First Days at the Temple

The first days at Arunachaleswara Temple were marked by complete absorption in the Self. The young sage remained motionless, unaware of his body or surroundings.

After arriving at Tiruvannamalai, he entered the Arunachaleswara Temple and made his way to the thousand-pillared hall. There he sat down quietly. He did not choose a particular spot, nor did he arrange himself in any deliberate posture. He remained seated, motionless and silent.

Days passed. He continued to sit in the same place, showing no outward awareness of his surroundings. He did not ask for food or water, nor did he respond to those who passed by. The passing of time appeared to make no difference to him.

As he remained seated in this condition, ants and other insects gathered around his body. They bit into his flesh, and sores began to form. Blood and pus were seen on his limbs, but he did not react. He neither moved away nor attempted to protect himself.

Devotees and temple workers who noticed his condition were disturbed by what they saw. They tried to drive away the insects and began to attend to his wounds. Some attempted to feed him, placing food near his mouth. With time, a small amount of attention to bodily needs returned, though he continued to remain largely silent.

During these days, those around him began to refer to him as Brahmana Swami. He did not object to the name, nor did he show any interest in it. He continued to remain in the temple precincts, seated quietly, with little concern for what took place around him.

This was how the first days were spent at the Arunachaleswara Temple, quietly and without notice, among the pillars and corridors of the shrine.