Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

The morning programme began at 7-15 a.m. with Uma
and other punyasthrees (married ladies) bringing a milk pot,
singing bhajans and placing the pot at the feet of Bhagavan.

After that, several devotees read essays, songs and verses
written by them in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kanarese, English
and Urdu. This stotra (praise of the Lord) continued with
short intervals till about 2 p.m. There were musical concerts
by Budalur Krishnamurthy Sastry from 8-30 to 9-30 a.m.,
rest from 9-45 to 10-00, puja and arati in Mathrubhuteswara
Temple from 10-15. At 11 o’clock inmates of the Ashram
brought prasadam from Arunachala Temple and placed it
before Bhagavan with great devotion. Then there was rest
from 11 a.m. to 12 noon.

Devotees requested Bhagavan to take rest as usual till 2
p.m., but would he agree? No sooner had he taken his food,
he sat on his sofa as usual. As a number of people had come
long distances for his darshan and it was possible they might
go away disappointed for want of time, he did not mind his
bodily discomfort and out of his abundant love and grace he
began giving them darshan without taking his usual rest.

Many people went home thinking that there would not
be Bhagavan’s darshan till 2 p.m. When after food I came
there, Bhagavan was already sitting on the sofa in the shed,
in his resplendent glory, surrounded by all the devotees.

The stotras were being recited one after another. You
cannot compare this great Sage with any emperor or god.

That is so because if you go for the darshan of an emperor
there will be many impediments, and recommendations are
required from many people. As for darshan of the gods, if
you go to Vaikuntam, Jaya and Vijaya will be there at the gate
and will say that it is not the proper time and ask you to go
away. If you go to Kailasa the same thing is done by the
pramathaganas (the servants of Siva). Here it is different; there
is only one rule. No one should be obstructed from having
darshan at any time — even animals and birds. Who is there
equal to this great personification of kindness! He alone is
equal to Himself.

In the afternoon from 2 o’clock onwards, people
assembled there occupying every inch of space. The
volunteers were silently arranging to seat them all
comfortably. The Jubilee Hall presented the appearance of
the durbar hall of an emperor. At 2 o’clock the Jubilee
Souvenir was presented, and after that the brahmin pandits
came there with Purna Kumbha (a vessel full of water) reciting
Vedas, and thereafter there was the reading of an essay from
the Hindi Prachar Sabha. The loud speaker was then installed
and addresses were presented in Telugu on behalf of the
Arya Vysya Samajam and in Tamil on behalf of Muniswamy
Chetty Brothers. After that the lectures began.

The Chairman of the meeting was Sri C. S. Kuppuswami
Iyer, a Judge of the Madras High Court. After his opening
address in English an essay written by Sir S. Radhakrishnan
was read out by Sri T. K. Doraiswamy Iyer. That essay was
received just then by post.

After that Swami Rajeswarananda and Dr. T. M. P.

Mahadevan spoke in English, Justice Chandrasekhara Iyer
spoke in Telugu, M. S. Chellam and Omandur Ramaswami
Reddiar, (subsequently he became the Chief Minister of
Madras State) in Tamil and K. K. Iravatham Iyer in
Malayalam, R. S. Venkatarama Sastry read some prayer slokas
and lectured in Sanskrit. Kunjuswami sang some songs. The
purport of all those speeches is worth recording but how do
I know all those languages to record them? By the time the
concluding remarks of the Chairman were made, it was
4-45 p.m. During the period, the Indian Information Bureau
representatives took a number of photos with a view to
prepare a film of the Golden Jubilee celebrations. And then
there was a quarter of an hour’s rest. At 5 p.m. there was a
lecture of thanksgiving on behalf of the residents of
Tiruvannamalai by Annamalai Pillai, after that a musical
concert by Musiri Subrahmania Iyer, then Veda Parayana.

The proceedings came to a close by 7-15 p.m. Before that, at
about 6 p.m., the mahout brought the temple elephant fully
decorated and made it prostrate before Bhagavan. That
elephant is usually kept at the Thousand Pillars Mandapam
and it was within that Mandapam in an underground cave
that Bhagavan resided during the early days in
Arunachaleswara Temple. It was therefore quite appropriate
that the elephant staying in that Mandapam should make
obeisance to the emperor of that Mandapam.

You may ask what sandesam (message) Bhagavan gave
to all those people who came and prostrated before him and
prayed for his help and guidance. I wrote a verse in Telugu
on that occasion meaning: “He is there as an observer, seeing
everything but unaffected, without any gunas (attributes) and
as the embodiment of pranava.” In the same manner, he was
there without any movement, absorbed in his own Self,
seeing and hearing everything but silent all through. That is
the great and invaluable message he gave us. The grace and
the kindness that shine from those eyes pierce through the
hearts of all living beings and protect them by giving them
the bliss of shanti (peace). The brilliant tejas (light) of the
Mouna Bhaskara (Silent Sun) spreads on all sides, destroys
the darkness of ignorance, but that Mouna which is beyond
mind and speech — how could that be broadcast?