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An article on Yogi Ramsuratkumar's life and teachings and his ashram in Thiruvannamalai [Tiru] for western seekers who would visit Tiru and for others to learn about this saint in the devotional path or bhakthi yoga. Several general information on advaita and advaita teachers given,--Useful for those visiting thiruvannamalai or Sri Ramasramam
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The Other Sage at Thiruvannamalai
Dr N K Srinivasan
Thiruvannamalai,the city of Holy Beacon, also known as Arunachala,
in Tamil Nadu , India,is a sacred pilgrimage place and has been a
great spiritual tourist centre. Often called in short form "Tiru"
by westerners, hundreds of seekers visit or stay for long periods
mainly because of the holy ashram of Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi.It is
safe to say that it is the capital of Advaita path in modern
times---equivalent to Varanasi [Benaras]--the holy city of the
Hindus. Advaita attracts people of all faiths--not just the
Hindus.[ "Tiru" is about 210 kilometers from Chennai [Madras] and
about 180 kilometers from Bangalore.]
The large ancient volcanic hill of Arunachala is considered the
image of Lord Shiva, worshipped by the Hindus. [The path going
around the hill is the path of circumambulation of the
hill,especially on full-moon nights.This practice is called "Giri
valam".]
In recent decades, there has been an upsurge of interest in
pursuing Advaitic knowledge and practice among westerners. This
renewed interest has brought many to the ashram of Bhagwan
Ramana." Advaita" is based on Vedanta,one of the six systems of
philosophy of the Hindus, but not sectarian and does not entail
many dogmatic beliefs. You try and find the core of your 'inner
being' by searching for your soul ,called "Atma Vichara.".
The recent trend of increasing interest in Advaita is partly due
to two teachers who were favorites of the western crowd. [This has
been derisively called "advaita disease' or 'advaita rash' by some
writers!]The two teachers are: Nisargadatta Maharaj and H W L
Poonja , also known as Poojaji or Papaji.
Nisarga belonged to Navanatha sampradaya or tradition and he lived
in a small loft in a crowded market area of Mumbai.[Bombay]. He
was a beedi seller and lived simply and humbly. He spoke with
authority on advaita and in simple terms. He attracted lot of
westerners. Maurice Frydman, who was also associated with Ramana ,
translated some of his talks into a book " I Am That' which became
very famous and brought lot of devotees to Nisargadatta.
Nisargadatta attained samadhi [mortal exit or physical death] in
1981.
Poonjaji was an early devotee of Bhagwan Ramana and lived in
Lucknow, UP state, India. He was quite elderly when the western
seekers found him.This was around 1990. Note that at that time,
the self-styled guru and the notorious Osho or Rajneesh had passed
on in Pune, after his infamous commune collapsed at Oregon.. The
guru-seeking crowd of distraught westerners , who needed a 'free-
style' non-traditional teacher, found Papaji attractive to
continue their learning process. They flocked to Lucknow.Poonjaji
was a guru soaked in Hindu traditions and belonged to a family of
pious brahmins; his maternal uncle was Swami Ramtirth. Poonjaji
,however, played to the tunes of western seekers diluting the
advaita teachings for easy comprehension .Poonjaji passed on in
1997.
The effect of the rush to Nisargadatta and Poonjaji is the wave of
advaita seekers and satsang teachers found in the West..They would
flock to Arunachala or Tiru in large numbers.
[After Nisargadatta's samadhi, Ramesh Balsekar, a former banker
and translator for Nisargadatta, emerged as an advaita teacher of
some erudition and credibility.]
The Other Sage at Arunachala
While the life and teachings of Bhagwan Ramana is the main
attraction for the ashram in Tiru, I must add that Tiru is also
the home of two great sages of recent times: Seshadri Swamigal and
Yogi Ram-surat-kumar.
Seshadri Swamigal was a contemporary of Ramana and elder to
Ramana. In fact it was Seshadri Swamigal who identified the young
Ramana in deep meditation at the little crypt or underground
cellar -like cave in the temple of Arunachala.Seshadri Swamigal's
ashram is just about 100 feet from the Ramanasramam along the
same road.
Many westerners would do well to visit this ashram as well and
know about the great saint/sage. Seshadri Swamigal was a realized
soul and exhibited many supernatural powers or siddhis from the
early stages. He meditated in a cave little lower in location in
the holy hill when Ramana was staying in Virupaksha cave.There are
many thousands of devotees of this sage throughout India.He was
dyed-in-the wool advaitin and also a mystic.
Yogi Ramsuratkumar
My intention for writing this article is mainly to draw
attention of potential and regular visitors of Tiru to
the life and teachings of this sage. The life of this sage
[1918-2001] is thrilling; yet he is known very little
among western seekers.
Yogi Ramsuratkumar's well-developed ashram is just a
kilometer [half a mile] from Ramanasramam. It is located
at the end of a small lane which is perpendicular to the
Ramansaramam road,called Chengam Road. This lane is the
one in which the Ramanasramam Post Office is located and
therefore easy to locate. Walk along the lane and take a
right turn at the end.At few hundred feet you will see
this ashram.
{ I refer to Ramana Maharshi as 'Bhagwan' and Yogi
Ramsuratkumar as 'Yogiji' or 'Ram' in this article. Others
use different ways of addressing them.]
Yogi Ramsuratkumar or simply Yogiji was born in Balia
district in the north, in Uttar Pradesh state, almost 2000
kilometers from Tiru. He spoke only Hindi and English ;
his lack of knowledge of local Tamil language was a great
source of problem with locals and political calumny
against this saint!Later he picked up sufficient Tamil to
converse.
Here is a brief sketch of his life.
Yogiji was interested in spiritual matters from his
boyhood days.He was compassionate and sought the company
of monks or wandering sadhus , numerous in India. He
would feed them or direct them to alm-houses. His mother
was struck by his piety and encouraged him.
At the age of 12, he had a strange experience; he went to
draw water from the family well. A small bird was perched
opposite to him on the well wall.While pulling the rope
from the bottom of the well to lift water, young Ram
swished the rope and inadvertently hit the bird. The bird
fell dead. Ram was stricken with remorse and thought
seriously about life and death.This was a turning point in
his life.
At the age of 16, he went to the sacred city of Varanasi
or Benaras. When he entered the Viswanatha temple, he saw
the image; he was engulfed in a blaze of light ; he prayed
deeply for an hour.The Lord seemed to ignite a spiritual
flame in him...not to be queched for the rest of his life.
Later , he visited the famous Buddhist shrine at Sarnath
nearby, the place where Lord Buddha preached his first
sermon after enlightenment.He went into a trance.He later
went to Bodh Gaya too.
Meanwhile ,due to parental pressures, Ram studied in
school and later in a college getting his degree from
Allahabad University. This education widened his knowledge
,about world affairs and world history which always
interested him in later life too.But he was not interested
in mundane life or pursuing a career.The dispassion from
worldly life ,called vairagya, was running deep in him.But
he did some teaching work and even became a head-master of
a school for sometime.
He would lead a life of severe austerities, often taking
only fruits and vegetables like sadhus , that is , not any
cooked food.He would also fast on many days. This went on
for nearly 9 years.Soon he would leave the family for
good.
While Ram stayed in Varanasi, he was influenced by an
elderly sadhu [monk] who taught him many Vedantic
concepts. He directed Ram to go to South India to seek a
master. Ram went in search of a master in the southern
state of Tamil Nadu.
One day he heard the voice of Swami Vivekananda: " What
are you doing now? This is not your work.". He also read
the book "Light on yoga" by Sri Aurobindo.
His first stay was with Sri Aurobindo at Pondicherry or
Puducherry-60 miles from Chennai....a French colony ,at
that time where Sri Aurobindo was in asylum for his
anti-British activity in Kalkota or Calcutta.[Sri
Aurobindo was accused in a bombing case and later
acquitted.]Sri Aurobindo was a great mystic and a vedic
scholar.He was a Mahayogi, practising Raja Yoga. Ram had a
benign inspiration from him after meditation there.
His next stop was the ashram of Bhagwan Ramana , at the
slope of Arunchala or Tiru. He stayed there for a few
months.The silent gaze of Bhagwan on Ram created the soul
awakening for the spiritual journey in the path of
Advaita.
The third stop was at the ashram of Swami Ramdas at
Kanhangad in Kerala. Swami Ramdas , affectionately called
Papa Ramdas was a Bakthiman--- a devotee of Rama and
Krishna...chanting Ram nam as mantram for realization. A
realized master ,he was simple, jovial and always
emphasizing devotion to God. Initially Ram was not
impressed by Papa Ramdass and left the Anandashram of
Papa. By roaming around he had spent nearly 4 years from
1946 to 1950. Now he went back to the north,somewhere in
the Himalayas.
In the year 1950, Bhagwan Ramana attained mahasamadhi; A
little later, Sri Aurobindo also attained Samadhi. Ram
came to know that these masters were not in physical form.
Should he visit again papa Ramdass? Something prompted
him. He reached Kerala again in 1952.. This time Papa
welcomed him. Papa told many intimate details of Ram's
life which only Ram knew. Ram was convinced that Papa was
his final guru.He requested Papa for initiation. Papa
now agreed and uttered the mantram of Ram Nam " Om Sri
Rama Jaya Rama Jai Jai Ram" three times in his ears
thereby giving him formal initiation. Papa asked him to
chant this mantram day and night continuously...Ram did
just that for seven days and seven nights. At the end, he
attained the beatitude of bliss or ananda with overflowing
love for all beings.Ram said later: " Papa Ramdas killed
this beggar in 1952. All that remains is Father alone.".
He was now a great yogi and saint.
Ram wanted to stay in the ashram.But Papa had other
directions for him.He should work in this world. For that,
he should wander around for some years.Papaji sent him out
of the ashram. For the next seven years, Ram wandered
across the length and breadth of this country, much like
Papa himself had done in his younger days.
{ I had the good fortune to meditate in all the three
ashrams many times:Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry, Sri
Ramansramam, Tiru and Anandashram, Kanhangad.]
The wandering sadhu days of Yogi Ram Surat Kumar are
exciting and poignant. With tattered clothes, with a
begging bowl of dried gourd and a hand fan, he wandered
around with bare feet. He traveled in trains without
ticket and would be arrested by police. He ate food given
as alms and was humiliated often. He slept in open
verandahs or porches of shops or temple corridors. This
,indeed, is the austere life style of many yogis or sadhus
in India since the days of vedic rishis, often not known
to western seekers who see the fashionable self-styled
gurus in luxury. Ram saw everyone with love and
compassion.Often he healed sick persons who were brought
to him. He gave spiritual counsel in cryptic language.
In 1959, he returned to Thiruvannamalai [Tiru] and would
remain there for the rest of his mortal life--till 2001.He
initially stayed under some trees---the banyan tree or the
punnai tree near the bus stand or the railway station. He
wandered the streets of Tiru, lost in his Father's work,
bringing 'spiritual cleansing' and blessings to people. He
was often misunderstood as a cranky beggar.. Local
politicians and thugs gave him endless troubles. Since he
was from the north of India and spoke Hindi, he was hated
by the politically motivated tamil enthusiasts and
politicians. Some thugs beat him up on several occasions.
Once he was thrown into a gutter and suffered injuries.
Some thugs and urchins pelted stones at him. They even
sprinkled broken glass in his path since he went barefoot.
Yogiji patiently endured all these persecutions and abuse.
He would be always smiling and would not leave Arunachala
or Tiru.!He was always in ecstasy doing his Father's work.
He called himself a mad-beggar.
One westerner with theosophy background, Truman Caylor
Wadlington became his disciple in 1959 and wrote the first
biography of Yogiji in English. [This book is available
on-line free of charge.]This book popularised yogiji among
westerners who started searching for him in Tiru. This was
a big change. After that ,Yogiji was constantly surrounded
by many devotees.
It was at this time, after nearly 17 years of street
wandering, that a small house near the temple in Sannadhi
Street was rented for his stay. Many could have his
darshan under a roof.! Still the hooligan's mischief
continued. Some pelted stones at his house. But gradually
the animosity for this beggar-saint abated.
A recent deovotee who brought his name to many westerners
was Lee Lozowick.[Lee Lozowick is no more at the itme of
this writing.He used to make annual visit to Tiru from USA
and meet Yogiji.]
A brief physical description of Yogi Ramsurat Kumar may be
given here. He rarely bathed in the early years.He used to
wash his face---that is all. He had a loose turban or head
gear made of colorful cloth; later he preferred green
color turban. He had the begging bowl and a hand
fan. Because of his large fan, he was called "Visiri
samiar' by local tamil people---'visiri' means fan in
Tamil. He never cooked food in the Sannadhi street house
also. In this and other respects, he resembled Shirdi Sai
Baba very much. [It can be noted that Shirdi Baba attained
Samadhi in the year 1918 in the month of October while
Yogiji was born on Dec 1st, the same year!] He smoked
cigarettes almost continuously. Shirdi Baba used to smoke
with clay pipes and chilum or hookah. Why he smoked?
Yogiji himself explained: "After Swami Ramdas gave this
madness (for God), this beggar could not bear to be around
people, because their vibrations were gross; smoking
helped.".He kept gooseberry in his mouth as anti-dote for
the effects of smoke.
In all these years, Yogiji had close contact with two
great sages who lived nearby: Swami Gnananada Giri at
Tapovanam near Thirukoilur and Sankaracharya
Chanrdrasekaha Saraswati of Kanchi mutt.
In 1993, Yogiji relunctantly agreed for an ashram to be
built.The present ashram site was found.The foundation
stone was laid in 1994.Yogiji himself took keen interest
in the construction of the ashram for the sake of devotees
in the years to come.
Yogi Ramsuratkumar attained samadhi on 20th Feb 2001,after
brief illness of cancer.
Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga
The current wave of Advaita is due to wide popularity of
Jnana yoga, the path of knowledge which appeals to the
intellect. The path of devotion with rituals for personal
god is an equally valid method for Self-realization. Many
Ramana followers or who profess 'lineage' with Ramana, are
not well acquainted with this Bhakti or devotional path.
Ramana himself said that if 'self -enquiry or Atma
Vichara is difficult for you, submit or surrender to God"
. Surrendering to a personal god [with attributes] is the
traditional Bhakti yoga , as found in almost all
religions. Some consider Bhakti to be a slow, pedestrain
approach. This is far from true. If the fruit is ripe, it
would fall with a gentle breeze. So if one is attuned to
Bhakti and already in an advanced stage, the final
beatitude can be sudden too.In the final analysis, Bhakti
and Jnana are one and the same---two sides of the same
coin.Great saints followed Bhakti ,mainly for its
emotional appeal and for teaching others.The path of Jnana
is not for all.
I am elaborating on this because sages and saints like
Yogi Ramsuratkumar followed Bhakti Yoga though anchored in
the jnana of Supreme Reality which is nameless and
formless and without attributes. His guru, Papa Swami
Ramdas was also steeped in Bhakti marga, though fully
realizing the formless Brahman.The simple means of
attaining realization through chanting mantram or nama
japa or chanting of the Lord's name, is a well established
method in Hinduism and in other religions.These saints
always maintained that this is the most suited method for
modern persons with very little time and energy for jnana
methods of contemplation or self-enquiry.
Hindu saints and sages have always maintained a balance
between jnana methods and devotional practices, though
they may suggest one or the other to a specific disciple.
It is this blend which is a genius of Hindu thought and
process, though dry philosophers had tended to emphasize
pure knowledge and scriptural learning as the means for
realization.Whether the devotional methods are stepping
stones or final means---only individual experiences can
tell.
In this light , it is indeed wise and appropriate for
seekers to dip into devotional path, while striving in
'pure advaita'.The two are not only compatible , but blend
well like pepper and salt.It is in this context one should
visit Yogi Ramsuratkumar's ashram in Tiru as much as one
should delve into Advaitic efforts.
References
Apart from the book by Truman Caylor Wadlington's book,
the most recent book by Devaki Ma " Yogi Ramsuratkumar"
has been consulted. This is a fascinating book. Many books
by western authors have also appeared in the last 10
years,that is after the samadhi of Yogiji.A few books by
Indian devotees are also available.
The Ashram in Tiru is publishing several books in English
and in Indian languages.
There is a Yogi Ramsuratkumar Bhavan in Mauritius which
can be contacted.