22-23

Every one laughed at my declaration that I taught Hindi to myself in order to understand the movie Aradhana, released in 1969. It was such a big hit, talk of the town  and ran for a year in Madras. It was the city  that had witnessed huge anti-Hindi agitation by DMK party in 1965.  I was 15 years old and in tenth grade, living in our grandfather’s house after the untimely demise of my young father in 1963. We had to move from Bangalore to Madras to live in the shades of our grandfather. Obviously money was short supply and couldn’t afford to join Hindi Pracar Sabha . I  borrowed books from my buddy Jayaraman who was doing third level and taught the language myself. I was adamant that I will not do anything that I don’t understand.

Umesha did not join the gaggle. He said, “Look at his commitment not to do anything without understanding, willingness to put in the effort to teach himself. If he did this even for a movie, no wonder he always talks of spirit and not just the letter. No wonder he is willing examine Dwaitha and Advaitha. More importantly it is wise learning from everything. This is the message from srimad bhagavatam in the form of Uddhava Gita ( also known as Hamsa Gita)” 

We all pressed him to explain more of this. “ Before departing from this Earth, Lord Krishna gives parting wisdom to his devotee Uddhava. Bhagavatam is a pure Vedanta sugar coated with Bhakti. In that Krishna says Self is the best teacher as it triggers one to infer and seek direct perception of truth.
आत्मनो गुरुरात्मैव पुरुषस्य विशेषतः | यत् प्रत्यक्ष अनुमानाभ्यां श्रेयोसावनुविन्दते ||
He further elaborates through an interaction between King Yadu and an Avadhuta . When asked by the King who his teacher was, the Avadhuta replies he learnt from 24 different things like earth, sky , insects, hunters etc,एते मे गुरवो राजन् चतुर् विशति आश्रिताः |शिक्षा व्रुत्तिभिर् एतेषां अन्वसिक्षमिहात्मनः|| He explains that by studying their behavioral traits he learnt his lessons”. Needless to say that understanding Uddava Gita became my life long effort. 

He turned to me and said , “ you are like that avadhuta trying to learn from anything. But tell me what gives you confidence that you can learn something by yourself?"

It was my turn to tell a story. I  narrated the story of manku Venkanna, who later became the Diwan of Adhoni Nawab,  from the life of Shri Raghavendra swamy. 

Venkanna was a poor brahmin boy in a small village Adoni. Due to family problems, he was not tutored or taught any useful skills. He was assigned to the task of tending the family’s herd of cows, spending his entire days in the countryside watching over the cows. He used to regret about his situation but could hardly do anything about it. 

He had heard of the greatness of rAyaru and how he could cause miracles with his mantra siddhi. He was eager to meet Rayaru and seek his blessings. His prayers were heard and one day the retinue of rAyaru passed close by. RAyaru took pity on the boy and told him “When you are in real distress and need my help, put this akshate on your head and think of me”. Rayaru’s retinue passed on. 

One day , as Venkanna was tending the cows , he saw the Nawab of Adoni riding by. Vey soon another man on horseback approached  the Nawab and handed him a written scroll. Unfortunately neither the Nawab nor the rider were literate and needed somebody to read the scroll.The Nawab looked around, he saw Venkanna and  beckoned him commanded to read the scroll. His assumption was that as a brahmin boy Venkanna should be literate. 

Poor Venkanna was was also illiterate, but was sure that Nawab wouldn’t believe him and punish him for refusal.Caught in this deadly trap, he remembered what Rayaru had assured. He prayed to Rayaru and  opened the scroll and he could read! मूकं करोति वाचालं पङ्गुं लङ्घयते गिरिं । यत्कृपा तमहं वन्दे परमानन्द माधवम् was the power of Rayaru.

“So, I always pray to Rayaru and Mathe Sharade grants me the power to understand”, I explained. I use this method to this very day as everything is self taught for me.

Umesha was very pleased to hear the story and he brought us back to the task on hand, ie, managing Swarupananda Saraswathi Maharaj. “He is someone  very special for us in Sringeri”, he said and gave a detailed explanation of Shri Swarupanada Saraswathi and Jyotir Mutt. “ He comes with an unbelievable lineage - himself,  Karapatri swamy, Maharishi Mahesh yogi were all sishya of  the ‘Lion among Saadhus’, Brahmananda Saraswathi of Jyotir Mutt.

Jyotir mutt has had difficult history and was without a Head for neatly 150 years during late 19th and early 20th century.

In 1880 a young boy of 9 , Rajaram Mishra left his home driven by Vairaygya. His family took the help of police and brought him back.;but seeing his determination, parents gave permission . Rajaram wandered on foot for 5 years and went all the way from Ayodhya to Rishikesh. After ‘evaluating’ several gurus, he finally accepted Swami Krishnannda saraswathi.  Even then he would retire into a cave , coming out only occasionally. At the age of 34, he was ordained into the ascetic order and given the formal name Swami Brahmānanda Saraswati.


In 1941, at the age of 70, after repeated requests over a period of twenty years,and pressure from his disciple Karpatri swami, Brahmananda accepted the position of Shankaracharya . He saw it as attempt by the mandala to chain a Lion roaming around freely in a jungle. “ If accepting the pitha serves the mission of Shankara, I will do it”.The appointment of Swami Brahmananda was based on the endorsement of Shri Chandrashlkara Bharathi. He passed away in 1953 without appointing a successor. 

The Jyotir mutt got into a turmoil; Karpatri and Narayananda Saraswaythi were eminent scholars and yogis. Both refused and Shantanada Saraswathi took the pitha under murky circumstances. Mandali took to court. Meanwhile, Shankaracharya of Dwarka pitha passed away , leaving a letter of nomination for Swarupananda saraswathi, another disciple of the Lion among Sadhus Brahmananda.

It was our jyeshta mahasannidhanam who did the coronation of Swarupananda as Dwaraka Shankaracharya” 

It was a stunning narrative which put Shri Swarupananda Maharaj to a high level in my mind. Jyotir mutt seems to have produced giants of yogis whose vairagya made them spurn even the Shankaracharya position. What was more impactful was that Sringeri Acharyas have been the Touchstone, Guru for the gurus, whose endorsement rules all over India. Chandrashekara Bharati endorsed a fellow recluse Brahmananda saraswathi while his successor jyseshta mahasanndanam coronated multi dimensional Swarupanand Saraswathi for Dwarka mutt. 

“You mentioned about Mantra Siddhi of Raghavendra swamy. You would be pleased to hear about Sachhidananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati, our parameshti Acharya”, said Umesh. “He is the one who could determine the spot where Adhya Shankara was born in Kaladi”


Umesha took time to tell us a details of jyeshta Mahasannidhanam’s paramacharya, Sacchidanada Shiva Abhinava Narasimha Bharati (SSANB). 

“  SSANB Swami,  like your Raghavendra swamy, had a very deep sense of Vairagya, master of Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga and attained great Mantra siddhis He was barely eight years old when his guru Vrudda Narasimha Bharati went on a prolonged tour for 12 years. He was 20 by the time Vrudda Narasimha Bharati returned. He was able to ascertain the birth place of Aadhya Shankara in Kalady, had a temple built there and consecrated it.”

The young SSANB Swami became apathetic to learning and worldly affairs. An intense desire seized him that he should wander forth alone into the wilderness and attain emancipation by the realization of jnana. He lost his cheerfulness and enthusiasm for work. He became indifferent to food and bodily wants and always appeared gloomy.

आशावस्त्र सदात्मन्य विरत हृदय त्यक्तृ सर्वानुरागः 
काये चक्षु मुखेष्वप्य अनुदितमतः क्कापि कस्मिश्चकाले 
शैलाग्रे अरण्यकोणे क्कचिदापि पुलिने रेवातटे वा 
गङ्गातीरे तुङ्गातटभुवि च कदा स्वैरचारि भवेयम् 
When shall I become a wanderer at will on mountain peaks or in the depths of the forests, on sandy banks or on the banks of rivers like the Narmada, the Ganga or the Tunga, with the four directions of the empty space for my only clothing, never for a moment dissociated from the Self, abandoning all attachments and never identifying myself with the body or the senses?

When questioned , he quoted Yoga Vasishta  where Rama explains his despondency, as a consequence of wave of vasanas
प्राक्तनं वासनाजालं नियोजयति मां यथा 
मुने तथैव निष्टामि कृपणः किं करोम्यहम् |

Finally his Guru Vrudda Narasinha Bharati had to intervene who reminded him of his responsibility as Head of the Mutt and also assure him that in due course he will get his opportunity to spend time in solitude as a great Yogi.Sringeri was a place eminently suitable for a life of solitude, jnana and tapas, that there were vast and beautiful forests close by and that he might engage himself in yoga at Sringeri when the time is ripe for it. 

In his Sharada-shatashloki-stava, SSANB Swami writes :
आज्ञा सीद्गौरवी मे तव खलु करुणावारिधिः शारदा अम्बा 
स अष्टाङ्गं योगमाराद् उपदिशति भावनौरसः सुनुरस्याः
“My Guru’s authoritative utterance to me was-Your mother Sharada, the ocean of mercy, will definitely instruct you soon about yoga, which has eight limbs. You are Her own child.”

The Mahaswamiji did end up mastering Hathayoga as predicted by his Guru. A bairagi  master of Hatha Yoga from North India, Ganga Das arrived at Sringeri fortuitously.  SSAN Bharati swamiji got initiated into the practice of Khechari-Mudra resorting to Chedana, Calana and Dohana. It called for cutting the bottom of the tongues so that it can be bent backwards.He gradually progressed to duly thrusting his tongue upwards through the opening at the back of the throat. However, not being enamored of the Khechari- Mudra, he finally discarded it and moved on, from Hathayoga, to Rajayoga. What is special about Kechari Mudra? It leads to Amruta Bindu dropping from the crown.

ऊर्ध्वजिह्वः स्थिरो भूत्वा सोमपानं करोति यः |मासार्धेन न सन्देहो मृत्युं जयति योगवित् || says Hatha Yoga Pradipika. 
“If the Yogî drinks Somarasa (amruta bindhu that drops from crown) by sitting with the tongue turned backwards and mind concentrated, there is no doubt he conquers death within 5 days” 
“I was fortunate to have experienced the drop of Amruta Bindu from my crown even without Kechari Mudra”, said Umesh. This was an eye opener for me and I wondered if there was another way of Kechari Mudra without having to cut the tongue at the bottom. I was also sure that SSANB Swamy was not going to adopt any gruesome way.  As I continued my Raja Yoga practice over years, I discovered that when meditation deepens, all the three bandhas - Jalandhara, Uddiyana, Mula-occur by themselves and the tongue starts ‘swelling’ internally blocking the top of the throat. May be this simulates the Kechari Mudra. 
The SSANB Swamiji  would get enormous mantra siddhi and his mere blessings or utterances would cure severe illness. People naturally flocked to him to have their problems solved-just as they do to Shri Raghavendra Swamy.This troubled him more-there he was waiting to hand over the reins of Mutt to someone else so that he can wander as digambara in solitude, far away from the maddening crowd, and Mathe Sharade made him cure peoples troubles that made him a magnet to the very same maddening crowds ! He would cry out to her : 

आगतयास्चैव तत्तत्प्रशमन पटुताम् मन्यमान जनेस्मि 
न्याचन्ते किं प्रकुर्याम् वद तुहिनगिरी शानपुत्री दुमौले 
“People with all sorts of illness and under the bond of evil spirits seek me out to have them cured. What do I know , oh mother, you advice me”  

Over the years this mood of solitude re-surface. He gave up eating salt, sour or pungent foods. Every evening, he would wander in the forests close to Narasimhavana or enjoy the happiness of Nirguna-Dhyana sitting under a tree. He still kept up his teaching of Vedanta to his pupils after the morning worship was over.

He was also very troubled that society in general and brahmins in particular, were moving away from Vedic culture. He established Sanskrit Patashala in Sringeri, advanced Shahstra college in Bangalore and incessantly talked about it. He felt all these actions were inadequate.He believed that unless the spirit of the great master, Sri Shankaracharya, again descended on earth, righteousness could not be re-established in the land. He could only pray for the descent. So, why not do something more to help 'the re-descent’! Why not build a shrine at the birthplace of Sri Shankaracharya ? 

But the very birthplace had become a dim memory , and three places in Kerala with the name Kalady. Based on studies of manuscripts and yogic premonition in dream, Sacchidanda Shiva Abhinava Narasimha Bharati was able to pin point the location of birth place of Aadhya Shankara. With the help of Dewan of Mysore, Sir Seshadry iyer, he set forth a plan to establish the shrine and consecrate the temple.
The whole story is beautifully told in the youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaYfoghV-n8&feature=youtu.be

Umesha continued, “ His Guru Vrudda Narasimha Bharati himself was a great Yogi. We all know the remarkable life of ParamAcharya Chandrashekara Bharati. We are so fortunate to be at the feet of Abhinava Vidyatheertha swami. It is not a surprise that Sringeri Mutt has taken the lead in bringing all the four Amnaya Pitha Adhipatis for the first ever Sammelana in history. Aadhya Shankara established first pitha in Sringeri, SSANB Swamiji discovered the Shankara’s birth place and now our Acharya is organizing the first sammelana”

All of a sudden, there was commotion and it was announced that all the Acharya’s have arrived. We all ran to the hall  designated for the Volunteers teams and awaited orders. First all the Shankaracharyas went into a room for a closed room meeting. Then they came out for giving a joint darshan to the public. 

Every one in that audience was so thrilled that they were getting a chance of several lifetimes in meeting all the four Acharya’s together. They were rejoicing, some closed their eyes even when the historic event was happening right in front of their eyes. Some literally cried, tears of joy flowing down the cheeks. Some were too stunned and remained silent. Some , who were probably brought in without any knowledge of Shankara didn’t even understand the great boon that flowed their ways.

And then, there were some trouble makers too. Someone shouted some disrespectful thing about Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt acharya. Jyeshta mahasanidhanam would have none of it. He gave one of his famous Rudra face stare and that miscreant simply melted away from the crowd. Jyeshta Mahasanndhanam had made it very clear that he will not tolerate any mutt politics or any Yathi of any other Mutt or sampradaya being talked disrespectfully. It applied to every one. One of the visiting Shankaracharya’s was not spared either; when he tried to indirectly refer to Kamakoti Mutt as ‘the other branch mutt’, Jyeshta Mahasanndhanam gave his stare and just walked away from the group. 

It was pretty clear to every one around that they need to strictly focus on the stated agenda and avoid anything even remotely smelling of politics.

The evening fell and it was getting dark. It was time for the Ratha Yatra of Sharadamba. Umesha and all of us were the bearers of tube light poles that provided the illumination, as the procession wound through dark streets of Sringeri town.

“ Do you know who these young lads are”, asked Jyeshta Mahasanndhanam of the other three Shankaracharyas. “ Don’t take them as average guys. This one is a Phd, those fours are Masters in Engineering, the other two are Accountants and the other two are budding engineers. But most important thing is that they are all mumukshus , balancing the heavy burdens of nidhidhyasana and loukika. In this advanced Kali yuga, I am training them in the path of King Janaka”. He beamed proudly.

We were stunned beyond words at these compassionate words of Jyeshta Mahasanndhanam. What great sukruta our forefathers have done that we are here at the great event, so close to the acharyas and fortunate even to have a tiny portion of his mindshare ! Where will all this lead  us to in life  ?