Ethakudi Raghavachari with Ramana Maharishi-more details requested

Hi Raghu,
We have known about this from our younger days. I also had the opportunity to read the book that is being quoted here. Ethakudi thatha was also the first to own a motor cycle (Circa 1900), a horse and and a small mini fan in Mannargudi area. It appears that he had multiple aspects to his personality - spiritiual and technological curiosity among them.
I am sure you heard about another incident....Thatha was living with patti & children in Ethakudi. Thatha's chithi (our great grand father's 2nd wife) was a widow and was also living with them with her daughter. Thatha's chithi was asking Thatha about her daughter to be married and money arrangements. Ethakudi patti was furious that her daughters (Lakshmi, Janakam) are being ignored and started arguing with thatha and patti. Thatha got very angry and left home saying he was becoming a "sanyasi". He was a no show for close to a week and ultimately returned without saying where he went. Ethakudi patti told me that he went off to Ramana ashram and was convinced to go back since his family needed him. I am not sure if you knew that ethakudi patti spent her last year before her death in Madurai around 1959 and I had some opportunity to get to know her then.
narasimhan

On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 1:00 AM, Devanathan Raghavan <raghavandr@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hi Sundar, Narasimhan:

Do you know anything about this? I got this info. from my cousin Gri.
Hi Raghu:

Here is an excerpt from the book "Sri Ramana Leela", published by Sri Ramanashramam. I have confirmation from Periyappa (your dad) that the "Raghavachari" mentioned in the incident is indeed your grandpa.

(I actually first read about this incident in a book on Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi by a British devotee, Arthur Osborne, some 25-30 years ago. But I could not find an online version of that book).

Love

giri

Raghavachari was an overseer at Tiruvannamalai

from 1910 onwards. He had Bhagavan’s

darshan off and
on but whenever he went, Bhagavan would be amidst a

group of people and so Raghavachari was reluctant to

speak to Bhagavan who was not alone. Here is what

happened once, in his own words:

One day, I went up with an intent to submit three

questions or requests to Bhagavan. The questions were:

(i) Can you grant me a few minutes for a private

personal talk-free from the presence of others? (ii) I

should like to have your opinion on the Theosophical

society of which I am a member; (iii) Will you please

enable me to see your real form if I am eligible to see it?

When I went and prostrated (to Bhagavan) and sat,

there was a crowd of thirty persons, but (on their

own) they immediately dispersed. So I was alone

with him and my first query was thus answered

without my having to state it. That struck me as

noteworthy.

Then he asked me of his own accord if the book in

my hand was the

Gita and if I was a member of the
T.S. and remarked even before I attempted to answer

his queries, ‘It is doing good work.’ I answered his

questions in the affirmative.

My second question also being thus anticipated, I

waited with an eager mind for the third answer.

After half an hour I said ‘Just as Arjuna wished to see

the form of Sri Krishna and asked for

darshan I wish
to have a

darshan of your real form, if I am eligible.’
He was then seated on the pial with a picture of

Dakshinamurthy painted on the wall next to him.

He silently gazed on as usual and I gazed into his

eyes. Then his body and also the picture of

Dakshinamurthy disappeared from my view. There

was only empty space without even a wall, before

my eyes. Then a whitish cloud in the outline of the

Maharshi and of Dakshinamurthy, formed before

my eyes. Gradually the outline (with silvery lines) of

these figures appeared. Then eyes, nose etc., and

other details were outlined in lightning-like lines.

These gradually broadened till the whole figure of

the Swami and Dakshinamurthy became ablaze with

very strong and unendurable light. I closed my eyes

in consequence. I waited a few minutes and then

saw him and Dakshinamurthy in the usual form. I

prostrated and came away. For a month thereafter I

did not dare go near him, so great was the impression

the above experience made on me. After a month, I

went up and saw him in front of Skandasramam. I

told him ‘I had put to you a question a month ago

and I had this experience’ and narrated the above

experience to him. I requested him to explain it.

Then, after a pause he said ‘You wanted to see my

form. You saw my disappearance. I am formless. So

that experience might be the real truth. The further

visions may be according to your own conceptions

derived from the study of

Bhagavad Gita. But
Ganapati Sastry had a similar experience and you

may consult him.’ I did not in fact consult Sastri.

– Extracted from Narasimha Swami’s

SelfRealisation
Hi Sundar, Narasimhan:

Do you know anything about this? I got this info. from my cousin Gri.

-raghu
ADD WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT RAGHAVACHARI

Raghavachari was an excellent civil engineer with highest level of integrity.He joined Theosophical movement and was serving them.When he was posted to a dam site on cauvery(?), there were complaints from villagers that they are not getting water where the officials were confirming the outflow of required water without any problem.The English collector took this as part of troubles being created by villagers involved in Indian independance. Raghavachari being very sincere to his duties carried out detailed analysis of the problem. He took a measuring stick and personally assessed the depth of water at various locations and releted to the water outflow and tried to correlate with the outflow recorded. The actual outflow was much lower than the claimed flow. He further analysed the problem and located the root cause of the problem. The measuring scale being used as tool for calculating the flow had sunk into the ground under water thereby showing higher reading.He was very happy with his discovery and submitted a detailed report to the Enlish collector.The anticlimax followed. While he was expecting a word of appreciation from the administration, he was transferred to a remote malaria sricken place called Koraput in Orissa. The place was also an open jail. The reason for transfer was that the report could raise further turbulence in villages.After almost 60 years, when I was posted to Hindustan aeronautics at Koraput , my father Srinivasan wrote to me the details of Koraput which matched with what it is today.
Sometimes when we are over sincere to our organisation and work, we do get punished.
Post any incident you know of
regards
Sundar

@ Mannargudi Srinivasan RaghavachariHi Raghu,
We have known about this from our younger days. I also had the opportunity to read the book that is being quoted here. Ethakudi thatha was also the first to own a motor cycle (Circa 1900), a horse and and a small mini fan in Mannargudi area. It appears that he had multiple aspects to his personality - spiritiual and technological curiosity among them.
I am sure you heard about another incident....Thatha was living with patti & children in Ethakudi. Thatha's chithi (our great grand father's 2nd wife) was a widow and was also living with them with her daughter. Thatha's chithi was asking Thatha about her daughter to be married and money arrangements. Ethakudi patti was furious that her daughters (Lakshmi, Janakam) are being ignored and started arguing with thatha and patti. Thatha got very angry and left home saying he was becoming a "sanyasi". He was a no show for close to a week and ultimately returned without saying where he went. Ethakudi patti told me that he went off to Ramana ashram and was convinced to go back since his family needed him. I am not sure if you knew that ethakudi patti spent her last year before her death in Madurai around 1959 and I had some opportunity to get to know her then.
narasimhan

On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 1:00 AM, Devanathan Raghavan <raghavandr@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hi Sundar, Narasimhan:

Do you know anything about this? I got this info. from my cousin Gri.
Hi Raghu:

Here is an excerpt from the book "Sri Ramana Leela", published by Sri Ramanashramam. I have confirmation from Periyappa (your dad) that the "Raghavachari" mentioned in the incident is indeed your grandpa.

(I actually first read about this incident in a book on Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi by a British devotee, Arthur Osborne, some 25-30 years ago. But I could not find an online version of that book).

Love

giri

Raghavachari was an overseer at Tiruvannamalai

from 1910 onwards. He had Bhagavan’s

darshan off and
on but whenever he went, Bhagavan would be amidst a

group of people and so Raghavachari was reluctant to

speak to Bhagavan who was not alone. Here is what

happened once, in his own words:

One day, I went up with an intent to submit three

questions or requests to Bhagavan. The questions were:

(i) Can you grant me a few minutes for a private

personal talk-free from the presence of others? (ii) I

should like to have your opinion on the Theosophical

society of which I am a member; (iii) Will you please

enable me to see your real form if I am eligible to see it?

When I went and prostrated (to Bhagavan) and sat,

there was a crowd of thirty persons, but (on their

own) they immediately dispersed. So I was alone

with him and my first query was thus answered

without my having to state it. That struck me as

noteworthy.

Then he asked me of his own accord if the book in

my hand was the

Gita and if I was a member of the
T.S. and remarked even before I attempted to answer

his queries, ‘It is doing good work.’ I answered his

questions in the affirmative.

My second question also being thus anticipated, I

waited with an eager mind for the third answer.

After half an hour I said ‘Just as Arjuna wished to see

the form of Sri Krishna and asked for

darshan I wish
to have a

darshan of your real form, if I am eligible.’
He was then seated on the pial with a picture of

Dakshinamurthy painted on the wall next to him.

He silently gazed on as usual and I gazed into his

eyes. Then his body and also the picture of

Dakshinamurthy disappeared from my view. There

was only empty space without even a wall, before

my eyes. Then a whitish cloud in the outline of the

Maharshi and of Dakshinamurthy, formed before

my eyes. Gradually the outline (with silvery lines) of

these figures appeared. Then eyes, nose etc., and

other details were outlined in lightning-like lines.

These gradually broadened till the whole figure of

the Swami and Dakshinamurthy became ablaze with

very strong and unendurable light. I closed my eyes

in consequence. I waited a few minutes and then

saw him and Dakshinamurthy in the usual form. I

prostrated and came away. For a month thereafter I

did not dare go near him, so great was the impression

the above experience made on me. After a month, I

went up and saw him in front of Skandasramam. I

told him ‘I had put to you a question a month ago

and I had this experience’ and narrated the above

experience to him. I requested him to explain it.

Then, after a pause he said ‘You wanted to see my

form. You saw my disappearance. I am formless. So

that experience might be the real truth. The further

visions may be according to your own conceptions

derived from the study of

Bhagavad Gita. But
Ganapati Sastry had a similar experience and you

may consult him.’ I did not in fact consult Sastri.

– Extracted from Narasimha Swami’s

SelfRealisation
Hi Sundar, Narasimhan:

Do you know anything about this? I got this info. from my cousin Gri.

-raghuRaghavachari was an excellent civil engineer with highest level of integrity.He joined Theosophical movement and was serving them.When he was posted to a dam site on cauvery(?), there were complaints from villagers that they are not getting water where the officials were confirming the outflow of required water without any problem.The English collector took this as part of troubles being created by villagers involved in Indian independance. Raghavachari being very sincere to his duties carried out detailed analysis of the problem. He took a measuring stick and personally assessed the depth of water at various locations and releted to the water outflow and tried to correlate with the outflow recorded. The actual outflow was much lower than the claimed flow. He further analysed the problem and located the root cause of the problem. The measuring scale being used as tool for calculating the flow had sunk into the ground under water thereby showing higher reading.He was very happy with his discovery and submitted a detailed report to the Enlish collector.The anticlimax followed. While he was expecting a word of appreciation from the administration, he was transferred to a remote malaria sricken place called Koraput in Orissa. The place was also an open jail. The reason for transfer was that the report could raise further turbulence in villages.After almost 60 years, when I was posted to Hindustan aeronautics at Koraput , my father Srinivasan wrote to me the details of Koraput which matched with what it is today.
Sometimes when we are over sincere to our organisation and work, we do get punished.