Love is Yogi’s teaching. Yogi radiated love all the time. Yogi was none but the personification of love. His love was not restricted to the human beings alone. His love encompassed the whole creation. It is astonishing to observe Yogi’s unbiased love for all. Yogi and his love could not be conditioned or limited to the boundaries of caste, gender, religion and nationality. Yogi and his love reach everyone who remembers him. He rescues his devotees from the turmoil of the world. Without any break Yogi worked continuously for the harmonious perfection among all. From time immemorial, the great souls like Yogi showered their unbiased love on everyone and on everything in the world. They also guided the eligible seekers to God Realization. Whatever happened in this world whether it’s good or bad, affected Yogi, because he was one with all. He attended in a mysterious way with immense compassion to any disorders happened in any part of the creation and made things perfect so that the life on earth, nay, in the whole cosmos was perfectly balanced.

From the ancient saints to the modern great souls like J.Krishnamurti, if we mould them into one form, that is Yogi Ramsuratkumar. This unique beggarly form radiates pure, divine and glorious wisdom, filled with love and compassion that carries people to God. Yogi’s prime work is helping the eligible seekers to merge with God and removing the obstacles on their way. The other saints and great teachers preached people several methods to live in tune with GOD. But Yogi just lives and radiates the divine wisdom that awakens one’s God consciousness intensely. This great holy philanthropist contributed his very being by giving his divine name ‘YOGI RAMSURATKUMAR’ to the seekers. If anyone remembers this holy name constantly, God Realisation happens in them naturally. Once Yogi said, “All other saints have done great works. Some saints built temples and ashrams, some other did great works in literature and philosophy to elevate people, some other preached the way to Father and the way of life, but this beggar leaves behind only his name ‘YOGI RAMSURATKUMAR’.” Yes, Yogi gave himself for the people to consume him and make him part and parcel of their being. That oneness with Yogi would enable them to attain the great evolution towards God Realisation, the ultimate goal of mankind.

By living, Yogi taught how one should love, how one should live and how one should die too. The way Yogi consoled the people of sorrows was always unique. Yogi listened to the sorrows of people with all compassion and attention. That very listening and attention removed the burden of sorrows from the people. He would not philosophize to their problems, but share their pain and burden. He would weep with the devotees. He would tell the stories of great devotees, who suffered greatly in this world. He would pour his love and affection torrentially in the way the affected people would never forget him. He patiently taught them his name and would request them to remember his name whenever they face difficulties again so that Father would come to their rescue. He would say, “My Father will protect you. My Father will ever be with you. Remember Father by chanting His name and He will look after you.” Then he would touch and see the people of sufferings lovingly. The great energy of Yogi would be transmitted to them. The sorrows would vanish miraculously. The clarity and wisdom would dawn on the people. Then those blessed people would start living their lives with faith and spirit by remembering Father all the time.
Yogi used to say to his devotees to remember his name as well as his form. He told if one could remember any one of the gesture of his form constantly, that was meditation and that was tapas. Yogi said, “If this beggar walks, it’s a teaching, if he sits it’s a teaching, if he talks it’s a teaching, if he eats it’s a teaching, if he sleeps it’s a teaching. His whole frame is always blessing and teaching. People need not ask this beggar to bless them. This beggar is always doing that.” Yogi also said, “This beggar died at the holy lotus feet of my Father Swami Ramdas in 1952. After that my Father alone exists and not this beggar. This name Yogi Ramsuratkumar is not this beggar’s name; it is the name of my Father. Father would always shower his grace on the people who remember this name.”

If anybody comes with a sincere aspiration for spiritual upliftment, Yogi would spare and spend great time with such people. He would enquire about their guru and their daily practice. He would emphatically suggest those people to have unshakeable faith on their guru. Yogi would assure them that their guru would definitely pour his grace on the sincere devotees to reach their goal, the God Realisation. On listening to Yogi, those people got great enthusiasm and encouragement in their endeavor. They would also understand the value of their guru, by the touch of Yogi.

Yogi would never disturb anybody’s faith. Yogi used to say that if one has love for God, God shall come in the form of guru, because both God and guru are one and the same. The faith in guru will take one to God consciousness. Yogi would induce and influence the people to have unshakable faith in their guru and live as per their guru’s advice. Yogi would enquire those people about their welfare and if such people complained of any inconveniences in their lives that had become a hindrance to their journey towards God, Yogi would mysteriously remove them, so that they could energetically move towards God consciousness. By removing the obstacles and the inconveniences of the devotees in a subtle way, Yogi would say, “Your guru saved you.” All gurus are one and the same. The love for one’s guru would be reciprocated through another guru. This mysterious and miraculous oneness among the various genuine gurus is an amazing wonder in the spiritual sphere of life.

A devotee once asked Yogi to prescribe a simple method to see God. Yogi saw him with all love and suggested him, “Love all and hate none. Serve all and take Nellikkai regularly. Remember this beggar’s name ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar’ all the time. My Father will ever be with you.” This is the whole of his teaching: Keep your body fit and healthy; love and serve all as God is everywhere and in everybody and to have the energy to do these, remember constantly Yogi’s name, the source of spiritual energy. This is the teaching Yogi prescribed for his devotees.

In 1976, Yogi once asked the people around him under the punnai tree, why he wanted them to chant his name. A young friend Krishnasamy answered that Yogi’s name was a fresh one and all other mantras were age old. Yogi seriously declared, “Yea, that’s true. All other mantras are powerful, but this name YOGI RAMSURATKUMAR is a fresh one that my Father has created. My Father has invested in this name ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar.’ On remembering this name, people would get the transformation instantly. For other people Rama, Krishna, Siva and Muruga, these names may be helpful, but for the friends of this beggar, this name, ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar’ is enough and it would take them to my Father, the supreme God. If they have faith in this beggar, they need not worry; this beggar will take care of their lives.”

The effect of the guru mantra and guru’s grace should be reflected in one’s daily life and if the life could not get the required transformation, then there should be a serious flaw in one’s attitudes and intention that prevent one to get the benefit of guru’s grace. Guru’s grace should not be translated in terms of material benefits alone. The desire for the material benefits never ends. So, one should contemplate the transient nature of the material world. If one gets the direct perception of the transient material world and understands its futile nature, one would naturally start searching for the eternal peace. There comes the guru’s grace, which would eradicate all the desires and ambitions from the seekers. At the appropriate time a natural renunciation would dawn on the sincere devotees. This natural renunciation facilitates the seekers to dissolve in the infinite immensity of God or guru. Such great souls are the personification of Love and Wisdom. They are the living Gods.

The existence of great masters happens mostly in India, because India alone has the great environment to produce masters. Without the touch of India and her masters, none from any continent could ascend to the sphere of God. During one of his visits to Yogi, M. was commenting about India’s poor growth in material comforts. He was comparing India to the other developed nations. Yogi replied in a firm voice, “Yeah, the developed nations could create scientists, powerful weapons of destructions, experts, richness and comforts but, remember, India alone can produce masters like Buddha, Ramana, Aurobindo, Ramdas, J.Krishnamurti and several other people like this beggar. If you work to have prosperity and power, you can have it, but you will miss people like these masters. Father, out of His immense compassion would create such an atmosphere only in India, where the masters could be born, could play and teach the world how to live and how to die. India is the playground of the masters.”

Yeah, India is the only land that can produce masters, the beloved children of God. The masters eternally exist in India. There is no such time when there is no master in India. The real masters are totally incognito and in several disguises. The masters may be in the disguise of beggars or the rich, well shaven or with uncombed hair and beard. They may be highly educated or school dropouts, in modern dress or in rags. They may be naked or in ochre robs. They may be in religious places or in the midst of crowded public places. They may be in the form of a responsible family person or a lazy vagabond.

India is the only destination for all the wandering souls. The masters of India are attracting the wandering souls from every corner of the world. The main purpose of the existence of the masters like Yogi is to take people to God and by doing so, love and harmony would spread throughout the world. Moving towards God means loving God. Loving God makes one love all. This march from human to God should be called evolution and this evolution happens in everyone knowingly or unknowingly.



Yogi’s own people

Yogi had chosen a few people who could work for him, nay, work for his Father. Yogi seriously concentrated on those privileged people and spent great time with them. In due course the privileged children of Yogi started doing works for Yogi and his Father. Even though Yogi disappeared physically, still he chooses his own people even today in a mysterious subtle way, to do his Father’s works. The people who have the love, who have the serious longing to see God, who sacrifice everything for the welfare of others, who are selfless, who are always having care and concern for others, who are not sticking fanatically to any particular religion, cult or ideas and who do not hate and hurt the people of other faiths, are the chosen ones.

Yogi chooses people irrespective of their caste, religion, gender and nationality. Yogi would initiate them with his name ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar’ and shower his compassionate grace that energizes one remember his name constantly. He penetrates into the core of their being and transforms them. The people, who get the transformation, would devote their whole time in remembrance of their guru to become one with God. They live their lives in joy. They radiate bliss that transforms their immediate surroundings. They also radiate harmony, courage, love and Godliness by constantly remembering Yogi’s name. Such holy people would always love, care and have concern and responsibility towards the whole creation.

Once Yogi told that he needed only a few people to do his Father’s work. “This beggar is not meant for the masses. Let the masses go to other saints. This beggar is here to create a few individuals who can do my Father’s work,” Yogi said. In his lifetime Yogi transformed a good number of individuals and they are doing Father’s work silently without anybody’s notice. It is just like that, Yogi explained, as a deepam (oil lamp) lights another lamp and that lighting the next and so on. Yogi said it should start from one individual and then it would go on spreading throughout the world.

Tiruvannamalai is a spiritual as well as religious place. The devotees, sadhakas and seekers would come to Tiruvannamalai in search of God, from whom Yogi could choose the people, who are fit to do his Father’s work. In some cases, Yogi would create peculiar situations in the real devotees’ lives that would bring them to his immediate presence in a mysterious way. Such devotees may belong to faraway places and different schools of thoughts. As soon as the dear devotees reach Yogi, he would work on them and make them the best instruments to do Father’s work.

Initially Yogi entertained everyone, who was basically spiritual, religious and pious. Then he would filter the people according to their aspirations and finally he got a few alone through whom now he works. He uses his unclean appearance, smoking, his life without any rituals, his talking all subjects of the common mundane life and above all, the organizations functioning in his name to filter people. The people who have successfully crossed these hurdles become totally one with Yogi and they would do Father’s work silently.

Yogi would adopt several techniques to uplift the devotees. He would spread all the teachings of the ancient and the present masters and saints. He would see which one would be suitable for the particular devotee. Then he would go on saying about the particular master and his work. In this way he would create a taste for the master in the heart of the devotee. The devotee would go through the works of that particular master and find them very useful for his spiritual growth. Only to a very few devotees Yogi had shared the life and teachings of the saints through which Yogi himself got the transformation. The devotees who had seriously and passionately gone through them became very near and dear to him. Yogi showered his grace on them and transformed them according to the need of his work. He initiated such people with his own name that gave them the spiritual energy to understand the divine secrets and the mission of the saints and masters.

This does not mean that Yogi was selective and he did not work on others. He worked on all the devotees, who came to him and remembered him. If a devotee came to him for the remedy of a particular problem and if Yogi felt, by solving the problem the devotee could remember Father and live with the minimum basic humanity, by loving his own family at least, then he would work on him and solve the problem. And if Yogi felt about a particular devotee that the money, power and health were the hindrance for their growth towards God, he would ruthlessly snatch everything from him by creating situations so that the devotee could move towards God.

Yogi was always working to make people marching onwards firmly towards God. He attracted people by making use of reputed people in the society, like famous authors, people from cine field, politicians, the higher authorities of judicial, industrialists and the other popular people of several other fields. The common people were attracted by the writings of the famous authors on Yogi in the magazines. They were attracted to Yogi when they knew that the VIPs of the society were the devotees of Yogi. They came and saw Yogi out of curiosity and also to get material benefits. Yogi would work silently using his mystical spiritual energy to improve the mindset of such people without their notice, by giving sugar candy or some fruits as prasad.

“As far as the name Yogi Ramsuratkumar remains in this world, the names of M., P., and S. will also be there” Yogi declared once. Yogi might have created several such people, who remain incognito. The torch is ever burning, one light lighting the next and the process goes on without break. Yogi once told that Lord Siva would always come with his Sivaganas and likewise a guru would always come with his own people. When the work is over, the guru and his people would go one by one. Most of such holy people would not be visible and rarely one or two may appear on the surface. When the world needs the presence of a guru, the guru would come again into this world in a different name and form with his own people to evolve the human beings towards God. Yogi declared that his own people would ever be with him eternally.
Yogi’s own people are radiating love, harmony and wisdom. These people have also been ordained to pay price. They suffered and tasted all pains of the worldly life so as to reach the state of wisdom. On seeing the lives of such devotees and listening to them, the seekers and the people with sorrows will be able to feel the vibrations of the divinity, which would guide them, heal them and put them on the path towards God.



The State Of Yogi

The author was blessed to stay with Yogi for several days and nights beneath the punnai tree, at the corridor of vessel shop, in the theradi mandapam and later in his abode at Sannathi Street house. During his stay with Yogi, the author could experience the totality of Yogi. Yogi used to sit in his seat in between the two pillars in the hall of the Sannathi Street House. He would ask the author to sit just in front of him. He would see the author intensely. Suddenly there was no thought process, no movement, no anxiety and no expectation. Even the very existence was gone. There was a total silence, peace engulfing everything. There were no you, me, he, she or it. There was a total emptiness, void, where none existed. Yogi radiated his non dualistic state rarely to his selective devotees. Yogi absorbed the devotee in totality. At that particular time, there is a complete oneness with Yogi. Your normal being is gone. This rare Non Dualistic State remains a few minutes that appears to be infinite, beyond the concept of time.

But he would not allow you to remain in that state. That’s the tragedy. As long as a devotee couldn’t renounce his desires filled self, the divine state will not continue. Yogi would show only a glimpse of that divine state to enthuse the seeker to pursue the latter’s efforts to erase the self. So, as soon as one assumes that he has attained that divine state, Yogi would smile at him. Immediately a sort of fear, anxiety would sprout in his heart and silently he would cry, “Swami, leave me, leave me.” It happens obviously because of his attachment to his self. On seeing the limitation of the devotee Yogi would smile. Yogi knows that the devotee is not fit enough to have the last jump. With all compassion Yogi would talk about the value of remembering guru’s name, form and teachings. He emphasizes the value of faith in the guru and his teachings. He would spare great time energizing the seeker to allow the self wither. However, if one wants to retain his self, Yogi out of compassion, would come in a DUALISTIC way and teach him how to surrender to the will of God.

Yogi says, “Whenever my Father wants this beggar to talk, this beggar talks, whenever my Father wants this beggar to keep silence, this beggar becomes silent, whenever my Father wants this beggar to laugh, this beggar laughs, whenever my Father wants this beggar to weep, this beggar weeps. Wherever my Father keeps this beggar, whatever my Father does with this beggar, this beggar would just submit to his Father’s will. This beggar knows Father cannot commit any mistake. Whatever He does, He does for the good of the whole cosmos. So, nothing is wrong in this world, nothing is a sin in this world. Everything happens, happens by the will of my supreme Father. So, everything is perfectly alright.” These words would kindle the aspiration for surrender in the listener’s heart.

Sometimes Yogi would energize the eligible listener to drop the self, the “I”, the ego and there comes the most beautiful moment in life. There is God, God alone and all other things disappear. There exists only PEACE, EMPTINESS, VASTNESS and VOID. One would totally merge with the Supreme Being of Yogi. In such times Yogi is in non-dualistic state radiating ONENESS, WHOLENESS and ABSOLUTE PEACE. He absorbs everything and lo, one could well aware that HE (GOD) alone exists. It is a great blissful experience to witness both the dualistic and non-dualistic states of Yogi. Once a European, who was able to perceive Yogi’s both dualistic and non-dualistic states was amazed and enquired Yogi about his actual state. Yogi mischievously smiled and after a long pause he responded that he was somewhere in between both the states. The European was awestruck and saluted Yogi.

Yogi demanded people to keep their human aspects intact. That’s the best part of Yogi’s teachings. By leading a pure, selfless and compassionate life, Yogi showed the world how to live the human life. Yogi always helped the suffering people with compassion. He encouraged people to come out openly with their pains and problems. He would show no interest in the ritualistic conversation. While pouring out their anguish before Yogi, people got the awareness and through that awareness they would be able to perceive the cause of their problems. Once the people perceived the cause of their problems, they would solve the problems by themselves. Yogi would use apt words which would soothe the aching hearts and the people would feel safe and march onwards confidently. Yogi made it that easy to live the life in this fast world.

Yogi was so simple. When somebody asked Yogi about the unknown ghosts, evil forces and the rituals of religions, He instantly responded without any hesitation, “This beggar doesn’t know.” He would never answer such questions or philosophize on the issues. He used to listen to the sorrows of the affected devotees and share their burden of sorrows. Sometimes people would express their genuine fear of something, for which Yogi would impart divine knowledge as remedy and explained to the people the power of his Father’s name ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar’. Thus Yogi dispels the fear from the people and instills faith in God. When the devotees were in joy, Yogi would rejoice with them and when the devotees suffered, Yogi would share their sorrows and showed them the way to come out of the sorrows. To those people, who believed and blamed Kaliyuga for all the cruel evils of the world, Yogi would say, “Kaliyuga has gone. Now it is God Yuga. This beggar is able to see God everywhere and not Kali anywhere.”

Yogi was a wonderful listener. He would listen with all attention to everybody and everything. He was able to listen and understand even the feeble voices of birds and tiny animals. He understood the silent language of plants and flowers. He listened to the pains and problems of the all visible and invisible beings. By listening, he communicated and passed his divine energy to the needy, pained souls. He would become one with the people, who came to him with all simplicity. None could hide their intentions or desires or thoughts from Yogi. When Yogi saw one, he saw all that one possessed, even in the deep core of one’s being.

Yogi encouraged the people to become good human first. A good human alone could become a good seeker. Yogi preached that divinity could be reached only THROUGH HUMANITY and not AT THE COST OF THE HUMANITY. From the early life, Yogi was a good and great human and only this humanity took him to the level of God. Yogi was a great human as well as God at the same time. When he worked to improve his devotees, he was in a dualistic state and when he retained his divine aspect, he was beyond, beyond anybody’s comprehension. A human mind and intellect could not comprehend his real state. He showed this divine aspect occasionally to a few selective people of his own and mostly he would never exhibit his non dualistic state to the common mass. Both his divine and human aspects were the manifestation of God, the Supreme Being.

“We are here to do Father’s work, Parthasarathy. To do my Father’s work we should retain a little ego, Parthasarathy!” By saying this, Yogi teaches to retain the dualistic state only to help others, who are in need. When the work is over one could disappear into the non dualistic state by the grace of guru. Shifting from dualistic state to non dualistic and non dualistic to dualistic state is acutely a painful process. Yogi suffered the pain silently for the sake of the people and the world. Throughout his life, Yogi suffered to a great extent to help the mankind to march towards God. Yogi was ordained to suffer for the sake of mankind and Yogi successfully lived his life with all its pains and sorrows.

Throughout his life, Yogi never performed any rituals. Occasionally the head priest of the Arunachala temple would offer him vibhuti (holy ash) and Yogi would apply it fully on his forehead without wasting it because of the love he had for the head priest and not to get anything extraordinary out of the vibhuti. Yogi never needed anything. Sometimes Yogi would talk emotionally and reverentially about India. During such times he would take the dusty soil beneath him and apply it on his forehead. For him the vibhuti and the dusty soil are one and the same and equally holy.

Whenever he went to the Arunachaleswara temple at Tiruvannamalai, he would hide himself in a corner of the temple and would lay down there. Sometimes he would stand before Sambandha Vinayaka’s Sannathi, leaning on the pillar there and bless the people. Very rarely he would take some friends to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and would watch the rituals of the archanas and aarthi. He had great regards for the priests working in the temple, but very rarely participated in the rituals. Sometimes he would sit among the beggars in the entrance of the temple for a long time and whatever money he got from the visitors of the temple, he would distribute the same to other beggars sitting there. Yogi exhibited a beggar’s form outside and lived a Godly life within – a life full of love, compassion and the supreme wisdom of his Father. Whenever people came to him, Yogi would come down to their level and enquire about their welfare and would work on them to take them towards God. This unique simplicity of Yogi attracted human beings, cows, dogs, monkeys, cats, mouses and even poisonous beings like snakes and scorpions too.

Yogi brought up a dog. He named it “Sai Baba”. The way he conversed with Sai Baba was extraordinary and wonderful. Sai Baba would talk with Yogi. He would produce sound to convey something and Yogi would understand it and would reply it with suitable answer. Sai Baba would understand and obey Yogi. Not only Sai Baba, but also several mousses used to play upon Yogi in the Sannathi Street house. Below his mat, there were several poisonous scorpions made their homes and they were safe under Yogi.

Once a female cat delivered three babies in the right side room of the Sannathi Street house in the mid of 1980’s, after the demise of Murugeshji. The mother cat would go out in search of food and Yogi would take care of the babies. He would have a long stick and whenever Sai Baba came, Yogi would drive the babies with the help of the stick to the room. Whenever the babies cried in hunger, Yogi would get some milk and pour it in a separate plate so that the babies would drink it easily. Sometimes the babies would sleep on the same mat with Yogi. After several months the babies and their mother went away once for all.

Yogi was very fond of listening to Vedic chanting. If Vedic pundits came to see Yogi, Yogi would request them to chant Vedic mantras and would listen to them attentively. But he told his devotees that to learn and understand all the four Vedas, it would take 32 years and after learning the Vedas, one would understand the value of God’s name. So, instead of going through the Vedas for 32 long years, it would be better to remember God’s name right now, Yogi suggested. However Yogi encouraged the Vedic pundits to uphold the Vedas, as the Vedas were the great works of the ancient rishis. Yogi once said, “All the other mantras and the religious rituals are for the casual people, but, for the friends of this beggar, this name, ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar’ alone is enough. This name would take you to the Holy Lotus Feet of Supreme Father.”

Anyhow Yogi didn’t discourage the people of rituals. If the ritualistic people came to Yogi and requested him to allow them to do certain rituals or yagas in the ashram, Yogi would permit them. Yogi would never interfere in anybody’s faith. Yogi would only strengthen their faith and never distract them from it. If anybody came to Yogi, saying that they had made a vow to offer something to a particular temple as part of a prayer for some worldly success, but could not do the same, Yogi would insist them to fulfill the prayer giving top priority. One should keep up one’s words and that should be the attitude of every devotee, Yogi insisted. But, the people of Yogi would never be in bargains with Father. All the yagas and rituals of religions are result oriented. There is a purpose and a result for every ritual and yaga. Yogi wanted his people to love Father, remember Father and not to demand, beg anything from Father. Father knows what one needs, requires. So, Yogi said that one should remember Father by chanting his name ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar’ and Father would take care of one’s life.

There was a friend, who used to complain about every small, the so called bad events that happened in his life. He was always discontent and his demands were ever growing. Whenever he visited Yogi he would beg Yogi to shower his grace so that all his problems would vanish. On that day Yogi was seriously talking to the devotees sitting in front of him, about the need of love for God and the value of remembering God’s name. The friend came and knocked at the door. Yogi got up from his seat and went to the gate. He opened the gate and brought the friend inside. Yogi asked the friend to sit. Yogi also sat in his place. Yogi looked at the friend for some time and asked him whether he wanted to say something. The friend started saying, “A small problem Swami…………” Yogi abruptly interrupted the devotee, “Can you put aside all your problems in a corner and remember my Father at least for a few moments every day? Then alone this beggar can do something for you.” Yogi got up from his seat and strolled up and down in the hall for sometime. After a few tense moments Yogi picked up a banana nearby his seat and gave it to the devotee, saying, “Now this beggar leaves you. You can go now my friend.” Disposing the friend, Yogi again continued his talk about the value of remembering God’s name.



Yogi’s concern for women

Yogi was well aware of women’s problems and their living conditions in India and abroad. He always would pay special attention on women to alleviate their sufferings. The women of India have limited freedom of expressions. During their childhood, they enjoy freedom, but once they attain puberty, their freedom is clipped. They should adopt severe disciplines otherwise they would be scolded, sometimes punished. After marriage, the women’s total attention should be on their husbands and in-laws. They should look after the needs of their husbands’ family members properly. They should be patient and should manage all circumstances by sacrificing everything for their husbands and their families. Husbands are gods for women in India. Most of the women’s life in India is drenched in this culture and it leads them onto a devotional religious path naturally.

Yogi knew the way of Indian women’s life. Yogi also knew the general human culture of all countries. He would never interfere in the cultural ways of people. He would shower his grace on everybody irrespective of their origin and cultures. His grace would alleviate the sufferings of people of all countries. His love had no boundaries and for him everything is perfect, because everything is God.

Even the parents of a daughter may not understand the latter’s problems like Yogi. The women too were so free to express their subtle and suffocating problems to Yogi and Yogi would listen to them with all attention. He would spare great time with them and try to put them in the path of devotion by asking them to remember God’s Name ever. He would ask them to sing songs on gods. Then gradually he would introduce the value of his own name and would make them to chant ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar’ to energize their being. Even though Yogi listened to the problems of women that were caused by their in-laws and husbands, he would never advise the in-laws and husbands or threaten them with his power. He would try to put them in the right path. He would pour his grace upon the women and strengthened their faith on God. This magnificent spiritual strength of women would transform the attitude of their husbands and in-laws towards them. Yogi would prefer to transform people by making them remember God all the time rather than punishing them for their misdeeds in life. Even though the law of karma would take its own course, the consequences of the misdeeds would not affect the transformed people much. Rather the same consequences would become more helpful for their spiritual advancement.

Yogi would concentrate on the wives of the sadhakas so that they would not be a hindrance to the progress of their husbands towards God. Yogi would always insist Indian women to be properly protected by their husbands and children and would never encourage women to travel alone even for a short distance. Yogi chose a few couples to move and progress in the path towards God, his Father. He would make them feel safe by assuring his presence with them for ever, so that they could move towards God without any fear. He would say several stories of the rishis and rishipatnis, how the husband did the penance, how the wife helped her husband to do the penance and ultimately how both of them attained Godhood. He would not allow the couples to have conflict between each other. He would infuse confidence in them by saying the husbands could not commit any mistake to harm the wives and the wives had the care and concern for their husbands. Those words would bring confidence in the women’s hearts. With mutual trust and real love the couple would start their journey towards God by living a simple but great life. Such life would bring love and harmony not only to the family but also to the immediate surroundings in the society. Where the women live in peace and bliss, there the harmony and prosperity prevails, Yogi used to say.



The Mystical way of Yogi

From the ancient time to the modern world of spirituality, it is a glorious uniqueness that a Yogi had assured of God Realisation and God’s protection by chanting and remembering HIS OWN NAME ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar’. This mantra has proved its glorious power by making several people become one with God. Yes, this mantra makes the evolution from human to God possible to every potential seeker. Yogi prescribed this holy mantra to selective people and this mantra kindled the prana, (the energy) in one’s being.

Murugeshan, Yogi’s beloved devotee had been burning with the aspiration of God Realisation. After he met Yogi and got initiation from Yogi, he went on chanting the guru mantra ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar’. He had the faith that by remembering guru’s name, he could have the focus and determination on the goal, the God Realisation. Serious contemplation and meditation on God would bring forth God Realisation, he believed. This serious aspiration was an energy emancipated from the prana, the inner source of divinity. When Yogi felt Murugeshji’s temperature was too high, he was able to understand the burning aspiration of Murugeshji, full of wisdom and vairagiya (determination). But it seems, Yogi felt, Murugeshji’s system also needed love and surrender to reach the highest state of God Realisation. So he worked on Murugeshji sparing great time for the latter. Murugeshji, by the grace of Yogi, finally attained guru bhakti. He surrendered to the feet of his guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar. As soon as Yogi perceived Murugeshji’s surrender, Yogi absorbed him, by liberating him from the body consciousness and other attachments. Here Yogi divinized the burning aspiration of a serious devotee. On the other hand, Yogi prescribed several others, who had very meager aspiration towards God Realisation, asked them to keep them warm so that they could maintain the little seriousness, emancipated from the Prana, the source of energy in their being to evolve further towards God.

Yogi would always insist that the devotees’ attention should only be on him while they were with him. He would ask one of his attendants or one particular devotee to bring coffee or some eatables. After they had brought them, they should not distribute without the permission of Yogi. Most of the times Yogi would prefer to touch the coffee or eatables and then ask the friends to serve the same to the devotees. Occasionally Yogi himself would serve the coffee or eatables to the devotees. After the coffee was kept before the devotee, the devotee should not touch it, till Yogi would give the permission by gesture. If anybody touched the coffee before Yogi gave the permission, Yogi would say, “Oh, you have disturbed Father’s work.” Then he would wait till that devotee drank his coffee. As soon as he completed, Yogi would say, “Come on my friend, this beggar leaves you. You can go now.”

Yogi kept his devotees in different compartments according to their wavelengths. He would never allow people to interact among each other in his presence. If they tried, Yogi would say, “You people are disturbing this beggar’s work. Now this beggar leaves you. You can go.” He would give some fruits to the friends and dispose them immediately. But at the same time Yogi would allow the devotees of same wavelengths to interact among themselves in his presence. Yogi would allow such devotees to discuss and debate before him about the teachings of masters. If the discussion and debate reached to the stage of a heated argument with high tone, Yogi would intervene by chanting God’s name for some time and would laugh. That laughter would cool down the situation. Yogi encouraged such devotees to meet frequently in their own places and talk about Yogi and his teachings. Yogi used to say that talking about Yogi is the real meditation and in such an atmosphere one could feel the presence of Yogi in a subtle form that gives one energy and bliss. The friends shall not feel tired, even though they would spend days together talking about Yogi and his compassionate grace continuously without bothering about food, sleep or other petty comforts. Yes, the saying of Yogi is true, “Remembering Father brings in bliss and forgetting Father results in pain.”

During Yogi’s physical presence several people wanted to live with Yogi at Tiruvannamalai. But Yogi did not allow everybody. He said to them, “There are a lot of lazy people like this beggar in Tiruvannamalai. You have work at your place. Be there and remember this beggar. That’s enough.” Yogi knew the limitation of the devotees, who expressed their desire to live in Tiruvannamalai. The devotees would depend upon the physical presence of Yogi for their journey towards God and they would never know how to live alone. Yogi insisted such devotees to remain in their own places and do their duties sincerely. The devotees should remember Yogi’s Name and that would bring them peace and bliss wherever they would be, Yogi assured. However Yogi had suggested to some people to live in Tiruvannamalai permanently. Those people might have the capability and energy to remember God all the time by living alone. Yogi would protect those people by giving them the spiritual strength to proceed in the path further towards God. Yogi would keep those devotees incognito.



Ashrams

Regarding the ashrams, Yogi once said, “The place where a master dwells becomes an ashram, but no ashram can produce a master.” The ashrams are the monuments of the spiritual masters. The very purpose of the masters’ and the ashrams existence is to remind people about the presence of God. The remembrance of guru would lead one to God and it helps to surrender everything one has including his self to the holy feet of the master. Selfless Love flowers in these hearts which remember guru constantly.

The people can come and stay in the ashrams for a few days to have the remembrance of masters in whose names the ashrams are functioning. They can make use of the ashrams to learn the life and teachings of the masters and get the wisdom of life, death and God. But they should all go back to their places and continue remembering the prescribed guru mantra to have a perfect and harmonious life. If they prefer to remain in the ashrams permanently, they will be put in such an atmosphere from where they can neither be in tune with God nor could they live with freedom. Their life would end in doing meaningless rituals. It would frustrate them soon, but still they could not move out of the ashrams out of the fear of losing their identity and security. The teachings of guru is about removing the fear and remaining in freedom, but the ashrams that function in the names of gurus cultivate fear and curtail the freedom of the devotees who stay there permanently.

Ashrams are not meant for those who want to escape from the problems of life. Ashrams are not refugee centers either. Ashrams should be considered as a learning place. The people should come to the ashrams and contemplate about their pains and problems of the life. They will certainly get the clarity that would guide them to lead an appropriate and meaningful life. They get the awakening due to the divine vibrations from the atmosphere of the ashram. Their mind and emotions are filled with harmonious, divine vibration. They could carry the same even after they get back to their places. The evolution from human to divine also happens steadily in these devotees’ life.

Sometimes even the duplicity and falsehood of the ashrams and their heads shall teach people what they shouldn’t do in their life. The masters taught people to live in the remembrance of God transcending the transient life full of hallucination, duplicity and falsehood, but, the so called followers of the masters are nowadays promoting the religious beliefs with its connected meaningless rituals in the ashrams to strengthen the self and life with the promise of bliss, prosperity, peace and health. Most of the ashrams are nowadays entangled in the web of meaningless rituals and duplicity to gain popularity. They lack humanity and lead mankind nowhere. The real sensitive devotees learn from these ashrams in the right perception and detach them from such institutions. They remember the masters and teachings but disassociate with the ashrams. The masters in whose name the ashrams function, have lived their life in such a way to teach people the importance of love, renunciation, freedom, sacrifice, gratitude, truth and devotion on God, but the so called followers of the masters distract the people’s attention from the teachings of the masters and politely but firmly misguide the people to the pleasures and pains of the life and they charge for their great services!



Yogi about Physical Ailments

Yogi never had advocated yoga in any form like pranayama and pranic healing to cure physical ailments or to remember God. Even the ashram medical camp had started against Yogi’s will. He did not accept that this should be the function of an ashram. “Don’t bother about your physical body. Remember my Father and my Father will take care of you.” Yogi said. In spite of his protest, the management of the ashram started the medical camp to obtain some of the concessions of Government to run the ashram.

Yogi’s prime mission was, alleviating the psychological pain the people suffered. Still, Yogi gave serious attention to some of his ailing friends. Yogi would suggest and prescribe some natural medicines and diets to some of his friends suffering with physical problems that caused hindrance in their journey towards God. Yogi also suggested a few diseased friends to have modern medicines and surgery. Otherwise Yogi was a naturalist. Yogi taught to accept with joy whatever came in one’s life, because that’s all from God.

The so called problems, miseries and the diseases are all due to Father’s will that would make one remember Father all the time, Yogi says. The birth, growth and death are all for the forms and not for the Atma, which is beyond the body. If one is able to concentrate upon Father all the time, one would lose the body consciousness. If one is always thinking about one’s physical comforts and conveniences, he would miss Father. “Remembering Father is life. Forgetting Father is death,” Yogi declared.

This does not mean that one should ignore the physical body totally. When one lives in Father all the time, Father will take care of the physical frame. Any actions and thoughts based upon Father would bring forth the bliss and peace for the body and mind, in spite of the ill health and deadly diseases. By chanting guru’s name, one could fill their mind with God consciousness that would take care of body and mind. Even the so called disease and disorders of the physical frame would help one to reach God.

A cancer patient came once to Yogi, at the ashram, along with his wife and daughter with the great hope that Yogi would cure the disease. The author was then sitting with Yogi just outside the Pradhan Mandir in the ashram. The doctors had declared that the disease was in its advanced stage and the cancer patient could live only for another few months. The cancer patient was crying and his wife and daughter were also shedding tears. The man caught hold of Yogi’s feet and prayed to save him. Yogi was sitting like a rock. Yogi was holding the author’s hand. He did not utter a single word. The man was still holding the feet of Yogi and seeing Yogi’s face with great expectations. Yogi asked him to sit in the chair. The man sat in the chair. Yogi maintained deep silence and poured all his attention on the man for some time. It was the man’s first visit to Yogi. He was a rich man, had an erroneous way of life earlier. Yogi showered all his compassionate attention on the man. The patient told that the pain was very severe and he could not sleep at all. Yogi was in deep silence.

After some time Yogi told the author to convey in Tamil what he said to the latter in English. Yogi said, “Ask him to chant Rama, Rama, Rama, all the time. The pain will get reduced gradually and one day it will finish.” The author was thrilled and shocked. He told the cancer patient the literal meaning of the words in Tamil, told by Yogi in English. The man imagined that Yogi would finish off the disease. He saluted and prostrated before Yogi again. Yogi pronounced, ‘Rama’. The patient repeated ‘Rama’. Yogi uttered three times ‘Rama’ and the patient repeated. The author could understand that Yogi had initiated the patient with this powerful mantra ‘Rama’. Here the disease of cancer helped that potential devotee to get the initiation from a great guru.

The patient and his family went back to their place happily. The patient was all the time remembering the mantra ‘Rama’ and in a few months he reached coma stage and in another few days he passed away. Yes, here, the deadly disease helped and guided a man to the holy feet of his guru, who initiated him into divinity with the powerful mantra ‘Rama’, at least during the end of his life. God’s, guru’s ways are always mysterious. If that man were free of the disease, he may not have had the aspiration to seek the blessings of a mahatma.



Yogi on Yoga

One day a devotee asked Yogi in 1977, “What should I do to attain Father? Should I learn yoga?” Yogi Ramsuratkumar responded, “All the tapas you do would take you to the feet of your guru. Once you reach your guru, your sadhana, efforts, ends there. Thereafter you should listen to your guru and have faith in your guru. Your guru would undertake the responsibility to take you to the abode of my Supreme Father. After reaching guru’s feet, you need not worry about your spiritual growth. The guru will take care of you. All you need is to have faith, absolute faith on your guru.” Yogi paused briefly. After some time Yogi continued, “The guru is like a cobra and you are like the frog. Once the frog is caught in the fangs of cobra, it is finished. Now there is no escape.” While saying the above, Yogi was glittering with divine beauty.

It was a hot summer day. Murugeshji was doing pranayama under the punnai tree without the notice of Yogi. Yogi was taking rest then. After a while Yogi got up and saw Murugeshji doing pranayama. He asked Murugeshji what he was doing. Murugeshji replied that he was doing pranayama. Yogi asked Murugeshji with apparent anger, “Who asked you to do Pranayama?” Murugeshji replied that Swami Ram Thirtha mentioned about pranayama in his talks, which came in the book ‘In the woods of God Realisation’. Yogi told Murugeshji that pranayama should be done only under the guidance of guru and that too, only in a suitable atmosphere. If it was not done in a proper way and in the proper place it would give negative results. He added that it was enough for the friends of Yogi to remember his name ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar’ that would take them to the destination. Chanting this mantra ‘Yogi Ramsuratkumar’, would regulate the breath, cleanse the system and give the spiritual energy to realise the Supreme Father, Yogi said.

Yogi then recited a couplet in Hindi and translated the same in English. “Walking, walking and walking. The destination, the goal, the home is 18 miles away. I become tired. My legs are painful. I could not move further. Whom to be blamed?” On saying this Yogi laughed loudly. Everybody around Yogi could see the spiritual aura of Yogi and understood the value of Guru’s grace. One could not reach the destination without the Grace of guru. The limited human energy and intelligence could lead one nowhere, but into chaos and pain. They create imaginary devotion on God, by developing various rituals and adopting the same in the day to day life. In the end, one gets tired and disappointed. This results in self pity, which is always painful. They cannot move further in the path. In spite of all their rituals and yoga, Realisation remains a utopia for them. Only guru’s grace could lead one towards God. In short, remembering God, guru is real yoga and all other practices are nothing but mere physical exercises. Physical exercises are bound to make one tired and violent. They never make one fit to remember God.

Yogi occasionally would quote Narada Bhakti Sutram, in which the sage Narada declares that it is very hard to find a guru. Even if one finds his or her guru, it would be much more difficult to go near him. Even if one gets the opportunity to near the guru, it would be still more difficult to receive his grace. How many people have got the privilege of having a genuine guru in this world? One should be pure, selfless and a good human. He should have the intense aptitude for the search of Eternity. Only such a person may get a genuine guru. So, let us be a good human to get a great guru. Real yoga is to be a good human first.

Now the question is about the fate of other people. They should realize their erroneous ways of life and repent for their misdeeds. Then alone some limited wisdom shall dawn upon them through which they could locate and identify a guru. (In reality, nobody finds the guru. It is always the guru who finds the disciple.) They may not get the closeness of guru, but they may get the opportunity to learn the mantra the guru prescribed. If a man remembers the guru mantra with total faith, there comes the transformation. Yes, the faith transforms and the transformation takes one close to the guru.

Sage Valmiki was a dacoit earlier and Narada gave him some wisdom. Valmiki realised his misdeeds by the grace of Narada and understood the greatness of Narada. He sought for the guidance of Narada to be saved from the effects of the sins he had committed. Sage Narada initiated him with the great mantra ‘Rama’. Valmiki was not even able to pronounce the mantra properly. Even then, the faith he had on Narada made him remembering the mantra all the time and helped him to attain the supreme state of God. He wrote the Ramayana, a great epic, for the upliftment of the future generations. So, whoever remembers God’s name, with all faith on their guru, would definitely get the transformation and evolve towards God. This transformation is called yoga.

Yogi attained God not through any conventional methods of yoga. During his times of sadhana, Yogi tried all sorts of conventional methods of yoga to attain God. He could not succeed in the venture. Of course, he was able to gain some mysterious power by practicing them, but it didn’t help him to attain God. His aim was not to gain mystic powers. He was determined to be one with God. He was prepared to sacrifice everything he had. Finally, by the compassionate grace of his guru Swami Ramdas, he gave up all those attempts. He submitted his will to his guru by remembering and chanting the guru mantra all the time. That is real yoga and lo, the Lord had absorbed Yogi. Finally, he became a great yogi. He spread the fragrance of God among all people, irrespective of the divisions of the society.

Yogi always kept his body warm for a mysterious reason. Even in the hot summer he covered him with a thick bed sheet. He did not use an electric fan even during the hottest days and nights. He was the personification of the prana (the source of life) and agni (the fire). Yogi might have to hide this secret from the casual devotees. So he put several clothes upon the body, disguised himself like a mad beggar. On seeing the different, strange look of Yogi, the casual, non serious people would not try to go near him and rob his valuable time. But, whenever Yogi wanted to shower his grace on a worthy devotee to make the latter evolve towards God, Yogi would release his energy in spite of his dresses. It was a beauty to see Yogi releasing his compassionate energy upon the deserving devotees.



The Fences on the way to Yogi

Yogi Ramsuratkumar had radiated his spiritual brilliance only to the limited devotees, who were honest, sincere and serious in their seeking for God. Even though Yogi had showered his compassion and alleviated the sufferings of the aching souls, he didn’t exhibit his magnificent spiritual glory of oneness with the Supreme Father to everyone. He always wanted to be incognito. He had his own filtering points and fences. His way of dressing was one of the fences. The dirt of the dress, the dirt of the body due to not taking bath for years together, the habit of smoking and wearing no religious symbols were some such fences one should cross to go near his real being. Finally, the people around him also had been used as filters. Becoming one with God is not that easy Yogi said. One should prepare to pay price for the union with God and the price is one’s self, life. It is worth to shed self for God.

Sometimes Yogi would deliberately act in the way people would think that he was an eccentric. He would always hide his real state of being, his Godliness, his oneness with God. He used to flatter people sitting around him. The sensible people could understand that those people, who were seemed to be near Yogi, had to progress further, even to have a guru. It was Yogi’s unique way, to avoid the interferences and disturbances from the arrogant egoistically pious people. Yogi would simply flatter them, garland them and keep them around him. At times he would even touch their feet. No one ever knows how much pain these things would have caused to him, but he never cared about his own sufferings. His Father’s work should be done for which the hindrance should be overcome. That’s all. Sometimes he was suffocated by the surroundings of this insensitive, so called pious devotees, but he suffered silently and did his Father’s work.

Yogi needs only those people who have the one point attention towards God, guru. Those people should not be drifted away from God, guru due to their diversion of their attention towards the so called special and blessed devotees of Yogi. Most of the people try to flatter the so called special devotees, hoping that by doing so they could make Yogi happy and get his grace. Yogi never gets enthused by such acts. In fact, Yogi demands the total attention of the devotees on him irrespective of anybody’s presence.

The devotees with the desire for the so called social security and praiseworthy life are usually weak and they always seek support for their demands from the people sitting close to the guru. Sometimes they do some silly rituals to please the guru. They do not know the truth that the guru could not be influenced by anything and anybody. One should have the courage to go to Yogi directly without the craving for the glittering aspects of life. One should be ready to shed off one’s self to attain the holy feet of Guru, God. Yogi would spend great time with such heroes. Yogi would shower His grace upon those heroes and he would see that those heroes would reach his Father without much sufferings and struggling.

Yogi made use of the so called pious people as a fence around him so that the non serious people could be filtered. The serious aspirants, who understood these people in the right sense, would ignore them and would jump the fence to have the direct, one point attention on Yogi. Yogi would shower his grace upon these brave people and absorb them into his infinite holistic vastness. Yogi always remembered such real seekers.

Most of the time, the people who entangled in worldly worries came to Yogi in the hope of coming out of the pains and problems of the life. They would frequent Yogi and seek Yogi’s grace. Yogi would mysteriously remove their pains and problems. Generally the people who are relieved from the problems would go away and forget Yogi. Only a few would understand the insignificance of the life filled with desires. They would try to come out of the desires by seeking Yogi’s grace. They would focus their attention on the wholeness of Yogi. They would not drift away from Yogi by the grace of Yogi. In due course they would win over the love of Yogi and merge with Yogi.