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V. Ganeshan, Sri Ramanashram |
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V. Ganeshan, Sri Ramanashram |
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Every one of us reveres his Guru as a Mahatma, great soul. The word "Guru" also means 'great'; while the disciple is referred to as "laghu" or "small". This greatness refers to the divine presence which the disciple is seeking. Yet, it is the Guru who is seeking us. What can we hope to achieve with our feeble efforts ? It is the compassionate Guru who comes to us and rescues us from the abyss of ignorance and suffering.
Shri Aurobindo said that the advent of a saint or sage was only "to redeem, to help the stunted, struggling seeker." Saints demand neither adoration nor recognition. It is the disciples who indulge in such luxuries.
A Vedantic text enumerates eight types of Gurus :
1.- Bodhaka Guru : A teacher who lectures on philosophy and the shastras.
2.- Vedaka Guru : A teacher who clarifies doubts based on personal experience.
3.- Nishidda Guru : An adept at charms and spells, who is involved withe the world of spirits.
4.- Kâmika Guru : An advisor on the ways laid down in the scriptures for gaining one's desires.
5.- Suchaka Guru : He is the pointer to the higher life. His personal example of calmness and discipline awakens the same in the sishya.
6.- Vâchara Guru : He implants the thirst for Self knowledge in the ripe sishya.
7.- Kâraka Guru : IHe imparts the upadesha of the oneness of jiva and Brahman.
8.- Vihita Guru : He destroys all remaining vasans and grants everlasting mukti.
One must remember that all theses distinctions are only for the understanding of the scholar-disciple and that such definitions do not in any way limit the freedom and powers of a saint. He is ever free. "However engaged and in whatever environment he may be, he who is established in the Self is walways pure." (Atma Sakshatkara, v. 45,46). One who recognises a saint 'as he is' is very fortunate, indeed !
Throughout spiritual history, no two saints have been alike. Each is unique. There is only one Gautama Buddha, one Jesus Christ, one Adi Shankara, one Mirabai, one Paramahamsa Ramakrishna and one Bhagavan Ramana, each excelling the other in their uniqueness. Yet, in essence, they are the same in their way of being. Likewise, we find a common factor in their aim (if at all they had one !) - to alleviate the suffering of others.
Doctrines and emphasis may differ, personal habits and modes of meeting the needs of people in different times and societies may vary, but one cannot fail to notice the compassion, the love, the grace, the blessings, the peace and the silence which manifest in the presence of a saint. The very purpose of his continued existence in the body, after realising the Truth himself, is to relieve the suffering of humanity.
Many people are afflicted with physical ailments, others tormented by mental problems, while earnest seekers too face difficulties. Everyone has one thing in common - they need help. They suffer, and therefore they search for the one who would deliver them from their suffering. Here begins man's quest for the end of earthly pain. And he ends up with the greatest gift of his life in finding and surrendering at the holy feet of a true saint.
When one's heart is pure, devoid of the cobwebs of mental judgement, it is easy to fall into the lap of a saint, I mean, it is fruitless to try and assess a saint by oneself. Rather, one should surrender oneself and allow the saint to reveal himself, thereby entering into his eternel embrace. This is neither fiction nor conjecture but a reality repeatedly witnessed in the lives of numerous seekers and seers.
Once, when Ramana Maharishi was asked why he was angry with a man who had made a mistake, he said : "I got angry with the mistake, not with the mistaker." Such is the understanding of one who knows ! !
Thousands of people of every stripe and feather flock to Sri Yogi Ramsuratkumar, the Siddha Purusha of the century. Never once has any one returned from him empty-handed, so great and absolutely full is his giving ! Whether seated among the many beggars within the precincts of Sri Arunaleshvara Temple, or in the small verandah of his house at Sannidhi stret, or (now) at his large Ashram at Agrahara Kollai, his whole attention is focused solely on showering his grace, compassion and blessings on all the yearning souls who turn to him for help. He removes their problems and their pain. The status of the individuals matters not, the intensity of their sufferings does. It is not the sufferer he sees, but the suffering.
As Sri Yogi Ramsuratkumar himself declares : "Father gave the work of preaching and teaching to Sri Aurobindo, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi and Swami Ramdas. But for this beggar, Father has given the work of alleviating the suffering of others alone !"
How can we fathom the immense compassion behind every act of a Sage ? When Sri Yogi Ramsuratkumar relieved the high blood-pressure of the wealthiest man in South India, or bought the entire lot of malas from a rustic gypsy, thus saving her from wandering through sun-baked streets, both actions were equal. Sages live for the sake of others.
Those who have moved closely with Sri Yogi Ramsuratkumar know that he cared little for his physical comforts. Whatever the season, he could be seen wandering all over Tiruvannamalai, dressed in rags, with little to eat, and only a tree for shelter. His attention even then, was only on helping and blessing those who came to him.
The same boundless compassion is now giving rise to a spacious and delightful ashram, not for sheltering himself, but for protecting and preserving for posterity a fully surrendered devotee who sought total refuge at his holy feet. Sri Devaki is thus supremely fortunate, indeed ! One cannot see this as anything other than the crowning of her immense guru-bhakti.
As poets, artists and men of letters will flood this Souvenir with accounts of Sri Yogi Ramsuratkumr's glory, I will refrain from narrating anecdotes about him, though there are stories aplenty that would thrill the ears of many readers !
My heart is filled with gratitude, love and devotion to Sri Yogi Ramsuratkumar. I offer this heart, filled with his grace and presence, at the sacred feet of this great Siddha Purusha.