Sri R. Venkatakrishnan, son of Manavasi “Saranagati” Ramaswamy Iyer and long-time servant of Bhagavan, attained Bhagavan’s Feet on 11th October 2025, at 7:20 am, aged ninety-nine. Blessed to sit on Bhagavan’s lap as a boy, Venkatakrishnan’s lifelong dedication and devotion had been assured. When his father was employed as a govt. civil engineer constructing the famous Godavari Rail bridge in Berhampur, Orissa, Venkatakrishnan was born there on 25th December 1925 following his father’s prayers to Bhagavan for a male child. The family was subsequently transferred to Tiruvannamalai, where his father served as a PWD engineer. One day, taking measurements for the road under construction, Bhagavan held one end of the tape and Ramaswamy Iyer, the other. Venkatakrishnan’s father had been among the earliest devotees to meet Bhagavan (in 1907, at Virupaksha Cave) and was later celebrated for composing immortal devotional hymns such as Dhikku Verillai and Saranagati.
Venkatakrishnan got a good education and served with distinction as Chief Manager (Finance & Accounts) at Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (formerly Madras Refineries Ltd.), where his integrity, discipline, and sense of responsibility earned him the respect of his colleagues. Beyond his professional life, it was his spiritual service that most defined him. As Treasurer, and later President, of the Ramana Kendra, Mylapore, he played a pivotal role in sustaining and strengthening the Kendra’s activities, guiding it with the quiet devotion and steadfastness that marked his family’s long association with Bhagavan.
Sri Venkatakrishnan’s late wife, Smt. Padma Venkatakrishnan (1927–2018), was also steeped in the Ramana tradition. Raised in Tiruvannamalai under the care of her aunt Yogambal, who had moved there to be near Bhagavan, Padma grew up visiting the Ashram daily as a young girl. Trained in music by her father-in-law, she often sang before Bhagavan and was blessed by the guru’s gracious attention. Her life remained anchored in devotion—attending Navaratri at Sri Ramanasramam each year, participating in the Sumangali Puja, and upholding the simple values of service and surrender. She attained the Feet of Bhagavan on October 11th, 2018, the third day of Navaratri, at the age of ninety-one.
Sri and Smt. Venkatakrishnan embodied the spirit of saranagati—a life of humility, devotion, and faith in Bhagavan’s ever-present grace. Their home in Chennai was a sanctuary of devotion, where the name of Arunachala was ever on their lips.
Sri Venkatakrishnan is survived by his son, Sri V. Ramesh, and daughter, Smt. Chandrika Mohan, and by many friends and devotees who cherish his memory. His long life, marked by faith, and quiet dignity, stands as a bridge linking the early devotees of Bhagavan’s time to the present generation—a living testament to the enduring grace of Bhagavan Ramana. —
