The One-Year Ceremony After A. Ramana’s Mahasamadhi

On 15 February, 2011, a ceremony was held at the AHAM Ashram in Tiruvannamalai to mark the first anniversary of the Mahasamadhi of its founder, A. Ramana. These One-Year ceremonies are customary in South India. About 50 people, Indians and Westerners, as well as about 50 Sadhus, and a number of school children, also were in attendance.

A shrine for A. Ramana now has been built on the AHAM ashram grounds. As is usual, it is built above the final resting place of A. Ramana’s remains. To see the previous postings about the rites performed for A. Ramana, go to these links:

Interment of A Ramana into Samadhi
A. Ramana Shradha 
Mandala  Puja for A. Ramana

Here is the shrine as it was this morning of the One-Year Ceremony, before people started to gather around it.

Rajasekar is making sure all is ready for the ceremony.

Next to the shrine, a table has been set out, loaded with the many things needed for the coming puja.

Banana plants are brought to add to the decorations of the shrine.

Meanwhile, visitors enjoy a cup of chai outside the AHAM building.

The puja is starting. Jan is the first to make the offerings to A. Ramana.

In a nearby structure, a sadhu is making decorations for the shrine from palm leaves.

Jan is spreading oil over the three idols, Nandi, the lingam, and the balapeetam. (The balapeetam is a small, flat-topped stone carving, placed on the outside of the Nandi. One should make offerings onto it. The best offering is one’s ego.)  Hanging in front are some of the decorations made by the swami. They kind of remind me of birds, hanging on a string.

Jan pours milk on the lingam. There is an order in which all the offerings are to be made today. First to Nandi, then to the lingam, then to the balapeetam.

    

After each item is offered, water is poured to clean and ready it for the next item. The order, for each offering, was:

Make the offering
Place a flower on each idol
Dot the idols with sandal wood paste (or later, kumkum)
Offer a camphor flame to the idols
Clean the idols with water

Pouring water.

During the ceremony, V. Ganesan, who was close to A. Ramana, and Ganesan’s aide, Anu, sang. They started with verses familiar to many Ramana Maharshi devotees, Sri Arunachala Akshara  Mana Malai, from the Marital Garland of Letters, composed by Bhagavan Ramana for his devotees to chant while going into town for biksha (asking for offerings of food). This chant is now done every Monday night at 6 PM at Ramanasramam.

(Refrain)
Arunachala Siva, Arunachala Siva, Arunachala Siva, Arunachala!
Arunachala Siva, Arunachala Siva, Arunachala Siva, Arunachala!

(Verse 1)
Aruna chalamena ahame ninaip-pavar
Ahat-taive rarup-pai Arunachala

(Translation, not chanted: “Thou dost root out the ego of those who meditate on Thee in the heart, Oh Arunachala!”)

This chant has 108 verses. The refrain was sung after each verse. In addition are prefatory and invocation verses and a final benediction. In all, this chant lasted for most of the ceremony, providing a special atmosphere for the proceedings.  

Jan offers sandalwood paste.

The camphor offering.

    

Below is the lingam, topped by a rose. The lingam is located directly above the head of A. Ramana, who is interred in a lotus position below the platform.

Cleaning with water. The water is poured first into the open hand, and then directed onto the idol.

A group of school children and their teachers join us. They are from the Arunachala Village School.

Another offering is made. Now it is Vivian making the offerings. I thought it was very good that different people who were close to A. Ramana were making these offerings today.

Vivian offers the light.

Then starts to pour water, to clean the idols.

 

She uses her hand to carefully clean the lingam.

Next is offered turmeric as a yellow paste.

Ganesan continues to sing.

Vivian dots the idols with sandalwood paste.

Now Stan is making the offerings. He pours water to clean off the turmeric.

Jan is showing him how to use his hand to control the flow of the water.

Now he offers the camphor flame.

Now Sujata making the offering. First she offers more water to clean the idols.

Then she starts the offering of prasad.

Enough chopped fruit mixture is offered so that each person attending will be able to eat a serving.

Then the honey offering is made, this time on top of the prasad, for extra sweetening.

     

The lingam looks so good covered with the prasad and a rose on top.

The flame is offered to the idols.

Then the prasad is carefully collected.

  

Once again water is offered to the lingam to clean it.

And now buttermilk (I believe) is poured over the Lingam.

 

Svargen now steps up to the altar, and completes this offering.

Then he adds the three flowers.

And gives the idols light.

Mmm, now the lingam gets curd, yogurt.

Nandi and the balapeetam received the curd offering also.

 

Now Svargen offers the flame.

Elizabeth steps up to the altar next.

She pours water to clean the curd.

Then she starts dropping handfuls of vibhuti, sacred ash, on the lingam and other idols.

She adds quite a large amount. Here is the lingam with the ash and the flower topper.

Elizabeth offers the flame.

Then collects all the sacred ash. This has been specially consecrated by this puja today.

Then comes the cleaning job. Water is poured.

Now comes another turmeric offering. Due to the antiseptic nature of turmeric, this sterilizes the lingam from any effects of the ash or earlier offerings.

The red rose is added to the yellow turmeric-coated lingam.

The three idols, all topped by their flowers.

And the fire offering.

Then the water offering to clean up.

This swami, Ramananda, is often at Ramanasramam. He can also be seen riding a motorbike on Girivalam Road.

The old woman in the red sari, Pachiamma, is a staunch devotee of A. Ramana.

Now Geeta is making the offerings.

Some children from Arunachala Village School step up to the shrine to sing two songs that they have prepared for today’s ceremony. 

Geeta offers the flame. She offers it to the picture of A. Ramana hanging in the shrine.

Now it is time for the final cleanup before the idols are dressed and decorated.

Several people work on all sides of the shrine to clean every spot, remove all the water, and to polish the surfaces.

Now Pradakshina Swami has some cloths in his hands.

He is dressing the lingam.

Other sadhus have come, and are sitting in a shaded shed.

The lingam is getting its fancy towel put on.

Now starts the flower decoration. First, several beautiful malas are put on the lingam.

Layer upon layer of flowers is added.

                     

Roses are carefully placed atop the lingam.

The school children and other visitors watch the proceedings.

More sadhus have arrived.

Look how beautiful the idols are!

Now Pradakshina Swami makes final decorations to A. Ramana’s photo.

Then Anja starts singing sweet songs to A. Ramana. At times she almost breaks into tears.

Meanwhile, the decoration of the shrine continues. They are using a metal plate as a form, so they can lay out roses in a circle.

Voila!

Geeta and Pachiamma lay roses on the edge of the shrine.

Vivian and Pachiamma stand and admire the work.

Now other parts of the offering are added: fruits and banana  leaves.

After the altar is completely decorated, people start filing around it and offering their regards to A. Ramana.

First is a teacher from the school.

Then the school kids. They need to leave and get back to class. 

Stan then read from a book by A. Ramana, “There  is Neither ‘I’ nor other than ‘I'”, there is only”

    

…while incense is being lit and offered.       

Elizabeth speaks for a while and sings to us. The first, which she invited us to sing with her, was “The Lord’s Prayer.” It was moving to hear this Christian hymn. 

Here is the altar, after all the decorations. Such loving care and attention to every detail.

The incense is offered to Arunachala.

Then the camphor flame is offered to the lingam.

And to all who came today.

Below, more photos of the altar. I savor the beauty and reverence.

Ganesan starts speaking.

He especially honors Stan, who has now taken over as director of AHAM.

Then he honors Vivian, Elizabeth and Jan, using strings of flowers taken from the altar. They were first used to honor A. Ramana, and are now used to honor some of those who loved him.

Now the rest of the people start filing by the altar, to pay their respects to A. Ramana.

Here is Carol in a light blue saree.

Prasad is handed out, so everybody can share this special consecrated food.

The sadhus line up to eat. Meals are offered to everyone who attends today.

The sadhus sit outside the entrance, in the shaded veranda. While food is being served, they are being led in a chant.

A meal is served to each sadhu. And flowers are put on their heads, just like the flowers placed atop the lingam today.

The flowers are removed, and then the sadhus can eat.

Afterward, as they file out, each is given a package with new clothes.

                       

One last look at the altar.

And at Arunachala Ramana’s photo, smiling on us all.

              

It was a privilege to be here on this holy day. The One-Year Ceremony is such a good tradition. You could see in the faces of those who came how they were touched by it. And, since there was time to plan and make travel arrangements, people from AHAM in the USA were able to attend. I am sure this was a blessing for each of them.  

Tags: AHAM, Arunachala Ramana