SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI, GURU, ENLIGHTENED ILLUMINATED SPIRITUAL ASCENDED MASTER

"Jnana is given neither from outside nor from another person. It can be realised by each and everyone in his own Heart. The jnana Guru of everyone is only the Supreme Self that is always revealing its own truth in every Heart through the being-conciousness 'I am, I am.' The granting of true knowledge by him is initiation into jnana. The grace of the Guru is only that Self-awareness that is one's own true nature. It is the inner conciousness by which he is unceasingly revealing his existence. This divine upadesa is always going on naturally in everyone."
- Sri Ramana Maharshi

Sri Ramana Maharshi (Tamil: ரமண மஹரிஷி) (December 30, 1879 – April 14, 1950), born Venkataraman Iyer, was a Hindu spiritual figure ("jnani"). He was born to a Tamil-speaking Brahmin family in Tiruchuzhi, Tamil Nadu. After having attained liberation at the age of 16, he left home for Arunachala, a mountain considered sacred by Hindus, at Tiruvannamalai, and lived there for the rest of his life. Although born a Brahmin, he declared himself an "Atiasrami", a Sastraic state of unattachment to anything in life and beyond all caste restrictions. The ashram that grew around him, Sri Ramana Ashram, is situated at the foothill of Arunchala, to the west to the pilgrimage town of Tiruvannamalai.

Sri Ramana maintained that the purest form of his teachings was the powerful silence - the Presence which radiated from him and quieted the minds of those attuned to it. He gave verbal teachings only for the benefit of those who could not understand his silence (or, perhaps, could not understand how to attain the silent state). His verbal teachings were said to flow from his direct experience of Atman as the only existing reality. When asked for advice, he recommended self-enquiry as the fastest path to moksha. Though his primary teaching is associated with Non-dualism, Advaita Vedanta, and Jnana yoga, he recommended Bhakti to those he saw were fit for it, and gave his approval to a variety of paths and practices

As you enter the Ramana Maharishi Ashram, you will be greeted by a calm and serene environment. A large open courtyard, bordered by shady trees and beautifully manicured gardens, give this ashram the tranquility that all of us aspire for. You will immediately feel a soothing stillness and harmony inside you.

Ramana Maharishi
Ramana Maharishi was born as Venkataraman in Tiruchuli village of Tamil Nadu, on 30th December 1879. An average child, he heard the name of Tiruvannamalai from an elderly relative and was deeply attracted towards it. Then, he came across a copy of Sekkilar's Periyapuranam, related to the lives of the Saiva saints. Soon after, he developed a desire to renounce the world and move on the path of spirituality. Thus began his life as one of the greatest sages of India, Sri Ramana Maharishi.

Sri Ramana Maharishi Ashram, Tiruvannamalai
After renouncing the world, Sri Ramana Maharishi started living in a cave on the Arunachala Mountain, in Tiruvannamalai. As his devotes grew, the cave became too small and he moved to Skandasramam, a little higher up the mountainside. Soon, his mother also renounced the world and came to join him. In the year 1922, she achieved salvation and she was buried at the foot of the mountain. Ramana Maharishi started visiting the burial place regularly and one day, he decided to stay there permanently. Later, Sri Niranjanananda Swami, his younger brother, started the construction of Sri Ramanasramam at the place.

Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharishi

• A guru need not be in the human form only. Guru makes you realize that God is within you.
• Complete surrender, either to self or to God, leads to jnana or liberation.
• Free will and destiny exist forever.
• In order to be truly happy, one must known oneself.
• Mind is the source of ego. Only when the heart takes over the mind can one attain the Self, the real, the eternal.
• Renunciation is not a precondition for achieving liberation.
• Self-realization is nothing but being oneself.
• The only reality in the world is consciousness.

How to Reach Ramana Maharishi Ashram, India

By Air
The nearest airport is at Chennai (Madras), at a distance of approximately 250 km.

By Rail
Sri Ramana Ashram falls on the Villupuram-Katpadi branch line of the Southern Railway. However, it has no direct trains to Chennai.

By Road
There are direct bus services between Chennai and Tiruvannamalai. From there, one can take a taxi or auto rickshaw to Ramana Ashram.

Indian Entrepreneurs : Narayana Murthy

 

Born: August 20, 1946
Achievement: One of the founders of Infosys Technologies Limited; Chosen as the World Entrepreneur of the Year - 2003 by Ernst and Young

Narayana Murthy is the Non-Executive Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Limited. He is a living legend and an epitome of the fact that honesty, transparency, and moral integrity are not at variance with business acumen. He set new standards in corporate governance and morality when he stepped down as the Executive Chairman of Infosys at the age of 60.

Born on August 20, 1946, N.R. Narayana Murthy is a B.E. Electrical from University of Mysore (1967) and M.Tech from IIT Kanpur (1969). Narayan Murthy began his career with Patni Computer Systems in Pune. In 1981, Narayana Murthy founded Infosys with six other software professionals. In 1987, Infosys opened its first international office in U.S.A.

With the liberalization of Indian economy in 1990s, Infosys grew rapidly. In 1993, the company came up with its IPO. In 1995, Infosys set up development centers across cities in India and in 1996, it set up its first office in Europe in Milton Keynes, UK. In 1999, Infosys became the first Indian company to be listed on NASDAQ. Today (in 2006), Infosys has a turnover of more than $ 2billion and has employee strength of over 50,000. In 2002, Infosys was ranked No. 1 in the "Best Employers in India 2002" survey conducted by Hewitt and in the Business World's survey of "India's Most Respected Company." Conducted in the same year.

Along with the growth of Infosys, Narayana Moorthy too has grown in stature. He has received many honors and awards. In June 2000, Asiaweek magazine featured him in a list of Asia's 50 Most Powerful People. In 2001, Narayana Murthy was named by TIME/CNN as one of the 25 most influential global executives. He was the first recipient of the Indo-French Forum Medal (2003) and was voted the World Entrepreneur of the Year - 2003 by Ernst and Young. The Economist ranked Narayana Murthy eighth on the list of the 15 most admired global leaders (2005) and Narayan Murthy also topped the Economic Times Corporate Dossier list of India's most powerful CEOs for two consecutive years - 2004 and 2005.

God- Thiruvalluvar

God is aadhi or first. It is indicated by the masculine termination an, avan, pakhavan. If we look into the whole adikaram of kadavul vazhthu we can see the various names given to god by thiruvalluvar.Pakhavan, Valarivan, malar misai ekinan, venduthal vendamai illan, iraivan, pori vayil ainthu avithan, thanakku uvamai illathan and aravazhi anthanan are the names used by valluvar to specify the god.

Pahu means to divide. God evolves or makes the worlds out of his essence.

Val-arivan is a being of supreme wisdom.

Malar-misai-ekinan is the deity seated or resting on the folded bloom. Another reading suggests that it means one superior to or beyond the reach of the mum malas, one who is a Ni-malan.

Venduthal Vendamai illan is he who has neither likes or dislikes, neither desire or aversion.

Iraivan is one who is a lord or a king.

Pori vayil ainthu avithan os one who is devoid of the five organs of sense and their functions.

Thanakkuvamai illathan is one who is unique or beyond comparision.

Ara vazhi anthanan is he who is a sea of virtueand the fair and the beautiful.

God is engunathan or the eight attributed, the attributes are

1. Evolution or creation

2. All-wisdom or omniscience

3. Omnipotence

4. Omnipresence

5. Non-attachment

6. Absoluteness

7. Uniqueness

8. Virtue

Thiruvalluvar is an enlightened monotheist and obviously eclectic, which is manifest in his choice of epithets describing god's attributes. It doesn't offends or defends any particular creed or cult or section in the least degree.

It is worthy to note that jainism and buddhism extolled the worship od sages but not of gods. The expression en gunathan is claimed by both saivites and vaishnavites for their respective godhead.

Thiruvalluvar's thirukkural, one of the master piece of tamil literature, has stood the test of time as a grand book of ethics, unsurpassed by any other creation of its kind. It is singularly the greatest work that gives human beings a code of life, based on the time cherished values, morals, economic, conjugal and spiritual, as enshrined in the scriptures.

Thiruvalluvar stands above all thinker-philosophers of the world as the first and foremost secularist in terms of his approach to human's social, cultural and spiritual quest. His vision of life and it's goal transcend all human made barriers.

Translated in almost all the developed languages of the world, Thirukkural continues to occupy the pride of place among world master pieces by virtue of its creative dignity, structural brecity, all embracing catholicity of outlok and understanding of human's destiny.

“Thirukkural is a contribution of the Tamil creative genius to the world cultural treasure and should be familiar to the whole world and admired and beloved by allin the same way as the poems of Homer, the dramas of Shakespeare, the pictures of Rembrandt, the cathedrals of France and the sculptures of Greece” -

- Mahatma Gandhi

Guru -Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR

Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR was the most popular star of the silver screen. respected by the people, and deified by his supporters. Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR strongly believed that an actor need not be an actor alone. He should also serve the people through his acting and artistes should dedicate themselves to serving the people. Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR had a close look at the world of politics and jumped whole hog into it. A lot of people advised him against this move.But Dr MGR decided that politics was one field from which he could serve the people who meant more to him than anything else in the world.

Biography

Born On: January 17, 1917
Born In: Nawalapitiya, Kandy, Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka)
Died On: December 24, 1987
Career: Actor, Producer, Politician
Nationality: Indian

Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran, better known as M. G Ramachandran and fondly remembered as MGR was an imminent actor, producer and politician of India. Acting and politics were a major part of MGR's life since times immemorial. While he was a regular face in drama troupes organized during his youth, M. G Ramachandran became actively involved with the Indian National Congress when he was still young, out of respect for Gandhi and his principles. With over a 100 films to his credit, it was M. G Ramachandran who dominated the Tamil film screen for more than thirty years. He later joined hands with the DMK political party. M. G Ramachandran had an equally successful political career, a fact largely possible because of his immense popularity as a Tamil actor. MGR subsequently formed his own political party, the ADMK, after which he created history by being elected as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. M. G Ramachandran is the first film personality of India to occupy the chair of the Chief Minister of a state in the country. The reason why the people loved M. G Ramachandran very much was because he had a heart of gold. Ever since the actor rose to power in the field of politics, he became widely known for his philanthropic ways and his love for the poor and needy.

Family Background and Early Life
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran was born to Keralite parents. Melakkath Gopala Menon and Maruthur Satyabhama hailed from Vadavannur in the Palakkad region of Kerala. But M. G Ramachandran's father had to flee from his original home in Kerala because of several allegations made against him. He reached Ceylon and started a family and this was where M. G Ramachandran was born. Reports claim that Melakkath Gopala Menon was ex-communicated from Kerala because of his involvement with a Brahmin widow in his locality. Following the traditions of the Kerala society, fellow men conducted a Smarthavicharam, following which he had to flee to Ceylon as even his family disowned him. Melakkath Gopala Menon married Maruthur Satyabhama in Ceylon and M. G Ramachandran was born on January 17, 1917. M. G Ramachandran's birthplace is located in today's Sri Lanka. From the beginning of his childhood, M. G Ramachandran was a staunch Hindu and firmly believed and worshipped Lord Murugan, the most popular deity among Tamil Hindus.

Career in Tamil Films
M. G Ramachandran was involved in acting from his youth days. His father expired when MGR was still young, leaving him to fend for himself. It was primarily an urge to earn money that drove MGR to enroll his name in a drama troupe named Original Boys. His brother was also one of the members of this troupe. It was only after some years that MGR quit acting in dramas and joined the Tamil film industry in the year 1935. His first film as an actor in a Kollywood movie was that of a supporting role in the 1936 film 'Sathi Leelavathi'. It was only in and after the mid 1940s that he was offered the lead role in a film. The one film that established MGR as one of the best commercial romantic and action heroes that the Tamil film industry had ever seen was 'Rajakumari' penned by M Karunanidhi. 'Rajakumari' hit theaters in the year 1947 and three decades from then the Tamil film industry chanted MGR. In the year 1956, MGR ventured into the field of producing and directing movies. His first film as director 'Nabodi Mannan' was a huge hit with the Tamil audience and ran to packed theaters in Tamil Nadu. Following the success of his first film as director, he made two other films 'Ulagam Sutrum Valiban' and 'Madhurai Meetha Sundharapandian' donning the caps of both director and actor. 'Rickshawkaran' released in the year 1971 won MGR the National Award for the best actor in a leading role.

Career in Politics
M. G Ramachandran had remained a member of the Indian National Congress from his days of youth till the year 1953. MGR was a great fan of the principles of Mahatma Gandhi and thus he wore only khadi as his garment. In the year 1953, MGR joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or the DMK party on the insistence of M Karunanidhi. Cashing on the popularity of MGR the actor, the DMK made him the face of the Dravidian Movement, which was one of the most notable political movements in 1950s Tamil Nadu. In the year 1962, M. G Ramachandran became a member of the State Legislative Council in Tamil Nadu, following which he got elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in 1967.

In January, 12 1967 M. G Ramachandran survived a serious gunshot accident. He was shot in the neck area by fellow actor and politician M Radha. He had to be hospitalized for a couple of months, a time when the nation realized how popular MGR was among his fans. Thousands of people remained outside the hospital where he was housed for hours on end, praying and monitoring every minor development. Though he was in an ailing condition, MGR did not give up hope and contested for the Madras Legislative Assembly from his hospital bed. Not only did he win, MGR secured two times more votes than his rival and also the maximum number of votes in the history of the Legislative Assembly.

In the year 1969, M. G Ramachandran was appointed the treasurer of the DMK party after the death of actor and politician Annadurai, who was also M. G Ramachandran's mentor in the field of politics. The death of Annadurai also meant the end of M. G Ramachandran's days in DMK. MGR got involved in a great tiff with the party's head M Karunanidhi after the former accused that the party officials were getting corrupt in the absence of Annadurai. Karunanidhi was already eager to place his son at the party's helms, and this argument only made it easier for him to expel MGR from DMK.

M. G Ramachandran left the DMK to form his own party Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) in the year 1972. Inspired by his mentor, MGR too used Tamil films as a means of preaching the propaganda of his newly formed ADMK. Understandably, MGR's popularity helped the party to rise and shine in the Tamil Nadu political circuit. M. G Ramachandran won elections to become the first film star becoming the Chief Minister of an Indian state. M. G Ramachandran remained in office of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from July 30, 1977 till his death in 1987 for three terms. The ADMK was then called the AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam).

MGR the Humanitarian
M. G Ramachandran always assured the well being of the poor, needy and underprivileged in Tamil Nadu. As the Chief Minister of the state, MGR introduced the 'nutritious mid-day meal scheme', a policy that that would benefit all children attending government institutions in Tamil Nadu. He also set up primary and secondary schools for the children of technicians working in Kollywood. In addition, MGR introduced special buses for women in Tamil Nadu and opened two educational institutions, the Tamil University and the Mother Teresa Women's University, in the state. M. G Ramachandran always came forward to help people with money and basic necessities when natural calamities like floods or fire struck. The money that he received from the ownership of the Thai magazine, the Anna newspaper and the Sathya and Emgeeyar Pictures film studios were all willed to charity. M. G Ramachandran was the first person from India to donate money to the war fund of the India - China War of 1962.

Awards and Recognition

• M. G Ramachandran was chosen for the Padma Shri award of India in the year 1960, but he refused to accept the award on grounds of unpatriotic behavior by the government. He wanted the wording to be in his mother tongue Tamil instead of the traditional Hindi.
• MGR won the National Award for best actor for his performance in 'Rickshawkaran’ in 1972.
• Received an honorary doctorate from the University of Madras and the World University.
• Won the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1988 for his contribution to the betterment of the Tamil Nadu society.

Personal Life
M. G Ramachandran was married three times. His first two wives died prematurely due to illness and it was his third wife Janaki Ramachndran who took over the reins of the AIADMK after the death of MGR.

Death
M. G Ramachandran was a patient of kidney problems and was hospitalized with kidney failure at the Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn in the US in October 1984. He underwent kidney transplantation the same year and finally succumbed to the disease in 1987. M. G Ramachandran's death on December 24, 1987 left the state of Tamil Nadu in a state of turmoil. The government and police officials found it difficult to manage the riotous masses and the emotional Tamils who fought and died in large numbers. After his death, the AIADMK got divided into two units under his wife Janaki Ramachandran and the other under J Jayallitha. His film studio, the Sathya Studio is now a women's college. His residence at the T Nagar area of Madras is now a memorial house of tourist interest.

Timeline
1917: M G Ramachabdran was born on January 17.
1936: He debuted in the Tamil film industry.
1947: His first hit 'Rajakumaari' was released.
1953: Joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam political party.
1956: Became a film director for the first time.
1960: Refused to accept the Padmashree award.
1962: Became a member of the State Legislative Council.
1967: Elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
1967: Shot in the neck by M Radha.
1969: Became the treasurer of the DMK.
1972: Formed his own political party, the ADMK.
1972: Won the National Award for 'Rickshawkaran'.
1977: Became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the first time and repeats success for three terms.
1984: Suffered kidney failure and undergoes kidney transplant.
1987: Died on December 24.
1988: Awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously.

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