Strange Incident Happened For Muruganar's First Visit to Ramana

There is a troubling report that at his first visit to Ramana, Muruganar was administered a hallucinogenic.

Muruganar reported the following to Narasimha in 1930:

Two or three days after my arrival I was given some medicine. I do not know what it was, but it excited me and overpowered me. I sat in front of the Maharshi and concentrated my mind on his person. After a few minutes I had a vision of brightness.

It was a suffused brightness all over his body and around it. The body was, however, distinct from the surrounding light. How long it lasted I do not know, so wholly lost was I in contemplating the vision. Kunju Swami, Dandapani Swami and Arunachala Swami were present while this was going on.

Maharshi then appeared to me as Christ, for what reason I cannot say, and again as Mohammed and other great souls for similarly inexplicable reasons. I lost my former personality during this period, for it was submerged and lost in a huge ocean wave of a new state of spirituality.

I was feeling that all my experience was dream-like, vague, insubstantial, and mysterious, in spite of the feeling that I was still in the waking condition. I was obsessed by this fear that my former worldly waking state was being smothered and
my former self plundered of its sense of reality and individuality. I felt that as a consequence I might be perpetually held down to this strange life in Tiruvannamalai and be forever lost to my mother whose sole support I was.

Sources:

1) http://www.realization.org/page/doc1/doc102b.htm
2) Paul Brunton and Ramana Maharshi by Dr. J. Glenn Friesen Book

I asked David Godman regarding this and below is his reply.

This was a story that Muruganar narrated to B. V. Narasimhaswami. I found it in the notes he left behind at Ramanasramam.In the 1920s many of the sadhus who associated with Bhagavan took ganja, even though Bhagavan disapproved, and told them so. I think it is possible that Muruganar was given something that other sadhus were also taking, and that he was either not used to it or had a bad reaction to it.

Best Wishes - David Godman


My friend Subramanian R Garu adds few points

Dear prasanth,

It may or may not be true. There were no such medicines available in Tiruvannamalai or even Madras at that time. The pleasant incident that took place was when Muruganar met Bhagavan Ramana with his song, from Desika Padigam [in Sri Ramana Sannidhi Murai]. He wrote it at the Temple, after seeing Annamalai and Unnamulai and like a poet who goes to the King with a poem [that is all, a poor poet could afford those days] he went with that poem. But he could not read even one line in the magnificent Presence of Bhagavan Ramana.

Imagine, he is a great Tamizh scholar! This scholar stood like a school boy, who is not able to read even one line of a poem, before the Teacher.Bhagavan Ramana then said: "Enna Oye, padikka kazhtama? Why is there difficulty in reading?" He then pulled the paper and read the poem on Himself, Himself! This is the first song starting Par valar kayilai....

Meaning:

"Leaving the Kailash which protects the whole world, You came down to Tiruperundurai, to listen to the melodious songs on that day. Now you have come to Tiruvannamalai, to listen to my songs!"

Bhagavan Ramana after reading, asked : Oye, Neer Manikkavachagar pol ezhuthuveero? Oye, you will write like Manikkavachagar?

This prophecy came true. All Muruganar's poem in Sri Ramana Sannidhi Murai, are modelled like the poems of Tiruvachakam and Tirukovaiyar.

It does not matter, if Muruganar has taken some hallucinogens.Bhagavan Ramana was also given a good lump of ganga when He was there in Skandasramam.

When Bhagavan Ramana had taken once [only once] ganja, His eyes became bloodshot and His Mother who was there, at that time with Him, was worried.But Bhagavan Ramana never went unconscious, or slept, but was simply sitting in His usual posture in Skandasramam.

Later after some years, once Annamalai Swami asked Bhagavan Ramana how it would be if one takes ganja. Bhagavan Ramana,who was about to go for bath [and Annamalai Swami was nearby] embraced Annamalai Swami and said: Anandam, Anandam! This made Annamalai Swami to have feeling of shock and indescribable state of bliss for some minutes!

Arunachala Siva.

My Spiritual Friend Sonagiri wants to share few points

I think it was Annamalai Swami who told the story that the ganja-taking sadhus used to meet at the Draupadi Shrine that is just to the west of Palakottu. In the 1920s they would go to Bhagavan and say, 'We are going for Draupadi darshan,' and everyone, including Bhagavan would know what they were up to. Muruganar's first visit (1923) was during this period.