Intently watching the way Life forces play about within the patient’s body and mind, trying to figure it out and then spell it in a clear diagnostic picture is perhaps so fine-tuned that it almost becomes an instinct with good physicians.
A patient (Person No. 1.) was on his last bed listening to his good doctor (Person No. 2) who kept this up as long as he could. Though the physician had no means to do anything about the treatment of the patient, he went on meticulously narrating his diagnosis to the steady friends and relatives of the patient who were by the bedside. The patient also kept on hearing the words of Person No.3, a grand old devotee of the Ramakrishna Mission, a disciple of Swami Virajananda, who was celebrating the completion of 90 years of his life. With the good devotees gathered there, he was indulging in snatches of reminiscences of the holy days spent in serving his Guru and later doing his work and the holy friends this work brought to him. Then there was the fourth one, a family Elder, who had kept up the noble traditions of his ancestors and had not done badly in passing it on to his descendants and friends and it just will not do to go on a tour without saying a decent goodbye and giving his blessings to family and friends.
All these four persons were together doing their parts in a warm home in Madurai on 11 December 2011, in the person of Dr. S. Shanmugam, the Founder President of the Ramakrishna Ashrama, which is presently known as Ramakrishna Math, Madurai.
Life does not come easily. Scientists articulate in awe about the rarity of life making planets like our Earth. Ask any parent, especially a good one, he or she would say the same. Any plant or animal, when seen in the company of its young, says the same in its unspoken but unfailing way.
An Ashrama is a Living Being. Being the Lord’s chosen instruments for formally bringing into existence an ashrama in the name of Avatara Varishta in a holy gathering presided by Swami Vireswarananda, the then President of Ramakrishna Mission in 1970, is a rare blessing on the heads of Dr. Shanmugam and Sri Ardhanary. The meeting was in the residence of the latter. More than two hundred monks and nuns had been warmly entertained here since then. The story of how the good doctor brought prestige, and a staying power and how Sri Ardhanary brought a torrent of enthusiasm and devotion in works, to this Ashrama Project is yet to be written.
Shri Shanmugam hailing from Chettinad traditions, had taken his mantra Diksha from Swami Virajananda before he became a physician. He always treasured and nurtured in his mind the memories of the services he could render to his Guru - being his physical prop, as an ailing Virajanandaji walked with his arms on Shanmugam’s shoulder, washing his clothes, etc. His commitment to his Guru could find expression when it encountered the fervent devotion of Shri Ardhanary. Soon the Madurai Ashrama came into being. It grew up, as a child would, gracefully and gradually. The Ashrama reached its grown up stage in 1987 when it became the Ramakrishna Math, Madurai.
The Ashrama’s faithful `midwife’ Shri Ardhanary had passed away some years before. The inspiring story of his cheerfully leaving this world to go to the `lap of Sri Ramakrishna’ as he explicitly told the kith and kin around his death bed, while they were singing devotional songs at his bidding, waits for another day.
The good doctor who delivered the Ashrama continued to attend to its needs as it ventured out as a grown up. As the Ashrama found its way around, the doctor’s regular and unfailing company continued as a graceful presence. The aging doctor drew solace from the growing ashrama.
Dr. Shanmugam was a well known surgeon in Madurai. He is one of the City’s senior most doctors. He had served the city well as its doctor. He had been a philanthropist too. Other than founding and funding and nurturing the Madurai Ashrama, he had been a excellent contributor to many other Ramakrishna Ashramas as well and to innumerable other good causes. I can never forget his humility, his old world grace, and his unostentatious devotion. I am sure countless others, including many well known as well as not so well-known monks of the Ramakrishna Order would have similar feelings.
Swami Tapasyananda well knew the importance of Madurai and what it means to India and to Tamil Nadu in particular. He felt that the seeds of Ramakrishna Bhava sown by Swami Chidbhavananda in these vast Southlands, needed to be reaped by the good hands of Belur Math. Dr. Shanmugam fell severely ill in 1986 and that spurred Swami Tapasyananda into immediate action resulting in Madurai Ashrama becoming Belur Math’s affiliated branch.
Shanmugam had suffered an infection in his leg and had been hospitalized for some days. Past midnight of 10th December he was brought home as he was fast deteriorating. Come the morning of 11th, he became very alert. As the loving family and friends gathered around their patriarch, sweet sounds of the names of the Lord enveloped him. In the morning he had tremendous pain in his body. He described that clinically to the ones near him. One massaged his feet. It gave him some relief. He wanted holy ashes to be smeared on him, which was done. When his daughter and others chanted Mrityunjay mantra, telling that the mantra would help ward off fear of death, he asked for paper and with great difficulty wrote ‘marana bhayam illai’ (there is no fear of death). He again wrote `Uyir Usaladugirathu’ (Life force is hanging by a thread). He wrote in an elaborate manner, starting with the traditional ‘pillayar chuzhi’ (a sign of God with which any writing is to be begun). He wrote some and showed in signs what he wanted to say and kept at it till he was satisfied that he was understood. When he continued to write a few more scraps, they could not make out much. All these had the regulation signature like in a physician’s prescription.
He kept talking of the days with Shri Ardhanary in the service of the Lord. Ardhanary’s son and daughter-in-law fed him with spoonfuls of holy Bel and Tulsi soaked water. He asked for some food but could hardly eat it. Then around noon he asked to be left alone for some time.
After some time spent quietly, he called the persons around and blessed them all muttering specific blessing for each. He whispered that his condition is growing worse and that his time has come. His doctor grandson measured his pulse and found it normal but the veteran doctor of a grandfather declared that as misleading.
Matters took a turn around 4.30 in the evening. As one attendant was praying fervently, the patient started sweating. She found the pulse to be alarmingly low and called others. It was clear he was on his way out. Ardhanary’s daughter-in-law muttered holy words in his ears and told him that his Guru would be sure to come for him. He calmly nodded. His Guru’s picture was brought to him. He touched that to his head. Some hours before he had already so touched the pictures of Sri Ramakrisna, Holy Mother and that of his Guru. Somebody took his pulse. He asked how that was in a feeble but sure tone. The attendant lied, saying it was all right. He smiled and showed a sign of crossing, that she was wrong. Then he started briefly narrating that such and such parts of his body are getting loosened up or that life force is getting detached from such places, his chest, legs, abdomen, etc. All the while his face was calm. He was serenely hearing the holy mantra whispered by the daughter of his god friend.
Of the four persons in the person of Dr. Shanmugam, the patient lay demurely while the family elder, physician and finally the devotee came successively and bid us farewell as he thus passed away.
