The Bathroom
Can a lowly bathroom be really important; and also qualify as an ‘interesting’ place? Yes it can - as this particular one was used by Sri Bhagavan for most of the time He lived in Sri Ramanasramam.
Most of us are familiar with Bhagavan’s “bath” room, which is the one kept locked always and is behind the Samadhi Hall, next to the well in the courtyard. This was used by Sri Bhagavan for taking His bath only, and does not contain a WC.
All of us are also familiar with the bathroom next to the Nirvana room. This one was constructed along with the Nirvana room once it was clear that due to His severe illness, Bhagavan was too weak to walk the relatively long distance to the bathroom which He regularly used.
Bhagavan’s own bathroom was located just adjacent to the Goshala. Bhagavan used to walk around 100 yards to this bathroom from the old hall each time He had to go. The entrance to this bathroom is just next to the rear entrance of the old Goshala building. To get there, go past the front entrance of the old Goshala building (described earlier in the post on Cow Lakshmi's Nirvana Room), then turn left at the corner to go around to the back.
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Addendum II:
Bhagavan's Rock as it is today. Please see the comment below.
The bathroom is open to all at present, but used mostly by the Ashram workers. Many of the outsiders who use the toilet would be unaware that they are in the same room that Bhagavan regularly used for 20 years and more. At some point in the past the Ashram management had the bathroom completely done over. It was retiled and re-WC-ed (Indian style) and generally modernized to enable it to be useful for all. Only an old picture of Bhagavan, in a small group, is hung near the door. I was told by a senior member of the Ashram management that this picture was taken at the entrance of this bathroom only, though now the frontage is quite different.
I must confess, though, I have never used the toilet; each time I happen to be around in the Goshala area, I go till the entrance of this room, do namaskars to Bhagavan’s picture there, and come away.
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| To get there: at the corner of the Old Goshala Building |
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| To get there: turn left above and walk down this path |
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| To get there: the entrance of Sri Bhagavan's old Bathroom |
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| Inside: I can assure you that this is NOT how it looked in Bhagavan's time! |
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| The lovely picture of Bhagavan in a small group; this hangs in the narrow corridor just inside |
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Addendum (repeated from the previous post in this series!): Folks, am sure any devotee who is a regular visitor would have his own hidden gems, some unusual places associated with Bhagavan within Sri Ramanasramam or Tiruvannamalai, which are not so well known. Grateful if you would share your own little gem in the “Comments” below.
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Addendum I:
"Bhagavan's Rock". Please see David's comment below.
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Addendum I:
"Bhagavan's Rock". Please see David's comment below.
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Addendum II:
Bhagavan's Rock as it is today. Please see the comment below.
5 comments:
A little-known place associated with Bhagavan:
If you go up the path to Skandashram about for 100 metres, there is a sloping section of flattish rock to the right. On the back side of this rock slope there is a boulder where Bhagavan used to sit when he was on the hill.
There is a famous photo of Bhagavan sitting there: it's the one where he has one ankle resting on the top of the knee whose foot is on the floor. The ankle-to-knee section of the leg that is not on the floor is parallel to the ground. There is a diagonal crack across the boulder that makes it quite distinctive. If you take a copy of this photo from the ashram bookstore you will be able to see that this boulder and the large rock next to it have remained unchanged since Bhagavan's days.
When the route to Skandashram was being widened many years ago, new boulders were prised out of the hill to increase the width of the path. I sat on this rock for a few hours until the construction workers had moved on in order to ensure that this particular rock did not end up being broken up for the new path.
David, this is great stuff. Thanks so much for sharing this. Did not know about this place and in fact have often wondered where exactly some of the pictures of Bhagavan on the Holy Hill were taken. Will check out this boulder and site when one is next at Sri Ramanasramam. I have put up above a picture of Bhagavan sitting on a rock somewhat like what you have described, found it on a Google ‘Images’ search. Is this the picture you are referring to?
Yes, this is the one. The rock that Bhagavan is sitting on has a diagonal crack on it that makes it easy to spot. If you stand where the photographer stood, you can also see the rock on the left of the photo. Everything is just the way it was when Bhagavan was there.
I went looking for Bhagavan’s Rock on my recent visit to Sri Ramanasramam. Must admit, I could not locate it despite it being right there in open sight of anyone heading up to Skandasramam. David kindly offered to come show it to me. Above then, are 2 pictures of the rock, with David, all 7 feet of him (!), sitting on the hallowed seat in one.
Note that a third rock appears in this picture towards the right, giving 3 rocks in a row. This is absent in Bhagavan’s picture and is probably a remnant of the big rock seen behind and to the right in Bhagavan’s picture.
Thanks David
Best wishes
salutations to all:
Arvind:
the initial impression i'd on reading your line ["...Must admit, I could not locate it despite it being right there in open sight..."] was as if you were describing 'realising the self' instead of 'sighting the rock' :-))) guess, 'david shows the rock & bhagavAn reveals the self' is rather catchy :-)))
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