Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

Yesterday I waited for an opportunity to enquire about
this but Bhagavan was busy reading the story about
Sundaramurti in the Kaleswara Mahatmyam. This Kaleswara
Mahatmyam is a part of Brahmavaivartha Puranam. He read
out to us the portion relating to Sundaramurti going to the
Kaleswara Temple but before entering it, Sundaramurti went
for a bath to the Gaja Pushkarini Tank which was opposite.

When he came out of the tank after his bath, he found that
the temple had vanished. So Sundaramurti sang a few songs,
expressing his regret at going to the tank for a bath and not
to the temple first for the Lord’s darshan. Thereafter the
temple reappeared. After reading some more portions of
the story Bhagavan remarked, “Everything appeared to him
first as a large expanse of water and nothing else and later
as Jyothi (divine light).”
A devotee enquired, “It is said that Arunachalam is
also a form of Jyoti.” “Yes. It is so. For the human eye it is
only a form of earth and stone but its real form is Jyoti,”
said Bhagavan. Taking advantage of this opportunity I
asked, “There is a mutt in Adi Annamalai in the name of
Manikkavachakar. What could be the reason for its being
named like that?” “Oh! That one. It seems he came to
Tiruvannamalai also in his pilgrimage. He then stood at
that particular place and addressing Arunagiri, sang the
songs ‘Tiruvempavai’ and ‘Ammanai’. Hence the mutt got
established there, in commemoration. You must have heard
of the ‘Tiruvempavai’ songs; they are twenty in number.

Andal sang thirty songs in praise of Lord Krishna and in
the same strain Muruganar also has sung songs in praise of
me,” said Bhagavan.

DEVOTEE: “How did this Mountain get the name
Annamalai?”
BHAGAVAN: “That which is not reachable by Brahma or
Vishnu is Annamalai. That means it is the embodiment of
the Jyoti which is beyond word or mind. Anna means
unreachable. That is the cause of the name.”
DEVOTEE: “But the mountain has a form and a shape.”
BHAGAVAN: “When Brahma and Vishnu saw it, it
appeared as a pillar of Light enveloping the whole universe.

It was only later that it appeared like a mountain. This is
Ishwara’s sthula sariram (gross body). Jyothi itself is the sukshma
sariram (subtle body). That which is beyond all these bodies
is the Reality. Subtle means the Tejas (illumination which fills
the whole universe).”
DEVOTEE: “Was it the same thing even to Sundaramurti?”
BHAGAVAN: “Yes. At first it appeared as Jalamayam
(expanse of water), subsequently as Tejas (Lustre all round)
and finally to the human eye it appeared as a temple.

Mahatmas always look with divine eyes. Hence everything
appears to them as Pure Light or Brahman.”
NAGAMMA: “Bhagavan has, I believe, written a padyam
(verse) about the birth or appearance of the Arunachala
Linga, is it true?”
BHAGAVAN: “Yes. I wrote it on a Sivarathri day in the
year Vikrama, when somebody asked for it. Perhaps I have
written it in Telugu also.”
NAGAMMA: “Yes. It is stated in that Telugu padyam that
the linga appeared in dhanurmasam on the day of the Arudra
star; that Vishnu and the devas worshipped Siva who gave
divine vision to them; that was in the month of Kumbha.

What is the original story? And what was the occasion for
the festivities connected with the Krithika star?”
BHAGAVAN: “Oh! That! Brahma and Vishnu were
quarrelling as to who was greater. In the month of Kartika,
on the day of the Krithika star, a luminous pillar appeared
between them. To mark that event, a festival of lights is
celebrated on that day every year. You see, both Brahma
and Vishnu got tired of their fruitless search for the beginning
and the end of the pillar. Depressed by defeat they met at a
common place and prayed to God Almighty when Lord Siva
appeared before them in the pillar and graciously blessed
them. At their request, He agreed to be within their reach
for worship in the shape of the mountain and the Linga (in
the temple). He also told them that if they worshipped Him
thus, He would after a time, come out in the shape of Rudra
and would help them in all possible ways. Then He
disappeared. From then onwards, in the month of Dhanus,
on the day of the Arudra star, Brahma and Vishnu began to
worship the Linga that had manifested itself according to
the promise of Ishwara. As they continued the worship from
year to year in the second half of the month of Kumbha on
the thirteenth/fourteenth day at midnight, Siva manifested
Himself from that Linga and was then worshipped by Hari
and the devas. Hence that day is called Sivarathri as stated in
the Linga Puranam, and Siva Puranam. It seems it is only
from then onwards the worship of the Linga commenced. It
is emphatically stated in Skanda Purana that it is only in
Arunachala that the first Linga manifested itself.”