Skandhashramam

	Sign In Sign-Up

Parameshti Guru H.H.Sadasiva Bhremendra Saraswathi [Sri Sri Judge Swamigal] of Pudukkottai	Guru Sri Sri Swami Santhananda	Parama Guru H.H.Sri Swayamprakasha Bhremendra Saraswathi of Chenthamangalam

Independence Movement and Prison

It was the time of our freedom struggle. Gandhiji had appeared on the scene. Everybody came under his spell. Subrahmanyam's idealism responded to the call of the Mahatma. He plunged into constructive activities. Gandhiji had drawn up an 18-point work list, which was designed to take care of all rural needs and to make the countryside prosperous and happy. Subrahmanyam also concentrated his activities on village uplift and amelioration of the lot of the poor.

And he got the reward-imprisonment, only reward the patriots all over the world get. By a strange coincidence he was sent to Alipur prison. This prison had played a special role in the case of Aurobindo. It is here that the revolutionary was transformed into a mystic. In the prison he saw in a vision the spirit of God all around him in the prison compound and later again in the court and heard a definite message.

Stone walls do not a prison make
Nor iron bars a cage;
Minds innocent and quiet take
That for a hermitage

Prison became a hall of meditation for Lokamanya Tilak. Mahatma Gandhi and our Subrahmanyam. Here he studied the teachings of Bagavan Sri Ramakrishna and the writings of Swami Vivekananda deeply. When he came out of the prison, he was no longer the same. This devotee of the Mother country became the devotee of the Mother Goddess.

From Alipur he went direct to Madurai. He prayed to Goddess Meenakshi to show him the further course of action. Then he approached Mayandi Yogi, who was extremely happy that notwithstanding an eventful life, Subrahmanyam did not fail to turn up when the hour arrived. He taught the youth the art of meditation and explained the monosyllabic mantra of Goddess Bhuvaneswari. He asked him to chant it unceasingly so that he could have mastery over the senses. He further advised him to remain silent, to subsist on alms, and also not to stay at a place for long.

NEXT