Ma Devaki's Diary

Hohm Press

Pages: 416 pages

Size: Paper,  5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches

This is a book full of secrets. It illumines countless daily teachings in the words, songs, and stories of the Divine Beggar of Tiruvannamalai, Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Authored by Devaki Ma, whom the master named his “eternal slave,” the book is comprised of selections from her diary from 1991 to 1997. The secrets contained here emerge in various forms, many as surprises for the reader: incidents depicting the incomparable humor of the Divine Beggar; his ecstatic declarations, chanting and prayers; his continual instruction in the practice of nama (repetition of the Name of God), and through numerous vignettes that reveal volumes of instruction for sadhana, along with his compassion, tender gestures and even his direct healing power. And, in offering secrets of her own failings, misperceptions and daily challenges, Devaki Ma testifies to the profound service, remarkable fortitude and humbling honesty that characterized her life with him. A life that has continued with the same intention since his Mahasamadhi in 2001.

            For those who had the privilege of meeting “this Beggar,” as he called himself, the “nectar” of his life flows from every page to inspire remembrance and gratitude. For those who have never met him, Devaki Ma’s words paint a portrait of one of the great spiritual Realizers of contemporary times, calling the reader to longing, amazement and renewal of their true purpose.

            Here are stories that even some of his most ardent followers have never heard before. “Big” stories, like his breadth of scholarship, or his impressions of gatherings with J. Krishnamurti; “small” stories, like his gentle care for a toddler playing at his feet. Here is a book to be read at many levels¾as history, as dharma, and as inspiration to a life in God. The reverent reader will be left with a tiny scar upon the heart, a sign of acknowledgement that he or she has imbibed the Beggar’s code, contained in the epigraph at the beginning of Devaki’s account:

“God is the goal of everybody’s life.

Remembering God is life.

Forgetting God is death.” ¾Yogi Ramsuratkumar