“Athai’s” Absorption

It was 1952, two years after Sri Bhagavan’s Mahasamadhi. In one of the tiled rooms a few feet away from ‘Mangala Nivas’, my father’s house in Ramana Nagar, lay Sri Bhagavan’s sister, Alamelu Amma. She was seriously ill and it was the last day of her life. By her bed and taking care of her, were Nellore Lakshmi Ammal and my mother’s elder sister, also named Lakshmi Amma.

Suddenly, “Athai”, as she was called by all, opened her eyes. They shone with a bright, ethereal Light as she focussed her gaze on the top of a small cupboard. She then exclaimed audibly, which was strange considering that for the past one week or so she was only able to murmur words very faintly, “Lakshmi! Get her down from the top of the cupboard. The baby-girl wants to climb down!” Both the Lakshmis looked up at the cupboard but could see nothing. Joyfully ‘Athai’ continued, now at the top of her voice, “Lakshmi! She is calling me to get up and go to her! I am going to that baby-girl.” Smiling then at them, ‘Athai’ happily closed her eyes! When the Doctor came and examined her, he said: “’Athai’ passed away fifteen minutes ago.” The time tallied exactly with ‘Athai’ closing her eyes.

Sri Bhagavan’s sister Alamelu Amma had been absorbed by Arunachala Ramana!

When Viswanatha Swami came from the Ashram to pay his homage to ‘Athai’, he said, “This is the third case where Mother Apeethakuchambal has come and showered Her Grace and Blessings on a senior devotee of Sri Bhagavan!” When I asked him whether that baby-girl ‘Athai’ saw on top of the cupboard was Mother Apeethakuchambal, he affirmed it with a nod of his head.

“Please explain,” I begged him. Viswanatha Swami elaborated, “The first instance I know of is when Mother Apeethakuchambal appeared before Nayana (Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni). He was then doing penance at “Nirudhi Lingam”, one of the eight Siva shrines located at the cardinal directions on the circumambulation route around Arunachala. Determined to do intense and uninterrupted tapas, he took shelter in the hollow of a large, dead tree behind the “Nirudhi Lingam” and resumed his severe penance of being silent and going without food. After the fifth or sixth day, the Divine Mother appeared on the Holy Hill. “The Guru alone bestows on you what you are seeking for. He is on the Hill. Go! Surrender at his holy feet and you will get his grace. Go now!”

Kavyakantha leapt out of the hollow of the dead tree in search of his Guru, the living Kalpakavriksha on the Hill. It was one o’clock in the afternoon and the Sun was beating down hard. The Karthikai festival was on and hundreds of people thronged around the Hill. Undeterred, he ran up the Hill to Virupaksha Cave as guided by Mother Apeetakuchambal and found his Guru. The Guru to whom he famously gave the name, ‘BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI.”

“The second instance I know of the Divine Mother showering Her Grace on a devotee of Sri Bhagavan, was Masthan Swami. When Masthan Swami became ill, he moved from his village to another village because he did not want to give anyone trouble. Rarely did Sri Bhagavan go out of His way for anybody, but in Masthan’s case, Sri Bhagavan called Desurammal and said, “Wherever Masthan goes, be with him and look after him.” Devotees have rarely heard of Sri Bhagavan giving this kind of instruction for the sake of any other devotee!

Masthan Swami’s last days were very beautiful. After he dropped his body, Desurammal came to Sri Bhagavan and narrated, “Bhagavan! In his last days we thought he was in delirium. He was saying, ‘Nandi! has descended and Lord Siva’s celestial devotees — the bhutaganas — are dancing, saying, ‘Masthan! Come, come, come to us.’” She continued, ‘Perhaps, he was blabbering in his delirium. But Bhagavan, in his last moment he stood up. It was absolutely impossible for him to stand up in that state. He stood up and then with tears in his eyes said, ‘Apeethakuchambal has come to take me, I am going Desurammal,’ and he dropped his body!

“On hearing this, Sri Bhagavan commented, ‘The Universal Mother personally came to take him. All his descriptions tally with the description of “Sivaloka” in the Puranas. Masthan Swami was an unassuming devotee. But, he had a wealth of hidden spiritual experiences. Not only did Sri Bhagavan extol Masthan Swami, He thanked Desurammal, as well, “It is a matter of gratification that he passed away in your care, under your supervision.” He did not stop there. After this, Sri Bhagavan picked up a copy of the two thousand five-hundred-year-old Tamil book, Thirumandiram. In it, are instructions on how a realized being’s dead body should be buried. Sri Bhagavan marked those passages and sketched out how the tomb had to be built and the body entombed with sacred ash, camphor and other ingredients. Following these clear instructions, the samadhi was built.²”

Viswanatha Swami concluded, “Our beloved “Athai”, is the third devotee for whom the Divine Mother came personally and made her one with Herself!”

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² Refer to “Jnani’s Samadhi: Rituals” on page 282