Bhagavan’s Intention to Leave Asramam and Stay Alone in Caves

Bhagavan Sri Ramana wanted to live in caves and forest away from men. Vasudeva Sastri was with Bhagavan when the following incidents took place. 

Vasudeva Sastri is one of the earliest devotee of Bhagavan, who looked after the routine work at Virupaksha Cave. He was the one who embraced Bhagavan and wept when Bhagavan’s heart stopped beating near the Tortoise rock, which was the second death experience of Bhagavan. 

     *Pranava Body* 

 The following incident written in Sri Kunju Swami’s book. It describes about a time when Bhagavan wanted to disappear into the forest and attain Pranava Body, but the head of the Esanya Mutt, Sri Sathappaswami, prevented Bhagavan from going into the forest where He would have remained unseen.

Sometimes Bhagavan used to feel His body disappear in a flash into atoms and then a smoke-like form would appear, and again take a human shape. He usually had this experience when He was in the same position for long or when His body dwindled due to lack of food. When the body disintegrates into atoms and becomes one with the elements, it is called ‘pranava body’. 

Once when Bhagavan decided to fast and become a pranava body, He was on His way to the jungle round the Hill near Pachaiamman Temple.

Vasudeva Sastri, who was a boy at that time studying in a Vedapatasala, ran to Him and said, ‘You have come all alone. Let us go to Virupaksha Cave.’ 

Bhagavan said He would spend two days in the jungle and come back, and asked him to leave. The young Vasudeva Sastri, unwilling to leave Bhagavan, wept. Bhagavan pacified him and said He would be back soon. 

Then Bhagavan walked a little further. At that time, a cart was coming in the direction of Bhagavan. The head of the Esanya Mutt, Sri Sathappaswami, was in the cart. He was returning after inspecting the lands of the mutt. He recognised the Brahmanaswami, got down from the cart, and walked briskly towards Him. 

Delighted at seeing Brahmanaswami, Sri Sathappaswami, said, "Swami! I never thought I would see you here. It is my good fortune that I have your darshan today. For a long time, I have been planning to take you to my mutt. I was not sure whether you would come. Hence I hesitated. Now here is a golden opportunity for me. You must come to our mutt." He spoke with great feeling.

As Bhagavan was disinclined to go anywhere, He tried to ward him off. But the tall and hefty Sathappaswami would not accept any refusal. He bodily lifted Bhagavan and put Him in the cart. Bhagavan was bound by his fetters of love. 

The head of the mutt was overjoyed at being in the company of a great jnani. He offered Bhagavan a special seat, fed Him and treated Him with great reverence and devotion. Bhagavan did not like all this special attention. "I can’t accept all these things, let me go," He said. Sathappaswami said that Bhagavan could live as He pleased and begged Him to spend some more time with him. Bhagavan kept quiet. 

After a week, early one morning, Bhagavan quietly slipped out of the mutt and went to Pavalakunru Temple. 

Sathappaswami felt sad when he found that Sri Bhagavan had left. When he heard that He was at Pavalakunru Temple, he went to see Him there. This temple also belonged to the Esanya Mutt. He asked the head of the temple to arrange for proper feeding of Sri Bhagavan. After that Bhagavan returned back to Ashram.

We must be eternally grateful to Sri Sathappaswami who bound Sri Bhagavan with the silken thread of love and prevented Him from going into the forest where He would have remained unseen. 

It is because of Sri Sathappaswami that we have had the good fortune of having the Sage of Arunachala in our midst. 

– Living with the Master 

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The following incident is adapted from the book of Sri Devaraja Mudaliar, when Bhagavan’s intention to leave the ashram, when he was in Skandasramam and to live in the caves of the forest, which was again foiled by Esanya Mutt Swami. 

Once, Bhagavan and Vasudeva Sastri went around the Hill during the Skandasramam days. When they reached near Esanya Mutt it was around 8:30 a.m. Bhagavan sat on a rock and said with tears in His eyes He would never again come to the Ashram and would go where He pleased and live in the forests or caves away from all men.

Vasudeva Sastri would not leave without Bhagavan and neither would Bhagavan come away. It was very late. They had reached the vicinity of Esanya Mutt at 8 or 8:30 a.m., and even as the clock touched 1:00 p.m., they were still in this deadlock. 

Bhagavan asked Vasudeva Sastri to go into the town and eat his food and then come back if he wanted. But he was afraid that if he went, Bhagavan would go away somewhere. 

Meanwhile, the Swami of Esanya Mutt (not Sri Sathappaswami, ) very unexpectedly came that way. Ordinarily it could not be expected he would have come there at that time at all. But strange to say, he came that way and he persuaded Bhagavan to go with him to Esanya Mutt. 

Vasudeva Sastri left Bhagavan there and ran to the town for his food and came back swiftly, fearing that Bhagavan might have left. But Bhagavan had not gone to Esanya Mutt with the Swami of Esanya Mutt. Vasudeva Sastri found Bhagavan there and they both came to Skandasramam afterwards. 

– Day By Day with Bhagavan.

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 *Regarding this topic of leaving ashram and staying alone in cave Bhagavan Ramana reminiced,* “Another time too I wanted to run away from all this crowd and live somewhere unknown, freely as I liked. That was when I was in Virupaksha Cave. I felt my being there was an inconvenience and hardship to Jadaswami and some other swamis there. But on that occasion my plans were frustrated by Yogananda Swami.

"Again I tried to be free on yet another occasion also. That was after mother’s6 passing away. I did not want to have even an Asramam like Skandasramam and the people that were coming there then. But the result has been this Asramam and all the crowd here. Thus all my attempts failed.”

-- Arunachala's Ramana

Boundless Ocean of Grace