BOOK REVIEW: Sri Ramana Leela

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BOOK REVIEW: Sri Ramana Leela by Krishna Bikshu, Sri Ramanasramam,

2004, pp.317, price Rs. 80.

 

The book, English translation of the Telugu book of the same

title, is by and large, based on the earlier biography in English by

B.V.Narasimha Swamy. The great merit of this book is that it is the

only biography which was read out to Sri Ramana, who made many

corrections in the narration. Though the basic details of

Bhagavan's sacred and glorious life remain the same as in other

books on Bhagavan, Krishna Bikshu, an ardent devotee, has added a

sweet touch of his own in his descriptions and has brought out some

interesting facts: that Bhagavan was originally given the

name `Venkateswaran' which was entered as `Venkatraman' in the

school register, and got stuck; that as a boy, when he went to

Thirupparankundram with his friends, he partook of the temple

prasadam even before it was offered to the deity, and remarked (long

afterwards) that it was indeed `offered'.

 

Covering Bhagavan's early life, the author recounts

Venkatraman's tendency to assist his mother and his aunt in the

household chores normally considered `feminine' tasks, and adds a

profound observation that " only a person with both masculine and

feminine qualities can become a redeemer of humanity. "

 

Bhagavan's journey to Arunachalam and his early life in the

temple and the surrounding places are covered well. The chapter

on `Harassment by Sadhus' provides interesting details and

illustrates Bhagavan's unique way of handling evil through utter

indifference to it! Giving elaborate descriptions of Bhagavan's

compositions, the author makes a beautiful statement: " Bhagavan

composed several hymns during his several pradakshinas and at those

times he was in the `akasa' of the interior where lay no mind, no

word, no seer, no seen, no worshipper, no worshipped; there was only

the atma. "

 

On Bhagavan's Grace, and power to attract people of diverse

dispositions, he says, " Palaniswamy was an innocent bhaktha,

Ganapathi was a scholar par excellence, Lakshmi Ammal was a pious

lady who got out of the torment of samsara, Ramaswami Iyer was beset

by illness, Natanananda had the samskara of the East and

Sivaprakasam Pillai the samskara of the West, Seshayya was

balanced " , and so on.

 

On the whole, this biography is highly appealing and brings out the

brilliance of the gem that is Bhagavan, in all its facets.

 

The author's observation that " facing hostility both at home

and outside, Venkataraman developed aversion to the world " , is a

little puzzling.

 

We learn for the first time that the lady, who fed Venkataraman on

his way to Arunachala on the Gokul Ashtami Day, was the widowed

sister of the Bhagavatar and not his wife.

 

The translator, Sri P.S. Sundaram, an ardent devotee of our

Kendram, has done an admirable job in making the book very lucid and

easy to read, a tough task considering that the original was highly

Sanskritised and stylised in the classical way.

 

[Reviewed by Mrs. Lalitha Krithivasan, a devotee of our Kendram.The

book is available at the Kendram's bookstore.]

 

prof laxmi narain (prof_narain)

 

Source and courtesy: Sri Ramana Kendram, Hyderabad

This article was published in Sri Ramana Jyothi,

monthly magazine of the Kendram.