10-11

I had come on a short break to Chennai to visit my mom at brother’s home. It was an old Chennai Tiled roof  house with a small little area of the roof flattened and concreted. One needs to climb a wooden staircase to get there. 

Sitting there I was doing my dhyana.Something was stinging my legs and felt a swarm of ants running across my body; a powerful lightning flashed. Or so it appeared to me as I sat in meditation. The world froze and everything became stand still. I was baffled when I came out of that and assumed that some insects from the tiled roof must have bitten me and the street tube light must have simulated the lightening. I ignored it and headed back to Shankara Mutt ,Bangalore next day.

As always, finished my ablutions at 5 AM, sat down , closed my eyes and focused in between eyebrows, contemplating on AUM for my  arUpa dhyana. Breathing quietened and everything around me vanished from mind and I was getting dragged towards a room filled with bright, cloudy light. And then there he was, Raghavendra Swamy, standing at the entrance of the room. He smiled benevolently. Startled , I opened my eyes and didn’t know what to make of this. Should I be happy that Rayaru showed up to bless me or worry that a rUpa is showing up in an arUpa dhyana?

I decided to do it differently next day and performed more rigorous pranayama before starting arUpa dhyana. Next day experience was an improvement-my breathing quietened, world disappeared from the mind and “I” managed to enter the room filled with bright light. I kept observing that without any thoughts .

And he appeared again . Rayaru was now sitting on a large lotus floating on the sea of bright light and kept smiling. I was startled more and didn’t know how to deal with this.

There was also a gnawing anxiety that Rayaru was not approving my arUpa dhyana approach. Does he want me to stick to Tatva Vaada and not explore advaitha ? After all, his close disciple Appanacharya wrote in his magalashataka that Rayaru rejected Advaitha as a Halahala poison on the basis of teachings of Vyasa, madhwa, Jayatheertha et al 
वेदव्यास मुनीश मध्व यतिराट् टीकार्या वाख्या अमृतां 
ज्ञात्वा अद्वैत मतं हलाहल समं त्यक्त्वा स्माख्याप्तये 

This couplet would become the weapon my fellow Maadhwas would use in many debates and menacingly ask me if I wanted to adopt a philosophy that Rayaru, Gur Saarvabhouma, called Haalahala ? Years later, I would turn the tables on them by defining poison as an entity that harms only because the affected persons are unprepared for it. There are toxins every where - in insects, animals, plants (even common tomato plants have toxins) and the toxins don’t affect them but only those who don’t have a defense mechanism. Some insects separate the poison and store to use against predators later; some critters developed mechanism to process toxins into safe compounds !

As Bhagavata says, hAlahAla spread every where during the Samudra Manthana until Rudra Shiva drank it to stop further spreading. Nothing happened to him as he could ‘digest it’. What spilled over was absorbed by various insects, animals and plants.
परस्कन्नं पिबतः पाणेर्यत् किञ्चित् जगृहुः स्म तत् 
व्रुश्चिकाहि विष औषधयो दन्दशॊकाश्रच येपरे  ( SMB 8:1:46) 
One needs to build Shiva capability  to understand the ‘Halahala’ Advaitha without getting hurt. Advaitha is a hurtful Halahala only for the unprepared.

I reached out to Umesh to ask him about these experiences. Umesha was nonplussed , he didn’t show any reaction. He felt I should not dismiss the Chennai experience of ‘ants bitting’ as insignificant; he would discuss with Acharya and get back on that. He discerned I was knocking the doors of samAdhi anubhava, if not already in it. As for as Rayaru showing up in my arUpa dhyana, he suggested I go to Sringeri and discuss with Acharaya directly and he would guide me. 

I ran to Sringeri and took this up with the then Sannidhanam Bharati Theertha. He smiled and comforted me stating that he was pleased at the progress being made and I should not get confused. Why would a great Yogi like Raghavendra Swamy come in the way of any one’s quest he asked.He promised he would discuss this with Acharya and I could ask him directly when I meet him.

So, with lots of apprehension I reached Acharya’s chambers. There was a scholar discussing with him and he looked very troubled. The Scholar had taken part in vakyartha Goshti with Dwaitins and faced the onslaught of their arguments drawn profusely  from Teekacharyaru ,Shri Jayatheertha. Teekacharyaru came some 100+ years after Shrimad Ananda Theertha and put Tatva Vaada on firm footing. His scholarship, mastery over language, grammar, logic, dialectic skills, and force-fullness is unprecedented. 

Among his 23 works ‘Nyaya Sudha’ is considered to be  Magnus opus - a graduation requirement among Maadhwa scholars. It led to the popular saying ‘Sudha va patanIya vasudha va pAlanEya’.  nyAyasudha is a teeka Commentary on Madhwacharya’s Anu Vyakhyana-which itself was short explanation for his Brahma Sutra Bhashya. Nyaya Sudha takes some 20+ interpretations including Shankara’s and establishes how they are off the mark and only Madhwacharya’s interpretation was the right one. It is a large work with scintillating analysis of metaphysics, cognitive psychology, theory of errors and alternative hypothesis. 

Jyeshta Mahasannidhanam’s response to the lamentations of the vaidika was a surprise to me. 

“In jignAsa you need to keep an open mind. You should either know how to differ from Teekacharayaru or accept his views. I know how to prove it wrong but this is your jignAsa and you must have the courage and humility to accept the conclusions. Follow what you are convinced about and not on what I or other Gurus say”. He pointed at my direction and continued, “Look at this maadhwa lad. He has the courage to walk to advaitha smartha sampardaya in spite if his family being devout maadhwas and connected to Rayaru. This is what you need to do”. He dismissed off the Vaidika and asked me to sit down. 

There were only three of us including his personal assistant who lingered a little away.

“I heard from Umesh about your ants crawling experience. This is a great progress in dhyana. Don’t worry about Rayaru showing up in your meditation.Such great Yogis always come to bless and never to stop any jignAsa. Hereafter he won’t come and interrupt your dhayana. He has blessed you and gone. We ,as Acharyas, do not force any views on any one. The way is for you to choose and our role is to help you succeed in anything you choose”. This talk was reassuring.

“I know what you need.You are neither in Chennai with Umesha nor here with us. You need a mentor. I will ask Umesha to connect you with our disciple Dr Subbaramaiya in Bangalore. Visit him every weekend and participate in his Satsang. You will learn a lot”.


After getting back to bangalore I called Umesh and asked him about Dr.Subbaramaiya. He gave one of his mischievous laughters and said, “ He was one of the Six students of Dr C. V. Raman in IIsc and he specializes in Viacara marga. As commanded by Acharya you spend your Saturdays in his Satsang ;but bear in mind, he path is different from ours and he is not a great fan of Yoga & Dhyana. His school is analysis and strongly feels understanding of an experience does not come from experience itself but from analysis of such experiences. He can be very strict at times”. 

Once agin, I was getting pushed into another new zone with attendant  discomfort . Hesitantly I made to his home in Vasanth Nagar on next Saturday morning. There he was sitting with his disciples. He looked at me and smiled. His face was serene, eyes twinkled in brightness and gray beard added to the luster. “Let us welcome our dear Maadhwa boy" he said.

Dr.Subbaramaiya’s benign welcoming smile could not hide the brilliance of his intellect radiating from his eyes. The current generation  may not know him-he was one of the best students of Nobel laureate Dr Sir C.V.Raman.

The IISc ( known as Tata institute in namma Bengaluru) Department of Physics was inaugurated in July 1933 with Prof. C. V. Raman as the first head of the Department and eight students including D. S. Subbaramaiya.Student Subbaramaiya’s natural brilliance was amply strengthened by the rigor of Dr C.V.Raman’s approach. It is my understanding that young Subbaramaiya was deeply influenced by Indian ancient Nyaya Sutra of Gautama Akshapada . It showed up emphatically as he matured into Dr.D.S Subbaramaiya and later as jIvan Mukta sishya of Sringeri Acharya jyeshta mahasannidhanam.

NyAa , science of logic, was one of the earliest Darsanas or View points of Indian Philosophy. Gautama Akshapad is credited to have collated the prevailing knowledge and written nyAya sutra - an astounding edifice of logic and syllogism. Many believe Indian nyAya Shastra predates Aristotle’s Categories that ushered in  Logic as a philosophical science in Western World. 


nyAya sutra by Akshapada is a formidable book that establishes categorization, syllogism, logic rules and methodology to understand the relationship between objects, attributes and our experiential knowledge. It makes a giant leap to define the ultimate goal of human kind and using logic as means of achieving it. There is not one philosopher, not even one, who has not integrated nyYaya  in his philosophy. 

The most scintillating nyAya demonstration can be seen in the great Maadhwa Yati Shri VyAsa Theertha’s NyAyAmruta and its rejoinder Advaithasiddhi by equally great Shri Madhusudana Saraswathi.

In my mind, along with vaisEshika and Sankhya , nyAya  constitutes the trinity of theoretical framework of Indian Metaphysics; Yoga, Karma Mimamsa and Brahma Mimamsa constitute the Action Play book to realize what the former three promise. All the six are collectively known as ‘Shad Darsana’ of Indian philosophy, as precursor to later day philosophies of Advaitha, Vishista Advaitha and Tatvavaada Dwaitha. An open minded seeker would see a continuity of thought and evolution of view points as he/she wades through the systems.

Obviously I did not carry this understanding when I walked hesitantly into Dr Subbaramaiya’s house. I was actually confused as I sat down in the circle of his disciples. They were a motley crowd - there was Dr.Ramesh , a Shrivaishnava professor from IIT Bombay -his son Jayaram would later become world famous economist politician as Dr Jayaram Ramesh. There was Shri Narasimaiyah, a senior Manager from HAL and his wife Smt Manikarnikamma. The pious couple successfully Integarted laukika and jigNasa. 

Then there were their children-Lakshmeesha, Lokamata , Lalitha and Shankara. I have no idea what they thought of me but I was very fascinated by their devotion and dedication. Even after 40 years I still remember them reading out every session how they were trying to integrate  Shri Subbaramaiya’s teachings in daily life ( their words ‘himbalisutteve’ still echoes in my mind). I would incorporate this model of facilitated learning, as opposed to teaching , 25 years later when I started to ‘teach’ Vedanta in a Boston suburb.Shankara Sharma would spend years serving jyeshta mahasannidhanam at Narasimha Vana and remain committed life long. I would meet Lakshmeesha years later as fellow GE guy at Jack Welch Technology Center.  

Shri Subbaramiya introduced me to others as Umesha’s diciple. They all looked at me with respect-they revered Umesha so much. Shri Narasimhaiah and Smt Manikarnikamma gave me a worried look bordering on sadness. I got to understand that later as they opened up. They felt traversing ‘Umesh way’ was an uphill task and my mother would never consent.She used to ask me every week about it with her motherly feelings were very evident. It is very rare to see such parents, who strive to help their children sustain connect with our ancient heritage while letting them grow in modern world.

As Umesha had cautioned Shri Subbaramaiha was very strict and never minced words. He told categorically that in the current world it was foolish to attempt to live a bramhacahri  life with all degradation of society ; it was much worse to take sanyasa and join a mutt. 

He would also indicate the ultimate truth was discernible only critical analysis using nyAya Shahstra and we couldn’t go just by karma, bhakti, Yoga and dhyana. Ultimately we have to make something out of all these experiences and only Analysis would help. Inquiry was the King of Shad Darsana, of which I knew practically nothing. I don’t even want to mention Vedangas without which one cannot understand Vedas.

I could not understand what he was getting at; but it was clear that jyeshta mahasannidhanam had pushed me into a learning cycle. Given that I was not a traditional brahmin with formal shastric learnings of Vedangas & Shad Darsanas, he had actually made me learn through experience and watching them play out.

Play out it did and for long. What started at Shri Subbaramaiya’s house in Bangalore will play for five years; its echoes lasted forty years even in far away Boston and New Jersey when I started sparring with young maadhwa scholars on a social site. This was the most fruitful years of my learning with a host of young maadhwa scholars taught me intricacies of Tatvavada  through debates. archives.org turned out to be my asharIri guru dumping all scarce Shastra books through internet. As the young maadhwa scholars helped me understand Shrimad Ananada Theertha more and more, my conviction on the harmony between Advaitha and Dwaitha became clearer and clearer. What was a vague feeling born out of dhyana regimen became grouted on string shabda pramAna over a period of time.

Innocuously it started with my listening to Dr Subbaramiah’s rigorous analysis of shahstra and our experience every week end . I would get a taste of his method as he started sharing his Magnum Opus work - commentary of Dakshinamurthy shloka. The way he took this 10 stanzas sholka and made into a two volume 1400 pages commentary shows his erudition, nyAya, vyakarana, nirukta skills and more importantly his experiential wisdom. Weeks into my attending his sessions, he had not even crossed the first stanza 

विश्वं दर्पणदृश्यमाननगरीतुल्यं निजान्तर्गतं
पश्यन्नात्मनि मायया बहिरिवोद्भूतं यथा निद्रया ।
यः साक्षात्कुरुते प्रबोधसमये स्वात्मानमेवाद्वयं
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥१॥