having achieved this

liberating Love, the devotee remains immersed for a time in it submerged

and breathlessly drowned in its ecstasy. (95)

In wordless silence you told me

Arunachala as Teacher

to abide in silence. And you abide

Still and quiet, O Arunachala. (36)

Arunachala teaches through silence. Diving deep within through the practice of

meditation is the culmination of the spiritual journey. The Mundaka Upanishad says,

98

“When the understanding becomes calm and refined, then alone, in meditation one

realizes Him, the Absolute” (3:1:8). Swami Sukhabodhananda writes, “Loneliness is a

negative state of existence; it is full of resignation, full of boredom. Aloneness is

different. You are with yourself in the space of rejoicing, a peaceful state, celebrating

completeness and fullness” (92).

Kinder far are you, O Arunachala,

Arunachala as Mother

than one's own natural mother.

Such is your abundant grace. (6)

In Indian society, the mother occupies a very special place. Among all

relationships, the mother-child relationship is unique. There is a deep and enduring bond

of love between mother and child. Exceeding even the love of the mother, Arunachala is

seen here as the embodiment of compassion.

Like a good mother,

you are bound in duty to bestow

your grace on me and govern me. (14)

The mother is the first teacher of every child. The mother disciplines her child

only out of love and concern for the child’s well-being. The intelligent child is obedient

to the mother, with the knowledge that the mother is only interested in the child’s

welfare. Here, Sri Ramana sees Arunachala as his very mother, who is duty bound to

tend to him as only a mother can. This is reminiscent of the great mystic saint, Sri

Ramakrishna, who worshipped the impersonal Absolute in the form of mother Kali. Sri

Ramakrishna says:

99

He who is Brahman is also Shakti. When thought of as inactive, He is

called Brahman, and when thought of as the Creator, Preserver and

Destroyer, He is called the Primordial Energy, Kali. Brahman and Shakti

are identical, like fire and its power to burn. Again, the fire’s power to

burn implies the fire itself. If you accept the one you must accept the

other. Brahman alone is addressed as Mother. This is because a mother is

an object of great love. (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna 63)

When those robbers, the five senses,

Arunachala as Artful Juggler

enter my mind, are you not present

there at home to keep them out? (11)

The five senses of touching, hearing, seeing, smelling, and tasting pose a

challenge to the one who takes up meditation. Knowledge of the Self is obtained by

diving deep within and meditating upon one’s true nature. However, the five senses are

always directed outward. The Katha Upanishad says: “The senses go outward; hence

man sees the external world and not the internal self. Only, perchance some wise man

desirous of immortality turns his eyes in and beholds the inner Self” (4:1).

If strangers come in,

It is with your knowledge.

All this is but your jugglery. (12)

Sri Ramana says that distractions caused by the five senses are nothing but the

illusory appearances. The omniscient Lord is always present in the heart, even when the

100

mind is distracted and driven outward by the senses. Sri Ramana says that Maya or the

cosmic illusion is nothing by the jugglery of the Lord.

Eye of the eye you are and

Arunachala as Pure Consciousness

Without eyes you see.

Who can see you, O Arunachala? (15)

Consciousness is not an object that can be perceived by the senses. Consciousness

is the power behind the sense organs and the mind. The same idea is expressed in the

Kena Upanishad where consciousness is termed as ‘the ear of the ear, the mind of the

mind, the speech of the speech, the breath of the breath and the eye of the eye.’ (1:2)

O my lord Arunachala,

Arunachala as Grace Manifest

let me by your grace

merge in your true being. (47)

In Akshara Mana Malai, the word used most frequently is Arul, which means

‘divine grace’. Arul has been used fifty-nine times in this composition of one hundred

and eight verses. This is a clear indication of the importance of divine grace for the

successful culmination of the spiritual journey. Self-realization is attained only by the

dissolution of the ego, and “dissolution of the ego is impossible except as an act of the

Lord’s grace” (The Song Celestial 21).

Arunachala as Bridegroom of the Soul

101

You are fearless. And I unafraid

Seek you who are fearless.

Why then are you afraid

To embrace me, O Arunachala. (67)

The Taittiriya Upanishad says, “He who knows the bliss of that Brahman sheds

fear completely for all time” (2:4). The Lord, who is pure love, sets the soul aflame with

love. Why should the Lord, the one who grants the boon of fearlessness, be afraid to

embrace the soul that longs for divine union, wonders Sri Ramana.

In the body's inner chamber,

on the flower-soft bed of mind,

let us merge in one true being,

O Arunachala. (82)

Several of the verses in this hymn use the metaphor of marital union to indicate

the longing of the soul for merging with the divine. The joy of physical union is but a

pale reflection of the bliss of spiritual union. The metaphor is used by Sri Ramana to give

an inkling of the ecstasy of mystic union.

Arunachala, my loving lord,

place your garland on my shoulders

and wear this my garland on your own. (108)

The final verse of this hymn is an apt conclusion with the imagery of the

exchange of garlands. This is a traditional practice in India that is an important part of the

marriage ceremony. Thus ends the poem, with the joyous marital union of the soul with

the Divine!

102

2.

The second of the five poems is Nava Mani Malai. Five major temples in South

India located at Kanchipuram, Tiruvanikoil, Tiruvannamalai, Kalahasthi and

Chidambaram are dedicated to the five great elements earth, water, fire, air and space

respectively. The five elements, and thus all of nature, are seen as the manifestation of

divinity. Selected verses of this poem are quoted here from the translation by Prof. K.

Swaminathan titled “Necklet of Nine Gems” (Five Hymns to Arunachala and Other

Poems of Sri Ramana Maharshi 107).

Nava Mani Malai

Though He is the ever unmoving One,

yet in the temple hall

His dance of bliss He dances before the

Mother moveless there.

Now that Power withdrawn within,

His form here moveless, still,

He soars as Aruna Hill. (1)

In the opening verse of this poem, Sri Ramana makes a reference to the temple

hall of Chidambaram. At Chidambaram, Siva is worshipped as Nataraja, the lord of

dance. Here, Sri Ramana makes a comparison between Chidambaram and

Tiruvannamalai. While Siva at Chidambaram is Nataraja, the dancer supreme, here at

Tiruvannamalai, he towers motionless as the hill Arunachala. Siva represents the pure

consciousness, the absolute, unchanging substratum of the universe. Siva’s consort,

Shakti symbolizes the dynamic energy of the universe. Shakti merging into the

motionless Siva is symbolic of the mind merging into pure consciousness in the mystic

103

experience. Arunachala is therefore a tangible symbol of mystic union. In the next verse,

Sri Ramana says:

Not only do A, RU and NA stand for

Being, Awareness and Bliss,

they also stand for the Self, the soul and their oneness.

Hence Aruna means but that thou art.

Achala is perfection firm. (2)

The Chandogya Upanishad declares ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ which means ‘That Thou

Art’. (6:9) ‘Tat’ refers to the transcendent reality; ‘Tvam’ refers to the individual being.

This declaration proclaims the essential oneness of the individual being with the supreme

reality. According to the philosophy of Advaita, the essence of the individual being and

the transcendent reality are not different. The essence of both is Sat-Chit-Ananda or

absolute existence, consciousness and bliss. In this verse, Sri Ramana says that the

syllables of Arunachala represent this principle. The syllable ‘A’ represents Sat (being),

‘Ru’ represents Chit (awareness) and ‘Na’ represents Ananda (bliss). ‘Achala’, which

literally means ‘unmoving’, represents firm abidance in the knowledge of non-duality.

‘Killer of Kama’ is the name by which

your lovers always call you.

But a doubt arises if this title

truly fits you, O Lord of Arunachala. (6)

A legend in the Puranas states that Lord Siva reduced Kama, the deity

symbolizing desire, to ashes by merely opening His third eye. The third eye of Lord Siva

is symbolic of the eye of spiritual illumination. In Tiruvannamalai, the Vasantotsavam

104

festival is celebrated with a lot of gaiety. During this festival, Arunachala is worshipped

as the manifest form of Lord Siva, the vanquisher of desire. This festival celebrates the

legendary burning of Kama symbolizing that the destruction of mundane desires confers

moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. In this verse, Sri Ramana wonders

how it is possible for desire to creep into the mind of one who has taken refuge at the feet

of Arunachala. He appeals to Arunachala to ensure that mundane desires do not enter into

his heart, so that he is liberated from the cycle of repeated birth and death. The next verse

points to the state of complete surrender to the divine will.

You took sole charge of my spirit and my body.

What more do I want? Merit or defect,

I know none apart from you.

My very life you are.

Do with me what you will. (7)

Sri Ramana’s love towards Arunachala was all-consuming. Having been drawn to

Arunachala at the age of sixteen by the inexorable attraction of the mystic mountain,

Ramana did not leave the vicinity of the holy hill even for a single day for the next fifty

four years, until his mortal frame merged with Arunachala.

You came to abide in my mind,

You drew me to yourself, O Arunachala,

You whose being is all Awareness.

What a wonderful work of art your

Grace has wrought, my Mother - Father - Lord! (9)

105

The poem concludes by praising the grace of Arunachala in both its

transcendental and manifest aspects. Arunachala is the archetype of divinity in both the

impersonal aspect as pure awareness and the personal aspect as mother, father and Lord.

3.

One morning, when Sri Ramana was sitting in Virupaksha cave, the two opening

words of this poem came to him very insistently. At first, he took no notice of these

words. When the same thing happened on the following morning, Sri Ramana composed

the first verse of Arunachala Padikam. On the next morning, the opening words of the

second verse came spontaneously to him and he composed the second verse. The next

seven verses were composed in the same way, one on each day. The last two verses were

composed on the final day. Thus, the poem consisting of eleven verses was composed in

ten days. Selected verses of this poem are quoted here from the translation by Prof. K.

Swaminathan titled “Decad” (Five Hymns to Arunachala and Other Poems of Sri

Ramana Maharshi 113).

Arunachala Padikam

Can the lotus blossom

Unless it sees the sun?

And you are the sun of suns.

Your grace abounding swells and

As a river overflows, O Love,

Whose form is mighty Aruna Hill. (1)

Just as the lotus blossoms by the light of the Sun, the subtle lotus in the heart of

the seeker blossoms by the light of consciousness. This blossoming is symbolic of the

ecstatic experience of non-duality in the depth of meditation. Sri Ramana states that

106

Arunachala, symbolizing pure awareness, is the light of consciousness. Any experience

is possible only by the presence of consciousness in the one who is experiencing. While

the light of the Sun makes all objects visible, the Sun itself is seen only by the light of

consciousness. Therefore, Sri Ramana calls this light by which all light is cognized, the

‘Sun of suns’. In the next verse, Sri Ramana gives a hint of the bliss of the mystic

experience.

O Bliss that springs from Love,

Nectar welling up in lovers' hearts,

O joy which is my only refuge,

Your will is mine. Here, in this surrender,

is pure joy, Lord of my life. (2)

In the mystic experience, there is the purest form of love. In perfect love, there is

no duality, as the lover and beloved merge into one being. In the parlance of devotion,

such a state may also be termed as total surrender to the Lord. In the next verse, Sri

Ramana takes the standpoint of a spiritual seeker who is longing for this experience of

pure love.

If I died while yet

Clinging to your Feet,

It would be a standing pillar

of disgrace for you,

O blazing light of Aruna Hill,

Expanse of Grace

more subtle than the ether! (6)

107

A frog which clings to the stem of the lotus can neither appreciate the beauty of

the lotus flower, nor taste its sweet nectar. In utter humility, Sri Ramana says that he is at

the feet of Arunachala, ‘like a frog clinging to the stem of a lotus plant’. He longs to be a

‘honeybee’ which sucks the nectar of bliss that arises from pure love. Sri Ramana says

that if he were to perish without reaching the goal of spiritual fulfilment, it would be a

monument of disgrace for Arunachala.

If ether, air, fire, water, earth,

All living beings and material objects,

Are nothing but you and you alone,

O pure one, all-embracing light,

How can I stand separate

and aloof from you? (7)

The Aitareya Upanishad says, “Consciousness is the basis of all; verily,

consciousness is Brahman” (3:1:3). The Mandukya Upanishad declares, “All this

phenomenal world is Brahman. This individual Self is also Brahman” (2). Thus the

Upanishads declare that the entire universe is only a manifestation of non-dual

consciousness. Sri Ramana questions how then could one be separate from pure

consciousness.

Lord supreme, I have had enough

of carrying this world upon my head,

parted from you. Arunachala,

Think no more of keeping me

away from your Feet. (9)

108

According to the philosophy of Advaita, the notion of a separate self is only be an

illusion. It is only the illusion of a separate self that causes all kinds of worries and

anxieties. Sri Ramana fervently appeals to Arunachala to dispel this illusion so that he

may be freed from all burdens.

4.

Another poetic work of Sri Ramana is Arunachala Ashtakam, which means “Eight

Stanzas to Arunachala”. In this poem, Sri Ramana expresses several profound

philosophical and mystical insights. Selected verses of this poem are quoted here from

the translation by Prof. K. Swaminathan titled “Ashtakam” (Five Hymns to Arunachala

and Other Poems of Sri Ramana Maharshi 121).

Arunachala Ashtakam

In the opening verse of this poem, Sri Ramana says that Arunachala is truly a

wonder. ‘It stands as if insentient’ but its mystical power is ‘beyond all human

understanding’. (1) There is an autobiographical touch to this verse. Sri Ramana had an

intuitive feeling of the grandeur of Arunachala even in his childhood and felt that it was

something utterly celestial. When Arunachala drew Sri Ramana into its sacred presence,

he ‘saw that it was stillness absolute’. (1) In the second verse, Sri Ramana says:

Who has the power

to explain all this in words,

when even You conveyed this

of yore in silence only?

And in order to reveal by silence,

Your state transcendent,

now You stand here,

109

a Hill resplendent, soaring to the sky. (2)

In the Puranas, there is a story of Lord Siva, who appeared in the youthful form

of Dakshinamurti to communicate the supreme state of enlightenment to four mature

disciples in absolute silence. In this verse, Sri Ramana praises Arunachala as the

manifestation of Lord Dakshinamurti, the teacher of yore.

Meditating without thought

On Your formless Being,

My form dissolves like a sugar-doll in the sea.

And when I realize who I am,

What being have I apart from You,

O, You who stand as the mighty Aruna Hill? (3)

The formless being of the Lord is pure consciousness. When meditation on the

formless being deepens, there is silent absorption into pure consciousness. In this state

that transcends thought, the true Self is discovered. The separate identity of the seeker

dissolves in this experience of oneness with the absolute. The Mundaka Upanishad says,

“As flowing rivers disappear into the ocean losing their special names and distinct forms,

so the wise man free from all his identifications with names and forms goes unto the

highest of the high, the supreme divinity” (3:2:9).

In order to reveal Yourself at last

As Being and Awareness,

You dwell in various forms in all religions.

O mighty mountain Aruna,

Peerless Jewel, stand and shine,

110

One without a second,

The Self within my Heart. (4)

Sri Ramana says that to search for God ignoring the pure consciousness that

shines as one’s essential being is only a sign of ignorance. Such a futile search is ‘like

looking, lamp in hand, for darkness.’ (4) The Svetasvatara Upanishad calls this pure

consciousness ‘the God of religion, the Self of philosophy and the Energy of science.’

(1:3) The one, non-dual Supreme Being is the culmination of all spiritual paths and

religions. Narrow sectarianism has no place in true devotion. The great mystic saint of

Bengal, Sri Ramakrishna says:

Do you know what the truth is? God has made different religions to suit

different aspirants, times and countries. All doctrines are only so many

paths; but a path is by no means God Himself. Indeed, one can reach God

if one follows any of the paths with whole-hearted devotion. (The Gospel

of Sri Ramakrishna 318)

Beholding the fundamental unity underlying all the apparent diversity, Sri

Ramana says that Lord penetrates and binds the various diverse faiths ‘like the string in a

necklace’. (5) The ignorant mind is like an unpolished gem. If it is cut and polished ‘on

the grindstone of the pure, universal Mind’, it begins to shine with pure knowledge ‘like a

ruby whose brightness is not flawed’. (5)

When once the light of the Sun

Has fallen on a sensitive plate,

will the plate register another picture?

Apart from you,

111

O Aruna Mountain bright, auspicious,

does any other thing exist? (5)

In this verse, Sri Ramana compares the mind to a sensitive photographic film. If

the film is previously exposed to the Sun, then the film will not register any other picture

even if it is loaded into a camera. In the same way, the mind that been exposed to the

non-dual consciousness in the mystic experience, will no longer regard anything as a

separate entity apart from consciousness. Therefore, Sri Ramana says, ‘You alone exist,

O Heart, the radiance of Awareness.’ (6)

Another modern example that Sri Ramana gives in this poem is that of a cinema.

In pure consciousness, ‘a power mysterious dwells’ that projects the ‘spectacle of the

world’ just as ‘a film is projected through a lens’ and is ‘lit by the reflected light of

mind’. (6) The projected world appears in accordance to ‘the whirl of prarabdha’. Thus

one experiences the effects of past actions as governed by the Law of Karma. However,

all experiences are totally dependent upon the substratum of pure consciousness and have

no reality apart from it. Sri Ramana has explained this further in one of his conversations:

Just as the pictures appear on the screen as long as the film throws the

shadows through the lens, so the phenomenal world will continue to

appear to the individual in the waking and dream states as long as there are

latent mental impressions. Just as the lens magnifies the tiny specks on the

film to a huge size and as a number of pictures are shown in a second, so

the mind enlarges the sprout-like tendencies into treelike thoughts.

(Collected Works 59)

112

Upon waking up, the first thought that arises is the ‘I-thought’. Sri Ramana points

out that ‘until there is the I-thought, there can be no other thought’. (7) When other

thoughts arise, if one does not pursue these thoughts, but asks ‘To whom do these

thoughts arise?’ the answer would be ‘To me’. This will direct attention back to the ‘I’. If

one pursues the quest for the source of the ‘I-thought’, one discovers the pure

consciousness, devoid of all thoughts, that is the substratum and sole support of all

thoughts and experiences.

Take the instance of the cinema. There are pictures moving on the screen.

Go and hold them. What do you hold? It is only the screen. Let the

pictures disappear. What remains over? The screen again. So also here.

Even when the world appears, see to whom it appears. Hold the

substratum of the ‘I’. After the substratum is held what does it matter if

the world appears or disappears? (Talks 65)

Sri Ramana says that ordinarily one takes the world to be material reality, whereas

the mystic sees it only as the manifestation of consciousness. For the mystic, it is

immaterial if consciousness manifests itself in the form of the world or ceases to do so.

Notions such as ‘in and out’, ‘birth and death’, ‘pleasure and pain’ vanish in the light of

the mystic experience. Sri Ramana describes the mystic experience as the ‘boundless

ocean of Grace and Light’, dancing the ‘dance of stillness’ in the ‘Hall of the Heart’. (7)

Arunachala Ashtakam concludes with the following verse:

The raindrops showered down

By the clouds risen from the sea,

Cannot rest until they reach,

113

Despite all hindrance,

Once again their ocean home. (8)

Just as the raindrop returns to the ocean, even so the individual being must return

to its divine source. Eventually all beings reach their goal, though their paths may be

diverse. The suitability of a particular path depends on the samskara or spiritual

disposition of the individual seeker. This verse communicates the same insight as the

following verse of the Mundaka Upanishad: “As from the flaming fire, thousands of

sparks, similar to its nature issue forth; so from the immortal consciousness, diverse

beings originate and they find their way back into it” (2:1). Sri Ramana also gives the

example of a bird that may hover for a while in the sky, but must return to earth alone to

find its resting place. The various spiritual paths converge in the recognition of one’s

innate divinity.

5.

The fifth and final poem to Arunachala composed by Sri Ramana is Arunachala

Pancharatnam. Ganapati Muni, a great Sanskrit poet and Vedic scholar, was instrumental

in eliciting this work from Sri Ramana. In 1917, Ganapati Muni requested Sri Ramana to

write a poem in Sanskrit. Sri Ramana declined stating that he had not formally studied

Sanskrit and did not have adequate knowledge of its metrical forms. However, Ganapati

Muni persisted with his request and described the rules of Arya metre. Subsequently, Sri

Ramana wrote five immaculate verses in Sanskrit, set perfectly to the Arya metre, much

to the astonishment and delight of Ganapati Muni. Selected verses of this poem are

quoted here from the translation by Prof. K. Swaminathan titled “Arunachala

Arunachala Pancharatnam

114

Pancharatnam” (Five Hymns to Arunachala and Other Poems of Sri Ramana Maharshi

127). The poem begins with the following verse:

Ocean of Nectar, full of grace,

O Self supreme, O Mount of Light,

Whose spreading rays engulf all things,

Shine as the Sun which makes

The heart-lotus blossom fair. (1)

In this verse, the ‘Sun of Arunachala, the Mount of Light’ represents pure

consciousness. The blossoming of the heart is a reference to the mystic experience. Sri

Ramana says, “We see pictures on the screen with the help of a small light in an

atmosphere of darkness; if that darkness be dispelled by a big light, can the pictures be

visible? The whole place becomes luminous and lustrous” (Nagamma 321).

As on a screen a wondrous picture,

On You, fair Mount, is all this world

Formed and sustained and then withdrawn.

Ever as 'I' in the heart you dance.

Hence are you called the Heart. (2)

In the second verse, Sri Ramana indicates the unchanging reality which is the

substratum of the phenomenal universe. Sri Ramana says, “Reflections pass through a

mirror; but the mirror is not in any way affected by the quality and quantity of the

reflections on it. So too, the world is a phenomenon on the single Reality, which is not

affected in any manner” (Talks 446).

115

As consciousness is ever-present as the true Self of all beings, it is termed the

‘Heart’. Just as the screen in a cinema theatre is the unchanging substratum and sole

reality on which a movie is projected, pure consciousness is the unchanging substratum

on which the world is projected. Sri Ramana says, “Fire appears to burn buildings to

ashes. Water seems to wreck vessels. But the screen on which the pictures are projected

remains unscorched and dry. Why? Because the pictures are unreal and the screen is real”

(Talks 446). Although the world appears to be very real in the present state of

consciousness, its reality is negated in the higher state of consciousness. In the third

verse, Sri Ramana says:

He whose pure mind

Turned inward searches

Whence this 'I' arises knows

The Self aright and

Merges in You, Aruna Hill,

As a river in the sea. (3)

In this verse, the simile of a river flowing into the sea is used to indicate the

transcendence of individuality of a seeker who discovers the true Self. The quest for the

true Self requires a mind that is focused on its own source, and therefore turned inward.

Concentration is a sine qua non for the quest, and purity of the mind is essentially its

ability to focus on the quest without being distracted by sensory pleasures. ‘Aruna Hill’

symbolizes the non-dual consciousness. In the fourth verse, Sri Ramana says:

The yogi who, leaving outward objects

And restraining mind and breath,

116

Holds you deep within the Heart

Sees, bright Aruna Lord, in you

The light and rises to great heights. (4)

To develop the required purity and concentration, intelligent regulation of the

sense-organs and mind is of utmost importance. Pranayama, the regulation of breath is

also an aid to the quest. ‘Bright Aruna Lord’ symbolizes the light of pure consciousness,

by which all is seen. However, in the mystic experience, there is no duality between the

perceiver and the perceived. The yogi, through meditation, thus arrives at the experience

of non-duality and ‘rises to great heights’. Swami Tejomayananda writes, “Meditation is

the effortless abidance in the awareness of one’s true nature. It is the natural state of a

realized person” (63). In the fifth and final verse of this poem, Sri Ramana says:

He who, with Heart to you surrendered,

Beholds for ever you alone,

Sees all things as forms of you

And loves and serves them as none other

Than the Self, O Aruna Hill,

Triumphs because he is immersed

In you whose being is pure bliss. (5)

Bhakti Yoga (path of devotion) and Karma Yoga (path of selfless action) are

succinctly presented in this verse. In Bhakti Yoga, the focus is primarily on God. In this

path, it is accepted on faith that there must a fundamental, intelligent cause for the

Universe. This intelligent cause is termed as God. The Supreme Being is then adored and

117

worshipped. In Be Still, It Is The Wind That Sings, Arthur Osborne writes about the path

of devotion:

There are many who are drawn rather to a path of love, devotion and

surrender than to one of inner quest, that is of Self-enquiry. For them too,

the Maharshi reduced his teaching to the simplest essential when he said:

“There are two ways: ask yourself ‘Who am I?’ or submit.” … But what

can induce it to submit? Not the hope of any heavenly reward, because

that would be bargaining, not submission. Only love can evoke

submission; therefore the path of surrender is also the path of love. (46)

All spiritual practices lead to the purification of the mind. In a pure mind, love for

God blossoms. Sri Ramakrishna says, “One is able to realize God just through love.

Ecstasy of feeling, devotion, love and faith – these are the means” (The Gospel of Sri

Ramakrishna 63). As devotion ripens, it leads to total surrender to the Lord. So does the

path of Self-enquiry. Sri Ramana says:

Surrender can take effect only when it is done with full knowledge as to

what real surrender means. Such knowledge comes after enquiry and

reflection and ends invariably in self-surrender. There is no difference

between jnana (wisdom) and absolute surrender to the Lord, that is, in

thought, word and deed. (Maharshi’s Gospel 25)

The path of Karma Yoga is the path of selfless action. The action itself is

performed as an offering to the divinity immanent in all beings and the results are

accepted gracefully. This way of performing work erases egoism. Karma Yoga

strengthens the understanding that not only the results of action, but also the power to act

118

comes from the divine source. This attitude is depicted in the following poem composed

by Harindranath Chattopadhyaya:

In days gone by I used to be

A potter who would feel

His fingers mould the yielding clay

To patterns on his wheel;

But now, through wisdom lately won,

That pride has died away,

I have ceased to be the potter

And have learned to be the clay. (Day by Day 11)

Devotion to the Lord fostered by Bhakti Yoga is also manifested as love for all

beings. This love and compassion expresses itself naturally through Karma Yoga. Karma

Yoga leads to purity of mind and provides the capacity to dive inwards and experience

the non-dual reality. Thus, the seeker gains the awareness of non-duality. Sri Ramana

says:

All these different paths or sadhanas lead to the same goal. What is once a

means becomes itself the goal. When that happens, dhyana, bhakti or

jnana, which was at one time a conscious and painful effort, becomes the

normal and natural state, spontaneously and without effort. (Day by Day

32)

Many regard Sri Ramana as a sage who mainly advocated the spiritual path of enquiry

into nature of the Self. However, this is an incomplete perspective of the sage. Sri

119

Ramana’s poems on Arunachala reveal a depth of devotion that is a source of inspiration

to all those who tread the path of devotion. Sri Ramana Maharshi says:

Those with mind matured by bhakti

Relishing, drinking in, its sweetness

Deem bhakti supreme, the ever fresh

Nectar, as its own reward

And yearn for more and more of it. (Gogoi 34)

This is a compelling testimony that indicates that the path of enquiry into the

nature of reality and the path of devotion are not opposed to each other, but complement

and mutually support each other. In fact, they can also be regarded as one and the same in

essence. Sri Ramana says:

The eternal, unbroken, natural state of abiding in the Self is jnana. To

abide in the Self you must love the Self. Since God is verily the Self, love

of the Self is love of God; and that is bhakti. Jnana and bhakti are thus one

and the same. (Maharshi’s Gospel 24)

Sri Adi Sankara, the great sage, philosopher and teacher of Advaita also states that

there is no difference between devotion and enquiry into one’s real nature. In his famous

work Vivekacudamani, Sri Adi Sankara writes, “Among things conducive to liberation,

devotion alone holds the supreme place. The seeking after one’s real nature is designated

as devotion” (31). In Practice of Vedanta, Swami Chinmayananda writes, “All Yogas are

preparations of the mind to turn in and seek the Self” (6). In Arunachala Pancharatnam,

Sri Ramana has presented the essence of the major Yogas or spiritual paths by which an

120

aspirant may reach his goal. The seeker has the freedom to choose his path. According to

one’s inclination and capacity, one may choose one or more of these approaches.

6.

Since ancient times, circumambulation of the Arunachala mountain has been

considered as a way of worship and is known as Giripradakshina. On every full moon

night, it has been the tradition of the local people as well as pilgrims from various parts of

the country to perform Giripradakshina. The outer path around the hill spans fourteen

kilometres. Of the myriad aspects presented by Arunachala, “the most sublime ones are

those seen from a distance. The circumambulation is quite thrilling as Arunachala’s

beauty unfolds all along the way” (A Guide to Giripradakshina 1).

The Beacon Light of Arunachala

As one walks along the path on moonlit nights or during the early hours of dawn,

the majestic presence of Arunachala with its sublime beauty calms the mind and steals

into the heart. From time to time, there appear on the path little shrines, hermitages and

holy tanks fed by small streams from the mountain. As dawn breaks out over the hill, the

contours of Arunachala are illumined with a majestic glow. Varied are the appearances of

Arunachala:

Mount Arunachala takes one form in the morning, another in the evening

and He appears differently at night. He is not the same in winter, summer,

autumn or spring. He appears differently to different people. Again for the

same person He appears differently at different times … His appearances

and the emotions He enkindles within the onlookers are as myriad as the

onlookers themselves. (Ramana’s Arunachala 67)

121

The most important festival in Tiruvannamalai is the Karthigai Deepam. On the

tenth and final day of this festival, a beacon is lit at the summit of Arunachala mountain.

As evening falls on the final day of this festival, thousands of people converge at

Tiruvannamalai to witness the lighting of the beacon. At exactly six in the evening, the

idol of Ardhanariswara is brought out from the main temple. This is immediately

followed by a resounding blast of crackers as a signal to the people who have ascended to

the summit of the mountain to light the beacon. Devotees wait with bated breath and gaze

in hushed silence at the summit of the magnificent Arunachala. As the first flame of the

beacon bursts forth atop Arunachala, thousands of voices hail the sacred mountain in

ecstatic devotion. The mystic significance of witnessing the beacon light is stated in the

following poem composed by Sri Ramana. This poem has been translated by Alan

Chadwick, with the title “The Significance of the Beacon” (The Poems of Sri Ramana

Maharshi 9).

To make the intellect rid of the sense

‘I am the body’, and to introspect

By fixing it securely in the Heart,

And so perceive the true light of the Self,

The one ‘I-I’, which is the Absolute,

This the significance of witnessing

The Beacon Light of Arunachala,

The centre of the earth. (9)

The Katha Upanishad says, “The Atman, hidden in all beings, reveals itself not to

all” (3:12). The mind must be utterly silent for the light of the Self to be perceived. The

122

stilling of the mind is the gateway for the mystic experience. Sri Ramana says, “The

mind is the outgoing faculty of the individual. If that is turned within, it becomes still in

course of time and that “I-AM” alone prevails. “I-AM” is the whole Truth” (Talks 503).