Glory of Arunachala - Ramana Maharsi

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T HE G LORY OF ARUNACHALA Translated by M. C. Subramanian SRI RAMANASRAMAM SRI RAMANASRAMAM SRI RAMANASRAMAM SRI RAMANASRAMAM SRI RAMANASRAMAM TIRUV TIRUV TIRUV TIRUV TIRUVANNAMALAI 606 603 ANNAMALAI 606 603 ANNAMALAI 606 603 ANNAMALAI 606 603 ANNAMALAI 606 603 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004

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Glory of Arunachala - Ramana Maharsi

Transcript of Glory of Arunachala - Ramana Maharsi

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THE GLORY OF

ARUNACHALA

Translated by

M. C. Subramanian

SRI RAMANASRAMAMSRI RAMANASRAMAMSRI RAMANASRAMAMSRI RAMANASRAMAMSRI RAMANASRAMAMTIRUVTIRUVTIRUVTIRUVTIRUVANNAMALAI 606 603ANNAMALAI 606 603ANNAMALAI 606 603ANNAMALAI 606 603ANNAMALAI 606 603

20042004200420042004

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© Sri RamanasramamTiruvannamalai

First Edition: 1999 - 1000 copiesSecond Edition: 20042000 Copies

CC No. 1098

ISBN: 81-88018-31-7

Price: Rs.

Published byPresidentSri RamanasramamTiruvannamalai 606 603Tamil NaduINDIATel: 91-4175-237292/237200Fax: 91-4175-237491Email: [email protected]: www.ramana-maharshi.org

Typeset atSri Ramanasramam

Printed byKartik PrintersChennai 600 015

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Publisher’s Note

The Tamil translation of Arunachala Mahatmyam(Sanskrit) done by Sri Munagala S. Venkataramiah (laterSri Ramanananda Saraswati, compiler of Talks withSri Ramana Maharshi) is already published bySri Ramanasramam. The English translation of this bySri M. C. Subramanian was serialised in The Mountain Path.This has been reissued now and includes a few alterationsand additions. A long-felt need of devotees has at last beenrealised with the publication of this in book form.

An unavoidable feature of the original is the repetitionof stories as compiled from various Sanskrit sources. Thishas been retained in translation in order to emphasise theglory of Arunachala as the main theme.

Appended to the Arunachala Mahatmyam (English),which forms the main body of the text, is the ArunachalaPuranam as vignettes, translated by Sri J. Jayaraman fromthe Tamil poetic work of Saiva Ellappa Navalar, oftenreferred to by Sri Bhagavan. This too originally appearedas a serial in The Mountain Path.

TIRUVANNAMALAI V. S. RAMANAN

1st September 1999 PRESIDENT

SRI RAMANASRAMAM

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Contents

Page

Publisher’s Note iii

Contents v

ARUNACHALA MAHATMYAM (SANSKRIT)

Invocation 3

PART ISKANDA MAHAPURANAM

(Arunachala Mahatmyam)First Section 5

PART IISKANDA MAHAPURANAM

(Arunachala Mahatmyam)Second Section 85

PART IIISIVA RAHASYA

(Upamanyu Sivabhakta Vilasam: Arunachala Mahima) 157

PART IVSIVA MAHAPURANAM

(Vidyeswara Samhita: Arunachala Mahatmyam) 187

(Vidyasara Samhita) 200

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PagePART V

SKANDA UPAPURANAM

(Kshetra Khandam) 205Sri Bhagavan’sArunachala Linga Pramana Vakyani 208

ARUNACHALA PURANAM (TAMIL)Vignettes 216

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PARPARPARPARPART - IT - IT - IT - IT - I

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IIIII N VN VN VN VN VO C AO C AO C AO C AO C AT I O NT I O NT I O NT I O NT I O N

Siva Mahimna Stotra

O Hara! Even the words of Brahma and other Godsare inadequate to sing your Glory. It is therefore impossiblefor an ignorant man to speak of your greatness.Nevertheless, this, my deep desire to describe you asIndescribable, cannot be wrong.

Even the Srutis could only indirectly describe you as‘not this, not that’, and your greatness as being beyondwords and thought. How can one say what you are andwho can visualise you? Yet, how can one remain withoutthinking or speaking of your revealed form? I am inclinedto speak of your Glory so that I may become pure.

O Hill Supreme, when you stood as this Column ofEffulgence, the utmost efforts of Brahma and Vishnu torealise your greatness were of no avail Later, full of devotionand faith, they praised you and you appeared before them!Can devotion fail to achieve anything?

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I . TI . TI . TI . TI . TH EH EH EH EH E S S S S S I G N I F I C A N C EI G N I F I C A N C EI G N I F I C A N C EI G N I F I C A N C EI G N I F I C A N C E O FO FO FO FO F

AAAAA R U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

IN the Suta Samhita, it is said: Siva’s very form is Linga,

hence the term, Sivalinga. Later it will be found thatthe Supreme Being revealed Himself as this Linga of Fire.

GREATNESS OF SIVALINGA AS TOLD IN THE

SUTA SAMHITA

Linga is truly Siva. All is revealed by Siva who is thevery essence of Consciousness and Knowledge. Nothingcan reveal Him. Thus the Linga is the sole, Self-shiningReality. In brief, Siva is Consciousness Unmanifest,whereas Sivalinga is Consciousness Manifest.

Again it is said, that unto which all merge is theLinga. Everything is resolved into Brahman, but theSupreme Brahman being the sole Eternal Reality cannot

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merge into another. All but Siva merge into Siva. Thereforethe Linga is Immortal Siva Himself. The whole universeis termed Linga, as the former is resolved and absorbedinto and manifested from the latter. But the Linga is freefrom any emblem or characteristic mark.

This Linga is unqualified, beyond darkness. It is thesource of the sacred syllable Pranava (OM). It is neitheran entity nor a nonentity; neither the pervader nor thepervaded, neither the knowledge, nor the knower or theknown; neither the manifest, the existing nor theunmanifest; neither real nor unreal, or a mixture of thetwo. It is only the Self-Realised. It illuminates all by itslight; neither decaying nor undecaying; neither movingnor inert; neither the proof nor the proven; neither thevital air nor the mind; neither the seer nor the seen; neitherthe image nor its reflection; neither visible nor invisible;it is beyond speech and thought; it is not the eye, the ear,the nose, the earth, the ether, the vital airs or any objectof the senses — to realise the Self, enquiring in this manner,is true worship.

This Linga, though not the ether nor different fromit, yet reveals it; though not light, reveals it; though notair, yet makes it move; though not water, yet gives it itsnature.

This Linga can be seen on a shining seat in the houseof nine gates — never installed there by anyone but havingfaces, hands, feet, heads and seats in all directions. It liesbeyond darkness; nothing can be seen there. It is revealedas the Unqualified Being by Vedanta. From it emerges the

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magnificent earth and is resolved into it. The threequalities namely, brightness, activity and darkness (sattva,rajas and tamas) of which the universe is made, manifestsfrom it.

Its size cannot be estimated, for it has no magnitude.It remains unbroken and unitary. All the spheres of thevast universe are located in it. It has no temple but containsall in itself. It is the inmost core of all beings. It is neitherIsvara nor the jiva but the Inmost Conscious Self, Bliss,Non-dual Reality unrelated to Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra,Indra etc. It can be realised only by the Self. It is the Self,known to oneself and abides within. This is the SupremeBliss; there is nothing apart from it. It is always worshippedby all. It is free from the three states of waking, dream anddeep sleep. It is drik — pure, beyond knowledge. Neitherthe ignorant nor the all-knowing individuals or gods inthe power of the ego or maya, can see this Linga.

As this cannot be understood by all, out of Hisspontaneous infinite mercy, Siva is here manifest asArunachala which all can see and worship.

u

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I I . TI I . TI I . TI I . TI I . TH EH EH EH EH E O O O O OR I G I NR I G I NR I G I NR I G I NR I G I N O FO FO FO FO F

T H ET H ET H ET H ET H E H H H H H I L LI L LI L LI L LI L L

HERE at Arunachala, Siva shines forth as the YogiSupreme, with his forehead smeared with three lines

of sacred ashes and adorned by a patch of musk, clad in aloincloth, wearing a brilliant garland, the invincibleserpent on his body and the crescent moon on his head.

Vyasa said: The holy men of Naimisaranya asked Suta:We desire to know from you about the greatness ofArunachala, please tell us. Suta thereupon described it asfollows:

In former times Sanaka asked Brahma the samequestion. I shall repeat what Brahma narrated to Sanaka.Listen attentively. The sins of those who listen with faithto this narrative will be destroyed. Once upon a time Sanaka,with hands folded in salutation asked Brahma:O Creator of the Universe! Lord of the devas! Thou art

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known through the study of the Vedas! Four-faced One! Ihave by Thy grace acquired the ability to know everything.Thou art the Universal Guru. By Thy grace the knowledgeof Siva (Sivajnana), the essence of the Vedas, has becomeclear. Ocean of Mercy! The divine lingas of Siva on earth,installed by human beings or siddhas are all of a concreteform. Kindly tell me which of these lingas found in theIsland of Jambu (one of the nine islands or land masses intowhich the earth is divided according to Hindu mythology.India, situated in this island, is the purest, the best,Self-created, full of Effulgence and has the virtue ofdestroying desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride and jealousy).Ocean of Compassion! Kindly tell me as to which of thesecan, by merely thinking of it, destroy all sins and grant theeternal state of Siva. Please enlighten me about that lingawhich is the primal cause of the world and which trulyrepresents the imperishable splendour of Siva and the sightof which makes one feel that the supreme aim of life hasbeen fulfilled.

On hearing these eager words of Sanaka, Brahmawas pleased. Sitting on the lotus he meditated on Sambhu(another name for Siva) for a long time and was immersedin bliss. In this state he had a vision of Siva as He hadformerly revealed Himself as a Column of Light. Thefour-faced Brahma lost awareness of the surroundings. BySiva’s Grace and on His instructions, Brahma emergedfrom his trance and noticed Kumara (literally the son,Sanaka) standing in a worshipful attitude. With hairstanding on end and with tears of joy brought forth by

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the vision of Siva, he spoke in a faltering voice: O Son!You have made me remember the ancient yoga of Siva.You have developed supreme devotion to Siva as a resultof great austerities. Those pure souls who possess unceasingdevotion to the Eternal Siva purify the entire world bytheir lives. To talk, associate or sport with devotees ofSiva removes all sins; even mere remembrance or sight ofthem removes all sins.

Now I shall describe how Siva, the Ocean of Grace,manifested as Arunachala, the Light of Consciousness.From the Supreme Effulgence which is the Eternal Siva,Narayana (Vishnu) and I were born in accordance withHis desire. Both of us manifested spontaneously. Once,out of egoism, we engaged in an argument and started afight. Seeing the terrible rage into which we had fallenwhile quarrelling, the Lord reflected: Why should therebe a destructive fight between these two, as to who isgreater? If I do not reveal myself immediately to both andstop their fight, the world will cease to exist. These twowho have in their anger lost their senses, do not know theVedic truth that my glory transcends everything. Eachcreature considers itself superior to every other creature.The ignorant who cannot realize and concede equality orsuperiority of another must necessarily suffer defeat andfall. I shall reveal myself in a definite form somewhere inthe world, so that even a mean human being can attainme the moment he thinks of me.

Having so decided, the Eternal Siva manifestedHimself as a Column of fire before us. The Column

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transcended all the worlds and its limits could not beperceived. Blinded by the sight, both of us stood still. Webecame confused and unnerved on seeing that blazingColumn of Effulgence. Then there arose a voice in the air:Children, why do you fight? Siva alone knows your strengthand weakness. The form of Sambhu has now appeared beforeyou as a Column of Effulgence. He who finds out thebeginning or the end of it is the greater of the two.

Upon hearing these words we stopped fighting. Todiscover the limits of Sambhu in the shape of abeginningless and endless Column of fire, one of us decidedto trace the beginning and the other the end. Like a childwho tries to seize the moon reflected in water, each of usbegan to measure the Supreme Effulgence in order tounderstand it. For this purpose, Vishnu in the form of ahuge boar began to dig the earth vigorously to find thelower end. I took the shape of a swan and soared swiftlyto find its summit. Madhava (Vishnu) bored into theearth and went beyond, but found that the Column offire went still lower. Even after seeking for millions ofyears it was not possible to find out the source of thatbeginningless Column of fire. Therefore Vishnu becamedispirited and discouraged. He was weary and tired andhe was forced to return.

Then Vishnu, whose intelligence is immeasurable,sought refuge in Siva, the Universal Refuge and began tothink thus: Ah! On account of my immense stupiditycaused by my ego I forgot the Supreme Self, my Lord. Heis truly the Supreme Siva, the source of all the devas, the

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Vedas and the worlds. I was born out of Him who isbeginningless and endless. Assuming the form of a bruteI tried to gauge Siva who is of such greatness. By theGrace of Sambhu, Self-knowledge has dawned on me.When Lord Sambhu chooses to protect someone, theperson will immediately and spontaneously lose his egoand gain wisdom. I am no longer strong enough toworship the Universal Guru. Therefore I shall surrenderunto Him. Vishnu praised Siva in this manner, meditatedupon Him, and by the Grace of the Lord, he regained thesurface of the earth.

As for me, I was flying for many years until my eyesbecame dim and my wings tired. The splendid Effulgenceof Siva in the form of a linga of Light rose higher andhigher. Siddhas who found me trying to reach theimmeasurable top of the Supreme Effulgence exclaimed:Ah! this is nothing but ignorance. He is still putting forthhis efforts. Even when the body is about to fall the egodoes not fade away. Even though his wings are brokenand weary and his eyes dim, he is bound by the vaindelusion that he can discover the limits of the limitlessEffulgence. Vishnu who became similarly despondent,regained good sense by Siva’s spontaneous grace andretraced his steps. If a finite being desires to realize theEffulgence which is the origin of Brahma and the devas,he should dive within himself and meditate on Siva, theSupreme Self, who will give him knowledge so that hisego will vanish. On hearing these kind words I becamehumble and began to reflect thus:

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Knowledge of Siva can be attained only through Siva’sGrace, not through the Vedas, nor austerities, nor dips inholy waters. Even though my wings are tired and mylimbs too weak to move, my mind desires to nourish theego. Alas! Always active and dependant upon the strengthof the non-self, I have become despicable. My salutationsto the siddhas who have fixed their minds upon Siva. Ishall associate with them and perform austerities. I shallturn my mind inwards and realize this Effulgence of Sivawhich appears in front of me. The devas have conqueredtheir enemies by worshipping Siva and have crownedthemselves with glory. Even the great Vedic mantras donot throw light on His Reality. Therefore I shall seekrefuge with Siva. I came into being through devotion toSiva who wears the crescent moon. Ah! How strange thatwith the egos born of Siva, both Vishnu and I foughteach other, and that Sankara Himself revealed His greatnessand humbled our pride! He who worships the EternalSiva, who is the Lord worshipped by the devas as thiscolumn of Light of Consciousness, realizes Siva, and servesas a boat to cross the ocean of samsara.

u

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I PPPPPA R VA R VA R VA R VA R VAAAAA T H IT H IT H IT H IT H I ’’’’’ SSSSS PPPPP E N A N C EE N A N C EE N A N C EE N A N C EE N A N C E

AAAAA TTTTT K K K K KA N C H IA N C H IA N C H IA N C H IA N C H I

SANAKA addressed Brahma thus: O Bhagavan!Having obtained the grace of Siva through you, it has

been possible for me to hear with joy the glory ofArunachala. I now understand that the beginningless andendless Siva himself stands as the Aruna Hill in order togrant the devotee the fruits of his penance, that the Hilldestroys all sins and that one obtains Liberation by merelyuttering ‘Arunachala’ once. All desires are fulfilled whenone stands before it. All tendencies (vasanas) are destroyed.The very name ‘Siva’ is nectar. Repeating the name isitself worship of Siva. Pray, tell me, who else worshippedArunachala, the bestower of boons?

On hearing this, Brahma, the Lord of the celestialbeings, mentally prayed to the Lord of Arunachala, theembodiment of compassion, and resumed his narrative:

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Child! I shall now narrate how in days of yore, theUniversal Mother, Goddess Parvati sought and won theleft-half of Her Lord, Arunachala. Once on Mount Kailas,it was spring time and the place was filled with the balm,incense and scent of beautiful flowers. Bees swarmed andhummed among the hanging clusters of flowers. Peacocksspread out their colourful feathers dancing to the tune ofhumming bees. Elephants and lions, natural enemies,strolled about in harmony and contentment. Sages chantedhymns from the Rig, the Yajus and the Sama Vedas, thelast mentioned being most dear to Siva. Brahmarishis andRajarishis were deeply absorbed in the Self, while devas,siddhas, ganas, the protectors of the quarters and holydevotees of Siva wearing sacred ash and rudraksha beadsstood in prayerful attitude. Hosts of Apsaras (celestialdamsels) sang and danced to the accompaniment of thesweet-sounding veena (a stringed musical instrument),the venu (the flute), the mridangam (a small drum) andother musical instruments. Lord Siva and Parvati, theUniversal Parents, sat on their throne in all their glory,pouring their Grace on their children who wereworshipping them.

Devas, rishis and other hosts of devotees, after beinggranted the boons they desired, prayerfully took leave oftheir Lord. Now Lord Siva rejoiced in the company ofGoddess Uma (Parvati) on the snow-clad peaks of theHimalayan mountains. A cool and refreshing breeze fromthe rivers below wafted gently, carrying with it the sweetscent of flowers from the plains. In a joyous mood the

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Goddess, who thought that Her Lord’s attention wasentirely centred on Her, slipped behind Him and playfullycovered the three eyes of Sambhu with Her lotus-likehands, and asked, ‘Tell me, who is it?’

As soon as the three eyes representing the Moon, theSun and the Fire of Knowledge were covered, a dismaldarkness spread over the universe. It lasted for millions ofyears because half a moment for Siva is aeons for us. Thedarkness produced by the playfulness of the Goddessproved to be the cause of the untimely dissolution of theworlds, for in the dense darkness no activities were possibleand consequently, living beings perished without givingbirth to new generations. The devas became inert and theVedas could not be chanted. By this unforeseen darknesscause and effects were nullified. Seeing this state of affairs,the ever glorious siddhas by their yogic powers discoveredthe cause, but could not comprehend the divine play ofthe Lord.

The siddhas prayed to Sambhu with devotion andaddressed Him thus: “Glory to Sambhu, the origin of theuniverse and the Supreme Immanent Being. The power(sakti) which is not apart from you sportfully creates,sustains and dissolves the universe. She (Sakti) is half ofyou. Siva and Sakti together constitute a single form.The great Lord is One. There is nothing different fromyou. An untimely deluge has now overtaken the worldson account of the Goddess’ sport. But your compassion isinfinite. May it reveal itself now for the well-being of theuniverse. Therefore, O Sadasiva! (Eternal Siva), Kala!

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(Embodiment of time), Embodiment of Compassion! Bemerciful. Pray, stop this sport!

In response to this prayer of devotees and siddhas,Siva commanded: ‘Gowri! Leave my eyes alone’.Immediately the Goddess removed Her hands from Siva’seyes. Light pervaded the worlds. On asking the siddhaswho stood in an attitude of worship, as to how muchtime had elapsed, they replied, ‘Half a second for Thee,but millions of years for us.’ On hearing this the Lordturned with a smile to his beloved and graciously spokesome words on dharma and artha: ‘Gowri, how can yoube so thoughtless! You who are the Mother of the worldhave been the cause for its dissolution. O, how can you,the very embodiment of love and compassion, cause painto your children?’

On hearing Sambhu’s words of reproach, Uma, strickenwith remorse, pleaded with Him to advise Her as to thecourse to be adopted for expiation of this fault of hers. Atthis Lord Siva was pleased with the repentance and devotionof the Goddess and said: ‘What penance can you performwithout me? All dharma, Srutis (Vedas), Smritis (scripturesbased on the Vedas), karmas (rituals), kalpas (code of virtues),various branches of learning, the devas, etc., are all yourforms only. You who symbolise my power and who desireto recreate the world are not different from myself. Goddess!The timeless Vedas declare you to be the All. Therefore Ishall prescribe a penance for you in accordance withprevailing practice. I cannot remain without you even fora moment. Being the universal Self, I shall myself go through

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the austerities. Let the entire world become sacred by theglory of your penance. People will be relieved of all troublesby surrendering at your lotus feet. By having your darshanwhen you perform austerities and by association with youthey (the devotees) will get sanctified. May you performmeritorious acts for the welfare of all creation. People willacquire firm faith in dharma by seeing you performingpenance. There is no doubt about it. Your grace shall sustainthe earth and its dharma.

‘The city known as Kanchipuri is heaven on earth.A little penance done there yields boundless results. Evendevas, saints and others desire to live there. There flowsthe holy river, the Kampa which washes away the sins ofall the people living in its vicinity. At that place there is adivine mango tree which is always shady, full of leavesand fruit. Homas (fire offerings), japas (repetition of sacrednames), and the least good action performed under itsshade yield boundless merit. May the many groups ofcelestial beings headed by Vishnu surround and worshipyou. I shall also remain there in the lotus of your heart inmy formless state as the Absolute Pure Being. Thereforeyou need not suffer the pangs of separation from me.’

On hearing this the Goddess with Her companionsproceeded at once to the holy city of Kanchipuram situatedon the banks of the Kampa to do penance. There She sawthe pure and holy waters of the Kampa worshipped byhosts of sages and a magnificent mango tree full of fruitsand flowers among which koels sang and sported. Amidstsuch a beautiful setting the Goddess meditated on Her

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Lord. Her body tortured by the pang of separation fromHer Lord, immediately became emaciated as if She hadbeen performing penance for a long time. Turning toVijaya, one of the maids who stood near Her, GoddessGowri, in uncontrollable sorrow spoke thus: ‘Those whoperform austerities with the object of worshipping Sivadirectly seek this sin-destroying mango tree and alwayslive here. This well-known Ekamra (lit., a mango treewhich bears just a single fruit) increases my pain ofseparation. How am I to bear this? The sure remedy forthis must be to remember and concentrate in the heart onChandramouleeswara (the wearer of the crescent moon).’

At this Vijaya bowed devotedly to Ambika andpraised Siva fervently in order that the Goddess regainHer composure.

She said: ‘Oh Devi! You will not be abandoned bySiva at any time. For, you are His very life and the SupremeSakti. It is only when you desire to spread out your maya(power of illusion), that the Lord, though always one withyou, appears to be separate. You have come here at thecommand of Sambhu to worship Him and you cannottransgress it. You may perform tapas in this temple erectedby Siva without any rituals (karmas). Moreover, as youare yourself the world, the protection of the world is inyour power. You will again join Siva and uphold dharma.That being so, Parvati, how can you feel the pain ofseparation? Devotee of dharma, may your religiousobservances become known to the world and set anexample to your devotees.’

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On hearing her maid speak thus, Gowri continuedto practise austerities on the banks of the Kampa. Shediscarded Her fine clothes and ornaments and wore thebark of a tree as garment and beads of rudraksha. Herentire body was smeared with sacred ash. She subsistedon corn picked by herself. The name of Siva was alwayson Her lips. Thrice a day She bathed in the Kampa, lovinglyshaped its sand into a linga and devoutly worshipped itwith leaves as traditionally prescribed. The Goddessobserved the dharma of alleviating the misery of all creaturesthus showering Her compassion on Her children. Insummer She surrounded herself with fire, lay on the bareground in the rainy season and stood in ice-cold water inwinter. She respectfully welcomed the holy sages(Maharshis) who came to pay homage to Her. The sageswere struck with wonder at Her austerities.

One day, Parvati collected flowers from the forest andbegan to worship a linga made of sand on the bank of theKampa. Siva, to reveal to the world Her devotion to Him,made the waters of the river Kampa suddenly rise andoverflow its banks. Seeing the spate of the river, Hercompanions raised an alarm, whereupon the Devi openedHer eyes and saw the approaching flood. Distressed at thedanger to Her worship, She at once embraced the linga lestit dissolve. She then addressed Her maids, ‘What is to bedone? Worship ought not be discontinued, come what may.In this world, only those blessed ones who have acquiredmerit can reap the benefits of their good deeds and establishdharma which is capable of fulfilling one’s desires. This

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Sivalinga is made of sand. It will dissolve in this flood.Should this happen, a true devotee of the Lord cannot bearit. This flood has risen through the maya of Siva to test thesincerity of my devotion. I shall continue without the leastfear. Friends! Go away quickly!’ Saying this, Parvati thoughsurrounded by the fast rising waters, devoutly adored thelinga clasped to Her breast and with open eyes meditatedon Sadasiva with one-pointed devotion.

Then a divine voice was heard: O child, noblest ofbeings! This great flood has subsided. You can now let goof the linga. This linga worshipped by you will achieveeverlasting fame as the one worshipped by the gods andwill be capable of granting boons. May your penance besuccessful! May the human beings who have darshan andworship this linga installed for the upkeep of dharma attaintheir lives’ goal! I myself shine on this earth in the formof the Effulgent Arunachala for the liberation of mortals.The name signifies that the accumulated sins of the worldswill completely vanish at the sight of it. Rishis, siddhas,gandharvas, yogis, etc., come to Arunachala and ferventlyworship it, forsaking even the peaks of Kailash and MountMeru. You may go there and learn from the Sage Gautamaabout devotion to me and the glory of Arunachala andperform further penance. I shall reveal to you my Effulgentform there in order that all sins of the world may bedestroyed and may prosper.

On hearing these words of Siva, the Devi said, “Sobe it”, and got ready to leave at once for Arunachala.Turning to the rishis who desired to follow Her, She said,

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“Devas! Rishis resolute in religious observances! Remainwhere you are. Perform your austerities on the bank ofthe sacred Kampa. This linga of sand which removes allsins and brings all kinds of prosperity bears the marks ofmy embrace. Worship it. Let my devotees know that Ishall be known as Kamakshi as I fulfil all their desires andbless them. Let them also worship me and obtain theboons they desire. I am entirely under the control ofSambhu, the Lord of the devas. I shall therefore go toArunachala and carry out His command. After I haveperformed penance there and obtained the grace of Sambhuyou may come and see me.”

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I VI VI VI VI V. G. G. G. G. G O W R IO W R IO W R IO W R IO W R I A A A A AR R I V E SR R I V E SR R I V E SR R I V E SR R I V E S AAAAA TTTTT

AAAAA R U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

AS narrated previously, Gowri at Her Lord’s bidding came to Arunachala. There She worshipped with great

fervour the Effulgent Lord along with with Her companionsto the sound of divine dundhubis accompanied by the dancingof apsaras. As a result of worshipping the motionless Lingain such a rigorous manner She became emaciated.

On arrival, the Goddess saw siddhas, yogis, rishis anddevas dwelling there. The devas said, “Atri, Bhrigu,Bharadwaja, Kasyapa, Angirasa, Kutsa, Gautama andsiddhas, vidhyadharas and devas perform severe penanceshere for the fulfillment of their wishes. The Ganga andother sacred rivers worship this Linga-Hill. This is thenoble and divine Linga known as Arunadri.”

The Maharshis prayed to Her to be their guest, butShe expressed Her desire to see Gautama first, as per Siva’scommand. So they directed Her to his ashram.

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Gautama, foremost among sages, had gone out intothe forest in the morning to procure flowers and otherarticles for worship. Devi went to his hermitage whereShe was received by his disciples with great respect andhospitality. With humility they entreated Her to wait alittle for the sage and sat around Her.

Gautama returning from the forest with paraphernaliaused for performing rituals, saw from a distance his ashramglow in resplendent beauty and wondered as to its cause.He then divined through his yogic powers that this wasdue to the arrival of Gowri. He hastened with greateagerness and joy to welcome the Mother of the Universe.His disciples came to meet him and informed him aboutGowri’s arrival. The elated Maharshi foresaw in the visitof the Goddess the fruition of his austerities.

Goddess Gowri came forward to welcome Gautama.Years of rigorous tapas had endowed him with a radiantcountenance. Sporting a flowing white beard andred-brown rudraksha beads, smeared with sacred ash andclad in bark, the sage reached the frontyard of the ashramchanting Vedic mantras dear to Rudra. His voice was deepand resonant, and his words brimmed with love andcompassion like that of Siva himself. The Sage resembledthe sun, such was his lustre and benevolence. On seeingthis great sage coming with his band of disciples, Uma,full of divine grace, Her slim body resembling a creeperfolded Her hands respectfully and made obeisance to theSage. When Gautama saw the Mother of the worldsbowing to him, he restrained Her from doing so and

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himself bowed to Her. He said: ‘Gowri! Welcome!Auspicious Mother of the Universe! Ocean of Mercy! Youseem to have come here for performing tapas, and yet youshower grace upon your devotees. O Adorable Goddess,but for a play of maya how can the universe come intoexistence! It is impossible for anyone to comprehend ordescribe fully your maya.’ Saying this the old sagewelcomed Ambika.

With humility and respect he offered Her a seat wovenof sacred grass and water for washing Her feet. Aftercompleting the worship he took a seat at the bidding ofthe Goddess. With devotion and bliss overflowing andhis voice choking with emotion, the Sage addressed theGoddess:

Ah! This can surely only be the outcome of Sambhu’sboundless grace. He who loves His devotees has sent youhere with the object of protecting them. O Mother! Isthere anything wanting or not attained after seeing you?Bhagavati! Be so gracious as to command me, Thy servant,as to what I can do for you.

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VVVVV. G. G. G. G. GAAAAA U TU TU TU TU TA M AA M AA M AA M AA M A N N N N N A R R AA R R AA R R AA R R AA R R AT E ST E ST E ST E ST E S

T H ET H ET H ET H ET H E G G G G GL O R YL O R YL O R YL O R YL O R Y O FO FO FO FO F

AAAAA R U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

ON hearing the words of the all-knowingMaharshi, Ambika praised him and said graciously:

It is because your glory is so great that Siva, the Lordof the devas, commanded me to meet you. You alone havereached the other shore of the Agamas and the Vedas. Byyour austerities you alone among the devotees of Siva havebecome very dear to Him. My Lord told me that He abideshere as Arunachala, and directed me to learn its glory fromyou. I have therefore come to practise austerities in thevicinity of Arunachala. By merely seeking you, one willobtain the Grace of the Lord. The object of taking birth inthis world is companionship with the devotees of Siva,listening to His praise and worshipping Him in all Hisforms. I look upon you as my father for you are thepersonification of wisdom. Therefore, pray, kindly enlighten

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me on the glory of Arunachala. On hearing Gowri speakthus, Gautama, the repository of austerities, meditated uponthe Lord for sometime and addressed the Goddess:

Gowri, you are the embodiment of universalknowledge and represent Siva’s divine illusion as maya.What have I got to say about the glory of Arunachala thatyou are not already aware of! Probably, you love to hearfrom the lips of devotees about the greatness of your Lord!To speak of the greatness of Siva is as auspicious as thestudy and recital of the Vedas. My austerities have bornefruit only now. By the grace of Hara and Gowri I am nowgoing to describe the Effulgent glory of Arunachala. Thisancient, sacred lore shall be listened to with faith, devotionand in rapt attention by generations to come and shall beknown as the glory of Arunachala!

Even a million tongues cannot delineate fully howthe formless, Supreme Being out of compassion took thisholy form of Arunachala Hill. Nay, even if a millionBrahmas came together, they would fail to narrate Hisglory satisfactorily. Arunachala in this form was in formertimes worshipped by Brahma, Vishnu, Soma (the moon),Surya (the sun), Agni (fire), Indra and the other devas,dikpalakas (the protectors of the quarters), siddhas,charanas, yakshas, vidyadharas, gandharvas, nagas, serpents,birds, divine sages, siddha yogis and others, in order to getrid of their sins and to obtain the fulfilment of their desires.

The Lord of Arunagiri is capable of removing all thesins of those who merely see Him and of fulfilling all thedesires of those who worship Him. He is capable of granting

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Liberation even to those who utter the word ‘Arunachala’from a distance. It is well known that what is called ‘Arunadri’is the embodiment of Effulgence. Yogis meditate upon itand attain union with Siva. Offerings, sacrifices, and japamade in its vicinity yield immeasurable results.

In olden times, Brahma and Vishnu who had comeinto existence from a tiny part of the Effulgence of Siva,became egoistic, and wishing to assert their supremacy foughtwith each other. Sadasiva, in order to destroy their pride,appeared in their midst as a blazing Column of Fire withoutbeginning, middle or end illumining the entire cosmos. Theydesired to ascertain what It was. So they assumed the formsof a swan and a boar and proceeded towards the sky and thenether regions respectively. Seeing them tired and distressedat being unable to find either beginning or end of the Columnof Fire, Bhagavan, the embodiment of compassion, tookpity on His children and emerged from the brilliant Columnwith the intention of blessing them and granting the boonsdesired by them. Their pride now stood completelyannihilated. At their request Siva took the form of a motionlesshill known as Arunadri and also consented to abide thereeternally in the form of a linga, so that they and other devoteescould worship Him as prescribed in the Agamas. ThisEffulgent Linga, in the form of a hill was duly worshipped bythe previous ninety-six Brahmas, creators of the worlds.1

1 According to Hindu scriptures, after each dissolution of the universe the creatorBrahma merges with Sadasiva and the next in lineage becomes the creator.Thus what Gautama means is that already ninety-six dissolutions had takenplace. This coincides with geological findings which put the core age ofArunachala as 3.8 billion years.

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Gautama further related how Tilothama, the celestialdamsel, was saved from the amorous advances of Brahmawho in his lust wanted to covet her. When she soughtrefuge at the feet of Arunachala, the Lord saved her andchastised Brahma. Brahma implored Siva for forgiveness.The Lord on His part bestowed His Grace on Brahmaand said: ‘The time which has already been allotted toyou by me will not undergo any change. Not even thegreatest are free from the evils of desire. Therefore, meditateupon the Effulgent Linga known as Arunachala and berid of all your sins. All the evil produced by mind, speechand body shall be destroyed the moment one beholdsArunachala. This Arunagiri will cleanse all the sins of thosewho circumambulate it, prostrate to it, remember it andoffer flowers, or praise it with devotion. While mountainslike Kailasa and Meru are my places of abode, this Arunagiriis my true form and here I abide eternally as this Hill. Bymerely looking at its peak not only will all sins be destroyedbut the eye of wisdom will be opened.

‘Once upon a time one of the Brahmas who hadcome into existence from a tiny part of my person bathedin the Pushkarini (sacred pool) bearing his name and gotrid of his delusion. You who are in the form of the world,may also, after bathing in the Brahma Tirtha2 and afteroffering flowers to me, silently go round the hill, get ridof your sins and be blessed.’

On hearing this, Brahma bathed in the pool andworshipped Mahesa who stood in the form of a mountain.

2 This Brahma Tirtha can be seen inside the great temple of Arunachaleswara.

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This Brahma worshipped Arunagiri with great devotion,with a mind made pure by control (yama-niyama), got ridof his sins and became the lord of the world.

Gautama continued:Once Lord Narayana, the protector of the universe,

having the thousand-tongued serpent Adisesha(representing intellect and knowledge) as his couch, wasreclining in the ocean of milk (kshirasagara), absorbed inyoga-nidra and oblivious to the dissolution of the universe.The whole cosmic space was enveloped in completedarkness. The sages were worried over this state of affairs.They prayed to Lord Siva. The Lord manifested Himselfbefore them with the object of protecting the universe.From the Effulgent Sambhu, thirty-three crore devasemerged as sparks and scattered in all directions. Thesedevas went to Vishnu and informed him of what hadhappened. He pondered: Overcome by darkness(ignorance) I fell into an untimely sleep, forgetting myreal nature. Sadasiva, the supremely Effulgent Being, seemsto have revealed His form in order to wake me up andtaken upon Himself the task of creating the worlds. Whatremains for me or Brahma to do?

Then meditating on Sadasiva, Vishnu prostrated beforeHim and repeatedly saluted Him. Thus he absolved himselfof his omissions. Whereupon, the protector of those whoseek refuge in Him, blessed Vishnu with compassion andbade him rise. Vishnu then stood up and prayed thus:

Lord of the three worlds! Thou who once destroyedthe three cities of the demons by Thy laughter! According

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to the law of cause and effect, through the crores of devasThou performest deeds by Thy will alone. Out ofignorance I fell into yoga-nidra, O Sambhu! Kindly forgivemy sin! When Hara (Siva) heard Hari (Vishnu) lamentingin this manner He prescribed the following penance forVishnu:

I abide on earth in the form of Arunachala. Themoment you set your eyes on it your ignorance will bedestroyed. On a previous occasion I gave a boon to anotherVishnu at that place. My manifestation at that time wasknown as the Effulgent Linga of Arunachala. That EffulgentLinga has cooled down for the sake of the world.Nevertheless, it is fiery, unmanifest and of untold glory.Since its Effulgence is latent, streams, rivers and rainwaterare absorbed by it. Moreover its glory gives sight to theblind, ability to walk to the lame, progeny to the childless,and speech to the dumb. Arunachala confers all siddhis,cures all diseases, destroys all sins and grants all boons.

After declaring thus Mahadeva (Siva) disappeared andVishnu came to Arunachala. He practised austerities andworshipped Arunachala. He visited the devas living in theforests around the Hill and built holy ashrams for thesages. He recreated the Vedas, Vedangas and Upanishads,etc. He bathed in the Brahma Tirtha, circumambulatedArunachala, got rid of his sins and attained the lordshipof all the worlds.

Surya (Sun) the lord of all the planets, in an attemptto cross over Arunachala, lost his splendour and could notproceed on his heavenly orbit. He then, on the advice of

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Brahma, worshipped Arunachala, whereupon he regainedhis strength by His grace and was able to proceed on hiscourse. Since then, Surya does not pass over the Red Hill;he goes around it.

Further, the Sun who was harassed by the asuras(demons) devoutly worshipped the Lord of Arunachala.He bathed in the holy Brahma Tirtha and circumambulatedArunachala. Thereby he conquered all the asuras andgained the ability to circumambulate Mount Meru. Healso acquired the power to outshine all other celestialluminaries.

Chandra (Moon) who was harassed by the curse ofDaksha Prajapati, worshipped Arunachala as advised bySiva Himself and regained his original form. Agni (Fire)although tainted by the disease of consumption underthe curse of a Brahmarishi, was cured by worshippingArunachala.

Indra had incurred sin by slaying Vritra, Bala, Paka,Namuchi and Jrimbha who had in ancient times obtainedboons from Siva and had become lords of the worlds. Helost his vigour and his kingdom. As directed by Siva, heworshipped Arunachala in the prescribed manner and gotrid of his sin. Afterwards he performed Aswamedha yagaand pleasing Siva thereby, regained his status as lord ofdevas.

The serpent Adisesha worshipped the Lord of theRed Hill and acquired, by Siva’s Grace, the strength tobear the earth. The other serpents as well as the gandharvas,siddhas, apsaras and dikpalakas obtained the boons they

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desired by worshipping the Hill. The devas who wishedto conquer the asuras paid their obeisance to Arunachalaand obtained His grace.

In ancient days the devas who lost their limbs at thesacrifice of Daksha gained new limbs by the grace ofArunachala.

Sukra, Aruna, a king named Pratardana, a gandharvanamed Pushpaka and many others expiated their sins andregained their original forms by worshipping Arunachala.Such is His glory!

The land within a radius of three yojanas(approximately thirty miles) of this place is famousas Sivabhumi (the land of Siva). Those who residewithin this limit will certainly attain Liberation.In olden days the ‘Seven Rishis’ who were under aspell, worshipped Arunachala regarding Him as theirLord. The Lord of Arunachala thereupon redeemedthem. Grateful, they dug a tank near the Hill,bathing in which all sins are removed.

A sage who was lame, came to Arunachala hoping toregain his legs. Praying mentally, with crutches in handand knees worn out, he proceeded to the bank of theriver Sona to quench his thirst. Having left his crutcheson the bank he began to drink the water. At that timesomeone pretending to be quenching his thirst first threwthe crutches into the water and then asked him angrily,“How dare you come to Arunachala with crutches? Whydo you need them?” then he disappeared. The lame manat once regained the use of his legs. With folded hands he

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saluted Arunachala and proceeded towards his house.Other noble devotees of Siva marvelled at this miracleand saluted the lame sage who had regained his limbs.3

Vali, the son of Indra, once tried to pass over Arunagiriwhile travelling from Udayagiri (the hill of sunrise) toAstamanagiri (the hill of sunset) but lost his strength andfell down to earth. Then Indra, his father, came and toldhim that this was no ordinary Hill and extolled thegreatness of Arunachala. Upon this, Vali worshipped theLinga of Effulgence and regained his strength.

Nala, who was the personification of dharma,worshipped this Hill and ruled his kingdom in a justmanner. He was transformed into a woman for enteringthe garden of Gowri. Not knowing why this had happenedto him, he asked his preceptor (guru) and, on his advice,worshipped Arunachala. He regained his original

3 There is a similar incident which took place at the beginning of the twentiethcentury. It has been recorded by Devaraja Mudaliar in his My Recollections ofBhagavan Ramana:

There was an elderly cripple who was a very devout man and who used tocircumambulate Arunachala in spite of his disability. After many years’ atTiruvannamalai, he once got so vexed at the treatment he received from therelatives with whom he was staying and on whom he depended, that he decidedin disgust to leave Tiruvannamalai and go away to some village and try to earna living there. Before he left the outskirts of the town, a young Brahmin appearedbefore him and, with apparent rudeness, snatched away his crutches, saying“You don’t deserve these”. Before the old man’s indignation could get thebetter of him, he found he had recovered the use of his limbs and could walkwithout crutches.

Bhagavan said he knew this case personally, remarking on its similarity to thecase mentioned in Arunachala Sthala Purana. Bhagavan said that he knew thatthese things took place, but did not say who did them or how they happened.Some of his earlier devotees have told me it was really Bhagavan who wasresponsible for such miracles, and I am inclined to agree.

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masculine form. Soma, advised to think of Arunagirialways, did so, and obtaining by the strength of hisausterities, the Lord’s grace, got rid of his curse and alsoattained a state unattainable even by the immortals(amaras). Hari felt great sorrow on account of hisseparation from his consort. But, on the advice of thesage Bhrigu, he worshipped Arunagiri and got over hissorrows in all his incarnations. Saraswati, Savitri, Sri Devi,Bhoo Devi and other goddesses and the rivers were blessedand attained immortality by the Grace of Lord Arunachala.

Surya abides under the protection of Arunachala inthe east, Visvamitra in the south, Varuna in the west andTrisuladeva (the Lord of the trident) in the north. Thesefour gods dwell on the hills which are at a distance of twoyojanas and do obeisance to Arunachala. The gods whodwell in the four corners of Arunachala bow down to Sivawho abides in the form of Arunachala.

On the northern peak of Arunachala there is a giantbanyan tree. Maheswara sits beneath it in the guise of asiddha. Its shade extends to a long distance around it.Even the gods look upon it in wonder. This Hill shineswith eight lingas placed in the eight quarters, and isworshipped by the protectors of the respective quarters.There is a wish-fulfilling bakula tree at this place. TheSage Vamadeva is reputed to be performing meditationunder it. Agastya and Vasishta worshipped the Lord ofAruna. In ancient days Sonanada, the son ofHiranyagarbha, performed severe austerities and made theGanga appear here. That holy river now flows here as the

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Sona river. The sacred river named Vena flows round theHill. Bhagavan Marut bathed in the holy tank of Vayu inthe quarter belonging to Vayu, and became the life-breath(prana) of the world.

u

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V I . TV I . TV I . TV I . TV I . TH EH EH EH EH E G G G G GL O R YL O R YL O R YL O R YL O R Y O FO FO FO FO F

VVVVV A R I O U SA R I O U SA R I O U SA R I O U SA R I O U S T T T T T I RI RI RI RI RT H A ST H A ST H A ST H A ST H A S

A RA RA RA RA RO U N DO U N DO U N DO U N DO U N D A A A A AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

ON the northern side of the Hill is situated the holytank of Kubera containing lotuses of sweet fragrance.

In the quarter belonging to Isanya (north-east) lies theholy tank of Isanya. The lotus-eyed Vishnu bathed in theholy tank on the western side. The nine planets acquiredtheir status as a result of bathing in it. Those who bathe inthat holy tank obtain the blessings of the nine planets.Durga, Vinayaka, Skanda, Kshetrapala, Saraswati, othergods and goddesses dwell round the holy tank of Brahmaand protect it. The Ganga, the Yamuna, the Godavari,the Saraswati, the Narmada, the Sindhu, the Kaveri, theSonanada and the Sona rivers are reputed to flow unseenaround Arunachala.

It is said that by bathing in the holy tank of Agastyaon the southern side, one acquires a knowledge of several

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languages. Agastya bathes in it in the company of sages inthe month of Bhadrapada and worships Arunadri. By bathingin the holy tank of Vasishta on the northern side, oneunderstands the meaning of the Vedas. Vasishta comes herefrom Mount Meru in the month of Asvija and, after bathingin it, meditates upon the Lord of Sona. In the month ofKartika, the Ganga and other holy waters arrive here togetherand worship Arunadri with devotion. By worshipping theholy tank of Brahma in front of Arunadri, great sins likekilling a Brahmin are expiated. Brahma comes here daily inthe month of Margazhi and after bathing in it, offers flowersto Arunachala. In the month of Pushya, Indra arrives withthe devas, and after bathing in it salutes Sankara.

There is also a great tirtha named Saivam in front ofArunachala. Rudra bathes in it holding in his hand theBrahmakapala (the skull of Brahma). Sambhu graciouslydwells in it in the company of his followers in the monthof Magha, and thereby absolves people of their sins. Agnibathed in the auspicious Agni Tirtha situated in the quarterof Agni (south-east) and obtained Goddess Svaha for hisconsort. Kama, the god of love, bathed in it in the monthof Phalguni, and by worshipping Sonadri, became thelord of all pleasures. Brahmarishis always dwell joyfully atthe Vaishnavateertha (sacred tank of Vishnu) on the south-east. Vishnu goes there in the month of Chitra, and afterbathing in it, meditates upon the Lord of Arunadri. It isby doing so that he became the Lord of all the worlds.

The Surya Tirtha (sacred tank of Surya, the Sun)situated in the quarter of Kubera (north), is capable of

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curing all diseases. Bhagavan Surya comes there in themonth of Vaikasi and after bathing in it, adores the Lord.The Asvini devas bathed in the pure Asvini Tirtha (sacredtank of the Asvins), situated in the quarter of Isa BrahmaUttara (north-east), and became pure. The Pandava Tirtha(sacred tank of the Pandavas) situated at the foot ofArunachala is well known for its auspicious qualities, andis capable of fulfilling desires and bestowing Liberation.The Pandavas bathed in it and became the lords of theworld. Bhoo Devi (Goddess Earth) was blessed with allherbs and fruits as a result of bathing in it along with allthe devas in the month of Jyeshta.

The Vaisvadeva Tirtha (sacred tank of the Visvedevas)situated in the quarter of Soma Surya Uttara (north-west),is famous for bestowing lordship of the world. TheVisvedevas, although very powerful, could not obtain theirshare of sacrifices. They therefore bathed in it in the monthof Ashada, adored Siva, and thereby overcame theirdisability. By bathing in the famous Indra Tirtha (sacredwater of Indra) situated in the east, Goddess Lakshmi waswedded to Lord Vishnu. By bathing in the Skanda Tirthaon the north, Skanda became very powerful. AgastyaKumbhaka and Kumbha always dwell in the Kumbha Tirthaon the west, famous for its holiness. The Ganga worshipsArunachala at its feet, the Yamuna in the middle and theNarmada at the top.

There are many other tirthas also. Even SageMarkandeya did not know all of them. That king of sagespleased the Lord by his austerities, and lovingly begged

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for the following boon: Bhagavan Arunadri! There arethousands of tirthas. They will not be visible to persons ofmeagre knowledge. How can men find them all in oneplace? It is not possible for a man to worship them one byone. You must withdraw all your Effulgence within yourselfand manifest as Sonadri worshipped by all the devas whoare afraid of approaching you.

Gautama continued:I too by the Grace of Siva adored Him in the form of

Arunachala and worshipped the invisible Linga for thebenefit of the entire world. A celestial pavilion wasconstructed here by Visvakarma. Various festivals andcelebrations were introduced. Sages found several kindsof scriptures dealing with dharma and conducted theworship of Siva in accordance with them.

I also appointed seven noble maidens sprung fromthe sacrificial fire, for the worship of Siva. In olden daysthe Lord of Sonasaila was specially worshipped by manykings who had regained their kingdoms after conqueringtheir enemies.

This Linga in the form of a hill is blemishless and isnamed Annamalai. The Lord of Arunagiri, who grantsboons, should always be meditated upon. Fortunate indeedare the noble souls who have acquired boundless merit byworshipping the Lord of Arunachala who protects hisdevotees and absolves them of sins the moment they thinkof Him. May you too meditate upon Him and achieveyour object.

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V I I . TV I I . TV I I . TV I I . TV I I . TH EH EH EH EH E G G G G GL O R YL O R YL O R YL O R YL O R Y O FO FO FO FO F

VVVVV A R I O U SA R I O U SA R I O U SA R I O U SA R I O U S T T T T T I RI RI RI RI RT H A ST H A ST H A ST H A ST H A S

PARVATI enquired: How did this Linga of fire cometo exist on earth? How did it become cool and easily

visible to all beings? How are the holy waters rising fromthis sacred hill withdrawn into it? You must enlightenme.

Gautama said: This hill was a mass of fire in the KritaYuga, jewels in the Treta Yuga, gold in the Dvapara Yugaand emerald in the Kali Yuga. In the Krita Yuga, when itspread out for several yojanas as a mass of fire, Maharshiscircumambulated it. Thereafter, at the humble prayer ofthe devas, Bhagavan Arunachala gradually became cool.

Gautama continued: The devas prayed thus:‘Bhagavan! Lord of Arunagiri! Although your nature isfiery you must illuminate the world in a cool form. TheVedas regard you as the embodiment of Siva and proclaim

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you as “that which is copper-coloured, bright, crimsonred and wholly auspicious”. Salutations to you who areknown by the Vedas and who are Soma and pure bliss.The whole world, moving and un- moving, is your form.Therefore it is your form that is seen as devas. You produceat the end of yugas, cloudbursts, flooded streams andoverflowing oceans. For it is said in the Vedas: “Fromfire, water came into existence.” It is therefore said thatthe world came into existence from you who are theSupreme Self. O Mahadeva! Sonachala! Ocean ofCompassion! O Lord! Let all men know you.’

When the devas humbly prayed, the Lord who lovesHis devotees immediately became cool and visible to all.Thereafter rivers and streams began to flow. Rains fallingfrom the clouds were no longer withdrawn into the hill.An Effulgence bright as millions of rising suns can beseen in the eyes of enlightened jivas who worship it. Inaccordance with the prayers of the dikpalakas, devas,maharshis and other great souls, all the tirthas wanderaround the Hill.

Brahma said: On hearing these details, Gowrienquired with great enthusiasm about the true origin ofthe tirthas. She asked: ‘O Bhagavan! Which of the tirthashere are invisible and which are visible? Please tell me!’Gautama recollected what Siva had formerly told him andsaid: The Indra Tirtha is situated in the east; Indra got ridof the sin of killing a Brahmin by bathing in it. TheBrahma Tirtha is situated in the quarter of Agni(southeast); Agni’s sin of seducing the wives of others was

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removed by bathing in it. On the south is the Yama Tirtha;Yama was saved from the fear of Brahmastra (a divineweapon) by bathing in it. On the southwest is the NairtaTirtha; The rishis conquered the bhutas and vetalas bybathing in it. On the west is Varuna Tirtha; Varunaobtained an ever-full quiver by bathing in it. On thenorthwest is the Vayu Tirtha; Vayu attained the power ofbecoming the life-breath of the world by bathing in it.On the north is the Soma Tirtha; Chandra (moon) wascured of consumption by bathing in it. On the northeastis the Isana Tirtha; Vishnu attained Goddess Sri for hiswife by bathing in it.

In olden days, Markandeya bowed down to Isvaraand prayed: Sadasiva! Mahadeva! Deva of devas! Lord ofthe world! Sankara Bhagavan! You must tell me the meansof bringing together at this place all the various tirthas.On hearing this the Lord of Uma was greatly pleased anddescribed to him the means: All the tirthas abide unseenin my presence at the time of my worship and adore me.Great sage! You need not go anywhere seeking tirthas. Atthe time of my worship all the tirthas come together tothis place. Therefore devotees, all sages and devas may seethe congregation of all tirthas here immediately afternaivedya is offered to me.

Goddess! In olden days Siva described to Markandeyathe means of seeing all the tirthas. All the sacred tirthas arevisible in front of Siva at the time of worship.

On hearing the words of the Sage, the daughter ofthe king of the mountains was pleased and said: The goal

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of my life has been attained by me, by duly learning fromyou the means of worshipping the wonderful tirthas onearth. O glorious performer of austerities! The benefit ofall the tirthas has been obtained. I thank you. Siva Himselfhas commanded me to do penance here. How shall menworship on earth the Supreme Lord Parameswara who,although really terribly fiery, is also cool in the form of aHill?

u

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V I I I . WV I I I . WV I I I . WV I I I . WV I I I . WO R S H I PO R S H I PO R S H I PO R S H I PO R S H I P O FO FO FO FO F

AAAAA R U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

GAUTAMA said: Goddess! Hear what happened longago. At Sankara’s command I visited places sacred

to Him, such as Kedar, Badarikasrama, Kasi, Sri Parvata,Kancheepuram, Tiruchuzhi etc. I worshipped the lingasinstalled by sages and great yogis and bathed in the tirthas.I practised austerities along with my disciples andperformed yajnas (sacrifices). Finally I had darshan ofArunadri, the Linga in the form of the famous HillArunachala. Here, I saw tapasvins who were engrossed inpenance and worshipping Sonagiri, subsisting upon roots.Seeing their devotion I too fell in love with this greatLinga and with great fervour began to adore Arunachalawhich had first been worshipped by Brahma. I prayed:Lord of Arunachala that art acclaimed by the Vedas in thewords, Asau yastamra aruna uta bhabhru sumangalah. Siva!

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The Supreme Self! Thou that art the embodiment of Vedas!Eternal One! Slayer of the God of time (Kala-Kala)! Belovedof Thy devotees! Destroyer of the Three Cities! Lord ofthe devas! By merely looking at Thee one obtains themerit that accrues by following all the dharmas. One neednot practise austerities thereafter. Even the devas wish todwell in this abode of Thine. Time being now propitiousfor me, I have the good fortune of dwelling here. Theausterities practised by me have enabled me to see Thee.Thy form is awe-inspiring. Nowhere else in the world canone see a linga in the form of a hill. This form constitutesthe three gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. It controls thethree phases of time as well as the three kinds of powers(saktis). This wonderful Linga is the essence of the threeVedas. Thou abidest on earth in this form as the famousSonadri (Red Hill) for protecting the three worlds. Infront of me I see that form, most auspicious, mostcompassionate and the refuge of all jivas. Pray, save me.

Sonachala, whom I praised in this manner, revealedthereupon His divine form to me, called me to His sideand, after listening to the praises sung with such greatdevotion, said: I am greatly pleased with you. You shallworship me according to ancient custom and performausterities and thus proclaim my glory to all. When youwere practising austerities on the Kailasa Mountain Iordered you to come to the southern country and worshipArunachala. The Saptarishis worship me on earth in thesame way and do good to all living beings through thepower of their austerities. Worship me in accordance with

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the method laid down in the agamas. This glorious anddivine method of worshipping me is worthy of being seeneven by the devas of swarga. Make it clear to all thatArunachala in this physical form, composed of earth, istruly Siva. There are ever so many virtuous souls who,having formerly worshipped me, are now living on earthin great joy. As you are superior to all of them you mustclearly expound the proper method of worshipping Siva.

On being commanded thus by the Lord, I boweddown to Him and reverently asked Him: How can Iworship the Lord who is fiery and unapproachable? Howam I to carry out Thy command? Kindly tell me how I amto understand Thy words. The Lord of Arunachala thenreplied as follows: I shall describe to you the lingas onearth which are in their subtle form. You may worship mein accordance with the agamas and with the power ofyour austerities.

Saying this, Swayambhu revealed Himself to me asSiva. On seeing this Linga adorned with all kinds ofornaments, I felt that the goal of my life had been attained.I again begged Siva who is fond of His devotees, thus:How can name and form be attributed to Thee who cannotbe described even by the agamas? Who can worship Theewith flowers? Where is the temple for Thee? Or how is oneto be built? Which is the hymn to praise Thee? In whatmanner art Thou to be worshipped? Who is Thy bodyguard?How is one to make people believe that ever so manycelestial beings (devatas) always abide in Thy presence?Supreme Lord! Thou must kindly explain all this to me.

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When I prayed thus, the Lord ordered Visvakarma asfollows: You must create here a divine and noble citynamed Arunachala. You must also build in it a divinetemple adorned with jewels. Arrangements should be madein the temple for chanting the Vedas, and for singing,dancing and playing musical instruments as part of myworship.

The peerless Sambhu then explained to me the properorder of chanting His different names while offeringflowers and the rules prescribed for it. He said: Gautama!I shall describe how mortals should worship me. Listen.Know also who are the persons to be appointed for myworship. You must worship Arunachala which appears asa lustrous and immeasurable Linga on earth, for the welfareof the entire world. Let my power (sakti) which isinseparable from me and sustains the glory of this templebe installed on my northern side and worshipped asApitakuchambika. The Lord of Arunachala is fond of Herand never parts from Her. Let offerings be duly made toHim. Let Sundareswari be worshipped during auspiciousfestivals. Since Bala Ganapati is the bestower of allprosperity, let Him be well adorned and worshipped infront of Me. Nataraja who is fond of dancing, Amritesvaraand Parasakti should also be worshipped. Let the goddesseswho remove obstacles be installed on the southern side,and Skanda who carries the weapon known as Sakti, onthe north-east.

I should be worshipped in the innermost shrine(mulasthana), Dakshinamurti in the south, Maha Vishnu

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in the form of Agni in the West, Brahma in the East andin a separate shrine on the northern side, GoddessUnnamulai should be well adorned, accompanied by allthe devas and surrounded by the dikpalakas. The extremelyglorious devis, the fully adorned Kshetrapalaka (theprotector of the temple), devatas who maintain thetraditions, should all be worshipped for ensuring theprosperity of the temple. Monthly festivals should begrandly celebrated. Let dikshitars who are learned in theVedas, virtuous, prosperous, pure in heart and well-versedin the agamas of Siva, be appointed for rendering divineservice. Let highly accomplished persons be engaged toplay on musical instruments at the time of worship. Letpandits learned in Sadvidya and Chaturvidya and kshatriyas,vaisyas and others who are devotees of Siva be encouragedto settle here. Let mutts be constructed on all four sidesfor the accommodation of pilgrims and the residence ofascetics, sages and devotees of Siva. Let pasupatas (a sectamong Saivites), kapalikas (another sect who use kapala,‘human skull’ in their rituals) and Sivayogis live in thesemutts, beg their food and worship Siva. The kings shouldprotect this place without violating my commands.

There is a makizha (bakula) tree at this place. Alltemple affairs should be decided under it. Money offeredto the temple will yield boundless merit. I listen to theprayers of devotees at that spot and grant the boons desiredby them. I pardon all the faults of those who adore me.

I accept the worship conducted by mortals as laiddown in the agamas. Pious acts performed by my devotees

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please Me. O Sage! You must examine the agamas andprescribe the methods of worshipping Me. Let special pujasbe conducted on full-moon days. Let thousands of sattras(inns) supply free food on that day. Let everyone makegifts according to his ability. There is no doubt that thosewho keep a light burning continuously before me, willbecome Effulgent Beings like me.

Having heard these words of Sambhu my doubts werecleared. I bowed to the Lord of Arunagiri and prayed toHim.

Gautama said to Siva: I wish to learn from Thee Thynames which are to be used during worship in this temple.

Thereupon the Lord said: O Sage! Listen to my nameswhich fulfil all desires:

The names of Siva (Arunachala):1 Sonadrisah . . Lord of the Red Hill2 Arunadrisah . . Lord of the Crimson

Hill3 Devadhisah . . Lord of devas4 Janapriyah . . Beloved of people5 Prapannarakshakah . . Protector of those who

seek refuge with Him6 Dhirah . . Brave One7 Sivah . . The auspicious One8 Sevakavartakah . . He who is devoted to

His votaries9 Amrtesanah . . Lord of the nectar

10 Stripumbhava- . . Granter of birth aspradayakah man or woman

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11 Bhaktavijnapti- . . He who answers thesamadhata prayers of His devotees

12 Dinabandha- . . He who releases thevimochakah lowly from bondage

13 Mukharanghripatih . . He from whose footfallsound originates

14 Sriman . . The noble One15 Mrdah . . He whose form is Bliss16 Mrgamadesvarah . . He who is fond of musk17 Bhaktaprekshanakrit . . He who makes His

devotees His messengers18 Sakshi . . The Witness19 Bhaktadoshanivartakah. . He who removes the

delusion of Hisdevotees

20 Sangitavetta . . He who is expert inmusic

21 Nrittajnah . . He who is proficient inthe art of dancing

22 Trivedi . . Lord of the three Vedas23 Vrddhavaidikah . . The Ancient One of the

Vedas24 Tyagarajah . . The Ocean of

Compassion25 Krpasindhuh . . The merciful one26 Sugandhi . . The sweet-scented One27 Sourabhesvarah . . The Lord of the Bull28 Kartaviryesvarah . . The Lord of Kartavirya29 Santah . . The Peaceful One

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30 Kapali . . The wearer of skulls31 Kalasaprabhuh . . The Lord of the

ceremonial pitcher inwhich all gods areworshipped

32 Jnanasambandhanatah. . Lord ofJnanasambandha

33 Sri Halahalasundarah . . The Lord whoconsumed the deadlypoison

34 Ahvaisvaryadata . . He who confersprosperityspontaneously

35 Smartrsarvaghanasanah. . He who removes theimpurities of those whothink of Him

36 Vyatyastanrityah . . He who raised the leftfoot in dancing

37 Dhwajadhrk . . Bearer of the banner38 Sakantih . . The bright One39 Natesah . . Lord of dancing40 Samapriyah . . Lover of the Sama Veda41 Papaharah . . Destroyer of sin42 Vedamurtih . . Embodiment of the

Vedas43 Niranjanah . . The taintless One44 Jagannathah . . Lord of the world45 Mahadevah . . The Great God46 Trinetrah . . The three-eyed God

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47 Tripurantakah . . Destroyer of the threecities

48 Bhaktaparadhasoda . . He who pardons thefaults of His devotees

49 Yogisah . . King of yogis50 Bhoganayakah . . Lord of enjoyments51 Kalamurtih . . Embodiment of Time52 Kshamarupi . . Embodiment of

forgiveness53 Dharmarakshakah . . Protector of Dharma54 Vrshadhwajah . . He whose banner bears

the emblem of the Bull55 Harah . . The Destroyer56 Girisvarah . . Lord of the Hill57 Chandrarekhavatamsakah. .The wearer of the

Crescent Moon58 Smarantakah . . The foe of

Kama(Cupid)59 Andhakaripuh . . The destroyer of the

demon Andhaka60 Siddharajah . . The All-powerful One61 Digambarah . . He for whom the

quarters are clothes62 Isanah . . The Originator63 Devadevah . . Deva of devas64 Bhasmarudraksha- . . The wearer of the

lanchanah sacred ash andrudraksha beads

65 Sripatih . . Lord of wealth

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66 Sankarah . . The Gracious One67 Srashta . . The Creator68 Sarvavoidyesvarah . . He who is well-versed in

the arts69 Anaghah . . He who is faultless70 Gangadharah . . The wearer of the

Ganga71 Kratudhvamsi . . Destroyer of the sacrifice72 Vimalah . . He who is without

blemish73 Nagabhushanah . . Wearer of the serpent74 Arunah . . He who is fiery and

therefore without form75 Bahurupah . . He who has many forms76 Virupakshah . . The possessor of the

Infinite Eye77 Aksharakrtih . . He whose form is

Akshara78 Anadirantarahitah . . He who has no

beginning or end79 Sivakamah . . He who desires the wel-

fare of all80 Swayamprabhuh . . He who is His own chief81 Satchidanandarupah . . He whose form is

Being-Consciousness-Bliss

82 Sarvatma . . The Self of all83 Jivadharakah . . The supporter of all

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84 Strisangavamasubhagah. . He from whomemanates Sakti (Power)and who is the mostbeautiful One

85 Vihitasundarah . . The One who isbeautiful when takenout in procession

86 Jnanapradah . . The Teacher of Wisdom87 Muktidah . . The bestower Liberation88 Bhaktavanchitadayakah. . Granter of devotees’

prayers89 Ascharyavaibhavah . . The possessor of

wonderful glory90 Kami . . He who is full of love91 Niravadhyah . . He who is free from evil92 Nidhipradah . . The bestower of wealth93 Sarvanami . . The possessor of all

names94 Manovasah . . The dweller in the

mind95 Sarvah . . The Lord of all96 Arunagirisvarah . . The Lord of Arunagiri

These are my principal names. Remember also thedivine names mentioned in the puranas. Worship meeveryday with these names and as prescribed in the Agamas.

u

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I X . TI X . TI X . TI X . TI X . TH EH EH EH EH E G G G G GL O R YL O R YL O R YL O R YL O R Y O FO FO FO FO F

CCCCC I R C U M A M BI R C U M A M BI R C U M A M BI R C U M A M BI R C U M A M BU L AU L AU L AU L AU L AT I N GT I N GT I N GT I N GT I N G

AAAAA R U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

WORSHIP me especially by circumambulating meeveryday. For I, the Lord of Sonachala am pleased

when devotees circumambulate me.Gautama continued: As the Lord commanded I

always live here and worship Arunachala.Upon this Gowri asked the Sage: Knower of all

dharmas! Gautama! Kindly describe to me the glory ofcircumambulating Arunachala. When is it to be done andhow? Who are they who have till now circumambulatedit and attained their objects? Who has attained the supremestate by doing so?

Gautama replied: ‘Goddess! Hear what the great Sivatold me. He said: While I abide gloriously on earth asArunachala all the devatas and munis circumambulate Me.At every step that one takes on the path round Me all the

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sins committed in one’s past lives are expiated. Bycircumambulating Me one obtains the merit of performingthousands of horse sacrifices, innumerable Vajapeyas (aparticular sacrifice) and bathing in all the tirthas. Even agreat sinner who has no good deed to his credit can attainall kinds of powers by circumambulating Me. Meritacquired by bathing in all the tirthas, by performing allthe sacrifices, by studying all the scriptures and by followingall the dharmas can be easily acquired by merelycircumambulating Sonachala.

One attains this world, (i.e. the earth) at the first step,the middle world at the second step and the world of thedevas at the third step. At the first step sins committedmentally are destroyed, at the second the sins committedby speech and at the third the sins committed by the body.

There are thousands of ashrams of munis and siddhasand abodes of devas around Me. I myself abide here alwaysin the form of a Siddha worshipped by the devas. Let oneimagine a divine abode gloriously existing within Me.What is known as Arunadri is really a Column ofEffulgence. Meditating on this great Linga one shouldcircumambulate it slowly. If one does so all sins will beexpiated. One will not be born again and will certainlybecome eternally one with Sonachala.

The moment one takes a step with the intention ofcircumambulating Sonagiri the very earth becomesextremely pure by coming into contact with the dust ofone’s feet. At every point of the compass one shouldmeditate and bring the palms together in praise and

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reverence. One should walk carefully, slowly andnoiselessly. Before setting out a bath should be taken,clean clothes should be put on, sacred ash applied on thebody, and rudraksha beads worn. While circumambulatingone should meditate on Siva. Thousands of invisiblemanus, devatas, siddhapurushas and others accompany adevotee who circumambulates in this manner. Thereforea wise man should, even amidst a crowd, tread with greatcare regarding the Hill as divine. One may also walk inthe company of devotees singing the sacred names of Sivaand dancing. Alms should be given on the way accordingto one’s means and one should remember Siva in the heartwith love and devotion.

This Hill is incomprehensible, being beyond speechand thought. It is unapproachable, being a mass of fire. Itis the Absolute and therefore called the Supreme.

The body of one who performs anga-pradakshinaaround this Hill becomes divine and immune to injury.The devas circumambulate Me everyday. The sun and othercelestial bodies have obtained their lordship over the otherplanets by circumambulating Me.

A devotee who circumambulates the Hill on a Sundaypenetrates the region of the Sun and attains Liberation.He gains the world of Siva. He who circumambulates theHill on a Monday lives free from the afflictions of old ageand death. He who circumambulates the Hill on a Tuesdayis released from all debts and becomes an emperor. Ifpradakshina is done on Wednesday, he becomes omniscientand wise; on Thursday, he is worshipped by all the devasand attains fame as a guru. Circumambulation on a Friday

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brings prosperity and takes him to the abode of Vishnu;a Saturday pradakshina brings worldly success and avertsthe ill-effects threatened by the planets in one’s horoscope.If those who suffer from physical and mental ailments, aswell as those who are weak and emaciated, circumambulateMe, their ailments are cured.

The nakshatras (stars) and the devatas (deities)presiding over the planets favour those whocircumambulate the Hill. Tithi, karana, yoga, muhurta,hora etc., (divisions of time) are also favourably disposed.The sound pra in the word pradakshina (circumambulation)means rooting out sins, da, granting desires, kshi,obliterating the fruits of karma and na, bestowingLiberation. This is the real meaning of the wordpradakshina.

Even I circumambulate Arunadri, the divinelyEffulgent Linga which is My form, in the company ofganas, devas and rishis at the time of the sacred Uttarayana(the winter solistice). I do so for the welfare of the world.Moreover Goddess Gowri will come here to do penance.She will become pure by circumambulating Me. AfterwardsShe will gain one half of My body. She will perform severepenance and circumambulate Me at the time of pradosha(the evening of the thirteenth day of both the waxing andthe waning moon) on the day of Kritika (the day onwhich the moon is in conjunction with the star Pleiades)in the month of Kartika (the eight month of the Indiansolar calendar which corresponds to November-December).The Goddess in the form of Apitakuchambika shall thenmerge in Me.

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All the devas rejoice during the holy season ofUttarayana. During this season all the devas, gandharvas,yakshas, siddhas and rakshasas gather at this place, worshipMe, make progress in their austerities and perform therites which expiate all the sins committed by them intheir previous lives. The day on which the holy season ofUttarayana commences is an auspicious day for men.Hence let them adore Me on that day and attain the goalof their lives.

One should never circumambulate the Hill on anykind of conveyance. For it is against dharma. Once upona time a king named Dharmaketu who came from theworld of Yama rode round the Hill on horseback. Aftercompletion of pradakshina his horse was transformed intoa Gananatha. Amidst praises sung by the devas it left itsmaster and gained the abode of Siva. Witnessing this theking repented and circumambulated the Hill on foot.Needless to say that he too joined the ganas and attainedSiva’s abode. Since then Indra and the thiry-three croredevas as well as Vishnu go round Arunachala on foot.

If the foot of one who circumambulates Arunachalableeds, it will be wiped with the mandara flowers wornon Devendra’s head. The foot which happens to be injuredwhile circumambulating will be soothed by the kumkum(vermilion) from the body of Goddess Lakshmi.

On hearing all this Gowri said: O Sage! Kindlyexpound on the merits acquired by serving this Hill. Tellme the story of those fortunate persons who served thisHill with reverence and how they attained the goal of

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their lives. Thereupon Gautama said: I shall describe themerits acquired by serving this Hill as narrated byParameswara Himself on a former occasion. A spider woveits web on one of the slopes of the Hill. This amounted toclothing the Hill. It gained the ability to recall its previousbirths. Poisonous insects move about harmlessly on theslopes. Those who light even a single lantern regularly forArunachala become Self-Effulgent. A parrot built its neston a tree close to Arunachala and kept in it some fireflieswhich dispelled the darkness all around it by their light. Ittherefore attained Liberation. A few cows were grazingon the slopes of the Hill. Their thoughts turned to theircalves. Instantly milk dripped from their udders anddrenched the slopes. As a result of this spontaneousabhisheka which they performed to Arunachala theyattained Liberation. When a crow flew in search of preyits wings fanned the Hill. It attained Liberationimmediately. Devas and rishis dwell close to Arunachala astrees with the object of avoiding future births.

If one constructs a gopura (a tower), a sikbara (spire),a road or a mantapa (pavilion), or digs a well in this placehe will obtain what he desires. Let this Linga of fire whichcannot be approached by mortals be worshipped on earth.Unnamulai Ambika, the Supreme Power, nourishes theentire world which is Her creation. The Mother of theuniverse is eternally young. Let those who desire to becomeeternally young worship Her.

Worship the Lord of Sonadri, the repository ofimmeasurable virtues, who grants boons and the source

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of all joys. Your desires will be fulfilled and you will joinSambhu. Your penance is meant for the welfare of theworld. There is nothing which you desire for yourself. Letthe austerities and dharma of the rishis flourish. Devatasdo penance only to fulfill their desires. The goal of ourlives will be reached by living near you when you areperforming your penance. O Queen of all celestial beings!Everything will be accomplished by your penance.

On hearing these words of the muni, Goddess Gowriwas extremely pleased. She praised him thus: What otherpenance is necessary? I have had your darshan and ofArunachala and have obtained your blessings. I havelistened to its glory. This Earth is superior to swarga, forthe Effulgent Linga abides here and it grants boons evento devas. Siva can be attained only by His Grace. Hisabode has been revealed to me. I shall adore Him at thisvery place and propitiate Him. I shall gain eternal unionwith Siva.

The Goddess then decided to perform penancedevoutly in the presence of Gautama. At Gowri’s behest athatched hut was built for Her. The Goddess with Herslender form, lotus-like eyes, matted tresses, wearing atree-bark and shining with the brilliance of a carbunclewas the very embodiment of penance. She followed thevarious scriptural injunctions and exhibited Her devotionto Her Lord in various ways, thus teaching the world thepaths of dharma as laid down in the Vedas and sastras.Her slender body withstood the severity of penancewithout exhibiting the least trace of weariness.

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X . TX . TX . TX . TX . TH EH EH EH EH E S S S S S L AL AL AL AL AY I N GY I N GY I N GY I N GY I N G O FO FO FO FO F T H ET H ET H ET H ET H E

DDDDD E M O NE M O NE M O NE M O NE M O N M M M M MA H I S H A S U R AA H I S H A S U R AA H I S H A S U R AA H I S H A S U R AA H I S H A S U R A

BRAHMA continued: The devas who were oppressedby Mahishasura, a demon who had taken the form of

a buffalo, came down to earth and sought refuge with theGoddess. They cried in fear, ‘O Goddess! Save us!’ WhenShe asked what the matter was, Indra and the other devasfolded their palms respectfully and told Her about theirsuffering at the hands of Mahishasura. They said:

Mahisha sports in the woods of Nandana with theapsaras (celestial nymphs), having brought under controlAiravata (Indra’s elephant) and other dig-gajas (elephantsbelonging to the eight cardinal points). He has taken

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possession of Uchaisravas (Indra’s Horse) and other horses.He also keeps millions of goats which are the mounts ofAgni, and allows his sons to ride them. He yokes thebison, the mount of Yama, to his chariot. Siddhas havebeen enslaved, are compelled to do his bidding and waitupon him. If there is anything in all the three worlds thathe does not possess, he is not satisfied until he gets holdof it. As for us, we live in fear of him as his servitors andare compelled to obey his commands.

This asura (demon) is invincible. Having obtained aboon from Siva he is more powerful than devas and allothers. Harrassed by Mahisha, the king of the seas wailsin desperation and offers his jewels. With his horns Mahishadigs the mountains. His strength is unequalled. Nobodycan oppose him. You will discover this yourself when youcome to destroy him. You are the power (shakti) of Sambhuin the form of a woman. It is destined that he should bekilled by you; for he has obtained a boon from Sambhuthat no man shall kill him. Goddess! You must save us!

Hearing them cry out in fear in this manner, theGoddess in all graciousness assured them of Her protection.She spoke endearingly: Devas! My children! It is said thatone of the objectives of doing penance is protection ofthose who seek refuge. Your enemy will perish in a shorttime. I shall kill that great asura by strategy. It is not rightto kill one who is innocent. He who acts contrary to dharma,against those who abide by dharma, will die like an insect.

Their fears having vanished upon hearing these wordsof assurance, the devas bowed to the daughter of the

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mountain, and returned in peace to their abode. Aftertheir departure the lotus-eyed Gowri manifested herself asthe power of resplendent delusion (Mohini), and appointedfour noble Bhairavis to keep watch on all four sides ofArunagiri. These four celestial damsels, named Dundubhi,Satyavati, Anavami and Sundari, had followed Gowri toserve Her when She came away from the Kailasa Mountain.She now issued the following orders to them:

Admit only those who have come to worshipArunachala and are tired, hungry and thirsty. Others shouldnot enter. She then appointed strong men to guard theboundaries of Arunachala and continued Her penance atHer ashram.

While She did penance in this manner, the place hadplentiful rains. The crops grew lush and green. Even thecreatures which are mutually hostile forgot their hostility.The ashram became a place for all creatures to live inharmony. Arunagiri was protected by guards for a distanceof two yojanas all around. Everyone felt safe. Lust andviolent passions were unknown. All the munis werepleased. They praised Gowri and Her ashram as if it werethe world of Siva. She continued to practise Her austeritiesday and night, greatly rejoicing in attending to thosematters which pleased Siva.

One day the arrogant Mahisha entered the forest ofArunachala which was far from his own country with theintention to hunt. He and his followers hunted the animalsthat roamed fearlessly in the forest. Seeing his warriorsroaming about with bows, the animals fled in fear. Some

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of them took refuge in the ashram of the Goddess. Theasuras were promptly prevented by the guards fromentering the ashram. When they asked the reason, theguards replied: ‘Gowri is doing penance here. ThereforeShe is bound to protect those who take shelter withinthese precincts. This is a place meant for munis. No oneshall forcibly enter.’ The asuras turned back, ponderingon their next move. They then entered the ashram in theguise of birds and, sitting on the branches of the treeswithin the ashram, saw the Goddess. Afterwards theypraised the enchanting beauty of the Goddess to Mahisha.

On hearing their words he was stricken with lust.Disguising himself as an old man he entered the ashramand was welcomed by the companions of the Goddess.He pretended to be pleased by their hospitality and askedthem: ‘Why are you doing penance here?’ They said: ‘Bala(lit. maiden) has been doing penance here for a long timein order to obtain a husband. But She can never find onewho possesses the qualities She desires. It seems that Shehas decided to marry only a valiant person who can performgreat deeds.’

Upon hearing this Mahisha laughed and said to Gowri:‘O Maiden! Performer of penance! I seem to have comehere only in answer to your prayer. Listen! I shall describemy glories. I am Mahisha the extremely valiant king ofthe asuras. All the three worlds are under my control. Ialone possess such matchless valour. O maiden! I am theembodiment of love. I can give you every pleasure. Takeme for your husband. I shall grant you the fruit of the

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austerities of all beings with the help of the wish-fulfillingtree. I can create even Visvakarma (the divine architect)by my power. I can create thousands of kamadhenus(wish-fulfilling cows) in a moment. Around me are thenine nidhis (repositories of precious objects) with the aidof which all desires can be instantly fulfilled.’

When the Goddess heard what he said, Sheremembered the prayer of the devas. Abandoning Hervow of silence She said jestingly: ‘I will become the wifeof only a valiant man. I have been doing penance for along time with that object in view. If you are such a man,display your strength. If you fail, admit that you are weak.’

On hearing these words Mahisha became very angry.He roared: ‘You are now as good as dead! Who are you tospeak to me thus?’ and sprang towards the Goddess withthe object of killing Her. At his approach Gowri quicklytransformed herself into Durga the fiery and invincibleGoddess. As soon as Mahishasura saw the blazing MahaMaya before him, he made himself exceedingly huge likethe Meru Mountain. He tore off mountain peaks andhurled them at Her and gathered around him his vastarmies from all quarters. Hari and Sadasiva offered GoddessDurga five arrows each and Brahma four. The dikpalakas,the devas, the mountains and the seas all offered theirrespective ornaments, weapons and missiles to the Goddessand praised Her splendour. She put on armour andimmediately mounted a lion.

Being unable to look at the all-pervasive Effulgenceand afraid to face the mighty Goddess, Mahisha ran.

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Thereupon Gowri thought that the wicked Mahishasurashould be killed only by a stratagem: ‘Just as hunters prodanimals to make them enraged and turn about, even so Ishall make him angry by sending some clever messengersand make him return at once to the battlefield. Thosewho are extremely unrighteous will not listen to the wordsof dharma. For, if they do so, their way of living will beadversely affected. On the contrary, if he listens to thewords of dharma and becomes peaceful he shall be saved.Then he will not violate dharma. Those who do penancedo not become angry. Penance should make one free fromanger. One should not do anything which is not inaccordance with dharma.

Reflecting thus, Goddess Gowri sent a monkey-facedmuni named Suraguru to Mahisha. She said to him:‘Maharshi Vanaramukha! Endowed with the power of mayawhich I shall bestow upon you, you shall go to Mahishaand make him return quickly with the following words:

‘ “Do not oppress anyone around Arunadri as youwickedly intend to do. The valour of wicked persons whodo so will be completely destroyed in a moment. Theafflictions of the age of kali and troubles from asuras haveno place there. For it is a holy and auspicious place meantfor the devotees of Siva. By the merit you have acquiredin some former life you now possess valour and goodfortune. Let not your demonaic nature make you fall intothe fire of Arunachala like a moth. The boon acquired byyou by the grace of Siva and through your penance willbe completely burnt and destroyed like twigs in a forest

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fire. Only those who follow dharma and are devotees ofSiva may live there. Those who oppress others will developall kinds of diseases. You have more power than othersand your valour cannot be challenged by anyone. Henceyou should not lose it by your rashness.

‘ “I too saw the maiden coveted by you. She is trulyabala (destitute). Still, as She is under the protection ofthe Lord of Arunachala, She cannot be conquered. If,however, you do not listen to my advice and come tobattle, She will destroy all the boons which have madeyou an arrogant oppressor.

‘ “Station all your armed forces in front of the Goddess.She will destroy them in a moment. When you are killedby Her weapons you and your followers may or may notattain Liberation. Who can divine the plan of the Lord?One is bound to reap the fruit of the deeds prompted byone’s inherent tendencies. No one can prevent it.” In thismanner teach him his own dharma and make him abandonwhat is not dharma.’

When Vanaramukha who was sent by the Goddesswith these instructions delivered the message to Mahisha,the latter was enraged and approached the muni with theintention of killing him, but the muni escaped throughthe power of maya. The wicked demon then gathered allhis armed forces and prepared for battle. His forces camefrom all quarters and surrounded Arunagiri.

As soon as Gowri saw the asura army, She broughtinto existence fierce warriors, bhuta ganas, and monstrouscreatures. Then the Goddess blew Her conch. As soon as

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the asuras heard the sound and saw Her, they shot a hostof arrows from all sides in order to show their valour. Butthe Goddess stopped them all with Her arrows. The bhutasand vetalas created by the Goddess fought fiercely. Theattendant goddesses killed many of the enemies quickly.Amidst the dead bodies of the asuras, the bhutas dancedin victory. The Goddess stood fully armed alongwith Hermaidens, Dundubhi, Satyavati, Anavami and Sundari.

As soon as Mahisha saw Her he became enraged. Hepierced the clouds with the tip of his horns, darted hisflame-like tongue hither and thither, butted the earth withhis horns, pawed the earth with his hooves raining cloudsof dust on all sides and roared fiercely. He lifted his hairytail and shattered many of the weapons of the devas whobecame frightened. Then he turned towards the beautifulBhavani who was mounted on a lion and charged towardsHer only to meet his doom!

Mahisha rained arrows and many other weapons onGoddess Gowri. But She stopped them all at a distance withHer arrows and pierced his body in many places. Whileassailed thus with discs, axes, maces, spears and many otherweapons he disappeared suddenly and came back a momentlater in the form of a fierce lion. Roaring terribly he ragedabout the battlefield attacking with his teeth and sharp claws.Everytime he was defeated, he took a new form. Thus hecame as a tiger, then an elephant and then a fierce warriorwith a sword. The Goddess who was carrying a sword, shieldand a disc fought with him and cut off his head. But heresumed his form of Mahisha and fought with Her tirelessly.

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Then the devas and munis approached Gautama whopraised the Mother of the world and reminded Her ofHer innate glory. Gautama pleaded with Bhagavati toeliminate the asura immediately.

The Goddess pierced Mahisha with Her trident. Hisbody was as big as a mountain range but he could notwithstand the valour of the Goddess. He fell and rolledon the ground but could not extricate himself from thetrident. He looked like a red sea with blood flowing fromhis face and limbs. The Goddess cut off his head with asharp sword and stood dancing upon him. Seeing this thesiddhas, gandharvas and Maharshis hailed Her as GoddessDurga. Indra, the king of the devas, bowed down beforeHer and with folded hands he praised the Goddess. Heprayed that Her form as Mahishasura Mardhani (thedestroyer of Mahisha) should be a source of prosperityand happiness for all creation.

When the Goddess was praised in this manner andworshipped by Indra and adored by the rishis, She compliedwith their request and said, “Let it be so”. She created animage bearing all kinds of weapons and installed it in theworld of the devas. Then She took Her place here againassuming Her tranquil form surrounded by Hercompanions. She looked at the severed head and neck ofMahisha. Seeing a linga there She quietly took it with theobject of worshipping it. She looked at the blood smearedlinga carefully for a long time. When She did so the lingastuck to Her hand. She could not remove it! She exclaimed:“Why has this happened?” In distress She went to

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Maharshi Gautama and said: “This devotee of Siva waskilled by me. I am therefore overcome by sorrow.”

Pained at what She had done She continued:“O Sage! You know all the dharmas! I wanted to protect

the devas. So I assured them of my protection. While fulfillingmy promise, though meant for protecting dharma, I havecommitted an act of adharma. This linga which was aroundhis neck clings to my hand. How shall I expiate the sin ofkilling a devotee of Siva? Until I obtain the Grace of Siva Ishall go on a pilgrimage with this linga and do penance.Afterwards I shall bathe in the holy waters flowing at placessacred to Siva and expiate my sin.” Gautama who waswell-versed in the dharma of Siva said: “Gowri! Do not fearthat you killed a devotee of Siva by mistake. Mahisha couldnot be conquered by the devas not because he had the goodfortune to possess the linga, but because he had to be killedonly by you, the beloved of Siva. He roused the anger ofMaharshis who were the devotees of Siva, hated them andscorned them. Consequently he was cursed by them thus:‘As you behave like a buffalo you shall become a wild bison.’And he immediately became Mahisha (bison). But whenhe bowed to them, praised them and begged for releasefrom his curse, they were pleased to give him the followingadvice: ‘Although you have become a bison, by Siva’scommand, you will be slain by the Goddess herself. Youneed not be depressed at your plight. Who is not punishedfor scorning the siddhas who are actually Siva? Althoughyou have, on account of your sin become a bison, you willbe released from the curse through the grace of the siddhas.’

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“O Gowri, Mahisha has been killed by you becauseof your penance. If necessary you may for the sake ofpleasing Siva, have darshan of Arunachala, the EffulgentLinga. Mahisha was a devotee of the Lord of Arunadri inhis previous birth. Afterwards he became a wild buffalobut somehow he acquired a linga. Who is there in thethree worlds who can kill the wearer of a linga?

“It is said that a linga which is worn without properinitiation will bring ruin upon the wearer. Or perhaps, heswerved away from the virtuous path by evil counsels.There is no doubt that he has been liberated by cominginto contact with your lotus feet, as a result of the austeritiesperformed by him in his former lives, by the remembranceof his real nature and the wearing of the linga. In any case,the sight of this noble Hill is the sure means of expiatingall sins.

“Goddess! This sin can be expiated in the followingmanner: You must bring some followers of Saiva Siddhantaand settle them here. You must then make all the holywaters meet here and form a single holy pond, in whichyou must bathe wearing the linga and uttering theaghamarshana mantra (mantra which expiates sins). Youmust bathe thrice daily and, at the end of one month,perform Deva Yaga (sacrifice for the gods) and worshipthe Lord of Arunadri.”

When Bhagavati learnt from the muni this secretabout Siva, She took the necessary steps for bathing insuch a holy pond and expiating Her sins.

u

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XI. TXI. TXI. TXI. TXI. THEHEHEHEHE G G G G GODDESSODDESSODDESSODDESSODDESS J J J J JOINSOINSOINSOINSOINS S S S S SIVIVIVIVIVAAAAA

WHEN Gautama spoke in this manner Gowri’sdoubts were cleared. A sweet voice was then heard

coming from the sky. It said: Daughter of the mountain!You need not go anywhere else to expiate your sin. Splitopen a rock with your sword. All the nine tirthas namely,the Ganga, the Yamuna, the Sindhu, the Godavari, theSaraswati, the Narmada, the Kaveri, the Sonanadi andthe Sonanadam will appear in that cleft. Bathe in themuttering the sin-destroying mantra in the month of Asvija(October-November) in the asterism of Jyeshta (Antares).You must bathe in this holy water and at the end of themonth install on the bank of that holy tirtha the linga inyour hand consecrating it for the welfare of the world.

If anyone bathes in that tirtha and worships that lingahe will undoubtedly be free from the three kinds of misery.

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Celebrate a festival for ten days with the maidens namedAnumati, Bala, Sinivali, Guha and Yatri, take the finalbath when the star Krittika (Pleiades) is in ascension andworship Sonachala in the evening in the prescribedmanner. I shall then reveal to you my own Effulgent form.You must do this solely for the welfare of the world.

Goddess Gowri thereupon proceeded to do what theMaharshi and the voice from the sky had asked Her todo. She caused by Her powers, lotuses resembling Hereyes and utpala flowers resembling Her smile to bloom inthat tirtha. The world was blessed by Her presence there.Everyone’s desires were fulfilled and there was contentmenteverywhere. But Her mind was agitated on account ofHer separation from Sambhu.

At the end of one month the Goddess celebrated afestival. On the evening when Krittika was in conjunctionwith the Moon in the month of Karthika (November-December), She propitiated the Lord of Arunadri with allthe prescribed offerings and offering of water (arghya).The Mother of the world then prayed, “Visvarupa! Godin the form of Sonachala! Effulgent one! Linga in theform of a hill! Remover of all sins! Obeisance to Thee.Thy glory could not be realised even by Brahma and Vishnuas Thou art truly fiery. But Thou hast cooled down for thewelfare of the world.”

When the Goddess stood praying thus, Arunadrimanifested himself as an Effulgent Column blazing inall directions. He appeared as a supreme Effulgenceresembling the rising of crores of suns, or a crore of

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full-moons or world-consuming fires. The munis (sages)and the Goddess prostrated before it with extremeveneration. While the Goddess stood overcome withjoy, the Lord of Arunadri rose out of that Effulgence ina golden form with a bluish throat and said: I am pleasedwith you, for you have performed penance andausterities at the places specified by me. You have nowdirectly realised my radiant form. Being the mother ofthe world you protect the world for various reasons.What is your wish? Beloved one! Your doubts and fearshave vanished the moment you saw my splendour!

You have not incurred any sin by the act of killingMahisha. Moreover, as you have looked at Sonachala, youhave expiated all your sins. Your eyes have become blessed.You engaged a foster-mother to suckle your son. And, insteadof being with him, you were here as Unnamulai (mother ofthe unsuckled breasts) in the month of Karthika for theprotection of your devotees. You shall therefore beworshipped as Apitakuchambika (The Sanskrit equivalentfor Unnamulai). After completing this worship for the welfareof the devotees you shall meditate upon me.

When Siva spoke these words, Ambika bowed tohim and prayed: Deva of devas! Every year on this Krittikaday of the full moon, pray, reveal that divine form whichwas devoutly worshipped by me and the devas on thisauspicious day so that all may be protected from adversity.Mahadeva said, “So be it”.”

The Goddess then went round the hill along withHer companions. As She did so Arunachala shone like an

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emerald and Her sacred body was enveloped by the lustreof the Hill. As She walked slowly, the lustre of Her lotusfeet made the earth look as if it had been strewn withlotus petals. Her radiant looks were like blossoms ofnilotpala (blue lotus) scattered by worshippers all roundSonadri.

Goddess Gowri was devoutly walking round the Hillas if She were walking round the ceremonial marriagehavan with the object of attaining union with Siva. Shewas joined at each step by Brahma, Vishnu and theirconsorts Saraswati and Lakshmi respectively, the devas,the dikpalakas and their consorts and the celestial maidenswith their fragrant offerings. It appeared, as if by Herausterities She was appeasing the hill of fire. Constantlyremembering Mahadeva She gave spiritual instruction tothe divine rishis.

u

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XII. TXII. TXII. TXII. TXII. TH EH EH EH EH E L L L L LORDORDORDORDORD G G G G GRANTSRANTSRANTSRANTSRANTS

THETHETHETHETHE B B B B BOONOONOONOONOON O FO FO FO FO F S S S S SUPREMEUPREMEUPREMEUPREMEUPREME

EEEEEXCELLENCEXCELLENCEXCELLENCEXCELLENCEXCELLENCE TTTTTOOOOO A A A A ARUNARUNARUNARUNARUNACHALACHALACHALACHALACHALA

BRAHMA said: The Mother of the world bowed tothe Destroyer of the three cities and prayed that

She should attain union with Him. Noted for Her sweetwords, She prayed very devoutly in this manner for thewelfare of the world, “Let not this form of Thine whichcharms the eye and the mind be ever abandoned byThee. As this form of Thine is enchanting, auspiciousfor the world and is full of divine bliss, let everyonealways have Thy darshan. Instead of Thy formerappearance of matted hair, wearing the serpent roundthe neck, holding the skull of Brahma, smearing ashfrom the Rudra Bhoomi (cremation ground), pray, assume

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the form of the Maha Purusha, the Eternal Bridegroom,adorning divine garlands, perfumes, robes and gem-setornaments. Great Lord! Let deva and gandharva maidensadore Thee, dancing and singing to the accompanimentof musical instruments. Let Thy devotees also adore Theeunceasingly. Let this vision of our united formArdhanareeswara, be always, by Thy Grace, capable ofinspiring intense devotion, of bestowing prosperity andof fulfilling all desires.”

The Lord of Arunachala listened to these words ofthe Goddess and fulfilled Her wishes. With great affectionHe said, “An Asura named Pulaka once performedausterities, assuming the form of an animal for that purpose,and obtained a boon from me. Thereupon his body beganto emit a fragrant smell. Due to this the celestial damselswere attracted to him. This enraged the devas who thenappealed to me. Thereupon I summoned the asura andordered him to abandon his body. He bowed to me, adoredme with devotion and said, ‘Lord of the devas! I shallabandon this body according to Thy command. Thisfragrant substance is fit to be adorned by Thee alone.Thou must therefore graciously accept it as my offerring.O Lord of the world! I shall now happily abandon thisbody of mine. Let this perfume be worn by Thee and bythe Goddess. Let my descendants, i.e., civet cats, acquirethis fragrance by virtue of my sacrifice’. I granted him theboon. Pulaka then entrusted his life to me and abandonedhis body. I am now offerring you this perfume. You maywear it.”

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Parvati then narrated the greatness of the Ekamralinga which was installed by Her during Her penance atKancheepuram.

Brahma continued: On hearing this the Lord ofSonachala granted all the boons the Goddess asked for.The Lord himself now appears as Sonachala (the red Hill)which is adored by the world. It grants every boon. ShambuHimself, with Gowri shines as Arunachala. Those whohave darshan of it or meditate upon it, attain liberation.All kinds of wealth accrue to those who hear of the gloryof Arunachala. Those who remember Arunachala willbecome pure in mind. They shall be absolved of theirkarmas. A mere darshan of Arunachala will grant the benefitof bathing in all the holy tirthas and performing all yajnasand yagas. He will obtain the grace of Sadasiva. Amongthe various places on earth which are sacred to Siva, it isonly at this place that Sambhu fell in love with His ownmajestic and magnificent form. He lost the desire to dwellat Kailasa. He asked Parvati, all the rishis and devas tocome and perform penance, austerities and all rituals thatare laid down in the scriptures. In Bharatavarsha dharmais cherished because of the presence of Arunachala.Devotees whose sins have all been destroyed in the blazeof Arunachala live in bliss. Arunachala fulfills the wishes ofthose who adore Him with circumambulation, prostrationand perform austerities. A single darshan of Arunachalapleases Him much more than austerities, offerings andyagnas performed at other kshetras. The Vedas and theepics in the form of hills surrounding Arunachala pay

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their obeisance to Him. Neither I nor Vishnu with all ourskill can adequately describe the glory of Arunachala.Myself, Vishnu, and the devas always worship it whileremaining invisible. Disease, distress, mental worry andother miseries incidental to the dark age of kaliyuga donot affect those who always adore Arunachala. The powerof Arunachala nullifies the influence of planets. I havethus described to the best of my ability the glory ofArunachala which bestows Liberation in a trice on onewho contemplates upon Him.

Suta said: When Sage Sanaka heard with raptattention the glorious and nectar-sweet story of Arunagirithat flowed from the lips of Brahma, he was full of bliss.

EEEEEN DN DN DN DN D O FO FO FO FO F P P P P PARTARTARTARTART I I I I I

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PARPARPARPARPART - IIT - IIT - IIT - IIT - II

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This part is taken from a portion of SkandaPurana where Nandi, the mount of Lord Siva,narrates the glory of Arunachala to theimmortal rishi Markandeya. This version isslightly different from that given in Part One.Readers may find certain details repetitive,nevertheless, it must be borne in mind that itserves to emphasise the greatness ofArunachala. This is exactly the aim of thiswork.

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I . I . I . I . I . GGGGG L O R YL O R YL O R YL O R YL O R Y O FO FO FO FO F P P P P PL AL AL AL AL AC E SC E SC E SC E SC E S

A N DA N DA N DA N DA N D TTTTT I RI RI RI RI RT H A ST H A ST H A ST H A ST H A S

SSSSS AAAAAC R E DC R E DC R E DC R E DC R E D TTTTTOOOOO S S S S SI VI VI VI VI VAAAAA

VYASA said: The ascetics (munis) who lived in theNaimisa forest asked Bhagavan Suta: Of all places

sacred to Siva which is the greatest? Kindly enlighten us.Suta said: O ascetics! I shall tell you what Sage

Markandeya formerly learnt from Nandikesvara. Listen.Markandeya said to Nandikesvara: Nandikesvara! I listenedwith devotion and faith to the story of Madhyamesvaranarrated by you. I request you to continue. There isnothing unknown to you in the three worlds.

Nandikesvara said: O best of ascetics! There is oneplace which corresponds to your description and which isthe best of all sacred places and exists for the welfare of allbeings, movable and immovable. It is ordained by Isvarathat all jivas should be born according to their karmas.What you desire to know should prove beneficial to these

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jivas. Otherwise they will not obtain liberation fromsamsara even after the lapse of a crore of aeons (kalpas).Unfructified karma binds them to the vicious cycle ofbirth and death. There is no escape from it. Is there anymeans other than absolute knowledge to escape from thiscycle? I have already described the places which are sacredto Siva, the benefits derived by residing at those placesand the names of the rishis who live there. Some live onthe banks of the Ganga, the Saraswati, the Yamuna, theSona, the Narmada, the Godavari, the Gomati theHaimavati (name of the Ganga before it reaches the plains),the Krishna, the Tungabhadra, the Upaveni, the Pennai,the Kaveri, the Vaigai, the Tamraparni, the Mandakini,the Sipra (the river at Avanti), the Sarayu, the Murala, theAiravati, the Yadukangkshi, the Kanyakumari, the Tamasa,the Varuna, the Vipasa, the Sadadruti, the Charmani, theBhimarati, the Bindusaras, the Pampa, the Bhairavi, theKausiki, the Maliri, the Gandhavati, the Manasa, theAchhoda, the Indradyumna, the Manikarnika, the Varada,the Patala Ganga, the Saravati, the Lohati, the Kalama,the Vitasta, the Chandrabhaga, the Surala, the Payoshni,the Madhumati and the Pinakini Kasi, Panchakrosa,Avimukti. Others live on the seashore, or on islands, or inthe sacrificial halls erected on the banks of the Sindhu, orat the places where rivers enter the sea.

Varanasi where Isvara is worshipped along withGoddess Visalakshi, and Kapalamochana, the place sacredto Kalabhairava are particularly sacred. Those who die atSri Kasi become Rudras. Gaya and Prayaga are stated to

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be places where one attains everything spiritual. Offeringrice to the manes of one’s ancestors (pitris) at these placesreleases them from suffering. Badarikasrama, whereTryambaka accompanied by the Goddess was worshippedby Nara and Narayana, confers merit on worshippers.Maheswara carrying the bow named saranga andaccompanied by the Goddess is worshipped by the rishisat Naimisaaranya. Amarnath is also very sacred. Isa abidesat Omkar in the company of Goddess Chandi. I havealready told you about the famous place known as Pushkara.Rajogandhi Deva abides there in the company of GoddessPuruhoota.

Similarly Astadesa and Raticha are installed at Ashadi.Mundi Deva and Goddess Dandika Devi at Dandimundi;Lakulisa and the most auspicious Goddess named Anangaat Lakula; Paresa and Goddess Bhooti at Parabhuti;Sukshmesa and Sukkhmesvari at Aralesvara; Sankara andMangala at Gaya; Sthanu and Sthanupriya at Kurukshetra;Ugra and Goddess Ugra Devi at Kanakhal; SwayambhuSiva and Goddess Swayambhuvi at Talaka. I have alreadydescribed Attahasa where Surya worshipped Siva andattained the Supreme goal of his life; Krithivasa which issuperior to Kailasa; Srisaila where Sri Mallikarjuna andBhramaramba are worshipped by Brahma; Kalahasti theabode of Sankara and Jnanaprasoonambika, worshippedby Vyasa and Kancheepura, sacred to Ekamresvara andKamakshi. Nataraja is worshipped by Patanjali atChidambaram; the broken tusk of Airavata (Indra’selephant) grew again when it worshipped Siva at

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Tiruvenkadu. Sri Rama installed Ramalinga atRameswaram. Siva is being worshipped at Jambukesvaramfor the welfare of the whole world. Isvara is always presentat Vriddhachala on the bank of the Manimukta. AtMadhyarjuna, Siva who is accompanied by Gowri, grantsall boons. Those who die at Somanatha are not born again.At Siddhavata the Effulgent Jyotir Linga is worshipped bysiddhas. Hari worshipped Valinikesvara at Kamalalaya andobtained Lakshmi for his consort. Brahma and Vishnuworship Siva at Tirukkazhukundram for attainingLiberation. The Lord of Parvati abides at Thonipuri in aboat during the great deluge which comes at the end ofkaliyuga. In olden days Indrajit installed Siva in the templeat Brahmapuram on the bank of Aryapushkarani. AtSrikota, the temple of wisdom, people worshipChandramaulisvara to expiate their sins. Parasuramaworshipped Siva at Gokarna. If one worships Siva atTripurantaka one need not fear naraka (hell). Devoteeswho worship Him at Kalanjana become sinless and arereleased from samsara. At Prabhasa, He bestows upondevotees everlasting benefits. Daksha worshipped Isvaraat Vedaranya with the object of expiating the sincommitted by him and attained Liberation. Those whoworship Isa at Hemakuta need not fear rebirth. AtVenuvana, Ambika manifested herself as a pearl inside abamboo. It is a place where one’s sins are expiated. AtJvalamukhi the Goddess worshipped Kalarudra. Ganapatiworshipped Siva at Patravata. At Nyagrodharanya, Kalaand Siva vied with each other in dancing. Anjaneya

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worshipped Mrityunjaya at Gandhamadana. Paninibecame a great grammarian by worshipping Sambhu atGoparvata and obtained His grace. At Veerakoshta,Valmiki became a great poet by the grace of Siva. AtMahatirtha, Siva taught the Vedas to Brahma, Vishnuand others. Indra obtained his Vajrayudha (thunderbolt)at Mayavaram. At Madurai on the banks of the Vaigai,Siva manifested as Sundaresvara. At Kumbakonam,Goddess Ganga manifests herself in the month of Masi bySiva’s grace and removes all sins. Skanda obtained atTryambaka the spear called sakti with which he killedTaraka. Trisanku, who was born in a low caste, worshippedSiva at Sripatala to purify himself. Sambhu punished Yama(the god of death) at Kadambapuri to save you. Sivabestowed his grace upon Patikantha at Avinashi. At RaktaKanna, He granted to Mitra and Varuna the boon bywhich they were saved from rebirth. Vairochana Mahabaliworships Siva at Hatakeswara while living in patala (thenether world). Kailasa is another place sacred to Siva;Kubera worships Him there.

u

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I I . TI I . TI I . TI I . TI I . TH EH EH EH EH E S S S S SAAAAA C R E DC R E DC R E DC R E DC R E D

AAAAA R U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

HAVING narrated the glory of various places sacredto Siva, Nandikesvara asked Markandeya, “You have

now listened to all that I have said. What more do youwish to hear?” On hearing this, Markandeya the asceticplaced his head upon Nandikesvara’s feet with devotionand prayed as follows:

“Bhagavan! Please do not evade my question. Your graceis the proof of my single-minded devotion to you. Each ofthe places mentioned by you so far has, no doubt, its particularefficacy, but which is the place that has the combined efficacyof all the sacred places? Please say which is that place, byremembering which knowingly or unknowingly even once,all beings moving as well as stationary attain Liberation.

“It is described in all the Vedas and puranas andelsewhere, that this earth is the place most suitable for

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those who wish to reach swarga and attain liberation. Allkarmas are efficacious only for those who live on thisearth. You have explained that their results are of threekinds viz., (1) worldly pleasures, (2) pleasures of swargaand (3) Liberation (kaivalya). The first two will come toan end as soon as the merit acquired by a person isexhausted, but the third does not depend uponperformance of karmas. Therefore it will not come to anend. It has been stated by you that true knowledge is theonly means of attaining it.

“However, absolute knowledge cannot be acquiredby all embodied beings. Which is that place where trueknowledge can be acquired without book learning, merelyby worship of Siva? Please tell me which is that placewhere pure knowledge is attained by practising but a fewreligious rituals, the place where even lay men withoutany kind of scholarship can evolve spiritually by merelysmearing sacred ash, wearing rudraksha beads andcontemplating on Siva? Which is that place where allresidents overcome obstacles and attain knowledge withoutany conscious effort? At which place do even the wicked,the lowliest of animals and inanimate objects attainGodhead?

“This is not only my prayer but also that of all theRishis present here viz., Pulaha, Pulastya, Vasishta, Marichi,Agastya, Dadhichi, Nagru, Bhrigu, Atri, Jabali, Jaimini,Daumya, Jamadagni, Upayaja, Yaja, Bharata, Arvarivata,Pippaladha, Kanya, Kumuda, Upamanyu, Kumudaksha,Kutsa, Vatsa, Varatantu, Vibhandaka, Vyasa, Kanvarishi,

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Kandul Mandavya, Matanga, Kukshi, Mandakarni,Chandal Kausika, Sandilya, Sakatayana, Satatapa,Manucchanda, Garga, Saubhari, Romasa, Apastamba,Prithustamba, Bhargava, Udanga, Parvata, Bharadvaja,Dasya, Danta, Svetaketu, Kaundinya, Pundarika, Raibhya,Trinabindu, Valmiki, Narada, Vahni, Dridhamanyu,Bodhayana, Kapota, Harita, Mrikandu, the extremelyirritable Durvasa, Jalapada, Sakti, Gangavariya, Natanda,Devadatta, Nyangu, Susruta, Agnivesya, Galava, Matutva,Lokakshi, Visravas, Saindhava, Sumantu, Sisupayana,Maudgalya, Padya, Chyavanal Matura, Rishyasringa,Ekapada, Krauncha, Dridha, Gomukha, Devala, Angiras,Vamadeva, Aurva, Patanjali, Kapinjala, Sanatkumara,Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, Hiranyanabha, Vatasanaknown as Satya, Suhota, Maitreya, Pushpajit, Satyatapa,Salishva, Saisira, Nidagha, Udatya, Samvarta, Saulkayani,Parasara, Vaisampayana, Kausalya, Saradvata, Kapidhvaja,Kusasvarchika, Kaivalya, Yajnavalkya, Asvalayana,Krishnatapottama, Anantakaruna, Amalakapriya,Charaka, Pavitra, Kapila, Kanachi, Nara-Narayana andmany other Maharshis.

“You have crossed the ocean of all the agamas.Moreover you pervade all the worlds. Therefore kindlyenlighten us. Whom else can we approach? All agamasand puranas can be learnt only from Paramesvara or Parvatior Skanda, or from you. Your kindness shows that you areaware of our devotion. Please kindly reveal to us the secret.”

Having said thus, Markandeya and the other asceticsprostrated before Nandikesvara and awaited his answers

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eagerly. Nandikesvara looked at Markandeya, the best ofdevotees who had pleased Siva by his devotion.

Hearing the words of Markandeya, Nandikesvaranodded his head and said, “Yes, there is such a place onearth!” The thought of Arunachala crossed his mind andhe went into samadhi. With tear filled eyes and his wholeframe shaking with emotion, he said:

“O best of ascetics! I was only testing you. If I do notdivulge the secret to you to whom shall I divulge it? Isthere anyone like you in the world who follows the dharmaof Siva? Is there anyone other than you who can gaineverlasting life by the grace of Siva? It is only for your sakethat Siva became angry and punished Yama who came toclaim your life. The entire dharma of Siva is already knownto you. I shall tell you about that sacred place. Only devoteesof Siva are entitled to hear about that place. Now listenattentively.

“In the Dravida country (South India), there is thisplace, most sacred to Siva known as Arunachala. It extendsto three yojanas all round. It is the heart of the earth. It isthe favourite of Siva. There he has assumed the form of aHill. He took the form of Arunachala for the welfare ofthe world. It is the abode of all the siddhas, maharshis,devas, vidyadharas, yakshas, gandharvas, and apsaras. It isregarded superior to the Meru, the Kailasa and theMandara mountains by all. Since all creatures living thereattain Liberation effortlessly, even the residents of svargaprefer to dwell there. The trees growing there have thegood fortune of worshipping Hara in the form of this

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noble Hill with their leaves, flowers and fruits and aretherefore superior to the wish-fulfilling and other treeswhich grow in svarga. Even hunters who are violent gainthe imperishable merit derived from circumambulatingthe Hill when they go round this Hill while hunting. Therainwater falling from the clouds on its top is superior tothe Ganga which flows from the Himalayas. Even thebirds which sing there, and the reeds and bamboos whichrub noisily against one another enjoy a status whichyakshas, gandharvas and kinnaras cannot attain. Thefireflies which give some light to those who walk there indarkness reach the abode of Siva. As the trees growing onthe slopes of this hill have the good fortune of union withthe Lord unhindered, they scorn even the Goddess, oneof whose names is Aparna (leafless). The stars which passover the top of this Hill attain thereby the goal of theirexistence. They do not seek even Chandra (the Moon).The wild animals roaming about the slopes of this Hill donot care even for the deer within their reach. Suffice it tosay that even children and the young ones of the animalsare envied by Ganesa and Guha if they happen to touchthe foot of this Hill. The lions, tigers and elephants whichlive and die there are welcomed by the Lord of Sonadriand held in great esteem by Him.

“This immovable Hill is thus Sambhu Himself. Thetrees, the groves and the herbs growing on it are Hismatted locks. Its bright, conspicuous peak and the twopeaks on either side, which are like the Sun and the Moon,are symbolic of His three eyes. The blue streams of water

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flowing from the top of this Hill during the rainy seasonare symbolic of His blue throat. ‘The One with a thousandfeet and a thousand eyes’, is how the Lord is described inthe Vedas. These are not mere words. Their truth can bedirectly perceived here in the form of this Hill. For,innumerable are the streams that flow from the top of thisHill which represents the head of the Bearer of the Ganga.The white clouds which settle in a circle round the middleof the Hill symbolise Siva as mounted on the bull. Thedark clouds that settle on the peak show Him to beblue-throated. As this Hill is immovable, Siva came to beknown as the Immovable one, Sthanu. Because of itsimposing appearance He is described as the Great One,Bhima. As it is not possible to pass over this Hill, Siva isknown as the formidable one, Ugra. The tiny rivulets onits sides are Takshaka and Ananta belonging to the hoardof serpents worn by Him as ornaments. The eight cornersof this Hill represent His eight aspects (Ashtamurti).

“In the distant past Parvati performed austerities here,pleased Siva and won His left half. Isa was enshrined inthe form of a linga by Gowri on the Pavalakkunru (theCoral hillock), an eastern spur of Arunachala. That lingais capable of bestowing worldly benefits as well asLiberation. Durga, the slayer of Mahisha, abides there bythe orders of Goddess Gowri. She removes all obstaclesand graciously enables devotees to have vision of theirpersonal deities and the person doing mantra japa attainsthe fruit of his japa (mantrasiddhi). In Gowri’s ashramthere is a tirtha known as Khadga tirtha (the tirtha made

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by the sword of Gowri). The five great sins of those whobathe in it are destroyed. The linga known as Papanasana(destroyer of sins) which was worshipped by goddessDurga, destroys all sins.

“By committing forbidden acts in Arunachala, aPandya king, Vajrangada lost his power. Afterwards heattained union with Siva through devotion to the Hill.Two vidyadharas named Kantisali and Kaladhara were cursedby Durvasa. They got rid of the curse by circumambulatingthis Hill. There is no sacred place comparable to Sonadri,no mantra comparable to Panchakshara, no dharmacomparable to the dharma of Mahesvara, no knowledge(jnana) comparable to the knowledge of Siva (Sivajnana),no protective amulet comparable to the Vedic incantation,the Rudram, no devotee of Siva comparable to Vishnu, norighteous conduct comparable to devotion, no saviourcomparable to the Guru, no ornament comparable to therudraksha, no scripture (sastra) comparable to the agamasof Siva, no leaf comparable to the bilva leaf, no flowercomparable to jasmine, no happiness comparable todispassion, no supreme state comparable to Liberation.Neither Kailasa nor Meru nor Mandhara is comparable toArunachala. For the former are only the abodes of Sivawhereas this Hill is Siva Himself.”

On hearing these words of Nandikesvara, Markandeyabowed to him and prayed: “What are the karmas whichlead human beings to samsara and what karmas lead tohell? What are the acts by which sins can be expiated?Kindly explain.”

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I I I . SI I I . SI I I . SI I I . SI I I . S I N SI N SI N SI N SI N S A N DA N DA N DA N DA N D T T T T TH E I RH E I RH E I RH E I RH E I R

CCCCC O N S E QO N S E QO N S E QO N S E QO N S E QU E N C E SU E N C E SU E N C E SU E N C E SU E N C E S

NANDIKESVARA continued: One who possesses the quality of sattva (purity and

goodness, symbolised by white colour) is rare in this world.Generally people possess the qualities of rajas (passionand activity, symbolised by red) and tamas (inertia anddullness, symbolised by black). One who possesses thesattvic quality alone attains Liberation in due course whileothers are ordained by Brahma the Creator to take birthrepeatedly and consigned to hell for their evil deeds. Thereare various kinds of hells. They are as follows:

One who kills a brahmin suffers torments inmaharourava and other hells and takes birth afterwards asan ass, a dog, a pig or a chandala (outcaste). The brahminwho takes intoxicating drinks suffers torments for a timein the hell known as raurava and is then born as an insect

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or worm or a bird. He who steals the property of a brahminbecomes a brahmarakshasa (demon) and in his next lifesuffers for want of the things that he stole. One who covetsanother man’s wife is tortured in the forest of asipatra(leaves made of swords) for a long time, and is reborn asa eunuch. He who covets his Guru’s wife is first torturedby Yama’s minions who tie him to a red hot iron pillarand suffers for a long time in the hell known as kalasutra.The poisoner has to suffer in a terrible (ghora) hell; theslanderer in the extremely terrible hell (mahaghora); thehater of dharma in the hell known as avisa; the deceiverin karala; the secret sinner in the hell called sambara; theliar in a frightful hell; the stealer of money in asishora; themalicious man in vajranaraka; the brahmin who eats meatin the hell called tarala; the stealer of temple property indahana; the plunderer of others’ property in ghoraghora;the traitor to parents in tokshna; the murderer of a childin the hell chanda; the murderer of a woman in kulam; thedespiser of mantra japa in tapana; the slaughterer of ahorse is suffocated to death; the slaughterer of the cowsuffers in the hell called dhruna. In these hells sinners arebound with ropes by the minions of Yama, struck withcudgels and pierced with spears. They are pecked at byvultures and birds, bitten by serpents and attacked bydogs, tigers and lions. Their limbs are torn asunder, or cutto pieces and their eyes are gouged with sharp weapons.They are whipped, pierced with needles, fried in oil andmade to carry heavy loads. The murderer of a brahmin isreborn as a consumptive, the drunkard as a person with

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decayed teeth, the stealer of gold with decayed nails, theparamour of the Guru’s wife with skin diseases. Theslanderer of the Vedas is born as a chandala. One whobears false witness suffers in his next life from diseases ofthe eye, one who acquires learning by deceit is dumb inhis next life, the stealer of books becomes blind, the loverof others’ wives becomes lame, the slanderer of othersbecomes deaf. The violator of customary practices is rebornas a pig, the thief with diseased tongue. The inhospitableman suffers in his next birth from pain in his cheeks, hewho dallies with women at forbidden times suffers fromdiabetes and the eater of forbidden food from a foul-smelling mouth.

He who shows disrespect to others is reborn as aslave, the destroyer of ponds and gardens as an ass, theperson who does not abide by his promise has a shortspan of life, the speaker of harsh words is born as a dog,the hater of Vishnu as a chameleon and the hater of Sivaas a rat. One should realise the consequences of sinful actsand then perform rites for expiation in the temple ofArunachala.

After learning from Nandikesvara about the numerouskinds of tortures that await sinners, Markandeyaworshipped the feet of Nandikesvara again and enquiredabout the expiatory rites for these sins.

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RITES TO BE PERFORMED IN ARUNACHALA

FOR EXPIATION OF SINS

Nandikesvara said to Markandeya:I shall describe fully the expiatory rites for sins. Listen

carefully. The murderer of a brahmin should come toSonadri, bathe in the Khadga Tirtha, smear sacred ash andwear rudraksha, repeat the Panchakshara, worshipParamesvara with devotion and fasting, beg his food for aperiod of one year, feed brahmins and control his senses.If he does so, the sin of murdering a brahmin will beexpiated and he will attain the world of Brahma.

He who has taken an intoxicating drink should spendone year at Arunachala in the manner prescribed above,worship Mahesvara and pour milk over the Linga whilechanting Sata Rudram. He will then be absolved of hissin. If the stealer of gold, worships Hara at Arunachalawith bilva leaves and feeds brahmins he will be free of hissin. The paramour of the Guru’s wife should live atArunachala in like manner and in addition should light athousand lamps on the ascension of the Krittika star,worship Isa for three months, conduct marriage of a learnedand poor brahmin and repeat the Panchakshara a hundredtimes. He will then be rid of his sin. He will also abide inthe world of Siva until he attains Liberation. The lover ofother men’s wives should stay at Arunachala with his sensesunder control, worship the Lord of Arunachala with flowersfor a month. He will then be free of his sin.

If the poisoner and the slanderer stay at Aruna, leadingan austere life as stated above and offer milk to the Lord

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and teach the Vedas, they will be freed of their sins. Theincendiary should dwell at Arunachala for three monthsleading an austere life, build a house and give it free to adevotee of Siva. The despiser of dharma should abide here,build wayside inns for pilgrims according to his abilityand make arrangements to feed the pilgrims. One whohas betrayed his parents should live here for one monthand make gifts of thousands of cows to the Lord andbrahmins and feed many a brahmin during the solar andlunar eclipses. The murderer of a woman or a child shouldmake gifts of gingelly seeds to brahmins and chant hymnsto Isvara in the prescribed manner.

Let him who has polluted wells and tanks dig wellsand tanks at this place. Let him who has misappropriatedthe lands of others endow lands to the Lord of Arunadriat this place. Let him who has destroyed gardens createparks for Him. Let him who has deprived another of hishouse construct mantapas for the Lord. He who haswronged another should offer money to the Lord ofArunachala and propitiate Him. His sin will then beexpiated. He will definitely attain the higher worlds. Hewho has taken meat should stay here for three fortnightsand worship the Lord of Arunachala with offerings andrepeat His name. Seekers after Liberation should stay atAruna, worship the Lord, repeat the Arunesa mantra andcircumambulate the Hill. Men of wisdom utter the nameof Arunachala, whenever they happen to rejoice orexperience a nightmare, sneeze, stumble, fall down orcommit an error.

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He who has been ostracised, and he who is a traitorto Siva becomes sinless by merely staying at Arunachalafor three days. This is the world of Siva on earth. It is theform adopted by the Lord praised as Vedasiras i.e., thecrest of the Vedas. One attains the goal of life at otherplaces through austerities, but here one attains it themoment one thinks of Arunachala. Understand thatreligious acts performed here have greater efficacy thanthose performed on the banks of the Ganga, at Prayaga,at Kasi, at Sethu, at Pushkaram or at any other sacredplace. Therefore Agnishtoma, Vajapeya, Vairaja,Sarvatomukha, Rajasuya, Asvamedha and Soma (names ofvarious kinds of yagas) should all be performed atArunachala.

Fasting for a day at Arunachala is more beneficialthan observing a hundred chandrayanas (regulated andrestricted intake of food) or santapanas (living upon thefive products of the cow1 for five days, taking only oneproduct a day, taking water alone on the sixth and fastingcompletely on the seventh day) elsewhere. The great gifts(mahadanas) made here are sixteen times as efficacious asoffered at other places. Religious acts prescribed in thekalpas which are performed here are twice as efficacious.

On learning these details from Nandikesvara,Markandeya prostrated and asked him about the articlesto be offered to Arunachaleswara on particular days,particular seasons etc.

1 The five products of the cow are milk, curds, ghee, its urine and dung. Theseare considered sacred in the Hindu religion.

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I VI VI VI VI V. O. O. O. O. O F F E R I N G SF F E R I N G SF F E R I N G SF F E R I N G SF F E R I N G S TTTTT OOOOO

AAAAA R U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

NANDIKESVARA said to Markandeya: If oneworships the Lord of Aruna with red flowers on

Sunday he will prosper and gain sovereignty. He whoworships with the kasturi pachai leaves on Monday willattain satyaloka. Worshipping of the Lord with whitelotuses on Thursday results in the worshipper reachingjnanaloka. If one worships Arunachala on Friday withchampaka and jasmine flowers one will reach tapoloka andhe who worships with jatimalli on Saturday will neverenter hell even if he be the greatest sinner on earth.

If one offers to the Lord payasa (rice pudding) onprathama (the first day of the waxing/waning moon) onewill acquire wealth and grains and pulses in plenty. Theoffer of cooked rice and curds on dvitiya (the second day)will make one fortunate and gain eminence. If one offers

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vadai (round fried cake made of pulses) on tritiya (thethird day) one will be healthy and free from disease. If itis offered on chaturthi (the fourth day) one will obtaingrains in plenty and his desires will be fulfilled. Ven pongal(a preparation of rice with pulse, etc.) offered on panchami(the fifth day) results in continued prosperity. If one offerssarkarai pongal (a preparation of rice cooked with jaggery,etc.) on sashti (the sixth day) he is rewarded with the birthof sons. If one offers ellannam (cooked rice flavoured withsesame) on saptami (the seventh day) one will be freedfrom debts. The offer of rajasali chennel anna (rice of asuperior variety) on ashtami (the eighth day) bestows powerto influence even kings. The offer of a wheat dish onnavami (the ninth day) makes one free from consumption.Kadambam (rice cooked with a variety of vegetables)offered on dasami (the tenth day) leads to eternal happiness.Aval (beaten rice) offered on ekadasi (the eleventh day)makes one free from fear. If cooked rice and pulses areoffered on dwadasi (the twelfth day) one’s desires getfulfilled. Sattumavu (wheat flour mixed with jaggery)offered on trayodasi (the thirteenth day) makes one freefrom sorrow and gives peace of mind. By offering variouskinds of fruits on chaturdasi (the fourteenth day) even aman of dull intellect becomes wise. The offer of jack-fruiton pournami (the full-moon day) heals eye-diseases. Theoffer of edible roots and tubers on amavasya (the new-moonday) satisfies one’s manes (pitris).

Clothes should be offered to Lord Arunachala withdevotion on the ascension of the star Asvini; ornaments on

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Bharani; lighted lamps on Krittika; silver on Rohini; sandalpaste on Mrigasirsha; hari chandana (a special kind of sandalpaste) on Arudra; civet on Punarvasu; scented camphor onPushya; saffron on Aslesha; water of the Ganga on Makha;betel leaves and arecanuts on Purva Phalguna; incense onUttara Phalguna; agaru (agallochum) on Hastha; scentedsandal paste on Chitra; fragrant vrinda flowers on Svati; flywhisks on Visakha; a white umbrella on Anuradha; cows onJyeshta; strings of pearls on Moola; a crown on Purvaashada;jewels on Uttaraashada; a pedestal on Sravana; gold onSravishta; clothes on Satabhishak; various objects of luxuryon Purva Bhadrapada; horses on Uttara Bhadrapada; agolden chariot on Revati. These should be offered after firstworshipping the Lord of Arunachala in an elaborate manner.On the days on which the sun enters Aries and the othersigns of the zodiac, Panchamrita (five sweet ingredientsmade into a paste) should be poured over the Lord morningand evening. Camomile (Maruthonri), nochi, kadambam,veppilai, padiri, jasmine, lotus, sweet marjoram,nandiyavattai and water lily should then be offered chantingSiva Panchakshara all the time. On the days of the winterand summer solstices, panchakavya should be poured onthe Linga while chanting Shadakshara mantra and milkshould be poured to the accompaniment of chanting ofPranava (i.e., OM). Afterwards the Lord should be adornedwith rudra tulasi in the morning, malaka at noon andjasmine in the evening.

At the time of Ardhodaya (rising of the half moon) athousand pots of pure water should be poured over the

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Linga while chanting the Sata Rudra Stotra. Aspirants forLiberation should keep vigil on Sivaratri. They should onthat day worship the Lord of Arunachala with the bilvaleaves and lotus to the accompaniment of drums andcymbals and singing and dancing.

In the month of Pushya the Agneya festival should becelebrated along with chanting the vyabritis (primalsounds, namely, bhuh, bhuvah, suvah) and the offer of riceand vegetable dishes. In the month of Vaisaka theDamanaka festival should be celebrated according to theagamas of Siva. In the month of Margasira (December-January) the Lord should be worshipped early in themorning with puja and abhishekam with the chanting ofSama Veda. On Saturdays, the evenings of Trayodasi (thethirteenth day of the waning/waxing moon), the ArudraVyatipata (a sacred day), the days of eclipse, and Sundaysand Mondays, special worship should be offered accordingto the agamas.

A wise man will worship the Lord of Arunachala onthe day he takes diksha (consecration for a religiousceremony), when he has upanayana (the ceremonialwearing of the sacred thread) performed and when hecelebrates a marriage or the birth of a son. The Lord ofArunachala should be worshipped with flowers whenreligious vows are observed, or when buildings areconstructed or when one suddenly gains fortune or whenone is going to war. If one is at a great distance fromArunachala one should think of it always, if one livesnearby one should have darshan of it and if one is living

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inside the temple one should worship the Lord morning,noon and evening.

Child! What more do you want? There is none expectArunachala to grant Heaven and Liberation. The mindbecomes pure by thinking of Arunachala, the ears byhearing His name, the eyes by seeing Him and the tongueby uttering His Name. Those who are born at Arunachalaenjoy all happiness and attain Liberation on death. Ifsraddha (a ceremony to propitiate the manes) is performedhere, they too will attain Liberation. This Arunachala issuperior to the seven centres which grants Liberation viz.,Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya, Kanchi, Kasi, Avantika andDvaraka.

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VVVVV. C. C. C. C. CR E AR E AR E AR E AR E AT I O NT I O NT I O NT I O NT I O N D D D D DE S C R I B EE S C R I B EE S C R I B EE S C R I B EE S C R I B E DDDDD

NANDIKESVARA said: O Markandeya! It is indeeda hard task to narrate the glory of Arunachala.

Nevertheless I shall do so. You are one of the foremostdevotees of Siva and eager to hear all about Him. A manwho does not know about the greatness of Arunachala isbut an animal. Even if one knows it, how can one describeit? The legend of the Lord of Sonachala is the glory ofSambhu. It brings good fortune to him who hears it. Theglory of Arunachala is so great that even the wise and theintelligent cannot comprehend its true significance evenif they hear it times without number. When I think ofSiva’s divine play my mind is filled with sublime bliss andI am overwhelmed. Nevertheless I shall narrate theenchanting story of Arunachala.

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In the beginning, i.e. at the commencement of theage of the devas (devakalpa), Mahesvara the immutableLord had a desire to create the universe. The three-eyedSiva brought forth Brahma from his right side and Vishnufrom his left. He endowed Brahma with the quality ofrajas and Vishnu with sattva and entrusted them with thetask of creation and sustenance of the universe respectively.

Brahma created out of his mind ten noble sons, thefirst of whom was Marichi, and out of his thumb DakshaPrajapati and made them carry on the task of creation. ToKashyapa, the son of Marichi, were born the suras, theasuras, the marut-ganas, the eagles, the gandharvas andthe apsaras. Human beings are the progeny of Manu. ToAtri were born rishis, brahmins and kshatriyas. Yakshasand rakshasas were born to Pulaha and Pulastya — Udatyaand Brihaspati to the Muni Angiras and Agni to Bhrigu;Chyavana and Vasishta and other Maharshis were the sonsof Bhrigu.

Thus, the world was filled with the progeny of Brahma.As a result of this, after some time, he forgot Maheswara,his Creator. Vishnu’s consort was Kamala, daughter ofBhrigu. He incarnated on earth as a fish and in otherforms, and in due course forgot Isvara, his Lord. ThusBrahma and Vishnu forgetting Siva became proud andarrogant thinking that there was none superior to them.

When arrogance and pride entered their minds therearose a dispute between Brahma and Vishnu each of whomconsidered himself the Supreme Lord. Brahma, the creatorof the world, (on account of the excess of rajas in him)

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became bluish in complexion and said to Vishnu: “Whyare you under the delusion that you are greater than I, foram I not the creator of the world and therefore the fatherof creation? You are deluded by your pride at having killedMadhu and Kaitabha who came out of you. As you arefull of tamas (darkness) how can there be any sattva (light)at all in you? Do you realize that you are dull by nature onaccount of your prolonged sleep. Janardana! How can thethree worlds under my control be said to be protected byyou, hiding as you do in the sea for fear of asuras? Thefour Vedas have come out of my four mouths. Saraswatiwho is Pure Consciousness is my spouse. The animateand inanimate beings, in all the three worlds were createdby me. They are sustained by Indra and other devatas whoare but my sons and grandsons. Can anyone be superiorto me, the Creator and Lord, of all the worlds?”

When Brahma uttered these harsh words, in a fit ofanger and jealousy, Narayana replied scornfully: “Brahma!Do not in anger shout in vain. Remember that you cameout of the lotus which sprang up from my navel. If I hadnot woken up from my yogic sleep and slain Madhu andKaitabha you would have lost your life long ago at theirhands. Of my own accord, with the object of killingSomaka and other daityas and saving the Vedas and dharmaI took many incarnations. Therefore, who except myselfis the source and mover of all creation? Those who are fullof rajas cannot discern anything clearly. You are full ofrajas. Goddess Lakshmi who dwells in the lotus is myspouse. How can the elements, time and the ego of the

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Self, appear in the three worlds without me, the substratumof all? The adityas, vasus, rudras, dikpalakas and manus areall myself. Know that the three vyahrtis and the Vedas aremy manifestations. The power of creation pertains to me.How can you be superior than or even equal to me. Knowthat I am the Lord of the three worlds.”

Steeped in sheer ignorance Brahma and Vishnucontinued their wordy duel and soon they entered into aterrible rage. The Sun, the Moon, stars and planets didnot rise and set, the five elements became extinct and thevery existence of the universe was threatened. Indra andthe other devas, the protectors of the quarters and theMaharshis thought that the end of the world (kalpantam)would soon follow. On account of this great calamity allliving beings were put to great distress. The Lord of allbeings saw that darkness had overpowered the universe.As he was the Lord of the universe he wished to save it.He perceived the delusion that had overcome Brahmaand Vishnu. He thought thus: “Both of them haveforgotten me their Lord and, in their arrogance, each isconsidering himself the Lord. Both of them are deluded.Ah! How strange is the power of delusion! These two,Brahma and Vishnu, have come to this plight due to theirego. Men who have lost their wisdom are enveloped bythe darkness of ignorance. Now I shall make them realizetheir folly.”

Taking pity on His children, the compassionate LordMahesa decided to rid them of their ego-sense. Boundlessindeed is the compassion of the Lord who wears the

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crescent moon! It is His very nature. It radiates, blessingall the three worlds. His grace flows everywhere. Later,Brahma and Vishnu both became free of their ego onaccount of His infinite grace.

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VI . V I . V I . V I . V I . TTTTT H EH EH EH EH E A A A A A P P E A R A N C EP P E A R A N C EP P E A R A N C EP P E A R A N C EP P E A R A N C E

O FO FO FO FO F A NA NA NA NA N

EEEEE F F U L G E N TF F U L G E N TF F U L G E N TF F U L G E N TF F U L G E N T LLLLL I N G AI N G AI N G AI N G AI N G A

BBBBB E F O R EE F O R EE F O R EE F O R EE F O R E B B B B BR A H M AR A H M AR A H M AR A H M AR A H M A

A N DA N DA N DA N DA N D V V V V V I S H N UI S H N UI S H N UI S H N UI S H N U

MARKANDEYA asked Nandikesvara: Lord! Kindlytell me how Sambhu saved Brahma and Vishnu

from their delusion? Nandikesvara replied, “I shall describehow Siva, saviour of His devotees showered His Graceupon Brahma and Vishnu.”

“Before them, there arose suddenly a Column ofEffulgence which pierced the sky, pervading the universe.And the deep blue sky was made invisible by the dazzle ofthis Column which seemed to suddenly shoot out of theBrahmanda (i.e. cosmos). There was a sudden blaze in allthe directions. The seas appeared to have been devouredby the immense tongue of the flame. The oceans on theearth became still as though they had regained their truenature. Stars and planets shining in the sky looked likesparks emitted by the Column of Effulgence. The inter-

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galactic space appeared to be covered with a red glow.There was only the brightness of the Column dominatingthe entire space and nothing else. The earth appeared tobe covered with vermilion (kumkum) and the quartersappeared to be strewn with sindura (an ochre colouredpowder). The sky looked red everywhere. The vault ofheaven shone with a red glow. All things in the world,moving and stationary, appeared to be red reflected bythe glow of the Column of Effulgence.

On seeing this dazzling Column of Fire the four-facedBrahma and the four-armed Vishnu were wonderstruck,and forgetting their altercation reflected thus: ‘What astrange and brilliant Column of Fire? Have the twelveAdityas (Suns) risen together between the earth and thesky to bring about the end of the kalpa (aeon)? It hasdulled our vision by its glow and has grown so large thatnothing else can be perceived. Although it blazes fiercelyit emits no heat. It does not, like fire, burn even objectsthat are close by. By being exposed to its light not onlythe world but our frames too have become red. Whenceand how has this risen? Where is its source? How did itgrow so large? For what purpose and by what power doesit shine? What are its limits? It spreads above, below andin all directions. The mind desires to delve into patala(nether world), or fly up in the sky to see how far it extends.’

Both Brahma and Vishnu were agitated in thismanner when they saw the Column of Effulgence. Vishnusaid smilingly to the extremely proud Brahma, ‘Son! Thisis a touchstone which has made its appearance to test

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both of us who claimed superiority. Neither of us candiscover the limits of this column which undoubtedly isof immeasurable glory. Therefore, without trying to do sowe shall regard as superior he who between us finds outeither its beginning or its end. He alone is the Lord of theWorld.’ Brahma agreed. Each became eager to discovereither the beginning or the end of that Column ofEffulgence.

VISHNU SEEKS THE ORIGIN OF

THE COLUMN

Nandikesvara continued:Brahma took the form of a swan and started on his

quest saying, ‘I shall discover the top of this Column’.Vishnu took the form of a boar capable of digging andpenetrating the earth and eagerly began his search for thebottom of the Column of Effulgence. When that hugeboar bristled up, ploughed the earth with its horns andcleft it with its snout, it looked as if it were paying itsobeisance to the Column of Light. It grunted in excitementover the hard task as it entered patala swiftly. But howeverfar that god in the form of a boar penetrated, he saw theColumn extending further. Numerous serpents rose fromthe clefts of the earth like tongues of flame rising from thepillar of fire. Achyuta (Vishnu) saw that the ancient tortoisesupporting the earth looked like a part of the Column ofFire. He saw the elephants of the quarters standing farapart beneath the earth, each carrying his burden, swaying

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gently. Vishnu espied also the primal power (adharasakhi)by the grace of which Sesha (the serpent), Kurma (thetortoise) and others bear the weight of the earth. Thelotus eyed god (Vishnu) traversed with difficulty the sevenpatalas (nether worlds) named Atala, Vitala, Sutala,Talatala, Rasatala, Mahatala and Patala and the denizensdwelling in these worlds and reached the city of Bhagavatibelonging to Virochana. He also traversed the other realmsof daityas saying, ‘This I have passed, this I have crossed’and penetrated further and further down. Madhava’s aimwas to discover the origin of the column. Even when hehad reached the bottom of the ocean of milk (kshirasagara)he saw the Column of Effulgence extending further down.Although he had crossed hundreds of nether worlds thefoot of the Column of Effulgence was nowhere in sight.Even after the lapse of a thousand years its origin couldnot be discovered by the boar. The boar became extremelyweary; its body was tired, its face injured and it becamebreathless. It could not take one step further. Thushumbled, his pride and arrogance destroyed, Vishnurealised that however much he tried he would never beable to reach the bottom of the Coloum of Fire. Vishnunow turned back although his desire had not been fulfilled.To him who was now full of humility, the very Column ofBrightness became a beacon to lead his way back to earthfrom the nether world. As he rose from the nether region,again traversing many worlds, Vishnu was profuselyperspiring. At last he reached Arunachala with greatdifficulty. It looked as if he had been bound by the force

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of the Column of Effulgence. He said to himself: ‘Just asI could not discover the bottom of this mass of Effulgence,even so the Creator (Brahma) cannot discover its top.Leaving the quest aside I shall surrender myself to Siva,the Lord from whom this mass of Effulgence hasoriginated. It is He who has pervaded the world and theregions beyond it. These troubles arose simply because Ihad been deluded by ignorance and had forgotten Him.’

After coming to this decision Vishnu abandoned hispride and reached the place where the Column ofEffulgence stood steady.

BRAHMA SEEKS THE TOP OF THE COLUMN

OF EFFULGENCE

Nandikesvara continued:As for Brahma, he flew up swiftly in the form of a

swan and followed the Column of Effulgence. Initially,by the force of its wings the swan waded through allobstacles. As he soared higher the earth became invisibleand looked like a small dot in space. The speed of theswan surpassed all ethereal velocities. However high andhard he flew he still saw the Column of Effulgenceextending further up. Even after traversing the region ofthe seven Maruts he saw it piercing the firmament ofheaven and blazing upwards and even beyond it. Hewondered at this and thought as follows:

How can I face Hari without seeing the summit?What is the use of prolonging this life which has not seen

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the fulfilment of its desire? What is it that is going to beaccomplished by this life of mine? What will be my fate?If I deceive Vishnu how will he come to know of it?When the opponent cannot be conquered bystraightforward means, he should be defeated by deceit.For, is not honour one’s precious wealth?

While Brahma thought thus and felt miserable, hesaw a white streak approach him. Even as he wondered asto what it was, it came near and he saw that it was aflower of the screw-pine. Though faded, it was very fragrantand pure. Brahma took it in his hands, whereupon theflower spoke to him, “Ah! Why do you stop me? I havebeen travelling for many thousands of years and am tired.Please let me go.”

At this Brahma looked again at the Column ofEffulgence and overcome by fatigue, reflected thus, “Onewho does not keep his word is worthless. What is thesignificance of this Effulgence which pervades the earthand sky? My wings are almost broken, my eyes blind andmy limbs weary. I am about to fall down. Why should Ispeak more? It looks as if my life-breath is leaving me. Letthe thick knot of the ego be severed. Let my rivalry withMukunda (Vishnu) come to an end at once. This mass ofEffulgence extends beyond the open sky and still remainsas it was before! Neither I nor Narayana (Vishnu) canunderstand this. I have no strength to proceed further.Nor am I able to return.” Thinking and wondering withinhimself thus, Brahma turned to the flower and asked, “Whoare you? Where are you coming from?” It replied, “I am a

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flower of the screw-pine. I am sentient. I dwelt on thecrest of this column for a long time at Siva’s command. Iam now coming down as I desire to see the world.”

On hearing this Brahma was slightly relieved. Heasked the flower, “How far away is the top of this Columnof Effulgence?”

BRAHMA REQUESTS THE SCREW-PINE

FLOWER TO BEAR FALSE WITNESS

Nandikesvara continued:The flower of the screw-pine derisively smiled at

Brahma and said: “Who are you? You seem to knownothing. You cannot know the origin of this column.There are crores and crores of Brahmandas inside thiscolumn. They are countless. Who can measure itsdimensions? I have been coming down for many thousandsof four-fold yugas (Chatur-yugas). Yet I have not perceivedthe earth which is its middle region.” When Brahma heardthis he abandoned his pride, clasped his hands, bowed toit and prayed:

“O great soul in the form of a flower of the screw-pine!I am Brahma, the Creator. There arose a dispute betweenVishnu and myself. Both of us forgot the glory of Siva.We became proud of our work, creating and sustainingthe world. It is said that friendship arises even byexchanging seven words (sneham saptapadam). You are agreat soul. You must forgive my ignorance and be graciousto me. We began seeking the top and bottom of this

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Column of Effulgence in order to establish superiorityover each other. Vishnu took the form of a boar and I,that of a swan. I am unaware of Vishnu’s fate. I who cameto find the summit have flown for thousands of years andbecome weary. My life seems to be ebbing. Friend!Fortunately I have met you. I am helpless. You are nowmy saviour. Pray, grant my wish. I beseech you. If Vishnuhas seen the bottom of this column, I am defeated. If hehas not seen it, I am equal to him. Either way it would bea disgrace. Friend! You alone can now retrieve me fromthis predicament. You must utter a lie for me, your friend.Kindly avow in the presence of Vishnu that I have seenthe summit of the Column of Effulgence and that youwere witness to it since you (the flower) always decorateSiva’s head. Further, declare that I (Brahma) am superiorto Vishnu.”

Implored thus, the screw-pine swore in the presenceof the Column of Effulgence that Brahma had reached thesummit.

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VII. VII. VII. VII. VII. SSSSS A N K A R AA N K A R AA N K A R AA N K A R AA N K A R A E E E E EM E R G E SM E R G E SM E R G E SM E R G E SM E R G E S

F RF RF RF RF RO MO MO MO MO M T H ET H ET H ET H ET H E C C C C CO L U M NO L U M NO L U M NO L U M NO L U M N O FO FO FO FO F

EEEEE F F U L G E N C EF F U L G E N C EF F U L G E N C EF F U L G E N C EF F U L G E N C E

NANDIKESVARA continued: Vishnu looked atBrahma in disbelief. He was certain that Brahma

had not reached the summit of the Column. He laughedand thought, “Only the Deva of devas, the Lord of allbeings, can bless me who am under a delusion and canhumble the pride of Brahma. He humbled me who in mypride tried to discover the bottom of the column of jyoti.And so my devotion poured forth for Tryambaka (thethree-eyed God) the Svayambhu (Self-originated). Beingdevoid of ego-sense I shall praise the Supreme Lord. Thetwo of us originated from Him. Brahma, in his pride, stilldeceives me with perjury. Siva, the destroyer of sorrow ismy only refuge. Who but Him can save me, one who amguilty and disloyal to his Lord and Master? Therefore Ishall praise my Lord.”

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Reflecting thus, Vishnu praised Siva as follows, “Hail!Thou who art in the form of earth, water, fire, air, andHota (one who makes the oblations in the fire)! Hail!Thou who art in the form of akasa (ether)! Thou whotranscendest the three gunas! Save me. Thou who art inthe form of Time! Save me. Thou who dost possessimperishable wealth! Save me. Ocean of compassion!redeem me. Thou art the creator of all, the protector of alland the destroyer of all. Who is there apart from Thee?Thou art smaller than the smallest (atom) and greaterthan the greatest. Thou pervadest everything inside andout. The Vedas are Thy breath. The universe reveals Thyglorious creation. Thou art That. Thou art all that belongsto Thee. You are the very embodiment of knowledge.Devas, danavas, daityas, siddhas, vidyadharas, humanbeings, animals, birds, mountains, trees are all Thy form.Thou art both naraka (hell) and Svarga (heaven). Thouart the Goal of life. Thou art Yoga. Lord! What is therewhich is not Thyself? Thou art the beginning, middleand end of all animate and inanimate beings. Thou abidestin all in the form of Time. Thou art Siva, the SupremeLord, the controller of destinies of jivas, He who blessesall.”

Vishnu next said to himself, “Siva should, by somemeans or other, be directly perceived by me. By seeingHim and surrendering to Him I shall attain Liberation. IfI cannot perceive Him I shall praise His abode as well asI can. He who is capable of hearing all will hear this tooand bestow His grace on me” and began to praise Siva

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thus, “Hail! Deva! Mahadeva! Vamadeva! Vrishadhwaja(he who has the emblem of the bull on his banner)!Kalantaka (Slayer of Kala, Time)! Yajnanasaka (thedestroyer of the sacrifice)! Nilakantha (the blue-throatedone)! Chandrasekhara (the wearer of the crescent moon)!Hail Sambhu (home of everything good)! Siva (Auspiciousone)! Isana (the Ruler)! Sarva (All)! Tryambaka (three-eyedone)! Dhurjati (one who has matted locks)! Kamari (thefoe of Kama, the God of desire)! Purari (the enemy of thethree cities)! Sthanu (the motionless being)! Bhava (thetruly existent one)! Mahesvara (the great Lord)! Hail! Isa(Ruler)! Sali (the bearer of the trident)! Pasupati (the Lordof jivas)! Hara (Destroyer of sin)! Sarvajna Jyoti (theall-knowing effulgence)! Bhutesa! Bhutadhipa! (Lord ofall beings)! Kapali (the bearer of the skull)! Nilanetra (theblue eyed one)! Hail! Rudra! Pinaki (the wearer of thebow named Pinaka)! Gangadhara (the wearer of Ganga)!Vyamakesa (he whose locks spread in space)! Girisa (theLord of the mountains)! Parameswara (the Supreme Lord)!Hail! Bhima (the mighty one)! Thou who disguisest thyselfas a hunter! Repository of compassion! Krishnuretah (onewhose seed fell into the fire)! Kailasapati (Lord of Kailasa)!At Thy behest the wind blows, Adishesha (the great serpent)supports the earth, the sun and moon shine and theBrahmanda, i.e., cosmos exists as vast expanse of space. Itis at Thy command that the bright constellations move inthe heavens. By Thy Grace, Brahma and I continue tocreate and sustain the universe. Thou causest the earth toproduce nourishing crops and holdest the seas within their

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bounds. The supernatural powers like anima (shrinkingto an atom) are very insignificant for Thee. How can Iignore Thee who art praised by all the other amaras(immortal ones)? We think of Thee only in times of need.But Thou shouldst not, on that account, become displeasedwith Thy devotees. Thou shouldst always be merciful tothem. Devotion to Thee is wisdom. When Thouconcealest it, there is delusion. These are the causes ofbondage and liberation.”

When Chakrapani (Vishnu, the Wielder of theWheel) humbly folded his hands and praised Siva,Padmasambhava (lotus-born), Brahma scorned him.Immediately Pasupati Siva, manifested himself beforethem.

BRAHMA PRAISES SIVA

Nandikesvara continued:Splitting asunder the column of light, Siva appeared

before the two (Brahma and Vishnu). He was like thefull-moon, was mounted on a bull which was white likethe peak of Kailash, was wearing matted locks and thecrescent moon on his head, a garland of skulls on hisneck, a serpent in the place of the sacred thread, serpentsfor earrings, and with an eye on his forehead, five facesand five long curved blue throats. He carried in his hands,the trident, the skull, the tiny drum (damaru), the deer,the axe, the bow, the khatvanga (a staff with a skull at thetop), the sword and two serpents, one on each side. Hisbody was whitish, he wore a lower garment of tiger skin

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and an upper garment of elephant hide. Thus majesticallyadorned He was praised by all the devas.

When the lotus-eyed Vishnu saw him, he dancedwith joy. The guilty Brahma on seeing the Lord’s trueform was confused and frightened. Mahadeva lookedgraciously at Madhava (Vishnu) while with a ‘Humkar’expressed His anger at Brahma’s falsehood. He then said,“The two of you need not be ashamed for havingtranscended your limits. Hari (Vishnu) pondered deeplyand became enlightened. But Brahma, on the contrary,has uttered falsehood and I now cut off his fifth head forthat perjury. Brahma shall not hereafter be installed inany temple. And this screw-pine flower, which bore falsewitness, shall never again find a place on my head andshall not be used for my worship.”

After cursing Brahma and the screw-pine flower thus,Siva turned to Vishnu and said, “Child! Be composed, Iam pleased with you. You are one of my foremost devotees.You originated from me and are my sattvic part. At theend of the kalpa you shall merge in me.”

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V I I I . BV I I I . BV I I I . BV I I I . BV I I I . B R A H M AR A H M AR A H M AR A H M AR A H M A A N DA N DA N DA N DA N D

VVVVV I S H N UI S H N UI S H N UI S H N UI S H N U E E E E ER E C TR E C TR E C TR E C TR E C T AAAAA T T T T TE M P L EE M P L EE M P L EE M P L EE M P L E

F O RF O RF O RF O RF O R A A A A AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

WHEN the three-eyed God blessed thus the devotedand egoless Vishnu, the crestfallen Brahma began

to pray.Brahma addressed Siva thus, “God of gods! Thy glory

can be realized only by those who are fortunate enough toobtain Thy grace. Myself, Vishnu and the guardians of thequarters pale into insignificance before Thee the true Lord.Thou alone canst put us in bondage (pasa) and release us aswell. Having manifested thyself as the fundamental elements,Thou pervadest all. Can even the most learned man discoverThy real nature? Mahadeva! As a hunter surrounded byhounds, Thou, with the Vedas, huntest relentlessly and slayestthe beasts known as lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride and envy.

“Why recall the punishment which Virabhadra atThy command meted out to Thine enemies at the sacrifice

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performed by Daksha? Thy intellect (buddhi) which is thetime-consuming fire (kalagni) can burn up the entireuniverse. It does not permit Manmatha, the god of love,to shoot his arrows of flowers at Thee. The guilty Jalandharawas torn asunder by Thy trident. The god of death andthe other demons were annihilated by Thee. Who canoppose Thee? Could we have remained alive now if Thouhadst not swallowed the alakaala poison? In ancient timesThou didst awaken from their sleep of ignorance therecluses of the daruka forest who were staunch upholdersof the Vedic rites and, appearing before them in disguise,didst bless them graciously. If Thou hadst not crushedbeneath Thy big toe the most cruel Apasmara (the demonof forgetfulness), the entire world would have been plungedinto darkness. If Thou were not partly man and partlywoman, how could I have created this world of movingand stationary beings? O Sambhu! For what length oftime did the arm of Sambara, which Thy anger hadparalysed, stay uplifted as Thy pillar of victory! Considerhow Vishnu pierced himself with a spear and becamestupefied when he tried to fill with his blood the skullwhich Thou didst carry about like a beggar. If Thou hadstnot taught Parasurama the use of various weapons andmissiles, how could he, however wrathful, have offerredoblations of blood for the satisfaction of the souls of hisancestors? If Thou hadst not, in the form of a sarabha,subdued Narasimha he would have joined hands withHiranyakasipu and destroyed the entire world. Thou didst,in the guise of a fisherman, draw the fish and the tortoise

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in the ocean of kalpa. Thou didst bind Vishnu with serpentropes in the form of Narasimha and the boar. When Vishnuwished to worship Thee with a thousand flowers and foundone short he plucked out one of his lotus-eyes and offerredit to you as the thousandth. Thou gavest him, as a rewardfor this act, the discus (chakra) called Sudarsana with whichhe overcame the daityas.”

Nandikesvara continued:When Brahma praised Siva thus and Vishnu also

implored Him on Brahma’s behalf, Siva took pity onBrahma and restored to him the role of Creator. He alsoordained that Brahma be worshipped at yajnas, yagas andhomas (Vedic sacrifices). He looked at Brahma and Vishnulovingly and said, “Neither of you should henceforth forgetme and become arrogant. Carry on vigilantly your workof creation and sustenance without forgetting me. Letthis sacred Arunachala which has been blessed by me foryour sake become a place where men can attain liberation.I ordain that those who live within a distance of threeyojanas (about thirty miles) of this place shall become onewith me even without initiation or spiritual practices.Those lowly creatures which move about and those thatare stationary will get liberated by simply living here. Thosewho see me or even remember me irrespective of wherethey may live, will realise the essence of Vedanta, otherwisevery difficult to acquire. My effulgent form will shinehere forever as eternal immutable Arunachala. Oceans willnot submerge it even at the time of the great deluge. Thewinds will not shake it and the world-destroying fire will

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not burn it. The bright constellations of stars willperpetually go round this Linga of Effulgence. Every beingblessed by me will not only be born here but will also,after death, attain liberation. Even sinners who bow downto this hill from a distance or come near andcircumambulate it will attain liberation. Great souls alonelive here. One cannot attain liberation at any other place.Therefore never leave this place.”

On hearing these words of Kamari (the enemy ofKama, the god of love) Brahma and Vishnu humbly boweddown to Siva and prayed:

“Sustainer of the universe! Let this Hill be themainstay of the world as stated by you. But, moderate itseffulgence, O Rudra, so that it becomes bearable, yetretains its boundless glory and remains a repository ofeverything auspicious. But let it reveal, for the world’swelfare, its true effulgence once a year in the month ofKartikai (November-December) on the evening of thefull moon in the asterism of Krittika. Mahadeva! Althoughthis Red Hill exists for the welfare of all, none couldworship it without Thy grace. The God of gods should,therefore, graciously respond to our prayer and abide hereforever in the form of a Linga. We can then worship it inthe prescribed manner with ablutions, sandal paste, flowersand other offerings. There are ever so many floweringplants and trees at this place. O repository of compassion!Great Lord! If Thou graciously abidest here we shall worshipand meditate upon Thee and our devotion to Thee willbecome steady. Only thus would our minds become pure.

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Thou shouldst, therefore, abide with love as a Sivalingaon the eastern side of this Hill so that we may, by Thygrace, get rid of our primal nescience. It is Thou whodidst manifest as the Vedas, the vedangas, the dharmasastras, the puranas, and the agamas and didst teach themto others. Thou must, therefore, abide here in the form ofa Guru so that both of us as well as devotees may attainliberation. Sankara! There are the twenty-eight Sivaagamas. How, according to them, shall we meditate uponThee and when shall we get rid of this delusion that aroseout of ignorance?”

After praying thus, Brahma and Vishnu touched Siva’slotus-feet with reverence. At this the Lord of Parvati lookedat them and said, “O children! You have spoken properly.The same thought occurred to me. Both of you mayworship me taking as guidance the kamika agamas. Youseem to have, in your confusion, forgotten certainsamhitas. You will now, by my grace, recollect them.”

After instructing Brahma and Vishnu thus, Sivadisappeared from their view and an auspicious Sivalingaappeared instead. Brahma and Vishnu looked at it inwonder and made their obeisance to it with great joy.Next, they ordered Visvakarma to erect a temple forArunachaleswara. They created, for the abhisheka of theLord, a tirtha (a sacred tank) containing the waters of allthe holy tirthas. They also founded a city nearby andnamed it Arunachala.

Those who visit Arunachala do not care for any otherachievement. Even Siva abiding there does not care for

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Kailasa. Devas, gandharvas, vidyadharas, yakshas, apsaras,siddhas and Brahmarshis choose to live there. Ganga andthe other tirthas abide there in the form of wells and tanks,the Nandana (the garden of Indra) in the form of forestsand parks, the Gokula of Sri Krishna in the form of herdsof cows, the Vedas in the form of the agama scriptures,mountains in the form of gopuras (temple towers), thesmritis in the form of religious injunctions and bhutas,pretas, pisachas and vetalas (denizens of the spirit-world)in human form. Siva Himself abides here forever as asiddha purusha known as Arunagiri Yogi wearing only aloin-cloth (kaupina) and with matted locks and foreheadshining with marks of vibhuti. Vishnu and other lords ofthe worlds, worship the Lord of Arunachala here. Theyact as acharyas and guide the aspirants in the worship ofthe Lord. Even Brahma and Vishnu pay their obeisanceto the Lord as prescribed in the agamas.

I have thus fully revealed to you the secrets which Ilearned from the wise. Nandikesvara concluded, what moredo you wish to know?

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I X . TI X . TI X . TI X . TI X . TH EH EH EH EH E U U U U UN I O NN I O NN I O NN I O NN I O N O FO FO FO FO F S S S S S I VI VI VI VI VAAAAA

A N DA N DA N DA N DA N D P P P P PA R VA R VA R VA R VA R VAAAAA T IT IT IT IT I

SUTA said to the rishis: When Nandikesvara askedMarkandeya whether he wished to know anything

more, the latter replied, “Deva of devas! We have heardfrom you what has to be heard. Still I and the rishis areeager to know about Goddess Parvati’s tapas here andhow She won the left half of Siva.”

Upon this, Nandikesvara said: Oh Sage Markandeya!Listen attentively. I shall now narrate the events leadingto Parvati’s arrival and Her austerities at Arunachala.

You know that the Supreme Lord had earlier marriedSati, the daughter of Daksha. You also know that whenDaksha insulted Her Lord during the yaga performed bythe former, She flew into a rage and threw herself into thesacrificial fire. You also know how Siva created Virabhadrafrom His matted locks and commanded him to behead

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Daksha along with his cohorts and destroy Daksha’ssacrificial fire. He also took to task Brahma, Vishnu, Indraand other gods, and punished the others who stood mutewitnesses to the unrighteous act perpetrated by Daksha.

Sati took birth again as the daughter of Himavan(the Himalayas) and acquired the name Himavati, Parvatiand later Uma. Once, in the Sthanu forest, Siva was deeplyabsorbed in samadhi and Parvati was serving Him. Thedevas, realising that Siva’s nirguna state would result inthe cessation of all activities in the whole universe,despatched Kama (the god of love) with the object ofinducing Siva to regain normal waking state. Kama triedto arouse Siva from His nirvikalpa samadhi by shootinghis cupid arrows at the Lord so that amorous passionsmay be aroused in Him. But Siva, enraged at the audacityof Kama, burnt him to ashes with his world destroyingfire (Kalagni). When Parvati found that Siva’s wrath hadcooled, She proceeded with Her companions to amountain peak and, by performing austerities, pleasedthe Lord. Siva then married Her and lived with Her insolitude. Goddess Rati (the wife of Kama) who wasmourning the death of Her husband prayed earnestly toParvati who thereupon performed austerities at Kamapithaand restored him to life. Afterwards Parvati’s mother Menaand Her father, the King of the Mountains, took Her totheir home. While at Her parents’ home, Her thoughtswere all the time centred on Siva.

At that time there were two demons (asuras) namedSumbha and Nisumbha, who had by the strength of their

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austerities obtained from Brahma a boon which madethem invulnerable to the attacks of devas, asuras and humanbeings. The devas were afraid of them. They prayed toSiva who comforted them saying, “Fear not. There willbe peace in due course. These two demons will be slain.”After giving this assurance Siva retired to the innerapartments and continued to dally with Parvati. One daywhen he was in a mood of endearment he called Her‘Kali’ (a dark-skinned woman). At once She cast off Herskin and threw it away. The place where it fell became theholy Kasi. The skin itself turned into a Goddess namedKausiki. This Goddess performed austerities on theVindhya mountains and, in the course of Her penancekilled the two lustful demons. Parvati too performedausterities and succeeded in acquiring a goldencomplexion. She came to be known as Gowri(fair-complexioned). Siva was pleased with Her. In courseof time She gave birth to two sons Ganapati andSubrahmanya. Great souls say that they are Brahma andVishnu who had been born thus for expiating their sins.The two children, always very active, grew up under thecare of their father.

PARVATI SERVES THE LORD OF ARUNA

Nandikesvara continued: While Siva and Parvati werethus leading a happy life, Parvati one day saw Siva seatedunder a mango tree, deeply absorbed. She was assailedwith a doubt whether Siva was faithful to Her and whetherHe was thinking of another woman. She decided to win

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His unflinching love. Her thoughts ran in this manner, “Imust perform austerities and win his love. Once he openshis eyes he will not let me go. I must leave before he opensthem.” Resolving thus, She went away without takingleave of Him. She did not stop even when Her companionstried to dissuade Her from going. Thereupon Her fivecompanions Kalavati, Malyavati, Malini, Vijaya and Jayafollowed Her.

They wandered over several mountain ranges andforests, visited many sacred tirthas and temples and at lastreached the Dravida country at the foot of the SahayaMountains. They crossed the Pennai river. Parvati thensaid to Vijaya, “See, there in the distance is Arunagiri. Onits slopes are situated ashrams of rishis who practiseausterities. They are powerful and are known for theirprotective nature. Let us go and have their darshan andblessings.” Her words aroused the curiosity of Her friends.At this moment Parvati saw an ashram on the path leadingto the hill, thick with luscious trees. Buffaloes, monkeys,and wild animals roamed about freely. On the banks of thestreams and pools used by the sages for their bath, herds ofelephants and wild boars were seen. There were also birds,reptiles and rodents. All creatures moved about fearlessly.Smoke from sacrificial fires rose up over the trees. Cuckooschanted the hymn addressed to God Rudra, crows recitedstotras (hymns of praise) and parrots sang the Sama Veda.Tigers and cows moved about in friendship.

In such surroundings of peace and perfect harmony,Parvati espied a sage practising austerities in a secluded

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spot. He was sitting under a saptaparna tree on a splendidtiger-skin covered with sacred grass (darbha). He was sittingin the posture known as virasana. His body was smearedwith sacred ash (vibhuti) and his hair was red and matted.He was clad in the bark of a tree, had a string of rudrakshabeads in his hand and was performing mantra japa. Helooked majestic like an evening cloud over a mountain.

Parvati approached him most reverently and askedhim, “O Sage! kindly tell me about this Hill.” He replied,“This is Arunachala, the most glorious and sacred placeon earth. I am Rishi Gautama and am practising austeritieshere for attaining liberation.” When he learned from Hercompanions that She was Parvati, he made his obeisanceto Her and invited Her to his hermitage and offered Herfruits and honey. He surmised that Parvati was intent onpractising austerities for the welfare of the world. Henarrated to Her the glory of the Column of Effulgence.

Sage Gautama said to Parvati:Sambhu always abides at the place known as

Sthaleswaram to the east of Sonadri in the form of a Lingaof Effulgence. I could not perform penance there becauseBrahma, Vishnu and others visited that place often to paytheir homage. I have therefore chosen this place, at thefoot of the Hill, as being most suitable for my austeritiesand have installed a linga of the Lord. You too may builda hermitage on the sacred ground near mine and performyour austerities.

The Goddess accordingly built a hermitage there andbegan Her penance. She appointed Satyavati, Kananavasini,

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Subhaga and Dundumari to guard Her hermitage properlyin the four directions and the extremely valorous Durga toguard the whole sacred forest where the ascetics resided.

She ceased to adorn herself with ornaments, discardedHer silken robes and changed into one made from thebark of trees and used mat made of coarse darbha grass asHer seat. She led a strenuous life by waking up in theearly hours of the day, taking bath in the river and walkingbarefoot upon thorny and stony paths. She propitiated allthe gods before beginning worship of Arunachala. Sheconsecrated a Siva-linga herself and worshipped itaccording to the agamas.Her austerities consisted ofstanding motionless like a rock with one pointed attentionon Her Lord in the middle of the five fires in summer andin water during the winter. She circumambulated theArunachala Hill along with Her maids with Her Lord’sname ever on the lips and singing His praise. Everyday atHer hermitage, on completion of Her worship, Sheentertained guests including animals by offering food anddrink. The wild animals roamed about Her hermitagefreely without harming men or tame animals. She fondlynurtured flower plants, creepers and trees.

With Her kindness, compassion and the spiritualstrength gained by Her austerities and devotion toArunachala She dazzled like a priceless gem in Her coarsegarments.

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X . TX . TX . TX . TX . TH EH EH EH EH E G G G G GO D D E S SO D D E S SO D D E S SO D D E S SO D D E S S

DDDDD E S T RE S T RE S T RE S T RE S T ROOOOO Y SY SY SY SY S M M M M MA H I S H A S U R AA H I S H A S U R AA H I S H A S U R AA H I S H A S U R AA H I S H A S U R A

NANDIKESVARA continued: Mahishasura, theenemy of the devas, vanquisher of Indra, conqueror

of the worlds, the terror of siddhas and vidyadharas, theformidable opponent who had obtained a boon whichprotected him against powerful weapons, was unaffectedby spells and was adored by hosts of asuras and rakshasas.He had slandered the wives of sages. He was an enemy ofdharma and all that stood for righteousness. He was farstronger than Namuchi and Vritra, and was as powerful asHiranyaksha of yore.

Mahishasura heard about the Goddess who was doingpenance at Arunachala and Her enchanting beauty. Hedespatched a woman messenger to Her. She approached

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Her in the guise of a woman engaged in austerities. Sheuttered words of cunning and deceit to ensnare theGoddess. She said, “Ah, what is this? You are living in adreadful forest! You ought to live in the beautifulapartments of a palace. How did the idea of foregoing thepleasures of youth and performing austerities which aredifficult even for devas occur to you? Instead of sleepingon a bed of swan feathers under a canopy adorned withpearls and jewels, why do you lie on hard rocks? There isnone else suitable for you but Mahishasura, the lord ofthe three worlds who lives close by. If you see him butonce you will abandon all your austerities. Well, whyshould I conceal it from you? That lord, having heard ofyou, has become enamoured of your beauty and has sentme as messenger to you.”

Vijaya, the companion of the Goddess, was enragedto hear these words of the messenger and drove her away.The latter, thoroughly upset returned to Mahisha whothereupon came along with many asuras to seize theGoddess. The march of his army of elephants, chariots,cavalry and infantry filled the earth and his banners atopthe chariots fluttered high up in the sky while martialmusic rent the air. His commanders were all asuras namedKarala, Dhurta, Vichashnu, Vikaralaka, Bhaikkala,Durmukha, Chanda, Prachanda, Amarasura, Mahahanu,Mahdmauli, Ugrasya, Vikatekshana, Jvalasya and Dahanaand they were leading the fierce army of the demon.

The Goddess heard the clamour and realized thatHer worship was being interrupted. She therefore ordered

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Durga, one of Her innumerable manifestations, to destroythe approaching asura and his army. The latter mountedHer lion and with weapons in Her hands roamed aboutat the foot of Aruna Hill. She looked like the goddessKalika. Roaring terribly and displaying its cruel teeth thelion advanced briskly. Durga produced from Her bodythe Yogini Chakra containing thousands of matriganas(women warriors) to slaughter the asura army. Durga’sarmy looked more formidable and fearsome than that ofMahisha.

Then there commenced a fierce and awesome battlebetween the hosts of yoginis and the asuras. That part ofthe earth was covered with the slaughtered bodies of theasuras. The army of Mahisha was completely annihilated.It was a veritable feast for the hungry harpies and vultures.The celestial beings hailed this victorious event byshowering flower petals on the army of Durga. Now, onlythe commanders and Mahisha himself were left on thebattlefield. The various manifestations of Durga, namely,Brahmi, Varahi, Vaishnavi, Kaumari, etc, fought with theasura commanders and killed them.

Finally, Mahishasura himself alongwith his demonscame to the battlefield. Unable to face him, the army ofDurga prayed thus, “Taking the form of yogic sleep jestinglyyou closed the lotus eyes of Vishnu. Once you confrontedMadhu, Kaitabha and, as desired by them, killed themthrough the power of Vishnu. But for you who took theform of Kausiki and killed Sumbha and Nisumbha, theprotectors of the cardinal points could not have obtained

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their wealth. As a reward for the austerities performed bythe King of Vindhya you began to dwell on the Vindhyamountains where even huntresses obtained your grace.Once you took away the very life force (prana-sakti) ofdaityas as requested by Kubera. You are Brahma’s power ofcreation, Vishnu’s power of sustenance and Rudra’s powerof destruction. Taking birth as a daughter of Yasoda andNanda, you helped Krishna in killing Kamsa. You arecalled variously as Vidya, Maya, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Devi,Parvati and Durga.”

On hearing these praises of the matriganas, Durgapromised to protect them. With great power She went inperson to face Mahishasura. She killed Prachanda withthe scimitar (mandalagra), Chamara with the weaponPindipala, Mahamouli with Her long sword, Mahahanuwith the weapon known as Karpara, Ugravakta with theaxe, Vikataksha with the weapon Sakti, Jwalamukha withthe hammer and Dahana with the pestle. She then chargedforth to attack Mahisha. He let out a hideous roar andangrily shot arrows aimed at Her. Durga too shot arrowsat him, at his charioteer, at his chariot, at his flagpole andat those who were helping him in the chariot. Mahishaimmediately attacked Her with the fierce weapon Sataghni(that which kills hundreds of persons). Devas and matriscried in fear. But the Goddess seized that weapon withoutany effort. He then attacked Her with many strange andpowerful weapons. But none of them injured Her. TheGoddess seized with Her hands all the missiles that weresent towards Her and broke them as easily as an elephant

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breaks a sugarcane. Devi’s mount, the lion, also lashed atthe asura with its tail, bit him with its teeth, mauled himwith its nails and thus harassed him. He then rapidlyassumed, one after another, the forms of a lion, a boar, atiger, an elephant and a byson and fought with Durga. Inthe form of the byson he repeatedly butted at Devi andthe lion with his horns. At one moment he was seenstanding on the earth, the next he flew in all directions inspace and immediately afterwards disappeared from sight.

Durga then severed his head with Her trident. Herarmy praised Her valour. As he fell with a terrible roar theGoddess took his head in Her hand and danced. WhenMahishasura, the enemy of the world, was slain by Durgain this manner the devas danced with joy, the Maharshisrejoiced and the heavens showered flowers.

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X I .X I .X I .X I .X I . PPPPP A R VA R VA R VA R VA R VAAAAA T IT IT IT IT I

PPPPP R A I S E SR A I S E SR A I S E SR A I S E SR A I S E S T H ET H ET H ET H ET H E L L L L LO R DO R DO R DO R DO R D

O FO FO FO FO F

AAAAA R U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

MARKANDEYA asked Nandikesvara: After killingMahishasura, in what manner did the daughter of

the king of the mountains practise austerities?Nandisa said: Durga held the asura’s head in one hand,

and with the other which held the sword, did Herobeisance to Goddess Gowri. The latter looked with greatkindness at Durga and said, “Dweller on the Vindhyas!You have achieved a formidable task. My austerities willnow be completed without any obstacle. Your actionspurify the world. Therefore please throw away the terriblehead of Mahisha.” On hearing this Durga tried to throwit away but could not shake it off Her hand. She wasdistressed.

Gautama then spoke to Durga, “Please create a newand sacred tirtha and bathe in it, then your sin will he

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expiated.” Durga cleft a rock with Her sword. Immediatelyclear water gushed out of the rock. Calling out Arunachala’sname ‘Namah Sonadrinathaya’ (Prostrations to the Lordof the Red Hill), Durga bathed in that tirtha. Then thelinga which had stuck in Mahisha’s throat fell and wasinstalled by Durga as Papanasana. Thereafter the asura’shead slipped from Her hand. She then made Her obeisanceto the Lord of Papanasana and circumambulated him.Gautama praised Her. When next She stood before SriGowri the latter realised that She was absolved of the sinof killing Mahisha. Turning to Gautama She said,“Although Mahishasura was wicked he had a Sivalingainside his throat. It was I that ordered Durga to kill him.Therefore you must prescribe something for the expiationof my sin too.”

Upon this Gautama said, “Goddess! By merelythinking of you, who are the power which creates, sustainsand destroys the worlds, all the worlds become pure. Ifyou still ask me to prescribe, it can only be to upholddharma. If one transgresses dharma the others too will doso. I shall prescribe a karma (religious observance) whichwill expiate your sin. If, on completion of your penanceand worship, on the full moon day in the month of Kartikayou have darshan of this Hill your sin will be expiated andall your desires will be fulfilled.”

When Gowri heard these words She immediatelybegan to practise severe austerities. Surrounded by theflames of the five fires, She meditated on Her Lord. Theauspicious full moon day of Kartika soon dawned. On

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the evening of that day a divine effulgence was seen onthe peak of the Red Hill. She saw that it was blazing forthwithout any fuel or wick. She was wonderstruck at it andcircumambulated the Hill, making obeisance to the LordIswara at every step and praised Him with love anddevotion.

On seeing the Goddess who stood praising Him, theLord appeared before Her and with great compassion,revealed to Her His universal form. He praised Parvatiwho had undergone severe penance and untold hardshipsin order to win His love.

Upon this Brahma, Saraswati, Vishnu, Lakshmi,Indra, the protectors of the cardinal points, gandharvas,apsaras, vasus, devas, sages, the eleven Rudras, the twelveadityas, hosts of bhairavas, pisachas, vetalas and bhutas,surrounded Mahesa and followed Him. The Goddess whosaw Isvara approaching Her rejoiced greatly. She forgotthe misery which She had endured on account of theirseparation. She was overcome with joy. Siva alighted fromHis mount, took Her hand and spoke to Her. “Goddess!You are fit to be adored by everyone. I too adore you. Iam Narayana, you are Lakshmi; I am Brahma, you areSaraswati; I am Nagendra, you are Varuni; I am Chandra(moon), you are Rohini (his consort); I am Agni, you areSwaha! I am Surya (Sun), you are Suvarchala; I am theocean, you are the Ganga; I am Meru, you are Urvara; Iam Indra, you are Indrani; I am Kamadeva, you are RatiDevi; I am Ego, you are the buddhi (intellect); I am thewind, you are sama (stillness); I am the sea, you are the

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wave; I am Purusha, you are Prakriti; you are Knowledge,I am the object of Knowledge; you are the word, I am itsmeaning; I am Isvara, you are a part of me. It is by ourcommand that the acts of creation, sustenance anddestruction are carried on. You and I are inseparable. Youseparated yourself of your own accord and took on a formand underwent severe penance. I shall reward you foryour love for me. Henceforth you shall be part of me andshall become the left half of my person.”

Goddess Uma thus won the left portion of Siva andArunachala thenceforth was hailed as Ardanarisvara. TheLord addressed Her, “Goddess! We shall remaininseparable. You shall be known as Apitakuchamba. Letthe devotees at this sacred place worship you asApitakuchamba and me as Arunachala and gain allpleasures and finally attain Liberation.”

“As Durga, the slayer of Mahisha is a part of you, Sheshall abide here conferring the benefits of mantras, uponthose who repeat them. This Khadga Tirtha will removeall the diseases and sins of those who bathe in it evenonce. Gautama who initiated you into austerities shallalways be remembered. All my ganas and devas and godsshall dwell in this temple of mine. I shall ever abide hereas Arunachala. And you as Aruna (feminine form ofArunachala). All siddhis will be attained here withoutdifficulty.”

Those who read these words of comfort spoken toParvati, the daughter of the king of the mountains will beabsolved of all sins and gain svarga and liberation.

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X I I . TX I I . TX I I . TX I I . TX I I . T H EH EH EH EH E B B B B BE N E F I T SE N E F I T SE N E F I T SE N E F I T SE N E F I T S

O FO FO FO FO F P P P P PR A DR A DR A DR A DR A DA K S H I N AA K S H I N AA K S H I N AA K S H I N AA K S H I N A

A N DA N DA N DA N DA N D

T H ET H ET H ET H ET H E S S S S STTTTT O R YO R YO R YO R YO R Y O FO FO FO FO F

VVVVV A J R A N G A DA J R A N G A DA J R A N G A DA J R A N G A DA J R A N G A DAAAAA

MARKANDEYA said: Lord Nandikesvara! I havelistened with great joy to your narration of the glory

of Arunachala. Kindly narrate the story of Vajrangada,the Pandya King.

Nandikesvara replied:Son of Mrikandu! It is on account of your steadfast

devotion to the Lord of the bhutas (Siva) that you havebecome immortal (chiranjivi). Listen. In days of yore therelived a Pandya King named Vajrangada. He always followedthe dharma and was just, dignified, skilful, patient, calm,humble and intelligent. He was a great devotee of Siva. Afterconquering his enemies he ruled over all the kingdoms fromKedara (in the Himalayas) to Setu (in the extreme south).

Once he set out hunting, riding a noble horse andentered a forest which extended as far as Arunachala.

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Seeing a fine civet cat he desired to capture it and urgedhis horse towards it. The cat fled around the Sona Hill.When the horse followed it the king fell down overpoweredby weariness like a person who is thrown out of svargaafter enjoying the fruits of his good deeds. He said tohimself, “How did I, for no reason at all, lose my strength?Where is the horse which carried me? It is not to be seen.”Pondering thus he became confused and bewildered. Atthat moment there appeared a light in the sky like a flashof lightning. Even as he looked at it the cat and the horseleft their bodies on the earth and rose into the sky in theform of celestial beings. The king stood looking at themin wonder. They showed their bright forms as if to removethe darkness of his confusion and addressed him, “O King,do not grieve over the loss of your horse and the civet cat.Know that we both have been thus transformed by thegrace of the Sona Hill.”

At this the king was relieved and asked them humblywith folded hands, “Who are you? How did this happen?Please tell me.” Upon this one of the celestial beings turnedto the king and said, “O King, we were in our previouslives vidyadharas known as Kaladhara and Kantisali. Onceboth of us went to the remote woods on the MeruMountain where Durvasa was practising austerities.

“Kanthisali roamed about noisily hither and thitherin a garden of flowers. I was attracted by the fragrance ofthe flowers and began to pluck them. At that moment,the extremely irritable sage Durvasa who was seated on atiger skin under a Shandiya tree and glowing by virtue of

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his austerities like a blazing fire, looked at us with anger.We trembled. He said: ‘Who are you who have brazenlytrespassed into my hermitage and are destroying mygarden? Even the sun and the moon dare not set foot inthis sacred forest meant for my austerities. It is reservedfor the worship of Siva alone. The wind shall not blow init, nor shall bees enter it. Of the two who have defacedmy garden, one shall be born as a horse and carry others.The other who was enamoured of the fragrance of flowersshall become a civet cat at the foot of a hill.’ In this mannerhe cursed us.

“On hearing this curse we were thoroughly frightenedand fell at his feet and begged, ‘O Sage! Kindly forgive usfor trespassing into your territory. We in our ignoranceplucked the flowers. Save us.’

“On hearing our plea, Sage Durvasa, his anger nowappeased, took pity upon us and mercifully said that thecurse could be lifted only by circumambulating theArunachala Hill. He further told us that once upon a timewhen Mahadeva was sitting in state with Indra, Upendra,the dikpalakas and others adoring him, a nymph namedNandana offered Him a fruit. Gajanana and Shanmuga,being boys, both desired to have it. But their father said,‘I shall give it to him who goes around the world andcomes to me first’. Hearing this Skanda hastily startedgoing round the world. Vinayaka, on the other hand,went round the Arunachala Hill and quickly came andstood before his father. The latter appreciated Vinayaka’sintelligence and affectionately kissing him gave him the

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fruit. He also bestowed upon him the power to fulfil thedesires of his devotees. Turning next to the devas andothers in the assembly, Siva declared: He whocircumambulates with devotion the Sona Hill which isverily my form, becomes like me (saroopya). He becomesthe Lord of the entire world and reaches the highest state.

“Having fallen into the curse of the extremely iratesage and being tormented by the black (kalakuta) poisonof his curse we took birth as a horse and a civet cat onearth.”

Kaladhara continued:“This Kantisali was born as a horse in Kambhoja and

became your mount. I became a civet cat and roamedabout the foot of this Hill. We were fortunate enough tocircumambulate it as a result of your desire to hunt. Youare a noble soul. But, as you circumambulated on a mount,you met with this misfortune. As we went on foot weregained our old state. O Indra among kings! Althoughwe were born as animals we were liberated by your help.We shall now go back to our region. May Arunachalabless you.” Thereupon, with folded hands, the king madehis obeisance to Kaladhara and Kantisali who were aboutto return to their celestial region, and said: You have beenreleased from your curse. What about my fate? When Ithink about it I feel distressed.

When he spoke thus Kaladhara and Kantisali said,“Listen carefully to what we have to say about yourLiberation. Make the mind pure, control it and surrenderit to Siva who is the cause of the creation, sustenance and

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destruction of the world. You have clearly realized fromwhat happened to us that the Lord of the Arunachala Hillis a repository of compassion and that His glory is infinite.Circumambulate the Arunachala Hill on foot. Worshipthe Lord of Arunachala with flowers smeared with thefragrance of civet. Build quandrangles and towers at thetemple of Arunachala according to your means. Your desirewill be fulfilled. You will then become superior to Puru,Mandhara, Nabhaga, Bhagiratha and other sages.”

After uttering these words they departed andVajrangada became a staunch devotee of Lord Arunachala.

VAJRANGADA ATTAINS SALVATION

Markandeya said:Bhagavan! I have listened to your nectar-like story. I

have also listened to the story of the vidyadharas. Howlong and in what manner did Vajrangada worship Siva?How did the Lord of Aruna bless him?

Nandisa replied: Vajrangada abandoned the idea ofreturning to his kingdom and erected a dwelling for himselfnear Gautama’s ashram at the foot of the Aruna Hill. Hisarmy consisting of elephants, cavalry, chariots and infantryand his advisers, ministers, commander-in-chief, friends,relatives and servants came to see him. He received themwith a steadfast mind, stopped them outside the city andsurrendered his entire wealth to the Lord of the SonaHill.

Along with his advisers, he engaged himself in theworship of Siva. He crowned his son Ratnangada king.

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He worshipped the Lord of Sona with the numerous articlessent by the latter. He dug ponds around the hill, createdgardens and gifted lands to brahmins. As the countryaround the Aruna Hill is an arid area, he dug hundreds ofponds and built numerous reservoirs. He invited hissubjects who were with him to join him in his worshipand service of the Lord of Sona.

He took delight in worshipping the Lord of the ArunaHill in the company of Agastya who had arrived with hiswife Lopamudra. Everyday after bathing in the tanks heperformed puja to Arunachala. He went round the Hillon foot twice daily, repeating the Lord’s name the while.He celebrated the Karthikai Deepam festival in a grandmanner on the full moon day of the month of Kartika.

He anointed the Linga of Arunachala with fragrantwater kept in golden pots and scented with fragrant flowersand camphor. He celebrated festivals every month in abefitting manner as laid down in the agamas. He laid thegiripradakshina path (a distance of about eight miles) andmade it fit even for anga-pradakshina. While going aroundthe hill, with great devotion he would exclaim, “O Lordof the Aruna Hill, Ocean of Compassion! Lord ofApitakuchamba, my obeisance to Thee!” and becomeimmersed in an ocean of bliss.

The Lord mounted on Nandi, accompanied by theGoddess Uma, rishis and Sivaganas hailing His gloryappeared before the king. On seeing the God of Gods,Vajrangada fell at His feet with all the limbs touching theground (ashtanga vandanam). Overcome with joy he folded

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his hands respectfully and said, “Lord of the devas! Kindlyforgive the offences committed by me, an ignorant manweighed down by his karma.” When he prayed very humblyin this manner the Lord of the Aruna Hill, the embodimentof the ocean of mercy, said:

“Child! Fear not! You are blessed. I assumed eightforms solely for the sake of all beings. In your previous lifeyou were Purandara (Indra) living on the Kailasamountain. Being arrogant you forgot me. In order tocorrect you, I made you undergo physical suffering whichmade you realise your folly and feel contrite. You prayedfor liberation which is the source of true bliss. I bid you beborn on earth as Vajrangada and obtain my grace.Therefore you were born in this place which is sacred tome. As you were ignorant you were instructed by thevidyadharas and others. You are now my great devotee. Iam pleased with your worship and service. I shall nowinstruct you. Listen.

“This world of moving and stationary beings is madeup of my eight forms, namely ether, air, fire, water, earth,sun, moon and jivas. I, as Time, bring together objects,jivas and way of action (gati). As for me, I transcend thefundamentals (tattvas); there is nothing beside me whoam Siva.

“Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Indra and other devas arebut waves which have arisen from me. Vani, Lakshmi,Ksharna, Sraddha, Prajna, Svahav, Svadha and others arebut a shadow of my unlimited powers. Goddess Gowri,the Mother of the world, represents my divine illusion as

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maya. It is through Her that the universe appears anddisappears. Creation, sustenance and destruction takeplace through Her. I display out of my freewill, thiswonderful world which is like a picture. Your delusionhas disappeared. You shall, by my grace, hereafterinvestigate the truth. You are not separate from me evenas the waves are not different from the sea. Therefore youobtained a kingdom. You shall enjoy these luxuries astokens of my grace. Afterwards you shall become Purandaraagain and enjoy celestial luxuries for a long time. Finallyyou shall unite with me.” Saying this Siva disappeared.King Vajrangada continued to worship the Lord of Sonaand finally merged in Him.

I have thus described to you the glory of Siva, theimportance of devotion and the benefits ofcircumambulation of the Hill. What more is necessary?Circumambulation of the Sona Hill is more meritoriousthan a hundred horse-sacrifices. Further, thecircumambulation of this Hill is more meritorious thanall austerities. When it is made at auspicious times it willconfer immeasurable benefit. There is no other place exceptArunachala, no God except the Lord of the Aruna Hill.

On hearing Nandikesvara speak thus, the son ofMrikandu (i.e. Markandeya) shed tears of joy and becameimmersed in a sea of bliss.

EEEEEN DN DN DN DN D O FO FO FO FO F P P P P PARTARTARTARTART I I I I I I I I I I

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PARPARPARPARPART - IIIT - IIIT - IIIT - IIIT - III

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This part deals with Glory of Arunachala asfound in the centre portion of ‘Siva BhaktaMahatmyam’. This is narrated by Sri UpamanyuMaharshi wherein, while describing the saint-poet Jnanasambandha’s visit to Arunachala, theGlory of Arunachala is deleniated.

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I . I . I . I . I . VVVVV I S I TI S I TI S I TI S I TI S I T O FO FO FO FO F S S S S SA M BA M BA M BA M BA M B A N D H AA N D H AA N D H AA N D H AA N D H A

TTTTT OOOOO A A A A AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

UPAMANYU said: When Tirujnanasambandha (oneof the four great Tamil saints) was staying at

Tiruvarayaninallur (adjoining Tirukkoilur) adoring theLord there, some of his followers pointed out Arunachalastanding majestically at a distance. The child saintspontaneously composed a hymn of ten stanzas beginningwith the words: ‘Unnamulai Umayalodum’, meaning, theLord who is accompanied by Uma known as Unnamulai.

Once he was looking for someone who would showhim the way to Arunachala when he saw a strange lookingold brahmin gathering flowers. He was moved by the sightof the old man and asked him respectfully, in a voicechoked with emotion, “Where have you come from?Which is your place? Why have you come here?” The oldman replied, “I have come from Arunachala. That is where

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I live. I have come to gather flowers for the Lord.” At this,Jnanasambandha asked him, “How far is Arunachala fromhere? Is it a small wood or a big forest? Kindly lead me forI do not know the way.” The old man said, “Yonder is theHill. It is not very far. I am old but I come here everydayand return with flowers required for the morning worshipof the Lord. I shall take you there quickly by a good path”.He then gathered some flowers and got ready to start.

Sambandha now asked him eagerly, “I wish to hearin detail about Arunachala.” Thereupon the old man beganto describe with great emotion, one after another, storiesthat spoke of the glory of Arunachala.

u

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I I . I I . I I . I I . I I . TTTTT H EH EH EH EH E M M M M MA N I F E S TA N I F E S TA N I F E S TA N I F E S TA N I F E S TAAAAA T I O NT I O NT I O NT I O NT I O N

O FO FO FO FO F A A A A AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A A N DA N DA N DA N DA N D

T H ET H ET H ET H ET H E A A A A AR R I VR R I VR R I VR R I VR R I VA LA LA LA LA L O FO FO FO FO F P P P P PA R VA R VA R VA R VA R VAAAAA T IT IT IT IT I

THE old man said: Arunachala is a manifestation ofthe God wearing the crescent moon upon his head

(i.e. Siva). It is a manifestation of Sambhu who in ancienttimes appeared as a column of fire in order to settle adispute between Brahma and Vishnu. Brahma and Vishnuemerged from Sadasiva. Both became haughty and onceargued as to who was the superior of the two. They foughtfiercely. When the quarrel became severe and worldlyactivites were in danger of disruption, the Supreme BeingSiva reflected thus, “If I do not appear before thequarrelling gods and make them realize their folly therewill be an untimely dissolution of the universe.” Resolvingthis He appeared between the quarrelling gods as a columnof fire. They looked in wonder at that blazing columnwhich extended from heaven to the nether regions. They

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became curious and attempted to find the summit andbottom of that column. Vishnu assumed the form of aboar and proceeded to discover its base by delving deepinto the earth. Brahma took the form of a swan and soaredto discover its top. Vishnu penetrated the earth as far asrasatala (one of nether worlds), but could not discoverthe origin of the column. Brahma too could not see thetop even though he flew to the very edge of Brahmanda(i.e. the cosmos). Both of them, therefore, discontinuedtheir efforts and returned to the earth with tired snoutand wings and met each other. “What can this Column ofEffulgence be whose top and bottom cannot be espied?”,they exclaimed in wonder. Their ego-sense completelydestroyed in the effort they became humble and pious.

At that instant a voice from the sky said, “This columnis a manifestation of Sambhu. It has appeared with theobject of blessing you. All moving and stationary beingsand yourselves have come out of it. Until now neither ofyou knew Sambhu, the Omnipresent Being whotranscends space and time, and each of you had, out ofegoism and vanity vied with each other for superiority.”When they heard the voice from the sky speaking thus,they addressed the Lord, “Obeisance to Sambhu who hasassumed the form of a linga, and who exists in all movingand stationary beings, transcends everything, and who isthe source of everything and has now taken the form of acolumn of dazzling effulgence. Great Lord! Kindly bestowThy grace upon us. Reveal Thy true form to us, who areenveloped by the darkness of ignorance.”

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When the three-eyed Siva was praised thus by Hissons He became gracious and appeared before them. Hesaid, “I am pleased with you because your hearts are nowfull of devotion. I have come here to grant your prayers.Express your desires.” On hearing these words, they said,“Lord of the worlds! We wish to have unfaltering devotionfor Thy lotus feet. We should not become arrogant again.This is a column of grandeur and beauty bestowing graceon us. Thou shouldst always abide here in this form. Kindlywithdraw Thy blazing Effulgence and abide as a Lingawith the name of Arunachala for the welfare of the world.Otherwise the worlds will get scorched by Thy Effulgence.Let those who worship this Linga attain prosperity andLiberation”. As Brahma and Vishnu prayed thus, the greatGod, the abode of compassion, said, “Let it be so.”

Although the Lord is Being-Consciousness-Bliss(Satchidananda), He continued to abide in the form desiredby Brahma and Vishnu.

The old man said, “Friend! Listen to this also. Parvatipractised austerities here and won the left half ofArunachala.” Upon this Sambandha requested the old manto narrate the story of Parvati’s tapas, and Her ultimatereunion with Lord Siva.

PARVATI’S PENANCE AND HER ARRIVAL

AT ARUNACHALA

The old man replied: The great God once went withParvati into a spacious hall revered by all the devas. It

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contained heaps of jewels and was supported by thousandsof bejewelled columns. It was situated on the top of theKailasa mountain amidst groves of wish-fulfilling trees.There the guileless Parvati, who thought that Her Lordwas completely under Her influence, came behind Himsilently and gently and playfully covered with Her lotus-hands the three eyes of Sambhu, the Sadguru of all theworlds, thinking, ‘Let me see what He will say if I closeHis eyes’.

As soon as She closed those eyes which were actuallythe sun, the moon and Fire of Knowledge (jnana), darknessenveloped the universe for a long time. Although She coveredthe eyes for a few moments, it was millions of years for theuniverse. The darkness brought on by the playful act of theGoddess led to the gradual dissolution of the universe. Theperturbed devas thereupon prayed to Siva to remove thedarkness. Siva then ordered Gowri to take off Her hands.Goddess Uma immediately withdrew Her hands. At once,the entire cosmos came out of darkness. Sambhu chidedUma for Her thoughtless act, an act which led to thedissolution of the world. It was unbecoming of Her, theMother of the universe. Only the Lord withdraws the worldsinto Him at the time of Mahapralaya. But She out of Herignorance had brought about an untimely pralaya. WhenParvati, the beloved of Sambhu, heard the chastisement ofHer Lord, She was upset. She realised that She hadtransgressed dharma and in a tone of repentance asked HerLord what She should do to expiate this act of hers. Sambhusaid, “What expiation shall I prescribe for you who are my

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very Self? Nevertheless I shall prescribe an atonement inaccordance with the custom of the world. There is a famous,prosperous and sacred city on earth named Kanchi. Thereis a holy river (tirtha) named Kampa there which cleansesthe sins of the people who take a dip in it. You may if youwish, undergo penance there and then rejoin me.” Onhearing these words Parvati proceeded to Kanchi.

The old man continued:The Goddess Parvati practised austerities on the bank

of the river Kampa, observing punctiliously andsimultaneously the thirty-two kinds of dharma. She madea linga of sand and worshipped it with reverence. Wishingto test Her devotion Siva made the river rise in flood.Fearing that the linga of sand would be washed away, Sheembraced it and did not stir from the spot. Later,Manmatha (the god of love) installed it as Ekambaresvara,which bore the imprint of Her breasts and bangles. ThenSiva’s voice was heard from the sky. “Let this linga whichhas been worshipped by you remain here for the welfareof the world. I myself abide on earth as an effulgent hillknown as Arunachala which grants the prayers of devotees.You may go there and with the guidance of Sage Gautama,continue to practise your austerities near his ashram.Afterwards I shall reveal to you my form of effulgence.”On hearing these words the Goddess proceeded toGautama’s ashram. the Sage welcomed Her with duehonours. He said, “I know that you have come here atSiva’s bidding. I realise that He wants to protect Hisdevotees at this place.

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“Of all the abodes of Siva this is the most important.The God of gods manifested here for the sake of Brahmaand Vishnu. At their request he assumed the form of aHill known as Arunachala. It now shines with subduedEffulgence. After ninety-six Brahmas had come intoexistence and merged again in Sadasiva a new Brahmaemerged out of Vishnu’s navel and created the universe.He once created, at Indra’s request, a woman of extremebeauty who was capable of attracting even the attentionof yogis. But on seeing her enchanting beauty Brahmahimself became enamoured of her and tried to captureher. She ran hither and thither to escape from him. Whenhe tried to possess her forcibly she ran away in the form ofa doe. Brahma then assumed the form of a stag and pursuedher. She became a dove and flew away. Brahma flew afterher in the form of a male bird. When she was pursued inthis manner she sought refuge in Arunachala and criedout in agony. ‘O refuge of the distressed, protect me!’Immediately a hunter came out of the Linga of Arunachala,bow in hand, to fight with Brahma who became free fromhis passion and regained his equilibrium. Turning toArunachala he prayed, ‘Thou must kindly pardon mymisdeed’. At this the merciful Siva rose out of the Lingaand said to Brahma: O Brahma! All the sins committed byyou were expiated the moment you set eyes onArunachala. There is no doubt about this. You can onlyrealise a part of myself at Kailasa, Meru, Mandara andother sacred mountains, but in Arunachala you can realisemy entire Self. O creator of the universe! You shall, after

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taking bath in the Brahma tirtha and adoring me,circumambulate me and be absolved of your sin. Onhearing these words Brahma bathed in the tirtha in theprescribed manner and circumambulated Arunachala withhis mind absorbed in Siva. As a result of this he againbecame the ruler of the world of the devas.”

u

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I I I . GII I . GII I . GII I . GII I . GAAAAAU TU TU TU TU TA M AA M AA M AA M AA M A D D D D DESCRIBESESCRIBESESCRIBESESCRIBESESCRIBES

T H ET H ET H ET H ET H E G G G G GLORYLORYLORYLORYLORY O FO FO FO FO F A A A A AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N A H H H H HILLI L LI L LI L LI L L

GAUTAMA continued: Once Narayana continuedto sleep even after a kalpa (a cycle of four yugas or

aeons) had ended and hence the world was enveloped indarkness. The immortal devas were in distress. Theythought of Mahadeva, the controller of everything andprayed to Him to save His creation. Siva thereupon createdthe devas who were thirty-three crores in number. Theyawakened Narayana from whose navel a lotus sprang up.As soon as he woke up he said to himself, “I slept when Ishould not have done so. I was under the influence ofSiva’s maya. What shall I do to expiate the sin of sleepingat an untimely hour? I shall seek refuge in Siva and expiateall my sins.” At that moment he saw before him, Siva aspure Effulgence. He bowed to him respectfully and pleasedHim with his adoration. Looking at Narayana who stood

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there praising Him with folded hands, Siva said, “I abideon earth in the form of Arunachala Hill. The momentyou see me in that form you will cease to be ignorant.One of the Vishnus who were your predecessors obtaineda boon from me at Arunachala. As the interior of the Hillis filled with fire, the rains falling on it from the cloudsfear to run down it as streams. They are quite unable toleave it. That is why all one’s sins are expiated by merelylooking at it. All the wishes of devotees are fulfilled there.You shall again become the protector of the world bybowing down to that Hill and worshipping it.” Havingissued this command Siva disappeared.

Vishnu was relieved when he heard these words. Hecame to Arunachala, bathed in the Brahma tirtha andworshipped Arunachala Hill with a tranquil mind. Therebyhis sins were expiated and again regained his position asprotector of the world. It is by worshipping it that Surya(the sun god) became the ruler of all the planets. WhenDaksha Prajapati worshipped it, his curse was lifted andhe became prosperous. Indra who had slain the asura namedVritra got over his afflictions and became King of thedevas again and worshipped Arunachala. Similarly siddhas,charanas, gandharvas, devas, vidyadharas and others hadtheir wishes fulfilled by worshipping Arunachala Hill. TheSun god abides on its eastern side, Visvamitra on thesouthern side, Varuna on the western side and Trisula onthe northern side. These four devatas (deities) worshipthe Red Hill from four hills which form its boundaries ata distance of three yojanas. On its northern slope there

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stands a banyan tree which throws shade all around. Thegreat Isvara (Siva) abides under it in the form of a SiddhaPurusha. There are eight lingas at the eight cardinal pointsround the Hill. There is also a temple near it, built by thedevas for the devotees of Siva. Inside that temple there isa bakula tree under which Siva is worshipped by Vamadeva.Agastya and Vasishtha each installed a linga there. Theyworshipped Arunachala and gained extraordinary benefitfrom their austerities. The holy river Sona flows near it asa clear stream. The sacred river Pennai also flows round it.I (Gautama) too adore Siva by practising austerities hereand worship the ethereal Linga of Arunachala for thewelfare of the world. In olden days kings overcame theirenemies, regained their kingdoms and enjoyed prosperityand sovereignty by worshipping the Lord of Sonadri.O Goddess! If you worship this Sivalinga which is in theform of a Hill your austerities will fructify.

Sage Gautama also described to the Goddess as tohow the fiery Linga cooled down:

This was a fiery Hill in the krita yuga, a ruby Hill inthe treta yuga, a Hill of gold in the dwapara yuga and arocky Hill in kali yuga. In the krita yuga the devas praisedthis fiery Hill from a distance, being unable to approachit. The Vedas refer to this Hill when they describe it asbeing copper-coloured, red and golden and theembodiment of all divine qualities. All the devas praised itand prayed, “Oh Supreme Self in the form of Aruna, theembodiment of all divine qualities! Obeisance to Thee!Pray, kindly cool down so that all can approach Thee!”

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Upon this, the Hill ceased to be fiery and cooled downfor the sake of devotees. There are many tirthas around it.Vishnu became sinless by bathing in the Indra tirthasituated to the east of it. By bathing in the Agni tirthasituated on its south-eastern side Agni was expiated of hissin of adultery. Yama became free of the sin of brahmahatyaby bathing in the famous Yama tirtha to the south of theHill. A travelling ascetic bathed in the Nirriti tirtha on itssouth-western side and thereby escaped from bhutas andvetalas (evil spirits). Varuna became the king of the oceansby bathing in the Varuna tirtha on the west. Vayu becamethe life-breath of the world by bathing in the Vayu tirthaon the north-west. Mahavishnu became the Lord ofLakshmi by bathing in the Sona tirtha, full of goldenlotuses, on the north. The nine grahas (planets) attainedthat state consequent to their bathing in the Isanya tirthaon the north-east. The exceedingly glorious Brahma tirthais in front of Arunachala inside His temple. It is guardedby Saraswati, Bhairavi, Ganapati, Durga and Skanda. Infront of the Lord is situated the glorious Siva tirtha. It wasin Siva tirtha that Bhairava got rid of Brahma’s skull. Besidesthese, there are hundreds of tirthas, like the Ganga, theVasishta, the Agastya, the Skanda, the Visvedeva and theAswini. The Ganga worships the Sona Hill from the East,the Yamuna from the sky and the Saraswati from the head(i.e. top). All the sacred tirthas appear here to devotees atthe time of worship.

When I prayed to the Lord as to how I should worshipHim, the Lord of the Arunachala Hill graciously replied,

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“I shall abide on earth in the form of an ethereal Linga inthe sanctum sanctorum of the temple. You must worshipthis Linga according to the agama sastras. I, the Lord ofthe Arunachala Hill, the ethereal linga of fifty differentcolours, shall be worshipped through strength derived byausterities.” After issuing this command, the great God,the Self-created Being, revealed Himself in the form of anextremely pure and ethereal Linga. When I saw it I feltthat my goal had been attained and was blissful.

The Lord Himself prescribed the method ofworshipping Him. At His command Visvakarma foundeda prosperous city. Those who offer to the God of gods theingredients necessary for His worship, enjoy luxuries inthis world and attain, when they die, union withArunachala. This Linga of Sambhu, which is made up ofthe eight constituents is full of effulgence. If one bowsdown to it and circumambulates it, one’s sins will be burntup. Those who circumambulate it are not reborn. Theybecome eternal and merge into Arunachala.

One should, before proceeding to circumambulatethe hill, take a bath, put on clean clothes, smear the bodywith sacred ash and put on a garland of rudraksha beads.One should walk slowly with a serene mind rememberingSiva all the time. The very earth becomes taintless whenthe dust from the feet of those who walk on it, incircumambulation, falls on it. If one circumambulates theHill by rolling on the ground all the way his body will atonce become bright and hard like diamond. He will notpray for material happiness. Sambhu too circumambulates

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Himself (i.e., the Hill) during the six holy months of thesun’s northern course (Uttarayana) in the company of devasand rishis.

One should never circumambulate the Hill on a con-veyance. Once upon a time a King named Dharmaketu,who was well-versed in the rules prescribed for worshippingSiva, but indifferent to dharma, circumambulated the Hillon horseback. His horse became an object of adorationfor the devas and was transformed into a gananatha, aleader of Siva’s followers. It left the King and gained theabode of Siva. When the King saw his horse transformedinto a leader of Siva’s followers he also circumambulatedthe Hill on foot and became likewise a leader of Siva’sfollowers. King Vajrangada lost his prowess as a result ofviolating the convention of the worship of Siva. He washowever later reunited with Siva by virtue of his greatdevotion to the Lord. By circumambulating this Hill twovidyadharas, Kantisali and Kaladhara were absolved of thecurse of Durvasa. They had been transformed into a horseand a civet cat, but by circumambulating the Hill theyregained their state of vidyadharas.

In former times there was a Pandya King namedVajrangada. He made the earth tremble with the might ofhis arms. Once he went hunting in the forest adjoiningArunachala. Seeing a civet cat which exuded fragrance,he urged his horse towards it with the idea of capturing it.Chased by him it ran in great fear round the Sona Hill.Although the King was very strong, he fell down headlongfrom the horse breathing heavily, like a jiva falling from

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svarga on the expiry of its merit. While he lay in greatdistress, too weak even to get up, he saw before him twobright beings dazzling like lightning. Even as he looked atthem he saw his horse and the civet cat cast off theirbodies and assume divine forms. They narrated their storyto the astonished king, “Oh King! We were originallyleaders of vidyadharas. Once we were wandering about awood near Durvasa’s ashram close to Mount Meru. Wewere joyfully plucking the flowers in his garden. When henoticed us he said angrily, ‘You in your arrogance haveenraged me by treading on this holy ground. One of youshall be born on earth as a horse and become the mountof a king who will ill-treat him. The other who wasenamoured of the fragrance of flowers shall become a civetcat in a dense forest on the slope of a hill.’

“When he cursed us in anger we prayed to him toforgive us. That great soul then bestowed his grace on us.He said, ‘You will be released from your curse if youcircumambulate the Arunachala Hill. The circumambulationof it is as good as circumambulating all the worlds. Thatis why Sankara gave the fruit to Ganapati who had firstcircumambulated the Arunachala Hill and not to Guhawho had circumambulated all the worlds.’ We were thentransformed into a horse and a civet cat. As wecircumambulated the hill on foot we have regained ouroriginal forms of vidyadharas. But, as you circumambulatedon your horse, you met with this fate. You may also nowcircumambulate the Hill on foot. Worship the Lord withred lilies scented with civet. Erect towers and quadrangles

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in the temple of the universal Lord according to yourmight. You will soon become Devendra again.” Aftersaying this Kantisali and Kaladhara went away. Vajrangadathen entrusted his kingdom to his son Ratnangada andmade the city of Arunachala his permanent abode. Hecircumambulated the Sona Hill and attained mahasiddhi.

In former times, when in the form of a deer, Tilottamawho was afraid of Brahma took shelter at Arunachala andbegged the Lord to save her, the latter manifested as ahunter. At that very spot on the path of circumambulationhe still abides in the same form. That is where Brahmaand Vishnu worship Him. At the same place there areseveral devatas and tirthas. One can attain liberation therethrough gifts, austerities, sacrifices and worship.

Those who live at Arunachala with the object ofserving the Lord are worthy of liberation. There is nosacred place comparable to Sona Hill, no mantracomparable to the Panchakshara, no devotee of Sivacomparable to Vishnu and no talisman comparable to thesacred ash. Neither Kailasa nor the Mandara mountaincan be a match to the Arunachala Hill on earth, for whilethey are the abodes of Siva, this Hill is Siva Himself.

The following incidents show that one can attainthe goal of one’s life by performing any act of devotionaccording to one’s ability. A spider which happened toweave a web in a corner of the Aruna Hill became a king.That king remembered his past life and adorned the Lordof the Arunachala Hill with many clothes. While a thirstyelephant was drinking water it happened to spray some

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water on the Hill with its trunk and scatter wild flowers.As a result of this, it became a leader of the ganas andattained liberation. Even insects crawling on its slopesget rid of their sins and attain the world of Siva. A fireflyhappened to give light to a person who, carrying a load,came to rest at night on the slope of the Hill. As a resultof this it attained liberation even while alive. A vultureflying in search of prey happened to remove the dust infront of Siva by flapping its wings. Immediately it attainedsupreme liberation. It is impossible therefore to describethe glory of the Lord of Arunachala, He of such wonderfulpowers that transcend thought and word.

Goddess! You may also adore the Lord of the SonaHill whose attributes are infinite and get your desiresfulfilled. Austere one! You will attain the object of yourwishes and reunite with Sambhu. Austerities have beenprescribed for you solely for the welfare of the world.

When Gowri heard the wise words of the sage Shewas filled with great joy. She praised him and told him, “Ishall adore Siva at this very place and by pleasing him Ishall be united with him.”

Eager to begin Her austerities She asked him for asuitable hermitage. The sage assured Her that it would beprovided.

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UPAMANYU continued the narration: The oldman said: At Sambhu’s behest, the Goddess installed

an image of Siva on the Pavalakundru, a spur of theArunachala mountain. Then Goddess Parvati, with mattedtresses, wore the bark of a tree. She smeared Her body withsacred ash and practised austerities as prescribed. Sheappointed Satyavati, Vanavaini, Subhaga and Bandhumarito guard Her ashram on all the four sides. She appointedDurga to carry out Her instructions and to guard the forest.

The devas who were afraid of Mahishasura (demonin the shape of a he-buffalo) prayed to Parvati and Sheassured them of Her protection, saying, “I shall kill himby a stratagem”, and continued to practise Her austerities.Mahishasura, the enemy of the devas, who had becomearrogant on account of a boon obtained by him, came

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hunting in the company of demons. While wanderingabout the forest he came accidentally to the wood in whichthe Goddess was performing tapas. When he tried to enterit, he was prevented by the guards and he stood still for amoment. Being a warrior with no scruples, he stopped hisfollowers on the bank of the river in a dense forest andissued instructions to the demons who were adepts inproducing illusions. Disguising themselves as ascetics theyentered the woods and after seeing the Goddess returnedto him and described Her beauty.

On hearing their words, that demon warrior becameenamoured of Her and immediately ordered the asurasarmed with numerous weapons to attack the guards atthe hermitage. The four Sakti Devis retaliated with theirdazzling and powerful weapons and slew all of them.Thereupon the enraged Mahishasura commanded four ofhis renowned generals to fight the Devis. When they alsowere killed in the fight with the Sakti Devis, he despatchedmore warriors until the fight escalated into a battle.

Parvati in the form of Durga then rose and enteredthe battlefield. With weapons blazing like flames in Hersixteen hands, She attacked Mahisha who came chargingat Her fiercely. When Mahisha appeared on the battlefieldwith sword and shield, Durga armed Herself with a sword,shield and a discus. While the battle between Durga andMahisha was raging, the devas prayed to Durga thus, “Devi!The world is suffering on account of the battle. It is but asport to you. Mother of the world! Kindly end this gamequickly for the welfare of the world.”

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Thus beseeched by the devas, the Goddess Durgathrew Mahisha down and trod on him and pierced himwith Her trident. Being caught thus the demon let out ascream. Durga severed Mahisha’s head with Her sharpsword and danced upon it. The devas showered flowersupon Her and praised Her. The loud sound of the celestialmusical instruments heralded the death of the cruel rakshasaand the arrival of peace.

The devas then appealed to Her, “Let that head besevered completely. It still appears to possess some life.Let us remember this form of Thine treading upon thebody of the demon; also grant the boon that those whomeditate on this form shall overcome all obstacles andfinally attain liberation.” The Goddess was pleased to say,“Be it so.”

Parvati regained Her original form with matted lockswearing the bark of a tree as a garment and looked at thedemon’s throat which had been pierced. Seeing a linga inside,She held it in Her hands. The Goddess was unable to freeHer hand of the linga as it stuck to Her palm. She exclaimed:Alas! What have I done! It is a devotee of Siva I have slain!She went to the Sage Gautama along with Her companionsand said to him: I offered my protection to the devas whotook shelter under me. In doing so I have in my ignoranceslain Mahishasura, a devotee of Siva. The Sivalinga whichwas in his throat does not leave my hand. How shall Iexpiate the sin of having killed a devotee of Siva?

On hearing this, Gautama said: O Gowri! Do notfear. This rakshasa is not a devotee. He was a siddha in his

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past life. He became a bison on account of a curse; he wasnot only a demon, he used to eat human beings. TheSivalinga worn by one of the devotees of Siva who wasunfortunate enough to be devoured by him got stuck inhis throat. As he had a linga inside him when he died andas he came into contact with your divine lotus-like feet,his curse has been lifted. Whoever wears a Sivalingacertainly attains Liberation whether he does so with orwithout devotion and faith. Moreover, even heinouscrimes for which no expiation has been prescribed, willcertainly be forgiven when one has darshan of theArunachala Hill. Notwithstanding the noble Gautama’sassurance, the Goddess continued to feel penitence forHer act of slaying a devotee of Siva.

At this moment She heard a voice in the sky thataddressed Her, “Cleave the earth with your sword. Out ofthat cleft will arise simultaneously the nine rivers, viz.,the Ganga, the Yamuna, the Sindhu, the Godavari, theSaraswati, the Sona, the Kaveri and the Narmada, alltogether. Bathe daily in this Kadga tirtha (the spring causedby the sword) for a whole month beginning on the dayon which the moon is in the constellation Jyeshta, repeatingthe aghamarshana mantra (a mantra recited before takinga ritualistic bath). If you live near that tirtha no fear willbe felt, there will be no drought and I shall be pleased.Leave the linga that is in your hand beside the spring,take a bath in it and worship the linga with due offerings.You must with a tranquil mind install that linga on thebank of the tirtha and name it Papanasa. You should

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perform a sacrifice, a devayaga, commencing on the asterismof Uttarashada and take the bath signifying its end on theasterism of Krittika. You should then in the mannerprescribed worship me in the form of Arunachala. I shallthen reveal to you my effulgent form.”

Accordingly, Gowri cleft the earth with Her sword,and the nine tirthas came out in the form of a single spring.The Goddess to whose hand the linga continued to stick,bathed in it. The spring at once became blue on account ofHer lustre. Her mind, which was agitated owing to Herseparation from Her dear Lord became calm. She livednear that spring. After a month, She conducted a festivalfor the devas, a devotsavam, in the month of Kartika andworshipped Siva. On the day of Krittika in the evening Shemeditated upon the form of Siva: Lord of the devas! If I amfit enough to see your true form, pray, kindly reveal Thyform. At once the Effulgence of Siva in the form of theArunachala Hill filled the entire world with its brilliance.And there arose from the Column of Effulgence a tawnycomplexioned and blue-throated Siva who said: Parvati! Iam pleased with your penance and devotion. The sin, if atall it can be termed so, which you incurred by closing myeyes and plunging the universe in darkness, has now beenexpiated by having darshan of Arunachala. Uma! For youryouthfulness you shall be known as Apitakuchamba. ODevi! Come to me and merge in me on completion of yourcircumambulation of Arunachala.

The Goddess then circumambulated this Hill asadvised. Like a bride circumambulating the sacred fire at

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the time of Her marriage, the daughter of the mountaincircumambulated Arunachalesvara in the company ofSaraswati, Lakshmi, Indrani, Arundhati and the wives ofsages. She prayed for union with Siva. After completingthe circumambulation She prostrated before the Lord,stood with folded hands and earnestly prayed to Him.The Supreme Lord was thereupon pleased to appear beforeHer. The Goddess was overwhelmed with joy and ecstasy.She prostrated before Him and with folded hands prayed,“We two should never be separated. Thou must alwaysabide here for the welfare of the world so that devas, humanbeings and others who adore Thee may have Thy darshanat all times.” The Lord of Arunagiri acceded to Her prayerfor the welfare of the world. He also gave Her one half ofHis body. He ordered Visvakarma — the celestial builderto build a city which the latter did. The city was namedafter the Hill as Arunachala. It is the first and most sacredof all ancient cities. Siva is still being worshipped there inthe form of a Self-originated Linga. One becomes free ofall sins the moment one remembers and adoresArunachalesvara, the Lord of Unnamulai. It is certain thatthose who read or hear or meditate upon this gloriousstory of Arunachalesvara will attain the immortal abodeof Siva.

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VVVVV. . . . . AAAAA R R I VR R I VR R I VR R I VR R I VA LA LA LA LA L O FO FO FO FO F

SSSSS A M BA M BA M BA M BA M BA N D H AA N D H AA N D H AA N D H AA N D H A AAAAA TTTTT

AAAAA R U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

AFTER listening with great pleasure to the enchanting story of Arunachala as narrated by the venerable old

man, Sambandha followed him along with his retinue.When they reached the precincts of Arunachala the oldman leading them suddenly disappeared. He was noneother than Arunachala who was leading his child to Hisabode.

In accordance with the Lord’s command, Hisbhutaganas appeared as hunters and robbed the personalpossessions of Jnanasambandha and his followers. Theytook away the bundles and ran away from the place.

The Saint thought: Alas! I cannot find the old brahminwho was leading the way, our only recourse now is topray to the Lord who grants wealth and joy. When hesang the praises of the Lord, the extremely compassionate

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Arunachala appeared mounted on Nandi along with Hisconsort. When Sambandha saw the Lord, he with greatdevotion and overflowing love prostrated and with foldedhands sang melodious hymns praising the Lord. The Lordwith great affection and in a reverberating voice said:Child! Because of my love for you I wanted you to cometo Arunachala which is my eternal abode. Hence I assumedthe form of an old brahmin and came to the garden atArayaninalloor in the guise of plucking flowers for theLord’s pooja. Upon my orders, bhutaganas took away yourpossessions. The belongings of your followers shall bereturned. A feast shall be set before you and your followersso that your hunger may be appeased.

Sambandha and his followers got back whatever theyhad lost and a veritable feast was set before them. TheLord bade the child Saint to come to His temple. Inecstacy, Sambandha approached the Lord’s temple whosemighty towers were visible from afar.

In every house the chanting of the Vedas could beheard. Great hospitality was shown to the guests by theresidents of the holy city of Arunachala as if the formerwere the very form of Lord Siva. In the streets around thetemple of Arunachala, the sounds accompanying thecelebration of the festival for the deities could be heard.Yagas were being performed. The deities were broughtout of the temple on procession accompanied by elephants,horses and chariots. Sambandha saw tapasvis who weredeeply absorbed in the bliss of Siva. The city of Arunachalawas a flourishing one with scholars well versed in the

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Vedas and sastras, their bodies radiating the glow of intensetapas, devotees with Arunachala’s name on their lips,wearing rudraksha and their frames smeared with vibhuti,jnanis who cared not for the state of Brahma or Indra andyogis who were immersed in their Heart in perfect bliss.

After passing the streets on either side of which stoodmany storied buildings, Sambandha reached the templeof the Lord. Sambandha entered the temple which hadcourts and majestic walls. With profound devotion andlove for Arunachala he reached the sanctum sanctorum andsurrendered himself. He circumambulated the Lord andthe Goddess Apitakuchamba. He adored the Lord andpaid his homage by praising Him with a decad beginningwith the words ‘Poovar malarkondu’. He resided in thevicinity of Lord Arunachala for a few more days singingdecads praising gloriously the Lord and the Hill ofArunachala. Sambandha and his followers left Arunachalaafter seeking the Lord’s blessings and continued theirjourney.

EEEEEN DN DN DN DN D O FO FO FO FO F P P P P PARTARTARTARTART I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

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PARPARPARPARPART - IVT - IVT - IVT - IVT - IV

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This is a commentary by Sri Vidhyeswara inSiva Mahapuranam dealing with the Glory ofArunachala

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EEEEE A S YA S YA S YA S YA S Y S S S S ST E P ST E P ST E P ST E P ST E P S TTTTT OOOOO

LLLLL I B E R AI B E R AI B E R AI B E R AI B E R AT I O NT I O NT I O NT I O NT I O N

SUTA said: O wise brahmins! As requested by Vyasa, Bhagavan Sanatkumara here gives the instructionsregarding means to liberation.

There are three ways mentioned in the Vedas forattaining Liberation. These are, listening to the praise ofSiva, singing His praise and meditating upon Siva.

The sages then asked Suta Muni: O Sage! You haveprescribed the three ways viz., hearing the praise of Siva,singing His praise and meditating upon Him. But if oneis unable to follow any of the above, tell us how, withoutmuch effort one can attain liberation.

Suta replied: If one is unable to study the scripturesand follow their dictat, he can install either Siva’s idol orlinga and engage in its worship everyday. In this way onecan cross the ocean of samsara. Siva’s grace alone is

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sufficient to attain Liberation. Many rishis of yore bymerely worshipping Sivalinga or His idol have becomejivanmuktas.

The rishis further asked: It is customary that all deitiesare worshipped in the form of idols. Kindly enlighten usas to why Siva alone is worshipped in both forms i.e. theidol as well as the linga.

To this Suta replied: O Sages! None but Siva cananswer your question, for its significance is deep. HoweverI shall tell you what Siva imparted through the line ofSadgurus. Siva alone exists as form and formless. He is thecreator of the universe. In His transcendental form Heassumed the form of linga and in His all pervading natureHe assumed the form of an idol. Thus He is worshippedboth as a linga and idol. He is the Supreme Being, theAbsolute Brahman. The other deities do not possessBrahmanhood nor are they transcendental. They are thusworshipped only as idols with form and name. Sankaraalone is Brahman. The others are only jivas. He is verilythe pranava, the quintessence of all the Vedas.

In times of yore, on mount Mandaragiri, the samequestion was asked of Nandikesvara by Brahma’s son, thewise Sanatkumara. Nandikesvara gave the same answerto Sanatkumara. Further Sanatkumara wanted to knowabout the manifestation of the linga. Nandikesvaraanswered thus: O child! I shall narrate to you what exactlyhappened in former times. There arose a quarrel betweenBrahma and Vishnu. In order to subdue their pride theSupreme Lord, the Absolute Brahman, manifested in the

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battlefield as a Column of Effulgence for the welfare ofthe world and revealed Himself as an Effulgent Linga.From thence the Linga became the symbol of Brahmantranscending attributes and the idol became His formwith attributes.

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I I . QI I . QI I . QI I . QI I . QU A R R E LU A R R E LU A R R E LU A R R E LU A R R E L B B B B BE T W E E NE T W E E NE T W E E NE T W E E NE T W E E N

BBBBB R A H M AR A H M AR A H M AR A H M AR A H M A A N DA N DA N DA N DA N D V V V V V I S H N UI S H N UI S H N UI S H N UI S H N U

LONG ago while the glorious Vishnu was slumberingon Adisesha, along came Brahma quite unexpectedly

and addressed Vishnu thus, “Who are you? Even on seeingme you are arrogant enough to continue reclining. Youngone, get up. Look at me, your creator. Whoever insultsthe worshipful Guru is a traitor. Penance has been decreedfor such a fool.” Enraged by these words, but appearingcalm and peaceful, Vishnu said, “Child! come, sit on thisseat. Why does your face reflect an agitated mind?” Brahmareplied, “O Vishnu, over the passage of time you havebecome proud. I am the protector of the world as well asof you.” To this, Vishnu said, “Young one, this world iscontained within me. You have risen as an offspring fromthe lotus of my navel. Your words are meaningless.”

Nandikesvara said:

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In this way both the conceited gods continued to telleach other, “I am the Lord, not you.” They came to thepoint of destroying each other. Brahma took the form ofa swan and Vishnu took the form of Garuda and began tobattle like warriors. This fierce battle was witnessed by allthe devas. The gods continued attacking each other withpowerful weapons. The desperate devas said, “No one canlift even a blade of grass without the grace of the SupremeBeing Siva who is the source of creation, protection anddestruction.” They went to Mount Kailas, worshippedLord Ganesa and then had darshan of Mahesa who wasenthroned with Uma and surrounded by the sivaganas.They prostrated to Siva who blessed them and utteredsweet and gracious words.

THE MANIFESTATION OF THE

EFFULGENT LINGA

Mahadeva said, “Children, blessings on you. It was Iwho ordained the quarrel between Brahma and Vishnu inorder to bring about the manifestation of the EffulgentLinga.”

He then appeared on the battlefield. Seeing thatBrahma and Vishnu were about to destroy the wholecreation by the most powerful weapons, Lord Sivamanifested before them as a glorious column of fire.Immediately, their weapons became powerless. Brahmaand Vishnu wondered as to what this power was thatcould not be grasped by the senses. They decided to

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discover its source and end. Vishnu took the form of aboar and decided to search for the bottom of the column;while Brahma took the form of a swan and flew upwardsin search of the summit. Hari could not get to the bottomof the column and he returned tired and weary. Brahma,while flying upwards saw a fragrant screw-pine steadilycoming down. The flower informed Brahma that it hadfallen from Siva’s matted locks ages ago. It had beencoming down ever since. It advised Brahma to give upthe search for the summit. Brahma told the flower,“O friend, please bear witness before Vishnu that I sawthe summit of the column.” He also added that it was notagainst dharma to tell a lie in times of danger. Returningto Vishnu, Brahma produced the flower as witness andVishnu was convinced. Vishnu thereupon prostratedbefore Brahma and worshipped him with all due honours.At that moment, Siva appeared from within the columnof fire to punish Brahma for his deceit. They realisedtheir folly in trying to measure the Infinite and beggedfor forgiveness. The Lord said, “Child Hari, thoughenamoured of power, you spoke the truth. Therefore, youshall be honoured by all mankind. Henceforth you shallhave separate temples installed for your worship andfestivals.” He thus gave Vishnu a status equal to Himself.

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I I I . AI I I . AI I I . AI I I . AI I I . AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A B B B B BL E S S E SL E S S E SL E S S E SL E S S E SL E S S E S

BBBBB R A H M AR A H M AR A H M AR A H M AR A H M A A N DA N DA N DA N DA N D V V V V VI S H N UI S H N UI S H N UI S H N UI S H N U

IN order to subdue the pride of Brahma, Mahadevacreated a fearsome form called Bhairava and bade it

teach Brahma a lesson. Bhairava cut off the fifth head ofBrahma. Seeing this pathetic sight, Vishnu prayed to Siva,“O Lord, you yourself gave Brahma five heads as hischaracteristic feature. Therefore please forgive him andshow him mercy.” Siva was pleased and prevented Bhairavafrom proceeding further. Siva turned to Brahma and said,“Enamoured of power, you uttered falsehood. Henceforththere shall be no temple, nor worship offered to you inthis world.” Brahma said, “Lord, show mercy on me. Iconsider my beheading as a sign of grace. O Lord, onewho tolerates the misdeeds of Thy children, kindly forgive

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my ignorance.” The Lord said, “Because of your quarrel,the world is in darkness. Do undertake the burden of theworld and sustain it. Although I have decreed that theremay not be separate temples for you, I ordain that youshall be the presiding deity at agnihotras and other yagnas.”The Lord chided the screw-pine flower for its perjury andsaid that it would no longer decorate His matted locksand shall not be offered to Him in worship. Nevertheless,the merciful Lord declared that it would adorn Hisworshippers and His mount.

Further, Brahma and Vishnu performed puja to theirbeloved Lord. With great devotion they offered garlands,ornaments, bracelets, crown, sandal paste, fruits,frankincense, camphor, cloth made of pure silk, whiteumbrella, fan etc. The Lord was surrounded by Hisdevotees and truly it resembled an emperor’s majesticcourt. The merciful Lord gave away, with His infiniteblessings, the articles offered to Him by the primal godsto His devotees present there.

The extremely pleased Lord Siva then graciouslydeclared: This auspicious day on which the devas and godsworshipped me, shall be celebrated as Sivaratri throughoutthe world. He who worships me on that day shall attainnoble qualities like fortitude etc., essential for an aspiranthankering after liberation. Morover worshipping me onthat day will yield the total merit of adoring me withpujas etc., throughout the year. Just as tidal waves in theocean are generated by the full-moon and new-moon, alldharmas shall bear fruit on Sivaratri.

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In the month of Marghasirsa [December-January,when the sun is in the zodiacal sign of Sagittarius, whenthe moon is full, and the star Aridra (Plaedes) is inascension], I manifested as a Column of Effulgence tosubdue your pride. Hence on this day whosoever installsa Sivalinga or my idol and worships me, he shall be moredear to me than Subramanya.

This sacred place which served to kill your ego-senseshall be considered as the most powerful spiritual centre inthe universe. I further decree that it shall yield all worldlypleasures. This Column of Effulgence which has nobeginning or end shall become the nucleus of all forms andmanners of worship. The very sight of this Hill, worshippingby touching it and meditating on it shall surely lead one toliberation. This shall become famous on earth as Arunachala.There shall be many sacred tirthas. Mere abidance and deathin this place would ensure freedom for even insects andanimals from the vicious cycle of birth and death. All virtuousdeeds like feeding of the poor, offering alms to the needy,celebrating marriages of the poor, performing templefestivals, yagnas and chanting of my name will yield infinitemerit. Of all shrines sacred to me this is the foremost one.By merely thinking of Arunachala one’s ego is rooted out.This place shall excel all other places in spiritual aura, glory,mystical power, wealth and in granting the ultimate humangoal. The one who worships me here, shall successivelyabide near me, attain my form and finally merge in me.

Nandikesvara continued: The Lord after blessing thenow pious Brahma and Vishnu further addressed them:

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Children! I alone am the ‘formless-form’. I alone amBrahman. No other deity can be regarded thus and hencenone else can be Isvara.

I alone exist as Effulgent Linga, as Idol and as AbsoluteBrahman. This has been described earlier. It is a wonderthat in your ignorance forgetting me, who am the SupremeBeing, you fought in vain. I alone shine as the Self in theinner core of every object in the universe. Every realisedjnani declares thus. Because of my love for you I amrepeating again and again the quintessence of all Vedaswhich reveal Brahman so that you might understand itsimport.

I am Brahman. All are my form. I am Isvara. I create,sustain, destroy, conceal, bless. All the five-fold karmasare mine alone. O Brahma and Vishnu! Being Perfect andAbsolute I exist as Brahman. O Children! BeingOmnipresent and dwelling in all, I am the Self of all. Allthose who are ignorant of this knowledge are jivas. Inorder to make you realise my Brahman-hood, I exist asAbsolute form. Again in order to show you my Isvara-hood I emerged from the Effulgent Column as Sivalinga.Now you realise my state as both the Absolute form andthe Linga form.

You may worship this Column of Effulgence asSivalinga. This is verily my form. The worship of thisalone is sufficient to attain my form. This glorious formof mine should be worshipped. I who transcend everything,shine as this Linga. One who installs this Linga andworships it will merge in me.

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TTTTT H EH EH EH EH E F F F F F I V EI V EI V EI V EI V E - F- F- F- F- FO L DO L DO L DO L DO L D D D D D DI V I N EI V I N EI V I N EI V I N EI V I N E

KKKKK A R M AA R M AA R M AA R M AA R M A O FO FO FO FO F L L L L LO R DO R DO R DO R DO R D

AAAAA R U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

BRAHMA and Vishnu asked the Lord to graciouslydescribe the aspects of His five-fold karma, to which

Siva answered:I shall now narrate my divine play which is not to be

revealed. My five-fold karmas are to create, to sustain, todestroy, to conceal and to bless. The creation is thebeginning of samsara, its continuation is sustenance, andits merging in me in dormant form is destruction, toconfuse it is concealment and its final Liberation is dueto my grace and blessing. If anyone declares that it is hewho performs these karmas, he does not realise the truth.The five-fold karmas including that of liberating the jivasare my eternal divine play. The wise see all the five aspectsin the five elements. That is, the earth forms the basis forcreation, water sustains it, fire causes destruction, air

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conceals it and absolute space brings about liberation.This is realised by the jnanis.

I empowered you with two of my aspects viz., that ofcreation and sustenance. And Rudra and Mahesvara wereempowered to destroy and to conceal. I alone am entitledto bless my creation, show mercy and grace and finallyliberate jivas.

Children! After acquiring form, name, mount andkarma, weapon etc., through my grace you forgot to meditateupon me. Hence you fell into the ocean of ignorance. If youhad been aware of my existence, then, like Mahesvara youwould have remained without the ego-sense.

In order to get rid of your ego-sense meditate uponpranava, which is my first name. I shall initiate you nowinto that Mahamantra (the most sacred of all japas). Thispranava originated from my face. It reveals my form thatis verily my name. I am its meaning. Meditation uponthe pranava is meditation on me. Every letter in pranavarefers to my face. Pranava pervades all names and forms,Vedas and the Upanishads. This symbolises the unificationof Siva and Shakti. From this emerged the Panchakshara.It is the source of all languages, the Gayatri mantra, theVedas, and other mantras. While every mantra yieldsspecific benefits, pranava alone can bestow all benefits onthose who meditate on it. Further, after bestowing allearthly pleasures, this mantra alone leads to Liberation.

Nandikesvara said:Isvara then initiated Brahma and Vishnu into the

supreme pranava japa and blessed them. Brahma and

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Vishnu offered themselves to the Lord as gurudakshina.They praised the Lord and made obeisance to Him. Isvarathen advised them: Children! Meditate upon pranava intowhich I have initiated you. If you meditate on pranavawhen the star Arudra is in the ascent it shall bestowcountless blessings on you. Aspirants desirous of liberationshould meditate upon the Sivalinga. The installation ofSivalinga is an easy means to attain mukti. Having blessedboth Brahma and Vishnu thus, the Lord ever abided intheir hearts.

u

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TTTTT H EH EH EH EH E G G G G GR E AR E AR E AR E AR E AT N E S ST N E S ST N E S ST N E S ST N E S S O FO FO FO FO F

FFFFF E E D I N GE E D I N GE E D I N GE E D I N GE E D I N G AAAAA TTTTT A A A A AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

SANAKA requested Brahma to enlighten them aboutthe benefits derived from conducting annadana

(feeding of the poor) at Arunachala.Brahma replied:There is no good deed equal to annadana in the three

worlds. Annam (rice) is the basis of prana (life-breath). Henceone who gives annam gives his prana. For this reason onewho desires his own welfare should offer annam to theneedy and the poor. If this is performed at Arunachala, heattains great merit and becomes the ruler of all the worlds.Neither Vishnu nor I can measure that merit. Even thegiving of wealth and jewellery as charity cannot equal themerits obtained by annadana at Arunachala.

Once a king named Singadvajan, descendent of thefamous Surya vamsa, ruler of the Dravida country, and

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known for his valour and generosity, was giving awayjewels and diamonds to learned brahmins. In addition hegifted away everything that he possessed. He however didnot perform annadana even once. When he died he wastaken to the abode of devas. He was succeded by his son,Chitrakethu who excelled his father in might and valour.He too like his father gifted away land, jewels etc. But hetoo failed to perform annadana.

One day Singadvajan happened to meet the SageNarada, the foremost of rishis, in the celestial region. SageNarada said: O King! The feeding of the poor (annadana)supercedes all other gifts made on earth. It bestowsknowledge of the Self, as the Supreme Lord dearly lovesthe one who performs annadana. You donated everythingbut you did not perform annadana. He who feeds thepoor, is offered nectar in the heavens.

As requested by Singadvajan, Narada approached hisson Chitrakethu on earth. Chitrakethu welcomed the Sage.After duly accepting his respects, Narada informedChitrakethu that although his father Singadvajan giftedaway everything he had not performed annadana. Healone who had fed the poor and the needy shall receiveambrosia in heaven. Hence Chitrakethu should performannadana so that his father shall receive the ambrosia.The king decided to perform annadana.

However, the king wanted to know as to where onthis earth annadana should be performed so that it shallbestow merits on him and his father. Narada informedhim that the merit one obtained by feeding a lakh of

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people elsewhere cannot equal that of feeding one personin Kasi, and the merit gained by feeding just one poorbrahmin at Arunachala will out-weigh that of feeding acrore at Kasi. Particularly if this was done on a dwadasiday (i.e. twelfth day counted from the day of new moon/full moon), it would be equal to the merit obtained byfeeding the poor throughout the year.

After listening to the wise words of Sage Narada,Chitrakethu performed annadana everyday atArunachala. By this act of the son, the father in thecelestial region received nectar and in due course passedon to the various upper regions and finally merged inSiva. Hence everyone should endeavour to performannadana, particularly at Arunachala, for it not onlybenefits the person who does it, but also bestows greatspiritual merit upon his kith and kin.

EEEEEN DN DN DN DN D O FO FO FO FO F P P P P PARTARTARTARTART IV IV IV IV IV

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PARPARPARPARPART - VT - VT - VT - VT - V

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TTTTT H EH EH EH EH E G R E AG R E AG R E AG R E AG R E AT N E S ST N E S ST N E S ST N E S ST N E S S O FO FO FO FO F T H ET H ET H ET H ET H E

D E E PD E E PD E E PD E E PD E E PA MA MA MA MA M F E S T I VF E S T I VF E S T I VF E S T I VF E S T I VA LA LA LA LA L AAAAA TTTTT

AAAAA R U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A A SA SA SA SA S F O U N DF O U N DF O U N DF O U N DF O U N D

I NI NI NI NI N S S S S SK A N DK A N DK A N DK A N DK A N DAAAAA P P P P PU R A N AU R A N AU R A N AU R A N AU R A N A

GODDESS Gowri requested Sage Gowthama to kindly expound to Her the greatness of the festivalof light at Arunachala. Gowthama replied: Gowri! I shalldescribe to you the glory of that which liberates peoplefrom all sins and bestows all prosperity. In the month ofKarthika, on the day of the star Krittika during pradosha(i.e. thirteenth day counting from the new moon/fullmoon) the fortunate ones who perform giripradakshinaare not born again. All karmas are destroyed onperformance of giripradakshina. It is customary tocircumambulate the Hill for a mandala or forty days. Onewho is not able to do this may perform giripradakshina atleast for eleven days. If even this is not possible, then one

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should go round the Hill on the day of the Deepam. Thisis equivalent to performing crores of yagnas. He whoworships the Deepam lit atop the Hill derives countlessblessings. A person residing elsewhere may light lamps infront of any shrine of Siva, atop His temple towers or onthe peaks of other hills and he will be blessed. Whatevermay be the attitude of the devotee, the mere lighting ofthe lamp on this day with any type of oil available confersgreat merit on him.

He who has darshan of this light on Arunachala Hillacquires the merit of having performed great charity andof having bathed in the sacred rivers. Who can express inwords the benefits enjoyed by the one who has darshan ofthe peak of Arunachala with the beacon light glowing?

There is a story related to this festival:Long ago, King Vajresan of Panchala who was

childless, was blessed with a son after having darshan ofthe Arunachala Deepam in the month of Kartika. The sonwas named Shatrujith. The prince grew up to be a lecherousman. He once eloped with the wife of a Vedic scholar andcame to Tiruvannamalai and entered the temple ofArunachaleswara. It was the day of the festival of thebeacon. The paramour made a wick out of her saree andlit the lamp with castor oil. At that moment the Vedicscholar came there and in a fit of rage stabbed his wife andthe prince. And in turn the prince killed him. Since itwas a gruesome murder committed in the sacred precinctsof the temple the three were about to be taken to hell bythe messengers of Yama, lord of death. At that moment

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the messengers of Siva intervened and claimed the princeand the woman as their own and took them to the abodeof Siva. Their blasephemous acts were condoned byArunachala Himself because the wife made a wick andthe prince helped her to light the lamp for the SupremeLord. But the Vedic scholar was puzzled, as he was held bythe messengers of Yama. The prince, moved by the plightof the Vedic scholar, offered the vessel used for lighting theKartika lamp to release the scholar. Immediately the Vedicscholar was liberated. Thus all the three, despite theirmisdeeds, were taken to the abode of Siva, as the meritgained by the simple act of lighting a lamp on Kartika dayin His temple, out-weighed their devilish acts.

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SSSSS R IR IR IR IR I A A A A AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A L L L L L I N G AI N G AI N G AI N G AI N G A

PPPPP R A M A N YR A M A N YR A M A N YR A M A N YR A M A N YAAAAA V V V V VA K YA K YA K YA K YA K YA N IA N IA N IA N IA N I

IN 1938 the authorities of Sri Arunachaleswara templefiled a law-suit against the government regarding the

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ownership of Sri Arunachala Hill which was being claimedby the government as Forestry Department property. Thetemple authorities cited Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshias a witness, and therefore on the May 8, 1938, the courtsent a commission to hear Sri Bhagavan’s evidence. [Thisincident is mentioned in Talk No 492 of Talks withSri Ramana Maharshi compiled by Sri MunagalaVenkataramiah.]

For the benefit of the court, Sri Bhagavan selectedsome passages from the Skanda Mahapurana and the SivaMahapurana to prove that Arunachala Hill is itself a Linga,the very embodiment of Lord Siva1. In all he selectedfifty-six lines from the Skanda Mahapurana and four linesfrom the Siva Mahapurana, and he copied these lines in anotebook2 under the title Sri Arunachala Linga PramanyaVakyani (statements giving authoritative proof that theArunachala Hill is a Linga). On the basis of this evidence,the court decided that, since the Hill is itself a linga, itmust be considered to be the property of the temple. Thecourt also chose to recommend that the temple authoritiesallow the Forestry Department to make use of part of theHill for forestry purposes.

The following is an English translation of the linesselected by Sri Bhagavan.

1 The Skanda Mahapurana and Siva Mahapurana are two of the eighteenprincipal puranas, and as such they are recognized as works of great sanctityand authority. Therefore, when deciding an issue which concerns Hindu law, acourt should abide by the authoritative statements made in these two works.2 This notebook contains the 292 verses about Arunachala which Sri Bhagavancopied from Upamanyu Siva Bhakta Vilasa at the time of this law-suit.

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SKANDA MAHAPURANAMAHESWARA KANDA, PART THREE

(ARUNACHALA MAHATMYAM)FIRST HALF (PURVARDHAM)

CHAPTER ONESanaka said to Brahma:9. O Treasure of Grace, O foremost among devas, on

earth there are Sivalingas which are divine, which areinstalled by human beings and siddhas, and which arecomposed of the five elements.

10. Tell me, which linga in Jambu-dvipa3 is immaculate(amala), divine (divya), of unmutilatable glory4,self-originated (swayambhu) and Effulgent (taijasam).

Brahma said:22. Hear how in ancient days the wonderful and

effulgent Siva, who is full of motiveless grace (avyajakaruna), manifested with the name Arunadri.5

23. (first line). Narayana and I were born from Him(Sadasiva) who transcends the universe.

3 Jambudvipa, the island of Jambu, is a name given to the land mass in whichIndia is situated.4 The reading copied by Sri Bhagavan in this selection is aparicchedyavaibhavam, which means ‘of unmutilatable glory’. An alternative reading isaricchedana vaibhavam, which means ‘of a glory which destroys the enemies’.If the latter reading is taken, the word ‘enemies’ should be understood to meanthe inner enemies, namely desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride and jealousy,together with their root, the ego.5 Arunadri is a name of Arunachala.

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24. (first line). Once we two, who were self-born,began to argue with each other.

25. Seeing the the intensity with which we werefighting with each other, Iswara (Lord Siva), who is theembodiment of grace, then thought.6

31. (second line). He (Sadasiva) rose as a Column ofFire between us, who were fighting.

CHAPTER TWO

Brahma and Vishnu prayed to Lord Siva31. Withdrawing Your effulgence, abide as a

motionless Linga named Arunachala in order to bestowgrace upon the world.

Brahma said:50. (second line). He (Lord Siva) assumed the nature

of a motionless Linga in the form of Arunachala.51. This indeed is the effulgent Linga (taijasam

lingam), the sole cause of the universe, which is visible onearth and which is renowned as Arunadri.

CHAPTER FOUR

Isvara said:37. I truly abide here on earth in the form of an

effulgence named Arunachala for bestowing liberation.

6 What Lord Siva then thought is given in verses 26 to 30, which do not formpart of this selection. A translation of these verses may be found in The MountainPath, April 1970, p.66.

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38. Since this Hill removes the heap of sins from allthe worlds, and since bondage (runa) gets annihilatedwhen one sees it, it is named Arunachala.7

40. In ancient days, when a fight arose betweenBrahma and Vishnu, who were both born from a part ofme, I manifested myself in the form of an effulgence inorder to remove their delusion.

43. At their further request I, who was in an effulgentform, became the motionless Linga named Arunachala.

CHAPTER FIVE

Devi said to Gautama:24. Siva told me, “I abide on earth as Arunachala,” and

said that I should hear the glory of Arunachala from your lips.Gautama said:42. (second line) and 43 (first line). In ancient days

Brahma and Vishnu, who had come into existence froma part of the Effulgence of Siva, but who had becomeegoistic, fought with a desire to conquer each other.

43. (second line) and 44. In order to subdue thepride of these two, who were fighting in this manner,Sadasiva, who is meditated upon by yogis, assumed theform of a Column of Fire without beginning, middle or

7 A-runa-achala means the Hill (achala) which makes bondage (runa)non-existent. This verse has been rendered into Tamil by Sri Bhagavan as thefourth of the seven verses on the greatness of Arunachala, which he adaptedfrom the puranas. The literal meaning of Sri Bhagavan’s Tamil rendering, whichis an elaboration upon the meaning of the original Sanskrit verse is as follows:‘Since their nature is to bind all the worlds, the vicious actions (karmas) arebondage (runa). This Hill indeed is the Effulgent Arunachala (the Hill thatdestroys bondage), the refuge, by seeing which they (the karmas) vanish.”

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end, and stood between them illumining the tendirections.

47. At their request, Devesa (Lord Siva, the Lord ofdevas) assumed the form of a motionless Linga renownedas Arunadri and He now shines in all the jivas.

CHAPTER SIX

Isvara said:21. (first line). I abide on earth in the form of

Arunachala.22. (second line). That Effulgent Form8 alone is called

Arunachala.23. This Effulgent Form, which is fiery, unmanifest

and of the nature of limitless glory, has cooled down inorder to protect the world.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The devas said:9. O Bhagavan, O Arunadrisa, O you who do good

to the whole world! Although you are of the form of fire,shining in the world.

Gautama said:5. Having been prayed to by the devas, Arunadrisa

gradually cooled down and became perfectly tranquil asArunachala in order to protect the world.

8 The reading copied in this selection by Sri Bhagavan is taijasa rupam, whichmeans ‘Effulgent Form’. An alternative reading is taijasa lingam, which means‘Effulgent Linga’.

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CHAPTER EIGHT

20. (first line). You (Lord Siva) are seen on earth asthe famous Sonadri9.

17. (first line). Nowhere else on earth have I seeneven one linga in the form of a Hill.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Brahma said:43. This is Sadasiva Himself in the form of

Arunachala, which is seen as the Supreme Effulgence, thecause of creation, sustenance and dissolution.

44. This Effulgent Linga is worshipped by all thedevas. Because of that (the existence of this Linga on earth),the karmabhumi10 is considered to possess more dharmathan any other world.

SECOND HALF (UTTARARDHAM)

CHAPTER FOUR

Nandikesvara said:12. There God, Sambhu, the One who does what is

good for the world, has Himself assumed the form of aHill and abides as Arunachala.

14. This Hill, which is Parameswara Himself, is consideredby Maharshis to be superior to Meru, Kailasa and Mandara.

9 Sonadri is a name of Arunachala.10 Karma bhumi is a name for this earth.

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58. (second line) and 59. Neither Meru nor Kailasanor Mandara are equal to Arunadri, because they areabodes of Lord Siva made up of huge rocks, whereas this(Arunachala) is Girisa11 Himself.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Siva said:27. For the welfare of the world, may my Effulgent

Form, which is motionless and eternal, abide here foreverwith the name Arunadri.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Gautama said:21. (first line). This Arunadri is the Hill of Fire itself

in a concealed form.Siva MahapuranaVidyeswara Samhita

CHAPTER NINE

Isvara said:21. Since this Linga rose up as a Hill of Fire (Analachala),

it shall be renowned as Arunachala (the Red Hill).41. (Second line) and 42 (first line). Since this

formless column (nishkala stambham), which reveals myBrahmatva (my nature as Brahman), possesses thecharacteristics of a linga, it shall be my Linga.

11 Girisa (the Lord of the Hill) i.e. Lord Siva.

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SSSSS R IR IR IR IR I A A A A AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AR U N AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L AC H A L A

PPPPP U R A N A MU R A N A MU R A N A MU R A N A MU R A N A M : V: V: V: V: V I G N E T T E SI G N E T T E SI G N E T T E SI G N E T T E SI G N E T T E S

By J. Jayaraman

THE Arunachala Purana is an exquisite originalcomposition in Tamil verse, by Saiva Ellappa Navalar

who lived about three hundred years ago during the reignof the Tanjavur Nayaks. It enjoys the status of a SthalaPurana in Tamil on the ‘story’ of holy Arunachala(Tiruvannamalai).

Sthala Puranas record divine events, royal deeds andpeople’s piety, all relating to a particular sthala, region.The incident of Lord Siva appearing as a column of light,thus baffling the forces claiming absolute doership, isperhaps the primal (and eternal) act of Grace; for it containsTime itself in its womb. This story finds mention in someform or the other in Vedas and various Puranas.

Specific references to Arunachala occur in various Sanskrittexts of antiquity. In the year 1938 a question arose as to

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whether the Holy Arunachala Hill came under the jurisdictionof the Arunachala Temple or the Government. The templeauthorities approached Sri Bhagavan and requested him todepose before a tribunal regarding this matter. It was in thiscontext that the Maharshi gathered references to Arunachalafrom five sources in Sanskrit and copied out the 2659 versesin his own hand. This Sanskrit collection, which may becalled Arunachala Mahatmya, was translated into Tamil proseand and published by Sri Ramanasramam in 1957 under thesame name.

The five major Sanskrit sources are given below:1. The Skanda Mahapurana, one of the eighteen great

puranas. It consists of a hundred thousand verses, each ofthirtytwo syllables. They are distributed among sixSamhitas of which Rudra (Sankara) Samhita alone has thirtythousand verses. The Maheswara Khanda is one of thetwelve Khandas (divisions) of this Samhita. The thirdKaanda (Part) of this Maheswara Khanda treats ofArunachala Mahima. This major text, rendered into Tamilverse by Saiva Ellappa Naavalar, forms nearly the first halfof Arunachala Purana.1

The greatness of the sacred spot, the contest betweenBrahma and Vishnu, the destruction of Daksha’s sacrificeby an angry emanation from Siva, the wedding of Sivaand Parvati, Her playful sport and Her praayaschitta by1 The latter portion of this Tamil Purana is translated from Linga Purana. Thepoet mentions this fact in the beginning of the latter portion. Bhagavan’s courtdeposition also mentions that Linga Purana contains references to Arunachala.However, the Arunachala Mahatmyam, compiled by Bhagavan, does not includeLinga Purana references. Presumably the Sanskrit text of the Purana was notavailable.

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penance, the destruction of Mahishasura, the merger ofParvati in Siva’s left half, the greatness of pradakshina ofthe Hill, the Grace accorded to kings Vajraangada Paandya,Ballaala Chera and Pradatta, and the story of the civet catare all narrated here.

2. Siva Rahasya, an itihasa nearly as long as theMahabharata, contains twelve amsas. (This Siva Rahasyais different from the work of the same name which is inSkanda Mahapurana). The sixth Amsa (portion) of thiscontains the incomparable Ribhu Gita. The ninth Amsacontains references to the Saint Jnanasambandha’s hearingof the greatness of Arunachala when he camped near it.

3. The Vidyeswara Samhita of Siva Mahapurana refersto the significance of worshipping Siva alone as Linga, inaddition to the vigraha (idol) worship by which all godsare extolled. There are references to lingodbhava, and thefive krityas — activities — of Sadasiva, viz., Creation,Maintenance, Destruction, Delusion and Grace.

4. The Vidyaasaara Samhita of Siva Mahapurana hasa reference to the immense efficacy of feeding the poor inArunachala.

5. The Kshetra Khanda of Skanda Upapurana (a minorPurana), speaks of incomparable benefits of observing vowsduring the month of Kartigai, and the attainment of Mukti byany one who has a glimpse of the Holy Deepam on that day.

The first of the above five and also a portion fromLinga Purana were translated into Tamil verse by SaivaEllappa Naavalar a few hundred year ago during the reignof the Tanjore Nayaks. Running to 649 verses, it is known

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as ARUNACHALA PURANAM. It excels the original inmany a place, especially where the poet revels in adescription here or brings to light there a subtle pointeasily ignored by the reader in the original. In addition,the metre changes now and then, providinginstantaneously the atmosphere and rhythm which blendwith the events the poet seeks to convey through words.It is hoped that a reader not acquainted with Tamil wouldget a taste of the Puranam through these vignettes.

After the verses offering prayer to Ganesha andNataraja, the poet extols Arunachala as the fertile andsacred region where the Suns and Moons, the Bhairavas,Vidyaadaras, Devas, and those in charge of the EightDirections, the Nagas, great Tapasvins and Munis, andBrahmas and Vishnus gather in such proximity that thereis no place left to prostrate, and so their wave-like cry of“Hara, Hara!” drowns even the roar of oceans. Thespectacle of the youthful women of this place, tenderbreasted, with pleasing mien, and ornament on eitherear, makes one wonder whether a shining, cool, ambrosialmoon (their face) had arisen in day-time accompanied bytwo suns (two ear-ornaments)!

Then follow verses praising Arunachaleswara (Siva),Unnamulai Amman (Parvati), Ganesa and Subrahmanya.These are followed by obeisance to the Tamil saints andfinally to Nandi, Durga, Rishi Gautama andChandikeswara. The poet then ridicules his own attemptat singing a few songs in the presence of eminent panditsskilled in composing songs pregnant with the eight

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Rasaas2. He likens his bravado to that of a mosquito tryingto show a thing or two about flying, in the presence ofthe Swan, mount of Brahma, and Garuda, mount ofVishnu.

The wise, however, would accept without ridiculehis feeble attempts, because Arunachala is the theme ofthe songs, the same way as water by virtue of admixturewith milk becomes elevated; or as a common threadbecomes acceptable by virtue of being strung throughfragrant flowers.

ON THE GLORY OF THE ARUNACHALA

STHALA:Once, the sage Maarkandeya, leading a group of

Rishis, prayed to Nandikesvara to tell them about easyways to cross the Ocean of Samsara and reach Mukti. TheLord deigns to reply that a dip in the holy Ganges atKaasi (Benares) done in full faith, or shedding one’s mortalcoils there; being born in Tiruvaaroor (Kamalaalaya); aglimpse of the Dance of the Three-Eyed One atChidambaram; a visit to Vriddhaachalam where Vishnuoffered worship to Siva and received the Chakra as boon;a pilgrimage to Kedarnath; Darsana of the Lord atMallikaarjuna whom Brahma worships prior to everycreation — all these are ways to Mukti. Further, there isKaalahasti where Siva stands as a hill in order that Vishnu,wearer of the fragrant Tulasi garland, and Lakshmi, resident

2 Romance, Valour, Humour, Compassion, Ferocity, Disgust, Wonder and Fear.

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of the cool, honey-dripping Lotus, may have His directDarsana from their holy abode on the Tirupati Hill. Notonly that, He also resides on the hill of Kaalahasti as theLinga worshipped of yore by the hunter-saint Kannappar.Further there are Kaanchipuram of great renown,Kumbhakonam, Seerkaazhi, Madurai, Rameswaram andmany more which lead to Mukti by mere virtue of birth ordeath there, or by worship of the Lord therein.

Hearing these words of Nandikesvara, Maarkandeyaaddressed him as follows: Visiting these diverse places andoffering worship and engaging oneself in allied activitiesis quite a task even for the long-lived gods and siddhas.What then can mortal men hope to gain in a life-spanbrief as a flash of lightning? Worse still is the plight ofanimals and birds, and hopeless indeed the fate of treesand shrubs. I request you therefore to enlighten us abouta place with power to grant Release not only for trees,beasts and birds, but also for the old, the infirm and thelame among men for whom bathing in rivers, pradakshina,ritual worship and namaskara are out of the question.Please enlighten us about such a place in which any jivacould be confident of kaivalya, Release.

When thus the Sage Maarkandeya, the vanquisherof Death, worshipped with the other sages the Lotus-feetof Nandikesvara, the Lord raised his palm in benedictionas if to say: “I shall tell you!” However the veryremembrance of Arunachala in his Heart, prior to hisuttering that word, struck Nandikesvara himself speechlessin non-dual Bliss! He sat still for long, with palms joined

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as if in prayer, hair standing on end all over the tinglingbody, with tear-filled eyes, and in a trance. Then as ifawakening, he sang forth: “O Lord of Arunagiri, wearingthe Ganges in your matted hair! O Lord of Flaming Eyes,who ever overwhelms us with your Grace!” He thenproceeded to address the sages: “Listen. There is a placeon earth which grants Deliverance to any created being,moving or unmoving, by the mere rememberance of itssacred name. It has innumerable names. Some of theseare: Gowri Nagara, Tejo Nagara, Arunachala, SivalokaNagara, Mukti Nagara, Jnana Nagara, Sthaleswara (theSupreme among sacred spots), Suddha Nagara, DakshinaKailasa (Southern Kailasa), Sonagiri and so on. Being theSpiritual Centre of Creation it draws the gods, sages andTapasvins, in short anyone who thinks of it, to itself. Thereis a Hill there which stands in Krita Yuga as a Hill of Fire,in Treta as one of Diamond, in Dvaapara as a GoldenHill and in Kali Yuga as a Hill of Stone. When even Vishnuas a boar and Brahma as a swan had to abandon theirlong-drawn search to find its beginning and end, can wehope to find a Hill to equal Arunachala? The Sun, thirstingto sip from the springs on this Hill, the water of whicheven the celestial Ganges considers holy directs his chariot-horses to leap over Arunachala daily! When dense cloudsof white surround its base, it appears as though Arunachalawere a rising peak amidst a snow-clad Himalayas! To capit all, the Deepam which is lit on its summit during thecool month of Kartik seems like a prominent diamondon a grand crown worn by Mother Earth. Why, even

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Himavaan, the god of the Mountains, was once crest-fallen that he had to give his daughter Uma in marriage toa mendicant, the skull-carrying Siva. But leaping withjoy when informed of how Siva had once silenced Brahmaand Vishnu by assuming the form of a Hill, Himavaanexclaimed with obvious relief, “How wonderful to knowthat our son-in-law-to-be belongs to our race after all!”

Reiterating the greatness of Arunachala, Nandikesvaratells the assembled sages that even murderers, those ofeasy virtue, or the disabled and those that live far away,are assured of Mukti if they but remember well the holyArunachala once. The place is Sivaloka itself and its everypebble the holy Linga; every tree and shrub there is awish-fulfilling kalpaka tree; every spring therein is theholy Ganges issuing forth from the matted tress of Siva;to eat a morsel there is to partake of the amrta of gods; amere perambulation of it is pradakshina of Earth itself.Any sound uttered therein is to utter Sruti profound! Needwe add that even to sleep there, is to be in samadhi supreme?Abandon therefore any possibility of finding an equivalentto Arunachala!

Saying these words of praise Nandikesvara remainedstill, where seated, immersed in Bliss. The sages prostratedagain and again to the Lord, themselves lost in it.

Then Maarkandeya, son of Mrkandu, came forwardand begged the Lord to narrate to them all, how theArunachala Hill came to be formed. Nandi was pleased tosay, “If a wretch should contemplate committing thepancha paatakas, (the five sins of murder, theft, falsehood,

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intoxication, and abuse of Guru) 3 in that sacred place, hewould purely by virtue of his remembrance of “Arunachala”,be saved somehow, and led to Liberation. Such is theundisputed sanction of the sacred scriptures. Would thisSupreme Grace be then withheld from those devoted, whoseek to hear more and more about the Holy Hill? Thebenefits are assured for my own self too!”

In what follows, Nandi describes Involution ofSamsaara, as the process of merger of Brahma into Vishnuinto Rudra into Maheswara into Sadasiva. This entity inturn relapses into Bindu that into Naada, and finally intoSakti which is Awareness inseparable from Being, calledSupreme Siva, Parama Siva, Srishti Krama, the process ofEvolution, appears in reverse, due to the very nature ofSupreme Being. During such an Evolution, when Brahmaappeared, he held in mind the idea of “many”. Almostinstantaneously the Prajaapatis, progenitors of races, cameinto being. Through them arrived in ordered successionthe races of Aadityaas (Gods); Daityaas (Raakshasaas), andDaanavaas (the demonic races of Asuraas); the intermediatebeings called Kaalakeyaas, Gandharvaas and nymphs,Garudaas, Panis (serpents), Kinnaras, and Anthropoidsand the great races of Rishis and Humans.

All this creation taking place by his merecontemplation of it, was sufficient to turn Brahma’s (many)heads. Puffed up with the pride of omnipotence that

3 Murder: To ascribe birth to oneself. Theft: Illegal appropriation of falseindividuality. Falsehood: To believe “I am this limited, evolving body-mind”.Intoxication: Self in search of happiness and Self-realization. Abuse of Guru:Not surrendering individuality while prostrating to Siva or Self.

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seemed to be his, he decided to put Vishnu in his placeonce and for all! (This was undoubtedly an oft-repeatedoccurrence throughout the cycles of Creation. Forgetfulnessof one’s Source has a lot to do with this, surely. For, thereare other accounts of a nascent Brahma venturing out ofthe Lotus in which he found himself. After climbing overmany a row of petals and then sliding a while down itsseemingly endless stalk, he soon lost courage. Vishnu,from whose navel the divine Lotus grew in the first place,restores Brahma to his ‘abode’ with full paternal concern.It was a very grateful Brahma who went ahead withCreation on that occasion!) But things were obviouslyvery different now.

Deciding to take matters into his own multiple hands,Brahma confronted Vishnu, as the latter lay on his Bed ofSnake, and taunted him thus: “It is very clear to me now,that I am the cause of all this Creation that is taking place.So abandon any idea you may have that you are my Parent.If it were not for my act of Creation, you would beunemployed! Useless!” Vishnu spoke out: “My dear son!It does not befit you to talk disrespectfully to your Parent.”Brahma, inflamed, let forth much abuse: “Enough of this.Give up rightaway the hallucination that you are the GreatPreserver! Otherwise I shall create another one and entrusthim with your job.” When Vishnu replied rather casuallyas if tolerating an errant junior, Brahma blew up in anger.“Oho! So you seem to have forgotten that the wonderfulOcean on which you reside is merely the accumulatedsweat of my toils. Better hide yourself in it before the

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Cosmic powers that I might well create, surround youand destroy you! By such foolish ignorance you incurredthe wrath of the great Rishi Bhrigu, and by his curse hadto take repeated births. Ingrate, have you forgotten thatall this only added to my work? Did I not have to createfor the sake of every Avatara of yours, a body that suitedyou? Look at my hands blackened by all that needlesstoil!” Hearing these words, Vishnu replied that, for oneborn of a mere lotus which had sprung from his navel,Brahma was making too much noise. Brahma then letloose another torrent of scorn: “O Vishnu! Have youforgotten that you sprang from a mere pillar once. A worsebeginning if you ask me! Pray tell me, was that pillar yourfather or was it your mother? I shall accept you as myparent if you have no hesitation in accepting the inertpillar to be your parent! Even if I do concede that you aremy father, why should I dance to your tune? Don’t youknow that fire which springs from rubbing bamboo sticks,burns up the parent sticks? So behave yourself lest I shoulddestroy you!”

Hearing these wicked words Vishnu felt as if red-hotspears had been driven through his ears. With mountinganger he laughed spewing smoke, and after some thoughtreplied, “Foolish fellow! You have neither bothered toenquire about your origin, nor shown inclination toaccept my navel as your mother. Perhaps you assumedthat as your parent I would tolerate any amount of mischieffrom a toddler like you. Beware! There is a limit toeverything. The asuras Madhu and Kaitabha opposed me,

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and, though they were born of my body-sweat, I destroyedthem. One cannot show mercy even if it be one’s ownchild that did wrong. Does anyone shy from surgicallyremoving a painful boil on one’s own body? It is indeedcomic that you consider yourself to be at the head of allcreation, when you are unable to fashion for yourself ahead and replace it — the fifth head, once plucked bySiva! Is it with these unenviable credentials that you setabout creating this world, which after all is held aloft byAdisesha, my servant? And have you forgotten so soonthat you squealed for help when an Asura ran away withthe Vedas, and it was I who came to your rescue? I tookthe form of a fish then, out of my own sweet will.Innumerable have been the times when I have rushed toyour succour by routing the Daanavas whenever theytormented you. One who has planted a tree is reluctantto uproot it even if it turns out to be a poisonous one.Though I hesitate on account of your being my son, Ishall have to punish you if you persist in your invective.”

Can fire subside by adding fuel to it? The exchangeof hot words culminated soon in each drumming on hisown chest, and the two circling each other like ferociouswrestlers, now advancing, now retreating, now leapingto the ground, now getting close, and goring each otherwith gimlet-eyes aflame with anger. All of creation wenthay-wire. Mountains crumbled to powder, galaxies blewup in explosion, hot suns and cool moons disappearedenmasse. Rivers turned dry in a trice, stars and nebulaescatterred like confetti and the guardians of the Eight

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Dimensions (Ashta Dik Paalakaas) feared the worst. Eventhe gods, who are of steady gaze, found themselves wincing,shocked by this sudden cataclasm. The fight for supremacytook a higher pitch with the combatants delivering blowsto each other in the cosmic Arena. Punching each other,lifting the fallen one by his thighs and twirling him rapidlybefore throwing him far and high, the two, near equals,kept switching roles of victor and vanquished. The riseand fall of the dark-hued Vishnu and bright-hued Brahmalooked like night following day amidst a pugilistic pell-mell.

The sequel is well: the sudden appearance of a blazingColumn of Light growing beyond the seven planes belowand the seven above; the search for its limits by the proudpair, which reminds one of an ignorant child reachingout to grasp the moon reflected in the water, Brahma’s lie;the eventual humbling of the two by the appearance ofSiva from the effulgence; His command proscribing allworship of Brahma on earth, and His appeasement by thecontrite couple, who sing His praise.

ON THE HOLY DESCENT OF THE DIVINE

MOTHER:Nandikesvara continued: Listen, O Maarkandeya! I

shall tell you how the divine Mother, Sati, came to beborn as Parvati, daughter of Himavaan, the King of hills,and how She was wedded to Siva, the non-dual One, andhow She came to be born on earth.

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The Episode of Sati:Daksha, the progenitor born of Brahma’s right-thumb,

was never too happy about the skull-carrying Siva whomfate had decreed to be his son-in-law. He bore a grudgeever since the latter had paid him, his father-in-law, nospecial attention and respect in an august assembly wherehe had been Siva’s guest.

Soon he organised a Brhaspatisavana sacrifice, invitingall the Twelve, the Eleven, the Eight, and the Seven4 andalso the Serpents, Kinnaras, Yakshas and Siddhas, and ahost of sages. Vishnu and Brahma were there with theirconsorts. Behold, my Lord Siva and Sati, being uninvited,were absent. When Sati expressed to Siva Her wish toattend Her father’s great Yaga, sacrifice, the Lord repliedthat they had not been invited. But knowing well whatwas to follow, He smiled teasingly and said, “Go yourself,and come back soon!” She reached Her parents’ place.Her warm embrace of Her mother Asikni was rebuffed.Her misguided father uttered words mean and mordantwhen She prostrated before him. Stung to the quick, Satistormed out of the place but not before cursing theprecincts and the participants to a moribund ravage.Elsewhere, the crescent moon on the matted locks of theOne, ever Her other half, began to spew out heat, andout of His angered third Eye emanated a fierce form thatsent shock-waves through space. Dark as a cloud, wearingan emerald crown, like a motile Meru mountain, mouthingthunder and spouting virulence, Veerabhadra appeared4 Adityas, Rudras, Directions, Rishis, respectively

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with bloating body and twitching eye-brows before Siva,saying: “Command, command, command, my Lord!”Bidden to rout a rascally ritual, Veerabhadra sped thither;the mighty hordes, the Siva Ganas, close on his heels.With the hordes holding for him umbrellas pearl-studded,Veerabhadra went forth on a 100-bull-elephant-drawnchariot amidst the Ganas blowing war-calls from crores ofConches. Furious at the considerable slight to their Lord,the Ganas entered the Yaagasala. The Lords of the EightDirections clashed with the irrepressible invaders. Thefield was but a blur of sword, spear, mace and guidedmissiles. With the leisurely ease of Ammaanai, a woman’sparlour game, the Ganas made mince-meat of the Devasand their celestial vehicles. There was a tense momentwhen eight of the Bhutas fell and the rest stood in shock,but Veerabhadra cast eight projectiles which drank thelife-blood of some gods and wounded the rest. The riderof the Cloud hopped off it in haste and took flight, changinghimself into a cuckoo. In shame Nirriti, Varuna, Vaayu,Kubera and Isaana showed a clean pair of heels. Yama,lord of death, died. Agni, lord of the leaping flames, hadhis seven hands severed like the round of births by mereremembrance of Arunachala. Painlessly cutting away theears of milady’s mother with his laser-like Vajra, Veerabhadraconfronted Daksha who rushed at him drunk with sacrificialSoma and wielding an uprooted pillar. It was a terriblescene, for the Yajamaana, the head of the Yaga, was himselfbeheaded. In a trice the head went rolling, and instantly,an impateint Gana went and gobbled it up!

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Veerabhadra’s work continued: his wielded tridentleft a trial of death where it went. The crowds of Rudras,Maruts, Vasus and the groups of Rishis hiding behind bushesor on trees — none, neither god nor goddess was spared.Veerabhadra and the Ganas routed the ritual and theritualists, putting to flight divinities who had the temerityto attend a sacrifice to which their Lord, Siva, was notwelcome.

Noticing that Brahma kept creating more gods,Veerabhadra cut off his hands, and impaled with theTrident the heads of the ten gods that Brahma, crippledin hands, had created through mind. That done, he tookon Vishnu.

What follows may strike some devotees as irreverent.But we should not forget that the Puranas are united intheir intent: that, however exalted a power one may be,there is a price to pay if ego emerges. And so, when Vishnufound his volley of arrows foiled by Veerabhadra, he threwa sword which the latter broke with an arrow that sped onto kill Garuda. With a face further darkened by the turnof events, Vishnu5 hurled the space-warping Discus.Swifter than light, deadlier than death, it sped towardVeerabhadra, and took refuge at his feet. Had not Vishnuonce offered worship of a thousand choice flowers to Siva,and at the very end of it, finding himself short of a flower,readily offered his own lotus-eye? Had not Siva presentedhim then with this Chakra, discus? What wonder then?Vishnu vanished, reappearing as a boar, then a lion and5 As Krishna, he is already dark.

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so on. Veerabhadra’s weapons proving invincible, he hidhimself as a fish deep in the ocean’s bowels. He who hadonce swallowed the earth6 once again did it, hiding in itsbowels. When Siva heard of all that had happened throughVeerabhadra, His anger was quenched. The lesson taught,He revived all who had fallen prey to His wrath, andrestored each to his status quo ante bellum. What of Dakshaand Sati? He who begot Sati got a goat for his head. Sati,unable to bear the shame of being called daughter of theone who insulted Her Lord, had already taken Her life byHer yogic will.

THE EPISODE OF PARVATI:Sati was reborn as the lovely child of Himavan (Lord

of the Himalayas) and Mena, in answer to their Tapas andprayer for a daughter who would marry none other thanSiva. How can I describe greatness of the Tapas of Himavanand Mena which brought forth Sakti? The Sakti which,while ever remaining as Paraa united with Siva, also springsforth as Creative Energy Aparaa, giving birth to the Seer-Seen duo and the Knowledge-Will-Action (Jnana-Iccha-Kriya Sakti) trio. The Sakti from which pure Maya givesbirth to the potential and the manifest, the Implicate andthe Explicate, the Nada and the Bindu. The Sakti, theprimal seed from which sprout powers of CosmicManagement (called Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra). Oh!The Tapas of Himavan and Mena to have given birth to

6 A leela of Krishna.

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the Womb of all creation before and after! Lovelier by theday the lass grew, like the waxing moon, and like thesugarcane grown fondly by Kaama (Cupid) for enticingthe three-eyed One some day. Naarada, knower of arts,sciences and the Vedas, came there one day, and informedHimavan that from certain marks that he had noticed inlovely Uma, it was certain that She would soon develop ahalf-eye on Her forehead, and a trident in one of Herhands. The breast on that side would gradually disappear.Half Her emerald-green body would turn coral-red, andhalf Her lovely hair would turn matted. Himavan whowas overjoyed to infer from this that Uma was indeed thebride-to-be of Siva, was further elated when informedthat Siva, the eternal Celibate, was for some mysteriousreason performing Tapas very near Himavan’s abode. (Wehowever know that Siva somewhat dejected with the lossof Sati took to a life of seculsion and meditation). Offeringhis obeisance to Siva, Himavan bade Uma, assisted byHer friends, to remain there with the Lord and serve himwith devotion. There were other developments elsewhere.The demon Taaraka, empowered by Tapas, was making ahell of heaven. A shocked Brahma found himself facing ahighlevel team that looked quite downcast. Deprived oftheir godly crowns, there they stood: Indra with his brokenVajra, Isaana with his blunted Hatchet, Yama with hisTrident twisted, and so on. “Taaraka. . .” was all that theycould stutter, in reply to Brahma’s query regarding thecause of their ignominy. Seized of the horrible threat fromTaarakaasura to the gods, Brahma advised: Abandon any

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hope of saving the situation through individual efforts.This demon Taaraka had got the boon that he could bedefeated only by a son born to Siva the eternal recluse.Rather clever of him. So busy yourselves conjuring upways to consummate the marriage of Shailaja (hill-bornParvati) with the Celibate. Returning to Amaraavati, Indrahad only to think of Manmatha, Cupid, when he appearedbefore him asking: ‘Whose Tapas do you want disturbed?Which damsel do you want stricken with my Arrows?Why this sorrow-laden face?’ Much depended on whatMaara (Cupid) could do. Re-enacting the characteristicdrama of new-found intimacy in times of distress, Indraembraced his friend Manmatha with both his arms, andaccording him an honoured seat, explained to him therole Maara had to play in enticing Chandramauli7 fromHis austerities. Convinced that this was nothing short ofasking for the moon, Manmatha explained: ‘Who candisturb the Tapas of the One who is ever beyondepistemology (means of knowledge) in the form ofsensation (Pratyaksha), mentation (Anumaana, inference),or citation (Sruti)? By the very Sannidhi (proximity) ofthe consummate Virgin and the faultless Celibate, creationemerges, stays, and merges, like thought-forms in Mind.Though He is described as Tamasic, His Svarupa, essentialform, is Fire. He cannot be framed by form; nor can He,as formless, be circumscribed. Worse still, I could do myjob only if I knew for sure that my target was a male or

7 Siva with the moon in his matted locks.

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that it was a female. Siva is neither male, nor female, norboth! I am sorry. It’s beyond me to budge the Bull-rider.’

Realising that the situation called for drastic measures,Indra got up, and launched into heady adulation ofAnanga’s8 prowess. ‘Have you forgotten that it was byyour amorous ammunition that Vishnu got Lakshmi seatedin His breast, and Saraswati took residence on Brahma’stongue? Why! Was it not due to your virile greatness thateven I, Indra, came to acquire a thousand eyes?’9 Nowclasping Kaama’s arm with both his hands, Vajrabaahu10

shot his bolt. ‘Please go for my sake! Success with Sivaspells birth of Skanda. And that means life again for allDevas. It is the supreme moment for you! Please do notrefuse. Grant me this one boon!’ Thus thoroughly seduced,Kaama sped to Kailas, to move the Immovable. Armedwith bow made of sugar-cane strung with a row of bumble-bees serving as bow-string, and his quiver of just fivearrows tipped with five fragrances, Maara marched on.Riding with his consort Rati, on Southern Breeze thatserved as his fish-flagged chariot, and with indulgent Springas his Prime Minister, Kaama sped on. While the Moonwove its delicate web of lover’s light, the cuckoos sangatop trees flush with flowers, and amidst the buzz ofbumble-bees, emanating as calls to war from conch-likewhite jasmines, and with flowers being strewn about inhoney-dripping flood all along the road, the female

8 Kama, the bodiless; called so here in tragic anticipation! 9 Indra’s caper with Ahalya earned him this curse from Gautama Rishi.10 Indra, wielder of the Vajra, thunderbolt.

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warriors of Kaama, capable of melting even iron, copperand stone with their sweet talk, ambled on, holding intheir hands, deadly harps that played on heart-strings.The romantic Night was Ananga’s army of dark elephants;the twinkling stars were the silvery decorations on thefaces and trunks of the elephants; and crimson sun-set theBindi-dot adorning their foreheads. Parrots were theCavalry, while warriors — dainty damsels with doughtybreasts and coral lips sauntered on swishing their sword-sharp eyes.

Fearing a direct confrontation, Kaama hid himselfout of view of the serenely seated figure of Siva and beganto wonder what to do. He saw Uma approaching, andwas suddenly filled with renewed confidence in havingfound a female accomplice. What was a crisis was now acake-walk! As he bent his sugar-cane bow—the poet makesa delightful play on words here—Kaama thought, “Evenif this bow of the form of sugar-cane, karumburuvam(Karumbu + uruvam)11 be broken in the bargain, whyshould I worry? Have I not the black brows, karumburuvam(karum + buruvam) of Uma, to stand in as two morebrows”! What followed this is history. As Kaama releasedthe arrows, he was burnt to ashes by a ray from Siva’s thirdEye. Later, leaving that spot, Siva returned to Kailas andcalling the sages to His side told them that Parvati wasengaged in long Tapas for gaining Him as Her husband,and so He instructed them to go to Himavan and inform

11 Buruvam (also pronounced as puruvam) is the Tamil for the Sanskrit bhruva(Brow).

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him that Siva was happy to seek Her hand in marriage.Himavan and his family were thrilled to hear of this. Theauspicious date for the Supreme alliance was fixed andcommunicated back to the Lord. Soon invitations weredespatched to the near and dear—the seven (kinds of )hills, the seven Oceans, Devas, Siddhas and Rishis. Soonthereafter the Oceans, the garland-like meandering Rivers,the Blue-mountain (Nilgiris) and other ranges, and Siddhasand Munis and Devas began to arrive. The Eight directionson earth were jammed with chariots and flags, the freespace above was a packed parking-lot for aerial limousines.The streets were filled with garlands, festoons, and stumpsof large-leaf plantains and areca palms planted as archesover doorways. The fragrance of the civet-paste obtainedfrom the hills charmed the environs. The pomp andcircumstance shamed Vishnu’s Vaikuntha, Brahmaloka,Kubera’s Alagaapuri and Indra’s Amaraavati put together.The ladies of the hills bathed the Bride in the waters fromGanga. Her slim waist weighted with silken dresses, Umawas decorated with ornaments of pearl and gem andgarlands of fragrant flower, and adorned with the KasturiTilaka on Her forehead. Siva, habitual wearer of the sacredash, who scorched to ashes the flower wielding Smara(Kaama), now Himself was bedecked with flowers fromthe divine Kalpaka tree! Aided by Brahma and others,who clothed Him in habits studded with diamonds, Sivafor once forsook from His neck and arms the fearsomeSnakes that concealed lustrous diamonds in their heads(maa mani ppanigal neekki), and put on necklets and

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armlets of nine gems (maa mani ppanigal pootti). Thensporting a brilliant bejeweled crown that seemed as if theheavenly stars had all gathered at His tresses to be neartheir Master the crescent Moon, and wearing kundalas(large rings) that made it seem as if the Sun and Moon ofHis eyes had taken residence just below His ears, theresplendent bridgegroom mounted the Rishabha, Bull.When Vishnu, the best-man, came near and uttered wordsof praise, the Lord lovingly spoke to him; when Brahma,lord of the lotus-bloom, approached in respectfulobeisance, he was greeted with a nod of the crown (that‘contained’ the head of the Infinite); when Indra nextcame forward singing a paean of praise, Siva the Plenumof Stillness bestowed on him a special smile! The othergods followed, paying their obeisance. Had the crescentMoon, nourished by the Ganges hidden in His tresses,grown so large as to become the wide, white canopy heldaloft above Him? Were the two chowries (whisk fans wavedby royal attendants) the white spray of the Ganges andthe Moon? As the Lord proceeded now towards Kailas,Vishnu, lord of Lakshmi, followed with the betel-bag,Indra, king of the celestial Kalpaka, carried the Taambula-vessel to receive the red remains, Brahma fanned, whileNaarada’s sweet strains and the drone of his divine Tamburafloated afar. Yama was just a wee bit behind bringing thewooden Sandals, while Vaayu was busy burningSaambraani (incense of fragrant benzoin) and Isana dulycarried in velvet the regal Sword. While Saraswati andLakshmi sprinkled holy rose-water on all the guests, the

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divine damsels bore bags holding rare garments, the Naaganymphs came carrying apparel sewn with all sorts of gems;and the Kinnaras playing on their lutes, and theVidyaadaras singing in chorus “Pallaandu, Pallaandu”(Long live!), and the clang of cast bells, the rhythm ofdiverse drums, the crash of cymbals and solemn siren ofconch was a son et lumiere truly for the gods! As the Lordrode through the city of Himavan, the women along thestreets feasted their eyes on the One who would marrytheir princess. Some said: “Ah! Uma’s Tapas has not beenin vain.” Some craned curious necks wondering: “Whichis the eye of fury which burnt up Cupid?” Some otherspronounced: “All the archery of Ananga (Kaama) is to nopurpose really, for all of Creation remained placid to hispassion as long as Siva remained in Yoga. On the otherhand, even with Kaama no more, all are now aquiverwith ardour merely by the Pinaakin12 (Siva) bestirringhimself to desire. Surely it is He who is the primal Causeof pining Passion!” Himavan leading his mountainousFamily came forth and welcomed the Groom and hisswelling crowds amidst much bonhomie and mutualembrace. With Brahma giving Him a helping hand, theImmeasurable, beyond beginning and end, alighted fromthe Bull-mount. The waving of saffron-water and lightfollowed. Then, resting His right hand on both hands ofthe best-man (Vishnu), the Lord proceeded to the hall ofmarriage, and took the Groom’s seat before the glowingFire. With their ample breasts announcing their origins,12 Wielder of the Trident (Pinaka).

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the maidens of the mountains conducted Kaali (Parvatithe black beauty) the embodiment of Grace, as if Shewere a delicate flower, to the right side of Her consort. Asthe moment of Muhurta neared, Brahma progenitor ofthe Vedas, now as the chief Priest, voiced them once again.The Ritual came to a close when the Primal One offeredpuffed rice to the ghee-fed flames, and then, chanting thecrucial mantras circumambulated the Fire (his ownessence), holding the hand of the Virgin, Mother of theseven Worlds.

When the gods gathered to pay their obeisance tothe newly-married, the Lord acquiesced to their combinedentreaty, and, to the delight of Rati, resurrected Kaamafrom the ashes, now Ananga (bodiless). The Marriageover, the gods dispersed, each returning to his or Herstation in the cosmic Scheme.

Ganesa and Subrahmania were born soon thereafterand while the gods, who had suffered long enough, watchedin suspense, Subrahmania waged war with the redoubtableTaarakaasura and destroyed him with his valiant Vale(Spear).

ON THE BLIND-FOLDING OF THE LORD:The Newlyweds would have tiffs, then make up;

garland each other; listen to their praises sung by the Rishis;play on the Veena; dally in spirited sport or pass time ingames, winning and losing them to one another. On onesuch occasion Parvati asked Her Lord, “Won’t you tell mewhat the Moon and Sun are?” He replied, “Dear lass of

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lush Lips! The two lights are but my Eyes!” Thinking thathe was teasing Her, the mother of Kartikeya went behindhim and, without any warning, closed his Eyes. Themomentary closure meant aeons of darkness for the gods.All of embodied life behaved as if born blind. Aye! Orderand organisation broke down in the absence of the Eye-energy. In what was a trice for him, the Lord opened theThird Eye on his uncovered fore-head. The Destroyerhad turned Life-giver! As Gauri drew Her hands back, thethree Eyes shone like the three Vedic fires (dakshina,gaarhapatya and aahavaneeya) powering the ‘unplanned’power-cut. When Parvati begged for forgiveness, Sivareplied, “You are ever taintless and beyond Karma.However, if you desire to set an example of purification,go to Kaanchi which is greater than Kaasi, Avanti,Dwaaraka and Mathura.” Narrations of the holy Mother’sTapas at various places are scattered throughout thePuranas. Was the Lord now advising Her of the superiorityof Kaanchi over those places of Her earlier visits?

What follows is well known. From Kaasi Parvatireaches Kaanchi; makes a sand-Linga by the Kampa riverand worships it day and night. The Lord wills a flood inorder to test Her devotion. She embraces the Linga inprotection unmindful of Her own fate in the spate. Pleased,the Lord appears before Her, “with his shoulders bearingthe marks of the Paandya king’s cane 13, his feet the marksof crowns of countless gods, his chest, embraced recently,

13 See Tiruvilaiyaadal Puranam.

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bearing the mark and sandal-scent of Parvati’s breasts andbangles”! She requests for the ultimate boon ofIdappaaham, of being his left Half. The ultimate asking;the adviteeya. The Ultimate, giving, said, “purified inKaanchi, proceed now southward to holy Tiruvannamalai.Resident as the primal Linga contracted to a Hill, there Ishall grant this boon!” Parvati, wise after the event, said,“Following your advice I came to Kaanchi ‘superior toKaasi’. And now you mention Arunachala! Please let meknow right away if more places exist!” The Lord gave Herhis word that the Tejolinga (Arunachala) is the Terminus.

En route to Arunachala from Kaanchi, Parvatiencamped for the the night at Seyaar, the Son’s River. Itwas here that Lord Subrahmania got a hut made of plantaintrees for Her rest and the following morning enabled witha thundering arrow, a river of pure water to flow by forHer ablutions.

Passing then through paddy fields Parvati reachedTiruvannamalai. After obeisance to the Lord at the Templeto the east, She began to look for a spot to pursue Tapas.At the nearby Pavazha Kunru, Coral hillock, a spur ofArunachala Hill, She met the Rishis assembled at the SageGautama’s Ashrama who sang the praise of Mother Parvati:

“Bringing forth the Eternal Siva from within you,you appear then within Him as the animating Sakti! Withthis, Thy mysterious nature (of Siva-within-Sakti-within-Siva), you procreate the multiple jivas. Is there anyonecapable of finding out your nature which for ever remainsnon-dual!”

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“If the Supreme Reality of Siva becomes Maheswara,Rudra, Brahma and Vishnu you become simultaneouslythe Saktis known as Maheshwari, Rudri, Saraswati andLakshmi. Other than these should He assume any ‘other’,you become correspondingly. Is there anyone capable ofknowing you!”

When the Munis and Rishis were praising Parvati thus,Gautama arrived, and coming near Her with hands raisedabove his head in supplication, prostrated before Her lotus-like feet.

Gautama, lofty in devotion, then addressed Her toHer delight, “What immense good have I done that Thydivine feet, that even Brahma (the First-born) and theAshta Dikpaalas (the sentinels of the eight Quarters) cannothope to place on their heads bowed low, should be gracingthis most humble abode of mine!”

Hearing this, Parvati, gentle as a creeper, said, “Shouldneed arise I shall go to the Spear-Wielder (Subrahmania),or the Tusker (Ganesa) to remove my want. Or else I shallcome to you, dear son, who have such love for me.”

She then related in detail all that had taken place tillthen during Her penance on earth. Hearing the Motherof all speak thus, Gautama who had (by a curse) bestowedon Indra, doer of a hundred Yaagas, in times of yore athousand eyes, spoke as follows:

“This Abode, the primal One, is known as the AbodeSupreme and is sacred par excellence. One good deed donehere multiplies manifold of itself. Therefore do Thouconduct ardent penance here. Thy Lord will then surely

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come on His bull-mount and reabsorb you as His leftHalf.”

“(O Mother) even Vishnu, Brahma, the Vasus, Indra,and a host of Munis had in days gone by, made theirdwelling here and completed the penance of solitude. Theplace is right and the time auspicious. Thy penance isthus assured of success.”

The sage Gautama told Her, “This holy place isideally wooded for a radius of two yojanas (18 miles) andteems with life and life-giving streams. The distraction ofcrowds of gods and siddhas that frequent this Hill forworship has made me take shelter in the thick but secludedforest of this spur. Therefore do you too choose a spotnearby!” (The Purana indicates clearly that Gautama’sAshrama was at Pavazha Kunru to the east and that Parvatidid Tapas near his Ashrama. This is also consistent withlater events: She kills the demon and cleanses herself atthe Khadga Tirtha which lies near the spur; She thenbegins, the pradakshina of the Hill from the east, andcompletes it there). Then the Mother Supreme, the Wombof all creation said, “Indeed I shall do Tapas here and gainmy end.”14

14 For an incident highlighting Sri Ramana’s bhava while reciting theabove verses in Tamil, see Guru Ramana, S.S. Cohen’s thrilling diaryentry dated June 17, 1948.

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ON THE EPISODE OF OBTAINING

IDAPPAAHAM, MERGER:Indeed the aranyakas, forests, are the fountain springs

germinating and sustaining all that is best in Vedic wisdomand life. The Light of the Upanishad was communicatedunder the shade of the silent tree. Parvati began Her Tapasin the forest of Tiruvannamalai, then home to Nature’swild splendour. Could such magnificence escape themalefic marauder? The troops of the demon kingMahishaasura came from afar to capture the wild elephants,and to hunt for flesh and fancy the wild boar, bison, leopardand doe which roamed free in the forest, alert and aware.Mahisha’s lusty letter to Parvati led to Her warning him,“This is the residence of those committed to the ideal ofDharma. Those who misuse their advantage to evil endshere, will lose their ease and die diseased, all their strengthand authority wiped out. Do not incite Lord Arunachala,fiery by nature, towards anger, lest you should bedestroyed. Beware!”

(The events that followed are well known and weshall confine ourselves to certain interesting aspects alone).In the battle that ensued, Mahisha, the buffalo-headeddemon, proved redoubtable to Durga, the militantemanation from Parvati. When decapitated, the ‘buffalo’took the form of a mad elephant. Beheaded, he went onsuccessively taking the forms of a horse, of darkness andeven appeared before Her as Brahma and Vishnu. ThenDurga prayed to Uma in Her heart. The Supreme directed

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Her to continue till the Asura assumed his original buffaloform. She was then to cut off his head and hold it underHer foot. Mahisha met his end thus. (Sri Ramana tooprays in his Arunachala Padikam, verse 7, “Resident as Iam in the non-dual Heart, who is it that comes out?Manifest thyself, O Arunachala; place Thy broad feet onhis head, and subdue him!” Again, in Forty Verses, hedeclares Mahisha’s secret, “It arises dependent and feedingon form; it abandons one form for another; when enquiredinto its original form, it is no more! Such is the formlessego-demon.”)

After slaying Mahisha, Parvati went in pradakshina ofthe holy Hill. Half-way, near the west, the Lord gave darshanon his bull-mount. Her going round the hill was likePaarvati’s earlier circumambulation of the sacred Agni onthe day of Her Marriage! As She neared the east completingHer pradakshina, the Lord absorbed Her as his left-Half.

ON THE PRADAKSHINA OF THE HOLY HILL:(prada = giver of boons; kshi = destroyer of Karma;

na = giver of Jnana. Also, pra-dakshina = going aroundwith centre kept to the right). The holy Arunachala is theprimal, Adi Linga. The path around its base is the sacredYoni. Pradakshina of the Hill is therefore pradakshina ofthe source of all Lingas! So one goes round keeping to theleft-edge of the path. A mere step taken, confers the benefitof a Yaga, sacrifice; two steps, the fruit of Raajasuya Yaga;and three that of Asvamedha Yaga. Going round the hillone gains in health and vigour. The hill abounds in rare

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herbs sought by siddha herbalists. The breeze carries thesalubrious wafts from these siddha herbs to the one doingthe holy round. The dust from the feet of such a person,carried and deposited in towns far away effectsimmeasurable purification.

The fruit of a Sunday pradakshina is Siva’s abode;that of Monday is merger in Siva-form; that of Tuesday istermination of debt and cyclic death; that of Wednesdayis divinity through skill in philosophy and art; that ofThursday is lordship over gods and god-men; that ofFriday is lordship of the Lotus Lady. A Saturdaypradakshina confers the astronomical benefits of a nine-planet Conjunction in the Eleventh House. The aboveeffects are magnified if done on Sivaraatri, New-year day,or during the three months, mid-October to mid-January.The fruits increase by a factor of one crore if done on thetwo solstices; or on the day the moon is in the Maghaasterism during February-March; or during the pre-dawnhour; or during solar eclipse, or vidhipaada yoga.

As to the ritual of the spiritual round, one abjures allthought of the opposite sex on the day of pradakshina.After bathing one wears clean white clothes, applies theholy ash and proceeds, giving alms but without acceptingany. One does not wear shirt or shawl or carry an umbrella.Free from fear, anger, irritation or sorrow one walks onbare feet, without using vehicles. Without swinging one’sarms about, with a silent soft tread, one saunters like aqueen in her ‘tenth-month’. One bows, first to the holyHill from each of the eight cardinal Directions, and then

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to the Lord of that Direction enshrined in the linga there.One bows mentally to the incorporeal gods and siddhasgoing the rounds, and keeps to the side. One could keepsilence of speech and mind; or one could allow thoughtsto flow on to the Hill of Fire; or one could sing and listento songs of devotional praise.

In the company of those of lofty character, one couldhalt here and there and enjoy a feast of fruit and milk.Otherwise, simple food free of flesh may be taken.

In conclusion, the Arunachala Puranam declares, “theresidents of Tiruvannamalai must scrupulously follow theabove rules. Pilgrims from far-away places are allowed todo the holy round according to their capacity.”

ONE WHO READS OR LISTENS TO ARUNACHALA MAHATMYAM

(GLORY OF ARUNACHALA) ENJOYS LONG LIFE, PROSPERITY

AND HAS ALL HIS SINS WASHED AWAY AND ATTAINS

THE LOTUS FEET OF LORD ARUNACHALA.

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