Ramana Maharshi Devotee Ramanatha Brahmachari

Ramanatha Brahmachari,was a young boy,studying in Temple Veda Patasala.He is a man of puny structure,hardly 5 feet tall,with thick spectacles.He came to Bhagavan Ramana,even during the time of His stay in the Hills.Bhagavan Ramana took great interest in him.He did a lot of service to other devotees,like bringing necessary items from the shops in Tiruvannamalai,cleaning the caves,lighting the lamps etc.,The devotees called him as Sarvadhikari of Palakottu. He merged with Bhagavan Ramana in 1946.

There are two compositions from Ramanatha Brahmachari on Bhagavan Ramana.One is Sri Ramana Stotra Anubhuti with 30 verses, on the model of Kandar Anubhuti of Saint Arunagiri Natha.The other one is Tiruchuzhi Nathanai Kandene, "I have seen the Lord of Tiruchuzhi".

Verse 1 of Sri Ramana Anubhuti reads like this:

Skanda, Muruga, the graceful Ramana
Came and stayed into my Heart
All my attachements and karmas have been vanquished
I am realizing the Experience within me.


Verse 5 reads:

He gave me the grace that cannot be given to everyone,
He is of six faces and he is the son of Uma,
He is the Brahmin of limitless grace,
He has cured the disease of my birth.


Tiruchuzhi Nathanai Kandene is five verse composition, with a refrain, 'I have seen the Lord of Tiruchuzhi' and Ramanatha describes Ramana as Nataraja of Tiruvannamalai, who weilds his sword to vanquish the egos of devotees.

Ramanatha Brahmachari suffered from plague boils and Bhagavan Ramana took special care towards him for the cure of the disease.He also participated in Freedom Movement, in a limited way.

Source: Recollections of Bhagavan Sri Ramana, A. Devaraja Mudaliar, Sri Ramansramam publications. Translations, my own.

Few more incidents Related to Ramanatha Brahmachari

When Akhilandamma stayed in her native village with her mother, many of Bhagavan’s devotees used to come and stay at her house. With the object of serving such devotees, Akhilandamma and Masthan Swami (whom she introduced to Bhagavan) established a math or centre there in 1914. Called Sri Ramanananda Mathalayam, it was the first ‘Ramana Centre’ to be established outside Tiruvannamalai. Many of Bhagavan’s early devotees such as Kunju Swami, Ramaswami Pillai, Madhava Swami and Ramanatha Brahmachari were taken there to recuperate from various illnesses they had contracted in Tiruvannamalai.

One experiences which Ramaswami Pillai shares goes like this

For a whole year at Skandashram Bhagavan took only one meager meal a day. I was on a visit there the day he broke this fast. I had decided to stay the night even though there was no food for an evening meal for the rest of us. I didn't feel hungry. At about 7:30 one of the devotees,Ramanatha Brahmachari, came back with some pieces of broken coconut and some rice that he had been given at a ceremony he attended in town.

Bhagavan suggested that we should boil it up on the charcoal stove we had there and share it, as was the usual custom. He told us to see whether there was any sugar or sugar candy left from gifts by earlier visitors to flavor it with. We looked but there was nothing at all. It was dark and raining outside and we could not go into town for anything. I was near to tears that Bhagavan should ask for something — so rare an event — and we should not be able to provide it. At that very moment the door opened and two students came in with a bag of sugar candy and a bunch of bananas that they had brought to present to Bhagavan. The meal was cooked and eaten, the two visitors also being invited.

Bhagavan remarked that we had asked for sugar candy and got bananas also, which could be cut up and served like a pickle with the food. After eating he said that it was just a year, 365 days exactly, since he had limited himself to one meal a day and that from now on he would eat in the evening also. That was how things happened with Bhagavan. He did not work miracles, things just happened right.

Readers are requested to read below articles as well

http://prashantaboutindia.blogspot.com/2009/12/ramana-maharshis-disciple-ramaswami.html

http://prashantaboutindia.blogspot.com/2010/02/incident-related-to-ramana-maharshis.html

http://prashantaboutindia.blogspot.com/2009/12/ramana-maharshis-earliest-devotee.html