Ramana Maharshi & dog Jackie

Jackie the dog, who was eventually buried alongside the deer and the crow, was brought to the ashram when he was very young. He never mixed with other dogs, nor did he play much. Instead, he lived the life of a sadhu. He would sit in front of Bhagavan on an orange cloth that had been provided by a devotee and stare intently at Bhagavan’s eyes. Because Bhagavan had a lot of love for him, and because he always behaved in such an exemplary fashion, he was always very well looked after.

Ramaswami Pillai in particular took good care of him. Every day he would wash Jackie with soap and water and remove any insects that had attached themselves to his body. Whenever Prasad was distributed, Jackie would not eat until Bhagavan began to eat his own portion. On such occasions he would watch Bhagavan’s face intently. As soon as Bhagavan put a morsel into his mouth, Jackie would start to eat his own portion.

Jackie lived in the ashram for many years but I cannot remember how he finally passed away. It must have happened sometime in the 1930s while I was supervising the building works because I remember constructing, at Bhagavan’s request, the small Samadhi shrine that is over his body.

I found the following account of Jackie’s death in an unpublished account by Narasimha Rao:

‘In the early days of our going to the ashram [ealry 1930s] there was a dog by name Jack. It was then very sick. Bhagavan arranged a soft bed for it and was attending it very affectionately, attending to his wants. After a few days it grew weaker, and was emitting a bad smell. It made no difference to Bhagavan’s attention to it. He used to take it in his arms, and holding it to himself, caress it lovingly. Finally it expired in his hands. It was buried in the ashram precincts with a monument over it. The dog did not show any sign of suffering and bore it bravely.’ – David Godman from Living by the Words of Bhagavan

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