Yogi Ramsuratkumar commenced his divine work from the day he landed at Tiruvannamalai in 1965. He had to face severe persecution at Tiruvannamalai. In spite of the persecution, He worked to alleviate the sufferings of common people and helped the real sadhakas to attain God. In 1965, there were ongoing agitations in Tamilnadu State against Hindi language. Yogi Ramsuratkumar was a north Indian and he used to talk either in Hindi or in English. The local thugs made fun of Yogi and sometimes behaved violently whenever they saw Yogi. It had become a routine problem. Whenever Yogi sensed some problems, Yogi would shout loudly “Mahatma Gandhi Ki Jai, Jawaharlal Nehru Ki Jai”. Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were the great national leaders, who worked for the freedom of India and also for the harmonious integration of India. So Yogi remembered these great national leaders whenever he faced problems. But people misunderstood that Yogi was a supporter of a particular political party. The thugs of opposition political parties gave him a lot of troubles and sometimes physically tortured him too. They were not able to understand the spiritual greatness of Yogi. Some ignorant people even tried to kill him by hitting him behind with jeeps and lorries. There were several attempts to kill him in between 1965 and 1972.

Yogi Ramsuratkumar had a friend then at Tiruvannamalai. He was a Muslim tailor. He knew Hindi. He had love and respect for Yogi. Whenever Yogi visited him, he would offer tea to Yogi and would converse in Hindi. Yogi was not well versed then in Tamil language. One day when he visited the tailor’s shop, he found a crowd of rowdy elements waiting for him. As soon as he reached the shop, the crowd surrounded him and started abusing him with filthy language. The violent crowd snatched the small bag he carried and threw it away. They beat him too. Yogi Ramsuratkumar did not protest. He did not call his friend, the Muslim tailor to help him. He was standing like a rock in the same place. The rowdy elements tortured him for another one hour and Yogi’s body suffered. There was bleeding from the wounds caused by the beating. Yogi did not cry, did not seek anybody’s help, did not try to run away and did not try even to defend himself. He silently bore the sufferings. The crowd got tired and dispersed after giving a stern warning to Yogi that he should not talk again in Hindi.

When Yogi narrated this event in 1977 to the friends, Murugeshan, Parthasarathy and Sivasankaran, they were shocked and pained. After telling these events Yogi lay down and asked Rajakumari, wife of Murugeshan to sing some songs. When Yogi narrated the sufferings, Rajakumari was not there. She was with her children in the other room. She started singing songs. Yogi was sleeping. Rajakumari sang one particular song, which narrated the sufferings of Lord Siva. Parthasarathy became anxious and said to Murugeshan that they should observe Yogi in what way he would react. After the song was over, Yogi got up from the bed and asked Murugeshan casually “Murugeshji, what is the meaning of this song?” Murugeshan replied instantly that it was meant only Yogi’s story. Yogi smiled, lay down again and slept.
The torture and the persecution continued till 1972 by the rowdy elements of Tiruvannamalai as well as by the local police. The police had seen him as a vagabond and harassed him connecting with some petty thefts at Tiruvannamalai. During these days, Perumal Sadayan, George and Durai helped Yogi a lot. Yogi requested them not to resort to violence while dealing with the rowdy elements.

In 1965, Yogi Ramsuratkumar heard about Gnananandagiri at Tapovanam near a small town called Thirukkovilur, which is 37 km away from Tiruvannamalai. Yogi went to see him at the Tapovanam. Gnananandagiri was able to identify Yogi Ramsuratkumar as a great Yogi. Yogi stayed at Tapovanam for a few days. He could not stay there for long due to the indifferent attitude of some of the devotees of Gnananandagiri. On seeing the dress and the coconut shell he was carrying in his hands, they thought he was a wandering beggar and treated him only like a beggar. So Yogi stayed in the secluded and dreaded places around Tapovanam. Sometimes he would spend the nights near the cowshed of Tapovanam, in the hay stock.

Some people having the connections with the Tapovanam say that Yogi was presented the palmera fan by Gnananandagiri Swamigal. Some other people say that even before Yogi met Gnananandagiri Swamigal, he had been carrying the fan. Some devotees of Gnananandagiri Swamigal claim that by presenting the fan Gnananandagiri Swamigal passed on his power to Yogi Ramsuratkumar. But Yogi vehemently refused this and declared, “Swami Ramdas is this beggar’s Father, not Gnananandagiri Swamigal.”

The Tapovanam is situated on the north bank of the river South Pennar, whereas Thirukkovilur was situated on the South bank. There are many temples on both the sides of the river. Yogi spent a few months every year at Tapovanam till 1974 and roamed along the surroundings. Yogi knew almost all the temples of Thirukkovilur.

During 1965, Yogi visited the samadhi of Raghotama Swamigal on the bank of River South Pennar, at Thirukkovilur. Raghotama Swamigal was the 11th guru in the famous Madhva tradition to which the famous Ragavendra Swamigal also belongs. The samadhi was later built into a beautiful shrine by a devotee of Raghotama Swamigal Sri Govindasamy Pillai of Thirukovilur. He also built the compound wall around the shrine.

Sri Govindasamy Pillai

Sri Govindasamy Pillai was born and brought up at Thirukoilur, some 37kms away from Tiruvannamalai. He had great love and reverence for sadhus and sanyasis. He used to visit Tiruvannamalai Arunachaleswara Temple very often. During one of his visits to the temple, he happened to see Yogi Ramsuratkumar there and was attracted to Yogi. The divine wisdom and the total freedom of Yogi were the magnetic force that attracted him. Yogi also liked Sri Govindasamy Pillai on seeing his simplicity and devotion for Rahothama Swamigal.

Sri Govindasamy Pillai was a freedom fighter. Earlier he was working as a teacher in a school. He resigned the job to join the freedom movement. He was a staunch Gandhian. After he resigned the job, he stopped wearing shirts and was wearing only khadi dhoti and put a khadi towel on his upper body. He was simple and spiritual. After the first meeting with Yogi, he gradually became an ardent devotee of him. He opened an account at the Udupi Brindavan Hotel, at Tiruvannamalai in the name of Yogi and prayed Yogi to take food regularly at the hotel. Every month he would settle the bill. At times, Sri Govinda Butt, the owner of the hotel would also offer food for Yogi free of cost.

During 1965, the anti Hindi agitation spread throughout the state. Yogi was not able to converse freely in Tamil. He could then speak only in Hindi and English fluently. So the agitators, particularly the rowdy elements of Tiruvannamalai, abused and beat Yogi Ramsuratkumar whenever they happened to see him. So to evade the persecution of the thugs at Tiruvannamalai, Yogi Ramsuratkumar stayed at Thirukkovilur with Sri Govindasamy Pillai a few months every year.

Whenever Yogi Ramsuratkumar went to see Sri Govindasamy Pillai, the latter would receive him with hospitality and reverence. Sri Govindasamy Pillai was a simple and pure devotee. During the aradhana festival of Raghotama Swamigal at his samadhi, only Brahmins would be allowed to take food inside the samadhi complex. Yogi Ramsuratkumar wanted to have the prasadam of Raghotama Swamigal, during one of the aradhana festival, in the late ’60s, not knowing about the customs there. But the Brahmins refused to offer. On seeing the plight of Yogi, Sri Govindasamy procured food forcibly from the Brahmins and offered it to Yogi, not bothering about the protests of the Brahmins.

Whenever Yogi went to Thirukkovilur, he would meet Sri Govindasamy Pillai and would accept his hospitality. Occasionally he would teach English to Sri Govindasamy Pillai’s children. Yogi gradually learned to talk in Tamil with a little fluency by conversing with the people, who had reverence for him. From 1965 to 1974 Yogi Ramsuratkumar used to shuttle frequently between Tiruvannamalai and Thirukkovilur. Sometimes he would stay in Sri Govindasamy Pillai’s oil mill, where a room was offered to him for his stay. Sri Govindasamy Pillai’s wife Smt Meenatchi would bring food from her house and offer the same to Yogi with great reverence. Sri Govindasamy Pillai knew English and Hindi and so it was very easy for them to communicate with each other.

During the late 1970’s, the author was present once, when Sri Govindasamy Pillai visited Yogi at Tiruvannamalai in the Sannathi Street House. Yogi was in great joy on seeing Sri Govindasamy Pillai. Yogi showered his love and grace abundantly on Pillai. Yogi was then wearing a dirty, over used shirt and dhoti, almost blackened with dirt. Sri Govindasamy Pillai was disturbed seeing his Swami wearing dirty clothes. He got up from his seat and demanded money from his wife Smt Meenatchi to purchase a pair of clothes for Yogi. His wife gave him money. Yogi protested that he would not change the clothes as they were presented long ago, by Sri Periyasami Thooran, a famous Tamil scholar. Sri Govindasamy Pillai did not listen to Yogi’s words and went to the bazaar. In another few minutes he came back with a ready made Khadi shirt and dhoti. He requested Yogi to change the dress. But Yogi was reluctant to oblige. He said that he would not change the old dress as they were offered by his beloved devotee, Sri Periyasami Thooran. But Sri Govindasamy Pillai insisted that he should change the dress. Yogi then pleaded with Sri Govindasamy Pillai to allow him to wear the new dress upon the old dress and should not ask him to remove the old dress. With great hesitation and good deal of argument, Sri Govindasamy Pillai finally agreed. Yogi then put on the new shirt upon the old shirt and wore the dhoti upon the old one. It was a great joy and ecstasy for the author to watch the divine love and friendship between Yogi and Govindasamy Pillai.

Yogi was a strict disciplinarian. Yet he would allow freedom to those who had love for Him, i.e., love for God and Life. Yogi would sing, dance and eat with those great personalities. Once a religious monk enquired Yogi about the worshipping method Yogi taught to his people. Yogi declared, “There are no poojas or other rituals here. The friends come here and we talk, eat and drink something together. That’s all. My Father says that’s the real pooja.” The statement brought joy to the religious monk and he too agreed and approved Yogi’s way taking people unto God.

In the later years, Yogi Ramsuratkumar had to attend a lot of devotees and so the devotees like Sri Govindasamy Pillai gave way for them and remained aloof, not disturbing Yogi and his works. Once Yogi declared to one of the relatives of Sri Govindasamy Pillai that Sri Govindasamy Pillai was all the time in blissful state and the worldly worries could never touch him. Yogi also told the relative that Sri Govindasamy Pillai was totally one with his Guru, Raghotama Swamigal. Yogi blessed and facilitated Sri Govindasamy Pillai to attain his goal, the oneness with God and his guru Raghotama Swamigal. Sri Pillai dropped his body in the late 1990’s.
Sri Srinivasan
In 1965, during one of Yogi’s visits to Tapovanam, he met a simple, uneducated and disabled man. His name was Srinivasan. He was affected by polio. He was running a small provision store near Tapovanam. Yogi used to visit his shop to buy cigarettes. He spoke in broken Tamil with Srinivasan. Srinivasan was a devotee of Gnananandagiri Swamigal of Tapovanam. Even though he was uneducated and very poor, he had a great inclination towards saints and sadhus. He wanted to serve them in the way it was possible for him.

He was a very poor man having a big family. He used to offer Yogi tea and cigarettes. Yogi would accept his offerings with great compassion. Sometimes Srinivasan would offer food with great love, which Yogi would accept, even though it was only a koozh (i.e. cooked ragi mixed with buttermilk). Yogi initiated Srinivasan with the simple mantra ‘Rama’. Srinivasan used to chant the mantra with great devotion and cheerfulness in spite of his failing health, poverty and immobility. Srinivasan was the first man, who served Yogi in all the possible ways, offering food, helping to carry the gunny bags and sending the manpower to Yogi at Tiruvannamalai whenever Yogi needed.

Yogi also met Muthuvel of Kuchipalayam, a small village, nearby Tapovanam, working in the Revenue Department. Muthuvel had great reverence for Yogi, but also had a fear about him. Both Muthuvel and Srinivasan were relatives. Those were the simple and ardent devotees along with Sri Govindasamy Pillai. The poorest of that area was Srinivasan and the richest of that area was Sri Govindasamy Pillai and both of them had immense devotion for Yogi, who kept them in different compartments. Yogi never allowed them to know about each other, even though he visited them both periodically.

After Ram Surat Kunwar evolved into Yogi Ramsuratkumar, the mission of his life became visible to him. He wanted to prepare himself to receive his own people, who were yet to come, to equip them with the divine wisdom and realisation of GOD. He needed a disturbance-free atmosphere. But the rowdy elements at Tiruvannamalai refused him the same. At times they attempted even to murder him by dashing vehicles on him from behind. He was not afraid for his life and he never was a man of fear. But he had the responsibility for his own people. So he was careful and avoided certain places of Tiruvannamalai, where the rowdy elements prevailed.

In the earlier days Yogi mostly stayed in the caves of the holy hill. Whenever he felt hungry, he would come down to the town to beg for food. If he was able to get food for the day, he would again climb up the hill and stay in any one of the caves on the hill for the night. Particularly he was very fond of staying in the Gugai Namachivayar cave. If he was not able to get food from anywhere Udupi Brindavan Hotel was his final resort.

In 1967, Sri.Ramachandra Upadhyaya, a close relative of Sri Govinda Butt came to Tiruvannamalai to assist his uncle in running the hotel. One day he was sitting in the cash counter in the hotel. Yogi came to the hotel, took his food and was about to move out of the hotel. On seeing Yogi going out without paying the bill for the food he ate, Sri Ramachandra Upadyaya asked for the money from Yogi. Fortunately Yogi had money in his pockets and he paid the money without any protest or argument. He came out of the hotel and was walking on the road towards the hill. Sri Govinda Butt was then sitting in a cycle shop next to the hotel talking with his friends. He saw Yogi coming out of the hotel. He enquired Yogi whether he took food in the hotel. Yogi replied that he took the food and paid the money too. Sri Govinda Butt was shocked by the reply from Yogi. He came straight to Yogi, got hold of his hands and took him to the hotel again. He enquired Sri Ramachandra Upadyaya whether he collected money from Yogi, for which the latter said yes. Then Sri Govinda Butt instructed Sri Ramachandra Upadyaya not to collect money from Yogi in future. He also instructed Ramachandra Upadyaya to serve food with great reverence to Yogi whenever he came to his hotel. From then Sri Ramachandra Upadhyaya became an ardent devotee of Yogi. Thereafter, whenever Yogi visited his hotel, he would personally attend to Yogi. He would never sit in the cash counter when Yogi was in the hotel. He would stand near Yogi with great devotion and personally attend to serving the food to Yogi.

In the whole of 1966 and early 1967, Yogi had to face severe hardships at Tiruvannamalai by the insensitive local thugs. Whenever they saw Yogi Ramsuratkumar walking on the roads or sitting quietly in the temple or sitting alone in and around Tiruvannamalai, they abused him, sometimes beat him too. The police were also giving him trouble when he was sleeping during the night times in the corridor of the vessels shop situated in the lanes opposite to the Rajagopuram of the Arunachala temple. They would unnecessarily enquire him during the midnight and drive him away from the place. They had suspected Yogi having hand in some petty crimes. On seeing Yogi’s style of smoking, the police and the people thought that he was smoking kanja (heroin). Yogi never tried to remove anybody’s wrong notion, however much torturous their attitude towards him was. He would shout “Mahatma Gandhi Ki Jai, Jawaharlal Nehru Ki Jai” loudly, whenever the people tried to harass him. This again provoked the bad elements, which harassed him repeatedly.

Whenever the bad elements of Tiruvannamalai harassed Yogi continuously, he would move to Thirukkovilur and stay in the oil mill of Pillai. Sri Govindasamy Pillai and Yogi used to converse about the teachings of great saints. Sri Govindasamy Pillai was astonished by the extraordinary spiritual wisdom and renunciation of Yogi. Day by day his devotion for Yogi grew. He sat with Yogi whenever he found time. In spite of his hectic activity, he would find time to sit with Yogi and listen to him.

During the day, Yogi wandered in the opposite bank of the river South Pennar on which Tapovanam, Kudamurutti village (where Srinivasan lived) and Kuchipalayam village (where Muthuvel lived) were situated. During the night, Yogi would cross the river to reach Sri Govindasamy Pillai’s oil mill to sleep.
In the meantime, Srinivasan closed down the provision store and started a teashop opposite to Tapovanam. Whenever Yogi visited Tapovanam, Srinivasan would invite Yogi to his shop and offer him tea and other eatables. Sometimes he took Yogi to his house, which was a small thatched hut, for food. During the night Yogi would return to the oil mill. There Sri Govindasamy Pillai waited for him with food. Sometimes Yogi preferred to stay for the night in the riverbed or in some lonely places on either bank of the river.

Swami Gnananandagiri of Tapovanam had great love and respect for Yogi. Yogi used to see the Swamigal from a distance and whenever Swami Gnananandagiri saw him, he introduced him as a great Yogi to his devotees. The dirty dress of Yogi, his habit of smoking, his spontaneous movements with the poor, low caste and uneducated village people and his lack of botheration about the rituals, made the devotees and disciples of Swami Gnananandagiri Swamigal behave indifferently towards him. Most of the Brahmin devotees behaved indifferently and the non-Brahmin devotees always saluted Yogi with great reverence and regard. On seeing the indifferent attitude of the Brahmins there, Yogi avoided taking food in the ashram. He preferred to take food only at the houses of the poor and simple devotees like Srinivasan or in the house of a great sadhaka like Sri Govindasamy Pillai.

Srinivasan was a bachelor at that time. He had three elder brothers and three younger brothers. All the family members were the devotees of Yogi Ramsuratkumar. The three elder brothers got married. As he was affected by polio, he could not walk in a normal way and so he hesitated to get married. On the advice of Yogi, he made arrangements for the wedding of his younger brother Raghavan. Even though Srinivasan was a very poor man, his heart was so big. He had a great love for Yogi and whenever he saw Yogi walking on the road, he would call him to his teashop and offer him tea and other eatables with great reverence. He never bothered about money. Sometimes Yogi took him to Tiruvannamalai and kept Srinivasan with him for days together. Srinivasan stayed with him without any hesitation and would leave only when Yogi asked him to go. During his absence, his younger brother would look after the teashop.

Yogi taught Srinivasan to chant the mantra ‘Rama’ below an electric pole on the roadside. Srinivasan took it as the initiation from Yogi. In 1967, on the promptings of Yogi, he was married to a simple girl Chinnaponnu. Both Srinivasan and Chinnaponnu were sincere in their devotion and service to Yogi. Chinnaponnu was a simple village girl, innocent and uneducated. Yogi tried making her to chant ‘Rama’ but she was not able to chant the mantra. So, he put a long red kunkum on her forehead, which is also called ‘namam’ in Tamil. He said that the ‘namam’ (the name of God) was impossible for her but this ‘namam’ she could do throughout her life. The word ‘namam’ in Tamil has two meanings. The one meaning is name of God and the other is a Vaishnavite symbol worn on the forehead. Till now Chinnaponnu puts ‘namam’ on her forehead.

The association with Yogi transformed Srinivasan and took him to the height of spiritual wisdom. He lost interest in all the material comforts of the life and dedicated his life totally in the remembrance of Yogi. Whenever he was not able to be with his guru, he sat below the electric pole and chanted the holy mantra ‘Rama’ continuously. In the later years, Srinivasan got a stroke, which paralyzed his right hand and leg. He became totally immovable. He always needed somebody’s help for his mobility.
Sri Muthuvel, an ardent devotee of Yogi since 1967 had been living nearby Srinivasan’s village. He was a retired Government staff, who was then also practicing siddha medicines and bone setting. Yogi requested him to take care of Srinivasan. Whenever Srinivasan needed medical attention, Muthuvel and his elder son, who also helped his father in medicines, attended to Srinivasan. The eldest son in law of Srinivasan lived nearby Srinivasan’s hut and looked after the latter. He had great regards and reverence for his father in law. Every morning he would prostrate before his father in law before he set out for his job. In spite of his chronic illness, it was a blissful joy to listen to Srinivasan, who was totally immersed in Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Srinivasan passed away in 2009.

Sri Sivananaintha Perumal Sadayan

In 1966, Sivananaintha Perumal Sadayan came in contact with Yogi Ramsuratkumar. He was an ardent devotee of Muthukutty Swami of Swamithoppu nearby Tamaraikulam in Kanyakumari district, the south end of India. Muthukutty Swami lived there some 300 years ago. He belonged to Nadar community, which was then considered a low caste. During that period, the Nadar community people were persecuted by the upper caste Hindus. On seeing the atrocities of the upper caste Hindus, particularly the Brahmins, Muthukutty Swamigal resolved to eradicate the sufferings of the people of Nadar community.
He realised that only with the help of GOD, he could protect the people of Nadar community from the atrocities of the upper caste people. Swamithoppu and other surrounding villages came under the territory of Trivancore. The king of Trivancore did not bother about the sufferings of his own citizens. In the kingdom, most of the officials were the upper caste people and they misused their power to exploit the people of Nadar community. They did not allow the people of Nadar community to walk with chapels in their streets. The women should not wear the tops. They should always carry a bamboo basket on their heads, whenever they walked on the roads. They should not enter temples and should never raise voice against the atrocities on them.

On seeing the plight of his own people, Muthukutty Swamigal, did severe penance and attained God Realisation. He taught his people the divine mantra, ‘Hara Hara, Siva Siva, Siva Siva, Hara Hara’. He declared that people of Nadar community were the children of Bhadrakali, the consort of Lord Siva. He encouraged them to live in freedom and discard the age-old habits and customs. The Nadar community people were children of God, he declared and so there was no need to fear anybody.
On hearing the teachings of Muthukutty Swamigal, the Nadar community people started living in total freedom. On seeing the revolutionary changes in the people of Nadar community, the upper caste Hindus particularly the Brahmin community people, complained to the king of Trivancore. They influenced the king to punish Muthukutti Swamigal. The king put Muthukutti Swamigal to several severe hardships, but Muthukutti Swamigal came out of them successfully with the help of God. On seeing his divine power, the king realised his folly and allowed freedom to Muthukutti Swamigal and the people of Nadar community.
Muthukutti Swamigal took his people away from the place and settled them near Thiruchendur, a town on the seashore. After his mission was over, in the presence of everybody he jumped into the sea and did not come back. Later he came in the dream of one devotee and narrated in village folk type verses, the history of the Nadar community and how he would come again on different occasions to protect the people of Nadar community. The devotee recorded the verses, edited them and formed into a book that was called Akilathirattu.

In Akilathirattu, Muthukutti Swamigal narrated the origin of Nadar community and how they would prosper in the future. He also indicated how he himself would come in a different form, at Tiruvannamalai, having white beard, carrying a dry coconut shell in the hands and also a palm leaf fan, to protect and guide his own people. All his predictions became true. The narration of his future incarnation is totally applicable to Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Murugeshan, an ardent devotee of Yogi, read out the portion from Akilathirattu to Yogi about the descriptions of later incarnation of Muthukutti Swamigal, which completely matched with Yogi. He enquired whether Yogi was the incarnation of Muthukutti Swamigal. Yogi didn’t answer Murugeshan in words but, mysteriously smiled and gesticulated in affirmative.

Our Perumal Sadayan, who belonged to Nadar community, long back came from Thamaraikulam and settled at Tiruvannamalai. He was a prosperous metal vessel businessman in the main bazaar, just opposite to the Rajagopuram of Annamalaiar Temple. He was from the beginning a spiritually inclined man and was very fond of sadhus and sanyasis. He had the habit of serving sadhus and sanyasis by offering them food and tea.

Once Yogi visited Perumal’s shop casually and was staring at him. On seeing the spiritual brilliance of Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Perumal was attracted and offered him tea. Day by day, Yogi frequented Perumal’s shop and the shop became a place of sadhus and sanyasis. Whenever Yogi asked Perumal to accompany him, Perumal would just abandon his shop and business and would follow Yogi wherever the latter went. Perumal used to offer food, which came from his house to Yogi and both would share the food in the shop itself.

As Perumal’s attention totally diverted from business to Yogi, the business gradually became sick and he had to close his shop soon. He became a roadside vendor of metal vessels. That also he had to wind up as Yogi demanded his full time service to him. Thereafter he became like a shadow of Yogi. From the morning till evening he would roam with Yogi and would try to prevent many a nuisance from the insensitive people towards Yogi. They both used to sit beneath the peepul tree just outside the Ginjee Bus Stand of Tiruvannamalai.

Sri George

George, a poor Christian, who was running a cycle repair shop near bus stand, used to observe Yogi Ramsuratkumar along with Perumal. He was attracted by the spiritual splendor of Yogi. He frequently offered tea and other eatables to both Yogi and Perumal, whenever he had sufficient money. In due course he also followed Yogi neglecting his work and family. Yogi taught both Perumal and George his name and asked them to sing the name whenever they were free. Perumal was gifted with sweet voice and he would sing Yogi’s name in a melodious tune, which Yogi liked very much. Both Perumal and George became the shadow of Yogi.

Perumal used to come early in the morning and would leave the company in the night for his house. In his house, Perumal’s wife scolded Perumal as she thought that by the association of Yogi, Perumal, who was once a prosperous businessman had become a beggar like Yogi. Even though she had great reverence for Yogi, she was not able to tolerate the indifferent attitude of Perumal towards the business and family. So, in due course Perumal stopped visiting his family daily. Whenever Yogi gave some money to Perumal, asking him to go to his house to handover the money to his wife, then only Perumal would go to his house.
Sometimes the trio would have to starve for days together. Even though Sri Govindasamy Pillai had an account in the name of Yogi Ramsuratkumar in Udupi Brindavan Hotel and Sri Govinda Butt also had offered Yogi to take food free of cost, Yogi did not like to take food alone, leaving the two other friends hungry. Whenever the trio had to starve for days together, George would slip from Yogi without Yogi’s notice. He would do some coolly job and get some money out of that. He would purchase some food with the money for all the three. He would place the food at the feet of his Master. Yogi was moved on seeing the love, devotion and dedication of his friend and all the three would share the food, which might have tasted like nectar.

To prevent hungry and starving situations, Perumal used his influence in one Rajini Café to open an account in the name of Yogi Ramsuratkumar. All the three would take food there whenever they felt hungry. If any devotee came to see Yogi and offered money to Yogi, Yogi would settle the account at Rajini Café. From the time Perumal and George started following Yogi, Yogi took total responsibility of both Perumal and George and their families.

During Yogi’s stay at Gugai Namachivaya cave, some foreign and Indian devotees met him. They sought Yogi’s guidance for their spiritual evolution. Yogi spent time for them and initiated them in the spiritual path. He cleared their doubts in their spiritual sadhana and they adored him as their guru. Those great privileged people could spend their whole time, weeks and months together with Yogi to get uplifted towards God. We were not able to trace those great people, who might have realised God out of the benevolent grace of Yogi Ramsuratkumar.

Yogi had a habit of reading Newspapers and he used to purchase ‘The Hindu’ and ‘The Indian Express’, the famous English Newspapers of India. Whenever the newspapers piled considerably, both Perumal and George would bundle them in a gunny sack and carry them wherever the trio went. In another few years, they had to pack the newspapers into several gunny bundles. Yogi would ask both Perumal and George to pack his old clothes too along with the newspapers.

Sri Radhakrishnan

In 1968 Sri Radhakrishnan a village officer came to Tiruvannamalai for some official work. His native village was Nangali Kondan nearby Gingee. He was a regular visitor to Annamalaiar Temple. While he was taking milk in a teashop opposite to the Theradi Mandapam, he saw Yogi Ramsuratkumar and his friends. Drawn by the spiritual splendor of Yogi he saluted him. He followed Yogi the whole day wherever he went. Yogi didn’t object his following the group. Anyhow Yogi didn’t talk to him. In the evening the village officer left the group and went back to his village. Thereafter he started visiting Yogi regularly.

One day, in 1968, Radhakrishnan saw the trio on the road in Tiruvannamalai and joined them. Yogi and the others were walking around the holy hill. On the way, they sat nearby the Pachaiamman Temple for sometime. The whole group couldn’t get food since from a few days. They felt very hungry. Yogi asked the friends to fetch Arugampul grass. The friends collected good quantity of the grass. Yogi asked them to smash it on a stone to make a paste. He asked Perumal to bring water in a big tin container. Perumal brought water from a nearby spring in the hill. Yogi instructed Perumal to dissolve the paste of the Arugampul grass in the water. Perumal prepared the solution with care. Yogi asked the friends to drink the Arugampul solution and he also drank a portion of it.

The friends still felt hungry and Perumal suggested going to Rajini Café to take their food. Yogi somehow accepted after initial hesitation. After reaching Rajini Café, Yogi asked the friends to get into the hotel to take their food and was standing outside. As soon as the friends entered the hotel, the owner of the hotel shouted, “Ye you come again. Already there is Rs.28/- outstanding and you people are again here to take food. What you think this, a hotel or a charity?” Perumal tried to pacify the Brahmin, but the Brahmin was again shouting. On seeing the awkward scene, Radhakrishnan got angry and paid immediately Rs.28/- to the Brahmin and asked him to serve food for all. He also invited Yogi into the hotel to take food. Yogi refused to enter the hotel and asked Radhakrishnan to take his food there.

On seeing Yogi’s refusal to enter into the hotel, the Brahmin’s wife came out and prostrated before Yogi. She requested Yogi to pardon her husband and come into the hotel. Yogi came in and a banana leaf was spread before him. The Brahmin’s wife served some hot idlies. (rice cakes) Yogi asked Radhakrishnan to take food from the same leaf. Radhakrishnan was thrilled and with great reverence he ate food from the same leaf from which Yogi also took his portion of food. In the later years, Yogi helped the Brahmin, the owner of the hotel by giving a huge sum for the medical treatment of his wife.

In 1970, Radhakrishnan’s father was mentally deranged and admitted in a mental hospital at Vellore. Radhakrishnan was worried. During that time he visited Yogi at Tiruvannamalai. He poured out his worries to Yogi. Yogi suggested to him to garland Vinayaka statue at the Annamalaiar temple with Arugampul Maalai (Garland) daily. Radhakrishnan daily garlanded Vinayaka Statue with Arugampul Maalai. Within a few days, his father became normal and his faith towards Yogi increased. He visited Yogi almost daily.

During the years 1970 to 1973, Sri Radhakrishnan, the Village Officer arranged to send food packets from a hotel at Gingee to Tiruvannamalai through bus drivers or conductors almost daily, for Yogi, George and Perumal. He also sent cigarettes and tobacco to Yogi along with the food. During that period, Yogi used to sit in the day time, beneath a peepul tree, just outside the bus stand. The bus driver would find Yogi there and deliver the food packets to him. After collecting the food packets, Yogi and the others would go behind the railway station and sit beneath the punnai tree near the well to take their food. After they took food, they would again climb up the holy hill. In the nights they would either stay at the Gugai Namachivaya Cave in the holy hill or in the corridor of the vessel shop opposite to Annamalaiar Temple.
In 1973, Radhakrishnan invited Yogi to his village Nangali Kondan. Yogi went to Nangali Kondan along with Radhakrishnan and stayed in his house for three days. The whole village gathered at the house of Radhakrishnan. The people did bhajans throughout the day. Radhakrishnan arranged simple food for all the devotees. Yogi enquired Radhakrishnan whether he allowed the poor low caste people to come and see him. Radhakrishnan replied that he allowed everybody to see Yogi. He also informed Yogi that he requested everybody, irrespective of castes to take the simple meals he arranged in the open yard in front of his house.

Yogi expressed his joy. The villagers conducted bhajans. During the bhajans, Yogi danced in divine ecstasy before the devotees. It was a feast for the eyes, Radhakrishnan told. At that time, Karivaradhan of Tindivanam also came to Nangali Kondan to have darshan of Yogi. He was an astrologer and later became a sanyasi. He changed his name as Mayananda and practiced some yoga, which made him famous among the villagers. Swami Mayananda also was attracted by Yogi’s divine splendor and simplicity. Swami Mayananda was a Tamil scholar and a poet. After three days of blissful stay at Nangali Kondan, Yogi went back to Tiruvannamalai.

Sri Truman Caylor Wadlington

In 1970, Yogi Ramsuratkumar visited the Theosophical Society at Madras. He met Brother Sriram, the then President of the Theosophical Society, who was a great friend of Yogi. Sriram had great love for Yogi. He wanted to bring out a book on Yogi Ramsuratkumar. He wanted the real seekers from all over the world to know of Yogi and get benefit spiritually. He introduced Yogi to a young American, Truman Caylor Wadlington, a member of the Theosophical Society. He requested Truman to stay in Tiruvannamalai for a few months and spend time with Yogi to gather experiences with Yogi. He also requested Truman to write a book on Yogi. Truman accepted the suggestion with great enthusiasm.
In 1971, Truman Caylor Wadlington came to Tiruvannamalai and lived there for more than seven months. He stayed in the Park Hotel. He spent all the day with Yogi observing him, listening to him and would write down notes. In the night he would compile his observations in a notebook.
Yogi was wandering during that period in the graveyards, on the Pavalakundru Hill, behind the railway station under the punnai tree, in the Gugai Namachivaya Cave and still several other places around the hill. During the night time, Yogi would sleep on a raised platform in the corridor of a vessel shop, opposite to the Annamalaiar Temple.

One night, Yogi Ramsuratkumar was talking to Truman in the vessel shop corridor. Both George and Radhakrishnan were sitting there. Yogi requested Radhakrishnan to buy some candles, which would be helpful for Truman to write down the notes. Radhakrishnan went to the shop and brought one bundle of candles. The conversation between Yogi and Truman continued in a very ecstatic spiritual way. Radhakrishnan lit the candles one after another. It was around midnight. Truman was busy in listening and writing down the notes in the light of the candles. George and Radhakrishnan were sleepy. On seeing them dozy, Yogi asked them to walk across each other just outside of the corridor. Yogi ordered the friends to walk with great alert like Laxmana walked and watched throughout the night around the hut, where Rama and Sita stayed in the forest. Throughout night both George and Radhakrishnan walked in front of Yogi and Truman across each other. The conversation ended in the early morning around 4’ O clock.

Truman Caylor Wadlington brought out the book in the same year, 1971, with the help of Brother Sriram, the President of Theosophical Society. The book was named “Yogi Ramsuratkumar, The Godchild, Tiruvannamalai.” This book brought several sadhakas to Yogi from all over the world, particularly from the US.

Sri Hilda Charlton and Sri Lee Lozovic

Sri.Hilda Charlton was a spiritual personality. She lived in US. She had several followers in US. She came across Yogi through Truman Caylor Wadlinton’s book, “Yogi Ramsuratkumar, The Godchild, Tiruvannamalai.” Even before she met Yogi personally, she was attracted by the spiritual magnetism of Yogi and his Name. She was said to have established communication with Yogi in a subtle astral plane. She wrote letters to Yogi and sent her students to India to see Yogi to seek spiritual guidance from him. Her article ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar, the Hidden Saint of India’ was published in ‘The New Sun’, an American spiritual magazine. This article helped several spiritual wanderers in the US and in Europe to seek Yogi Ramsuratkumar to get guidance from him.

Sri Hilda Charlton, who had her own followers in the US, sent one of her serious students Sri Lee Lozovic to India to have the darshan of Yogi. Sri Lee came to India in 1976 along with his friends, who were also the followers of Sri Hilda Charlton, to see Yogi Ramsuratkumar. They met Yogi in the Theradi Mandapam. The group enjoyed the company of Yogi and derived great spiritual experiences. Yogi’s blissful nature, his total freedom and his oneness with God attracted them very much. It was a unique experience for them. From then on, Sri Lee started visiting India every year to see Yogi and spent a few days with him.

In due course Sri Lee started his own spiritual institutions in the US and in France and became a teacher. He was a musician and had his own music group. He was a poet and has written several songs on Yogi. Those songs were later compiled and published in the name of “Broken Heart”. The first issue was presented to Yogi by Lee. Yogi announced about the book to the other Indian devotees and encouraged them to buy the book from Lee. Yogi would ask the followers of Lee to sing the songs of Lee and dance according to the tune. The singing and dancing in glory of Yogi by the American friends enthralled the audience. Whenever Sri Lee was in the audience among the devotees, Yogi used to call him and ask him to give a discourse. Sri Lee talked mostly about Yogi, the value of chanting Yogi’s Name and the teachings of Yogi. Sri.Lee passed away in 2010.

The First Song On Yogi

Most of the time in 1972, Yogi Ramsuratkumar spent at Thirukkovilur and Tapovanam. Srinivasan, who was running the teashop, in front of Tapovanam, as usual looked after Yogi by serving food, tea and cigarettes. Occasionally Yogi would visit the other bank of the South Pennar River to see Sri Govindasamy Pillai and stay there for a few days in his oil mill. During that period, there were heavy rains. The river flooded and did much damage to the properties and crops around Thirukkovilur. Sri Govindasamy Pillai and his wife Smt Meenatchi waded through knee-deep water, carrying food to Yogi Ramsuratkumar, even in the pitch-dark nights. As soon as the monsoon season was over, Yogi went back to Tiruvannamalai.
In the middle of 1973, one day Yogi was sitting alone beneath the peepul tree, near the bus stand at Tiruvannamalai. Swami Mayananda, who came to Tiruvannamalai, saw Yogi sitting alone. He went near him and greeted him. Suddenly he took a pen and paper and wrote a poem on Yogi. After he completed the Tamil poem, he gave the same to Yogi Ramsuratkumar. In that song, Swami Mayananda wrote that the whole world would salute Yogi and a lot of devotees from all walks of life from all over the world would rush to Yogi soon. It was the first ever song on Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Within a few years, his words were proved true. Yogi received the song from Swami Mayananda and later handed it over to Perumal and asked him to sing the song almost daily. Swami Mayananda was murdered in his ashram at Tindivanam, in 1996, by some rowdy elements for unknown reasons.

The First Song On Yogi Ramsuratkumar
உலகம் உன்னை வணங்கும்
பல்லவி
1. இறவாத நிலை வேண்டும்
இறந்தாலும் ஒளி வேண்டும்
மறவாத நிலை வேண்டும்
மறந்தாலும் இடம் வேண்டும் (உலகம்)

2. திறவாது பொருள் வேண்டும்
திறந்தாலும் அருள் வேண்டும்
கறவாது பால் வேண்டும்
கறந்தால் உன் பால் வேண்டும் (உலகம்)

3. சிறப்பான நிலை வேண்டும்
சிற்றின்பம் கடந்துலவும்
சிறப்பான நற் பிறப்பே
செஞ்சுடரின் நற்பிரியோய் (உலகம்)

4. உலகம் உனை வணங்கி
உன் உருவை வழிபட்டுத்
திலகம் போல் நீ திகழத்
திருவண்ணாமலை அருளும் (உலகம்)

5. அடியார்கள் உனைத் தேடி
ஆயிரம் ஆயிரம் வருவர்
அடியார்கள் உனை வாழ்த்தி
முத்தம் பல பொழிவார் (உலகம்)

6. சடையனின் வாக்கு இது
கடையனின்கருத்து இது
இடையனை நம்பும் உனக்கு
எப்போதும் புகழ் ஓங்கும்


பல்லவி
சுவாமி மயானந்தன்
உனக்கு நான் கரிவரதனே
ஓம் ! ஶ்ரீ ராம் ! ஹரி ஓம் ! ராம் !

1. சோதிப்ப தென்வேலை
வாதிப்ப துன்வேலை
நாதி யனாதி யான
நடராஜன் லீலை யிது (சுவாமி)

2. ஆதி அனாதி யிடம்
அண்ணாமலை யினிடம்
பூஜித்த புண்ணியனே!
புண்ணியமே உனை யணையும் (சுவாமி)

The translation of the song

Surely the World Is Going to Worship You

The deathless state one should attain
But if dead, a brilliance one should attain
The unforgettable state one should attain
But if forgotten, a place for one’s self, one should attain. ----Surely

Wealth without opening any treasure, one should attain
But if one should open, God’s grace one should attain
Milk without being milked, one should attain
If one were to milk, that milk from you, one should attain.—Surely

The unique state one should attain
Oh, thou of good birth! Unique
In moving in regions beyond worldly pleasures
Oh, thou good love of the Absolute Light. ----------------------Surely

The world will bow down before you
And worship your very form
You will shine like the tilak
Tiruvannamalai will bless you then. -----------------------------Surely

The bhaktas in search of you
Will come in thousands and thousands
The crowned heads will praise you
And shower many a pearl on you. -------------------------------Surely

This is the word of the Lord of matted lock
This is my view, of me the last in the rank
You have firm faith in the cow-herd
Your fame will ever grow! ---------------------------------------- Surely

Sri Gnananandagiri Swamigal

During the later part of 1973, Yogi Ramsuratkumar visited Tapovanam and Thirukkovilur once again. During his visit to Tapovanam, Gnananandagiri Swamigal called Yogi by his side. The Swamigal declared to his devotees that he and Yogi were one and the same. He also instructed one of the devotees, Sri Pon Paramaguru, who was then working as an Inspector General of Police to give Yogi proper police protection from the rowdy elements of Tiruvannamalai. Sri Pon Paramaguru took Yogi in his car to Tiruvannamalai police station and introduced Yogi to all the policemen there. He instructed the policemen not to disturb Yogi and should protect Yogi from the rowdy elements of Tiruvannamalai. Thereafter the policemen took care of Yogi. The troubles created by the rowdy elements reduced to a great extent and Yogi was able to walk on the streets of Tiruvannamalai without facing any problems. Later a lot of police officials from the higher rank to the lower levels became ardent devotees of Yogi.

The Brahmin devotees of Gnananandagiri Swamigal, particularly one Brahmin sanyasi envied Yogi on seeing their guru’s esteem and regards for Yogi. After the declaration of the Swamigal that he and Yogi were one and the same, they started behaving roughly and indecently to Yogi. During such times Yogi would leave the place silently. After a few days, Yogi wanted to leave for Tiruvannamalai. But Gnananandagiri Swamigal requested him to stay for a few more days in Tapovanam. After about twenty days, Yogi informed Gnananandagiri Swamigal that he was about to leave for Tiruvannamalai.

Gnananandagiri Swamigal requested him to stay in the ashram permanently to look after the ashram and devotees. Yogi felt that it was not his mission and so he silently left the ashram, not responding to Gnananandagiri Swamigal. He went to Srinivasan’s teashop. He requested Srinivasan to accompany him along with his younger brother Jagannathan, to Tiruvannamalai to help him. Srinivasan instantly obliged and asked his younger brother to follow Yogi and his group.

Along with Srinivasan, Perumal and George, Jagannathan also went with Yogi to Tiruvannamalai. Yogi then told Srinivasan that he required four people always to be with him. So, Srinivasan arranged one of his close relative Thrisangu to be with Yogi to help him. Then Srinivasan left for Thirukkovilur. Whenever any one of the four assistants could not be there with Yogi, then Yogi would request Srinivasan to send somebody to replace the absentee till the latter came back. Srinivasan would arrange for the alternative manpower. Thrisangu worked for two years and Jagannathan worked for Yogi till 1978.

In 1974, Swami Gnananandagiri attained mahasamadhi. While he was walking inside the ashram premises, people heard a loud sound from the Swami and saw the Swami collapsed. The devotees in the ashram imagined that their Swami had gone out of his physical frame to do an important work. They believed that he would come back to his body as soon as he completed the work. So they kept the body in Swami’s room and they had a close watch on it all the time.

Some of the friends informed Yogi at Tiruvannamalai about this event. Yogi told them that Gnananandha Swamigal passed away and the devotees should make arrangements for the final rites. On hearing the words of Yogi, the devotees of Gnananandha got agitated. Yogi went to Tapovanam and was as usual roaming around Tapovanam.

The devotees waited for two days and there was no sign of Gnananandagiri Swamigal coming back again into his body. The body gradually started decomposing. The devotees got frightened and rushed to Kancheepuram to ask Kanchi Sankaracharya Sri Chandrasekara Saraswati Swamigal. The Sankaracharya Swamigal told the devotees that Gnananandha Swamigal dropped his body and the devotees should make arrangements for final rites. The devotees rushed back to Tapovanam and did final rites to their beloved guru.

Yogi stayed around Tapovanam for more than two months after the samadhi of Gnananandagiri Swamigal. The wrath of the Brahmin sanyasi prevented Yogi to enter into the ashram premises. The other devotees felt the need of a great master like Yogi in the ashram to guide them. But, Yogi had to leave Tapovanam. He knew that his mission was in Tiruvannamalai and not in Tapovanam. So, Yogi went back to Tiruvannamalai along with his friends Perumal, George, Jagannathan and Thrisangu.

The Punnai Tree

From 1974, Yogi Ramsuratkumar started staying beneath the punnai tree during the daytime. It was considerably a big tree. There was always shadow beneath that tree. Yogi met the devotees there. In the evening around 5 o’ clock, Yogi would start from there and reach Theradi Mandapam. His friends, Perumal, George, Jagannathan, Durai (A horse cart-man later engaged by Yogi at Tiruvannamalai) and Thrisangu, carried the gunny bundles and walked behind Yogi in a circuitous route, avoiding the main roads, where the rowdy elements had persecuted Yogi earlier. Yogi used a rugged path going along the railway track. Yogi would get down from the rugged path at Gandhi Nagar and enter into the town. He would then proceed to Sannathi Street and finally reach the Theradi Mandapam.

At the Theradi Mandapam, Yogi had to wait till the metal vessel shop closed for the night. After the shop was closed in the night around 10 o’ clock, Yogi would move to the corridor of the metal vessel shop. The floor of the shop was above the road level. There was about 3’ x 7’ floor space outside the main door. As the area was above the road level, it remained like an elevated platform. This became the seat and bed of Yogi during the nights. His friends would spread a mat on the elevated platform. Upon the mat they would also spread a gunny sack. They put a small bundle of gunny sacks on the Eastern side of the mat to be used as a pillow. Yogi would sit on his bed for sometime and would ask his friends to chant “Yogi Ramsuratkumara, Jaya Guru, Jaya Guru, Jaya Guru Raya” for sometime. Then he would lie down on his bed and would gesticulate to his assistants to lie down on the pathway and sleep.

In the morning around 5 o’ clock, Yogi would get up and would ask one of the friends, mostly Jagannathan, to bring coffee from Akila India Coffee Bar for all. After the coffee session, the whole group would start around 6 o’ clock in the morning to the punnai tree again in the same route via Gandhi Nagar. They would reach the tree in the morning around 7.30. There, the whole group, one by one would finish their morning ablutions and would be ready to receive devotees from around 9 in the morning. If there were no devotees, Yogi would ask the friends to chant “Yogi Ramsuratkumara Jaya Guru, Jaya Guru, Jaya Guru Raya”. It was a music feast for ears to listen to the group’s chorus chanting. The chorus chanting of the great guru mantra by them was so enthralling to the listeners that would elevate one to the higher consciousness.

The big punnai tree was situated in the northern corner of a fertile field. There was a well nearby the tree. One Manicka Gounder looked after that farm. He cultivated vegetables and other edible plants in the farm. Manicka Gounder along with his wife Rajammal was attracted by the spiritual splendor of Yogi Ramsuratkumar and eventually they became great devotees of Yogi. These simple and great devotees would always share their simple food with Yogi and his friends. Their devotion grew day by day to the extent that Yogi Ramsuratkumar became the only God for them.

Sai Baba

One day during 1974, some devotees of Puttaparthi Sai Baba visited Yogi at the punnai tree. Yogi conversed with them and the devotees were telling about their experiences with Sai Baba to Yogi. At that time a small tiny dog pup came running towards Yogi. Yogi exclaimed in ecstasy, “Oh, see, Sai Baba is here!” Yogi fondled the pup with all the love and care. Yogi named it Sai Baba. Yogi asked one of his assistants to bring milk from the hotel nearby and made the pup to drink the milk. From that day Sai Baba followed Yogi, wherever he went and became one more companion for Yogi.

Sai Baba had great understanding and Yogi also understood Sai Baba’s every gesture. Yogi had immense love for Sai Baba. Sai Baba also was very close to Yogi. He was at liberty with Yogi and his devotees. He would lie down on the lap of the devotees and sleep. He would never bother the devotees, who visited Yogi. He would take whatever Yogi and the devotees offered, but he would never touch any eatables offered to Yogi. Yogi requested Perumal to get one more coconut shell. Sai Baba would take his milk and coffee from that coconut shell.

Sai Baba till his end was having the privileged love and care of Yogi and passed away in 1986. During his last days, he became very sick and Yogi brought veterinary doctor to treat Sai Baba at his Sannathi Street house. Sai Baba, due to the old age could not eat and roam in the streets. So, Yogi asked Perumal to take Sai Baba out every evening for a short stroll, tying a long thin chain around the neck of Sai Baba. In his final days he did not eat anything. Yogi kept Sai Baba near him and after Sai Baba passed away, he asked Perumal to bury Sai Baba in the burial ground.

After Gnananandagiri Swamigal passed away in 1974, a few devotees like Sri Sivaramakrishna Iyer, Sri Rajamanicka Nadar, Sri Jay and Sri Suga surrendered at the holy feet of Yogi. Sri Sivaramakrishna Iyer alone was, till his end able to win over Yogi’s love and confidence. From 1975, most of the devotees of Gnananandagiri Swamigal regularly visited Yogi. Yogi would always try to intensify the faith of the devotees on their Guru Gnananandagiri Swamigal. Yogi would insist to have unshakable faith on their guru. He instilled the faith in the devotees that their Guru would protect them from all the obstacles in the mundane as well as in the spiritual life. Yogi would always feel happy and express his joy on seeing the sincere devotees of other gurus. Yogi would remove the obstacles in their lives, in the name of their gurus so that they could always be in the constant remembrance of their guru.

Sri Suga.

Suga, a young unmarried man, a devotee of Gnananandagiri Swamigal, worked in a government office in Tiruvannamalai. He almost stayed every night with Yogi Ramsuratkumar at the corridor of the vessel shop from 1975. He would come around 9 in the night to Yogi and both would converse about several things at the Theradi Mandapam. After the vessel shop closed for the night, Suga would also help Yogi’s friends to shift the gunny bundles from the mandapam to the vessel shop, even though he was affected by elephantiasis disease. He was a poet. He composed several songs on Yogi. Yogi loved to listen to those songs and asked his other devotees to sing them frequently. Yogi also asked Suga to compose Ramayanam in Tamil verses. Daily Suga would write one new song on Yogi and would sing before Yogi every night. In the early morning, after the coffee session, Yogi would leave him to go to his house to get ready for his daily routine. Till 1978, the routines of Suga continued.

In 1977, Suga wanted to marry one of his close relative’s daughters. He told his parents that Yogi wanted him to marry that particular girl. He believed that whatever desire or thought raised in his mind was always due to Yogi’s mystical instigation. He imagined that Yogi was the cause for his desire. He thought that Yogi knew everything and so he did not have the need to inform Yogi. So he did not inform Yogi about this. The parents of Suga did not like that alliance and went to Yogi to get clarifications whether he instructed Suga to marry the particular girl. On hearing his parents, Yogi got annoyed. Yogi did not like his name being misused. He told the parents of Suga that he never suggested their son to marry that particular girl. The parents went back with satisfaction. In the same night Suga came as usual to be with Yogi for the night. Yogi told him plainly that he should not disobey his parents in the matter of his marriage. But Suga could not oblige Yogi. He strongly believed that the desire had been given by his guru within and so he should oblige his guru within. Yogi, on seeing his unwillingness to obey his parents, told him that if that was his attitude, then he did not have the need to visit Yogi again. Suga left Yogi with tears in his eyes and stopped visiting Yogi from that day. However, he remembered Yogi till his end.

It is very strange to observe such attitude in some devotees. Even though Yogi has clearly instructed the devotees that when one wants to live in this world, then he (or she) is bound by the dharma (set of rules) of life and one should shoulder the responsibility for his deeds and should not shift it to the shoulders of others – not even to those of God or guru. If one wants to dissolve himself in the Divinity, then it is totally different: he need not adopt any dharma or discipline, but in the process he should be ready for the severe hardships that would kill his ego totally so as to merge him in God. But some people interpret his teachings in their own way conveniently to suit to their self interest and petty desires. They bring in guru’s name into their unwarranted, self centered thoughts, desires and deeds unnecessarily. This results in pain, problems and confusion. This pain and confusion affect others too ultimately resulting in chaos and conflicts. Thus, an individual’s irresponsibility affects the whole structure of his immediate surroundings adversely.

After Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram started functioning, Suga came one or two times along with his family. When Yogi became alarmingly sick, Suga came to the ashram several times to have the glimpse of his guru. He attended Yogi’s final rites, after his mahasamadhi in 2001. In the same year, a few months later, he met with a road accident and died on the spot leaving behind his wife and two sons.

Sri Sivaramakrishna Iyer

Sri Sivaramakrishna Iyer was an ardent devotee of Gnananandagiri Swamigal. He surrendered to the holy feet of Yogi Ramsuratkumar after the Swamigal passed away. He along with his wife frequented Yogi, who had great love and confidence on this couple. Sri Sivaramakrishna Iyer wanted to bring harmony in Tapovanam after the maha samadhi of Gnananandagiri Swamigal. He contributed his service towards peace and harmony in Tapovanam.

He worked as a Tasildar and retired. After his retirement he lived in Tapovanam. His devotion and faith on Yogi Ramsuratkumar was remarkable. He was a learned and well-informed man. He was so simple and one would feel impressed on seeing his devotion towards Yogi. He led a simple life and never participated in any disputes either in the ashram or in the society. He remembered his guru throughout the life. In his later years, he lived in the complex of Gnananandha Nilayam.

In 1976, during Yogi’s Jayanti celebration at the Subbaiah Nadar Madam in Tiruvannamalai, Sri Sivaramakrishna Iyer narrated the subtle meaning of the Tamil songs, which were composed by Dr. T.P. Meenatchi Sundaranar, retired as the first Vice Chancellor of Madurai University. His emotion filled narration of the meanings of those wonderful songs thrilled the whole audience. He too had composed several songs on Yogi. Yogi liked one of the songs very much and asked his devotees to sing that song frequently.

In 1993, the life trustee of Yogi Ramsuratkumar Trust, Sri.S.P. Janardhanan, with the help of his advocate, prepared the sale deed of the land meant for the ashram. He submitted the sale deed at the holy feet of Yogi for his approval, but yogi without touching the documents and with a mysterious smile, instructed Janardhanan to go to Sivaramakrishna Iyer and read the documents before him. Janardhanan along with his friends went to Sivaramakrishna Iyer’s house and read the documents before him. Sivaramakrishna Iyer listened to the documents and also went through the documents personally. But he could not find any mistakes in the documents. Anyhow he felt that something was wrong in the documents and that’s why Yogi had sent the trustee to him. As he was not able to find anything wrong in the documents, he decided to go with Janardhanan to Tiruvannamalai to seek Yogi’s grace.

The group reached Sannathi Street house. Yogi received them with all love and compassion. He caught hold of Sivaramakrishna Iyer’s hands and made him sit just in front of him and enquired about his health. Sivaramakrishna Iyer, with all devotion answered all the questions of Yogi. He then explained about the documents and said that he was not able to find any mistake in the documents. Yogi smiled mystically and asked Janardhanan to arrange accommodation for Sivaramakrishna Iyer at Sivakasi Nadar Chatram and again read the documents in front of Sivaramakrishna Iyer. After spending an hour with the group, Yogi asked them all to go to Sivakasi Nadar Chatram.

Janardhanan arranged a room in the Sivakasi Nadar Chatram for Sivaramakrishna Iyer. There everybody sat and again Janardhanan read the documents before Sri Iyer. Even after going through the documents three times, the mistakes could not be located. Sivaramakrishna Iyer took the document papers in his hand and he went through it word by word and to the shock of everybody, he was able to locate the blunder in the documents. The seller of the land had become the purchaser and the purchaser had become the seller as per the document. The mistake was due to a typing error. The whole group of the devotees was shocked on seeing the mistake, which was a blunder and wondered how Yogi could sense the mistake even without touching the documents. In the next morning when the group went to Yogi and explained the mistake, Yogi was laughing and laughing with great joy. Though all others felt shy, they felt relieved too. Yogi thanked Sivaramakrishna Iyer and asked Janardhanan to leave him at his house by car. Janardhanan took Sri Iyer in his car and dropped him in his house. Later he came back to Tiruvannamalai and corrected the mistakes in the documents.

When the devotees are sincere and serious in doing a work for Yogi, then Yogi will participate in the work and help the devotees to correct the mistakes, so that the work is totally perfect. If Yogi finds lack of sincerity and seriousness, then he will not participate in the work. Yogi will remain mute and allow the people to face the consequence of the mistakes they have committed.

Sivaramakrishna Iyer in his final years was always in the remembrance of his guru and it was a joy to be with him. The supreme wisdom had dawned on him and he was whole when he passed away in the end of 1990’s. Such simple and unlabeled devotees were plenty, who reached the ultimate evolution by the grace of Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Only a very few of them are conspicuous and most people passed away unnoticed.

Sri.Jay.

Jay, a young Brahmin devotee of Gnananandagiri, after the latter’s samadhi, became an ardent and faithful devotee of Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Jay’s whole family was dedicated to Gnananandagiri. His mother used to bring food to Gnananandagiri at Tapovanam till her last days and then his sister, who was a spinster, continued the service till the mahasamadhi of the swamigal. Nowadays, she lives in Tapovanam.
Jay was given total freedom by Yogi and it was a joy to watch him sitting, smoking and talking to Yogi. He took extraordinary liberty with Yogi and Yogi showered his abundant love on him. Yogi used to offer cigarettes to Jay and the latter never hesitated to smoke before Yogi. If Yogi wanted to convey any important message to his scholarly devotees, Yogi would send the same through Jay. The latter would do that with utmost sincerity and only after completing the works assigned by Yogi, he would go for his routine.

Jay was working in a private company at Madras. He was jovial and always cracking jokes with all the devotees. Yogi enjoyed his company. But, later the attitude of Jay changed. In 1978, it so happened, that Yogi had to tell him that Jay had no need to visit Yogi again. It seems Jay’s interference in Yogi’s works and his indifferent attitude towards the devotees and the trustees of the then formed trust at Gnananandhagiri Ashram forced Yogi to tell Jay not to visit him again. Yogi also told him that whenever he felt the need of Jay, he would call him again. But till the end, Yogi did not find the need to call him back.

In a few years, he got volunteer retirement from the company and settled in his village nearby Tapovanam. He got married. He lived in his native village. He remembered Yogi all the time and repented of the mistakes he had committed earlier. He was silently waiting with the hope that one day Yogi would call him again. But that never occurred. Even after he knew the mahasamadhi of Yogi, he did not attend the final rites of Yogi Ramsuratkumar.

In 2004, Jay suffered due to cancer. He could sense his end fast approaching. He wanted to visit Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s samadhi at Tiruvannamalai. His wife took him to Tiruvannamalai. He saluted Yogi’s statue and samadhi with stream of tears in his eyes and returned to Tapovanam. In a few months, in 2004, he passed away.

It seems, from the beginning Yogi Ramsuratkumar selected a few people to have the opportunity of being physically close to him, to show to the world that dependence on the physical form of guru would lead one to the path of destruction with the violent conflicts both within and without. The physical closeness of Yogi makes one think that they attain everything. They imagine that they have become whole and get the eligibility to teach others. The possessiveness of the physical form of a great soul makes one behave in such a way that they do not allow any other people to have the same closeness with their guru. They think that the guru is meant only for them and they expect their guru to approve whatever they do. If anybody questions them they react violently.

Yogi then and there expressed about himself that he was not the physical body alone and it would be impossible for one to comprehend his stature with one’s limited vision and knowledge. The people, who depended upon the physical form of Yogi, did not give much importance to his wise words and teachings. They always expected Yogi to glorify them before the congregation of the devotees that they had attained His Father, they had been from the heaven, they were very important to the world, they were serving Yogi by sacrificing their everything etc., etc. Yogi did not hesitate to utter those words before the crowd. Yogi garlanded such devotees before the people and glorified those devotees with the apparent reverence. He even touched their feet. If one observes keenly, they will understand the mysterious game of Yogi.

Becoming a spiritual master is not a joke. One should prepare to get destroyed and that’s the price one should pay. Shedding off the self causes immense pain. The so called chosen people imagine that by getting some praise from the master, they shall get the state of master. Desiring without deserving and anticipating only the complimentary words from the master is the cause to get oneself spiritually ruined.

Yogi had to struggle with immense pain for 18 long years in search of His Father. Finally Yogi was able to shed off his self to become one with Him. Yogi had to suffer and struggle, to attain total evolution, for considerably a long time in spite of his gurus were the greatest of all times, Ramana, Aurbindo, Ramdas and J.Krishnamurti. But the people, who flocked around Yogi, living with all comforts, imitating the gestures of Yogi, using a few words from his quotations, imagined that they had attained Yogi’s state. During the sadhana time, Yogi used to negate and question everything he faced. Yogi never had fear in his life, but the so called chosen people are in constant fear. Out of fear they do all sort of rituals. They believe, the rituals will save them and retain them in the power. They believe the rituals will bring laurels to their life. In the process, the rituals become important and the teachings and life of Yogi become insignificant. The people, who oppose the rituals, are labeled as traitors. Yogi was considered a rebellion in Anandashram, Ramanashram, Aurobindashram and even in J.Krishnamurti foundation. No institution approved and acknowledged Yogi and almost all of them threw him away. Yogi was only at the mercy of his Masters’ and Father’s grace and certainly not at the mercy of any religious or spiritual institutions, but, once he reached the other shore and merged with God without adopting any rituals, all the ashrams and other religious institutions started showering reverence and respects on him.

Sri R

Sri R, a devotee of Swami Gnananandagiri Swamigal of Tapovanam became an ardent devotee of Yogi Ramsuratkumar after the Swamigal’s samadhi. He was sitting among other devotees when Gnananandagiri declared that the Swamigal and Yogi were one and the same. After his guru’s samadhi, he sought after Yogi’s guidance by visiting Yogi frequently.

R was a hard working businessman and a natural philanthropist. He passionately believed that the saints alone could do all the miracles in life to make one reach the topmost position of social, political, business and religious aspiration. He would watch each and every word of the saints with serious concentration and would try to find out the real meaning of those words. He believed that those words were loaded with special and subtle message for him.

From 1975, his devotion for Yogi intensified. He used to glorify Yogi while he was among his friends and relatives. Whenever anybody came to him with any problems, he would direct them to Yogi at Tiruvannamalai. He was instrumental to bring in large numbers of devotees of Nadar community to Yogi in 1970s. He also had reverence for some other saints living at that time, like Mayamma of Kanyakumari, Swami of Kasavanampatti near Dindigul and Nayanar Swami at Pothayadi near Kanyakumari. He used to refer about Yogi as a fire that had moulded him into a perfect instrument of God. He narrated about Mayamma as a motherly protector.

He believed that Yogi wanted him to become an important political figure in the Congress Party. He also believed that he alone could understand the words of Yogi. He became popular and prominent among the devotees of Yogi. The devotees used to go to him to get the real translation of the words Yogi uttered when they visited Yogi. Even though the words were in simple English with a simple meaning, the devotees imagined that it would always contain huge loads of messages in subtle and R alone could read the actual meaning of those words. In due course the devotees of Yogi called him as “Kutty Samiar” (Junior Swami). R’s devotion to Yogi was tremendous. Whenever Yogi offered him hot coffee, he would just swallow at one stroke. If Yogi offered him bananas, he ate the bananas without removing the skin. He imagined that the skins might also have some power in them, as they had the touch of Yogi.
In 1976, R found Yogi struggled when shunting from the town to Punnai Tree. So, he thought of buying a house for Yogi in the Sannathi Street, near the Big Temple. When he expressed his desire to Yogi, Yogi gave him permission. He found a particular house was suitable. It was just opposite to the Theradi Mandapam, where Yogi used to sit along with the friends in the evening. He told Yogi about the house and Yogi approved his selection. R, along with a few of his trusted friends of Nadar Community, joined together and purchased the house. When they asked Yogi in whose name the sale deed of the house should be registered, Yogi immediately responded that the house should be registered in the name of R.

Even though they purchased the house in 1976, Yogi waited for another six months to occupy. Finally Yogi entered the house in the middle of 1977. But Yogi’s personal belongings, the several gunny bundles and his attendants had to be in the Theradi Mandapam. The friends would shift the gunny bundles from the vessel shop to the mandapam at the daybreak and in the night they would again shift the entire luggage back to the vessel shop. Except one man, all others should sleep in the corridor of the vessel shop, looking after the gunny bundles. The lone person should stay with Yogi inside the house. The shifting of the luggage should be done in the presence of Yogi every morning and every night. Initially in the morning Yogi allowed his friends to use the toilet in the house for their morning ablutions. But later Yogi stopped them except the lone assistant, who stayed with him in the house to use the toilet. Initially it was Jagannathan, who lived in the house along with Yogi.

Yogi lived another seventeen years in that house. That house had seen several interesting events through which a lot of devotees attained supreme wisdom, got relieved from the pains and problems and learnt the art of love by the benevolent grace of the Supreme Master Yogi Ramsuratkumar. From 1977 to 1993 end, Yogi lived in this house. After Yogi shifted to Sudama House in the late 1993, Yogi’s then personal assistant Sashi looked after the house. A few years later Yogi called Sashi to the ashram and recommended to the then trustee to give Sashi a job in the ashram. The then trustee appointed Sashi in the ashram, but did not give any specific work and did not pay him salary either. After a few months, Sashi was asked to look after accounts of the ashram. During the daytime he would work in the ashram and in the night he would go to Sannathi Street house to sleep. He was maintaining the house as per the instructions of Yogi.

Soon after Yogi’s mahasamadhi, Sashi left the ashram as he found it difficult to cope up with other persons. This holy Sannathi Street house where Yogi lived and conducted his durbar for around 18 years was locked and abandoned to remain in dust and dirt. It remained so till March 2006. Afterwards it had been thrown open for the devotees to sit and remember Yogi silently. In July 2010 the roof of the hall was demolished and the management of the ashram explained through their monthly magazine Saranagatham that they had started renovating the holy monument of Yogi.

In 1977, R organised to visit and cover all the villages and towns from Madras to Kanyakumari in a van, propagating about Gnananandagiri Swamigal, Mayamma, Kasavanampatti Swamigal, Pothayadi Swamigal and Yogi Ramsuratkumar. He engaged some religious speakers to give discourses on these saints. He told people that Yogi had asked him to tour throughout Tamilnadu for one whole year. His family members got agitated. They went to Yogi and poured out their anguish. Yogi told them that he never asked R to go for a tour to propagate the saints.

In due course Yogi found that R interfered in his works that became a great disturbance for him. Yogi told R that there was no need for him to visit Yogi again. After that event, R used to send his friends to Yogi and as soon as they returned from Yogi, he passionately listened to them the total conversation between Yogi and the friends. He tried to find out whether Yogi had sent any specific message for him through those friends. Several times he imagined that the talks Yogi had with the friends meant only for him.

He used to come to Tiruvannamalai and sit in the Theradi Mandapam along with Yogi’s other friends for the whole day in the hope, Yogi would call him again. But that did not happen. In the mid of 1980s, during one Guru Purnima Day, R wanted to see Yogi. He sent one of the friends of Yogi to express his desire to have darshan of Yogi. Yogi allowed him. He came in and prostrated before Yogi. Yogi accepted his pranams and asked him to leave immediately by gesture. R left immediately with all the joy that he could prostrate before his guru on the auspicious Guru Purnima Day. After that he never met Yogi.

R used to celebrate Yogi’s Jayanti (birthday) on December 1st every year at various places. At Sivakasi, where a lot of Yogi’s devotees lived, he made arrangements through his followers to celebrate the jayanti. Most of the devotees did not participate, as there was always some confusion among the devotees regarding the political aspiration of R. There were a lot of speakers on the dais and only a small number of listeners in the audience. So, in 1985, the devotees at Sivakasi met together and decided to have bhajans every second Sunday of every month, for one whole year to bring harmony and unity among the devotees, so that they could celebrate the jayanti jointly with good understanding and cooperation. There was a great enthusiasm among the devotees and they met every second Sunday of all months at Sri Rajadurai Nadar Memorial, which was situated in the complex of Ramji Match factory, Sivakasi.

Sri Rajadurai Nadar was a great devotee of Yogi. After Sri Rajadurai Nadar passed away, his son Sri Chandra Prakash erected his father’s granite statue in the factory complex with the blessings of Yogi. The place was called Rajadurai Nadar Memorial Mandapam. Yogi glorified that place. Yogi used to say that the place was sanctified by the presence of His Supreme Father. Yogi said that whoever visited the memorial would be blessed by Father. So the devotees at Sivakasi selected that place to meet together and conducted bhajans every second Sunday of every month. Yogi expressed his joy on knowing about the group chanting and bhajans at Sivakasi and blessed the congregation.

Nearly 100 devotees initially gathered at the memorial. The chorus chanting of Yogi’s Name and singing of Yogi’s bhajan songs by the devotees attracted more devotees. The congregation of the devotees grew every month. On seeing the massive crowd of the devotees, R decided to celebrate the jayanti in a great manner by inviting the then Prime Minister of India, Sri.Rajiv Gandhi, to attend the jayanti functions at Sivakasi. Some devotees suggested instead of inviting the Prime Minister, they should invite Yogi himself for whom the celebration was planned. R and his friends could not say no for this suggestion.

A team was selected to go to Tiruvannamalai to invite Yogi. The group reached Tiruvannamalai in another few days. As soon as the team touched the gate of Yogi’s abode, Yogi came out and shouted, “No more bhajans, no more jayanti. If you people have a scant respect on this beggar, stop everything.” Yogi commanded to stop the bhajans and jayanti celebrations, sensing the congregation of devotees being misused by some politically aspiring devotees. From that day onwards most of the devotees stopped attending the bhajans. But a few friends of R continued the bhajans in the memorial.
R was always contemplating on his beloved masters in his own way. He had helped many devotees in several ways. Still there are followers of R among the devotees of Yogi. He was the founder of Mayamma Samajam and he built a beautiful structure facing the ocean at Kanyakumari in the remembrance of his favorite Guru Mayamma. He also built a Mani Mandapam for Nayanar Swamigal at Pothayadi and was helpful in completing the Ramji Ashram at Kumarakoil near Nagerkoil. With the help of his devoted friends he was able to complete several works and in his final days he was a trustee of Gnananandagiri Swamigal’s Tapovanam. He passed away in the late 1990’s.

Sri Rajadurai Nadar

Sri Rajamanicka Nadar, a great devotee of Gnananandagiri Swamigal, Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Mayamma and other great saints and sages of that time introduced several of his relatives and friends to those saints and encouraged them to visit those saints for their material as well as spiritual benefits.

Sri Rajadurai Nadar of Sivakasi, a small industrial town in South Tamilnadu, was one among the relatives of Rajamanicka Nadar. He was introduced to Yogi by the latter. He was one of the prosperous, successful businessmen manufacturing matchboxes and raw materials at Sivakasi and other places in Kerala state. He had several factories. He had one son and two daughters. He was broadminded in nature. Being spiritually inclined, when he heard about Yogi, he got the inclination to see the great saint. Sri Rajamanicka Nadar took him to Yogi. From the beginning Yogi poured his abundant love and grace on Rajadurai Nadar. He was one of the donors, who contributed to purchase the Sannathi Street house.
Sri Rajadurai Nadar wanted to celebrate Yogi’s Jayanti (birthday) in a grand manner on 1/12/1977. He prayed to Yogi to allow him to arrange for the celebration. With great hesitation Yogi gave him the permission. Sri Rajadurai Nadar conducted the jayanti celebrations in a grand manner in Oya Madam at Tiruvannamalai. Yogi attended the function. The people decorated Yogi with flowers and Yogi allowed them to do whatever they liked. Yogi was sitting like a rock then. Everybody enjoyed the benediction of the spiritual aura of Yogi during the celebrations. That was the last function Yogi permitted to celebrate by individuals. Rajadurai Nadar arranged Pada Pooja to Yogi in accordance with the religious rituals. He arranged for annadhanam too. He took Yogi in his Mercedes car from his Sannathi Street house to Oya Madam and from Oya Madam to Sannathi Street house. The sincere and devotional services of Rajadurai Nadar brought him closer to Yogi.

The people in between Yogi and Rajadurai Nadar attempted to translate the love and affinity of Yogi with Rajadurai Nadar to a specific work connected with politics. That was the time the Congress party declared emergency in the country. After one year, the Congress withdrew the emergency and declared general elections. It was said that the withdrawal of emergency happened due to the advice of J. Krishnamurti, to the then leader of the Government. The leader was a great admirer of J. Krishnamurti.

The people in between Yogi and Rajadurai Nadar convinced the latter that Yogi was for Congress party’s win in the general elections. One of the influential men among the devotees on whom Rajadurai Nadar had immense confidence had misinformed him that Yogi was working for the success of the Congress in a subtle way. He also suggested that all the devotees should contribute towards Yogi’s works. He told that the party would win in more than 400 constituencies out of the 500 and odd, as per Yogi’s wish. He requested Rajadurai Nadar that he should publicise this subtle divine work through newspapers and wall posters so that it would be a great service to his guru and his works. Sri Rajadurai Nadar did not clarify this fantasy with Yogi, as he blindly believed the people in between him and Yogi. So, he organised to print wall posters, containing the message that Yogi had blessed the Congress to win the elections with substantial majority. He arranged to paste the wall posters throughout Sivakasi. He also spent a lot for the advertisements in almost all leading English and Tamil newspapers, with the same message along with Yogi’s photo.

In that parliamentary elections, alas, congress party met with an abject defeat in the hands of the combined opposite political parties. When the poll results were being announced, the man who had informed Rajadurai Nadar about Yogi’s subtle work for the win of Congress Party was sitting with Yogi at the Sannathi Street house along with Rajadurai Nadar. A Brahmin, who was living in the next door of the Sannathi Street house was listening to radio news and reporting about the election results to Yogi then and there. The Brahmin commented, “Swami, as you said our Congress party is miserably defeated. Our leader Indira Gandhi was also defeated, as you said.” Yogi was calm, serious and glowing. Rajadurai Nadar was baffled. He stared at the man, who misinformed that Yogi had predicted Congress party’s win. That man silently went inside the house. From that time Rajadurai Nadar had friction with the man. In a few hours Yogi asked Rajadurai Nadar to go to his place directly. Rajadurai Nadar came back to his place and thereafter, he aspired to have the direct contact with his guru in all circumstances. This episode affected Rajadurai Nadar seriously. However his faith and devotion towards Yogi intensified. He remembered Yogi all the time and in a few months, he passed away.

Once Yogi took Rajadurai Nadar to Bell Studio at Tiruvannamalai and asked the photographer to take a photo of them together. Yogi was sitting in a chair catching hold of the hand of Rajadurai Nadar and the latter was sitting on the floor. The blissful experiences of Rajadurai Nadar couldn’t be brought out and it had become a secret permanently. All the people, who had the association with Rajadurai Nadar, are already dead and gone.

Rajadurai Nadar was a busy businessman having little time to spare for any other activities. He had several factories to look after. He was not aware of any scriptures or rituals. Nor did he have the required atmosphere at home, as his wife belonged to another religion. Also, he did not even know the value of guru in the spiritual pursuit. However, he was a philanthropist naturally. He was selfless. He was perfect in all his deeds. His understanding of the pains and problems of others was extraordinary. He was always helpful to the needy and the deserving. Although he didn’t know anything about God, guru or devotion, his contact with Yogi helped him to reach the highest spiritual state. He realised that without guru’s grace nothing could happen. Yogi, his guru, had become part and parcel of him. While he was on the deathbed, he got hold of Yogi’s photo, which was fixed in the golden chain he wore. He was remembering Yogi’s name all along the final days. The liberation and death happened to him simultaneously in an effortless way. It was possible due to the pure grace of Yogi. The man, who lived a mechanical life, got a great transformation. His oneness with his guru happened due to his immense faith in his guru.

His only son Sri Chandra Prakash, who was then studying engineering, had to manage his father’s business after his demise. Yogi spared time whenever Chandra Prakash was able to come to Yogi seeking his guidance. Chandra Prakash wanted to build a memorial for his father and Yogi encouraged Chandra Prakash. Chandra Prakash spent a lot of money in building the memorial for his father. He was guided by Yogi at every stage in the construction of the memorial.

Once the author went to Haridwar and stayed there for a few days. There he went to the Ganges that flew in its natural course. He was able to see beautiful stones in different shapes on the river bed. He picked up three beautiful stones from them. He also purchased one rudrakshamala. After a few days of blissful stay in Haridwar, he went to Tiruvannamalai to visit Yogi. He presented the stones and the rudrakshamala to Yogi. When Yogi heard that those stones were brought from the Ganges, Yogi put them on his forehead and eyes with all the reverence.

At that time a man came to Yogi. He was the assistant of Ganapati Sthapati, (sthapati - sculptor) a famous temple builder, who was then constructing Rajadurai Nadar’s Memorial at Sivakasi. Yogi enquired about his welfare and the progress of the construction. Then Yogi enquired the man where he was going. He replied that he was going to his guru Ganapati Stapati to report about the progress of the work. Yogi handed over the stones and rudrakshamala to him, and requested him to enquire Ganapati Stapati how to make use of those stones and the rudrakshamala in the memorial. Yogi also requested the man to come and report about the suggestions of the sthapati. The man went to the sthapati with the stones and the mala along with the prasadam given by Yogi.

After two days the man returned. He told yogi that Ganapati Stapati had seen and inspected the stones very carefully. The Stapati found that those stones were very rare ones, which would become precious stones in future. According to agama rules precious stones should be put beneath the statue. So the sthapati preferred to use the stones to be put beneath the statue of Rajadurai Nadar in the memorial. Regarding the rudrakshamala, as it was small, it could not be inserted into the neck of the statue. So, along with the stones, it could also be put beneath the statue. On hearing the suggestions of the sthapati, Yogi expressed his joy and satisfaction.

Sri Rajadurai Nadar’s son Sri.Chandra Prakash was also present then with the assistant. Yogi put the stones and mala in a piece of cloth and made it a bundle. He placed it upon his head for some time with all seriousness. He again reverentially held it on his forehead and eyes and handed it over to Chandra Prakash. He instructed Chandra Prakash that he should protect the stones and the mala as a treasure from the Supreme Father until he would use it as the sthapati prescribed.

Only thereafter, the devotees were able to understand that Rajadurai Nadar in his final days realised Yogi’s Father in Totality and so Yogi converted his memorial as a place of worship. Yogi also declared about the memorial that it was a spiritual place and whoever visited the place would get his Father’s blessings. He encouraged the people of Sivakasi to visit the memorial regularly. Later the devotees at Sivakasi started doing bhajans in the memorial once in every month. On knowing about the bhajans happening in the memorial, Yogi expressed his extreme joy and blessed the devotees. But, as some people tried to make use of the congregations for personal political gains, Yogi asked the devotees to stop doing bhajans and celebrating his jayanti at the memorial. Instead, Yogi suggested that the devotees could visit the memorial individually and remain there for some time to feel the presence of Yogi’s Father.

The memorial was situated at the Ramji Match Factory Complex, Srivilliputtur Road, Sivakasi. The Memorial had a granite doom supported by four carved granite pillars. Sri Rajadurai Nadar’s statue was erected in the memorial. Anyone entering the complex of the match factory to visit the memorial can feel the spiritual vibration of the Memorial.

Smt Shenbagammal

Sri Rajamanicka Nadar introduced Yogi Ramsuratkumar to Sri Gnanagiri Ganeshan of Sivakasi who was an industrialist, having a great parentage. Sri Ganeshan’s father Sri Gnanagiri Nadar and mother Shenbagammal were both spiritually inclined. They had two sons and three daughters. Sri Gnanagiri Nadar was running a litho printing press at Sivakasi. He was the pioneer of the printing industry at Sivakasi. He was a great philanthropist. He was a simple and silent sadhaka.

Sri Gnanagiri Nadar had built a high school for the poor and downtrodden children to get proper education. He had also built a colony consisting of around 150 houses for his workers and staff to live, deducting a very small amount towards the cost of the houses from their salary every month. Now every house costs several lakhs of rupees. One can see Sri Gnanagiri Nadar’s photo even today, in everybody’s house in the whole colony. Sri Gnanagiri Nadar had also created Gnanagiri Trust and instructed his two male children to construct a public library and a water tank for the cattle. Sivakasi was a dry place and had severe scarcity of drinking water. The cattle of Sivakasi and the surrounding villages had to go long way in search of water and suffered a lot. So he allotted land with a well and resourced for the above said purposes. He also reserved funds to maintain them. Yogi came to know about the will of Sri Gnanagiri Nadar. Yogi was very much impressed by the intentions of Sri Gnanagiri Nadar and he insisted Gnanagiri Nadar’s two male children Sri Dharmarajan and Sri Gnanagiri Ganeshan to implement their father’s wish according to the will. But somehow, the children could not do it and Yogi felt bad. Whenever Yogi met the sons of Gnanagiri Nadar, he would remind them about the will of Gnanagiri Nadar. However the sons didn’t act according to their father’s will.

Gnanagiri Ganeshan was Shenbagammal’s second son. The youngest daughter was Saradha. In 1975, Saradha had a problem with her husband. The father Sri Gnanagiri Nadar had passed away in the previous year 1974. So, the family was struggling to deal with the problem. Sri Rajamanicka Nadar then introduced Yogi to Gnanagiri Ganeshan. The whole family of Ganeshan with his mother and sisters visited Yogi at the insistence of Sri Rajamanicka Nadar. Everybody in the family got a deep attachment to Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Yogi also showered his abundant love to all the family members. Within a few months the problem of Saradha with her husband was solved and the devotion of the family towards Yogi intensified.

Sri Subbaiah Nadar was the father of Shenbagammal. In 1929, Sri Subbaiah Nadar became critically sick. He was a great devotee of Annamalaiyar, the deity of Tiruvannamalai Temple. He was remembering Annamalaiyar, thinking that his final moments had neared. Suddenly there appeared a saivite sadhu, who came inside the house without being invited. He stared at Sri Subbaiah Nadar. He sat near him and touched him. He applied vibuthi (holy ash) on his forehead and asked him to take sanyas and live at Tiruvannamalai for the rest of his life. Then the sadhu went away and disappeared. Miraculously Subbaiah Nadar recovered from the sickness. Within a short period he took sanyas. In 1930 he went to Tiruvannamalai. He purchased a house in the Big Street at Tiruvannamalai. Since then he lived in Tiruvannamalai till his end in 1942. After Subbaiah Nadar passed away, his children built a samadhi on his mortal remains at Tiruvannamalai and till day they are maintaining the samadhi. Moreover they modified the small house in which Sri Subbaiah Nadar lived. Every year during the Deepam Festival all the family members of Sri Subbaiah Nadar would gather there and give annadhanam to sadhus and sanyasis. From the early 1960’s Yogi used to take food in Subbaiah Nadar Matam along with the other sadhus during the Deepam Festival.

Yogi Ramsuratkumar had great regards for Subbaiah Nadar and his descendants. Sri Subbaiah Nadar and his wife Smt Annammal were the great devotes of Lord Siva. They taught their children Siva Puranam from their childhood. Almost all the descendants of Subbaiah Nadar and Annammal know the Siva Puranam by heart and recite daily. Subbaiah Nadar’s second daughter Smt Pushpammal composed a Tamil song on Yogi as well as her parents Sri Subbaiah Nadar and Annammal. She sang it before Yogi in 1976. Yogi liked the song very much. Even though this song was written in 1976, Yogi remembered the song even in 1999 and asked the old devotees to sing this song again and again.

அன்னம்மாள் சகித சுப்பையா சுவாமியே
அருணாசலத்தில் வந்தமர்ந்தனையே
யோகிராம்சுரத்குமார் குருவாக வந்தனையே
சோதியாய் சுடரொளி பரப்புகின்றனையே.

The English translation of the song is as follows:

Ye Subbaiah Swami along with your consort Annammal
Thou came and sat at Arunachala
Thou came in the form of Guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar
And radiate the Divine Brilliant Light.

Shenbagammal was the youngest daughter of Subbaiah Nadar and Annammal. Her second son Gnanagiri Ganeshan and his wife Banumati became very dear and near to Yogi. Banumati was an outspoken lady and was a very good singer. She used to sing songs from Tevaram to Yogi and Yogi would insist her to sing again and again, for hours together. In those days Yogi used to sing in praise of this couple, “Gnanagiri Ganesha Jaya Banumati Sametha”. Yogi would sing it again and again whenever Yogi remembered the devoted couple. (Smt.Banumati passed away in 2010.) This couple was the instrument to bring the scholars Sri A.S. Gnanasambandam and Sri T.P. Meenakshi Sundaranar to Yogi in 1975. They were also instrumental to bring a famous poet and editor of the famous Tamil magazine Kalaimagal, Sri K.V. Jagannathan to Yogi. They also brought Sri Periasamy Thooran, another great Tamil scholar, in 1976 to Yogi. All those scholars wrote several songs on Yogi. Once, in late 1990’s Yogi Ramsuratkumar said in choking voice and tears in his eyes, “These scholars out of their compassion loved this beggar.”

Smt Shenbagammal, the youngest daughter of Subbaiah Nadar and Annammal was a gem of the devotees. She was from her childhood selfless and helpful to the needy people. She was so simple and a great devotee of Lord Siva. She could recite by-heart Tevaram, Thiruvachakam, Sivapuranam and several other Saivite scriptures. She was a good orator and could give religious discourses for hours together.

During 1940’s, there were serious Christian missionary activities at Sivakasi to convert poor Hindus to Christianity by luring them with money, comforts, education, health and heaven. Smt Shenbagammal, on seeing the attempts of the missionaries, started visiting every home at Sivakasi, initially alone, enlightened the people on the value of Hindu God’s names and made them stick to their faith and remain in their religion. She was in her late 20’s at that time. She started a women’s organization through which she worked for the upliftment of the poor. She also strengthened their religious faith by asking them to remember God’s names. If Smt Shenbagammal did not have acted then, most of the people of Sivakasi might have been converted to Christianity.

Sri Gnanagiri Nadar, her husband encouraged her to start a home for the destitute and orphans. Smt Shenbagammal started a home for them in the outskirts of Sivakasi. After her husband passed away, she was not able to live in the big house where she had lived for decades. She started living in the home along with the destitute and orphans. There was no comfort at all. All the time she was contemplating and meditating on God, saints and their teachings. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and his teachings attracted her greatly.

After her meeting with Yogi in 1975, a major inward change took place in her. Whenever she visited Yogi at Tiruvannamalai, Yogi would spare all his time with her and shower his abundant grace upon her. Yogi asked her daughter Uma Surendran, who was also living at Sivakasi, to look after her mother as the latter was getting old. Smt Uma Surendran brought her mother back from the destitute home and settled her in the first floor of her house. She looked after her mother with love and devotion. During Shenbagammal’s last days Gnanagiri Ganeshan and his wife Smt Banumati shifted her to their neighbouring house and took care of her till the last, with all love, devotion and care.

Once, the author went to Tiruvannamalai to have the darshan of Yogi. Yogi asked him whether he had seen Shenbagammal, who was also living in Sivakasi. The author replied that for long he did not see her. Yogi got angry and told, “You are in Sivakasi. Still you are not seeing Shenbagammal! How it is, Parthasarathy? Now, this beggar gives you these fruits. You should go and offer these fruits personally to Shenbagammal, conveying this beggar’s pranams to her.” Yogi gave two apples to the author to be given to Shenbagammal. The author went to Sivakasi and reached Gnanagiri Ganeshan’s house. He requested Smt Banumati to take him to Shenbagammal, who was living in the house next to that of Banumati. The latter took the author there. She was sitting on a cot like a small baby. Her eyes were glowing with pure spiritual aura. The author had heard that she behaved in a different way and had a memory lapse. On seeing Shenbagammal the author realised that it could not be true. She was in a different state of consciousness. The author conveyed Shenbagammal the pranams of Yogi and gave the fruits as Yogi’s offering. Shenbagammal immediately touched the author’s feet and received the fruits with great devotion. Her eyes, face, her entire being were radiating divinity. Only then the author could realise why Yogi insisted him to visit Shenbagammal. Yogi wanted the author to see and witness the spiritual wholeness of Shenbagammal, who had attained God Realisation. The author spent sometime with her in the blissful and divine atmosphere and left her carrying joy in his heart. In a few months she dropped her mortal body.

Shenbagammal had three daughters and two sons. Smt Thilagavathy Rajasekhar lived in Madurai. Smt Uma Surendran lived in Sivakasi. Smt Saradha Nateshan lived in Tirunelveli. All the three sisters with their husbands and children had immense love for Yogi. Yogi also showered his love and grace on them. Gnanagiri Ganeshan’s elder brother Sri Dharmaraja and his wife Smt Leelavati were also the devotees of Yogi.

In 1976, Sri Dharmaraja had to face a complicated police problem. He had been made the first accused in a murder case and the police wanted to arrest him. He evaded the arrest and came to Tiruvannamalai and took surrender at his guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s holy feet. Yogi assured him that he would be relieved from the case soon. Yogi also asked Dharmaraja and his wife Leelavati to write continuously “Rama Jayam”, which means victory to Ram. Both Dharmaraja and his wife started writing the mantram ceaselessly and also asked all their family members to write and chant the mantram. Miraculously within a few months, he was relieved from the murder case. Later Yogi said, “When they started writing my Father’s Name, everything changed and he came out of the problem.” From then Dharmaraja became an ardent devotee of Yogi. Whenever he came to Tiruvannamalai to attend Deepam Festival, he would visit Yogi and Yogi would shower his grace upon him. Dharmaraja passed away in 2004.

Sri Perumalraju

Sri Perumalraju of Krishnagiri was a great devotee of Lord Venkateswara of Tirupati. In 1976, he was guided to Yogi Ramsuratkumar at Tiruvannamalai by God’s will. After he met Yogi, a silent but tremendous transformation happened in Sri Perumaraju’s life. His wife Smt Mahalakshmi, who also became a very ardent devotee of Yogi, was helpful to her husband’s growth towards the wholeness. Yogi had great love for this couple. Both the husband and the wife were teachers in a high school at Krishnagiri. They always liked to be in solitude and so they had built a small house outside the city limit. Even today their house seems to be located in a wildly isolated place covered by huge trees. The path to their house is a pathless path and one would find it difficult to tread on the path. However once somebody reached their home, they would find a heaven full of beauty and bliss.

Once Sri Perumalraju visited Yogi at Tiruvannamalai from where he intended to go to Tirupati to have the darshan of Lord Venkateswara. He informed Yogi about his pilgrimage to Tirupati. Yogi gave him one rupee coin and requested him to drop it into the hundi in the temple and ask Lord Venkateswara, who the beggar in Tiruvannamalai was. Sri Perumalraju received the coin with all reverence and went to Tirupati.

He had the darshan of Lord Venkateswara in the temple and came to the hundi inside the temple complex. He dropped the coin in the hundi and asked in murmuring voice, who the beggar was at Tiruvannamalai. The coin, which had been dropped in the huge cloth hundi, started rolling inside the hundi. Sri Perumalraju had gone into a trance and was able to listen to the rolling sound of the coin clearly. Suddenly a feeble voice was audible. Sri Perumalraju could hear the voice, which said, “It is verily me!” The sound got strengthened gradually and it was so clear and loud. “It is verily me!” Sri Perumalraju used to say that it’s Lord Venkateswara, who repeatedly answered his question. The answer was so firm and clearly audible. Sri Perumalraju was spellbound and thrilled. Sri Perumalraju stood before the hundi for considerably long time in total trance. He returned to Tiruvannamalai, met Yogi and explained his experience at Tirupati. Yogi blushed with a loving and beautiful smile, as Sri Perumalraju could find his real identity. Yogi showered his abundant love and grace on Sri Perumalraju. After some time Yogi relieved Sri Perumalraju and allowed him to go to his place at Krishnagiri.

Whenever Sri Perumalraju and his wife Smt Mahalakshmi visited Yogi, Yogi would ask Smt Mahalakshmi to sing Mahakavi Bharathiar’s songs. Smt Mahalakshmi would sing Bharathiar’s songs and for every song the couple should tell the meaning of the song. Yogi liked one particular song viz. ‘Kannan my Servant’ very much.

Yogi’s love and compassion for Sri Perumalraju and his wife were so explicit that whenever the couple visited Yogi, he would receive them with all love and compassion and would spend maximum possible time with this couple. Sri Perumalraju was a karate master. He was a dedicated teacher in the school. He was a great artist of high caliber. His drawings of temples and statues were marvelous. He was a great poet too. Yogi loved to listen to his poems. His poems and thoughts had been compiled and published into several books. He was a great thinker. His presentation of the Truth was so simple that one could understand very easily. He was so simple, least bothered about the dresses. One could see him all the time with a broad and warm smile on his face. His direct perception of the beauty, wisdom, God and finally guru was so simple and honest.

Yogi had showered his grace upon several people, who had gone incognito, but here is one who simply glorifies the beauty of Yogi and presents the teachings of Yogi by living and moving among the people. In the final days of Yogi, whenever Sri Perumalraju visited Yogi, Yogi would ask him to talk something before the devotees. Sri Perumalraju used to talk about his experiences and his perceptions of his guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar to the audience. Yogi would enjoy his narration of his experiences at Tirupati. Yogi had given the responsibility to Sri Perumalraju to guide and look after Yogi Ramsuratkumar Bhajan Mandir at Hosur. The devotees of Hosur are privileged to have a simple, wise soul among them, directed by Yogi himself.

Dr T.P. Meenatchisundaranar

Gnanagiri Ganeshan and Bhanumati became ardent devotees of Yogi after Ganeshan’s sister Sharadha’s problem was solved. Yogi asked Ganeshan to go through Tholkappium, an ancient Tamil grammar book that would be very hard to understand even for Tamil scholars. Gnanagiri Ganeshan, basically an engineer, had no basic knowledge about Tamil grammar. However he wanted to obey his guru. He searched for a good scholarly teacher, who could teach him Tholkappium. He came to know about a Tamil professor A.S. Gnanasambandhan and he approached the professor. He expressed his desire to learn Tholkappium from the professor. The professor was surprised and enquired about Gnanagiri Ganeshan. He also asked him why he wanted to learn Tholkappium. Gnanagiri Ganeshan introduced himself as an industrialist and explained his guru’s suggestion to go through Tholkappium. The professor wondered how a saint from north India knew about the ancient Tamil grammar book Tholkappium. He expressed his desire to Ganeshan to see the saint at Tiruvannamalai. Ganeshan accepted gladly and in the weekend he took the professor to Tiruvannamalai in 1975. They met Yogi beneath the punnai tree, behind the railway station.

On seeing the friends, Yogi gladly welcomed them. Ganeshan introduced Professor A.S. Gnanasambandhan and Yogi expressed his joy on seeing the professor. Yogi enquired about the professor’s family and conversed with him for quite a long time about several subjects. The professor was also a member in the Kamban Kazhaham, an organization that propagated Kamba Ramayanam. On seeing Yogi’s vast knowledge of the scriptures of various languages, the professor got astonished. He was thrilled by Yogi’s continuous, blissful laugh, total freedom from mundane affairs and his richness in the poverty. He was instantly impressed and became an ardent devotee of Yogi.

He made several visits along with his family members to Yogi after the first meeting with Ganeshan. He also introduced his teacher, a long time associate and a great Tamil scholar Dr T.P. Meenakshisundaranar, the first Vice Chancellor of Madurai University to Yogi. Dr T.P.M. was a disciple of Mahesh Yogi and he learned several yogas under the guidance of Sri Mahesh Yogi. After he got retirement from the job, he was teaching yoga to the disciples of Sri Mahesh Yogi all over the world.

Yogi’s prescription of Tholkappium to the industrialist Gnanagiri Ganeshan brought great scholars to the fold of Yogi and there ended the mission of Tholkappium. Ganeshan thereafter not even thought of Tholkappium and Yogi also did not insist him to go through the book.

Dr T.P.M. was a great Tamil scholar and also a great yoga teacher. He was the prime disciple of Mahesh Yogi. He was a serious sadhaka and always contemplating on God. He was well versed in several scriptures and philosophies. His talks and teachings had great appreciations among his western students. Yogi had great regards for Dr T.P.M. Be it under the punnai tree, in the corridor of the vessel shop, in the Theradi Mandapam or in the Sannathi Street house, whenever Dr T.P.M. visited him, Yogi would make him sit near him and catch hold of his hand, showering his love. Yogi used to feed him food by his own hands. Yogi’s waves of laughter, joy and his blissful freedom attracted Dr T.P.M. Once he said that he had never seen in his life such a powerful saint like Yogi. He also said that he would rather prefer to stay with Yogi in the platforms than staying in comfortable hotels. Whenever he came to Yogi, Yogi preferred to be with Dr T.P.M. either in any one of his usual places or in the place where Dr T.P.M. would stay.

Dr T.P.M. was a slender, short and simple man and should be in his early seventies when he first met Yogi. He was then suffering from piles and the doctors advised him not to take spicy food. Once Dr T.P.M. and his children visited Yogi. Yogi offered everybody idlies and chilly powder with ghee. Dr T.P.M.’s daughter told Yogi that her father should not take chilly powder according to the advice of the doctor. Yogi laughed and said, “Oh, the doctors say several things but Father says Dr T.P.M. should take the idlies with the chilly powder.”

In the meantime Dr T.P.M. started taking the idlies with the chilly powder mixed with ghee. He normally took two idlies in his house, but on that day he took a lot of idlies in the company of Yogi, cherishing the divine taste. The whole family members were in great anxiety but to their great wonder no bad effects happened to their father. They stayed with Yogi for more than three days. All the three days, Dr T.P.M. was fed by Yogi with spicy food and the result was, miraculously the disease piles gone away from Dr T.P.M. once for all.

On seeing the spiritual aura of Yogi, Dr T.P.M. accepted Yogi as his guru. He wrote several songs on his guru. The songs were so wonderful that Yogi himself commented that those were not mere songs, they were mantras. Yogi once commented on one of Dr T.P.M.’s songs, ‘Yosanaikku yetta yogame pottri’: “One day a man will come and he will write volumes and volumes on this particular one song”. Yogi glorified his great devotee and used to garland him, whenever the latter visited Yogi. He would arrange a seat for Dr T.P.M. just near him. He would feed him and looked after his every need. Yogi declared once in 1977, “If at all anybody knows about this beggar at least a little, that is Dr T.P. Meenakshisundaranar”.

The great devotee of Gnananandagiri Swamigal of Tapovanam, Sri Rajamanicka Nadar organised Yogi’s jayanti celebrations on December 1st 1976 at Subbaiah Nadar Madam with the help of Sri Gnanagiri Ganeshan. They wanted to bring out a souvenir on that day. They wanted to include the songs of Dr T.P.M. and several other poets on Yogi. At that time the author wrote 108 songs on Yogi and gave it to Yogi. Yogi gave those songs to Professor. A.S. Gnanasambandham to review and print the same in the jayanti malar (souvenir). The scholars, including professor A.S. Gnanasambandham, Dr T.P.M. and others did not approve those songs of the author. They felt that those songs were not worthy to be printed in the Jayanti Malar. However Yogi told that the author had written those songs during his crisis time and so the poems might have some message in them. Yogi insisted the scholars to include the songs in the malar. On seeing Yogi’s insistence, Dr T.P.M. asked his assistants to type the songs using a typewriter. The man who typed those songs expressed that he could feel a strange, divine vibration, like an electric shock while typing those songs. Then they went through the songs again and again and finally convinced that there was something in those songs as told by Yogi. Finally they made arrangements to include the songs in the jayanti malar and released the book.

During the jayanti Dr T.P.M. did pada pooja for his guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar. There were a lot of devotees chanting the holy mantra, “Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Jaya Guru Raya”. Dr T.P.M. prayed to Yogi to give a discourse and Yogi gave a short discourse, which was printed as a pamphlet and distributed among the devotees later. The following is the text that Yogi talked on 1/12/1976:

“My Friends,
This beggar learnt at the feet of Swami Ramdas, the divine name of Rama and beg, beg all of you not to forget the divine name Rama. Whatever you do, wherever you are, be like Anjaneya, Maruti, thinking of Rama and doing your actions in this world. At every stage, we face problems, today one problem, tomorrow-another problem, the day after tomorrow another problem. And on account of facing these problems, often we get dejected, disappointed, psychologically sick, if we don’t remember the name of the Divine. So this beggar begs all of you, not to forget the divine name, Rama. There are people who like to remember the name of Siva. It is equally good. There are people who like to remember the name of Ganapati, equally good. Whatever name you choose, whatever form you choose, but give to this beggar what he wants. Never forget the Divine. Live in the world and the problems will be there. If we are remembering the divine name, we are psychologically sound. May be, we may feel a little, some of the problems. Even then, the intensity with which we feel, if we don’t have faith in God, is much more than a man of faith, a man, who remembers the name of Rama. This beggar is always begging, begging for food, begging for clothes, begging that you should compose songs on this beggar, build a house for me, buy a house for me, a cottage for me, this thing, that thing, so many things. This beggar will beg of you this also and you are always giving what this beggar has begged. So, this beggar begs, please don’t forget the name of God. This divine name has always been of great help to all in the world. You read Kabir, Tulsi, Sur, Appar Swami, Manickavachaka Swami, how they emphasised Namasivaya. Don’t forget it, this is your heart, this is your soul, whether it be Om Namasivaya or Om Namo Narayanaya, whether Rama, Siva or Krishna, whatever name you choose, whatever form you choose, doesn’t matter. But remember the Lord with any name, with any form of your choice. Just as when there is heavy rainfall, we take an umbrella and go on doing our work in the factory, in the field, wherever we go for marketing and catching hold of the umbrella, we go through, the rain is falling there. But still we work, still we work, do our work. Similarly we have got so many problems all around. This divine name is just like that umbrella during the rainfall. Catch hold of the divine name and go on doing your work in the world. This beggar begs of you and this beggar has received all he has begged of you. So, this beggar thinks, none of you will shun away, when this beggar begs of you, don’t forget the divine name. This beggar prays to his Father to bless you all who have come here. My Lord Rama blesses you. My Father blesses you. Arunachaleswara blesses you. It doesn’t matter to me what name it is. All the blessings of my Father for all of you. Well, that is the end. That is all.”

Then Yogi requested Dr T.P.M. to give a discourse to the devotees assembled there for the celebrations. Dr T.P.M. gave a wonderful talk about Yogi and his works. He also mentioned the episode of the songs of the author. Later Yogi asked several devotees to write down what Dr T.P.M. talked on that day. After Dr T.P.M., some other devotees also talked. Yogi asked Sri Sivaramakrishna Iyer to describe the meaning of one particular song of Dr T.P.M. and Sri Iyer elaborated the meaning of the song in a beautiful way.
In the mid of 1977 Yogi came to live in the Sannathi Street house. Whenever Dr T.P.M. visited Yogi at the house, Yogi would keep Dr T.P.M. sitting near him. Dr T.P.M. also had white beard. He was in white dress with an elderly look. Some devotees, who visited Yogi for the first time prostrated before Dr T.P.M., thinking that he was the Yogi. Yogi would play the part of Dr T.P.M.’s assistant, place fruits in the hand of Dr T.P.M. to be given away as prasadam to the devotees. The devotees accepted the prasadam and left the place with great satisfaction. The other devotees were spell bound on seeing the drama, but there was no expression on the face of Dr T.P.M.

Yogi used to be in great joy in the company of Dr T.P.M. Yogi would also touch Dr T.P.M.’s feet occasionally with real reverence. Sometimes Yogi would request Dr T.P.M. to write letters to the devotees in response to their letters to Yogi. Dr T.P.M. would enquire Yogi what he should write. Yogi would reply that Father would guide Dr T.P.M. to respond to the devotees’ letters. Dr T.P.M. would write letters without any hesitation and Yogi would sign those letters. Then the letters would be sent by post to the devotees.
Dr T.P.M. once visited Yogi with all his family members. He expressed his desire to Yogi that he wanted to take a group photo of all his family members together with Yogi. Yogi accepted the proposal. The photographer was called and the photo was taken. The photo print came and Dr T.P.M. gave it to Yogi saying that this was not his family but Yogi’s family. Yogi received the photo with tears in his eyes on seeing the love and trust of Dr T.P.M. on him. Yogi got it framed and hanged it on the wall of his Sannathi Street house.

Dr T.P.M.’s youngest son was not able to get settled in life well. He didn’t have good educational background and his way of thinking about the life made his father Dr T.P.M. worry. Dr T.P.M. expressed his anxiety to Yogi about his youngest son’s future. Yogi consoled him that his Father would look after his son. Yogi arranged a few lakh rupees from his devotees and deposited the money in a bank in the name of Dr T.P.M.’s youngest son. He allowed him to draw the interest every month for his expenses. Yogi also insisted that the principal amount should be a security for his children.

But after Dr T.P.M.’s demise, he gradually withdrew the principal to produce cine film, against the will of Yogi and finally lost everything and struggled. Yogi lamented and said, “Dr T.P.M. gave this beggar a work to correct his son. This beggar also tried. Somehow, Father did not allow this beggar to succeed in this work. What to do? Father’s will!”

Professor A.S. Gnanasambandham who became an ardent devotee of Yogi and who brought Dr T.P.M. to Yogi celebrated his 60th Birthday in front of Yogi in the Sannathi Street house in 1977. That was the first function celebrated in that house. After that celebration the professor gradually had difference of opinion with the close devotees of Yogi. Yogi did not give much importance to that and treated his devotees as usual. The professor could not move with Yogi as before.

Gnanagiri Ganeshan brought another great scholar Vakeesha Kalanidhi K.V. Jagannathan to Yogi. From then the professor totally stopped coming to Yogi and started accusing Yogi and his devotees wildly. He also tried to influence Dr T.P.M. not to visit Yogi again. Dr T.P.M. listened patiently to his student’s complaints for some days, but did not comment. He also stopped visiting Yogi for a few months in 1977 and 1978.

On December 1st 1978, during the Jayanti of Yogi, Dr T.P.M. again visited Yogi at the Sannathi Street house. Yogi was then wearing a big Tulsi leaf garland. Yogi was informed that Dr T.P.M. was waiting at the gate for the darshan of Yogi. Yogi threw away the Tulsi Mala and ran to the gate to receive Dr T.P.M. There were selected devotees present at that time including Sri K.V. Jagannathan. Yogi brought Dr T.P.M. inside the house by holding his hand and made him sit near him. Sri K.V. Jagannathan had written hundreds of songs on Yogi and they had been published as a book. Yogi requested Dr T.P.M. to release the book. Dr T.P.M. gracefully released the book with a short speech. Sri K.V. Jagannathan thanked Dr T.P.M. and he also gave a short speech in front of Yogi. After spending a few hours, Dr T.P.M. took leave from Yogi and went to Madras to get himself admitted in the Adayar Cancer Institute, as he was affected by cancer. In a few months time he passed away in the remembrance of his guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Yogi declared that Dr T.P.M. was eternally one with his Father.

Sri Periasamy Thooran

Padma Bhusan Sri Periasamy Thooran was a great Tamil Scholar as well as a good musician, composing lyrics according to the conventional carnatic tunes. He was a wonderful storyteller for the children and had written of several books including a Tamil dictionary. He too was brought to Yogi Ramsuratkumar by Gnanagiri Ganeshan, in the early months of 1976. He was then affected by paralysis, but yet he was very alert and conscious.

In the very first visit, Sri Thooran was attracted by the spiritual brilliance of Yogi. He wondered on seeing the continuous waves of laughter of Yogi in total joy and freedom even though Yogi had no basic comforts, either a roof over his head or an assurance of food for tomorrows. He was able to feel Yogi’s joy and peace enveloping the whole surroundings and gradually absorbing everything around him. He realised that Yogi was a great yogi in true sense and the only way to get the salvation was, surrendering at Yogi’s holy feet.
Sri Thooran, in spite of his failing health, wanted to visit his guru frequently. His friends organised his visit to Yogi whenever he wanted to have the darshan of Yogi. Every time he visited, Yogi would shower his love and grace on this great devotee. In the Sannathi Street house, in the backyard, just opposite to the well, there was a small room. After Yogi came to live in that house in 1977, Yogi arranged one camp cot, one chair, a set of bed covers and pillows in the small room for the use of Sri Thooran whenever he visited Yogi. Sri Thooran, after a tiresome journey from Madras to Tiruvannamalai, would reach the Sannathi Street house. Yogi would receive him with great compassion and talk with him for some time. Then he would insist Sri Thooran to take rest in the small room. Yogi would also sit with him, while Sri.Thooran was lying down on the cot. In due course the room became to be known as Thooran room.

Sri Thooran composed several songs on Yogi. Yogi asked the devotees to sing the songs of Sri Periasamy Thooran repeatedly. Yogi liked those songs and loved to listen to them again and again. It was also his way of showering his grace by remembering his devotee by asking other devotees to sing that particular devotee’s songs. Sri Thooran had also written several short stories for children. One of them impressed Yogi and he used to request his friends to go through the story repeatedly. The name of the story was ‘Nila Patti’. It was a story about an old woman, who loved her country and fellow beings. The story narrated how the old woman offered the great fortunes she got for the welfare of the country. The story was full of patriotism, love, care and concern for the fellow beings. Yogi said that only stories like these would mould the children into perfect shape to become good citizens of their countries and by writing such a great story Sri Thooran had done Father’s work. Yogi declared with great joy that even though the name ‘Thooran’ meant great distance in Tamil language, actually Sri Thooran was very close to Yogi.

Whenever Yogi received a letter from Sri Thooran, he would read it several times and would keep it in his hands for several days together. Yogi would also give the letter to the devotees he liked, to read the letter again and again. In one such letter, Sri Periasamy Thooran remembered his visit to a Murugan temple. He saw Lord Murugan along with his consorts Valli and Deivanai. In Valli’s hand a parrot was standing, all the time looking at the divine face of Murugan. He wrote in that letter, like the parrot, which was the jeevatma that always looked at the Paramatma, Yogi should also make him all the time concentrating upon the Paramatma and merge with the Paramatma. With this prayer, he concluded the letter. The author was present when the letter reached Yogi. Yogi asked the author to go through the letter again and again and with all attention Yogi listened to the author. The author was able to feel that Yogi was showering his blessings on Sri Periasamy Thooran and the author was thrilled.

In 1983, when the friends, Murugeshan, Parthasarathy and Sivasankaran along with their families stayed with Yogi for more than a week at Sannathi Street house, Yogi expressed Murugeshji his wish to bring out Sri Periasamy Thooran’s songs in the form of audio cassettes with the guidance of Sri Periasamy Thooran. Murugeshji told Yogi that as soon as he got back to his place, he would make arrangements to go to Madras, meet Sri Thooran and get his guidance to produce the audio cassette. In another few days Yogi relieved the friends. The friends returned back to their respective places.
Murugeshji went to Madras and met Sri Periasamy Thooran. He informed Sri Thooran about Yogi’s desire to make an audio cassette consisting of all Sri Thooran’s songs. He also informed that Yogi instructed him to get Sri Thooran’s guidance about the singers and the tunes. Sri Periasamy Thooran felt happy on hearing Yogi’s wish. He suggested Murugeshan to contact the top class carnatic music singers like, Smt T.K. Pattammal, Sri K.V. Narayanasamy, his wife Smt Padma, daughter Anuradha, Sri T.V.Sankaranarayanan and his wife Smt Vijayalakshmi. Murugeshji contacted all the top class singers and conveyed the wish of Sri Periasamy Thooran. The singers gladly accepted the proposal. Murugeshji brought every one of them to Sri Periasamy Thooran. Sri Thooran distributed the songs among the singers and discussed the tunes with them.

Murugeshji took all the singers to Tiruvannamalai, to Yogi. They all were blessed by Yogi, who spent considerable time with them. After a few hours Murugeshji took them back to Madras. In October 1983, all the three friends, Murugeshan, Parthasarathy and Sivasankaran with their wives went to Madras and stayed there for more than a week. The recording of the songs was done at Sangeetha Studio in Madras in a professional way. The introduction speech in the cassette was given by the author with the approval of Sri Periasamy Thooran. Smt Rajakumari announced the songs and its ragas. In the next week the cassettes were ready.

In the next week Murugeshan, Rajakumari Murugeshan and the author collected the cassettes from the studio and took a taxi to Tiruvannamalai to hand them over to Yogi. As soon as they reached Sannathi Street house, Yogi himself came and opened the gate. He took Murugeshji by hand into the house and made him sit with him. Murugeshji gave the cassette to Yogi. Yogi wanted to listen to the songs.
Murugeshji had brought a cassette player with him. He inserted the cassette into the player and switched on. The recorded songs melodiously reached everyone there. Yogi, with all attention, listened to the whole cassette, which ran more than 90 minutes. After the final song was over, Murugeshji switched off the player. There was a long pause. With tears in his eyes, Yogi thanked Murugeshji. He expressed his joy and blessed Murugeshji abundantly. Yogi said, “Murugeshji, my King, you have done my Father’s work.”
Murugeshji had worked for more than three months without a break at Madras. The singers were then the most popular and were very busy all along. Murugeshji had to take the singers to Sri Thooran, whenever they were free. He also had to take them to Tiruvannamalai, to get the approval of Yogi. He chose the best studio of those days at Madras. He made the transporting arrangements for the singers to come to the studio and for their return. In the course of making that audio cassette Murugeshji spent a lot of money and energy. It was the first audio cassette on Yogi. The songs of Sri Thooran in the audio cassette are as follows:

திரு.ம.ப.பெரியசாமி தூரன் பாடல்கள்
குருதேவர் அருட்பாமாலை

பாடல் - 1
விருத்தம் - ராக மாலிகை
(ஹம்சத்வனி, கௌளை, தேவகாந்தாரி, வலஜி)

1. பார்த்தாலே பாட்டு வரும் ராம்சுரத் பரமயோகி பாதம்
சென்னி சேர்த்தாலே துன்பமெல்லாம் தீர்ந்து போகும்
அண்டிக் கண்ணீர் வார்த்தாலே மறுபிறவி மறைந்து போகும்
ரகுராமன் பேர் சொல்லி ஆர்த்தாலே இன்பமெலாம்
ஆகுமெனில் அவர்பெருமை உரைக்கலாமோ?

2. என் குருவே ராம் சூரத் குமாரெனும் பரமயோகி
அன்புருவே அல்லலெனும் ஆழ்கடலில் அமிழ்ந்தலைந்தேன்
இனகருணை காட்டி எனை ஈடேற்றிக் காத்தருள்வாய்
இதுவுமொரு லீலையென கருதல் நன்றோ இறைஞ்சுகிறேன்
பதமலரே
துன்பமொரு முடிவில்லை துயர்போக்கி ஆட்கொள்வாய்
தேவதேவே.

பாடல் – 2
கும்மிப்பாடல் ராகம்

1. சின்னக் குழந்தையாய்த் தோன்றுவான் மனதில்
தெய்வக் குழந்தையாய் ஊன்றுவான்
என்னென்னவோ பல பாடல்கள் – ஞானம்
எண்டிசைவீசுரையாடல்கள்
கண்ணிலே பேரொளி வீசுதே – அதைக்
காண்பதற்கே மிகக் கூசுதே
எண்ணரும் ராம்சுரத் யோகியாம் – தந்தை
ஈசனைக் காட்டும் நல் தேகியாம்.

2. வல்லப் பிணிகளை ஓட்டுவான் – என்றும்
வாதனை தவிர்த்தின்பம் ஊட்டுவான்
எல்லையில் அன்பெனும் ஜோதியாம் – நமக்
கேற்றம் தருவதில் ஆதியான்
மெல்ல வரும் தென்றல் போன்றவன் – ஞான
மெய்ப்பொருள் காட்டிடும் சான்றவன்
சொல்லரும் வேத மெய்த் தந்தையாம் – ராம்
சுரத் குமார் என்னும் எந்தையாம்.

பாடல் – 3
ராகம் – சாரங்கா
தாளம் – ஆதி
பல்லவி

ராம்சுரத் குருபாதம் போற்றிக் கொண்டாடு
ராமர் பாதுகை யென்னும் புகழ் பெறும் திருப்பாதம் (ராம்)

அனுபல்லவி

முக்தியளிக்கும் பாதம் முன்தலை வைக்கும் பாதம்
பக்தி பெருக்கும் பாதம் பவநாச ராம்ஜி பாதம் (ராம்)

சரணம்

தொல்லை ஒழிக்கும் பாதம் தூரன் வண்ங்கும் பாதம்
எல்லையிலா இன்பம் எனக்கருள் குருபாதம்
ஏகாந்த பெருவெளியில் எளியேனைச் சேர்க்கும் பாதம்
ராம்சுரத் குருபாதம் போற்றிக் கொண்டாடு
ராமர் பாதுகையென்னும் புகழ்பெறும் திருப்பாதம் (ராம்)

பாடல் – 4
விருத்தம் – ராக மாலிகை
(கேதார கௌளை, காபி, ஹம்சாநந்தி, கானடா, சிந்து பைரவி)

1. சரணம், சரணம் தாளினை சரணம்
சஞ்சலம் முடிவில்லை அஞ்சலி செய்தேன்
திருவடித் தாமரையில் அன்புடன் பணிந்தால்
ஜென்மம் கடைத்தேறும் மற்றொன்றும் வழி காணேன்

2. கருணைக் கடல் என்னும் கார் வண்ண மேனியனே
காத்தருள்வாய் என்றே முற்றிலும் உணர்ந்தேன்
ராம் சுரத்குமாரா தயை செய்வாய் நீ
இரக்கமில்லையோ நான் படும் பாடெல்லாம் அறியாயோ நீ !

3. ராம்ஜி திருப்பாதம் மீண்டும் ஒரு முறை தொழுதேன்
இரக்கம் உள்ளாய் எனின் என்குறை தீர்ப்பாய்
ஏங்கியே பணிந்தேன் அபயமளிப்பாய்
திருத்தமிழ் பணியெல்லாம் செய்து முடிக்க
என்னை ஆதரிப்பாயே.

4. வருந்தி அழைத்தேன் வணங்கினேன் ஐயா
புரி பிழைகளெல்லாம் பொறுத்தருள்வாயே புண்ணிய ராம்ஜி
தாளடி சரணம் போற்றினேன் ஐயா
சரணம் சரணம் தாள் மலர் சரணம் தயை செய்வாயே.

5. திருவண்ணாமலை வாழ் யோகியே சரணம்
சரணம், சரணம் திருவடி தொழுதேன்
அருள் உளம் ஒன்றே அபயம் என்றுணர்ந்தேன்
கருணா சொரூபனே கண்ணிய ரூபனே
இருள் உளம் போக்கி ஜோதியே வேண்டும்
இரங்கியே அருள்வாய் ! சரணம், சரணம்.


பாடல் – 5
பஜனைப் பாடல்

யோக சத்குரு ஸ்ரீராம சத்குரு
யோகி ராம் சுரத்குமார் ஞான சத்குரு
நாத சத்குரு, ராம நாம சத்குரு
ராம, ராம, ராம, ராம, ராம சத்குரு
நித்ய சத்குரு, ஜோதி நேத்ர சத்குரு
சித்த சத்குரு, தெய்வ குழந்தை சத்குரு


பாடல் – 6
ராகம் – வராளி
தாளம் – மிச்ரசாபு

பல்லவி

என்ன புண்ணியம் செய்தேனோ நான் – உன்
திருப்பாதத்தில் இருக்கவும், பாடாவும் நான்
(என்ன)
அனுபல்லவி

கன்னல் மொழி ராமன் ரகுவம்சதிலகன்
கற்புடையோர்க்கெல்லாம் காவலன் போன்றவன்
(என்ன)

சரணம்

அன்புடனே போற்றும் ராம் சூரத்குமாரன்
அண்டினவர்க்கெல்லாம் தஞ்சம் அளிப்பவன்
தெய்வக் குழந்தையாம் அண்ணாமலை வாழும்
தசரத குமாரன் தாள்மலர் போற்றிட
(என்ன)


பாடல் – 7
ராகம் – ஸரஸாங்கி
தாளம் – கண்ட சாபு

பல்லவி

உனையன்றித் துணை காணேன் – ஸ்ரீ ராமச்சந்த்ரா
எனை யாட்கொண்டருள்வாய்
(உனை)
அனுபல்லவி

அனவரதமும் உன்றன் அரவிந்த பாதம் எண்ணி
மனங்கசிந்துருகினேன் வள்ளலே இரங்குவாய்
(உனை)

சரணம்

குகனென்ற வேடனையும் குரங்கின வேந்தனையும்
சரணென்ற வீடணன் தன்னையும் தம்பியாய்
அகமகிழ்ந் தேற்றதோர் அருள்நிறை புண்ணியனே
ரகு வம்சதிலகனே ரமணீய ராமனே
(உனை)

பாடல் – 8
கிளிக்கண்ணி மெட்டு

1. தெய்வக் குழந்தை பேரை தெருவிலே கேட்ட போதும்
மெய்சிலிர்த்தே நிற்கிறேன் – கிளியே
செயல் மறந்தும் நிற்கிறேன் – கிளியே
செயல் மறந்தும் நிற்கிறேன்.

2. பச்சைப்பச்சையாயுடுத்தி பச்சைமயில் வாகனன்போல்
இச்சையெல்லாம் தருவார் – கிளியே
எமதிடர் போயொழியும் – கிளியே
இன்னல்கள் மாய்ந்தொழியும்

3. காளியன் நடனமோ கடையூழி நடனமோ
ஏதும் அறிந்திலனே – கிளியே
போதம் நான் வேண்டுகிறேன் – கிளியே
போதம் நான் வேண்டுகிறேன்.

பாடல் – 9
விருத்தம் – ராகமாலிகை
(மாயா மாளவ கௌளை, நாட்டகுறிஞ்சி, ஹம்ஸானந்தி, சுருட்டி)

அருள்பொழியும் தனி முகிலே ஆனந்தப் பரவெளியில்
அருணனென மிதந்து வரும் பூரணமே ஆத்ம ஞானத்
திரள் அமுதே மன இருளை சுடர் விழியால் களைந்திடுமோர்
தெய்வீகமே ராம்சுரத் குமாரெனும் அற்புதமே
இருள் செறிந்த வாழ்க்கையென்னும் பெருங்கானில் ஏங்கி நின்று
ஏதும் வழி அறியாமல் இடர்ப்படுவோர் தமக்கெல்லாம்
மருள் ஒழித்துப் புகல் அளிக்கும் மாதவனே உன்றனிரு
மலரடியே தஞ்சமென வந்தடைந்தேன் ஏற்றருளே.


பாடல் – 10
பஜனைப் பாடல்

ராம்சூரத் குமாரம்
ராம்சூரத் குமாரம் (2)
ஜெய ஜெய ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
ஜெய ஜெய ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
ராம், ராம், ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
ராம், ராம், ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
தசரத ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
தசரத ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
ராகவ ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
ராகவ ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
ஹரி, ஹரி ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
ஹரி, ஹரி ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
ஹரி ஓம் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
ஹரி ஓம் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
நிறை தவ ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
நிறை தவ ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
தவ நிறை ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
தவ நிறை ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
ரகுவீர் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
ரகுவீர் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
அருள்மிகு ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
அருள்மிகு ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
எழில் மிகு ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
எழில் மிகு ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
ஒளிசேர் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
ஒளிசேர் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
ஓம், ஓம் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
ஓம், ஓம் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
வடிவேல் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
வடிவேல் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
சிவ, சிவ ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
சிவ, சிவ ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
நகைமிகு ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
நகைமிகு ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
ஸ்ரீஹரி ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
ஸ்ரீஹரி ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
திருவளர் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
திருவளர் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
தெய்வீக ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
தெய்வீக ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
திருமிகு ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
திருமிகு ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
அருள் சேர் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
அருள் சேர் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
புனித நல் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்
புனித நல் ராம் சுரத் குமாரம் (ராம்)
பத மலர் சரணம், பதமலர் சரணம்
சரணம், சரணம், யோகியே சரணம் (ராம்)
தஞ்சமென்றடைந்தோம், ஏற்றருள்வாயே
தஞ்சமென்றடைந்தோம், ஏற்றருள்வாயே
ராம் சுரத் குமாரம், ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்,
ராம் சுரத் குமாரம், ராம் சுரத் குமாரம்.



பாடல் – 11
கிளிக்கண்ணி மெட்டு

1. எங்கும் நிறைந்திருப்பான், இருந்தும் இல்லாதிருப்பான்
இவன் பெருமை யார் கூறுவார் – கிளியே
இவனடி தஞ்சம் என்போம் – கிளியே
இவனடி தஞ்சம் என்போம்.

2. சித்தர்கள் போலத் தோன்றி முக்தர்கள் ஆகச் செய்வான்
முக்தி நிலை பெற்று விட்டால் – கிளியே
முன்னால் செய்த புண்ணியமே - கிளியே
முன்னால் செய்த புண்ணியமே

3. தெய்வக் குழந்தையின் திருவடி போற்றுகின்றேன்
மெய்தவ ஞானியடி – கிளியே
எல்லாம் வல்ல சித்தனடி – கிளியே
எல்லாம் வல்ல சித்தனடி

4. அருணையில் வந்துதித்த ராம் சுரத் குமாரனடி
என்றன் குருதானடி – கிளியே
ராமனருள் பெற்றவன்டி – கிளியே
ராமனருள் பெற்றவன்டி

5. கிட்டியும் கிட்டாதிருப்பான் அட்டமா சித்தி பெற்றான்
வெட்ட வெளிச் சித்தனடி – கிளியே
வேகமுடன் தாள் பணிவோம் – கிளியே
வேகமுடன் தாள் பணிவோம்.

பாடல் – 12
ராகம் – காம்போதி
தாளம் – ஆதி

பல்லவி

புண்ணியம் பல கோடி செய்தேனோ – நான்
பொன்னிழல் புன்னையின் கீழ் என்குருவைக் காண
(புண்ணியம்)

அனுபல்லவி

கண்ணிலே ஜோதி காட்டி கரமலர் அபயங் காட்டி
எண்ணிலா இன்பங் கூட்டி என்னையும் ஏற்றருள
(புண்ணியம்)

சரணம்
ஜெயராமா, ஸ்ரீராமா, ஜெய ஜெய ராமா எனும்
தாரக மந்திரமே உருவான தவயோகி
தயை ஓங்கும் ராம் சுரத் குமாரர் தம்பொன்னடியில்
சரணென்று வந்தவுடன் தமியேனை ஆட்கொள்ள
(புண்ணியம்)

பாடல் – 13
விருத்தம் – ராக மாலிகை
(சண்முகப்ரியா, மலையமாருதம்,
ஹிந்தோளம், சிந்து பைரவி, மத்யமாவதி)

அப்பா நான் வேண்டுதல் கேட்டருள் புரிதல் வேண்டும்
ஐம்புலனை அடக்கி வென்ற வீரா
தப்பேது நான் செய்யினும், பிள்ளை மதி என்றே
தவறு செய்யினும் அடியேனைப் பொறுத்தருளல் வேண்டும்
இப்பாரும் ராமனெனக் காணுகின்ற ஒளியே
இனி வேறு கதி இல்லை ராம் சூரத் குமாரா
அப்பாலும் உலகமெல்லாம் கடந்து ஆடல் புரிகின்ற என்றன்
குருநாதா

உன்றன் அடியிணையே தஞ்சமென வந்தடைந்தேன் ஐயா
ஒப்பாரும் உன்பெருமைக்கு அளவில்லை கண்டாய்
உலகத்தை அருள் நோக்கால் நோக்கிடுவாய் சரணம்
ஒளி வீசும் உன்றன் திருப் பார்வையாலே
உனை அடைந்தேன் புண்ணியனே சரணம்.

With the help of the author, Yogi and Murugeshji planned about the distribution of the cassettes among the devotees. Murugeshji took the responsibility of distribution of the cassettes among the devotees. Those songs of Periasamy Thooran were heart rendering. For another six months Murugeshji was listening to only those songs and passed away. Sri Periasamy Thooran, knowing the demise of Murugeshji, consoled Smt Rajakumari Murugeshan when she visited him after a year. Sri Thooran’s songs on Yogi became a great source of solace for her pained heart. Sri Thooran also passed away after a few years in total remembrance of his guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar. In the later years Yogi used to say that Thooran had become one with His Father.

Sri Vageesa Kalanidhi K.V. Jagannathan

Sri Gnanagiri Ganeshan talked about Yogi to another scholar Vageesa Kalanidhi K.V. Jagannathan in the late 1976. Sri K.V. Jagannathan was the chief editor of a famous Tamil magazine called Kalaimagal. He was a born poet. He used to sing songs extempore without any break. The scholars of Tamil literature glorified Sri K.V. Jagannathan, who could compose Tamil songs based in Venba form (a form of poetry based on strict grammar rules) on any subject, at any place, at any point of time. He was also a very simple and devoted man. He had great knowledge about several saints and their teachings. His knowledge in the scriptures and his simple presentation attracted everybody. He was humorous by nature.

He heard through Sri Gnanagiri Ganeshan that Yogi prescribed ‘Tholkappiam’ to Ganeshan for his spiritual improvement. The prescription astonished the scholar. He wondered how a north Indian saint could know about ‘Tholkappiam’ an age old Tamil grammar book! He wanted to see that great Yogi. He requested Sri Gnanagiri Ganeshan to take him to Yogi. In late 1977, Sri Gnanagiri Ganeshan took Vageesa Kalanidhi K.V. Jagannathan to Yogi at Tiruvannamalai. They met Yogi in the Sannathi Street house. Yogi received the scholar with great love and took him inside the house. Yogi was in extreme joy on seeing the scholar.

Again it was Yogi’s laughter coming in waves after waves out of pure spiritual joy that attracted everyone. Yes, Sri K.V. Jagannathan too was attracted to Yogi by the laughter. The pure, divine and holistic vibrations of Yogi that engulfed the whole atmosphere thrilled Sri K.V. Jagannathan. He was spellbound. He could go into a state of trance spontaneously whenever he was sitting in the presence of Yogi. At that time the songs on Yogi would flow from him extempore. Yogi would ask the people, who were sitting there to write them down while Sri K.V. Jagannathan was singing the songs. But the people found it very difficult to write the songs, as they were not able to cope up with the speed of Sri K.V. Jagannathan’s singing. A lot of songs had thus been lost. Sri K.V. Jagannathan himself could not recollect those songs. From the first meeting itself, Sri.Jagannathan started singing songs on Yogi. Thereafter every time he visited Yogi, he would sing songs on Yogi extempore.

Whenever Sri K.V. Jagannathan proposed to visit Yogi at Tiruvannamalai, Yogi would be ready to receive him with a tape recorder. As soon as Sri K.V. Jagannathan arrived, Yogi would arrange two of his devotees to help Sri.K.V.J. at Tiruvannamalai. Yogi would also give those two devotees, the assignment of recording the songs of Sri K.V. Jagannathan, whenever the latter would sing songs on Yogi. Later they should write down the songs carefully and got them corrected from Sri K.V. Jagannathan himself.

Whenever Sri K.V. Jagannathan came to Yogi, Yogi would make him sit near him and would touch him with all compassion. Yogi would feel extreme joy on seeing this noble devotee. Yogi would shower his grace upon his sensitive and receptive devotee, who would go instantly into trance at the sight of Yogi. The whole atmosphere was sanctified and everybody who was assembled there would feel the immensity of God’s presence. It was in this atmosphere that Sri K.V. Jagannathan would start singing poems on Yogi. His perception of Yogi and Yogi’s works got the shape of great songs and started flooding from him with great current and beauty. The people who were arranged to record, would immediately record the songs in the tape recorder which they kept ready. In that way, those people could record more than 1200 songs and all those songs have been printed in five volumes.

In the early part of 1981, the friends Murugeshan, Parthasarathy and Sivasankaran visited Yogi along with their families. They were all lodged at the Sivakasi Nadar Chatram in Tiruvannamalai. Yogi also came there and was talking with the friends. Sri K.V. Jagannathan suddenly came there to visit the guru. Yogi received him with all joy and introduced the friends to Sri K.V. Jagannathan. Yogi asked the friends to prostrate to Sri K.V. Jagannathan and introduce their wives and children.

Then Yogi took Sri K.V. Jagannathan along with the friends to Sannathi Street house. Yogi asked Sri K.V.J. to sit near him. The friends sat on the mat in front of Yogi. The assistants of K.V.J. sat next to them. Yogi caught hold of K.V.J.’s hand and poured his grace upon his beloved devotee. Sri K.V. Jagannathan went into trance and started singing songs. The people who had been arranged by Yogi recorded the songs. After spending considerable time with Sri K.V. Jagannathan, Yogi relieved him to go back to Madras. Yogi, with the friends returned to the chatram and stayed with the friends there, for another one week.

In the same year 1982, a UNI news reporter came to Sannathi Street house to have the darshan of Yogi. When he came there, the devotees were chanting, “Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Jaya Guru Raya”. On seeing this, the reporter was astonished and asked Yogi why Yogi allowed the devotees to chant his name instead of chanting Gods’ names. Yogi told the reporter that he was very fond of listening to his own name. He also told the reporter that he wanted this name to be propagated.

Yogi came to know during the conversation that the man was a news reporter. Yogi enquired the reporter whether he could help Yogi to propagate Yogi’s name through newspapers. The reporter told Yogi that he should have some sensational materials regarding Yogi and then alone he could give the materials to the newspapers. Yogi did not respond, but went on smoking continuously. On seeing Yogi smoking cigarettes, the reporter asked Yogi, how many cigarettes daily Yogi would smoke. Yogi replied that he never counted, but some friends would say that Yogi smoked more than ten packets per day. The reporter exclaimed that it was sensational news and he could make use of it. Yogi blessed him and relieved him by giving him a fruit as prasad.

The reporter presented the news under the topic, “A Smoking Saint” and it was published in almost all the newspapers, in all languages in India. In the news, the reporter also mentioned Sri K.V. Jagannathan’s name, as one of the devotees of Yogi, because Sri K.V. Jagannathan was a popular figure in Tamil literature and also a famous journalist in India.

The news about Yogi came in an English weekly ‘The Times’ being published from Calcutta. Sri Gorak Dixit, husband of Smt Beena, the youngest daughter of Ram Surat Kunwar was living in Hazaribagh in Bihar State. He was a regular reader of the English weekly ‘The Times’. He went through the news. He got suspicion that this saint might be his father in law. He immediately called his brother in law Sri Amitabh Kunwar over phone. The latter was living in Ranchi with his wife, children and mother. Sri Dixit informed Amitabh about the news of Yogi in the English weekly. Sri Amitabh also bought the English weekly and went through the news about the saint. He also had the suspicion that the saint, who was mentioned in the English weekly, could be his father. He decided to confirm whether that particular Yogi was his father. He took leave from his office and went to Calcutta. He enquired the editor of ‘The Times’ magazine about the news. He explained his anxiety about his missing father since 25 years. The editor suggested him to go to Madras and meet Sri K.V. Jagannathan, who was a very popular and noble personality in the Tamil literary field. The editor told him that Sri K.V. Jagannathan alone could help him.

Sri Amitabh Kunwar came back to Ranchi. He discussed the issue with his mother and other family members. They all decided that first Sri Amitabh Kunwar should go to Madras to find out Sri K.V. Jagannathan and enquire him whether this Yogi was their Ram Surat Kunwar. Sri Amitabh took leave again from his office and set off to Madras, a place he had never visited before. He boarded a train and reached Madras Central Station. There he enquired about Sri K.V. Jagannathan. Somebody directed him to go to Mylapore Kapaleeshwara Temple from where he could get the guidance. He went to the temple and enquired the address of Sri K.V. Jagannathan with some devotees in the temple. While enquiring with the devotees with considerable struggle due to the language problem, a Brahmin lady who was nearby saw him. She knew Hindi. She enquired Sri Amitabh where he wanted to go. Sri Amitabh felt happy and informed her that he wanted to go to Sri K.V. Jagannathan’s house. The noble lady guided him to Sri K.V. Jagannathan’s house.

Sri Amitabh Kunwar knocked at the door and somebody opened the door. He expressed his desire to see Sri K.V. Jagannathan. He had been asked to sit and wait for some time. After a few minutes of waiting Sri K.V. Jagannathan came and enquired Sri Amitabh what he could do for him. With great struggle, Sri Amitabh Kunwar explained the situation and showed the newspaper cutting. Sri K.V. Jagannathan immediately understood the genuineness of Sri Amitabh Kunwar. He was able to feel the emotions of Sri Amitabh Kunwar, who wanted to see his missing father again. At the same time he wanted to know what Yogi would feel, if suppose he would direct Sri Amitabh Kunwar to Yogi. Finally he decided to get the guidance from Yogi himself. He called his friend at Tiruvannamalai over phone and explained the situation. He requested the friend to go to Yogi and tell Yogi everything and get his guidance whether he should send Sri Amitabh Kunwar to Yogi at Tiruvannamalai or not. He also requested the friend to revert back over phone as soon as possible. In the meantime Sri K.V. Jagannathan requested Sri Amitabh Kunwar to wait for some time and offered him breakfast.

The friend, to whom Sri K.V. Jagannathan had requested to inform Yogi about the arrival of Sri Amitabh Kunwar, went to Yogi immediately and explained everything to Yogi. Yogi listened to him patiently and asked him to inform Sri K.V. Jagannathan to guide Sri Amitabh Kunwar to Yogi at Tiruvannamalai. The friend immediately informed the message to Sri K.V. Jagannathan over phone. Sri K.V. Jagannathan wrote down the clear address of Yogi and arranged a man to accompany Sri Amitabh Kunwar up to the Central Bus Stand to help him to board a direct bus to Tiruvannamalai.

In 1982, May 26th evening 6 o’ clock, the son, Sri Amitabh Kunwar, after a gap of 23 years, with heavy anxiety in his heart, knocked at the door of the Sannathi Street house. Within seconds a small boy came and enquired Sri Amitabh Kunwar. Amitabh found it difficult to converse with the boy and so he wrote his name in a paper and asked the boy to give it to Yogi. As soon as Yogi saw the paper, Yogi asked the boy to bring Amitabh inside.

Sri Amitabh last saw his father at Dahiya in 1958. He entered into the house. Now he could see Yogi, his father. He was staring at Yogi. Yogi asked him to sit on the mat just in front of Yogi. Yogi paused for a few minutes. Then Yogi asked what his name was. Amitabh was shocked and disappointed that his father was not able to recognize him. He told that his name was Amitabh Kunwar and his mother was Ramranjini Devi. Yogi paused again for a while. Yogi started smoking. Yogi did not express any emotions and smoked continuously. Then Yogi asked what Amitabh was doing. Amitabh replied that he was working in the Bihar Government Public Health Engineering Department. Yogi asked him whether Amitabh was married. Amitabh replied that he was the father of two children. Yogi asked for the name of Amitabh’s wife. Amitabh replied that his wife’s name was Rekha Kumari.

It was very strange for Amitabh. He did not know what to do and what to talk further. All his anxiety and expectations reached to a stage of naught. He did not understand why he was there. He felt uneasy. He was not comfortable in that still atmosphere. There was a deep silence for a long time. Suddenly Yogi enquired Amitabh about Sri Ramakanth Rai, Amitabh’s maternal Uncle (His Mother’s Younger Brother). Amitabh replied that he was all right and living in Musaffarpur. There was a long silence again and Yogi was all the time smoking and remained within himself. After some time Amitabh did not know what to do. A sort of fear engulfed in his being. He mustered courage to tell his father that all the family members wanted to see their beloved Ram Surat Kunwar and what he should do. Yogi told him that if they wanted to see the beggar, they could come.

Yogi asked Amitabh whether he wanted to stay for the night or he wanted to go back to Madras. Amitabh could not hide his disappointment and pain. Tears started rolling down his cheeks. After 23 long years the son came to see his father, traveling more than 2000 kms, only to be asked within hours whether to stay or go. His father did not even converse in their mother tongue and talked only in English. He said to Yogi that he wanted to return to Madras. Yogi gave him some fruits as prasad and also gave a copy of Truman Caylor Wadlington’s Book ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar, The Godchild’. Yogi wrote OM on the top of the inner page of the book and below that Yogi wrote “My blessings to Amitabha”. Yogi signed in Hindi and wrote below his signature the town’s name Tiruvannamalai. Yogi saw Sri Amitabh Kunwar off at 8 pm. Amitabh was with his father for just two hours after a gap of long 23 years. That meeting was also not of a father and a son or of any relationship, but a strange one as the state of his father was beyond his comprehension. He was in deep pain and depressed. It is quite natural for any normal human being.

Sri Amitabh Kunwar during his return journey visited Sri K.V. Jagannathan at Madras and expressed his happiness as he was able to see his father after 23 years, but at the same time he also expressed his disappointment on seeing the indifferent attitude of his father. Sri K.V. Jagannathan consoled him and tried to explain the nature of the saints. Sri Amitabh Kunwar listened to him for sometime. Then he took leave of Sri K.V. Jagannathan and went to the railway station. He reached Ranchi and told his mother that Yogi Ramsuratkumar was Ram Surat Kunwar. He narrated his experiences to his family members. They all wanted to see their beloved, but at the same time, they were a little afraid too, after learning about the experiences of Sri Amitabh Kunwar.

After Sri Amitabh Kunwar returned to his place, Sri K.V. Jagannathan did not get any message from him. He wrote a letter to Sri Amitabh on 4/7/1982 enquiring whether he had informed his mother and other relatives. He also attempted to reveal Yogi’s greatness in that letter mentioning his laughter, his blissful state and how the people worshiped him. He also enquired in the letter whether he would take his mother to Tiruvannamalai to see his father again.

Sri Amitabh received the letter and gone through it. He also told his mother about the letter. The letter triggered the desire again in his mother’s heart to go to Tiruvannamalai to see her husband at least once in her lifetime. Earlier she had the fear that her husband might not recognize her and her children and so she hesitated to go to Tiruvannamalai to see her husband. However after she received the letter from Sri K.V. Jagannathan, she thought that why should she fear to see a saintly person. She informed the decision to her son and he arranged for her visit along with the daughters and close relatives to Tiruvannamalai during the Navaratri holidays.

Smt Ramranjini Devi, Ram Surat Kunwar’s wife, her younger brother Sri Ramakanth Rai, his wife Smt Kanthi Devi, Smt Yashodara, the eldest daughter of Ram Surat Kunwar, Smt Beena, the youngest daughter, her husband, Sri Gorak Dixit, their son, Murari alais Manish, Smt Rekha Kumari, the daughter in law, (Sri Amitabh’s wife) her daughter Bharathi and her son Ashudosh formed the group and started to Tiruvannamalai to visit Yogi Ramsuratkumar in September 1982. Sri Amitabh had intimated Yogi in advance through a postal letter about the family members’ visit to him.

The reunion of the family after a long 25 years happened through Sri K.V. Jagannathan. When Sri K.V. Jagannathan happened to know that Yogi had been a family man and had renounced everything for the sake of his Father, for God Realisation, his devotion and reverence on Yogi increased. Yogi also poured his abundant grace and saw to it that his beloved devotee Sri K.V.J. reached the spiritual destination before his physical end. One could very easily understand the state of Sri K.V. Jagannathan, on going through his songs on Yogi, his guru.

The great scholars Dr T.P.M. Sri Periasamy Thooran and Sri K.V. Jagannathan were all in an advanced spiritual state, even before they came to Yogi. They had some blocks, which prevented them to enter into the sphere of pure Divinity. Yogi brought them into his fold in the mysterious ways. With his abundant grace he removed the blocks and made them reach their goal, God.