Introduction
Sri Mahaprabu is a brahma jnani, who attained liberation in the year 2003 by the grace of Bhagavan Ramana Maharashi. Since 2010 he has been conducting Satsang regularly at Sri Annamalai Swamigal Spiritual Trust. The following is a brief introduction to Sri Mahaprabu.
Venkatesan (birth name of Sri Mahaprabu) was born into a very ordinary family in southern Tamil Nadu. It wasn’t until he was in his teen years that a very strong desire began to consume the youth. The desire to know about birth, death and who he really was. Seeing death all around him at a young age and realizing the certainty of his own death strengthened this desire into an unstoppable urge, one that must have been simmering and evolving for many lives past. This single-pointedness brought him to Tiruvannamalai in the year 1993.
Entering Ramanasramam for the first time, he saw the board which described Sri Bhagavan’s death experience in detail. He instantly knew he had come to the right place where all his questions would be answered. Being a sincere devotee of Lord Annamalaiyar (Shiva) and Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, it was by sheer grace that he was soon connected with Sri Annamalai Swami Ashram in Pelakottu (adjacent to Sri Ramanasramam). He would go there regularly to attend the various parayanas being conducted, as well as for the monthly Swathi Puja of Sri Annamalai Swami.
Introduction
Sri Mahaprabu is a brahma jnani, who attained liberation in the year 2003 by the grace of Bhagavan Ramana Maharashi. Since 2010 he has been conducting Satsang regularly at Sri Annamalai Swamigal Spiritual Trust. The following is a brief introduction to Sri Mahaprabu.
Venkatesan (birth name of Sri Mahaprabu) was born into a very ordinary family in southern Tamil Nadu. It wasn’t until he was in his teen years that a very strong desire began to consume the youth. The desire to know about birth, death and who he really was. Seeing death all around him at a young age and realizing the certainty of his own death strengthened this desire into an unstoppable urge, one that must have been simmering and evolving for many lives past. This single-pointedness brought him to Tiruvannamalai in the year 1993.
Entering Ramanasramam for the first time, he saw the board which described Sri Bhagavan’s death experience in detail. He instantly knew he had come to the right place where all his questions would be answered. Being a sincere devotee of Lord Annamalaiyar (Shiva) and Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, it was by sheer grace that he was soon connected with Sri Annamalai Swami Ashram in Pelakottu (adjacent to Sri Ramanasramam). He would go there regularly to attend the various parayanas being conducted, as well as for the monthly Swathi Puja of Sri Annamalai Swami.
He used to spend most of his time in meditation at the forests of Arunachala hill, Bhagavan Sri Ramana’s samadhi and Sri Annamalai Swami’s samadhi shrine. He diligently pursued the path of self-enquiry taught by Sri Bhagavan and Sri Annamalai Swami. Thus, for 10 years he underwent a rigorous sadhana, unwavering in his determination despite numerous trials and tribulation, thanks to his burning desire to know the Truth, his steadfast bhakti (devotion) and his strong faith in Bhagavan. And on January 1st, 2003 ‘IT’ happened. The dissolution of the individual into the universal. Sri Mahaprabu was born.
For the next 45 days he was in a state of blissful Samadhi going into indescribable depths of experience. The next three years were spent mostly in solitude, reveling in a state that words cannot describe. Not only did his spiritual friends observe a significant change in his lifestyle but were able to feel a tremendous silence in his presence. They began to share their questions with him and received an inner clarity they had never experienced before.
In 2006, Sri Mahaprabu received a divine message from Lord Buddha who instructed him to share his experiences and guide real seekers of the Truth. With the blessings of Sri Buddha, Mahaprabu started his Satsangs in Paliappatu (at the outskirts of Tiruvannamalai) in 2006.
Various seekers of the Truth from different parts of Tamil Nadu and abroad started attending Satsang with Sri Mahaprabu. Among them, Sri Mahaprabu began to guide only those seekers who are sincere, dedicated and truly committed to realising the Truth in this very birth. His satsangs and meditation camps are happening regularly in Paliapattu, Tiruvannamalai.
Satsang
Being in Satsang with Sri Mahaprabu is like simultaneously diving to the deepest depths of Jnana and soaring to the highest peaks of Bhakti, shepherded throughout by a sweet and fragrant power that is none other than Love.
Since it is the Supreme Power that speaks and acts through that bodily frame, there are no traditional rules, methods, techniques, not even scheduled timings. Yet Satsang happens as sure as day follows night and night, day.
During Satsang, hours can pass by like minutes, as we join him in meditation, or melting to his devotional singing, or listening to the words of great Jnanis (Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Adi Sankaracharya, Buddha, Osho, Sadhu Om, Avudaya Akkal and Vallalar Swamigal to name a few) or just sitting spellbound by the words of wisdom that flow so beautifully and spontaneously from Sri Mahaprabu’s lips. Words that shatter all preconceived notions, resulting in a clarity that no book or teacher can ever come close to giving. Only a Brahma Jnani like Mahaprabu can.
No question goes unanswered. And yet he reminds us that it is the questioner that needs to disappear. “Meditation is always happening,” he says. “It is the one who wants to meditate, that needs to dissolve. The Experience being sought is already there and is not something to be attained. It happens only when “you” are not there to experience it.”
Satsang with Mahaprabu is undoubtedly the greatest, best-kept secret, not just in Tiruvannamalai but in this entire world.
Perfection
Just being in Sri Mahaprabu’s presence and observing how he carries himself, gives you a glimpse into what perfection is. Every movement, every gesture, every word comes from a point of total calm, total presence, without the slightest agitation whatsoever; whether he is in the market or in Satsang.
Next to him, our actions stand in stark contrast; hurried on the outside, spurred by the turbulence inside. And he knows it. Nothing escapes his watchfulness, even though he is not looking at you. “With Awareness, With Awareness” are the words you will hear him say so often.
Unique Approach
A look back at history reveals how the Supreme Power manifests itself as Brahma Jnanis in different eras; each of them so different in their post-enlightenment life as it were. Some stay silent, some serve as a beacon to those who come, while others become a light that spreads far and wide.
Sri Mahaprabu’s uniqueness is this: Once he embraces a sincere seeker, he comes down to his or her level, working tirelessly with the seeker, day after day, at every step in the journey. And he even says as much, that “ensuring the disciple attains jnana in this very life, is all that I work for.” Such is the boundless love and compassion that he IS.
Sri Mahaprabu continuously creates situations for the disciple to serve and be in Satsang with him. It is this combination of Satsang and Seva, classroom-learning and real-world practice, in close contact with the Guru that weakens the grip of the ego over time. And after continuous, repeated erosion, it finally surrenders. “Only when you have totally surrendered, can the Truth even enter”, says Mahaprabu.
Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi once said, “A disciple in the hands of a Guru, is like prey caught in the mouth of a tiger. There is no escape possible.” That Tiger is Sri Mahaprabu.