After the Mahasamadhi of Yogi Ramsuratkumar, the managing trustee, Retired Justice T. S. Arunachalam, discussed with his close associates—particularly Sri Swaminathan—and decided that Yogi’s mortal body should be laid to rest on the dais of the Pradhan Mandir, the very place where Yogi had given darshan during his final days after returning from the hospital.

However, the author had earlier heard Yogi himself speak about a different place—a spot located behind the Pradhan Mandir, near the Veda Patasala. Referring to that place, Yogi had once said: “This place is everything for this beggar.”

Yogi had instructed the people around him to mark that spot with stones. When he later visited the place and noticed that the stones had been removed by workers, Yogi became visibly annoyed. He then instructed that the place be marked with a small structure and that flowers be offered there daily. Even today, flowers are indeed offered daily at that spot.

On hearing of Yogi’s Mahasamadhi, Sri Ganesan of Ramanashram came to the Ashram. He saluted Yogi’s body and sat beside it for some time in silent reverence. He then met the managing trustee and discussed what should be done in accordance with religious procedures following the passing of a great Yogi.

They decided to seek guidance from Sri Krishna Premi Maharaj, with whom both Sri Ganesan and the trustee shared a close association. The trustee readily accepted this suggestion and requested Sri Ganesan to personally visit Sri Krishna Premi Maharaj at Paranur, near Thirukkovilur, to seek his counsel.

Significantly, no one in the Ashram administration thought of consulting Anandashram, the spiritual home of Papa Ramdas, Yogi’s Guru. Yogi always addressed Papa Ramdas as his Father and Guru, and his entire spiritual lineage flowed from Papa Ramdas. Throughout his life, Yogi glorified his Father Swami Ramdas.

Yet, after Yogi laid down his body, the administration sought guidance from various other religious figures while completely overlooking Anandashram. In doing so, the administration effectively made an attempt to alter the spiritual tradition of Yogi within few hours of his Mahasamadhi. The Managing Trustee’s promise to Yogi, “This ashram will also function like Anandashram” went into thin air.

Sri Ganesan and another devotee, Udupi Anand, travelled by Ashram car to Paranur and met Sri Krishna Premi Maharaj. After hearing the situation, Sri Krishna Premi Maharaj stated that he did not possess knowledge regarding the procedural aspects of final rites for a Yogi. He advised them instead to consult Sri Nithyanandagiri Swamigal of Tapovanam.

Sri Ganesan and his companion met the Swamigal, explained the circumstances, and Nithyanandagiri Swamigal immediately agreed to accompany them to Tiruvannamalai.

On the same day, the place for Yogi’s Samadhi was marked inside the Pradhan Mandir, on the dais facing the holy Arunachala Hill. Arrangements were made to dig the Samadhi pit at that location.

A large number of devotees participated in the work. Under the supervision of Anjaneyalu, devotees worked through the entire night, preparing a pit deep enough to place Yogi’s body in a seated posture, facing Arunachala.

Meanwhile, devotees from various places began arriving in large numbers. Local residents also came to have a final glimpse of Yogi. The crowd swelled enormously. The managing trustee requested a substantial police presence to control the gathering.

People from all walks of life—Hindus, Muslims, and Christians—came to pay their respects to the great spiritual master. However, in the name of crowd control, the police prevented many devoted followers from approaching Yogi’s body to offer their salutations.

From the very first day after Yogi’s physical departure, authority and power began to assert themselves visibly. The atmosphere during the final rites was marked by chaos, confusion, and distance. The devotees were gradually pushed aside.

On 21 February 2001, Yogi’s mortal body was laid to rest in the pit. Various preservatives such as holy ash and camphor were placed along with the body. Many devotees offered gold ornaments, which were placed inside the Samadhi with Yogi’s body.

After the pit was filled, priests—under the guidance of Sri Nithyanandagiri Swamigal—installed a Siva Lingam atop Yogi’s Samadhi.

A few months later, however, some scholars advised the managing trustee that the Siva Lingam had been installed incorrectly and that this was not auspicious for the Ashram.

Acting on this advice, the trustee himself, along with his associates, removed the Lingam with great effort and reinstalled it in what they believed to be the proper orientation.

Thus, in the Samadhi event itself, things went against Yogi’s will. His spiritual traditions were neglected.

On the morning following the day Yogi was laid in Samadhi, an unusual phenomenon was witnessed. A uniform and continuous water marking appeared on the ground, clearly connecting Yogi’s Samadhi and Yogi’s Statue. Those who saw it felt deeply that Yogi had conveyed a message through this silent sign.

Perhaps Yogi was indicating that the Samadhi should be as freely accessible to all devotees as his Statue had always been, without distinction of caste, community, gender, or nationality.

However, the authorities of the Ashram chose otherwise. The Samadhi was kept beyond the physical reach of devotees, shocking and deeply hurting many who had loved Yogi.

While Yogi had repeatedly taught that constant remembrance of the divine name “Yogi Ramsuratkumar” alone was sufficient, the management gradually shifted the focus toward Hindu religious rituals.

If Yogi had ever intended to establish a Hindu religious temple to promote ritualistic worship, he would have done so far more magnificently during his own lifetime, strictly following Agama rules and dharmic traditions. Yet Yogi never did so.

In fact, Yogi refused to distribute holy ash or kumkum, repeatedly stating that such acts were not his work. He installed only his Statue in the Pradhan Mandir and instructed devotees to touch and salute it, saying: “This is my Father’s Statue.”

Yogi was insistent that the Statue remain free from dust and ritualistic handling. After returning from the hospital, when he noticed dust on the Statue, he immediately instructed devotees to wash it and keep it clean.

For those inclined toward religious rituals, ample temples already exist, including the world-renowned Annamalaiyar Temple in Tiruvannamalai itself. That temple is maintained strictly according to Agama rules, and its sanctity—centuries old—has drawn countless saints and sages.

The Annamalaiyar Temple is not merely a religious institution but also a profound spiritual marvel of the world.

Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s Ashram, however, was meant to be something entirely different: a spiritual space beyond ritual, where remembrance of the Divine Name alone would dissolve ego, fear, and separation.

That vision, sadly, was set aside.

The Ashram management began to display the cot with the bed, the sofa, and the easy chair that Yogi had used during his illness, placing them inside the abode. Daily ritualistic poojas were performed for these objects. Anyone seeing these displays could easily be misled into believing that Yogi had lived a life of luxury.

In reality, Yogi lived one of the simplest lives imaginable. For most of his life, his bed consisted only of gunny sacks and an ordinary mat. The cot and furniture were used only during his final illness, out of medical necessity.

The true personal belongings of Yogi—the mat, gunny sacks, coconut shell, palmera fan, and other simple objects he had used for years—were abandoned in the Sannathi Street house and left there uncared for until March 2006. The house itself remained locked, dusty, and neglected for years. Devotees were denied entry into this sacred space, where Yogi had lived for nearly eighteen long years.

Yogi had once declared that anyone who came to the Sannathi Street house, touched its gate, and remembered him by the name “Yogi Ramsuratkumar,” would be filled with his Father’s abundant grace. Yet this holy monument was ignored and abandoned until March 2006.

Why the management neglected the Sannathi Street house for so many years remains an unanswered and painful question in the hearts of devotees.

Much later, the administration finally acted. The house was decorated like a museum, and devotees were allowed to sit there in remembrance of their Guru. However, in July 2010, the roof of the Sannathi Street house was demolished. Through the Ashram magazine Saranagatham, the management announced plans for renovation and sought financial contributions. After renovation, devotees were again permitted to sit there and remember Yogi.

From childhood, Yogi Ramsuratkumar possessed an alert, questioning mind. He accepted nothing unless it was directly experienced. He lived in total inner freedom and wanted the same freedom for all.

Throughout his life, Yogi taught that freedom is sacred. Freedom, he said, has its own discipline—not imposed from outside, but arising from wisdom and love. Freedom should never produce authority, for authority breeds violence and strengthens ego.

Freedom does not create rituals. Freedom knows only celebration, sharing, and integration. Because FREEDOM IS LOVE.

There exist countless rituals beyond the Vedic ones—many of them mere superstitions. Such rituals divide people, strengthen ego, and obstruct entry into the spiritual realm. True spirituality is seeing all as one and shedding individuality.

Rituals rooted in superstition create authority and division. Their inevitable outcome is sorrow and pain.

Yogi said: “Where there is love, bhakti, there need not be rituals. This beggar doesn’t know any rituals. My Father Swami Ramdas wanted this beggar to remember Ram nam all the time. That’s all. This beggar feels remembering Father’s name is enough for one to reach my Father.”

When asked by a reporter about the importance of religious rituals, Yogi replied plainly that he did not know. He said that by remembering the Father, one would see the Father in all—and thus love all and serve all.

“This beggar has no knowledge of religious rituals,” Yogi said. “All the rituals and religious practices should make one to reach the feet of the GURU, if these rituals and religious practices are done with all sincerity. Once you attain the feet of the guru, then you need not worry about your spiritual growth. You need not do any rituals also. It is enough to listen to your guru and remember your guru. Your guru will take care of you and he will take you to the destination,”

Rituals vary across regions and religions, shaped by climate, culture, and social structures. Masters like Yogi Ramsuratkumar cannot be confined to any religion or ritual system. They exist far beyond conditioning.

Yogi prescribed chanting and remembrance of God’s Name as the sole medicine for human suffering. Remembering the Name alone leads to spiritual growth and oneness with Guru and God.

Religious practices often sustain ego through rules and prohibitions, attempting to make one morally fit for worldly life. Spirituality, however, destroys ego entirely, dissolving the individual into the infinite being of the Guru—indeed, of God Himself.

When one sincerely lives by human virtues, love arises naturally. The Guru then comes on his own. The Guru creates difficult situations, and through those hardships draws the devotee closer. Once accepted, distinctions between virtue and sin dissolve. The Guru assumes total responsibility for the devotee.

Those who cling to religion without sincerity or understanding of the Guru remain confused—and spread confusion.

Yogi revered the Vedas but rejected superstition. Vedic rishis performed yagas and homams for global peace and universal welfare, often sacrificing even themselves. These rituals were conducted in forests or remote areas, never for authority or power.

Their rituals arose from pure consciousness, not ambition.

In contrast, demons and asuras performed intense penances and rituals to gain power. Having attained it, they inflicted suffering on the virtuous. Then God Himself had to incarnate to destroy them.

Hinduism uniquely offers multiple spiritual paths, granting freedom according to each individual’s nature.

Yogi once said: “This beggar is proud to say he is a Hindu.”

Yet after attaining his Guru’s feet, Yogi never followed Hindu rituals.

He declared:

“Sanatana Dharma alone can produce masters like Swami Ramdas, Maharishi Ramana, Sri Aurobindo, and J. Krishnamurti. Though they transcended religion and ritual, their base was Hinduism.”

True Hinduism is a religion of mystics, not of ritual alone. It is reflected not merely in temples, but in the lives of saints like Yogi.

In the Vedic age, there were no temples, yet there were rishis, sages, and gurus whose lives still inspire humanity. Alongside them have always existed forces that attack spiritual work and seek to arrest human awakening.

Both traditions—light and obstruction—have existed from time immemorial.