Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

One day he was seated in the hall going through an old
notebook and correcting some dates and numbers in it.

Seeing that, Bhagavan asked what it was. He replied, “This
is an old notebook written by Bhagavan. I am looking into
the numbers and dates in it, and entering them in the printed
book.” “Give it to me,” Bhagavan said, and taking it and
turning over the pages, said to me, “There are some Dipavali
padyams (verses) in it. Have you heard them?”
When I said I had not, he read them out and gave the
meaning thereof as follows: “He is Narakasura (a demon)
who feels attached in the thought that he is the body. That
attachment to the body itself is a Naraka (hell). The life of a
person who has that attachment, even if he be a Maharajah,
is hellish. Destroying the attachment to the body, and the
self shining by itself as Self is Dipavali. That is the idea
contained in those verses.” I asked, “Are all these verses in
Nool Thirattu?”* Bhagavan said, “These were all composed
extempore on the spur of the moment from time to time.

Why include all these in that book?”
After the first publication of the book, when these verses
were read out in Bhagavan’s presence, he asked, “Do you
know why I wrote those verses?” When I said that I did not
know, he said, “Is that so? One Dipavali day, Muruganar
wanted me to write something about Dipavali. ‘Why don’t
you write? Why should I?’ I asked. He said that he would
also write if I did. I agreed, and wrote these verses. I did not
write anything without reason. There is a story behind every
verse that I wrote.” So saying he showed me the verses (in
Tamil). I give them below with the meaning:
Vrittam:
SWÏP ]ô]ô SWÏX LôÞm
SWLù]e ùLußNôAn Oô]j §¡¬Vôp
SWLû]d ùLôu\Y ]ôWQ ]uú\
SWL NÕojR£ St±] UôúU.

* Nool Thirattu is the title of the book in Tamil containing all the
verses, songs and prose writings of Bhagavan. The Collected Works
of Sri Ramana Maharshi contains the English translations of these.

Both these books have been published by Sri Ramanasramam.

He is the king of hell who says that he is the body which is
hell itself. He is Narayana who ascertains who Naraka is,
and destroys him with His vision of wisdom, Jnana Drishti.

That is the auspicious day of Narakachathurdasi.

Venba:
SWL ÜÚYô SPûX ÙPX
¡WL ULùU]úY ùLhP — SWL]ôm
UôVô ®ûVSô¥ UônjÕjRô ]ôùVô°oRp
3⁄4Tô Y°Vôk ùR°.

The false belief that this hell-like house called body is me,
is Naraka himself. To destroy that false belief and let the
self shine as Self, is Dipavali.