39. DAILY ROUTINE

A devotee once asked Bhagavan, "Swami, do you sleep?"

Bhagavan: Am I awake now?
Devotee:

Yes, otherwise how can anyone speak?

Bhagavan: If one is awake it means he wakes up from
sleep, isn't it?

Another doubt expressed was how could one who
had transcended the three states experience deep sleep.
The reply was, "It is the body that sleeps and wakes up.
The I is always there as a witness."

      Venkateswara Sarma once asked, "Bhagavan performs
so many acts but says that he is doing nothing. How is
this possible?"

Bhagavan: Even if told, can you understand? Think
it over.

      Bhagavan later continued, "Any action of one whose
ahamkara has disappeared, is not because of his will. The
action is perceived only by others."

      In trying to understand the daily routine of Bhagavan
the above observations have to be kept in mind. The
purpose of this chapter is merely to describe what went
on in the Presence, nothing else.

      In the early days, when the Ashram was small, there
was no activity in the Ashram in which Bhagavan did not
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participate. During those days, Bhagavan would wake up
around 2.30 or 3 in the early hours of the day and after
ablutions would go to the kitchen to cut the vegetables as
did his disciples. He would also prepare the breakfast and
the side-dish to go with iddlis. Bhagavan always emphasized
the dignity of labour and would also teach the art of
cooking to disciples. He held that one not well-versed in
cooking could not claim to be educated either!

Around 5 A.M. the doors of the hall would be opened
and several devotees, about to leave for the various teerthas
for bath or for giri pradakshina would walk in and prostrate
before Bhagavan. Vedic scholars would recite from the
Upanishads.

Some others would sit for meditation. Yet others
would recite Muruganar's hymns. During Dhanurmasa
(December-January) Andal's `Tiruppavai' would be sung.
At about 5.30, students of the Vedic school would come
and recite Sri Ramana Chatvarimsat and Taittiriya Upanishad
. By that time, lady devotees who had spent the
preceding night in the town (as their stay at the Ashram
during night was forbidden) would arrive.

      By 6.30, Bhagavan would go for his bath and later go
to the dining hall, where he would be served breakfast.
Thereafter, Bhagavan would go towards the hill and
ashramites would go about attending to their duties. These
duties were varied, like collecting flowers from the garden
and stringing them into garlands or bringing various items
from the storeroom and getting them ready for cooking,
or getting down to cooking or attending to the cattle in
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the goshala. Some went to work in the Ashram office or
the library. For those in the Vedic schools the duty was to
offer worship three times a day at the Matrubhuteswara
shrine, and at the images of Skanda, Ganesa or at
Bhagavan's picture. On special occasions, special poojas
were also offered.

      By about 8 o' clock, Bhagavan would return to the
sofa. Thereafter, devotees, visitors and disciples would
assemble there. Usually silent meditation would be carried
on. But those who looked upon Bhagavan as God would
not keep silent and they would either recite the stotras
written by them, or just show him their poems. They would
also sing songs. Yet others would narrate their domestic
problems to him!

Some came to the Ashram to indulge in some
argumentation and show off their erudition. On such
occasions, Bhagavan would usually remain silent and
would not speak unless a question was specifically addressed
to him. A Theosophist once asked Bhagavan, "They say
that Masters (great souls) exist in an invisible form, how
is one to see them?"

Bhagavan: How can you see those who are invisible?
Visitor:

By jnana.

Bhagavan: For a jnani ^[?] there is no `other.'
An ashramite once said to Bhagavan: "You say that
the world is an illusion, whereas we don't say so. Is this
not the only difference between us?"

Bhagavan: Not at all. All that we say is that the only
Truth is the Atma and that the world is only Atma. By
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saying that the World, Self and Easwara are Truth you are
apportioning only one-third of the truth to Easwara.

      A Christian missionary once asked Bhagavan "Is
Easwara a person?"

Bhagavan: Yes, he is the first person, `Aham.' If you
give importance to the world he does not get even the
second person but only the third person. According to
the Bible, He told Moses, that his name was `I am' (Aham asmi
).

      There were several occasions when people exceeded
their limits in their talk with Bhagavan. Such behaviour
was looked upon as a nuisance by those who came to
Bhagavan's presence for meditation or self enquiry which
were facilitated by his presence and some of them did feel
the results straightaway. Yet why did aberrations occur?
By the touch of Bhagavan's sakti the mind of some visitors
got churned and their latent tendencies surfaced. These
were imbued with the three gunas ^[?] and showed themselves
as irreverent acts.

      There were some who were busy with Bhagavan's
literary works. Bhagavan would help them in their task.
In the early years Bhagavan himself would write the fair
copies or correct the proofs. He also would bind books.

      Bhagavan's kindness was proverbial. His concern for
the downtrodden was phenomenal. His kindness was
directly proportionate to the misery of the visitor. Also, his
welcoming smile to an infant was warmer than that to a
learned scholar. Similarly, his replies to an unlettered person
were more illuminating than those to a scholar. His warmth
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towards a poor man was greater than that towards a rich
one.

      Old devotees and those who knew Bhagavan's nature
hesitated to go to his presence but this was not the case
with new visitors. They went straight to Bhagavan who
welcomed them with a smile.

      People were forbidden from touching Bhagavan. No
such restriction applied to squirrels or doves which sat on
his lap. Cows and dogs would be patted by Bhagavan. He
would show greater interest in receiving the books, toys
or peppermints brought by children than in receiving
scholarly works by erudite scholars.

      By nine o'clock, Mouni would bring the day's post.

      Bhagavan would have a look at the letters for about one
hour and thereafter till eleven o'clock it was the same
routine. By eleven Bhagavan would rise for lunch and till
about two o'clock in the afternoon visitors did not disturb
him. During this interval Bhagavan would glance through
the newspapers or take some rest.

      Thereafter, the hall would get filled up as usual. This
was the time when philanthropists and poets would talk,
bhaktas would sing and scholars would begin philosophic
discussions. This was also the time when Bhagavan would
be absolutely silent. When asked how this was possible he
would say, "If you pay attention only to the base note and
not to the other notes can the mind become engrossed in
the raga?" He also would say, "If you pay attention to the
Self other objects will not attract you."

      Thereafter, he would attend to correspondence.

      Mouni would keep the replies for letters received ready
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and show them to him. Bhagavan would go through them
and make corrections wherever deemed necessary.

      At about 4.30 p.m. Bhagavan would go out for a
walk on Arunachala.

      By 5.30 p.m. meditation would commence. It was a
moment eagerly looked forward to by disciples. Peace
would reign all around. As darkness fell and enveloped
Arunachala it would appear as if life itself was being
enveloped by ignorance. A little later students of the Vedic
school would arrive and recite Rudram, Purusha-sooktam,
Srisooktam and Upadesa-saram. Those sonorous notes
would touch the foot of the hill. After a silent half an
hour, recitation of various writings of Bhagavan would
commence. By then the pooja at Matrubhuteswara shrine
would be over. Thereafter women would have supper and
go out of the Ashram into the town for the night.

      After the night meal by about 8.30 p.m., disciples
would gather round Bhagavan. It was a time when everyone
was relaxed in Bhagavan's presence. After some time,
everyone would depart after pranams to Bhagavan. The
doors of the hall would then be closed. This was the usual
daily routine.

      Three days in a year were special. Thousands of
visitors thronged the Ashram and all of them would be
fed — these three were Krittikai, Ramana's birthday and
the Mahapooja day at Matrubhuteswara shrine. Krittikai
has already been alluded to. Ramana's jayanti (birthday)
would fall the day after Ardra darshan. Celebration of
jayanti was begun by Gambhiram Seshayya in 1912
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when Bhagavan was residing at the Virupaksha cave.
Bhagavan did not approve of the proposal and wrote
two Tamil verses on the occasion.

1. You who wish to celebrate a birthday, first
inquire who was born. One's true birthday is when one
enters into the Eternal Being which shines forever without
birth or death.

2. Of all days, on one's birthday one should mourn
one's fall (into Samsara). To celebrate it as a festival is like
adorning and glorifying a corpse. To seek one's Self and
merge in it is wisdom.

      Translation: Collected works
But the disciples insisted that the celebration was for
their own benefit and was necessary as a mark of their
gratitude for Bhagavan's arrival in their midst for their
uplift. On their persistence Bhagavan let them have their
way. Ever since, Bhagavan's birthday (jayanti) is being
celebrated with great enthusiasm to this day.

      The celebrations, during Bhagavan's time would be
on the following lines.

      The hall opposite the Matrubhuteswara shrine
would be decorated and while the pooja at the shrine
commenced Bhagavan would arrive and sit on a couch.
Nadaswaram and other musical instruments would be
played and aarti offered to Bhagavan. Devotees would
thereafter prostrate themselves in front of Bhagavan.
Around eleven o'clock, poor feeding and a feast for
devotees would take place. The poor feeding would go
on till about three o'clock in the afternoon. Feeding of
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the poor was especially pleasing to the mother enshrined
as the Matrubhuteswara.

      The other important celebration at the Ashram was
the Mahapooja to commemorate the samadhi of the mother.

      Whatever was done at the Ashram was done as an
offering to the Lord who purified the mind and granted
liberation. Ashramites also believed that all actions should
be desireless and that deeds were more important than
words. Just as hunger would not be appeased by merely
shouting for `food' even so, in the philosophy. All that
was required was unquestioning sadhana ^[?] and everything
would come to fruition in the fullness of time — there
were no milestones in this philosophic quest. Thus
desireless action and constant practice would render daily
life sacred and pure.

      Bhagavan used to go around the Ashram while all
inmates were asleep. Perhaps the father wished to protect
his children while they were all asleep also!