Suprajathvam: Travel Diaries- 1- Ramanashramam

On the spiritual terrain towards Skandashramam and Virupaksha cave

Skandhashram, situated on the hallowed hills of arunachala has a special significance. Personally, I feel it as a confluence of detachment and attachment.

It is here Ramana Mahirishi's mother attained Mahasamadhi lying her head on his lap. That was an incident, where the rishi, who is all renounced , acted as the mother of his mother and unshackles her finally once and for all from the chain of wordly attachments.

What could be a better service a son could pay for his mother!!

While I write this, I am reminded of the "Maathru Panchakam" written by Adi shankara. It is a soul-stirring poem that the sage wrote post his mother death. Who will not run into tears, when reading this poignant poem.

Aasthaam tavaddeyam prasoothi samaye durvara soola vyadha,
Nairuchyam thanu soshanam malamayee sayya cha samvatsaree,
Ekasyapi na garbha bara bharana klesasya yasya kshmo dhathum,
Nishkruthi munnathopi thanaya tasya janyai nama.
Oh mother mine,
With clenched teeth bore thou the excruciating pain,
When I was born to you,
Shared thou the bed made dirty by me for an year,
And thine body became thin and painfull,
During those nine months that you bore me,
For all these in return,
Oh mother dearest,
I can never compensate,
Even by my becoming great.
Gurukulamupasruthya swapnakaale thu drushtwa,
Yathi samuchitha vesham praarudho maam twamuchai
Gurukulamadha sarva prarudathe samaksham
Sapadhi charanayosthe mathurasthu pranaama.
Clad in a dress of a sanyasin,
You saw me in my teacher’s school,
In your dream and wept,
And rushed thither,
Smothered, embraced and fondled me, Oh mother mine,
And all the teachers and students wept with you dear,
What could I do,
Except falling at your feet,
And offering my salutations.
Ambethi Thathethi Shivethi tasmin,
Prasoothikale yadavocha uchai,
Krishnethi Govinda hare Mukunde tyaho,
Janye rachito ayamanjali.
Oh mother mine,
Crying thou shouted in pain,
During thine hard labour,
“Oh mother, Oh father,
Oh God Shiva,
Oh Lord Krishna,
Oh Lord of all Govinda,
Oh Hari and Oh God Mukunda,”
But in return,
Oh my mother dearest.
I can give you but humble prostrations.
Na dattam mathasthe marana samaye thoyamapi vaa,
Swadhaa vaa no dheyaa maranadivase sraadha vidhina
Na japtho mathasthe marana samaye tharaka manu,
Akale samprapthe mayi kuru dhayaam matharathulaam.
Neither did I give you water at thine time of death,
Neither did I offer oblations to thee to help thine journey of death,
And neither did I chant the name of Rama in thine ear,
Oh Mother supreme, pardon me for these lapses with compassion,
For I have arrived here late to attend to those.
Mukthaa Manisthvam, Nayanam mamethi,
Rajethi jeevethi chiram sthutha thwam,
Ithyuktha vathya vaachi mathaa,
Dadamyaham thandulamesh shulkam.
Long live,
Oh, pearl mine,
Oh jewel mine,
Oh my dearest eyes,
Oh mine prince dearest,
And oh my soul of soul,
Sang thou to me,
But in return of that all,
Oh my mother dearest.
I give you but dry rice in your mouth

There is life after everything. Met this anna, on the way, who was sweeping the path. He lost his hand in an electrical accident.

It is quite common that we feel lost and purposeless, when our efforts doesn't see the light of the day. We feel a existential vacuum. But how about people like him, who keeps going even after such adversitirs. Bhagwaan doesn't show up in prathyaksham. He intuites through people like him.