We mourn the passing of Dr. G. Swaminathan, President of Guru Devi Sri Janaki Matha Ashram, Thanjavur, who passed away in February at the age of 90. Born in 1936, he was the son of Dr. C. S. Ganapathy Iyer and Guru Devi Sri Janaki Matha, the saintly devotee whose life was inseparably bound up with the grace of Bhagavan Ramana. Though her son by birth, GS also regarded her as his Sat-Guru, and his life reflected devotion, service, and faithful stewardship of her legacy.

Blessed from childhood with close contact with Bhagavan, GS often accompanied his mother to the Ashram. These visits left a deep impression. He cherished Bhagavan’s affectionate recognition in the dining hall: “Oh, you are Swaminathan! Have you come alone? I knew you would come.”

Bhagavan called GS “Thoppan Swami,” the one who teaches his father, recalling Lord Murugan as Swaminathan who taught the OM mantra to his father, Lord Siva. 

GS also recounted incidents revealing Bhagavan’s grace. As a child in the hall during the dark early morning hours, he lamented he could not see Bhagavan; just then, the lights came on, Bhagavan explained that as light reveals objects, the removal of ignorance reveals Truth. On another occasion, a thorn lodged in the boy’s foot suddenly “flew out” after a prayer to Bhagavan—an event he so treasured that he retained the thorn as a momento to Bhagavan’s grace.

GS also preserved a photograph he took of Bhagavan in 1949 at age thirteen near the gosala. One day when Bhagavan was walking near the gosala, he caught sight of the boy hiding with a camera. Bhagavan joked with his attendant that the child wanted to “catch him” and put him in “his box.” Seizing the moment, Swaminathan jumped out from behind the haystack and snapped the picture—an incident he fondly recalled.

A physician by training, Dr. Swaminathan dedicated his life to Janaki Matha Ashram as its President, ensuring it remains centred for Bhagavan’s worship, Vedic study, daily puja, and charity. After Janaki Matha’s mahasamadhi in 1969, Dr. GS helped establish it as a public trust, performing kumbhabhishekams in 1972, 1987, and 1999 with Sringeri Math’s blessings. 

A veteran of the Indian Air Force, GS was honoured with the national flag at his funeral. A moksha deepam was lit at Bhagavan’s Samadhi Shrine on the evening of his cremation. 

May Dr. G. Swaminathan rest in the peace of the Self. —