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7:00 A.M., Agraharam Collai, Tiruvannamalai. At the sighting
of a white ambassador, the line of pilgrims straightens up, rearranging
itself as if by remote control. Palms are folded, heads bowed
as the chant starts up. "Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Yogi Ramsuratkumar,
Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Jaya Guru Raya." The holy hill, Arunachala,
stares down serenely upon this spectacle as the aforementioned
white vehicle leisurely rolls down to the Ashram gates. Inside
it, a man with a green turban, white beard, and piercing eyes
looks upon the assembled devotees and raises his hand. "My
Father blesses you." he seems to be saying, at least to those
who have heard this unforgettable benediction countless times
from his lips.
Who is Yogi Ramsuratkumar? If anyone were to ask this question
in his presence, it might provoke a peal of the most charming
and infections kind of laughter. Those who have "known"
him for years recall several such sessions of mirth during which
the most depressing and obdurate problems which they faced just
dissolved into harmless fun. Burdened and woe-begone minds recovered
from the gloom of years into the sunshine of hope and happiness.
Bhagawan, as he is fondly called by his devotees, himself says very little:
"This beggar has nothing to say. Whatever was needed has already been said by Sri Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharishi, Sri Aurobindo, Papa Ramdas, and others."
But if really prodded for a message or upadesha, he bursts out with the declaration:
"My Father alone exists, nothing else, nobody else-- past, present, future, here, there, everywhere! My Father alone."
Paradoxically this assertion of utter non-dualism requires, it would appear, a rather dualistic, even mechanical method of realization - japa or the repetition of the Lord's name. Yogiji himself remembers his own "initiation" at Anandashram, Kanhangad.
"This beggar got this madness from Papa Ramdas. At
that moment some force entered this beggar's body, mind, soul
or whatever you may call it, and began to control all of this
beggar's movements. That is all."
Papa Ramdas had given the mantra "Om Sri Ram Jaya Ram
Jaya Jaya Ram" to Ramsuratkumar.
"Recite it for twenty-four hours", Ramdas
commanded.
Ramsuratkumar tried to do that but at first could not. Then, as
he has described it, a sudden burst of energy brought about a
total transformation. The mantra became effortless and continuous.
In the literature of Papa Ramdas, Yogiji has been described as
the "mad Bihari. " In those days, Ramsuratkumar was
in such ecstasy that he would roll on the ground. He wished to
stay at Anandashram forever, but was finally sent away by the
Master in 1952.
" Where will you go?" Ramdas asked.
"Tiruvannamalai" was the spontaneous answer.
But it was not until 1959, after nearly seven years of wandering
all over India, that Ramsuratkumar arrived at the sacred precincts
of the great Hill of Fire, Arunachala, already hallowed by the
presence of an unbroken line of yogis, siddhas, jnanis, and mahatmas,
the latest of which was Ramana Maharishi. Ramsuratkumar had already
received Ramana Maharishi's and Sri Aurobindo's grace, before
his process was "finished" by Papa Ramdas.
Yogiji has lived in Tiruvannamalai without break since then. For
over three decades he was literally on the streets. Gradually,
however, his spiritual greatness could no longer be obscured.
Some devotees asked Him to shift to a house on Sannidhi Street
near the big Arunachaleshwara temple. More recently, in the early
1990's he reluctantly gave his consent to importunate devotees
who wanted to construct an ashram for Him. That dream is now a
reality. Located on a 3.5 acre plot, with a huge auditorium which
can accommodate over 5000 people and a beautiful, circular meditation
hall facing Arunachala, the Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram is the latest
attraction of this ancient pilgrim town. Yogiji has foretold that
in the years to come the place would be flooded with devotees
"like the Vatican. "
There are two darshans, at 10 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon.
A lucky few are called for a private audience with Yogiji. This
can be the most exhilarating and memorable of encounters. What
appears to be an ordinary conversation ends up taking one to a
totally different level of consciousness. To first timers, Yogiji
usually asks questions such as: What is your name? Where are you
from? What do you do? And so on. The encounter usually ends with
: "My Father blesses you. " The person's name is clearly
pronounced, as if it is entered in the Father's secret register!
A fruit is also usually given as prasadam.
Unlike many other spiritual guides or gurus, Yogi Ramsuratkumar
offers little to our rational understanding. His actions are inscrutable.
But in his presence one experiences a subtle transformation of
one's innermost being. This alchemy has actually to be experienced
to be believed. It is like a higher form of love in which the
soul's detritus gets washed away and the being is left cleansed.
No wonder, once hooked to the sweetness of the "visri swami
" you long to visit again and again.
The Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram, though one of the youngest institutions
of its kind in India, promises to be long enduring in the service
of sadhaks.