40. WITHDRAWAL OF
THE MANIFESTATION

ECHAMMAL

It was the evening of December 27, 1945.

      Bhagavan was enveloped in a bright ethereal light,
which could not even be looked at. Normally, such a light
enveloped Bhagavan on the jayanti and Mahapooja days
as disciples prostrated before him after the pooja. But as it
was not one of those days the disciples wondered at the
light.

      That night, Echammal merged in Bhagavan. Maybe
it was for that reason that Bhagavan intensified his lustre.
Many people did not even know that Echammal was sick
though a few noticed that for about two or three days
earlier she had not been fetching food for Bhagavan.

      Around ten o'clock, of the next day, Lokamma came
to Bhagavan and reported the passing away of Echammal.
In a stentorian, emotion-filled voice Bhagavan said, "Yes
it is so. I am also looking forward to go but the time has
not yet come." Those who heard these words were
bewildered. "Was it the beginning of the end? If not, why
would Bhagavan utter such words?" they asked themselves.

      It was only by the evening that Bhagavan became
normal. Only then he enquired how the funeral rites of
Echammal were performed. He was told that her body
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was cremated. Later her ashes were taken to her place and
a tulsi plant was planted thereon.

      Towards the end of Krishna-avatara, Brahma and
other deities approached him and said, "The purpose of
your avatara has been fulfilled, and it is time to think of
return to your place." Krishna's reply was, "I have a little
job left. I have to help the Yadavas who cannot help
themselves." Maybe, Bhagavan also thought it desirable
to send those who were close to him to the heavens before
he himself departed.

      In her last days, Echammal suffered great penury but
still did not give up her service of Bhagavan. He used to
dissuade her saying, "Formerly we did not have enough
to eat but now the situation is much better, why do you
not stop this service and have food with us here?" She did
not heed his advice and just to satisfy her, Bhagavan would
taste a little of what she brought. He would not go towards
the dining hall until Echammal's service was over. After
her demise, her relations offered to send food to Bhagavan
as before but he did not approve of it. The privilege of
service was special to Echammal! After her passing away
Bhagavan is reported to have said, "I have still the
responsibility of Mudaliar patti."

MADHAVA SWAMI:

The next person to make his exit was Madhavaswami.

      Madhavaswami was a very quiet Malayalee who came to
Ramanasramam within five or six years of its establishment,
from a village near Palghat. He was detailed to attend on
Bhagavan. A bachelor, his devotion and attention to Bhagavan
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were matchless. Wherever Bhagavan went, Madhavaswami
followed him with a bowl of water (kamandalam).

      Such a devotee surprisingly began experiencing an
inexplicable burning sensation all over the body. Possibly his
body could not stand the intensity of the power of Bhagavan
with whom he came into contact. He then left the Ashram in
spite of Bhagavan's advice and began wandering about at
different places. Yet he could find peace nowhere.

      Madhavaswami who was immersed in joy while at
the Ashram became drowned in sorrow and finally joined
a math ^[?] in July 1946 at Kumbakonam. He wished to go
back to Aruncahala before his death but hesitated thinking
that he would not be allowed to go out again. Just before
his death he had an attack of dysentery. Thereafter, he sat
in padmasana and breathed his last on 7th July 1946.
Kunjuswami went from Ramanasramam to perform the
funeral rites.

      Madhava was a blessed being, almost a shadow of
Bhagavan, such being the case, why did he leave Bhagavan?
Or, why did he pass away at a different place? There is a
belief that the soul of one who served a siddha purusha
would be attached to the Mahatma and that if he left the
company of the Mahatma the body would not survive
long. A parallel to this can be found in the case of Sri
Aurobindo's wife who did not go to Pondicherry in spite
of being repeatedly asked to do so. She passed away a
little after the Master moved to Pondicherry. The power
of attraction of Siddha purushas is intense. If a body
confronts it, it naturally perishes.

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RAMANATHA BRAHMACHARI:

He came to Bhagavan during the latter's stay at the
Virupaksha cave. A bachelor and a very fine person he
had a good knowledge of Tamil literature. He was frail,
physically unattractive, and utterly poor; his goodness
was not discernible easily. He used to perform pooja in
someone's house in the town and have his food there. As
he had no means to buy himself a pair of sandals he would
wrap his feet in pieces of gunny sacks while walking in
the hot sun. Therefore, his walking was odd. Bhagavan
would joke, "Ramanatha, those who watch you walk could
comment that you are making fun of the way I walk." He
fell ill and went to Madras for treatment where he passed
away on December 19, 1946.

      Ramanatha was a good poet. His verses entitled Ramanar
anubhuti and his song Tiruchuzhinathan kande ne are excellent.
This song contains the substance of a three hour long speech
he gave on the similarities of Nataraja of Chidambaram and
Bhagavan one evening in Bhagavan's presence. The song
says, "I saw the Lord of Tiruchuzhi and unable to come
away, stayed back. The same Lord who comes to the succour
of the pitiable, dances at Chidambaram. The same Lord stays
at Virupaksha cave on Arunachala as an ocean of compassion.
He manifested himself there as God." In this song Ramanatha
repeatedly refers to Bhagavan as Andavane (God) which was
why he got a nickname Andavane.

LAKSHMI:

It was 1948, the next one to leave Bhagavan was
Lakshmi the cow. We have already seen the love and
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affection Bhagavan showered on the cow. She lived at the
Ashram for well over twenty years. After a brief illness she
had liberation on 18 June 1948. That morning Bhagavan
visited the cowshed at about 9.45 and sat close to Lakshmi,
and took her head in his lap. He began caressing her body
and addressed her in several endearing terms like "Amma",
"dear" and "nayana." Sometime in the afternoon Lakshmi
breathed her last.

      In the evening at about 6.30 her body was brought
for funeral in a cart to a place north of the hall where
Bhagavan normally sat. In the presence of Bhagavan,
Brahmin pandits recited various mantras while performing
abhisekha. Bhagavan spoke about Lakshmi in glowing
terms. He said that possibly in an earlier birth she was a
good sadhaka who came to the Ashram in the present
birth for liberation. "Everything is being done for Lakshmi
as was done for mother," he said to someone. Lakshmi's
body was smeared with turmeric power and sandal paste,
jasmine garlands were placed round her head and a red
upper cloth was wrapped round her neck. After waving
camphor light in front of her she was interred.

      In the South there is a practice of writing an epitaph
after the death of a great sadhu ^[?] and getting it engraved on
a stone to be placed on the samadhi. On the death of
Lakshmi, Bhagavan himself wrote an epitaph in Tamil.
Therein, Bhagavan referred to Lakshmi as having attainted
mukti ^[?]. Because of this a view was expressed that Bhagavan
granted liberation to Lakshmi. It was also said that
Devaraja Mudaliar had asked Bhagavan himself about this
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matter when the latter clarified that vimukti meant mukti ^[?].
Bhagavan never denied anything to anyone.

      According to the Ramayana, Sri Rama granted
liberation to Jatayu, the bird. He said, "You will go to
those blessed lokas to which great, pious souls go, with
my blessings." Maybe Lakshmi had a similar journey.

      The epitaph reads:
"On Saturday, the fifth day of Ani in the year
Sarvadhari, the twelfth day of the waxing moon
Under the asterism Visakha, the cow Lakshmi attained
mukti ^[?]."

— Translation: Collected Works.

      Bhagavan later translated the verse into Telugu, in
the very metre he used in Tamil. Bhagavan introduced
this metre (Venba) to the Telugu language.

      On the day Lakshmi passed away Bhagavan's body
became utterly weak and it was with great difficulty that
he could take a few steps.

MUDALIAR PATTI: (MUDALIAR GRANNY)

She was born in a Mudaliar family belonging to
Injikollai (Thanjavur District). At the suggestion of her
guru she visited Tiruvannamalai in 1908 on a pilgrimage
along with her son and daughter-in-law. They had darshan
of Bhagavan at Virupaksha cave. Possibly influenced by
that darshan, Mudaliar granny decided to stay back. Not
being able to persuade his mother to return home, her
son, Subramanya Mudaliar, left his wife, Kamakshi to
look after her and returned. Mudaliar Patti like Echammal,
began serving food to Bhagavan. Her son also could not
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resist Bhagavan's magnetic pull and got back to Arunachala
for Bhagavan's service after some time. Later on, he became
a renunciate and became the head of a math ^[?] at
Achalapuram, the place where the Saivite Saint Jnana
Sambandar disappeared, merging in effulgent light.

      Mudaliar granny and her daughter-in-law devoted
their lives to the service of Bhagavan. In course of time
after her daughter-in-law passed away the granny
continued her service in spite of advancing age. Noticing
her dedication and helplessness Bhagavan once said,
"Anyone helping her can be deemed to be in my service."

      Mudaliar granny was very independent and insisted
on carrying on the service without anyone else's assistance,
she also took liberties with Bhagavan. Once when she
served a larger quantity of food than usual Bhagavan
expressed his annoyance. Granny turned back and said,
"It is all in the mind." Bhagavan had a laugh and remarked
"She is throwing back my teaching at me!"

After passing away she was buried in the Gounder
compound. The rites were performed as for a sannyasini. A
large number of people gathered at the burial spot giving
evidence of the respect and love she commanded while alive.

      Having thus sent away his close associates it appeared
as if Bhagavan began the preparations for his own
withdrawal. The stories of the departure of only a few
devotees have been given above. It does not mean that
other devotees were not dear to Bhagavan.

      After all, did not Lord Krishna depart leaving behind
his very intimate Arjuna and Uddhava?