David Godman - Research and Writing in Tiruvannamalai After 1997

Research and Writing in Tiruvannamalai After 1997

When Papaji died in 1997 David Godman returned to Tiruvannamalai. Between 1999 and 2003 he was engaged in a project to record the lives and experiences of devotees of Sri Ramana Maharshi. These narratives were eventually published in a three-volume series entitled The Power of the Presence.

Between 2003 and 2008 David Godman, along with Dr T. V. Venkatasubramanian and Robert Butler, worked on translations of Tamil poems by Muruganar that had recorded Sri Ramana Maharshi’s teachings in Tamil verse. These were eventually published in two books: Padamalai, which was brought out in 2003, and Guru Vachaka Kovai, which came out in 2008 .

David Godman, Dr T. V. Venkatasubramanian and Robert Butler also cooperated on a translation of two books that contained Ramana Maharshi’s teachings: Sri Ramana Darsanam, a Tamil account by Sadhu Natanananda that explained Sri Ramana Maharshi’s teachings through a series of anecdotes and lectures, and Sri Ramana Puranam, a long Tamil poem, jointly authored by Sri Ramana Maharshi and Muruganar, that is modeled on the ‘Siva Puranam’, the first poem of the Tiruvachakam by Manikkavachagar.

In the last few years David Godman has worked with Dr T. V. Venkatasubramanian and Robert Butler on more translations of Tamil mystic poetry, particularly that composed by Hindu saints who have been associated with the sacred mountain of Arunachala.

David Godman now lives on the southern side of Arunachala, about 5 km from Sri Ramanasramam. He is currently working on translations of Tevaram poetry (Tamil poetry written between 500 and 800 AD) and translations of the poetry of Guhai Namasivaya, a poet-saint who lived on Arunachala about 400 years ago.