Azhagammal and Niranjanananda Swami

When Bhagavan moved to Skandasramam, mother too came with him. With the passage of time, because of latent vasanas, Mother would say it would be better if they had this article or that and Bhagavan would admonish her quietly saying, "Mother, if you want bodily comfort, go to the other son; if you want mental comfort you stay here," and she opted for latter as a matter of course. 

Azhagammal adjusted herself to the hard life of the Asramam and never thought of going elsewhere under any circumstances. She remained with her divine son till the very end, and we shall see later how Bhagavan with his divine grace gave her moksha thus fulfilling the Upanishad injunction "Matrudevo Bhava."

Coming to Bhagavan's brother Nagasundaram, who later became Swami Niranjanananda (informally named Chinna Swami), was born in Tiruchuzhi on 8 June 1885. Nagasundaram had three siblings: Nagaswami, the eldest brother; Venkataraman, the middle brother (who was six years older than Nagasundaram); and Alamelu, a younger sister. :

When their father died in 1892, Nagasundaram was six years old. This sudden tragedy forced the family to be split up. The sons Nagaswami and Venkataraman went to their uncle Subba Iyer in Madurai for higher studies while Nagasundaram and Alamelu went to the house of another uncle, Nellaiappa Iyer, in Manamadurai. 

In or around 1902, Nagasundaram came to Bhagavan who was then in silence at Sadguruswami Cave (Banyan Tree Cave). He hugged Bhagavan, weeping aloud, while Bhagavan smiled. He stayed a while, and, at one point, noticed some sugar candy offered by visitors to Bhagavan in the cave. 

Concluding that it was his brother's 'property' and would be excellent prasadam [sanctified gift, usually food] for distribution back home among his relatives, he bundled up some of the candy. 

When this was brought to Bhagavan's attention by Pazhani Swami, his attendant, Bhagavan wrote down his advice to Nagasundaram. This became Bhagavan's first upadesa [spiritual instruction given by a Guru] to his brother. 

Bhagavan advised that the offerings of devotees did not belong to any one person and there was no question of family relationship in the matter. Everyone who visited Him was equally entitled to a share of the offerings made to the Ashram. This upadesa penetrated Nagasundaram deeply, and he lived by it until the end. 

In 1904, Nagasundaram began to earn for the family by working in the Taluk office at Manamadurai. In 1908 he married Mangalam, the eldest daughter of his aunt's (Nellaiappa Iyer's wife's) sister. Two children were born, but both died young. In 1914, they had another male child who they named Venkataraman in honour of the Sage of Arunachala. 

Nagasundaram and Mangalam, along with Azhagammal and Nellaiappa Iyer's wife Janaki, went to Tirupati with their child for the traditional mundan or chudakarm [first head shaving] of their child. In April that year, on their way back to Madurai, they stopped at Tiruvannamalai to visit Sri Ramana. 

Azhagammal was old and fatigued. She declared, "I'm not going back. I will stay here." Nagasundaram returned to Tiruvenkadu with his family and resumed his work. Soon after, his wife, who was unwell after the birth of Venkataraman, died. He was left with the sole responsibility for the boy, but, unfortunately, he found that he could not look after him properly.

In 1916 Narayana Reddy, who lived at Tiruvannamalai, came to Tiruvenkadu and told Nagasundaram that his mother had instructed him to bring her son back with him to Tiruvannamalai. 

Nagasundaram saw this as a call from Arunachala Siva and left Tiruvenkadu, entrusting his child Venkataraman to the care of his sister Alamelu and her husband Pichu Iyer. Nagasundaram was twenty-two years old, when, in August 1917, he arrived in Tiruvannamalai with Bhagavan, their mother Azhagammal told Bhagavan, "You have to look after Picchai." 

Nagasundaram arranged a place to stay in town. He had his meals in a private house and went up each day to Skandasramam for darshan. He did this for about a year until, in 1918, he took the decisive step of renouncing the world and taking sannyasa [renunciation]. He received diksha [initiation] and donned the ochre robes after placing them in front of Bhagavan. He took the name Niranjanananda. 

Niranjana means 'one who is spotless; free from blame; free of attributes' and ananda means 'bliss'. He moved to stay with Bhagavan. Since Bhagavan had insisted that begging was the best way to destroy the ego, he too regularly went to the town to beg for food. Later, devotees called him 'Chinna Swami' or Little Swami, and service to Bhagavan became his life's mission.

In spite of Bhagavan's remonstrances Azhagammal soon after her arrival at the Asramam daily had started cooking food for herself, her sons and visitors; and this practice of cooking food at Asramam then begun continues up to this day. 

Occasionally Azhagammal used to say that it would be good if there was an iron ladle. Bhagavan would simply say, "Let us see." The next day or the day after that, someone would bring five or six ladles. 

It was the same thing with cooking utensils. Mother would say that it would be good if we had this or that article and he would reply, "Is that so?" and very soon such articles, ten instead of one, used to be received.

It is no doubt consistent with the life of a rishi to have a kitchen but the ways of rishis have long been forgotten in the south, and this practice is more often identified with family life (grihasthasmma). 

Seshadriswami, with mild humour, once told a person who took leave of him to go and see Ramanaswami, "Yes, go and see. There is a householder (grihastha) there. You will get sugar cakes (laddu) there." 

The point of the humour lies in the fact that the Swami was situated exactly like grahastha, a householder, with a house, with relations, regular cooking etc. But all this was only in appearance. Maharshi was really little attached to these external objects – however trying their proximity might be. To the really strong man each fresh obstacle furnishes only a fresh opportunity for overcoming it and strengthens his power of resistance.

Source:

Arunachala's Ramana

Boundless Ocean of Grace

 Om Namo

 Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya