SARANAGATI SEPTEMBER ADVENT ISSUE 2021

SRI RAMANASRAMAM VOL. 15, NO.9

D. Thiyagarajan
SEPTEMBER ADVENT ISSUE 2021 IN THIS
VOL. 15, NO.9 ISSUE

Dear Devotees,
The month of August began with the Ashram
reopening in a limited way for three hours per day,
four days each week (M-Th, 8-11am.) Toward the
end of the month opening hours were extended In Profile: Dr T. N. Krishnaswami (Part III) 4
into the afternoons and so include 2-5 pm (M-Th.). Events in Sri Ramanasramam: Avani Avittam 8
The Ashram is making every preparation to reopen
V.S. Ramanan (1934 - 2020): In Memorium 9
the accommodation when the time is right (now
scheduled for 1st December 2021) and renovation Events in Sri Ramanasramam: The Ashram Dispensary 9
and painting is underway throughout. In Profile: Smt. Ponaka Kanakamma 10
In this issue we conclude the life story of Dr TNK Events in Sri Ramanasramam: Samvatsara Abhishekam 11
(p. 3) and take a brief glimpse of the life of Ponaka Bhagavan’s Transcription of Ponaka Kanakamma 12
Kanakamma, the freedom fighter who became a Announcement: Ashram’s Opening Hours 12
Ramana devotee in the mid-1930s and wrote about Events in Sri Ramanasramam: Bhagavan’s 125th Advent 13
Bhagavan and translated Bhagavan’s Gita Sara into
Events in Sri Ramanasramam: Gokulashtami, 30th 13
Telugu (see p. 9).
August Obituary: Smt. Nadhia Sutara (1949 - 2021) 14
For videos, photos and further news of events, go to
http://www.sriramanamaharshi.org or write to us at Events in Sri Ramanasramam: Kunjuswami Day 14
[email protected].

In Sri Bhagavan,
The Editorial Team

Calendar of Ashram Events

1st September (Weds) Bhagavan’s Advent Day 15th October (Fri) Vijayadasami
3rd September (Fri) Punarvasu 19th October (Tues) Full Moon Begins
6th September (Mon) Muruganar Day 28th October (Thurs) Punarvasu
20th September (Mon) Full Moon 4th November (Thurs) Deepavali
30th September (Thur) Punarvasu 19th November (Fri) Kartigai Deepam Day
7th October (Thurs) Navaratri Commences 24th November (Weds) Punarvasu
14th October (Tues) Sarasvati Puja 18th December (Sun) Full Moon
 the purpose of proof reading and printing. He would
sometimes stay to write for as long as a month. (Later
TNK built a house in Tiruvannamalai which was
exclusively made available for Muruganar’s stay.) When
Muruganar was under medical treatment by TNK he
also stayed for an extended period of time. Later some
of Muruganar’s manuscripts were found in Malathi.
Malathi’s walls were filled with portraits of Bhagavan,
either painted or coloured by TNK, and the family home
had become ‘Ramanasramam Madras’, an outpost for
the benefit of devotees. Yogi Ramayya would spend
half his time in Tiruvannamalai and the rest at Malathi.
He took delight in long discussions with TNK in Telugu
on spiritual matters and Bhagavan’s teachings.
Ekanath Rao, T. S. Rajagopal Rao, Sub-Register
Narayana Iyer, T.P. Ramachandra Iyer, G.V.
Subbaramaya, Ramanatha Brahmachari, G.V. Narasimha
Rao, Ramanapadananda, Balarama Reddy, Dr. Mees, JJ
Reed (Hamsa), the Bhatts and the Osbornes regularly
stayed at the house, each enjoying Dr TNK’s warm
hospitality. Framji Dorab who was based in Chennai
often came for long hours to discuss Bhagavan. Visitors
also sometimes assisted in transporting medicines from
Madras to the Ashram. In later years, K.K. Nambiar and
T. N. Venkataraman would come and discuss upcoming
court cases.1
Kitty Osborne
In her girlhood, Kitty was among those who regularly
came to stay at Malathi. It is said that that is where she
IN PROFILE learned the technique of ‘keeping the rice and rasam on
the leaf ’. She speaks of those days with great fondness,
Dr. T. N. Krishnaswami telling how ‘TNK had one of the few cars in use in our
orbit. He would pick me up from the school train coming
(Part III) up from Kodai to spend a day or two with him and his
family and then we would drive to Tiruvannamalai’.
Visitors to Malathi Kitty describes her experience:

M alathi, Dr TNK’s family home in Mylapore,

Chennai, became the ‘gateway’
Ramanasramam. People would stay at Malathi on
to
TNK was down to earth, realistic, deeply devoted and had a great
sense of humour and an infectious giggle. Sometimes I would catch
his eye when someone was being overly pretentious, and he would
their way to the Ashram to meet Bhagavan. It was swallow his laughter and try to look serious. I was less restrained!
also a layover for devotees in transit on their way back On one of these visits, young Kitty, TNK and his
home from Ramanasramam. family were at lunch. Kitty normally ate with the
Muruganar used to come by car with TNK and family off banana leaves on the kitchen floor, while
spend time at Malathi during his trips to Madras for 1 Video interview with Dr TNK’s eldest son, T.K.Natarajan.

page 4
guests were seated at a table in the passageway outside
the kitchen. On this visit there were two guests, an
Englishman and a Dutchman, sitting at a table in the
passageway having their meal. But one of the two
seems to have objected to the other sitting and eating
with him since he considered himself a Brahmin and
did not extend this designation to his dining partner.
A heated discussion ensued, and Dr TNK came to
the rescue, separating them into different rooms. All
this he did with utmost respect and kindness. When all
was quiet again, he returned to his meal in the kitchen,
where Kitty and Dr TNK’s family were making every
effort to restrain their amusement over what they had
just heard taking place. But with their straight faces now
turning red, an inflection point was fast approaching
and when they could contain it no longer, all of them,
including Dr TNK, burst into unbounded laughter.2
Visits to Ramanasramam
declined, TNK would come from Madras three or
Dr TNK would sometimes transport guests from four times each week, not returning to Malathi until
Malathi to Ramanasramam or from the Ashram to about 2.30 am in the morning. Dr TNK writes:
Malathi on his trips to and from Tiruvannamalai. One
He assured us that he was not going away. ‘People say that I am
of his sons would join him on these visits. He would going away, but where can I go? I am here.’ Being universal, there
assist his father by holding rolls of film in the pockets was no going from here to there for him. Having realized that he
of his shorts, or ‘half-pants’ as they were then called, was not this body, there was no return to any other body. 4
the exposed rolls in one pocket and the new unexposed As a health care professional, TNK found the casual
rolls in the other. Father and son would make a point manner with which Bhagavan encountered his physical
of standing a little out of the way in the doorway of condition nothing short of astonishing. In all his
the darshan hall where they would handle the camera career, he had never seen or heard of a major surgery
while taking pictures of Bhagavan, in order not to being performed without general anaesthesia. Even
disturb devotees sitting in the Hall. His son invariably if local anaesthesia had been administered in some
spent time with the other kids as well, especially when of the procedures (no doubt, to ease the mind of the
awaiting his father and Bhagavan returning from a walk surgeon more than anything else), Dr TNK’s medical
on the Hill. He would listen very carefully and learned training and decades of practice gave him a privileged
to recognise Bhagavan’s soft voice speaking Tamil in the perspective. He knew that a local anaesthetic could do
Madurai style, making frequent use of ‘oye!’.3 next to nothing to counter the pain in the body from
After lunch, TNK would sit in the Ashram office such an extensive surgical procedure, and yet, Bhagavan
and give medical consultations for inmates who seemed to be more concerned about calming the fears
would queue up outside to wait their turn. and apprehensions of the surgeons and onlookers,
Bhagavan’s Last Days even light-heartedly telling jokes. It was not that the
When Bhagavan fell ill in 1949, Dr TNK increased Maharshi did not feel pain, TNK observed, but that
the frequency of his visits. As Bhagavan’s health he did not identify with it and could discuss it in a
2 From a private conversation with Kitty.
detached manner. The disease progressed:
3 In an email from Raghu Thoppur, TNK’s eldest grandson. 4 ‘The Sat-Guru’ by TNK, The Mountain Path, July 1965 pp. 152-54.

page 5
 The gathering stood dumbfounded. Would death dare to touch
him? No, it is impossible. A miracle would happen.
But TNK’s medical savvy counselled him otherwise
and he knew it would soon be over. He continues:
The atmosphere was tense with emotion, fear and expectation. There
was some weeping. Very gently the Maharshi seemed to gasp a little
and the body became still. Synchronized with the Maharshi’s last
breath, a meteor was seen to trail across the sky. We could scarcely
realise what had happened. He had left us once and for all. No more
the beatific smile to greet us. No more the graceful form to adorn
the Ashram. The Maharshi had deserted us! Were we to turn our
backs on the Ashram and go home disappointed? 6
After Mahanirvana
Like all Bhagavan’s devotees, Dr TNK struggled to
make sense of it all. It barely seemed believable. He
took refuge in Bhagavan’s teachings which, till then,
he had largely ignored:
This gave me a severe jolt. I was shocked. Had I missed the opportunity
of a lifetime to imbibe the teaching of the Enlightened One? I had
done nothing in the direction of spiritual sadhana. Had I wasted all
my time taking photographs while I should have engaged myself in
Dr TNK with Bhagavan, TNV and TNV’s family
trying to understand and practice his teachings in his presence? ‘No,’
I said to myself, ‘this cannot be true’. I was sure that I had obtained
some grace from the Maharshi. He was somehow still here; only we
I had the rare privilege of being allowed to stay with the Maharshi must learn to feel his presence. We would never be forsaken for he
during the last days. Knowing full well that his end was near, I was had himself assured us that he was not going away. Then I turned
inquisitive to watch and see if he would leave any message for us. to studying his teachings. I began to see light in them. Some of the
Would he not speak words of solace? Would he not leave behind sentences touched me and made me feel that I was in his presence,
some directions for us? It was sad indeed to look at the suffering of listening to him. I took heart. The more I read, the more intimate the
the body. But the mystery was his attitude to it. He described all the Maharshi became to me. His teaching pulsated with life; I began to
pain and suffering as though the body belonged to someone else. The understand it and it mixed with my being and became my own.7
question arose whether he was suffering or not. How could he describe
Writing on Bhagavan
the pain and suffering so accurately and locate it in the body and yet
remain unaffected by it? ‘There is a severe intolerable headache,’ he Dr TNK couldn’t help but communicate some of
said as he was going into a slow uraemia and his kidneys were failing. what he experienced by this intensive excursion into
The Maharshi never described the symptoms in a subjective manner.5 the teaching and wrote a series of articles extolling
Bhagavan’s condition worsened. TNK describes the Bhagavan and his teaching for The Mountain Path:
final day: Those who saw the Maharshi sitting in samadhi were moved and awed
by it. He radiated peace as the sun radiates light. His imperturbable
On the evening of the last day, the Maharshi asked to be propped
composure impressed some, his lively explanations others, his grace
up in a sitting posture. He tried to assume a semi-padmasana
and compassion yet others; some enjoyed his conversation and some
posture. His breathing was laboured and heavy. The attending
his tremendous silence. Thousands flocked for a sight of him. People
doctor put the oxygen to his nose. Those around stood quietly by
felt that here was God Incarnate walking on earth.8
with bated breath. The Maharshi brushed aside the oxygen tube.
There was a chorus of ‘Arunachala Siva’ from outside the room. 6 Ibid.
7 ‘How I Came to the Maharshi’, The Mountain Path, July 1968.
5 ‘By a Witness’, by Dr TNK, The Maharshi, Apr 1997. 8 ‘The Sat-Guru’ by TNK, The Mountain Path, July 1965, pp. 152-154.

page 6
 After Mahanirvana, TNK found himself discussing
Bhagavan’s teachings at every available opportunity.
Following his consultation hours at Malathi, people
would come, not with any physical complaint but to only
hear Dr TNK’s reflections on spiritual issues. Bereft of
Bhagavan’s physical presence, TNK continued with great
intention the study of Bhagavan’s teaching. Indeed, many
who had known him as a bhakta were surprised by the
sudden intensity with which he attempted to grasp the
teaching. He was still grappling with the loss of Bhagavan
in the physical form but knew all the while that Bhagavan
would give him the answer he was looking for:
A Guru is only for those who seek contact with him for the sake
of spiritual understanding because this means seeking contact
with the Truth in one’s own heart through him. One who lives at
a distance and approaches him in this way may receive guidance,
while one who lives near him may not know how to ask. ‘The real
Guru is in the heart,’ the Maharshi said, ‘the task of the outer
Guru is only to turn you inward to the Guru in your heart.’ 9
This had been the missing link in Dr TNK’s journey
with Bhagavan up till that point. Bhagavan’s grace was pondering over such problems. They are of no help for spiritual
now available in full measure: progress. One should concern oneself with the Self alone. Whether
We are told that the Divine dwells in the innermost recess of the body is sick or well the ‘I’ [remains] the same. Bhagavan said
the heart, but how many of us are competent to look inward that the primary disease, the root of all other diseases, is ignorance
and realize it? The power of the Guru in helping one to do so is of the Self. The root symptoms of disease are body-consciousness
far more important than any merely verbal explanation he may and worldly consciousness. One should try to heal this main disease
give, for this latter touches only the mental understanding. ‘A rather than the lesser diseases from which the body suffers.11
silent Guru is very potent;’ said the Maharshi, ‘his work goes Now the disparate dimensions of TNK’s life began to
on inwardly where it is not apparent to the disciple.’ And he gave dovetail and they became a seamless whole. He continues:
assurance that ‘as the disciple dives inwards in search of the Self, One should not be encouraged to seek the small solaces of this
the Guru will do his part.’ 10 world as if they were the things of God. All experiences — birth
Dr TNK now understood that in the absence of and death, health and sickness, good and evil — are equally
Bhagavan’s physical form, he now must seek him within. manifestations of one mind and are on the same level of reality or
This changed everything, even his understanding of unreality as the mind.12
treating his patients, healing the sick and the role that Following Bhagavan’s Mahanirvana, TNK’s
the Guru’s grace might play in such work: immersion in the teaching went on as a matter of course
If a sick man makes himself a recipient of this grace by his faith, but meanwhile, he remained diligent in maintaining his
he gets cured, but the cure is natural and spontaneous and not the daily duties which now included administrative matters
result of any purpose or intention on the part of the Master. But on behalf of the Ashram. Dr TNK and K. K. Nambiar
what of healing by one who has not attained this supreme level? Can initiated the construction of Bhagavan’s Samadhi.
he influence God as an advocate influences a judge? What is it that Decades before, as a trustee of the Ashram, Dr TNK
heals and how is one to influence it? Bhagavan did not encourage
11 ‘The Maharshi and Healing’ by Dr TNK, The Mountain Path,
9 Ibid. January 1966, pp. 25-27.
10 Ibid. 12 Ibid.

page 7
had signed the will as a witness which would later help TNK had been a member of the provisional Ashram
solve many disputes. He recalled the day this way: Committee that had been set up and continued up
During the Ashram court case regarding the Will, Bhagavan was until January 1964 when it was replaced by a Board of
asked for his signature. But the Master said, ‘What do you want Trustees on a scheme laid down by the Government.
me to sign? One man is saying that I am ‘Bhagavan’, another says According to the scheme, two members were
‘Ramana Maharshi’. As which do I put my signature?’ After nominated by the Ashram President and two by the
devotees’ entreaties, Bhagavan put a few dashes and the court government, with the Ashram President himself as the
authority attested it by adding a seal. This shows his practical fifth. Dr TNK was one of the two members nominated
approach to liberation of a jivanmukta, signifies that he was by the Ashram President, T. N. Venkataraman.
nameless and formless. There is no name, as what name did he
Dr TNK spent the remainder of his years in service to
have, aside from that which we gave him. 13
the Ashram, immersing himself in Bhagavan’s teaching.
After Chinnaswami’s passing in early February 1953, In 1972, Janaki Ammal, his wife of four decades,
TNK assisted T. N. Venkaataraman in negotiating passed away. Three years later in April 1975, his
numerous challenges to the Ashram, not least of friend, Srinivasan came to Malathi as usual to chant
all legal battles. TNK would come to the Ashram Vishnusahasranamam. While he chanted, Dr TNK lay
each month to attend meetings and TNV frequently comfortably on his reclining cot. It had been his lifelong
came to Malathi to discuss legal matters and other habit to sleep in this semi-reclined position with the
difficulties. In administration, TNK formed a team head propped up. So it was this position he took with
with K.K. Nambiar and other devotees and put eyes closed while listening to his friend’s recitation each
themselves at TNV’s disposal. day. On this day, however, as Dr TNK reclined and
During this period, even on the most sacred feast listened, he peacefully passed away. —
days such as Jayanthi or Aradhana, Dr TNK would
forgo participation and remain deep in discussion [Dr TNK left a treasure trove of photographic negatives of Sri
with TNV. Only when it came time for arati would Bhagavan and his devotees for posterity. The Dr T N Krishnaswami
the two of them come out of the Ashram office. and Smt Janaki Ammal Charitable Trust was founded by friends and
family and is registered in Tamil Nadu.
13 A video interview with Dr TNK’s second son, Dr T.K. (series concluded)
Ramana Kumar, recorded in May 2002.

Events in Sri Ramanasramam: Avani Avittam, 22nd - 23rd August

T
here are signs that things
are inching their way back
to normal. On Sunday the 22nd
August, the Ashram sponsored
the gathering of a few masked
devotees for the thread changing
ceremony. The sacred thread
(yajnopavit) is changed each year
on the full moon day in the
Tamil month of Avani and took
place in the Ashram’s Old Dining Hall. The following day in the Ashram Vedapatasala, a homa was performed
to conclude the rite. —

page 8
 V. S. Ramanan (1934 - 2020): In Memorium

T he first tithi of sukla paksha in the month of Adi marked one year since
V.S. Ramanan’s passing away on 21st July, 2020. The occasion was
observed with a special puja in the Ashram and other rites in his honour.
An e-book of collected anecdotes on the life of the former Ashram
President commemorating the occasion, entitled, The Life of V.S. Ramanan
as Seen through Eyes of Bhagavan’s Devotees is hoped to be released soon. In the
collection, one devotee comments on Sundaranna’s life, saying: Everybody
called Sundaramji ‘good’ because natural goodness was his most striking character trait.
He knew that all human beings, including himself, were fallible. He thus let Bhagavan,
the infallible One, run the Ashram while Sundaranna was keen to merely be his
instrument. To him, Bhagavan was not just a granduncle whom he knew as a youth and
whose affection he had received but a Guru who is saakshaat Parabrahma. Sundaram
was unflamboyant, non-aggressive, non-assertive but politely firm, never swerving from
his principles. He never cared for praise. Once when I pointed out a minor foible of his,
he graciously said that he would correct himself. It is a trait rarely found even among
great spiritual aspirants. (K.V. Subrahmonyan, publications) —
[See devotees’ remembrances published in a special extended edition of Saranagati, August 2020 which now has the additional material
appearing in the upcoming e-book at: https://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/saranagati/Saranagathi_eNewsletter_August_2020.pdf]

Events in Sri Ramanasramam: The Ashram Dispensary

T he Ashram Dispensary is cracking open the doors for the benefit of the local community in these difficult times.
Providing safe service for all involved means putting the waiting room outdoors in the Kurangu Thottam driveway.
Cases of acute illnesses and fever are not being treated since the dispensary is not equipped to handle COVID infections.
Lab work is also not being done for the time being in order to minimize staff exposure. All patients and staff are
masked during the dispensary’s opening hours from 8-10.30 am weekdays. The dispensary’s pharmacy is supplying
patients with needed medications free of cost.
[For COVID vaccine inquiries, please contact the dispensary at: <[email protected]> or phone: 91-9600325724]. —

page 9
 learned Sanskrit, Hindi and enough of the literature of
her mother tongue, Telugu that she excelled as a Telugu
poet. In her youth, she served devotees in the temple
built by her family, not strictly heeding customs for
ladies of those days. By her twenties, she had become
involved in the freedom movement and was closely
associated with Savarkar and Gandhiji. She sought
to alleviate the suffering of the downtrodden during
cholera and influenza epidemics by serving food and
personally offering nursing care to the sick.
In 1919 she was introduced to Mahatma Gandhi
in Madras during the Khadi movement. Soon she
channeled all her social service energies toward Gandhiji
and participated in the freedom struggle. She took
part in the Salt Satyagraha and the Non-Cooperation
movement. She donated forty sovereigns of her gold to
Mahatma Gandhi as a contribution towards the freedom
fight fund and stopped wearing gold ornaments in
keeping with the spirit of the movement.
In the drought of 1927, she served the poor who
were starving and contributed to the cause of women’s
education by establishing Sujana Ranjani Samajam and
Vivekananda Granthalayam to serve the Potlapudi village
society. She also founded Kasturi Devi Vidyalayam (school
for girls) under Gandhiji’s constructive programme in
1929, even at the cost of her personal landholdings. The
school continued until 1932 when she was imprisoned
along with Rajaji, Durgabai, Bejawada Gopala Reddy
IN PROFILE and others in Raya Vellore prison where she spent 13
months. She subsequently acted as vice-president of
the Andhra Congress committee.
Smt. Ponaka Kanakamma The pivotal event of her life came in 1934 when
she lost her only daughter, Venkatasubbamma,

S mt. Ponaka Kanakamma is relatively unknown to

devotees although she made her mark on history
both as a Telugu poet and as a freedom fighter in
who was a budding writer and social worker. The
loss was so unsettling that Kanakamma found she
could not continue her work. It was then that Yogi
the struggle for Indian independence. She came to Ramaiah introduced her to Bhagavan, though she did
Bhagavan through Yogi Ramaiah who, like her, hailed not have his darshan right away. It was 18 months
from Nellore District. later, on 7th January 1936, when she set out for
Born 10th June, 1892 to Marupuru Kondareddi, a Tiruvannamalai along with her mother, her brother-
yogacharya who descended from a wealthy landlord in-law, Seshareddi, and her close friend and fellow
family in the village of Minagallu, near Nellore, poet, Lakshmibayamma.
Ponaka Kanakamma married a landlord of the nearby The group reached Sri Ramanasramam two days later
Potlapudi. While she got no formal education, she for Bhagavan’s Jayanti day, 9th January, and stayed for

page 10
fifteen days, spending their days in the Ashram, and
evenings in the house of their host, Sri Rangaswami
Reddi, an M.L.A. at the time. While at the Ashram, she
and Lakshmibayamma wrote an essay about Bhagavan’s
Jayanthi which was published in the weekly Telugu
publication, Jameen Rythu. Ponaka and Dronamraju
Lakshmibayamma had by then become ‘twin poetesses’
and now they set their literary sights on philosophical
poems in a tribute to Bhagavan Ramana (called
Aradhana). They translated and published Bhagavan’s
Gita Sara into Telugu under the title ‘Jnana Netramu’.
GRO 104 from 18th August, 1938 outside the newly constructed Ashram dining hall
Kanakamma wrote a biography of Yogi Ramaiah in
Telugu and English (copies of which the Ashram hopes
to acquire in the near future). Her writings appeared On a subsequent visit, Kanakamma fell ill and
in various Telugu publications: Bharati, Krishnapatrika, was treated by Dr TNK in Chennai. In 1939 it was
Grihalakshmi, Anasuya, Hindusundari and Jameen Rytha. Yogi Ramaiah who fell ill, suffering a fever while
Sankarlal Bankar had told Gandhiji of the benefits at the Ashram. Kanakamma was in Nellore at the
of being in the Maharshi’s presence, and Gandhiji time and wanted to visit, taking Gogineni Bharati
regularly sent key figures in the Movement to Bhagavan. Devi from Chennai. One day before the two of
He himself had been unsuccessful in coming to see them arrived, Bhagavan told Yogi Ramaiah that
Bhagavan despite efforts to do so on three separate Kanakamma would visit and when she arrived,
occasions. Once in August 1938 when Gandhiji sent Bhagavan casually revealed it to her with his
Sri Babu Rajendra Prasad and Jamnalal Bajaj to visit characteristic smile. —
Bhagavan, Kanakamma and Yogi Ramaiah joined them. [Smt. Ponaka Kanakamma passed away in 1963.]

Events in Sri Ramanasramam: The Eighth Annual Samvatsara Abhishekam

T he eighth anniversary of the Mahakumbhabhishekam of Sri Ramaneswara and Matrubhuteswara Shrines performed
in August of 2013 was observed with homa on Thursday, 26th August, in the New Hall. Sankalpa and japa began
around 6 am followed by homa at 8am. Purnahuti at 10am was followed by procession and abhishekam in Mother’s
and Bhagavan’s Shrines. As indicators for covid spread have been favourable in recent weeks, the function enjoyed the
largest gathering the Ashram has seen since the most recent lockdown began in late April. —

page 11
 Bhagavan’s Transcription of Ponaka Kanakamma’s Translation

T he following are handwriting samples of Bhagavan’s Malayalam transcription of Ponaka Kanakamma’s Telugu
translation of Sri Gita Sara. Since Bhagavan often indulged devotees’ requests to write out verses in his own hand for
the purposes of recitation, it can be assumed that a Keralite devotee not familiar with Telugu script had made this request
to Bhagavan concerning this Telugu translation. A possible candidate is Smt. K. K. Madhavi Amma of Cherukunnu
(present-day Cannanore District of Kerala), who came to Bhagavan in 1933 when her husband was posted as Chief
Medical Officer at the local government hospital in Tiruvannamalai. She brought her husband and her younger brother,
K. K. Nambiar to Bhagavan (see her life story in Saranagati, August-December 2015). Sri Gita Sara’s forty-two verses in
Malayalam script are published by Sri Ramanasramam in Swarna Hastam (2017) and appear on pp. 313-316. —

Sri Gita Saramu

1.Attu lathikrupaa vishtudai yasru purNa
Maina vyaakule kshaNamula nadalu lunna
Arju nuninava lOkinchi yaada ramuna
Krishna bhagavaanu dituvachi yinche napudu

2.bharatha kuladeepa dEhamE yaraya kshEthra

Maniva chimpaga badunana yammu natti
dEha mevaduvi vEkinchi thelisi konuno
ath ni kshEtra njnu daNdrutha thvaartha vithulu

3. vatsa ee samastha kshethra varthi yaina

Yatti kshetra njna dEneya tanchu neRugu
kshEtra munu kshEtra vEthanu chintha saeyu
njnaa na menjnana manudaya smanma thammu

Announcement: Ashram’s Opening Hours

D ue to ongoing COVID pandemic restrictions and

according to local health regulations, the Ashram
will open for only four days each week, M-Th from 8 - 11
am and 2 - 5 pm. Barring further surges in new cases, the
Ashram hopes to open up accommodation for overnight
stays from 1st December 2021. —

page 12
 Events in Sri Ramanasramam: Sri Bhagavan’s 125th Advent

O n this day, 125 years ago, Bhagavan arrived in Tiruvannamalai. In 2021, Bhagavan’s Advent Day was celebrated in style in
the Ashram on 1st September. Live streaming allowed devotees far and near join in for the event. The Ramana Mandiram
group from Madurai came and sang Akshramanamalai in the early morning as per tradition simultaneous with Mahanyasa
rudram chanting in the Mother’s Shrine. Abhishekam and Veda parayana began in Bhagavan’s Shrine at 8am and during the
alankara, various devotees sang, among them Ramanan Balachandran, Adithi and RMCL. The special day culmintaed with
prasadam for all in the dining hall, the largest number of devotees taking prasad together since January 2020 Jayanti. —

Events in Sri Ramanasramam: Gokulashtami, 30th August

O n 30th August, devotees

gathered in Mother’s
Shrine to celebrate Krishna
Janmasthami which falls on
the 8th tithi, Krishna Paksha
in Avani. Among Vaishnavites,
the occasion is celebrated with
devotional singing through the
midnight when Krishna was
born, followed by the festival
the next day. —

page 13
 Obituary: Smt. Nadhia Sutara (1949 - 2021)

B orn in New York City, 1st August 1949, Nadhia Sutara (née Susan Teicher) was
the eldest of three children. She suffered health issues in her youth including
vision impairment and severe allergies, the latter of which limited her ability to digest
food. She nevertheless completed her schooling and did an MA in Russian literature
at Columbia University. Upon arrival to Arunachala in the early 1980s, she said ‘it
was literally love at first sight, and I found myself making my first spontaneous,
wholehearted act of surrender. As I climbed the slopes behind the Ashram for the
first time, I was overwhelmed by the power of the sacred Mountain.’
After a stay at Morvi Guest House, Nadhia moved up to Skandasramam and
stayed in Bhagavan’s Mother’s room. She subsequently shifted to Guhai Nama
Sivaya Mantapam, the cave that had been home to the legendary 16th century
Virasaivite yogi-saint, Guhai Namasivaya, where she spent seven glorious
years — ‘the happiest days of my life’. Nadhia learned Tamil and subsisted on
a meagre diet. In 1990, when there had been a general amnesty for hardened
criminals by the newly elected Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the Mountain became unsafe for women and she was
invited to live and work in Sri Ramanasramam.
Having had abundant experience editing, writing and translating before coming to India, Nadhia found herself doing
work she loved assisting Ganesan in editing The Mountain Path. She wrote articles, proofed, and organized the magazine.
In the 1990s, she travelled to North India and spent time in Lucknow before returning to Tiruvannamalai. By the
mid-1990s, however, after 15 years in India, Nadhia’s life-long frailty regarding digestion caught up with her and her
bodyweight dipped dangerously low. She had no choice but to return to the West. However, a few years ago, she made
a triumphant return to Tiruvannamalai after 20 years away, this time to settle in for good. Recently, she resumed writing
for The Mountain Path.
On 6th August, 2021, just a few days after her 72nd birthday, she passed away in her flat at the foot of the Hill. —
[A fuller length story of Nadhia’s life, including quotes from her writings spanning three decades, will be published in a future issue.]

Events in Sri Ramanasramam: Kunjuswami Day, 7th August

O n 7th
devotees
August,
gathered
at Kunjuswami’s shrine to
observe the anniversary
according to the English
calendar of his passing more
than 25 years back. Chanting
in Kunjuswami’s native
Malayalam was performed
followed by abhishekam and
arati. —

Publisher: Dr Venkat S. Ramanan

page 14 [email protected]