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Lokammal

Lokammal, like all the other cooks, was totally overwhelmed by her very first darshan of Sri Bhagavan in the 1930s. Just one look from Him was enough for her to surrender to Him completely. When she was a young girl, her uncle, a holy and pious man, initiated her to the panchakshara mantra, the five holy syllables, ‘Om Nama Sivaaya’. From childhood, her attention was on God.

Lokammal became a child widow and was looked down upon by both family and society. Her only friend in the village was Tenammal, also a widow. The two of them would exchange information about spirituality. Tenammal, who had been to Arunachala and had darshan of Sri Bhagavan, would constantly narrate incidents about Sri Bhagavan. Lokammal began to wonder, “Will I also not go to Sri Bhagavan and sit at His Holy Feet?” But she belonged to an affluent family who did not allow her to do so. Her pleas fell on deaf ears. But could God ignore her sincere prayers? One day, a woman pointing to a newspaper told Lokammal, “Hey Lokammal, your Saint in Arunachala is no more.” Lokammal was heartbroken and wept continuously. However, what the lady was referring to was the news of Seshadri Swami dropping his body. Soon after this, when she was alone one day, Lokammal had the vision of Sri Bhagavan walking in her direction and calling out to her. She pleaded with her brother to take her to Arunachala. He loved her sister and consented. On her being in the Presence of Sri Bhagavan, He looked at her very compassionately for a long time, and that look remained with her till her last moment.

In her final days, Lokammal stayed in a cottage in the Ramana Nagar. I attended on her, as I did on other devotees. Lokammal was a ripe individual, but her prarabdha was that she remained an irritable person till the end. She once said to me, “You must send a maid to attend on me.” She was so difficult to please that I had to change her maids eighteen times! Each of them pleaded to me with folded hands, “Please do not ask us to serve Lokammal.” When I went to see her the next morning, Lokammal scolded me, “I was alone. I was afraid. You did not send a maid.” I was afraid of her abrasive tongue and ran away. Even for that one night, I couldn’t get any maid for her.

The next day I entered the cottage with great trepidation. But I found her face all aglow. She asked, “Is it Ganesa?” I replied, “Yes, Amma.” I thought she was going to scold me because I had not sent another maid. She said instead, “Come here, my child. Come.” She held my face tight, kissed my forehead and said, “Because of you, I had the darshan of Sri Bhagavan. Last night, I scolded you. But look at Sri Bhagavan. Here is the picture that Sri Bhagavan gave me when I once told him that young men are troubling me. He at once got up from his sofa and gave me this picture. He gave it to me saying, ‘From today onwards, you will not face this problem.’ Just look at me, Ganesa. I am ninety years old! After that day, I have never had any problems from any man. Last night, as I was scolding you, I heard Sri Bhagavan say, ‘Lokammal, Lokammal!’ And you know, Sri Bhagavan seemed to come alive in that picture and say, ‘Have I not told you that I am always with you? When I am with you, why fear. Be happy!’ Sri Bhagavan spoke to me because of you.” I was delighted.

Next day, Lokammal passed away. I lit her funeral pyre. What a blessing! It doesn’t matter whether the cooks were ordinary people or great people. They were all transported to the highest state of ‘I AM’ MUKTI !

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Sri Bhagavan with a Rabbit