Arunachala Ashrama

Written by Roopa Bhat: December 6, 2019

Arunachala Ashrama in Jamaica, Queens is one of many centers that fall under the umbrella of the greater Sri Ramana Maharshi organization. Founded in 1996 by Bhagawat Prasad Singh, a staunch devotee of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, Arunachala Ashrama exists as a “refuge for all seekers of Truth from whatever race, country, religion or tradition.”[1] The Ashrama provides a space for visitors and residents to participate in daily meditations, bhajans, Veda chantings (that is, passages from the Upanishads), and readings of sacred texts written by Ramana Maharshi himself. My project focused on the Ashrama’s residents, including their experiences in the space and with its people, and ultimately, the purpose of the Ashrama as a unique space that also forms a part of a greater, transnational organization.

“Who am I?” This is the simple yet important question that Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, a twentieth-century South Indian Hindu sage, sought to help each and every one of us answer. As the official website of the worldwide Ramana Maharshi organization says, Ramana Maharshi “revealed the direct path of practice of Self-enquiry and awakened mankind to the immense spiritual power of the holy Arunachala Hill,” which is understood to be a representation of Lord Shiva. “Bhagavan simply points you towards your innermost Self, the unchanging reality underlying all that exists. It is as if your life and the world [comprise] a movie; Bhagavan’s practice of asking Who Am I? allows you to find real happiness through the realization [that] you are the screen itself, not the projected movie.”[2] (1).

Ramana Maharshi died in 1950. His present-day followers say that it is not necessary to “join any organization, adopt any belief system, or worship anyone or anything to experience this transmission of bliss and clarity” (1). Yet, there are congregations in India and North America that allow for his devotees to come together. The website suggests attending a local satsang (spiritual group) for those who are not in Tiruvannamalai, India, where the order’s foundational gathering point, called Ramanasramam, is located.

Arunachala Ashrama in New York is one such satsang site. The building is split into two separate spaces: the meditation hall and the house. As visitors walk up the stairs from the street and pass under the archway labeled Arunachala Ashrama, they encounter the house entrance right in front of them; the Mandir entrance is on the right. Walking through the Mandir entrance into the meditation room, a visitor can’t help but feel the immense peace and quiet that is tangible in the space. Windows line the top half of the walls, letting in natural light from bustling Edgerton Boulevard, yet the hall itself is quiet. The room is large and spacious, with a statue of Ramana Maharshi at the front and pictures of him and Arunachala Hill right behind it on the wall.

If visitors make their way into the house from the hall, they enter the living room. Comfortable couches line the walls with tall shelves of Ramana Maharshi’s books in between them. The room has two doors, one leading into the kitchen and one into the dining room. The house that was to become the Arunachala Ashrama was originally built as a place of residence by an architect for his family. Only later was it converted to a public space, when the Ramana Maharshi order bought it from the owner, who could no longer afford to stay there. Currently, Arunachala Ashrama is home to three permanent residents, two temporary residents, and many, many extra beds—enough to accommodate a constant flux of visitors.

 

The schedule followed by the residents and visitors of Arunachala Ashrama remains the same week to week, but annual traditions and events are also celebrated according to the Hindu calendar, as well as those specifically associated with Ramana Maharshi. The daily schedule is very similar to the daily schedule of activities that Ramana Maharshi himself observed.[3] (2). The residents, most of them non-Hindu Caucasians, strictly adhere to the Ashrama’s schedule out of reverence to their guru and as a way to acknowledge the fact that there could be visitors at any time who expect the schedule to be upheld. Visitors to the Arunachala Ashrama are treated with the utmost respect and hospitality and are offered as many meals as needed and a place to stay—all at no cost.

 

 

From Arunachala Ashrama

Local website: https://arunachala.org/arunachala-ashrama-in-new-york/
General website: https://arunachala.org/

[1] V. S. Ramanan, “Sri Ramanasramam,” https://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/.

[2] V. S. Ramanan, “Sri Ramanasramam,” https://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/.

[3] S. S. Cohen, “Sri Ramana Maharshi,” Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi Center USA & Canada, 2019. https://arunachala.org/sri-ramana-maharshi/.