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FROM GOVERNMENT SERVANT TO GOD'S SERVANT
The experience of Swamiji's uncle, Mr. K.P. Mylvaganam

I am Swamiji's maternal uncle, the youngest son of Thaiyal Muthammal , Swamiji's grandmother. I was a government servant for thirty-five years attached to the Treasury of Sri Lanka. My mother was a very religious-minded lady who frequently visited India, mainly to perform such Hindu observances as Kanda Sasti Viradam (a fast in honour of the deity, Lord Muruga) at famous shrines such as Tiruchendur on the southern Tamil Nadu coast. On one such pilgrimage my mother and I were extremely lucky to have the divine darshan of the great Yogi, Sri Ramana Maharishi in Tiruvanamalai in 1942.

Our Ashram "Maama" (uncle) with Swamiji. Always ready to give service and help to all >>

As a girl my mother had the good fortune to serve the saint, Swami Paramaguru. He was a great sage living in Matale, our Swamiji's birthplace. He was well-known in the area as an enlightened saint. He only allowed my mother to prepare his food and always insisted that the food should be cooked in a prescribed manner and with absolute care and cleanliness. My mother always prepared and served the food to his satisfaction. Swamiji has already explained to you about the great saint's prediction to my mother. Swamiji was her daughter Pushpakanthi's third child. I was the first person to hold him after the birth. Of all the children he was the most attractive.

During his schooldays he was, undoubtedly, a very mischievous boy but he was well-liked by his school teachers. However, to my surprise, I came to hear some strange stories about his behaviour in school. Swamiji was always class monitor and the students were fond of him. One morning, he stood in front of the class and told the students, "Today, teacher won't be coming to school as she has a stomach upset." After a short time, indeed that teacher sent a note to the school principal saying that she had a bad stomach and was unable to take classes – yet Swamiji had announced this without any prior knowledge of the teacher's condition. When she returned to school she questioned Swamiji about what he said, but he admitted, "I don't know why I said it but something made me say it. I myself am also surprised that what I said actually happened!" Thereafter I heard that he was materialising chocolates, sweets, sugar candy and other little objects for many friends. These stories did not alarm me because I know he was a mischievous boy! Some years later Swamiji stopped wearing trousers and shirts like the other boys and started wearing the traditional dhoti and jibba (long cloth wrapped around the waist and a small one on the shoulders) which gave him the appearance of a priest. The local people were now calling him "Ravi Swami' . They were saying that he was materialising vibuthi, kungkumam, sandalwood and religious objects to help people with their problems. I thought to myself that he might become a Swamiji. (continue on next page)