Ramana Maharshi Devotee Echammal Shares Her Experiences

LAKSHMI Ammal, usually referred to as Echammmal,belonged to Mandakolutur about twenty miles away from Arunachala. At one time she lived at Karedu village in Nellore district where her husband was posted. Her first born, a boy, passed away. Later she had a boy and a girl.

Calamities befell her almost all at one stroke. Her son, daughter and husband passed away one after the other in quick succession. She bore them stoically and went back to her place with her last daughter. When the girl was about ten Echammal fixed up her marriage. A few days before the wedding the girl developed high fever.

A few days after the girl passed away.

Accompanied by a friend she visited the ramana mahashi who was then staying at Virupaksha cave. She noticed that the form which had appeared in her dreams three times earlier was of this very Sadguru. She sat in silence for an hour. The Swami was as usual silent. She was not inclined to return, it was as if her feet got planted
there. Yet she had to return. On reaching home she told her friend that the oppressive weight in her heart torturing her in the recent past had gone.

From that day she regularly visited the ashram, like an iron filing attracted to a magnet. She also began serving food to the Swami. She used the money sent by her father,and later by her brother, for the service of the Swami and his disciples. She would prepare food for them and serve it wherever they went. For a number of Ramana devotees her house became a lodging place.

With the permission of the Swami she adopted her niece, Chellammal, and performed her marriage. She named her grandson after Ramana. One day, she received a telegram from her son-in-law saying that Chellammal had passed away- which came as a bolt from the blue.

The Swami showed her his grace in several ways. Here are a couple of such instances.

One day while Echammal was climbing the hill carrying food for the Swami there was a heavy downpour.She took shelter at a particular place and looked at the Swami who was not far away. She observed that the area surrounding him was absolutely dry whereas at a little distance from him it was raining heavily!

On another occasion, a Pandit from the North visited the Swami at Virupaksha cave and was discussing some subtle points with the Swami. When Echammal reached the cave as usual she was astonished at what she saw. She began trembling when the Swami asked her the reason.She narrated her experience thus: On reaching the Sadguru Swami cave on her way, she felt that there were two persons - one of whom was the Swami and the other the visitor close by. Without halting she moved along. As she was doing so a voice said “Why climb when he is here?” When she turned back she could see nobody at the spot or nearabouts. She trembled with fear at this experience and somehow reached Virupaksha cave. The Sastry then said to the Swami. “You have been speaking to me here but appeared before her at a different place! You have not blessed me with your grace similarly.”

The Swami merely said that because Echammal was constantly thinking of him she saw his form elsewhere.But the question still remained as to why she should see the visitor also!

Echammal was a sattvic devotee. With all her devotion to the Swami she never ignored other great souls. She had great devotion for Seshadri Swami also who was pleased
with her goodness and devotion. Seshadri Swami who neither allowed others to come near him nor go to others,would visit Echammal’s house.

The Swami rid Sivaprakasam Pillai of worldly desires and put him on the path of enquiry. He did the same for Echammal also. But for the Swami’s grace how could a
person immersed in sorrow because of worldly affairs, get on to the path of self-enquiry?

Source: SRI RAMANA LEELA (A BIOGRAPHY OF BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI) Telugu original Sri Krishna Bhikshu Edited and Translated by Pingali Surya Sundaram