stay in Ramanasramam and Tiruvannamalai

[Child of Arunachala]

I have seen Bhagavan's entire family do this kind of pradakshina but they also include the well outside the samadhi.  I was told the well is Goddess Lakshmi.  We need her grace to do our spiritual practices.

I did it and found that as we enter Bhagavan's samadhi, there is a raised platform at the doorway to be mindful of - so it kept me mindful of my ego and be fully present and surrendered. I didn't go around the well because my tender feet couldn't take the sun baked and very uncomfortable tiles.

[Subramanian.R]

Dear Child of Ramana,

They have fixed sharp red, tiles with protruding nail-like structures, so
that people who come after lunch/dinner or from urinals with wet washed
feet do not slip. In hot summer to cross these red tiles and reach Sri
Bhagavan's Samadhi Hall is itself a practice of putting up with pain
and burning sensation with forbearance. 'I am not the body, I am not
the body' it makes to tell this!  Similarly, the pathway from the taps to
urinals is full of sand, with small bits of stones, and one should walk
in hot summer on this.  This is also a good practice for forbearance.

I have seen all the regular inmates of the Asramam., the office staff,
book depot staff, kitchen staff, prohits --  walk barefoot. Sri Bhagavan
walked His 54 years of life in Arunachala barefoot. Even while climbing
the Hill or giripradkshina, He walked barefoot. Nochur Venkataraman
says it is 54 years of Rasa Leela of Sri Bhagavan with Arunachala.

Thorns, hot sand, stones, one can imagine the Hill terrain.



Arunachala Siva.