“He (Ramana) used to say that it was the top of the spiritual axis of the earth; there must he said, be another mountain corresponding to Arunachala exactly at the opposite side of the globe the corresponding pole of the axis.”
***
A SADHU’S REMINISCENCES OF RAMANA MAHARSHI
By SADHU ARUNACHALA (A. W. Chadwick)
“He would wander out on to the Hill a few times a day, and if any attachment to anything on earth could be said of him, it was surely an attachment to the Hill. He loved it and said it was God Himself. He used to say that it was the top of the spiritual axis of the earth; there must, he said, be another mountain corresponding to Arunachala at exactly the opposite side of the globe, the corresponding pole of the axis. So certain was he of this that one evening he made me fetch an atlas and see if this was not correct. I found, according to the atlas, the exact opposite point came in the sea about an hundred miles off the coast of Peru. He seemed doubtful about this. I pointed out that there might be some island at this spot or a mountain under the sea. It was not until some years after Bhagavan’s passing that a visiting Englishman had a tale of a spot, supposed to be a great secret power centre, in the Andes somewhere in this latitude. Later I found that though a centre had certainly been started it had failed. Since then I have been told of another person who is practising meditation in solitude in the region of the Andes in Ecuador. So it does appear as though there were some strange attraction about that part of the globe. The earth is not an exact sphere and maps are not so accurate as all that, so we are unable to pin it down to any definite point. It is quite possible that more is going on in that part of the world than we know and this would fit in well with what Bhagavan said. However I could never discuss the matter with Bhagavan as it was not until many years after his passing that I had any indication that anything of this sort was happening in those parts. I had many years ago travelled extensively in that country but had never seen anything which would lead me to think that there might be important spiritual-centres there.”
n 1997 while a member of the Uniao do Vegetal I drank the tea Hoasca in a religious ceremony in Machu Picchu, Peru. It was in this session I experienced not only ‘ecstatic visions’ of a world that once existed in this most auspicious location but I also experienced a profound descending force of energy that seemed to go down into the center of the earth. My intuition at this time was that there was an equally powerful location on the ‘other end’ of the earth that was the polarity of this force that was descending from above my head, down through my body and into the center of the earth.
Upon my return to the United States and during my resumed study of the ancient cultures of the east I discovered this dialogue Ramana Maharshi had with one of his English devotees. The result is my investigation about the possibility of a polarity between Machu Piccu and the other side of the earth.
In this study, I explored the profound connection between Ramana Maharshi and the mountain of Arunachala, a place Maharshi often spoke of as holding immense spiritual power. For Maharshi, Arunachala was not just a physical landmark but the very apex of the earth’s spiritual axis. He strongly believed that this sacred mountain represented a powerful spiritual force, and that somewhere on the opposite side of the globe, there must be another mountain corresponding to it—a complementary pole of the same axis.
Alan Chadwick, a close disciple of Maharshi, recounts how this conviction was so firm in Maharshi’s mind that one evening he insisted Chadwick fetch an atlas to verify if his theory held any geographical truth. After examining the atlas, Chadwick discovered that the point directly opposite Arunachala landed in the ocean, about a hundred miles off the coast of Peru. Despite the lack of a corresponding physical mountain at that location, Maharshi’s certainty about the existence of an opposite pole to Arunachala highlights his deep belief in the interconnectedness of spiritual forces across the globe.
In this context, I delve into the significance of Arunachala, both as a sacred place in the Hindu tradition and as a spiritual beacon for Maharshi and his teachings. We will also examine Maharshi’s idea of a dual spiritual axis and how this belief reflects his broader understanding of the spiritual energies that govern the world. Through this exploration, we aim to uncover the layers of meaning embedded in Maharshi’s devotion to Arunachala and its place in the spiritual geography of the earth.
Ed Reither – Beezone – 2023
The following excerpts are from ‘A Sadhu’s Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi by Sadhu Arunachala (A.W. Chadwick),
Publisher: Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, 1961.
Alan Chadwick, a retired British military officer was one of the first European devotees of Ramana Maharshi. He came to his Guru in November of 1935 and stayed until Ramana’s passing in 1950 (April 14, 1950 at 8:47 p.m.). He had the remarkable experience of being intimate with Ramana on a daily basis which gives this book it’s unique insight into the day to day life of this great Sage of India.
Sadhu Arunachala passed away in April 1962.
He would wander out on to the Hill a few times a day, and of him, it was surely an attachment to the Hill. He loved it and said it was god Himself.
He used to say that it was the top of the spiritual axis of the earth; there must he said, be another mountain corresponding to Arunachala exactly at the opposite side of the globe the corresponding pole of the axis. So certain was he of this that one evening he made me fetch an atlas and see if this was not correct. I found, according to the atlas, the exact opposite point came in the sea about an hundred miles off the coast of Peru. He seemed doubtful about this. I pointed out that there might be some island at this spot or a mountain under the sea. t was not until some years after Bhagavan’s passing that a visiting Englishman had a tale of a spot, supposed to be a great secret power centre, in the Andes somewhere in this latitude. Later found that though a centre had certainly been started it had failed. Since then I have been told of another person who is practicing meditation in solitude in the region of the Andes in Ecuador. So it does appear as though there were some strange attraction about that part of the globe. The earth is not an exact sphere and maps are not so accurate as all that, so we are unable to pin it down to any definite point. It is quite possible that more is going on in part of the world than we know and this would fit in well with what Bhagavan said. However I could never discuss the matter with Bhagavan as it was not until many years after his passing that I had any indication that anything of this sort was happening in those parts. I had many years ago traveled extensively in that country but had never seen anything which would lead me to think that there might be important spiritual centres there.
Below is a ‘sandwich’ of the earth and shows the exact opposite of Arunachala and Machu Picchu:
MAR/APR 2003 VOL. 13, NO. 2
ARUNACHALA!
THE SPIRITUAL AXIS OF THE WORLD
Reading the following extract from A Sadhu’s Reminiscence, by Sadhu Arunachala (Major A. W. Chadwick), it would appear that Bhagavan was quite certain about a corresponding holy hill exactly opposite the globe to Arunachala. Major Chadwick writes:
“He used to say that Arunachala was the top of the spiritual axis of the earth. ‘There must,’ he said, ‘be another mountain corresponding to Arunachala at exactly the opposite side of the globe, the corresponding pole of the axis.’ So certain was he of this that one evening he made me fetch an atlas and see if this was not correct. I found, according to the atlas, the exact opposite point came in the sea about a hundred miles off the coast of Peru. He seemed doubtful about this. I pointed out that there might be some island at this spot or a mountain under the sea. It was not until some years after Bhagavan’s passing that a visiting Englishman had a tale of a spot, supposed to be a great secret-power centre, in the Andes somewhere in this latitude. Later I found that though a centre had certainly been started, it had failed. Since then I have been told of another person who is practicing meditation in solitude in the region of the Andes in Ecuador. So it does appear as though there were some strange attraction about that part of the globe. The earth is not an exact sphere and maps are not so accurate as all that, so we are unable to pin it down to any definite point. It is quite possible that more is going on in that part of the world than we know and this would fit in well with what Bhagavan said. However, I could never discuss the matter with Bhagavan, as it was not until many years after his passing that I had any indication that anything of this sort was happening in those parts. I had many years ago traveled extensively in that country, but had never seen anything which would lead me to think that there might be important spiritual centres there.”
Following the thread of Major Chadwick’s research, Dr. Ravi Iyer of Virginia writes about his investigation into Machu Picchu, an ancient, sacred mountain in Peru.
Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi always insisted that the Holy Hill Arunachala was the spiritual axis of the world, even in a physical sense, similar to the geographical North Pole, with a South Pole axis. So strongly did he maintain the view that another holy hill existed on the opposite side of the globe to Arunachala – which was itself remarkable since he normally did not take very rigid positions except on matters concerning the Self and the Heart – that he once made a devotee pull out a world atlas and look for a similar mountain opposite to Arunachala. The only mention we have of this endeavor was that the search indicated a spot on the continental shelf beneath the Pacific Ocean immediately off the coast of Peru. No further effort seems to have been spent after this, though it appears that Bhagavan may not have supported the conclusion of that research, since he seemed convinced that a land-based mountain existed at the other end of this “spiritual axis”.
The Latitude/longitude Coordinates of Arunachala (Tiruvannamalai) are: 12n13, 79e04
Recently I came across an article about a place in the high Andean mountains of Peru that is reputed to be a site of great spiritual force, called Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu was discovered by Yale archeologist Hiram Bingham in 1911, and is the site of an ancient Inca temple city. This city appears to have evaded discovery by the marauding armies of the Spanish Conquistadors, yet it represents one of the immense mysteries of the Inca civilization. It appears the Machu Picchu Mountain itself was known as sacred to the Incas from a time before their own civilization, since the Inca’s speak of the mountain as the “Ancient One,” who preceded the civilization of their ancestors.
There are several striking parallels between the Machu Picchu site and the Shakti culture. The Inca’s worshipped Machu Picchu as the manifestation of the Divine Mother Goddess of the Universe. They referred to Her as “Paachamama,” a name that bears a striking similarity to the name “Pachaiamman” used for Parvathi in South Indian shrines. [In the early 1900s, the Maharshi spent many months at the Pachaiamman Temple at the foot of the Hill, outside the town of Tiruvannamalai.] The architecture of the temple city was astrologically and astronomically determined. Various points of the city serve as a kind of giant sextant or observatory from where specific constellations and celestial objects can be plotted and observed. A closer look at the topology of the city reveals a striking resemblance to the Sri Chakra, the Meru architectural topology that characterizes Indian Shakti shrines.
On the psychic plane, multiple individuals with siddhi/occult capacities have separately asserted on visiting Machu Picchu that the city is a place where the feminine aspect of the Universe is especially palpable.
Lastly, the Latitude/longitude coordinates of Machu Picchu are: 13s07, 72w34
While the geographical coordinates are not exactly opposite of those of Arunachala, it would be unreasonable to expect it would be exact since the earth is not a precise sphere.
I share this with the general community of Ramana bhaktas as an item of spiritual and historical interest. While ultimately there is nothing but the Self, as long as the manifested world is our framework of reference then we will be confronted by the dual pairs of balancing opposites. There can be no Siva without Shakti, and vice versa.
www.zefrank.com – Sandwich Tool
exact opposite is on the border of Viet Nam and Cambodia
The global coordinates for Tiruvannamalai and Machu Picchu are as follows:
Tiruvannamalai: 12n13, 79e04
Machu Picchu: 13s07, 72w34
If you do a precise reversal of Tiruvannamalai’s coordinates you will indeed fall off the coast of Peru.
But if you have any sense of things you’d know the world is not ‘exact’ and energy is never a straight line of opposites.
Talks With Ramana Maharshi | The Heart | Do Guru’s Feel Pain | Ramana’s Appearance | Chadwick’s First Darshan | Saints Turn Into Light | Somerset Maugham | Mercedes D’Acosta | Ramana’s Teaching According to Adi Da | Published from the Ashram | The Seer and The Seen | Mandukya Upanishad | Three States of Consciousness | The Five Great Elements | India and Peru | Ramana’s Will |
A SADHU’S REMINISCENCES OF RAMANA MAHARSHI
By SADHU ARUNACHALA (A. W. Chadwick)
Bhagavan was a very beautiful person; he shone with a visible light or aura. He had the most delicate hands I have ever seen with which alone he could express himself, one might almost say talk. His features were regular and the wonder of his eyes was famous. His forehead was high and the dome of his head the highest I have ever seen. As this in India is known as the dome of Wisdom it was only natural that it should be so. His body was well formed and of only medium height, but this was not apparent as his personality was so dominant that one looked upon him as tall. He had a great sense of humour and when talking a smile was never far from his face. He had many jokes in his repertoire and was a magnificent actor, he would always dramatise the protagonists of any story he related. When the recital was very pathetic he would be filled with emotion and unable to proceed. When people came to him with their family stories he would laugh with the happy and at times shed tears with the bereaved. In this way he seemed to reciprocate the emotions of others. He never raised his voice and if he did occasionally seem angry there was no sign of it on the surface of his Peace. Talk to him immediately afterwards and he would answer calmly and quite undisturbed. With others some effect of the anger will still remain for a while even after the cause is gone. Internally we all take time to regain our composure, but with him there was no reaction. He would never touch money, not because he hated it, he knew that for the purposes of daily life it was necessary, but he had never had need of it and was not interested in it. Money and presents came to the Ashram; well, that was all right, the management needed them to be able to carry on, but there was no need for them to worry about it or ask people to give. God would provide.
People said that he would not talk but this was untrue, as were many of the other foolish legends about him. He did not speak unnecessarily and his apparent silence only showed how much foolish chatter usually goes on amongst ourselves. He preferred every sort of simplicity and liked to sit on the floor, but a couch had been forced upon him and this became his home for most of the twenty-four hours of the day. He would never, if he could help it, allow any preference to be shown to him. And in the dining-hall he was adamant on this point. Even if some special medicine or tonic were given to him he wanted to share it with everybody. “If it is good for me then it must be good for the rest,” he would argue and make them distribute it round the dining-hall. He would wander out on to the Hill a few times a day, and if any attachment to anything on earth could be said of him, it was surely an attachment to the Hill. He loved it and said it was God Himself.
He used to say that it was the top of the spiritual axis of the earth; there must, he said, be another mountain corresponding to Arunachala at exactly the opposite side of the globe, the corresponding pole of the axis. So certain was he of this that one evening he made me fetch an atlas and see if this was not correct. I found, according to the atlas, the exact opposite point came in the sea about an hundred miles off the coast of Peru. He seemed doubtful about this. I pointed out that there might be some island at this spot or a mountain under the sea. It was not until some years after Bhagavan’s passing that a visiting Englishman had a tale of a spot, supposed to be a great secret power centre, in the Andes somewhere in this latitude. Later I found that though a centre had certainly been started it had failed. Since then I have been told of another person who is practising meditation in solitude in the region of the Andes in Ecuador. So it does appear as though there were some strange attraction about that part of the globe. The earth is not an exact sphere and maps are not so accurate as all that, so we are unable to pin it down to any definite point. It is quite possible that more is going on in that part of the world than we know and this would fit in well with what Bhagavan said. However I could never discuss the matter with Bhagavan as it was not until many years after his passing that I had any indication that anything of this sort was happening in those parts. I had many years ago travelled extensively in that country but had never seen anything which would lead me to think that there might be important spiritual-centres there.