This website contains used to contain hundreds of pages of information for people who want to become enlightened.
Reading can be a hindrance.
Email editor@realization.org
We do not accept paid editorial content.
Copyright © 1999‒2025 Realization.org
Those who sink into the Heart with the thought ‘Arunachala’ — taking as a means this joyful Akshara-mana-malai (the bridal garland of letters), which is like a series of golden rays of the rising sun and which was sung in divine ecstasy by our Guru, Muni Ramana, the Embodiment of Grace, as a refuge, as a prayer to dispel the ignorance of good devotees who seek enlightenment — will rule Siva-Loka (that is, they will become one with Lord Siva Himself).
O Ganapati, the bestower of grace, protect me by giving Your helping hands so that I may make and offer a Bridal Garland of Letters worthy of the bridegroom, Arunachala.
O Arunachala, You root out the ego of those who think ‘Arunachalam’ in the heart.
O Arunachala, may ‘I’ and ‘You’, like Azhahu and Sundaram, unite and be non-different.
O Arunachala, having entered my heart and having drawn me (towards You), You have kept me as a prisoner in the cave of Your heart. What (a wonder is this Grace of Yours)!
O Arunachala, for whose sake did You take me as Your own? If You now reject forsaking me, the world will blame You.
Note: Arunachala has taken possession of the devotee not because of the recommendation of anyone else, but only because of His own uncaused grace. After such a spontaneous act of grace, if Arunachala now forsakes the devotee, the whole world will blame Him.
O Arunachala, escape this blame. Why did You make me think of You? Now who can leave (the bond which You have thus created between us)?
Note: Having made the devotee think of Him, Lord Arunachala has created a bond from which neither He nor the devotee can escape. Therefore, to escape the blame of the world, Lord Arunachala must now complete His work by destroying totally the ego of the devotee.
O Arunachala, who is far more gracious than one’s own mother, (if You now forsake me) is this Your grace?
O Arunachala, be seated firmly upon my mind so that it may not cheat You and run away (due to desire for the outside world).
O Arunachala, Show me your beauty so that, by seeing you uninterruptedly, my mind, which (by nature) wanders about the world, may subside (in You, the real Self, and never leaving you).
Note: The word “vidadu” may be taken to mean either uninterruptedly or not leaving. In this translation both meanings are incorporated, the former without brackets and the latter within brackets.
O Arunachala, is this manliness, if You do not now unite with me, destroying me (my ego or the sense of individuality)?
O Arunachala, when others are dragging me away, why this (seeming) sleep? Does this befit You?
Explanatory Note: O Arunachala, when the desires for external objects are dragging me away from You, the real Self, why do You pretend to sleep as if You do not know what is happening? Since I rightfully belong only to You, does this indifference on Your part befit You?
O Arunachala, when the thieves, (the desires for the objects known through) the five senses, entered my heart, were You not in my heart? (already)
O Arunachala, unknown to You, who are the One (who alone truly exists), who can come (into my heart)? Therefore, (when those thieves entered my heart) it was only Your trick.
O Arunachala, import of the sound ‘Om’, unequalled and unsurpassed, who can know You (as You are)?
O Arunachala, like a mother (who is spontaneously kind to her own child), it is Your duty to bestow Your grace upon me and to take me as Your own.
O Arunachala, who can see You, who, being the eye to the eye, sees without eyes? (Therefore) See me (by turning the glance of Your grace upon me).
Note: The Tamil word ‘kan’ literally means eye, but is also used figuratively to mean consciousness. Arunachala is the eye to the eye, that is, it is the consciousness which illumines the mind, which sees through the physical eyes. Since the very nature of the mind is to see only second and third person objects through the eyes and other senses, how and by what eye can it see Arunachala, which is the reality of itself, the first person?
By itself, the mind is insentient, like a reflection in a mirror. If we wish the eyes of our reflection to see us, we must see them, must we not? Likewise, since the mind is only a reflection of Arunachala, the real Self, it can see Arunachala only when Arunachala graciously sees it. Therefore in this verse the devotee prays to Arunachala to see him by turning the glance of Its grace upon him.
If we wish the eyes of our reflection in a mirror to look at us, we should look at them, should we not? Our reflection seeing us is nothing but our seeing it. They are not two separate actions. The cause that makes that reflection see us, is our seeing it, is it not? Likewise, ‘we’, the unreal Jiva, are only a reflection of the Sadguru, who is Self, the Supreme Reality. If we wish to see our Self or Guru, we cannot do so unless He, by His grace, turns His gracious look upon us. That is why this prayer for His gracious look is made.
O Arunachala attracting me as a magnet attracts iron, be united with me and never leave me.
O Arunachala, Ocean of grace in the form of a Hill, being intensely gracious, bestow grace upon me.
O Arunachala, Gem of light which shines everywhere, both in the low and in the high, destroy my lowness (my base and impure nature).
Explanatory Note: O Arunachala, You are the pure and precious light of consciousness which shines in me as ‘I am’ in all places and at all times, both when my mind is in a low and impure state, and when it is in a highly mature and pure state. Since You are therefore unaffected and undefiled either by my purity or by my impurity, reveal to me your true nature and thereby destroy my baseness.
O Arunachala, who shine as the form of Guru, enslave me, destroying my defects entirely (along with their root, the ego) and endowing me with good qualities.
O Arunachala, being intensely gracious join with me (to protect me) so that I may not be ensnared in the alluring (delusive) cruelty of sharp sword eyed (women) people.
This also indicates jealous eyed people.
O Arunachala, though I humbly entreat You, like a cheat You do not show even the least pity. (Now at least) bestow Your grace (and give me refuge) saying, ‘fear not’.
O Arunachala, instead of blemishing your blemishless fame of giving unasked, bestow your grace upon me.
Note: Arunachala has attained blemishless fame by His knowing and answering the needs of His devotees even before they pray to Him. Therefore, if He does not bestow His grace even after the devotee has humbly entreated Him so much His fame will surely be blemished.
O Arunachala, the fruit in my hand, bestow Your grace so that I may be blissfully intoxicated by drinking your juice, the Reality (that is, by experiencing the real Self).
O Arunachala, how can I survive after embracing You, who have hoisted a flag (to announce your vow) to kill your devotees?
O Arunachala, who are of angerless nature, what wrong have I done that You have taken me as the target (of your anger)?
Note: A praise in the form of a seeming reproach. That is, the devotee is here praising by asking indirectly Arunachala, ‘What qualification do I have that You have selected me out of all the countless souls in the world and have decided by Your uncaused grace to destroy my ego?’
O Arunachala, great Hill of Grace praised by Gautama, make me Your own by bestowing Your gracious glance (kataksha) upon me.
O Arunachala, sun of bright rays who swallow everything (the entire world-picture), make my mind lotus blossom.
Just as a closed lotus-bud cannot blossom unless the light of the sun falls upon it, so the bud like mind cannot blossom with Self knowledge unless the gracious light of Arunachala falls upon it. When Arunachala is such a powerful sun, that it can swallow the whole universe, will it not be easy for It to mature the mind-lotus and make it blossom?
The words ‘Sakalamum Vizhungum’ (which swallow everything) may also be taken to mean ‘which swallow all my defects’.
Note: If a cinema show is going on in a tent in daytime, the pictures can be seen on the screen only because of the limited light of the projector and because of the background of artificial darkness caused by the tent. If a powerful wind were to blow away the tent, the bright sunlight would flood in, the darkness would vanish and thus all the pictures on the screen would be swallowed up. Similarly, the entire picture of the world, soul and God can be seen only because of the limited light of the mind (which is a reflection of the original light of Arunachala, the real Self), and because of the background of the darkness of ignorance caused by forgetfulness of Self. When Self-Knowledge (the bright light of Arunachala) dawns, the background darkness of ignorance or Maya will vanish and thus the whole picture of the World, Soul and God will be swallowed up and disappear.
O Arunachala, was it merely to eat food by depending upon You that I came to You as a Sadhu (a religious mendicant)? (Did I not come to You in order to satisfy my spiritual hunger by attaining union with You?)
O Arunachala, Moon of Grace, in order to cool my mind (which is being burnt by the fire of wordly desires), open the gate of immortality by placing upon me Your hands, the rays (of Your grace).
Note: The words amuta vay, which literally mean the mouth of amrita (ambrosia or immortality) are taken by some translators to mean ‘the ambrosial orifice’, which is suggestive of the imagery used in Raja Yoga. However, since Sri Bhagawan generally did not use such imagery, the words amuta vay are here taken in their simpler sense to mean the gate of immortatity; that is, the gate of liberation, which is the state of bodilessness and deathlessness.
O Arunachala, graciously bestow upon me the glory of Your grace, destroying my (worldly) glory and establishing me in Nirvana (the natural state of Self).
Note: The word Sirai means both ‘glory’ and ‘covering’ while the word nirvanam means both the natural state of self and unveiled. Thus a parallel meaning for the words sirai azhittu nirvanama seydu (destroying my glory and establishing me in Nirvana) is ‘destroying my coverings (the five sheaths) and making me unveiled (devoid of all adjuncts or upadhis)’.
O Arunachala, be quietly united with me there (in my heart), so that the ocean of Bliss may surge forth (within me) and so that my speech and mind may subside.
O Arunachala, without testing me hereafter by playing tricks, show me Your form of light (Your true form of pure self consciousness).
O Arunachala, having made me give up this worldly delusion of learning the arts of deception, reveal to me the art of self-abidance.
Note: The arts of deception (seppadi-viddhai) are arts such as displaying siddhis and performing other kinds of jugglery. This also includes 64 arts.
The word uru, which literally means ‘form’, here means ‘self’ or ‘swarupa’, one’s own real nature. Hence, though in colloquial usage uruppadu means to be formed or reformed, in this context uruppadu-viddhai is taken to mean the art of becoming self or the art of self abidance.
O Arunachala, if You do not unite with me, my body will melt into water (due to the fire of my intense longing for You) and I shall drown in a river of tears.
O Arunachala, if You reject me saying, chai, (the fruit of) the karmas done (by me in the past, present and future) will surely burn me, and what will be the way for me to be saved? Tell me.
O Arunachala, saying without saying, ‘Be without speech’, You remained still.
Explanatory paraphrase: O Arunachala, through silence You instructed me, ‘Be Still’, without the least action of mind, speech or body, and You also remained still in such a fashion.
O Arunachala, tell me, if you merely sleep (in this manner) enjoying the bliss (of self) like an idler, then what will be my condition?
O Arunachala, when did You show Your valour and destroy my defects? (Yet) You remain without moving.
Explanatory Note: O Arunachala, when did You show the valour of Your Grace, thereby destroying all the defects in me? You have not yet done so, but still You remain unmoved like this, without showing the least concern for me.
O Arunachala, (without the all powerful help of your grace) by what strength can I, who am worse than a dog, seek and attain You?
O Arunachala, graciously bestow Jnana upon me in order to put an end to the weary suffering (which I am undergoing) due to desire for You without Jnana.
Explanatory Note: O Arunachala, though I am longing for You intensely, I am devoid of Jnana, the true knowledge of your real nature, and thus I am undergoing great suffering. In order to remove this weary suffering of mine graciously bestow upon me the knowledge of Your real nature (nonduality) where no longing of separation is experienced.
O Arunachala, like a bee (hovering in front of an unblossomed bud), why should even You stand in front of me saying, “You have not blossomed (that is, You have not yet attained spiritual maturity)”?
Note: A bee hovering in front of an unblossomed bud must wait patiently until the sun makes that bud blossom. But why should Arunachala hover like a bee in front of the immature devotee’s heart to blossom with spiritual maturity? Since Arunachala is ‘the Sun to the sun’, as said in verse 1 of Sri Arunachala Patikam, it is He alone who must make the devotee’s heart blossom.
O Arunachala, (by your causeless grace) You have taken possession of a blemishful wretch (myself) who did not know any principle (tattva) what a (gracious) principle this is!
O Arunachala, Self (the consciousness, ‘I am’) itself is the Reality. Reveal this to me Yourself.
O my Arunachala, You said, ‘Turning back, daily see the ‘I’ with the inner eye; it will (then), be known’.
Explanatory Note: O Arunachala, my Real Self, you taught me, “Turning away from external objects with intense desirelessness or vairagya, persistently scrutinize the feeling ‘I’ with an introverted attention; then only will you realize the truth that Self itself is the Reality.”
O Arunachala, having sought You with a mind devoid of courage I have come back (to You praying), bestow Your grace upon me.
Explanatory Note: O Arunachala, I sought you inwardly as the real Self, but since my mind lacked the necessary strength of desirelessness or vairagya, I failed to attain you. Therefore I now come back to you and pray, “Bestow your Grace upon me by giving me the strength which is necessary to turn away from external objects and realise you as my real self.”
O Arunachala, of what use is this birth without vichara-jnana (knowledge born of self-enquiry)? (Therefore) come to make it (my birth) worthy (by graciously enabling me to attain such knowledge).
O my Arunachala, bestow Your grace to make me to merge in Self, Your Reality, in which only those who are pure in mind and speech can merge.
O Arunachala, when I sought refuge in You as God (believing that you would protect me), You completely annihilated me.
O Arunachala, Supreme treasure of Divine Grace found without seeking, graciously remove my mental delusion.
O Arunachala, when I courageously sought and attained Self, your Reality, I became bereft of wants. (such is your) grace!
O Arunachala, if You do not touch and embrace my body with the hands of Your grace, I shall have lost (the fruit of this human birth). (Therefore) bestow Your grace upon me.
O Arunachala, may You, who are devoid of defects, bestow Your grace upon me by becoming one with me so that we may ever be united in Bliss.
O Arunachala, there is no room for laughter. Bestow upon me the smile of Your grace, You should look at me, who have approached You (for refuge).
Explanatory Note: O Arunachala, when I have come to take refuge in you, there is no room for You to laugh and mock at me, seeing my immaturity. Instead of laughing at me derisively, You should look at me, bestowing upon me the compassionate smile of your grace.
O Arunachala, I had no shyness to approach You of my own accord. (Hence) becoming one (with me) as ‘I’, you stood (motionless) like a pillar.
Explanatory Note: O Arunachala, without any shyness I approached You of my own accord in order to attain union with You. Hence you became one with me, shining forth in me like a pillar as the motionless and thought free consciousness ‘I’.
Note: The word ‘nana’ may mean either of my own accord or ‘as I’, and hence both meanings are included.
O Arunachala, before the fire (of my intense longing) for You burns me and reduces me to ashes, shower upon me the rain of Your grace (thereby enabling me to attain You).
Nin eri can also mean ‘the fire of your Maya’ in the form of three desires which burn all the worlds.
O Arunachala, by uniting with me to destroy (the false distinction) ‘You’ and ‘I’ graciously bestow upon me the state of remaining ever blissful.
O Arunachala, when will the waves of thoughts in me cease, so that I unite with You, the form of the extremely subtle space (of self-consciousness)?
O Arunachala, graciously dispel the deluded knowledge of me, who am an ignorant person lacking scriptural knowledge.
Note: The words ‘deluded knowledge’ (mal-arivu) mean the knowledge of the mind or ego, the deluded feeling “I am this body”.
O Arunachala, when, melting more and more (with intense devotion), I merged in you as my refuge, you stood unveiled (as the mere existence-consciousness-bliss, devoid of the veiling adjuncts of name and form).
O Arunachala, having roused desire for You in me, who was devoid of love, You should bestow Your grace upon me and should not cheat me (by failing to fulfil this desire).
O Arunachala, there is no use for a fruit which is overripe and decayed. Take and eat it while it is in a ripe condition, that will be good.
Explanatory Note: O Arunachala, if you allow me to waste away and become disheartened due to the suffering of longing for You without attaining You, I shall be rendered worthless, like an overripe and decayed fruit. Therefore, before I waste away in such a manner, graciously take me and feed upon me, destroying my ego. That will be best for both of us.
O Arunachala, if you do not take me and give yourself to me so that I do not perish with suffering (due to my intense longing for you) You will be Antakan (the God of Death) to me.
O Arunachala, may You graciously take me as Your own, having made me mature, by seeing me, thinking of me and touching my body.
O Arunachala, before the poison of delusion possesses me, reaches my head and kills me, bestow Your grace so that Your grace alone may possess me.
O Arunachala, graciously see me in order to put an end to my delusion. If You do not graciously see me, see, who can tell You (that is, who can intercede with You on my behalf)?
O Arunachala, having removed my madness (for the world), You have made me a madman like You. Graciously grant me the medicine (of self-knowledge) which will clear away even this madness (of intense longing for you).
Note: Lord Siva came as a madman to claim Sri Sundaramurthy as His Own. Just as the Lord is mad in His gracious love to claim the devotee as His own, He makes the devotee mad like Himself, that is, mad with love for him, thereby removing the devotee’s madness for the world. The medicine to cure this madness of devotion is only Jnana (the nonduality).
O Arunachala, unite with me who, in fear (of this world-illusion), came to You, who are devoid of fear. Why should You fear (to unite with me)?
O Arunachala, when Your grace possesses me, tell me, where is base mind and where is good mind?
Note: At nighttime people say that moonlight is good light and the star light is poor light. But when the sun rises, where and of what importance is this good light or poor light? Similarly, when Arunachala’s grace possesses a devotee, where and of what importance are his purity or impurity of mind? That is, the devotee’s base or impure mind will be no hindrance and his good or pure mind will be no advantage, for both will dissolve in the bright light of self knowledge, which is the fullness of grace.
O Arunachala, graciously bestow upon me complete union with you, so that my mind, which is (a bundle of) worldly tendencies, may acquire the tendency for perfection.
Note: The tendency for perfection means the tendency to ‘be’ (sat vasana), that is, the tendency to abide as Self without rising as an individual soul or ego.
O Arunachala, as soon as I thought of Your name, You caught me and drew me to Yourself. Who can understand Your greatness?
O Arunachala, having possessed me as an unexorcisable demon in order to exorcise my demon-nature (the ego), you made me a demoniac (one possessed by the demon of Your Grace). What a wonder this is!
O Arunachala, protect me, being a support for me to cling to, so that I may not droop down like a tender creeper without anything to cling to.
O Arunachala, having enchanted me with the magic powder (of your grace) and having (thereby) robbed me of my bodha, you revealed to me your bodha.
Explanatory note: The words “my bodha” denote the jiva bodha or unreal sense of individuality, while the words “your bodha” denote the atma bodha or Real Knowledge of Self.
O Arunachala, show me the war-play of grace in the common space which is devoid of going and coming.
Explanatory note: The common space which is devoid of going and coming is the unlimited and all pervading space of Self or Atma-akasa, which is devoid of all changes such as coming (creation or birth) and going (destruction or death).
Even in the midst of seeming changes such as the creation, sustenance and destruction of this universe, Arunachala exists and shines as the common space of self, which is completely unaffected by such seeming changes. In other words, Arunachala is the natural state of self, which is in truth ever ajata or devoid of change. This skilful play of this existing and shining without change even in the midst of so many seeming changes, is the play of grace, when this play of grace is seen or experienced, all the seeming changes will cease to exist and the play of grace alone will remain shining victoriously as the sole reality. Since the play of grace thus conquers and destroys all the seeming changes of coming and going,
Sri Bhagavan describes it as the war play of grace (arulporattam). Thus the prayer “show me the war play of grace” means bestow upon me the experience of the ever unchanging state of Self. The same experience is also prayed for in the next verse, where Sri Bhagavan uses the words “your splendour” to denote the ever unchanging state of Self.
O Arunachala, bestow your grace so that I may see and be united with your splendour for ever, having given up the attachment to the physical body (as ‘I’ and ‘mine’).
O Arunachala, who shine as the Hill of the medicine of Grace, need You hesitate to give the medicine for confusion (the medicine to remove the confusion of identifying the body as ‘I’)?
Note: In this verse Sri Bhagavan praises Arunachala as malai marundu (the Hill of medicine), which is one of the names of Arunachala mentioned in verse 160 of Sri Arunachala Puranam, where it is said (this Hill) is the excellent medicine which puts an end to death and birth; (hence) malai marundu is one name for It.”
O Arunachala, who shine devoid of attachment (abhimana), destroying the attachment of those who come to you with attachment, (graciously destroy my dehabhimana or attachment to the body as ‘I’).
O Arunachala, I am a person of little intelligence who prays to You whenever overwhelmed (by sufferings). Therefore, bestow Your grace upon me without cheating me.
O Arunachala, graciously protect me (and be the helmsman of my life), so that I may not be (like) a ship tossing in a great storm without a helmsman.
Note: The great storm mentioned in this verse is the storm of thoughts and worldly desires which toss the mind. Without the protecting and guiding Grace of the Guru, the mind will be overwhelmed and carried away by this great storm, and will never be able to reach the safe harbour of Liberation.
O Arunachala, like a mother, is it not your duty to place me in the final goal (the state of Self), having untied the knot (the ‘I am the body’-identification), the beginning and end of which are not known?
Note: The knot mentioned in this verse is the chit-jada-granthi, the knot between the conscious self and the insentient body. Refer to verse 24 of Ulladu Narpadu where Sri Bhagavan defines the exact nature of the knot.
O Arunachala, instead of being (like) a mirror held before a noseless man, graciously lift and embrace me.
Note: A mirror can only show the ugliness of a noseless man, but cannot improve his appearance and make him beautiful. Therefore Arunachala should not merely be like a mirror and expose the devotee’s defects; He should uplift the devotee by removing his defects and should make him One with Himself.
O Arunachala, bestow Your grace so that we may unite as the Reality on the soft floral bed of the (pure) mind in the house of the body.
O Arunachala, by uniting with tender-natured devotees who are more and more humble, You have attained exaltation. What a wonder this is!
Note: Arunachala does not unite with those who are proud of their worldly greatness. His greatness is such that by his immense compassion He unites only with those who are pure and humble in heart due to the complete subsidence of their ego.
O Arunachala, removing my dense delusion with the magic paste of Your grace, You have brought me under sway of Your Reality.
Note: The clause, “You have brought me under the sway of Your Reality”, (unadu unmai vasamakkinai), means, You have established me so firmly in Self, Your Reality, that I can never again turn to attend to any second or third person object.
O Arunachala, having shaved me (of all my deeply rooted tendencies or vasanas), you danced your dance (as ‘I-I’) in the open space (of self). What a wonder this is!
O my Arunachala, fulfil my desire, dispelling my desire (for the body and world) and making me desirous of You.
Explanatory Note: O Arunachala, my real Self, fulfil these two desires of mine : remove my delusion of attachment to the body and world and grant me ever increasing love for You.
O Arunachala, if You remain silent like a stone without responding (in spite of my having entreated You so much), will this silence befit You?
O Arunachala, who (was it but You that) ruined my living by putting mud in my mouth ?
Note: Putting mud in one’s mouth is a Tamil idiom meaning to deprive one of one’s means of livelihood. Since the five senses are the mouth through which the mind or ego feeds upon sense objects, putting mud in my mouth here means preventing the mind from feeding upon sense objects, second and third persons that the mind lives. When the Grace of Arunachala prevents the mind from feeding upon sense objects, the mind loses its means of livelihood and dies.
O Arunachala, who (was it but You that), unknown to anyone, enchanted and stole away my mind?
O Arunachala, I declared ‘Ramana’, without taking offence, come to make me happy.
Note: The word ‘Ramana’ means ‘Lord’, ‘husband’ ‘beloved one’ or ‘bestower of happiness’. The meaning implied by the words ‘Ramanan endru uraitten’ (I declared ‘Ramana’) is, ‘I declared that it was only you, my Lord or Ramana, who ruined my living and stole away my mind’.
O Arunachala! come, let us enjoy (the supreme Bliss) in the house of empty space (the pure space of self), which is devoid of night and day (that is, which is devoid of the limitations of time and space).
O Arunachala, come, let us be happy in the house of empty space, which is devoid of night and day.
Explanatory Note: O Arunachala, come, let us enjoy the supreme bliss in the pure and empty space of self, which is devoid of the limitations of time and space.
O Arunachala! Taking (me) as (Your) target and releasing the arrow of (Your) Grace, You devoured me (the ego) along with (my) breath (prana).
Note: When the ego is destroyed in the state of Self absorption (samadhi), the breath or prana also subsides.
O Arunachala, You are the (supreme) gain. (When it is so) what gain did You obtain by obtaining me, who have no gain here or hereafter?
O Arunachala! Did You not tell (me) to come (to You)? (Therefore, now that I have come to You) come and give (me) my measure (all that I need). Suffer (thus for me). (This is) Your fate.
Note: Having once called the devotee to Him, it is the duty and fate of the Lord to suffer for him by providing all his needs, both spiritually and materially.
O Arunachala! The very moment that, (selecting me by) saying ‘come’, (You) enter (my) heart and bestow (upon me) Your life (Your state of Self), I have lost my life (my individuality). Therefore bestow (Your) grace (upon me in this manner).
Note: This verse may also be taken to be an expression of attainment: O Arunachala! The very moment that, saying come, (You) entered (my) heart and bestowed (upon me) Your life, I lost my life. (Such is Your) grace!
O Arunachala! if (You) leave (me), it will be a (terrible) affliction (for me). (Therefore) bestow (Your) grace (upon me) so that (my) life may leave (the body) without (my) leaving you.
O Arunachala! Entering (my) heart abode stealthily (unknown to anyone) and dragging (me) out of (my) home, You revealed Your (true) home (the state of liberation). (Such is your) grace.
Note: The Tamil word veedu which is used three times in this verse can mean house, home, abode or Liberation.
O Arunachala! I have thus openly disclosed Your (secret) act (of grace). Without resenting (me for having done so), openly shower Your grace and save me.
O Arunachala, Graciously bestow (upon me the experience of) the reality of the Vedas, which shines (as one) without another in Vedanta.
Note: In this verse Sri Bhagavan reveals that the Veda porul (the reality, import or essence of the Vedas) is only that which shines as one without another in Vedanta (the conclusion or end of the Vedas). In other words, the essential import of the Vedas is only the nondual supreme reality, which is revealed in Vedanta to be the real Self, which shines one without another as the one and only truth.
O Arunachala! Taking (all my words of) abuse as praise, and taking (me) as a subject (of Your kingdom of) grace, graciously do not (ever) forsake me.
O Arunachala! like ice in water, graciously melt me as love in You, the form of love.
Note: The solid form of a piece of ice is merely an unreal adjunct or upadhi, for its reality or substance is nothing but water; likewise, the mind or individuality of the devotee is merely an unreal adjunct, for his reality is nothing but Arunachala, the Self, which is the unlimited form of love. When ice melts in water, it loses all individuality or separateness and becomes one with the water; likewise, when the mind merges in Self it loses its individuality and becomes one with the Self. Thus in this verse the devotee prays directly for the state of nondual union with Self, the Reality.
O Arunachala! As soon as I thought of Arunai (the holy place Arunachala), I was caught in the trap of (Your) grace. Can the net of Your grace (ever) fail ?
O Arunachala! Like a spider (which spins a web, catches its prey and feeds upon it), having (once) decided that I should be trapped in (the web of Your) grace, You entwined (me), imprisoned (me) and fed (upon me).
O Arunachala! Bestow (Your) grace so that I may graciously become a devotee of the devotees who hear Your name with love.
O Arunachala! Graciously live forever protecting helpless devotees like me (in such a way) that they attain Bliss.
O Arunachala! May even (Your) ears, which have received (with joy) the sweet words of (Your true) devotees whose bones melted (due to their intense love for You), graciously accept (even) my poor (unworthy) words.
O Arunachala, Hill of forbearance, forbearing with my poor words as good praises, hereafter graciously bestow upon me whatever You wish.
Explanatory Note: O Arunachala, the very embodiment of patience and forbearance in the form of a Hill, bear with my unworthy prayers, regarding them as worthy praises, and then bestow Your grace upon me in whatever way You wish.
O Arunachalaramana, having bestowed upon me the garland (of your grace), graciously wear my garland (this Bridal Garland of Letters), O Arunachala.
Arunachala Siva, Arunachala Siva,
Arunachala Siva, Arunacala!
Arunachala Siva, Arunachala Siva,
Arunachala Siva, Arunachala!
Glory to Arunachala! Glory to (His) devotees! Glory to (this) Bridal Garland of Letters (Aksharamana Malai)
May (this) Bridal Garland (mana-malai), which, due to the surging up of the supreme experience enjoyed (by Him), was composed by Sri Ramana, who is the ocean of the attainment of grace (arul-siddhi) and who was immersed and rejoicing in the ocean of love (bhakti), bestow upon us the Bliss of Absolute knowledge (Siva Jnana Sukha).
Note: In his footnote to this verse Sri Muruganar explains that the word bhakti here means the supreme love (para-bhakti), which is the form of true knowledge (jnana).
1 In the book from which this page is reprinted, the title page says:
Word by word in English
Meaning: Sri Sadu Om
Translation: Michael James
Ramana isn’t named.
Copyright ArunachalaRamana Nilayam. Reprinted from Sri Arunachala Stuti Panchakam, published by Sri Ramana Kshetra (Kanvashrama Trust), 1st edition 2007, PDF last modified 2009-01-09.
Sri Sadhu Om (1922–1985) was a direct disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi. In later years he was Muruganar’s literary executor and a collaborator with Michael James on numerous literary projects.
Michael James is the world’s foremost scholar and English translator of Sri Ramana Maharshi’s writings. He worked closely for years with Sri Sadhu Om.
The PDF book from which this page was reprinted.
Translations by Michael James, K. Lakshmana Sarma, Arthur Osborne, Sadhu Om, Robert Butler, T.M.P. Mahadevan, Dr. H. Ramamurthy, T.K. Jayaraman, and others.
Authors include Abdul Wahab (Ramana’s best friend in high school), Annamalai Swami, Sadhu Om, Alan Chadwick, V. Ganesan (Ramana’s grandnephew), Ramanananda Swarnagiri, and many others.
Links to dozens of free high-quality books.
This page was first published on March 13, 2025 and last revised on March 21, 2025.
This website contains used to contain hundreds of pages of information for people who want to become enlightened.
Reading can be a hindrance.
Email editor@realization.org
We do not accept paid editorial content.
Copyright © 1999‒2025 Realization.org