Gangadharan the Great—by Krishna Prem

 Gangadharan the Great—by Krishna Prem

Samadhi of Gangadhar

Thanks for the opportunity to write a few words about The Great Gangadharani. I was a school boy when I was interacting with him and so those interactions were much restricted or were relevant to that age only, when I had not grown in spiritual knowledge, awakening, experience. Whenever I met him, he lovingly enquired about my studies, asked me to study well, and things like that. By the time I considered myself as having spiritually grown up a bit, he had passed away and even now I feel sad for having missed such a sincere child of our sweet Mother. I would have asked him a few curious questions, based on his exciting inner journey into the realms of Supermind. Anyway, I grew up hearing about his great experiences from my father, brother, and my uncle/mentor (TR Thualsiram who lived and served in Sri Aurobindo Ashram between 1969-2007); these have been a wonderful source of inspiration and that is why I consider him as one of my spiritual mentors, who set himself as an excellent example to emulate.

One of the great qualities of Gangadharan that deeply touches everyone is his simplicity and humility. In Tamil language the word "Ayya" is generally used to address respectable elderly males, but Gangadharan was using this word to address every male irrespective of his age; he addressed me too this way and so I remember it. There is one interesting incident about which I heard quite a number of times from my father. It seems that once when Gangadharan was interacting with someone who was carrying an infant, he enquired about that little one, asking like "Ayya eppa vandhaaru?" The people around him were not sure as to who he was referring to, because he used the word "Ayya". Little later they all realised that he was actually enquiring as to when that child was born/came to this world, but the way he originally asked sounded like "when did this Ayya come?" Well, this may appear like an ordinary incident but it is very evident that Gangadharan had this psychic relationship with others and that made him see and treat everyone around him with due respect, a perfect quality of a true Yogi.

Gangadharan shared a special friendship with my uncle Thulasiram who has done, as part of his sadhana, some extensive and intensive supramental researches and further published his findings. Gangadharan greatly helped Thulasiram for some of the inner/integral experiments of the latter. With respect to the Mantra experiments of Thulasiram, he had requested Gangadharan to take it up, chant and meditate with each Mantra on a different day. It is very interesting to note that how the Truth of every Mantra/Divine Personality presented themselves to him and that shows his heights of attainments or plasticity of surrender, whatever it is.

Let me present here his experience on the following Mantra of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother:

Sri Aravinda Sri Aravinda Aravindaya Nama Om 

Sri Aravinda Sri Aravinda Mirra Aravinda Nama Om

By chant of this Integral Mantra, Gangadharan felt Light and Omkara Sound surrounding him, and his ādhāra (the psychophysical system) blossomed in all the centres (chakras). Sri Aurobindo and the Mother appeared for a while in their luminous golden Forms of Grace. Then his deep soul-consciousness joined with the Self and ascended to the Truth-World, and he felt the Divine Presence everywhere. Even during the ascent, the Golden Light was seen flowing down from above and spreading everywhere. On the summit of the Truth-World he experienced vast and pure white Light of Grace. When he was identified with it, he heard an immortal sound which made him wake up with open eyes. The vibrations of the experience continued for a long time, and were tangibly felt in the body.

When he chanted a Mantra of Lord Krishna, the vision broke out with the scene of battlefield in which Sri Krishna was seen preaching to Arjuna; then this vision disappeared and was soon replaced by Sri Aurobindo appearing in His benign luminous Golden Form. Later, during his ascent to the Truth-World, Sri Aurobindo was replaced by the Mother (of Sri Aurobindo Ashram), especially at a stage in the ascent when an obstructing golden Dome was opened by Her with a stroke of golden hammer and, as a result, Golden Light rushed downwards to the earth; Gangadharan ascended into the Truth-World receiving the golden light in his body also.

In the case of a Mantra of Lord Shiva, he saw the Shiva-Shakti Dance in their blissful and luminous Truth-Physical Bodies, and also their circum-gyrating dance in bodily union. 

Apart from the Mantra experiments, Gangadharan also participated in Thulasiram’s ‘the Mother’s Yoga-of-food’ experiment, a powerful method in which the Mother’s pranām picture is used to charge our food and thus gather/increase the spiritual-physical power in one’s body. Let us hear what Gangadharan himself says: "I received from you a pranām picture of the Mother. I felt its great power by touching it. I am thankful to you for giving me an opportunity for receiving quite a new kind of spiritual experiences even at the body level, by doing the food experiment devotionally for three days. On a clean cloth spread over the well-cleaned dining space of my room, I kept the Mother's picture (as enclosed in a plastic transparent cover) and over it I placed my food plate served with Ashram food. I touched the food-plate with both hands, and remembered her with love for 10 minutes before eating. An indescribable current of spiritual power, with light and bliss quickly descended into my body, in all its cells, and reached into the ends of hair. Great peace reigned in my heart also. The most important and unexpected result of the experiment is that the light which had descended into my body at the time of food had come to stay for good in my body, in all its cells. After three days of experiment, when I touched the picture and then my body I felt a greater power in my body, but it was felt as equal to the spiritual-physical power of the Mother's eyes or to Her Satchitananda power. This cannot be explained except by saying that it happened by Her Grace. When I saw the joint picture of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, their figure disappeared at first, but they came back alive in their physical body, as when I used to see them during Darshan days."

Another magnanimous experience of Gangadharan was personally shared by him to my father, between 1980-85. This is like Aswapati’s ascension (as traveller of various worlds) in Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri. It seems that Gangadharan used to lock his room during meditation and lie down on the floor. He then would leave his body and travel/ascend through various planes and different worlds and, after reaching the summits, return to his body. He has also told about the risks involved in this adventurous sadhana, especially because of the fact that there was only a hair-thin connection between his body and his soul and if someone would come and disturb his body during such journeys then it might even lead to death. I am not sure how long he had been experimenting this way, whether he shared such experiences in writing.

These are some of his wonderful experiences that he has compassionately expressed, and must be for the benefit of others. We do not know what kind of other higher experiences he had, experiences he kept to himself.

In the book Among the Not So Great by Prabhakar (Batti) we read that, once when Gangadharan was sitting in his room and simply wondering as to what the Supermind is all about, immediately he saw the place around him was bathed in gold, even the water he poured out of the kuja (jug) flowed out like liquid gold.

I also remember reading an interesting story about him in a popular book-series How they came to Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.

Sri Aurobindo has written a number of letters to Gangadharan. My brother had the blessed opportunity to see these letters which were lovingly shown to him by Gangadharan. It will be nice if that correspondence can get published, but I have no idea who has been treasuring them.

I had the good opportunity to visit his Samadhi (in its yester-location) in early 2008, which was located in Veerampatinam village, 6 km from the Pondicherry. No need to describe the kind of Presence felt by touching his Samadhi; however the surrounding was somewhat disturbing when I looked at the broken glass pieces and cigarettes strewn all around his Samadhi. It was clear that this isolated place was being used by some less fortunate people for some other purposes. I was pained at this sight and prayed for a much better place that this ‘pilgrim of Supermind’ deserves. I also heard that some of his admirers who visited this place earlier, felt bad and prayed for a conducive location. Such sincere prayers seem to have been granted and today his Samadhi is located as part of a new house constructed by a close relative of his. It is heartening to note that his relative boy is taking care of his Samadhi and this sincere boy’s name is ‘Gangadharan’.

There is something uniquely great about his Samadhi-shrine, as aspirants have experienced in different ways. One could concretely feel Mother’s immense Presence there, and the other experience Integral Consciousness that comes penetrating from below the feet.

Shall we say that he/his life matches the matchless words of The Mother: ““Greatest victories are least noisy.”

In 1978 Gangadharan had a rare vision of the dematerialisation of Swami Ramalingam's body; the Swami had locked himself in his room on 30 January 1874 and left the body. It is a coincidence that this tribute to Gangadharan is appearing on the Mirror of Tomorrow on the eve of this significant date. Synchronicity is striking.

“Swami Ramalingam locked this door on 30 January 1874 to dematerialize his triple deathless body in order to enter into all the bodies and permeate and pervade the entire universe and the farther pure worlds of Consciousness beyond.” 

It was by a rare virtue (Punya) that on the first day of Tamil month Thai (14 January 1978), I had a continuous Vision between 2 am and 3 am in my usual meditation in the night. The vision of dematerialization of the physical body of Swami Ramalingam into and as the Truth-Light of Supreme Grace which contains or possesses in itself Supreme Compassion and Bliss of Grace.

Though I have had occasions to ascend into and remain for sometime in the Truth-World of Grace-Light wherefrom I could see the earth as part of the universe, the said Vision came to me when my consciousness was on the earth itself, though aware of the Truth-World and the Beyond.

To begin with I sensed an ineffable Silence and Peace (Para Shanta Mauna) prevailing everywhere and I heard continuously Para Nada. The mysterious divine Sound in that Supreme Silence and Peace. Then the Vision broke out.

A small village was seen in its simple and beautiful surroundings, though not endowed with a rich beauty of nature. There was the concrete Presence of the Supreme and Universal Divine with the beautiful Truth-Light of Grace and Fragrance, which enriched the place all the more and enraptured my heart with ever increasing aspiration for Grace. At the center of the village was seen a small house in its purity and peace. Sweet Fragrance of Grace radiated everywhere from the house.

Vallalar (Swami Ramalingam), the Great Munificent, was seen entering the house. His face was calm and peaceful. He was seen as the very embodiment of Compassion and his body was filled with the Fire of Tapas of Truth-Consciousness as of the Purity of the Supreme Divine (Suddha Sivam). His whole body was radiating the Light of Grace. Besides, his body was of silken or light golden shining colour. He entered into the verandah and kindled the wick of a burning oil-lamp and it began to burn more brightly. Then he stepped into his room and closed the doors and bolted inside. At that time there was the Concrete Presence of the Supreme and Universal Divine in the room. The Presence could be sensed even physically and even by the born-blind. There was also Silence, Peace, Fragrance and the Light of Grace due to the Presence.

Vallalar sat on the white cloth spread on a low wooden plank and began to concentrate. In that poise he was seen as a Mountain of Truth-Knowledge with the Truth -Light of Grace and Peace and Fire of Tapas. He was verily a supreme form of the Divine. Flood of Light was radiating from his pure and luminous body into all the directions.

Supreme Grace, Supreme Compassion and the Light of Grace are expressive of the secret truth that they hold the key for transformation of physical body into the deathless physical body of Grace in its eternal youthfulness. One has to live in the depth of the ocean of blissful Grace-light for getting transformed into the divine nature and as the divinised body.

The intensity of the flood of Light that radiated from his whole body was very powerful and one shall have the strength and capacity to bear and receive it. My whole body vibrated with a joy and pleasantness because of the Vision of Light of his body.

After sometime of concentration, he rose up and saw the physical sky. Full moon was shedding its blissful cool rays over the earth. A little distance away from the moon was seen a very bright and concentrated Splendour of Light. It appeared like a bright dazzling star of Light. The Swami poured his concentrated gaze at it for sometime. He became enraptured with blissful joy in the heart, which radiated on his face. A little time thereafter, he again sat on the white seat of the plank and entered into deep concentration.

Though the Swami was inside the closed and bolted room, he could see clearly the whole universe (Vishwa Prapancha) with It's tiers of many worlds of mind; life and the physical including the physical earth and sky with its moon, stars and clouds.

When he was thus absorbed in deep concentration, an effulgent Truth-Light of Grace broke out from his heart and with it's unique Heat began to burn his radiant physical body very slowly, as if at a snail's speed, and that in an upward direction, from the heart towards the head. The burning of the body may be somewhat likened to that of an incense-stick which however burns downwards by its inner heat of fire, forming ash-covering but without the falling down of the ash-form.

When the upper part of his radiant body was burnt completely from heart to head, there was left in its place a form of pure white substance, which also radiated its light of Consciousness. The burnt part, however, showed all it's features intact and clearly and even the burnt hair of his head was seen distinctly as luminous white hair. Then the Heat of the pure Light of Grace descended to burn the lower part.

After the whole body was thus burnt, the Swami was seen as a bodily form of pure white substance from head to foot, radiating it's Light. Even the blood had changed into a white luminous Substance. The form white kept intact all the different kinds of cells of his body and all the distinctive features and formations of his interior and exterior body. His bodily form did not shrink in size after the burning. I saw no visible flame nor sensed its heat during the burning of his living body, nor smoke, nor any bad smell as of burnt tissues, nor heard any cracking noise as of burnt bones. But instead, there was a sweet Fragrance since the time his body began to burn and it spread everywhere. I sensed in my heart an ineffable Calmness and Silence, which gave me in turn a state of Bliss.

Now a second stage of burning began. The unique Heat of Grace-Light began to burn slowly the Swami's luminous Form of white Substance from head to foot downwards. When his white Substance-Form full of it's radiating Light, was thus burnt completely, the white Substance became very fine sub-atomic consciousness particles which permeated and pervaded the entire universe and the farther pure worlds of consciousness beyond. The fine, white and conscious particles with its radiating Light also entered into and got distributed everywhere in the earth and even in matter and in the Inconscient. After the universal pervasive distribution of the particles, they could be seen no more and disappeared from my sight. But now there pervaded everywhere the sweet, soft and fine Fragrance of Camphor which gave my body a blissful sensation and enraptured my heart as well.

Then I had the rare vision of the Swami's universal luminous golden Form. As a matter of fact the immensity of his golden form contained in it the whole universe (Vishwa Prapancha). This form too disappeared from my view and was replaced by another vision in which I saw the Golden Light of Truth-knowledge and Grace entering into all the directions more speedily than the lightning. It permeated and pervaded the whole universe and the farther pure worlds of Consciousness. It entered into our earth and all it's crores of the physical forms of beings and objects and in the apparently insensible matter (Jada) and even in the very dark realm of the vast Inconscient. All the forms that were permeated by the Golden Light of Truth changed into golden forms of beings and objects. The golden Light entered into my whole adhara including the physical body. My body felt in all the cells vibrations of ease and pleasantness.

Then I heard some words of Grace, but they were indistinctly heard and could not be deciphered, as I was absorbed in a rapture of Bliss due to the sublime vision and experiences. Thus the Vision lasted an hour of time and came to an end.

The visible physical light is the concrete symbol of the Vast truth-Light of Grace which is the source of all lights. Camphor is verily a solid form or symbol of that light. The Swami's soul is inseparable from the conscious white particles of Substance which he has become and pervadingly distributed everywhere. When the Supreme Truth- Consciousness manifests in the physical world, it becomes the golden Light of Grace. The Will of the Supreme Divine in the Vast Truth-Light of Grace shall be fulfilled on the earth. The Golden Light of Grace will purify and transform man and the physical body too will become deathless physical Truth-Body, and the Sanmarga of Truth, Purity and Goodness shall prevail on the earth. As Anma (soul) realizes the pure Spirit, the body too shall realize its truth as the true body of the Spirit.

1- 2-1978 (Sd) Gangadharan