Yogi Ramsuratkumar

December 1, 1918 to February 20, 2001

One of the recent Mahatmas of Arunachala was Yogi Ramsuratkumar who inspite of his undoubted spiritual attainments in speech, always cultivated humility and self-effacement. He always spoke of himself as, 'this dirty beggar', 'this useless madcap fellow', 'this great sinner' and of His Father (i.e. The Lord) as, 'very great'.

He always acknowledged with reverence his huge debt to sacred Arunachala and Arunachaleswarar Temple, saying: 'This Hill and this Temple, they have saved this beggar,' and with the utmost gratitude for the sanctity of Mount Arunachala, he would say:

'This beggar wandering here and there, tired of wandering but having no home; Arunachalesvara, in the form of this hill, had mercy on this miserable sinner. So he gives thanks, a thousand thanks, to this holy hill, this holy temple. Oh, the magnanimity of the Lord! He has given me shelter for twenty long years. Whereas others who come are enabled to stay only days or weeks . . . For thousands of years the hill has given shelter to so many dirty sinners like me; and Arunachala will give us shelter for thousand of years to come.'

When Yogi Ramsuratkumar used to walk around the Hill, out of humility, he would always walk in the opposite direction of all the other pilgrims.

Many times Yogi Ramsuratkumar would say: 'The mountain helps us'. He himself spent many years wandering on the mountain, taking shelter in its caves. Based on his own comments, his transformation seems to have been connected in part to his subtle relationship to the divine force within Arunachala.

Where is the Fire?
The Fire is there on the hill there.
But I don't see it there.
You can see it if you are really bent upon seeing it.
Are you afraid of being engulfed by it?
Then you can't see it
Have courage, no fear
You are sure to see it

[Yogi Ramsuratkumar]

The 'Fire' referred to by Yogi Ramsuratkumar (as poet) is the mystical Fire of Creation, the light that is perceived burning within Mount Arunachala as the embodiment of Shiva:

'This holy Fire burned at the core of the beggar's absolute certainty: his faith in a Power that governs everything, controls everything.'

[Yogi Ramsuratkumar]

His samadhi is enshrined at the Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram on the southside of Arunachala and in close proximity to Chengam Road and Sri Ramana Ashram and Sri Seshadri Ashram.

For more of his life please check link at:
http://www.arunachalasamudra.org/yogiram.html