Brahmajnani Jeevanmukta Avadhutha Chidambaram Ramalingaswamy Charitamrita
We traveled from Bengaluru to Tiruvannamalai for the first time and had the darshan of Ramana Maharshi Samadhi. Sandeep and his wife had arranged for our accommodation there in Athithi Ashram. Dinesh Amin from Mumbai and Naganna from Bengaluru also had joined us. We had the darshan of Mukupudi Swamy also there. In the evening we had the fortune of the darshan of Hamsananda Swamy of Athithi Ashram who is a Brahmajnani, he hails from Shrirangapattana near Mysore. We had spiritual discussions and then listened to his nectar of experience. He narrated stories of Ramana Maharshi and a retired Army Officer from Punjab. While we listened to him enraptured it was very clear that the inner voice that echoed through him was of Ramana Maharshi.
The Punjab official’s story of Lord Krishna’s darshan goes this way: A Retired Army Officer from Punjab had intense longing to have darshan Lord Krishna, he performed severe penance, japa, and tap but in vain, he could not have darshan of Krishna. One night in his dream, a dark-complexioned man in white loincloth appeared and told him ‘if you want to have darshan Lord Krishna, you come to Tiruvannamalai near Chennai’. The desire of visiting Tiruvannamalai sprouted in his heart as the dark-complexioned man said that he will have darshan of Lord Krishna there, but when he checked the whereabouts of the place he realized that the place was too far and he could not afford the travel expenses. By then he saw an ad in the newspaper which said they were looking for a retired army officer for the role. He got employed there and in six months’ duration he made enough money, and he traveled to Tiruvannamalai. When he arrived at Ramana Maharshi Ashram he saw the same dark man sitting absorbed in inner self in total silence, he did not know that he was Ramana Maharshi then but later he got to know about him and purchased few books as well. But 2 days passed yet Ramana Maharshi did not speak anything, he was in Samadhi stithi. The retired officer got infuriated that he had been called there to make him have darshan of Krishna and had traveled all along spending huge amount of money but he doesn’t speak and angrily on the third day he cursed ‘he is a tantric, cheat’ and got ready to leave from there. Army officer naturally has anger due to Tamo and Rajo gun. Then Ramana Maharshi opened his eyes called him ‘come here, you want to have darshan of Lord Krishna right?’, he exclaimed yes! Maharshi asked him to close his eyes and sit there, within two seconds he had the darshan of Krishna, Radha, Kurukshetra, and the melody of flute everything, his eyes overflew with tears of joy. Ramana Maharshi asked him after the experience ‘did you have darshan of Lord Krishna? He said in bliss ‘yes’. But Maharshi ‘No, you did not have darshan of Krishna. Before the darshan of Krishna, you existed, while the darshan also you existed, and now after the darshan also you do exist. Like how when a movie is projected on the screen, before the movie, during the movie and after the movie what remains is the detached screen and movie is the falsity similarly one who sees the play within is Krishna, the visions that are casted are not Krishna. It’s not about showing it is about being. Krishna means the force that attracts the devotees towards him, they call it Krishna, Shiva, and such. This way in just half an hour Ramanamaharshi imparted the wisdom of Ekatva (Oneness) that Athma is Shiva, Jivathma, and Shivathma are not separate, Krishna and you are not separate’. He was so blissful to receive the tattvajnana and left.
In our next visit to Tiruvanamalai, Shivananda Swamy from from Australia, Shivadas from Chennai, Jacob Shivanand, Mallikarjun Pujera, and Jatresh joined us, after the darshan of Ramana Maharshi’s Samadhi, we all visited Chidambar and had the darshan of Samadhi of Avadhutha Chidambaram Ramalinga Swamy and then we left to Vadalur and Metukuppam from there. We meditated there, it’s a unique holy place, a siddha bhumi.
Parabrahma Nityananda, Ramana Maharshi, Narayanguru Swamy, Ramalinga Swamy all are forms of Light (Jyotiswarupa). Chidambaram Temple is a world-famous temple situated in South India, Chidambara means Chidakasha. Fifteen kilometers towards north-east from this place is a village called Maradur. In 19th century 1823, on Sunday, 5th October at 5.50 pm in the evening, Ramalingaswamy incarnated as the fifth baby to the couple Sri Ramayya Pillai and Chennamma belonging to Karanika family. The baby who was named as Ramalinga was taken to Chidambara temple when he was five months old to have darshan of Nataraj who is in Tandav nritya (Tandav dance). A priest named Abbayya Dikshit worshipped Nataraja and Shivagami, stacking the curtain aside he performed Deeparadhana (worshipping with lamp) to the idol and when he showed them the idol the five-month-old Ramalingam laughed aloud, Abbayya Dikshit immediately remarked ‘this is a divine child, child of wisdom (jnana shishu)’. The five-month baby, Ramalingam, already had realized the devarahasya (the secret of god) that the vast space was Purna Parabrahma. Father Ramayya merged in Shiva when the child was just six months old. Ramalingam went with his mother to Chennai and lived in ‘Yelukinaru’ place at a home on Veeraswamy Pillai Street. Swamy’s elder brother Sabhapathi Pillai had learned Shastras (scriptures) from his guru Sabhapathi Mudaliyar and used to teach Shastra to students. The five-year old Ramalinga was not willing to go to any school, receive any classes on spiritual knowledge nor play with his peers. When he was taken to Sabhapathi Mudaliyar, he said ‘I do not have the wisdom to preach this child, he is a divine child, incarnation of Shiva’. He was aware that Ramalinga had descended to the world to chide and ameliorate the mortals who are dark from inside but brighter on outside. The Mahatma knew that Ramalinga was a great jnani who would bring those people with darkness in mind but outwardly are trying to put up brighter face acting modest, into the path of righteousness and grace.
Ramalinga’s brother seeing Ramalinga sitting absorbed in dhyana used to admonish his wife ‘do not serve food to him, he is faineant’. Once when Sabhapathi Pillai had to go to an affluent family for Purana Prasanga (give a discourse on mythological stories), he fell ill stricken with fever. His wife forced Ramalinga to replace his brother for Purana prasanga, he was only 9 years old then. His brother wondering what this ignorant boy can do and told him ‘just sing two or three bhajans, only if you know them, otherwise apologize to the devotees and come back’. But a miracle took place there; boy Ramalinga who started the Pravachan at 06.30 pm in the evening carried it till 12 in the night. Devotees were spellbound at his meaningful exposition on the presence of God, the entire world then realized that Balaleela (mystic child) Ramalingam was a Janma Siddha (born siddha), Mahajnani who never studied scriptures nor learned from any scholar.
Ramalingam draping a white cloth around stayed in Karumbali near Chidambaram propagating ‘O worldly beings, taking the pride of Caste, creed, culture, rituals, scriptures, sect and wandering all around with it, you will all wither one day!’ While he stayed there, he demonstrated a lot of siddhis (mystic powers) like lighting the lamp with cold water. Ramalingaswamy is the one who revived the dead to life and himself remained ever without dying. When Vetavalam’s landlord’s one wife was troubled by Brahmarakshasa and the other suffered from Mahodara disease (multiple complications of the stomach), he cured them by giving Bhasma (ashes). He forbade the consumption of meat and animal slaughtering. When the landlord gave him the money and land, he rejected and demanded ‘stop animal sacrifices in the name of God’. Vallar Ramalingaswamy wrote about 6000 poems. In 1867 he built an Anna Chatra (hall to feed food) in the 100 acres of land donated by Vadalur villagers, the greatest of all charities is to donate food. Attempts to capture him on the photo were made almost 9 times, still, he could not be captured on the photo. There is only space, chidakasha, what can one capture. He started Sahapankthi bhojana where people from all caste creed and categories could sit together and have food and Satyajnana Sabha (hall/congregation of true knowledge), Jnanamantapa, where people from all religions could pray together, it was secular. He raised the flag of the path of righteousness (Sanmarga dhvaja) and held a mammoth pravachan (discourse) on 22.10.1873.
To tread the path of truth and make the jivathma a space of consciousness (chit sabha), he rendered a four-fold path of pure conduct/purification, he gave the Light called wisdom; 1. Indriya Olpu (pure conduct of body, in terms purification of sense organs), 2. Karana Olpu (purity of thoughts, in terms of purification of mind), 3.Jiva Olpu (purification of life, in terms of good conduct with other beings), 4. Athma olpu (purification of the soul). He said ‘have compassion for all creatures, abandon caste creed discriminations, hunger, thirst, diseases, desires, murders, lust, violence are all the reason for miseries, purify your thoughts. To realize the ultimate place of one, Purity of feeling is enough, no need for Khavi (saffron robes) and matted hair locks, nor Shastras and Chaturvedas. If the heart is aligned and established in the inner realm (Chitta) that shiva alone is perpetual, then penance and sadhana are also not required. I am Shiva, You are Shiva, World is Shivamaya’.
M Govindaraju has translated Sri Ramalingaswamy’s Tamil book ‘Jeevakarunya Olpu’ to Kannada. He also has translated a lot of Tamil books to Kannada, and also translated Sarvajna and Basavanna vachanas from Kannada to Tamil. Vallalar Ramalingaswamy talks about four purusharthas (essential aims of human life); 1. Power of transformation (transmutation of the physical body into a body of light, and transform anything into its trueness), 2. Knowledge of science of immortality, 3. Mastery over the elements of nature (Tattva Nigraha), 4. Knowledge of Omnilight, the realization of the Divine, and becoming Himself. To achieve these essential aims, there are four disciplines to be followed.
- Indriya Olpu (Discipline of senses and body):
*Avoid listening to harsh or cruel words, listen to hymns, chants, and sacred sounds
*Touch with compassion, not with impurity
*Refrain from casting cruel looks
*Refrain from craving for tasty food
*Refrain from craving for perfumes/ good smell
*Refrain from lying and slander, engage in pleasant speech
*If there is any harm about to take place to anybody, intervene to prevent it. Visit the holy places and sadhus with total surrenderness
*Take care of the body with healthy food, cleansing, yoga, pranayama, dhyana etc.
2. Karana Olpu (Discipline of mind and its faculties): Not allowing the mind to dwell in evil thoughts and defects of others, dissolving the mind in Chit (space of consciousness)
3. Jiva Olpu (Psychic discipline): To treat all men, women, children equally without any disparity, irrespective of distinctions in caste, creed, stage of life (ashrama), nobility of family, adherence to shastras, nationality, high- low social status, and black-white, following the Ajatavada Tattva.
4. Athma Olpu (Discipline of Soul): Same Divine Himself dwells in all creatures from ants to elephants, Jivathma within the body itself is Paramathma. The all-compassing parabrahma has to be established without any bias.
Jeevakaarunya (compassion to all living beings): One must extinguish the fire of hunger that’s burning in the destitute by offering them food, one must extinguish the vicious air of hunger through the light of wisdom. One must kill the tiger called hunger by offering food. One who suffers from the ailment called Hunger must be offered food no matter any state or nationality he belongs to, without judging them on their conduct or caste. One must see the light that shines equally in all living creatures, which is the light of God, it is divine, divya. Divya is light, words like Deva, Devate, (God, and Goddess) came from the word divya. That divine light is Parabrahma.
On 30th January 1874, Friday midnight 12 he went inside the hamlet he stayed in Vadalur, and before locking it he said ‘this is not the body, it’s chidambara, chidakasha, this body will not be available to bury in grounds nor burn’ and closed the doors. It’s a strange incident in the entire universe where the body itself transmutes into nothingness. It was an era of British, British officers came thereafter few days and forcibly broke open the door but there was nothing, it was shunya (nothingness), just the space, chidakasha chidambara- the camphor had burnt and become shunya.
That’s why Parabrahma Bhagavan NItyananda in Ganeshpuri had told a doctor named Balakrishna Nambiyar that three lights that shone in the South India will illumine the entire world eternally. Those lights are Ramana Maharshi, Narayan Guruswamy, Vallalar Ramalingaswamy. Nadaar community in Mumbai are devotees Vallalar Ramalingaswamy. Vallalar means ‘god who is giving’, a naadar person had seen Vallalar Ramalingaswamy in Bhagawan Nityananda. He wanted to buy a truck but he did not have money to buy, Bhagavan had given him 35,000rs taking out from his loincloth. He became very rich after he bought the truck. After few years when the truck turned old he used to take it to Ganeshpuri making a procession with pomp. Even now in January during Tamilians ‘Taiposam’ festival devotees come in procession from Dharavi Ashram of Karunakar Swamy in Padayatra (journey by foot) to Ganeshpuri with the photo Mahayogi Jivanmukta Ramalingaswamy and celebrate Taiposam festival with all grandeur. There is a connection between Karunakar Swamy and Naadar community, they are the ones who gave place to Karunakar Swamy to build ashram there, that’s how everything is linked. We devotees from Nityananda Seva Samithi of Belgaum and Mumbai had the fortune to join them in padayatra from Karunakar Swamy ashram to Ganeshpuri twice. We must understand that all Mahatmas, Avadhuthas are Parabrahmaswarupis, they are Jeevanmuktas (liberated), and deathless, they are eternal (nitya).
Vallalar Ramalinga, the inextinguishable light -who is Chidakasha, Parashiva, Parabrahma Swarupi- illumines the world and his Jeevakarunya Olpu grantha is a light that illumines the entire universe. It’s the same light Bhagavan Nityananda imparted to TulasiMata as the light of Athmaprabhava, chidakashagita, for the entire universe to become one country and to disseminate Ajatavada Tattva. Parabrahma Nityananda, Ramana Maharshi, Narayan GuruSwamy, Basavanna, Ramalingaswamy are the embodiment of primordial pure elemental bodies (Shuddha Bhuthakarana Pranavadehadaari) like Akash, chidakash which cannot be condensed, they illumine the entire universe through their Jnana Shareer like chit ambar (sky of wisdom), Chidambar. Their body is like the Eminent Light which can’t be extinguished by air, earth, sky, fire, torrents, effulgent rays, time (kaala, death), diseases, murders, grahadosh (nefarious planetary movements), and kala bedh (unfavourable time). Fire can’t burn them and the external sky can’t move them. We must realize that God is Nirakar (formless), Akar (form), Sagun (with qualities), Nirgun (without qualities), Nishchinth (without worries), Ghana (eminent of all), Chidakasha, Chidambara, the vast space (bayalu).
There are books of Ramalingaswamygal in other languages like English, Tamil etc., one may refer to read all the teachings of SriRamalingaswamy.
Namo Nityananda
Avadhutha Darshana, Vijayananada Swamy
Video Translation to English: Ramya Poojari
