Cherished Memories

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Publisher's Note

The glory of 'Temple Worship' is that it accommodates the various moods of the devotees. The main deity (moola murti) represents the 'Still' nature of the Lord while the processional deity during festivals (utsava murti) represents the 'Action' (Shakti) aspect.

For the devotees of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, the main deity is "Sri Ramaneswara Mahalingam" enshrined on the southern slope of Arunachala Hill in Sri Ramanasramam. This 'Moola Murti' is the beacon light for those who want to escape the ocean called 'samsara'. Those who have Darshan of Sri Ramaneswara Mahalingam are fortunate indeed.

The main deity beckons devotees to the inner sanctum to bless them. The 'Utsava Murti' seeks out devotees and blesses them at their door-step. The vast literature on and by Sri Ramana Maharshi, truly represent this aspect. Ramana literature has spread to all corners of the world, bestowing His Grace and destroying the ego of the devotees.

One of the rare souls living in our midst is Smt. Kanakammal, who basked in the gracious presence of Sri Ramana Maharshi. It is fortunate that she is narrating her personal spiritual experiences even now to earnest seekers. Her self-discipline and spiritual memories are soaked in the devotion of Sri Bhagavan. For long years she remained a light within the bushel and now at the earnest request of devotees she has come forward to share her spiritual wealth in the form of her commentaries (in Tamil) for 'The Collected Works of Sri Ramana Maharshi' as also her reminiscences.

How are we to repay our debt to Sri Bhagavan's devotees of yore for the priceless treasures they have shared with us? There is only one-way i.e., to follow the path of "Self Enquiry", the royal path as shown by Sri Bhagavan. This 'Cherished Memories of Smt. Kanakammal' is also an aid to that Supreme path of 'Self Knowledge'. To aid us in this path I beseech the grace of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

Back of the Book

Srimathi T. R. Kanakammal who belongs to the older generation of devotees is a well-known personality. The intensity of her devotion may be gauged from the fact that she is living in close proximity to the Ashram since decades.

Here Kanakammal narrates a series of episodes centred on Sri Bhagavan. This is in addition to her general account of Arunachala and its greatness as well as a good explanation bringing out the speciality of Sri Bhagavan's personality and teachings.

Kanakammal's presence in Sri Bhagavan's hall when the events took place coupled with her association with eminent devotees like Muruganar whose reminiscences are so valuable, lends charm to her writing. Her sound knowledge of Tamil and Telugu strengthens the authenticity of her account

Since Sri Bhagavan never adopted a pontifical attitude, it was left to devotees to record with care his utterances as well as actions (which had a deep significance). The author has played this role well. Through a study of this book devotees and seekers will also get a clear picture of life at the Ashram.