Stories about Echammal's grandson, K. Venkataraman

On Kartika day in 1931, when K. Venkataraman was about 11 years old, he was staying with his grandmother Echammal. Finding her busy with the sraddha ceremonies for her late husband, he took her permission to go to the temple for puja.

Before going into the Sanctum Sanctorum, he decided to have his bath inside the temple compound. He went down the steps and entered the water carefully, as he did not know how to swim, but despite his care, he slipped and went down deep into the water. With great effort he was able to come to the surface several times and shout for help, yet no one took any notice of him.

After his third unsuccessful attempt, he sank deep into the water, without any hope of survival. Suddenly he saw a very bright light inside his head in the midst of which Sri Bhagavan's face shone. This phenomenon came in a flash, and disappeared immediately. A little later he felt something catch his ankles and he experienced a similar flash in exactly the same manner and intensity as before. By then he was unconscious.

When he awoke as if from a deep sleep he found himself on the steps of Siva Ganga tank. After looking around carefully and reassuring himself that he was really alive, he asked people around him how he had come there. He was told that an old man who was doing pradakshina of Kambathu Ilayanar had run down the steps, jumped into the tank, brought him out of the water and laid him down, and then had gone away as swiftly as he had come. Venkataraman then quickly had his puja performed and went straight home, without mentioning a word about it to his grandmother.

The next morning they went together to the Ashram as usual and prostrated before Sri Bhagavan. Bhagavan looked at them and asked how deep Siva Ganga tank was. The lad could not understand the import of question, and ran out of the hall silently. It was only later in life that he realised that his saviour had been none other than Sri Bhagavan himself. It is true that Sri Bhagavan shunned occult powers as an obstacle to pure sadhana but it is also true that Sri Bhagavan is all grace and compassion and never fails his devotees.

Another incident he recalls happened about a year later when he had come from his father's home to stay with Echammal for his school vacation. One morning at the Ashram he noticed that almost everyone had copies of a new book which he found was Suddhananda Bharati's biography of Sri Bhagavan, Sri Ramana Vijayam, fresh from the press, and presented it to all inmates. Disappointed at not getting a copy, he went to Chinnaswamy to ask for one. After Chinnaswamy refused to give him one, he went where Sri Bhagavan was and stood weeping. Bhagavan asked why he was crying and Venkataraman told him what had happened. Bhagavan then sent an attendant to the book stall for a copy of the book. After writing "Ramanan" on the flyleaf, he handed it the boy, who was filled with joy and thanked him for it. Sri Bhagavan then observed: "Oho! You are all joy now and your weeping vanished so soon." Venkataraman then went out of the Hall to tell Chinnaswamy that he had got what he wanted from the hands of Sri Bhagavan himself.

~ from Surpassing Love and Grace

You will not eat them

This is not a story of the Maharshi, but I loved this and think Ramana would agree with this:

If you do not love animals, you will never go anywhere in spirituality. If you are getting anywhere, you will not eat them. It just works this way. It is a sign of refining consciousness.

~ Robert Adams

A Member of Bhagavan's Family

Once the Maharshi set out on giripradakshina with his
disciples by a short-route across the hill. He asked Jacki to
go down the hill to the town. Accordingly, Jack left and
was sighted by the Maharshi on its way down. Midway on
their walk the Maharshi changed course and walked down
the hill. As they were descending, Jack was returning from
the town. The Maharshi then directed Jack to go back to
the ashram. Though reluctant to leave Bhagavan's company,
as an obedient fellow, Jack went back to the ashram. Jack
was soft and austere in his ways. His daily routine was like
this: early in the morning he would visit a devadasi's (temple
dancer's) house for breakfast and then go to a priest's house
to accompany him to the shrine at Guha Namassivaya.
After that he would go to Virupaksha cave for Bhagavan's
darshan and later to a resting place nearby. Around 9.30 in
the morning he would visit the shrine at Guha Namassivaya
for prasadam and get back to his place of rest. Again by
evening he would visit the devadasi's house for food. After
supper he would go to a math to keep company with the
priest. To the extent possible he would spend his time in
the vicinity of Arunachaleswara, much like a yogi.

~ from Ramana Leela

Troublesome Sadhus

From the very moment the Swami settled down on
the hill, Arunachala, the income of the hypocritical sadhus
began dwindling and instead started pouring at the Swami's
feet. The Swami's great vairagya and his teachings were
attracting people in large numbers. This caused heartburn
to the sadhu pretenders. Among them was one, Jataswami
who had some tapas to his credit and was also learned. In
fact, the Swami used to visit him frequently and consult
the books available with him. Jataswami was celibate and
frugal in his eating habits but his great weakness was
jealousy. He had the habit of rolling rocks towards any
real sadhu who attempted to settle on the hill and most of
them went away apprehending some approaching
earthquake. Jataswami employed the same trick towards
the Swami but it had no effect; on one such occasion the
Swami climbed up further and caught the elderly Jataswami
who, strangely, not only did not express any remorse but
merely laughed it off as a practical joke.

Jataswami's friend was Balanandaswami, a peculiar
Brahmin character. He was acquainted with English,
French, Marathi, Hindustani, Sanskrit and Malayalam.
He studied the Prasthana Traya (scriptures). Appearance-
wise also he was attractive with sharp features and good
complexion. He also had the gift of the gab and by spinning
yarns was able to win over any stranger. As darkness is
dispelled when the sun rises, with the arrival of the Swami
on the hill, Balanandaswami's glamour began to fade. But
he was not one to give up. He tried to win over the
Swami by all kinds of tricks. He would tell all visitors that
the young Swami was his disciple and would ask them to
give his "disciple" something to eat. Not only that, he
would place a lot of eatables in front of the Swami in the
presence of visitors and urge him to eat.

The Swami was guileless yet he could easily notice
the hypocrisy of Balanandaswami but was not inclined to
act against evil which was why possibly he never exposed
him. Quite brazenly Balanandaswami said to the Swami,
"I will declare you to be my disciple and make some money
thereby. What do you lose, just be silent". After 1908 a
number of persons learned and unlearned, rich and poor,
children and elderly - became devoted to the Swami. They
began showing their resentment towards Balanandaswami
at first indirectly but later, directly. Balanandaswami went
to ridiculous lengths to establish himself as the Swami's
guru without realizing that his acts were harmful to himself.
The climax came one night with his passing urine in the
verandah of Virupaksha cave before leaving the place.
Palaniswami who guessed that it could only be the act of
Balanandaswami washed the place. After the Maharshi
and others went to have a bath at a distant teertha,
Palaniswami threw out the bundle of Balanandaswami's
clothes, among them were some costly ones too, and left
the place locking up the cave. Palaniswami also felt that
even if he did not express it the Maharshi must have been
revolted at Balanandaswami's act.

Balananda returned and became furious at what
happened to his clothes and began ranting "this must be
Palani's work". As soon as Palani returned he belaboured him
and said to the Maharshi, "This fellow Palani is quite arrogant,
see how he threw away my clothes. Get rid of him at once."
The Maharshi did not respond, Palani did not stir. With
uncontrollable anger Balananda spat on the face of the
Maharshi, even then the latter kept silent. For some unknown
reason the Maharshi's devotees present at the spot also kept
quiet. Another disciple, Muthaiah, living in a different cave
got to know of this and with great fury was about to beat the
forty year old Balanandaswami with a stick, when the
Maharshi intervened and stopped him. Balanandaswami
realized that his ways would not succeed and decided to
leave the place but even then his pride would not leave him.
He said, "This hill does not deserve to be the place for me to
do tapas" and left for the railway station. He seated himself
in an upper class compartment. Even there he did not behave
himself. There was a young couple already seated in the
compartment. Balanandaswami began ordering about the
young man who, naturally, ignored his commands. Furious
at this, Balananda shouted at him: `By ignoring my words
you are insulting me. This is because of your infatuation
with this tart." At this, the young man took out his sandals
and beat up Balananda. After this treatment, Balananda
disappeared from Arunachala.

Two or three years later, when the Maharshi was
residing at the mango tree cave, Balananda reappeared,
stood before the cave and sent for the Maharshi. The
latter, assuming that Balanandaswami was reformed came
out. When no one was about, Balananda asked the
Maharshi, "Have you heard what had happened at the
railway station?". The Maharshi gave an affirmative
answer. Balananda resumed, "Possibly, I needed that
experience also! I regret having spat on you the other
day, when I was beside myself with anger. If you so wish
you may now spit on me as many times as you like" and
went closer to the Maharshi. The Maharshi who had no
trace of revenge in him did nothing of the kind.

But true to his form Balananda began ordering about
everybody from the very next day. Naturally, nobody
cared. A few days later he came to the mango tree cave
and said to the Maharshi, "I shall teach you how to attain
nirvikalpa samadhi." So saying he forcibly took him to
the pial opposite the cave. Turning to Vasudeva Sastry
and other disciples of the Maharshi he said, "What business
have you in the company of elders? You had better go."
He looked again at the Maharshi and said, "You keep
looking into my eyes and take a deep breath." He
cautioned the Maharshi to relax-thus he harassed the
Maharshi for about half an hour and at the end, he himself
fell asleep. The Maharshi and his disciples quietly went
back to the Virupaksha cave.

Balananda indulged in such antics on one more
occasion. He ordered Rangaswamy Iyengar, a disciple of
the Maharshi to fetch a twig for him to brush his teeth.
Rangaswamy Iyengar brought a big branch and said, "For
the elderly, is this not the appropriate thing?" Balananda
ordered another disciple so fetch some fire to light his
cigar. He, in turn, brought burning pieces of coal in a
huge basin. Bringing it close to Balananda's face he asked,
"What should be lighted?"

Balananada realized that the Maharshi's disciples
would no longer care for him and thought it better to
leave the place before they drove him out. Before leaving,
he addressed the Maharshi thus: "This hill is unfit for
persons like me. On top of it your disciples have insulted
me. It was I who gave you various powers and because of
them people are reverential towards you. I am withdrawing
all the powers. Henceforth no one will respect you." So
saying he left for the town.

He went to a sweetmeat shop owner and boasted
about what he had done. The shop owner had great regard
for the Maharshi; upon hearing what Balananda said he
got ready to thrash him. With that, Balananda left
Arunachala again. Sometime later Balanandaswami
returned to the Maharshi and saying that he had no
attachment towards the body, he became nude and
behaved in a repulsive manner with the Maharshi's
attendant. All those present were incensed but the
Maharshi was as usual indifferent. After this event
Balananda left Arunachala for good. Nobody heard of
him any more.

from Ramana Leela