From a minute seed to a massive tree, too big to take in at a single glance, this magnificent sentience lies upon a straight-line avenue of fellow banyans at the rear of the Ashram, abutting the compound wall that runs along the foot of Arunachala. As subtle as that seed, the germ of service in action, born of devotion to the Sadguru and based on keen observation, these giant trees were planted by our very own Manavasi Ramaswami Iyer, who also composed the alltime hit song on Bhagavan Saranagati. It was Bhagavan’s regular routine (around the 1930s) to take a short, post-prandial walk to Pallakottu, the grove of old trees immediately to the west of Sri Ramanasramam. The unshaded walk under the scorching summer sun moved Manavasi to plant these banyans, to spare His Master much discomfort. Manavasi was a Public Works Department supervisor at the time, and he followed through by personally watering these plantings to ensure their survival. The thoroughness of his execution can be judged by the health and size of these banyans today.

For those who walk in Bhagavan’s footsteps, all these years later, the cool shade is still abundantly present.

PS: The elegant samadhi shrine, comprising a carved granite mini-mandapam in the middle foreground, dates from that earlier time when a wide area at the southern foot of Arunachala was a burial ground. A farming family still performs their annual remembrance rituals here, and has expressed gratitude to the Ashram management for maintaining the site. —

[photo by Dev Gogoi]