Here I am giving two persons experiences of Ramanashramam in their own words:-
1. Meethee (My grand daughter 4 & 1/2 year old) :-
There were 4 beds in our cottage. This was a very beautiful house. The painting was good. The entry gate of the Ashram was always opened. I saw so many peacocks, so many monkeys, so many dogs & so many cows there. I with my mother, father, uncle, grand paa, grand maa climbed to the Arunachala hill. There I went to Skandashram where Bhagvaan Ramana lived for so many years. There we meditated for a while. There we saw so many devotees meditating and some were in trance. One baby monkey jumped on my grandfather’s head. Then we went to Birupaksha cave. There we meditated for a while. A saint gave me two bananas as the gift for monkeys. I gave the bananas to my father and he threw them to the monkeys. Monkeys took the bananas and ate them. We went to Arunachala temple. We started to have darshan of Arunachaleshwar in a queue. The queue was so long that my grandfather became frustrated. My father requested the management to take us out. The management managed to take us out. Then we came to the ashram and took lunch there. Staying for two days there, we came our home at Chennai.
There were 4 beds in our cottage. This was a very beautiful house. The painting was good. The entry gate of the Ashram was always opened. I saw so many peacocks, so many monkeys, so many dogs & so many cows there. I with my mother, father, uncle, grand paa, grand maa climbed to the Arunachala hill. There I went to Skandashram where Bhagvaan Ramana lived for so many years. There we meditated for a while. There we saw so many devotees meditating and some were in trance. One baby monkey jumped on my grandfather’s head. Then we went to Birupaksha cave. There we meditated for a while. A saint gave me two bananas as the gift for monkeys. I gave the bananas to my father and he threw them to the monkeys. Monkeys took the bananas and ate them. We went to Arunachala temple. We started to have darshan of Arunachaleshwar in a queue. The queue was so long that my grandfather became frustrated. My father requested the management to take us out. The management managed to take us out. Then we came to the ashram and took lunch there. Staying for two days there, we came our home at Chennai.
I remember some of my best
experiences mentioned below. The staying in ashram, taking group meals and
group meditation will always remain in my memories. ……………… Kumaree Vanee Jha (Age 4yrs, 8 months
and 14 days).
My Experience at Ramanashram
(06.02.2016 to 08.02.2016)
2. KAMALA
KANT JHA:-
This was my third visit
to Ramanashram. First time, I had visited the place in 1992 and 2nd
time in 2002. There was a chance to visit the holy place in the year in 2009 when
I crossed Dindigul while travelling to Rameshwaram from Chennai and coming
back. However, perhaps Guru Baba was not willing to give His darshan, I did not
go there. But, I had already visited Madurai ashram where Guru Baba had death experience 1st time at the age of 16. Now again, I found opportunity and went there with my five family members,
my wife, my 2nd and 3rd sons, my 2nd
daughter-in-law & my granddaughter. On 6th Feb. 2016, we started
for Tiruvannamalai by our own car. We reached there at about 1:30 PM via
Chengalpet & Tindivanam. While in the way, I phoned SE Sahab, Shree S.P.
Singh and got phone no. of Bhatt Sahab. Bhatt Sahab gave me the numbers of the
office of Ramanashramam. I telephoned there and talked with Dr Murti
giving the reference of Er. Bhatt of Patna. He replied to make arrangement when
I would reach there. We reached there and contacted the office. In the office,
there was Mr. Shrinivasan. I gave reference of talking with an office bearer Dr
Mani. Forgetting the name of Dr Murti, by mistake, I took the name Dr
Mani and Mr. Srinivasan corrected it saying ‘no doctor’ only ‘Mr. Mani’. Mr.
Mani is the younger brother of the president. Thinking that Mr. Mani had
assured us, he immediately gave the key of a family suit. Bowing down to
Bhagvan we went to our suit. It was very comfortable having three beds, one
sofa, dining table with chairs, washing space with washbasin & two bathrooms.
Sofa was used as fourth bed and side of sofa was spread on the ground and used
as fifth bed. My granddaughter slept with her mother and thus we got full
comfortable rest house. Vimaljee brought some lunch packets and we all
quenched our hunger. At 4:30 PM, we reached ashram. Reaching ashram was a great
excitement for me. Though it was my third visit, I felt as if I have come to a
special place more than the heaven. We sat on the floor in the main hall joined
the evening prayers. We went to meditation hall and did meditation. So many
devotees were meditating and some were in trance. The experience is beyond
expression. It was so heavenly as if we were meditating in the presence of Bhagvan.
We joined evening meal at 7:30 PM. We again performed parikrama of
bhagvan’s statue and Maatribhooteshwar and returned to our cottage. Next day we
became ready earlier and joined the Morning Prayer. Taking breakfast, we
started to climb Arunachala Hill. This hill has been called the Shivalingam
on the earth. We met wandering swamee sitting in the mid way. He talked to us
for a while and gave bhagvan’s photos and ashes (bibhooti). We reached Skandashram.
There were so many devotees meditating there. We also meditated for a while. It
is a very cool place. There were so many monkeys there. One monkey-child climbed
on my head. However, I was not afraid and enjoyed. We reached Viroopaksha
cave. It is some hot. We meditated there. One devotee perhaps cave in-charge
gave two bananas to my granddaughter as monkey gift. She gave them to monkeys
and they started quarreling to eat. We came down ward towards town and
Arunachaleshwar Temple. In the way, we saw Maa Durga Temple. We reached
Arunachaleshwara Temple. The campus is very big. This is the temple where
Bhagvan first came. We saw 1000-pillar temple but could not see paataal lingam,
I have already seen the place two times. We started to have darshan of
Arunachleshwar and we bought tickets and stood in a queue. We remained in the
queue for one an hour. Seeing the uncounted persons in the queue, I became
mentally exhausted and wanted to come out from the queue without having darshan
of Arunachaleshwar. Dipujee talked to the management and we came out of the
queue.
We took an auto and started for
ashram as it was the time of lunch and we did not want to miss it. We joined
the ashram lunch and enjoyed too much. We did parikrama of Guru Baabaa and came
to our cottage to take rest for a while. At 4:00 PM, we joined tea at ashram.
Joined prayer, visited the sale office & ashram library. The ashram library
is marvelous one. Previously, the library was in Morby side where our cottage (In
which we stayed this time) has been constructed. Now a day, it has been shifted
in its new building in northern portion of the ashram campus, adjacent to the
Hill of its southern side. We saw and read so many books and became overwhelmed
seeing the treasure of knowledge there. At 6:00 PM, the library time became
over and we came back to the ashram. We joined the evening prayer. For a short
while, I and Dipujee went to visit Yogi Ramsurat Kumar Ashram. In my 1st
journey to Tiruvannamalai in 1993, I had got darshan of the yogi. I found him
in the bliss. In 2002, the yogi was dead and his disciples had made a big
ashram on his name. The hall is very big. The ashram was quite quiet. We returned
to Ramanashram at dinner time. We took dinner, did parikrama of Bhagvan and after
meditating for a while returned to our cottage. Early in the morning, I woke up
at 4:30 AM and became ready for departure. I went to the Ashram, got darshan of
maataa and bhagvan and came to the gate where all other members were waiting in
the car. I was willing for all members to have darshan of Bhagvan but it didn’t happen or it might be the will of Bhagvan. Without
His will no one can have His darshan.
We
returned, but following things will always be in our memory:- 1. Pleasure of
having accommodation in the ashram and enjoying it. 2. Peace in Matri-mandir,
Ramana-mandir and meditation hall. 3. Pleasure on climbing the hill. 4.
Visiting Skandashram and Virupaksha cave and enjoyment of meditation on those
places. 5. Talking with saints about the thoughts of Bhagvan Ramana. 6.
Enjoying the same pleasure or more in every visit at Ramanashramam.
I wish I may be graced by
Bhagvan Ramana to visit the place again and again.
