Showing posts with label saint. Show all posts
Showing posts with label saint. Show all posts

1 April 2021

Sri Vuchimallai Narayana Swamy—Hill Swami

 

Below is a posting on Swami Narayana I previously made on Arunachala Grace. At the end I have added an additional narrative on Swami found online that gives a little more information about this saint of which little is known or remembered.

 


Swami Narayana, also known as Hill Swami, lived continuously on the top of Arunachala for over 16 years. On April 19th, 2005; Swami was asked to shift from Arunachala summit in response to new regulations regarding Arunachala. Consequently he descended the Hill and relocated to the grounds of the Vignesh Polytechnic some 5-6 kms from the base of the Hill.

However in response to public opinion Swami was awarded special dispensation by the Authorities to continue with his vigil on the Hill summit and within a week of his enforced departure, Swami was helped by his devotees to ascend the Hill to the same meditation spot on the summit of Arunachala.

However shortly after on July 17, 2005, Swami Narayana became ill and had to be helped down Arunachala Hill by devotees. He was admitted to Rangammal Hospital, Tiruvannamalai. Whilst at the hospital Swami received treatment and physiotherapy for arthritic knee joints, a condition brought about by his intense tapas over the previous sixteen years meditating on the summit of Arunachala Hill. Swami, who was attended by several devotees, and accommodated in a private bungalow on the Hospital grounds, maintained almost total silence during his stay and took no food, choosing to subsist entirely on milk. 

Before his departure from Rangammal Hospital on July 29th, 2005, Swami remarked:

"I have been sitting on Arunachala Hill for all these years allowing people to serve me, now it is time for me to stand up and serve others."

At his departure Swami raised both hands in blessing and uttered the word, "Narayana". These few words were almost his total communication during his twelve day Hospital stay. After his discharge Swami left the Arunachala area and moved near Tuticorin with some close devotees.

Swami subsequently returned sporadically to Tiruvannamalai and after each short visit returned to Kerala. When visiting he stayed at Vignesh Polytechnic Hostel on the Thandrabuthi Road near the Tamari Nagar Housing Colony where twice a day he gave darshan to his Indian devotees.

 


Additional Narrative on Hill Swami

"A saint used to live on the top of Arunachala Hill and stayed there for 18 years without taking food. His name was Narayana Swami, but his devotees called him Ayya, as he was a follower of a saint named Ayya Vaikundar, who lived in the early 1800’s.

At the beginning, one of his disciples who was a shepherd used to carry water and a cup of milk up to him every day. The sadhu would make a cup of 'tea' using Vibhutti and leaves—and while on the summit of Arunachala all he ingested each day for 18 years was a cup of tea and a cup of milk. It is believed that had it not been for his yogic powers it would have been physically impossible for him to have lived in this way.

I first met him in 1997, after meeting his shepherd disciple near Virupaksha cave. The disciple asked me to come with him up the mountain to see his guru, whom he was carrying a jug of water for. I had climbed up the hill from the back entrance of Ramana Ashram, so I was still bare foot, as my shoes were at the front of the ashram, but I said I would try to come along with him.

As we went up the mountain together it was becoming quite long and laborious. It was scorching hot and the skin on my feet was starting to burn off. This disciple saw me suffering, took off his flip flops and told me to wear them up the mountain. That provided some relief and allowed me to climb up Arunachala; but it was much harder and further than it looked from the base of the mountain.

When I saw Narayana Swamy he was sitting inside a bush, which concealed most of his body. The disciple told me to keep some distance from him, maybe it was 15 feet or so. Swami prepared a tea using water, vibhutti and leaves and told me to drink it. I drank it, and then Narayana Swamy from within the bush extended his two feet out towards me, showing the bottom of his two feet to me. The disciple said, “You are very fortunate, he hardly ever shows his feet to people.”

I was told to chant a mantra, which I recall to be “ayya shiva shiva shiva shiva arakara arakara”. I offered obeisance to him one more time, and then headed back down the mountain with the shepherd disciple.



At that time no one used to stay with Narayana Swami, he was always alone on top of the mountain. In later years some young men formed around him and were staying on the mountain, but unfortunately they were not good people.

After 18 years of tapas he finally left Arunachala and went to a village near Kanyakumari named Palakulam, where he entered samadhi a couple of years ago. I think the people who had assembled around him caused him to leave Tiruvannamalai, because they were not keeping pure habits and were misusing his presence for extorting money from people.

Years later I came to know that his shepherd devotee had also passed away, while very young."

[Narrative by Jahnava Nitai Das]

29 March 2016

Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram Mahakumbhabhishekam: March 25, 2016


Ramsuratkumar was born in 1918 as Ramsurat Kunwar at Nardara, a small village along the stretches of river Ganges. After his intermediate education, he went in search of spiritual enlightenment. On that quest he visited three important saints of South India — Ramana Maharishi at Tiruvannamalai, Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry and Papa Ramdas of Kerala. 

Yogi Ramsuratkumar later moved to Tiruvannamalai and asked people to turn inward for spiritual enlightenment. He was hailed as the ‘God Child of Tiruvannamalai’, and renowned as a mystic saint. Many devotees consider him a Siddha Purushar (mystic) in the tradition of the Tamil Nadu Saivite Siddhars. 

Thoughout his life at Tiruvannamalai he lived like a beggar. Dressed in simple clothing and generally with a palm leaf fan he was called Visiri Saamiyaar in Tamil. He would also carry a coconut shell in his hand, wear a green shawl and live very simply. 

To read the biography of this great saint visit my website Arunachala Samudra at this link here.

Bhagavan Ramsuratkumar died at his Tiruvannamalai Ashram on 20th February 2001. Mahakumbhabhishekam of the then newly consecrated Adhishtanam of Bhagavan Yogi Ramsuratkumar was celebrated on 27th June 2004. Subsequently Mahakumbhabhishekam of Bhagavan Yogi Ramsuratkumar was also celebrated this year at his Tiruvannamalai Ashram on Friday, 25 March, 2016. 


Programme of the 2016 Mahakumbhabhishekam Programme

To watch videos of the complete 2016 Mahakumbhabhiskeham programme please visit the official Yogi Ramsuratkumar You Tube channel at this link here
 

Yogi Ramsuratkumar

Below are photographs of part of the celebratory programme recently observed at the Ashram. 


Wonderful decorations welcoming devotees to the Ashram



Specially constructed hall for the yagasalai programme



Main entrance to the Hall

Inside the Hall


Statue of Yogi Ramsuratkumar

It is the experience of many that this statue of Yogi Ramsuratkumar has a powerful energy and a particularly blessed place to visit if one needs help and inspiration in one’s life. To read more visit this link here.


Story of the Statue



Sri Yogi Ramsuratkumar Mahasamadhi


Daily Programme: 
Bhajans 10 a.m. to 12 Noon and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. 
Pooja and Abishekam for the Sivalingam morning and evening. 
Temple open from 5 a.m. to 12 Noon and 4 p.m. to 8p.m. 
Special Poojas on Thursdays and Festivals 



Group of Senior Devotees

As always the devotees of Yogi Ramsuratkumar created a beautiful, loving function dedicated to his name. The decorations and facilities at the Ashram for visiting Pilgrims were excellent. 

This Ashram always creates wonderful Divine Displays and Functions during Festivals and Holy Times. In particular the Kolu displays during the Navaratri Festival and the representation of Arunachala Hill during Mahadeepam are always special and should be visited by Arunachala pilgrims. 


Line for Meals during the Festival

Great attention was given to the comfort and care of visiting devotees

Shamiana tents specially built for visitors during the Mahakumbhabhishekam Functions


You can visit the Official Website dedicated to Yogi Ramsuratkumar at this link here

To watch a video of Yogi Ramsuratkumar giving darshan please watch the below.