ஸ்ரீ அருணாசல அக்ஷரமணமாலை (Śrī Aruṇācala Akṣaramaṇamālai), the ‘Marital Garland of Syllables for Sri Arunachala’, is a song composed in the metaphorical language of bridal mysticism or madhura bhava (the affectionate attitude of a girl seeking union with her lover, the lord of her heart) and consists of 108 couplets, each of which begins with a consecutive letter of the Tamil alphabet and ends with Aruṇācalā. In these 108 verses, Śrī Ramaṇa pours out his intense love for God in the form of the sacred hill Aruṇācala, praising his boundless grace and praying to him for the imperishable state of absolute oneness with him, which can be gained only by means of true self-knowledge, since the true form of God or Aruṇācala is nothing other than our own essential self, the pure consciousness of being that we always experience as ‘I am’. Though Śrī Ramaṇa had actually surrendered himself and merged completely in the egoless state of true self-knowledge at the age of sixteen, on the day in 1896 that he was overwhelmed by an intense fear of death, which was about eighteen or nineteen years before he composed Śrī Aruṇācala Akṣaramaṇamālai, in many of these verses he sings from the perspective of a devotee who is still struggling to overcome his ego and its finite desires and thereby to surrender himself entirely to the infinite love of God. However, though many of these verses are therefore prayers, in some of them Śrī Ramaṇa clearly praises the grace of Aruṇācala for destroying his mind or ego and thereby absorbing him completely in the non-dual state of immutable union or true self-knowledge. – Michael James

 
Bhagavan Ramana’s Śrī Aruṇācala Akṣaramaṇamālai: Sung by Sri Sadhu Om
 
Significance of Śrī Aruṇācala Akṣaramaṇamālai
In an online meeting with Sri Ramana Center, Houston, on 1st January 2022, by way of an introduction to Śrī Aruṇācala Akṣaramaṇamālai, Michael James answers several questions about it, explaining a little about its very deep significance. At several points during this discussion reference is made to above video of Sadhu Om singing Śrī Aruṇācala Akṣaramaṇamālai, for each verse of which a slide is displayed with the Tamil verse, Roman transliteration and an explanatory English translation by Michael.  
 
Pāyiram and kāppu of Śrī Aruṇācala Akṣaramaṇamālai
The joyful marriage garland of syllables, which gives light like a series of rays of the newly risen sun, is what the noble sage Ramana, the abundant giver of grace, sang with joy for the sake of singing praise so that the delusion of good devotees who seek clarity may be cleared away. As a means, those who sink in the heart with awareness as ‘Arunachalam’ will certainly rule the world of Siva. Ganapati, giver of grace, may you protect [this undertaking], graciously giving a hand [to help me] to sing Akṣaramaṇamālai so that it may be fitting [or suitable] for [or to adorn] the bridegroom, Arunachala [or for Arunachala Hara (Arunachala Siva, the one who steals our heart and annihilates ego)].  
 
Verse 1
Arunachala, you will eradicate [or root out] the ego of those who think [within the heart or mind] that Arunachalam is actually [certainly or only] ‘I’ [or that Arunachalam alone is ‘I’].  
 
Verse 2
Arunachala, like aṙahu and sundaram [two words that are different in form but one in meaning, namely beauty], may I and you uniting be [completely] non-different.  
 
Verse 3
Arunachala, entering [my] mind [or home], [forcibly] carrying [me] away [dragging me out or attracting me to yourself], [you have been] keeping [me] captive in the cave of your heart. What [a wonder of your grace this is]!  
 
Verse 4
Arunachala, for whom [or for whose sake] did you take charge of me? If [you] reject [banish or abandon] [me], the whole world will blame [ridicule or revile] [you].  
 
Verse 5
Arunachala, escape this blame. Why did you make [me] think of you? Now [or henceforth] who will [or can] leave [or let go]? [You cannot leave or let go of me, and I cannot leave or let go of you.]  
 
Verse 6
Arunachala, you who bestow aruḷ [grace, love, affection, kindness, solicitude and compassion] greater than [that given by] the mother who gave birth [to one], is this your aruḷ?  
 
Verse 7
Arunachala, may you be [remain, sit down, be seated or be enthroned] firmly on [my] mind so that it does not run [out towards other things under the sway of its viṣaya–vāsanās], deceiving [or cheating on] you.  
 
Verse 8
Arunachala, so that seeing [or looking at] you uninterruptedly [my] mind, which [by its very nature] roams [incessantly] about the world [under the sway of its viṣaya–vāsanās], subsides [settles, submits or ceases entirely and forever] [in you] [thereby being brought under the sway of your grace], show [me] your beauty [the infinite beauty of your real nature, which is unlimited, unalloyed and unceasing happiness].  
 
Verse 9
Arunachala, now [that I am willing to surrender myself entirely to you], if [you] do not unite me [with yourself in inseparable oneness], [thereby] destroying me [destroying my ‘virginity’, namely my separate existence as ego], is this [your] manliness?  
 
Verse 10
Arunachala, why this [pretended] sleep [seeing what is happening to me but remaining unconcerned, as if you did not see it, like one who is asleep], when others [who have no right over me, namely viṣaya–vāsanās, which rise as likes, dislikes, desires, fears and so on] are dragging [attracting or alluring] me [outwards, away from you, my rightful lord]? Is this beauty [befitting or becoming] for you?  
 
Verse 11
Arunachala, when the five sense-thieves [namely viṣaya-vāsanās, which are the seeds that sprout as desires for the pleasures that are seemingly derived from the five kinds of sense-objects] enter [my] heart [to steal my attention away from you], are you not in [my] heart? [So why do you not protect me from them?]
 
 
Verse 12
Arunachala, hiding [from] you, who are the one [the only one who actually exists], who can come [into my heart]? This [the entry of the five sense-thieves in my heart] is only [or certainly] your trick.  
 
Verse 13
Arunachala, [inner and ultimate] substance [reality, import or referent] of ōṁkāra [the sacred syllable ōm], you for whom there is not [anything or anyone] equal [or similar] or superior, who [other than yourself] can know you [as you actually are]?  
 
Verse 14
Arunachala, like a mother, giving me your aruḷ [grace, love, affection, kindness and compassion], taking charge of me [as your own] is your duty [obligation or responsibility].
 
 
Verse 15
Arunachala, who can [by means of what eye] see you, who, being the eye to the eye [the real awareness that illumines the seeming awareness called mind, just as the sun illumines the moon], sees without eyes [that is, who sees (the reality of) everything without seeing (the appearance of) anything]? See [me] [so that I may see you by seeing myself as you see me].
 
 
Verse 16
Arunachala, like a magnet [grasping] iron [by its natural power of attraction], forcibly seizing [grasping, captivating or attracting] me [by the captivating power of your grace], uniting [me with yourself] without [ever] leaving [or letting go of] [me], may you be [eternally one] with me.
 
 
Verse 17
Arunachala, [who shine in the heart as the infinite] ocean of grace [or compassion], which is [what is seen outside as] the form of [this great] hill, being abundantly [or intensely] gracious [or compassionate] may you bestow grace [upon me in whatever way you wish, knowing it to be what is best for me, and may you thereby annihilate me, devouring me completely in the infinite light of your grace].  
 
Verse 18
Arunachala, gem of light [the infinitely precious light of pure awareness, ‘I am’] that shines below, above and everywhere [that is, that shines within me at all times and in all states, whether my mind is in a low state of impurity and immaturity or an elevated state of purity and maturity], [by drawing my mind inwards to see you as you actually are] annihilate my baseness [the darkness of my self-ignorance, which is what rises as ego, the false awareness ‘I am this body’].  
 
Verse 19
Arunachala, who shine as the form of guru, eradicating [removing or cutting off] [all my] defects completely [namely all my viṣaya–vāsanās along with ego, their root] and making me as [one who is endowed with every] guṇa [virtue or good quality] [especially sadguṇa, the ultimate virtue of just being as I actually am without ever rising as ego even to the slightest extent], take charge [of me as your very own so that I may never again fall prey to the evil demon-ego and its horde of viṣaya–vāsanās].  
 
Verse 20
Arunachala, so as not [to allow me] to become ensnared in the cruelty of those with [alluring] eyes [that pierce one’s heart like] a sharp sword, being intensely [or abundantly] compassionate be gracious [by] uniting me [with yourself].  
 
Verse 21
Arunachala, though [I have been] begging [beseeching or entreating] [you] [so piteously that it would melt even a stone], being [like] a cheat [fraud or deceiver] [you] do not feel [or show] even the slightest pity [for me]. [At least now] be gracious saying ‘fear not’.  
 
 
Sri Ramana Center of Houston