evolution of sri ramanasramam's kitchen

All By His Grace

Hall Natesa Iyer “…………I cannot tell you anything about Bhagavan because the realBhagavan cannot be explained in words. It is a sweet taste that you can only know by tasting it for yourself”

Bhagavan’s Eternal Presence in Sri Ramanasramam Kitchen

First Kitchen

• First Ashram kitchen was started when Bhagavan’s mother came to live with him in 1914 in Skandasramam.

Azhagammal

Around 1915 , mother asked Bhagavan to help her roll out appalams. Instead Bhagavan rolled out the appalam song giving instructions for spiritual development.

Construction

Annamalai Swami

Bhagavan surprised me by saying ,” I was waiting for you. I was wondering when you would come.” All Ashram construction except Matrubhuteshwara temple and the store room construction was supervised by him from Bhagavan’s informal plans.

Pakashala- Dining Hall

Bhagavan himself wrote the Tamil word Pakasalai meaning dining room in big letters on a piece of paper. He wanted to show Annamalai Swami how to shape and space out the letters to use all the space. It was also Bhagavan’s suggestion to place Sri Ramanasramam in Devanagri script.

Lime mortar wheel

Wheel used forConstruction.

Bhagavan seatedIn foreground

Bhagavan’s involvement

Annmalai Swami: It was Bhagavan himself who drew up all the plans for the ashram buildings. Before each day’s work started he would tell me what to do. If instructions were complicated he would sometimes sketch a few lines on a piece of paper to clarify or illustrate what he was saying.

Lakshmi and Bhagavan

On one occasion when He noticed that Lakshmi was not getting enoughTo eat as there was little grass in the Ashram, He refused to eat the meal served to Him asking that the servers give it to Lakshmi. Some fodder was then bought from the Bazaar for Lakshmi.

Narayana Seva

Kitchen as Vedanta Classroom

The Kitchen was a Vedanta classroom: The dogs were fed , then the other animals, the Poor and then the devotees.

Once when seen to pick a few

grains of rice that had fallen on the

ground,He eplained to

Sampurnamma why.

‘This is the property of

Arunachala. I have to preserve it and pass it on to His children.’

Arunachala Image handDrawn By Sri Bhagavan inside store room.

Answerable to Arunachala

Jayanthi Luncheon“Bhagavan was above orthodoxy and unorthodoxy. He was higher than Manu and could not therefore bound by Manu. He was himself the Source of orthodoxy and Therefore whatever he did or said was orthodox because he did or said it , whether according to the sastras or not.” T.K.Sundaresa Iyer

Presentation1

Mudaliar Patti and daughter in law

Santamma Patti

Kamakshi amma

Recipients of Grace

You see Bhagavan bestow special attention on this child. Yet He accepted no special attention. He would totally ignore or even scold anyone who served Him an extra serving or a slightly larger

serving.

Special Attention

No Wastage

Even the water that boiled bitter gourd could not be thrownAway. With salt added it would be given to cows.

Once a rose garland usedto decorate Mother’s temple was thrown away.Bhagavan was angry, collected all the petals and had them mixed with payasam- excellent taste and delicious flavor.

Blessed Kitchen staff• Subbulakshmi AmmaI: I have not time. All I have is endless work in the

kitchen.• Bhagavan responded with deep feeling: Your hands may do the work but

your mind can remain still. You are that which never moves. Realise that and you will find work is not a strain. But as long as you think that you are the body and the work is done by you, you will feel your life to be an endless toil. In fact, it is the mind that toils , not the body. Even if your body keeps quiet, will your mind keep quiet too? Even in sleep the mind is busy with its dreams.

Today’s kitchen : old prevails with newamenities

Bhagavan our pillar

Original granite pillarsAnd ventilation windows

ALL By Your GRACE