Cardinal Teaching of the Maharshi, The

Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni was one of the foremost devotees of Bhagavan Ramana, a great Sanskrit scholar and a tapasvin of a very high order. It was he who gave to the Sage the name Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. Ganapati Muni was affectionately addressed as Nayana by Sri Bhagavan.

One day in the year 1917, while Sri Bhagavan was living at Skandashram, Ganapati Muni approached him and requested him to compose a poem in Sanskrit in the arya metre. The Maharshi pleaded that he knew very little Sanskrit, much less about its metres. The Muni then explained the rules of the arya metre and repeated his request.

Later Sri Bhagavan presented to the astonished scholar five verses in beautiful Sanskrit set perfectly to the arya metre. These verses present in a succinct manner the highest teachings of Sri Bhagavan. Moreover they are in praise of Sri Arunachala.

These five verses were later translated into Tamil in verse form by Sri Bhagavan himself and constitute the last of the Five Hymns to Arunachala.

This scholarly commentary on the Five Verses has been written by Sri Kapali Sastri, an early devotee of the Maharshi and a disciple of Ganapati Muni.