44. QUO VADIS?

WHERE did that light go? What happened to it? For
some devotees Ramana was nothing less than the
attributeless Brahman.

      Once a devotee named Amritanatha wrote on a paper
a Malayalam verse imploring Bhagavan to say whether he
was Hari (Vishnu) or Satguru (Subrahmanya) or
Yathiswara (Siva) or Vararuchi. Bhagavan wrote his reply
in the same Malayalam metre thus:

In the recesses of the lotus-shaped hearts of all,
beginning with Vishnu there shines as pure intellect
(absolute consciousness) the Paramathman, who is
the same as Arunachala Ramana. When the mind
melts with love of Him and reaches the inmost recess
of the Heart wherein He dwells as the beloved, the
subtle eye of pure intellect opens and He reveals
Himself as pure consciousness.

— Translation: Collected Works
This was hardly a reply to Amritanatha's question; it
was merely a philosophic upadesa. The purpose was to
teach the disciple who wished to know the nature of the
Guru that the Guru himself was God who was
Paramathma, a source of bliss. What Amritanatha wanted
Page 270
to know was who among those embodied celestials
Ramana was. But Bhagavan's reply amounted to saying:
"Leave alone that question. Try to know my nature,
Ramana's nature, and be done with it."

      Likewise, for some devotees Ramana was just a jnani ^[?].

      A jnani ^[?] is Brahman, nothing else. From a jnani's body the
jiva ^[?] does not go out, it just merges in its source. These
people also repeat Ramana's words, "Where can I go? I am
here." But there is little scope for interpreting these words
as referring to the state after physical death. Further, for
one who has attained Brahman there is nothing like here
or there. Therefore to interpret that Ramana continued
to stay at the Ashram would be absurd.

      Those who have seen a jnani's last moments say that
a jnani's body remains as if in deep sleep with the sense
organs being still, the eyes and mouth being closed. But
in the case of Bhagavan the mouth was not closed. Could
not the prana ^[?] have gone out through the mouth?

Lastly, at the last moment of Bhagavan a brilliant
light shot across the skies in the north-eastern direction
which was seen by thousands. What was it other than
Ramana jyoti?

The Bhagavata describes the end of Lord Krishna
thus: The path which the Lord traversed across the skies
as a lightning could not be understood even by Brahma
and other celestials. Lord Krishna after some time
disappeared into his natural abode. Because of this
description of the movement of Krishna one cannot say
that Krishna was not Easwara or that he did not have
Page 271
any natural abode. In Bhagavan's case also there was a
brilliant light which had its path.

      Some say that as Bhagavan had no latent tendencies
which alone caused birth on the earth he no longer would
reappear on the earth. Actually, Bhagavan himself said a
number of times that his relationship with his devotees
was unbreakable and that he would always be of help to
them. Unless Bhagavan was a celestial with a body how
would this be feasible?

As Kavyakantha said, Bhagavan was an aspect of
Skanda and he possibly returned to his natural abode.
Skanda also left in the form of a light. In saying so, one is
not in anyway minimizing the grandeur of Bhagavan's
experience of the Atma. Bhagavan himself said that though
Siva and others were jnanis, they had to carry out some
activities assuming a form.

      There are several points in favour of the statement
that Bhagavan was an aspect of Skanda. On 21 November
1945, the utsava vigraha of Arunachaleswara went round
the hill and when it reached Ramanasramam gate,
Bhagavan was sitting on a platform near the water tap
close to the book-depot. The plate containing the Deity's
prasadam, vibhuti was brought to Bhagavan who took
some vibhuti and said with great reverence, "The son is
subservient to the Father."

      Much before this incident occurred Kavyakantha
mentioned in the Ramana Gita that Bhagavan had earlier
appeared as Kumarila Bhatta and as Jnana Sambandar.
Kavyakantha also said that Ramana was the embodied form
Page 272
of the celestial Skanda and was a part of the line of acharyas
like Narada and Sanatkumara who appeared on the earth to
impart wisdom to people whenever dharma ^[?] was on the
decline.

      In this context one may recall a conversation which
a devotee had in 1934 with Bhagavan. During the course
of the conversation Bhagavan pointed out that the devotee
was mistaking him to be only the body and also revealed
that he lived "simultaneously in twenty lokas in twenty
bodies. The bodies keep coming and going. Who is to
keep track of which body is coming or which is going?
The important thing is to abide in the Self and not to
observe the changes in the bodies."

      This entire discussion has been necessitated because
some described Ramana as having had Brahma nirvana or
Mahanirvana (the word `nirvana' seems to be owing to
Buddhist influence). Some other devotees say that Ramana
continues to be Skanda and that he listens to our prayers.
This could be so.

      Even if they are in their respective lokas, devatas possess
all powers and depending on the intensity of a bhakta's
prayers can appear anytime. At Sivasakti kshetras, which
are places of deliverance, it is easy to invoke them and feel
their presence. This also explains why Siva's offspring,
Ramana, may have taken Sivakshetras like Tiruchuzhi,
Madurai and Arunachala as the field of his sport. As an
aspect of Skanda he exited in the form of a light and made
Arunachala his abode. It is therefore, easy to invoke him
at Arunachala — this is not to say that this cannot be done
Page 273
at other places but this depends almost entirely on the
strength of the prayers of devotees. On the other hand, at
Arunachala, owing to the favourableness of the kshetra ^[?] it
becomes easier. This is especially true of the spot of
Ramanasramam where Ramana spent over two decades.
Bhagavan Ramana's sanctitiy was enveloped by the
physical body composed of the five elements, that is now
buried at Ramanasramam. Even now the vibrations which
were experienced during Bhagavan's lifetime can be felt
there. A moment's dhyana ^[?] at Ramana samadhi or in the
meditation hall can make one experience Bhagavan's force
even now. That current of peace still flows there. It is also
the place where the dust of Bhagavan's feet is available and
is it not enough if that dust envelops us? So also this is the
place where the dust of the feet of Ramana bhaktas is
available which again is sacred. The Ramana teertha owes
its origin to Ramana himself. This is the air Bhagavan
breathed. This is the sky which reflected in his heart. Like
Krishna at Mathura, Bhagavan Ramana is very close here.