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“Arunachala Stambha” — the Infinite Column of Light

The Glory of Arunachala is spoken of in hoary Sanskrit texts like Skanda Mahapurana, Siva Rahasya, Siva Mahapurana and Skanda Upapurana, and in Tamil texts like Arunachala Mahatmyam. According to them, Lord Brahma, the Creator and Lord Vishnu, the Sustainer came into existence from a tiny part of the Effulgence of Lord Siva, but forgot their Source, and became egoistic with each claiming supremacy over the other. Then, Lord Siva rose as a “Stambha”, an Infinite Column of Light between them. Humbled by the fact that they could neither find the column’s top nor its base, they then prayed for Grace.

Then, at their behest, the “Stambha” — Lord Siva — took the Form of this Mountain called ‘Arunachala’, ‘Arunadri’, ‘Arunagiri’ and ‘Sonadri’ in Sanskrit, and ‘Annamalai’, or the ‘Unattainable,’ in Tamil. Since then, this Effulgent Column of Light in the form of the Holy Hill, has been worshipped by the ninety-six previous manifestations of Lord Brahma, the Creator. This means that ninety-six dissolutions had already taken place, which in fact, is in consonance with the Geological finding that put the age of Arunachala as 3.8 billion years.

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It was the Sacred Maha Sivaratri night of 1982! Every Maha Sivaratri has been very special for me. As is the Sacred Night of the Karthigai Deepam. For on these two nights, I have seen and felt shimmering silver waves flowing from the Holy Hill, spreading out and engulfing everything. It was my practice to join a group of young visitors and residents and start Giripradakshina between 8 and 9 p.m. The aim was to be on the Giripradakshina path at the stroke of midnight and look at the Sacred Mountain, at the same moment — ‘yaamatthu’ — when according to mythology, the Column of Light turned into the Mountain of Stillness!

That year was very special, as the children of ‘Ramana Bala Kendra’ had visited from Bangalore. I had been connected with ‘Ramana Bala Kendra’ from its inception and every child of that batch was very dear to my Heart. They had studied the Life of Sri Bhagavan for a whole year. In order to make this learning process come alive, from time to time, the children were encouraged to enact the different scenes from His Life. These scenes were finally put together as an hour-long play called ‘The Ramana Evening’.

That Maha Sivaratri, as part of the celebration of Ramana Bala Kendra’s first annual day, the children were hosted by the Ashram. After dinner, all the devotees gathered in the Old Dining Hall for the play being enacted by the children. They acted so well that they lost themselves in their roles and brought before our eyes the scenes of Sri Bhagavan's birth, His childhood, His Enlightenment at Madurai and His arrival at Holy Arunachala. It culminated with Sri Bhagavan embracing the Lord in the form of Arunachala Linga inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Temple and declaring: "Father! I have come at Thy bidding. Thy Will be done!"

Arunachala Stambha — Huge of Column of Light blesssing Lord Maha Vishnu and Lord Brahma

A few hours later, around eleven, the children bade us goodbye boarded their bus back to Bangalore. It was an emotional parting and there were tears in my eyes too! It was in this heightened emotional state that I started for the Giripradakshina — this time all alone. In those days, I used to go round the Holy Hill almost every night. It took me only a little more than two hours to complete the circumambulation. I would walk chanting the 108 verses of Sri Bhagavan’s “Marital Garland of Letters”, repeating its refrain after every couplet. Usually, I would complete singing this Bakthi soaked hymn three times by the time I re-entered the Ashram premises.

That sacred night, perhaps, after that uplifting time with children re-living Sri Bhagavan's Glorious Life, my chanting was surcharged with a sublime spiritual fervour. By the time I reached a bend in the road near Adi Annamalai temple, from where I could see the tip of the Temple’s tower, I was chanting the hymn for the second time. I distinctly remember even now, as if it happened just yesterday, that I was singing verse 32 at that time: "சூது செய்தென்னைச் சோதியாது இனி உன் ஜ்யோதி உருக் காட்டு, அருணாசலா!" "Arunachala! Do not test me with Your deceptive tricks. Instead, graciously reveal your Real Form of Supreme Effulgent Light so that I may directly perceive You!" At that time, I was looking at the tip of the Temple tower, with the Holy Mountain in the background.

Lo! A huge Effulgent Column of Light appeared, piercing through the sky above and boring down into the Earth! Everything else disappeared! My Heart pulsated with a Sacred Presence which affirmed in Silence that what was being revealed was the same Infinite Column of Light that has been described as the very Origin of Arunachala! Without beginning and end, enveloping all things of the Universe in its Brilliance — below and above — encompassing the Earth and the Skies!

How can one see that which is Limitless? No eyes of the flesh could have beheld such a sight! Therefore, I can never say, "I saw the Light!” Nor could the ‘mind’ have envisioned such Glory! Yet, Grace revealed IT at that moment and thus the impossible became possible. The Divine Vision bestowed on the Great Gods — Brahma and Vishnu — had been bestowed on ‘me’, without my asking! As I had not sought it, there was no thought about IT until the very moment of that Illimitable Blessing. I cannot say how long the Divine Vision lasted, for, "’Time’ was not when the “Light” was!” Untold Bliss coursed through me! And, after IT disappeared, as seamlessly as IT had appeared !

Not able to contain my exhilaration, I almost ran all the way home to my mother — Nagalakshmi Ammal, my unfailing guide and best friend in my inner spiritual journey. I softly called out to her in the manner that had been arrived at by us mutually, so as not to disturb my father. She opened the door and let me in. We both lay down, cuddling together and I softly whispered in her ears what all had taken place with great excitement. She answered laconically, "Hum, hum, so what? Now, what of it? Go to the Ashram and continue with your “Maha Sivaratri” night routine. Give up thinking about it." I felt completely deflated and discomfited. Was not the Divine Vision a tremendous and rarest of the rare one? Had it not been a Great Blessing beyond imagination? Why was my mother pooh poohing it?

I asked her outright. My mother replied with supreme love and compassion, "Ganesa! In your exhilaration, if you narrate this incident to others, some will disbelieve you and others will glorify you. You will be disappointed by the former and this will water down the magnitude of the Glory that you witnessed. If they praise you, it will bloat your ego and make you feel that you are great on account of it. Have you come here to glorify your ego? Or glorify Guru Ramana? Yes, the Divine Vision is indeed auspicious. But, has not Sri Bhagavan told us that all visions are only in the ‘mind’? So, do not think about it any further." I asked her, "Mother! Then, why did it happen to ‘me’ who is lesser than the dust of Arunachala’s Feet?" She gave me a ‘pat’ on my back and replied: “It is just like this: Arunachala Ramana is giving you a pat on your back to encourage you by emphasising, 'My, child! You are on the right track. March ahead, without turning back!"

Hail Arunachala!

Hail Arunachala Jyoti'!

Hail Sat-Guru Ramana!

Hail Mathru Tattva Mother Nagalakshmi Ammal!

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“Lingashtakam”

One night in the 1970s, after completing all my Ashram work, when I was doing Giripradakshina alone as was my daily wont, I heard someone chanting “Lingashtakam” in a stentorian voice behind me. Only the previous evening, I had heard a portion of it being chanted inside a house in the town where I had to go on Ashram work by bicycle. I was mesmerised by it and longed to listen to all of it.

You can now imagine how thrilled I was to hear it again that night while doing Giripradakshina around holy Arunachala! The person who was chanting it overtook me and continued walking. He had a perfect Yogic body, lithe and as if chiselled out! Wanting to see his face I started walking faster. But to no avail, for the Yogi walked at an even brisker pace, And, on reaching Adi Annamalai, disappeared into one of its streets.

I literally ran the rest of the distance and reached home at the dead of the night. Waking up my mother, who was also my upaguru, I narrated the whole incident. My mother was ecstatic on hearing about it and exclaimed, "Who else was He but Lord Arunachaleshwara Himself! Is not one of His names “Asutoshi”, meaning 'one who satisfies the devotee's smallest of desires"!

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Lord Siva with a Perfect Yogic body