Collected Works of Sri Ramana Maharshi:Five Hymns to Arunachala

4 Five Hymns to Arunachala

1.2.1.3. Eleven Verses to Sri Arunachala

1.2.1.4. Eight Stanzas to Sri Arunachala

T he Five Hymns to Arunachala are the earliest poems of
the Maharshi except for a few short verses. They were
written about 1914, that is when he was about thirty-five years
old (he was born in December 1879). He was still living in
Virupaksha Cave on the hill. Some of his followers who were
sadhus used to go into the town of Tiruvannamalai daily to
beg for food. One day they asked the Maharshi to compose a
song for them to sing as they went. At first he refused, saying
that there were already plenty of songs by the ancient Saivite
saints. They continued to press him, however, and he began to
compose a song with a refrain at the end of each and every
stanza.

One day he started to go round the hill, with Palaniswami
walking behind him. After he had gone some way Aiyaswami
seems to have called Palaniswami back and given him a pencil
and paper, saying, "For some days now Swami has been
composing stanzas everyday. He may do so today as well, so
you had better take this paper and pencil with you." That day
Sri Bhagavan practically completed the Marital Garland of Letters,
the first of the five hymns. It tells in glowing symbolism
of the love and union between the human soul and God, and
is among the most profound and moving poems in any
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language. Although he who wrote it was established in the bliss
of indissoluble Union, it was written for the sake of devotees
and expresses the attitude of devotion and aspiration.

The second, third and fourth poems (hymns) were written
at about the same time, and they also adopt the same attitude.
Whereas the later poems of the Maharshi are more doctrinal,
these hymns are more emotional, expressing more the attitude
of devotion and aspiration.

The Eleven Verses and the Eight Stanzas are among the
very few poems of the Maharshi that were written quite
spontaneously without any request, as he himself said when
speaking of them:

The only poems that came to me spontaneously and
compelled me, as it were, to write them without any one
urging me to do so are the Eleven Verses to Sri Arunachala
and the Eight Stanzas to Sri Arunachala. The opening words
of the Eleven Stanzas came to me one morning and even
though I tried to suppress them saying, "What have I to do
with these words?" they would not be suppressed till I
composed a song bringing them in; and all the words flowed
easily, without any effort. The remaining stanzas except
two were also composed in the same way.

Shortly afterwards Narayana Reddi came. He was at
that time living in Vellore as an agent of Singer & Co., and
he used to come from time to time. Aiyasami and Palani
told him about the poems and he said, `Give them to me at
once and I will go and get them printed.' He had already
published some books. When he insisted on taking the
poems I told him he could do so and could publish the first
eleven as one form of poem and the rest, which were in a
different metre, as another. To make up the required quota
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I at once composed two more stanzas and he took all the
nineteen stanzas with him to get them published.1

The fifth hymn, Arunachala Pancharatna, is of a different
nature to the first four. The great Sanskrit poet and devotee
Ganapati Sastri, who was a follower of Bhagavan, begged
him to write a poem in Sanskrit. Bhagavan replied, laughing,
that he scarcely knew any Sanskrit and no Sanskrit metres.
Sastri, however, explained a metre to him and repeated his
request. Bhagavan then composed a poem of five stanzas, two
on one day and three on the following day. They were all in
perfect, flawless Sanskrit. It is a cryptic account of the different
paths to Realization and therefore a commentary has been
included with the translation. This hymn is chanted daily at
the time of Veda Parayana.

It is to be understood that in all these hymns the word
`Arunachala' means God and nothing less. It also, however,
means the physical hill of Arunachala in South India where
God is peculiarly manifested for the Maharshi and his
disciples. From ancient times various spiritual centres in India
have represented various paths and modes of doctrine, and
Arunachala among them the doctrine of advaita and the path
of Self-enquiry. Although the ultimate doctrine and the
supreme and most direct path, this, throughout the ages, has
not been the most popular, because for most people it seemed
too austere and difficult. The Maharshi attained Realization
through a spontaneous act of Self-enquiry, with no human
guru. There is no place to do more than touch upon the mystery
of this here. It is sufficient to note that the Maharshi agreed
with all other masters that a guru is necessary, adding however
that the guru need not necessarily take human form. When he
left home as a youth who was already a Sage, Arunachala
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drew him like a powerful magnet. He went straight there and
stayed there for the rest of his life. It was Arunachala that he
regarded as his guru, and these hymns are written to
Arunachala, to the Guru, to God manifested, to the Absolute.

Through the potent grace of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi,
the path of Self-enquiry was brought within the competence
of men and women of this age, was indeed fashioned into a
new path that can be followed anonymously in the conditions
of the modern world, with no forms or ritual, nothing to
distinguish a person outwardly from the world wherein he
moves. This creation of a new path to suit the needs of the age
has made Arunachala the spiritual centre of the world. More
than ever, now that he has shed his physical body and is one
with Arunachala, the grace and guidance that emanates from
him to those who turn to him and seek his aid is centred at
Arunachala. It is the holy place and many are drawn there,
both those who were disciples of the Maharshi in his lifetime
and those who have come later.

It remains to be said that the literary Tamil in which the
hymns were written can be used in an extremely cryptic manner
and the first hymn especially abounds in passages which can
be understood in more than one manner. In such cases the
alternative readings are given.

Before coming to the Five Hymns we print first a verse
that Sri Bhagavan wrote on Sri Ganesa, as being an auspicious
opening to the poems. After this comes a verse that Sri
Muruganar wrote on the significance of Arunachala and
another one by Bhagavan on the significance of the beacon
that is lit on its summit every year at the festival of Deepam.
Only after this follow the Five Hymns.

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To Sri Ganesa

One day in 1912, a potter came to the Virupaksha Cave
with a small image of Sri Ganesa that he had made and
presented it to Sri Bhagavan. Easwara Swami suggested that
both he and Sri Bhagavan should write a verse each to
celebrate the occasion. This is what Sri Bhagavan wrote:

He who begot you as a child you made
Into a beggar; as a child yourself
You then lived everywhere just to support
Your own huge belly; I too am a child.
Oh Child God in that niche! Encountering one
Born after you, is your heart made of stone?
I pray you look at me!

Significance of Arunachala

The sudden rise of the blazing column of Annamalai 1 in
front of Brahma and Vishnu and their utter distress at not
being able to know the same is symbolic of the sphurana
of the Heart centre as the real Self of the intellect and
the ego.

Significance of the Beacon

Getting rid of the `I am the body' idea and merging
the mind into the Heart to realize the Self as non-dual
being and the light of all is the real significance of darshan of
the beacon of light on Annamalai, the centre of the universe.

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Sri Arunachala Mahatmya1

(The Glory of Sri Arunachala)
Nandi 2 said:

`That is the holy place! Of all Arunachala is the most sacred!

It is the heart of the world! Know it to be the secret and sacred
Heart-centre of Siva! In that place he always abides as the
glorious Aruna Hill!

`That day on which the ancient and wonderful linga of
Arunachala took shape is the asterism of Ardra in the month
of Mrigasira. And the day on which Vishnu and the other
devas worshipped the Lord who emerged from the effulgence
is the day of Maha Sivaratri.'

Siva said:

`Though in fact fiery, my lacklustre appearance as a hill
on this spot is an act of grace and loving solicitude for the
maintenance of the world. Here I always abide as the Great
One (Siddha). Remember that in the interior of my Heart is
transcendental glory with all the enjoyments of the world also.

`Because they bind the beings of the worlds, know that
relentless karmas become the bondage for jivas. The effulgent
Arunachala is this (mountain), the mere sight of which causes
them to become nonexistent.

`What cannot be acquired without endless pains -- the
true import of Vedanta ^[?] -- is easily attained by all who can
either directly sight this hill or even mentally think of it
from afar.

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`I ordain that residence within a radius of three yojanas3

of this hill shall by itself suffice to burn off all defects and
effect union with the Supreme even in the absence of
initiation.'

Devi said:

`This is always the abode of pious devotees. Those who do
evil to others here will, after suffering ills, be destroyed.
Wicked persons will be completely bereft of their powers to
do evil here in the twinkling of an eye. Do not fall into the
burning fire of the anger of Lord Arunachala who has assumed
the form of a hill of fire.'

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