I have always been fascinated by the spiritual heritage of India, and especially by the teachings of Yogi Ramsuratkumar, a great saint who lived in Tiruvannamalai, a holy town at the foot of the sacred Arunachala hill. So when my friend Prathap Reddy invited me to join him for a visit to the ashram named after him, I was overjoyed and eager to experience the divine grace of this place.
We reached the ashram at 8 am in the morning, just in time to participate in the girivalam, a ritual circumambulation of the ashram premises. The ashram staff told us that this girivalam is five times more beneficial than the 14 km girivalam around the Arunachala hill, as it is done in the presence of the living guru, whose statue is installed in the main temple. We felt blessed to walk around the ashram, chanting the name of Yogi Ramsuratkumar and feeling his loving gaze on us.
After completing the girivalam, we entered the main temple, where we saw a Lord Shiva linga, the presiding deity of Tiruvannamalai. We also saw a life-size statue of Yogi Ramsuratkumar, sitting on a sofa and smiling benignly at us. We felt as if he was alive and welcoming us to his abode. We bowed down to him and sat in front of him, joining the other devotees who were chanting his mantra: "Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Jaya Guru Raya". The mantra was so simple yet so powerful, and we felt a wave of peace and joy wash over us. We meditated for some time, feeling his presence and guidance in our hearts.
We then moved to the meditation hall, which was a spacious and serene place where people could sit and meditate silently. The hall had a soothing atmosphere, with soft music playing in the background and pictures of various saints and sages adorning the walls. We found a comfortable spot and closed our eyes, letting go of all our thoughts and worries. We felt a deep connection with ourselves and with the divine.
12:30 PM it was time for prasadam, or sacred food offered to the guru. We followed the other devotees to the dining hall, where we were served delicious and nutritious food. The food was simple but satisfying, and we ate with gratitude and reverence. We felt that we were not only nourishing our bodies but also our souls.
After having our fill, we decided to explore the library, which was located next to the meditation hall. The library had a vast collection of books on various spiritual topics, such as Bhagavad Gita, Vedas, Buddhism, Sanatana Dharma and more. The books were available in different languages, such as Tamil, Telugu, English and Hindi. We browsed through the shelves and picked up some books that caught our interest. I found a book on the philosophy of Buddhism and started reading it. I was amazed by the depth and clarity of the teachings of Buddha and how they resonated with me. I read for two hours, completely absorbed in the book.
My friend Prathap also found some books that he liked and read them with enthusiasm. We exchanged our views and insights on what we read and learned from each other. We felt that we were not only reading books but also having a dialogue with ourselves and with the guru.
We realized that it was getting late and that we had to leave soon. We returned the books to the library and thanked the staff for their service. We then went back to the main temple and paid our respects to Lord Shiva and Yogi Ramsuratkumar. We thanked them for their blessings and grace that made our day so wonderful and memorable.
We left the ashram with a feeling of fulfillment and happiness. We felt that we had spent a blissful day at Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram and that we had gained a lot from this visit. We vowed to come back again soon and to share our experience with others.
We hope that you enjoyed reading our blog post about our visit to Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram. If you are interested in visiting this divine place or learning more about Yogi Ramsuratkumar's life and teachings, please visit their website: https://www.yogiramsuratkumarashram.org/
Thank you for reading!
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