BHAGAWAN'S DEVOTEE --- MASTAN 2

Mastan was very humble. Bhagavan himself said that except for Kunju Swami and Viswanatha Swami, the other devotees never knew who Mastan was. He preferred to remain unobserved. 

Before his death, Mastan was bedridden for about a week. Akhilandamma who was taking care of him says, “During those days he would say, ‘There Nandi [Siva’s bull] is descending. He is affectionately licking all over my body. Look, Siva’s ganas are dancing here. See! They are calling me to come to their world. Look at those lotus ponds where celestial swans are swimming.’ We thought that this was delirium. 

But on the last day he suddenly got up from his bed and stood up, looking as if someone, face to face, was calling him. Then, in great excitement, he exclaimed, ‘Mother Apeetakuchama [name of consort of Siva in Arunachaleswara Temple], you have yourself come to escort me?’ The next moment he fell down dead.” Akhilandamma adds, “When Bhagavan learnt about Mastan’s passing away, he sent Kunju Swami to our village with full instructions on how to make samadhi for Mastan. He drew up a plan of the dimensions of samadhi and sent it along with Kunju Swami. He also sent enough vibhuti and camphor from the Ashram to take care of all the necessary rituals. The funds for the samadhi were provided by Simhakutti Nayanar, a local Jain. 

A nearby Siva temple lent its chapram so that the body could be taken in procession through the local villages prior to its burial. (Chapram is a fourwheeled trolley that temples use to parade deities through the streets.) At each place the chapram visited, people joined the funeral and helped to push it. In the years that followed his samadhi, the family affairs and business of people who had helped Mastan prospered. So, people started coming to his samadhi to ask for blessings. 

Sambandan, a disciple of Mastan, who wrote about 200 verses in praise of Bhagavan, also wrote 11 verses praising both Bhagavan and Mastan. 

A brief summary of some of these is: 

1. Mastan, the liberated one, who shines in Desur! Divine one! Through grace you told me, a sinner, to sing in the language of poets the divine glory of Ramana Guru, the much-famed God who shines and abides at Arunachala. 

2. Mastan, the liberated one, the precious gem who obtained the cool grace of Sadguru Ramana, you renounced this worldly life, which is like vomited food, and attained the life of true jnana. 

3. Mastan, the liberated one, who realised truth without any obstruction, and became that reality! You said, ‘If the vishaya vasanas are destroyed, the mind will also be destroyed.’ 

4. Mastan, the liberated one, who travels on the path of renunciation, without ever forgetting the lotus feet of jnani Ramana, declared, ‘Knowing consciousness is true knowledge.’ 

5. Praise to the jnana Guru! Lord, undo this misery-causing bond of samsara. Accept these poor words of this devotee-slave, which are addressed to your beautiful divine feet.