The Making of Deep Down


I wanted to write a song which would tell the story of how Ramana Maharshi came to Arunachala when he was just a boy. The song speaks from the experience of the boy who sat quietly in the Arunchaleshwar temple for a long period. A personal account of his experiences sitting in the small underground chamber that was known as Patala Lingum. To write the song, I connected with my own experiences of sitting quietly and being at peace. The song developed into verses with a sing-along chorus.

As I describe in the song, Ramana moved to the underground chamber known as the Patala Lingum so that he could sit quietly and be undisturbed. Unconcerned about the state of his physical body, not pausing to take food or drink for himself, his body could have just faded away quietly. But there were others around who frequented the temple and who were aware of the young boy who sat there down in the patala lingam. People would come and put food and water into Ramana's mouth. Some would treat the wounds on his body. It was through this concern that Ramana's body was kept alive. After this period of stillness, also known as "tapas", people helped Ramana to move from the patala lingum to a small cave on the Arunachala hill. He was to live in several caves on the hill for the many years that followed. Eventually, an ashram was erected around the shrine of Ramana's mother, at the foot of the Arunachala hill.