6-7

With the new found confidence and pride I set out to Bangalore with the secret visit to Sringeri planned.First stop in my friend’s apartment in Mathikere, Bangalore, shared by three friends; one of them, a talkative Nair from Kerala, gave me a hard time - he talked more than me, faster than me, knew more of Quantum Mechanics than me . He had a unique way of cooking that fascinated me. He would not stick to any recipe and make curries with the set of ingredients that came to his mind at that moment.

This ‘Recipe for the moment’ style cooking stuck with me and came very handy in my bachelor life and thereafter. Some times I make Rasam with Sambar powder, Cabbage salad served with coconut and Rasam powder, a lemon rice without lemons and so on. I stopped after trying to make a Kheer with mirchi powder!

After making the overt meeting with the scientists at University of Agricultural sciences , I took a night bus ride to Sringeri. Needless to say they were very confused at my plan to make the Rose plants capture TV signals. They couldn’t decide if I was a genius Einstein in the making or a Forrest Gump. They took the usual bureaucratic route of asking me to publish a paper and come back with a project plan. I didn’t bother either, it was only a cover for my secret trip to Sringeri.

After enduring a bumpy ride on bad roads, shivering in the cold of Western Ghats nights, I reached Sringeri in the wee hours. Sringeri was a quiet village those days with just one bus service per day. One of the Umesh Satsang members was waiting for me. After completing early morning anushtana , he took me to the Sharada Temple and then crossed a bamboo bridge into the island called Narsimhavana, location og Shri Abhinava Vidhya theertha’s ashram.

As planned, we waited on the steps of Chandrashekara Bharati Samadhi at Adhistana complex for Umesh to show up. Umesh always stayed in the Guru Nivas doing seva to Shri Abhinava Vidyatheertha. He was Acharya’s spiritual son. It was a strange feeling, standing at the very place where the wandering young monk Adi Shankara established the Dakshina Amnaya Peetha. Vedic chantings reverberated in the Veda Patashala there, the young students in traditional attire took me to land of Sapta Sindhu described in Rg Veda.
All of a sudden , Umesha walked out of Guru Nivasa and came towards us. Boy, he looked so different, traditionally attired, shaven head but for a short Shika at the crown, three shining white lines of Bhasma on the forehead , face dazzling, sporting a stubble and eyes shining like bright cool blue diamond. His countenance was very serious there-the rigor and ugra tapas he was into was discernible. He pleasantly enquired about the travel and for a moment he was his mischievous self asking how I managed to come to Sringeri secretly beating hurdles of Narasimha and Akshobhya Theertha.

This triggered a fierce debate. Standing on the steps of Chandrashekara Bharat adhistana, I started challenging Umesh on validity of 'Tatvam Asi' considering Vidyaranaya Muni lost the debate to Akshobhya Theertha. He just opened all the guns and went blazing, asking me to provide the detailed arguments put forth by Akshibhya and I said no one has details; he asked me to provide the core argument used by Akshobhya- I responded the foundation argument is that the nine examples quoted by Uddalaka Aruni to his son Svetaketu all denote difference rather than unity. He asked the basis for this conclusion and I responded by pointing out Chandogya Upanishad Bhashya of Shrimad Ananda Theertha Muni in which he points out the none of us ever feel we are omnipotent, omniscient, ever blissful without misery. 

Almost all sacred texts describe only multiplicity and difference. So, the articulation of unity of jiva and Ishwara is a distortion. 

“कथं च जीवपरमात्मैक्ये सर्वश्रुतीनाम् तात्पर्यं युज्यते|
न हि 'अहं सर्वज्ञः सर्वेश्वरः निर्दुखः निर्दोषः' इति कस्यचिद् अनुभवः |
अस्ति च तद्विपर्ययेणानुभ्व:|न च मिथ्यानुभवोयं तद्विपरीतप्रमाणभावात् |
न चाभेदे कश्चित् आगमः| सन्ति च भेदे सर्वागम:|” 

Hearing this, Umesha launched a long critique on those views.

He concluded asking how I can believe a story of a debate that has no evidence - historic, archaeological, corroborative text or even a transcript. He ridiculed the whole idea that Vijayanagara King living far away would have someone write down the transcript of the debate that happened in Karnataka, and despatch it to Vedantha desika in another far away Tamil Kingdom and have him adjudicate by reading it. I replied I don’t believe this story and yet had a feeling it must be true. 


There was a look of utter disbelief. “If you are not fully convinced of the story why do you believe the debate happened and Vidyaranya Lost?”. My reply pleased him to no end and he smiled. “Akshobhya Theertha wouldn’t lie as the hot axe would burn him otherwise"-after all the debate was about a mahavakya in Chandogya Upanishad including its statement “सत्येनात्मानमन्तर्धाय परशुं तप्तं प्रतिगृह्णाति | स न दह्यते | अथ मुच्यते||स यथा तत्र नादाह्यते”. (It is said that in the hot axe test, one would be asked to hold a red hot Axe and if one were lying it would burn him; else not as the Truth envelopes and protects the hand ). Moreover, his Illustrious disciple Jayatheertha mentions in Tatva PrakAshika “दुर्वादि वारण विदारण दक्ष दीक्षम् अक्षोभ्य तीर्थ मृगराजं अहं नमामि”


“ So, what do you want to do now ? You want to meet our Acharya or not?”, he asked keeping a poker face. “Of course I do. One small debate means nothing in this regard”, I mentioned. He laughed off my suggestion that he should write down his repudiation for others sake. Experience cannot be replaced by eloquence was his firm statement.
It was not lost on me either that there I was standing in Sringeri, challenging the core tenet of Advaitha, on the very same grounds walked by the great Yati Vidyaranya. That too, just before meeting his parampara successor Abhinava Vidyatheertha!
“But I am keeping this debate issue pending and will continue to evaluate”, I said. “As long as you want," he said with a twinkle in his eye.
My hunt for ‘Akshobhya Theertha debate’ continued for nearly 40 years until it dawned one me that all of us are looking in wrong places. All his arguments are hidden in Shrimad Anand Theertha’s ‘Vishnu Tatva Vinirnaya’. It is complicated masterpiece, goes back and forth, metaphysical, abstract , theological all in one. As always, he writes in simple Sanskrit; but it is tough to understand him without tons of patience, memory, and sharp intellect. He quotes from so many other texts to buttress his arguments, some of which are not available for any. It is difficult to argue against a reference that you will never see and the only option open is to be silent or concede in a debate.
Umesha took me inside the guru Nivas as the devotees milled away slowly for a private audience.

I stepped into the chamber where Abhinava Vidyatheertha was sitting with his successor designate Bharati Theertha. For a moment I froze, standing paralyzed, hands folded in respect. I have never seen such a face that dazzled with tejas, never see such a penetrating eyes, never seen such a bewitching smile. I was tongue tied and kept gazing at him. Something was entering my mind, my intellect, my brain and felt as if my Soul was getting redrawn. It felt as if millions of years of search was coming to an end; as if I was putting down a heavy burden accumulated over thousands of years. A torrent of relief poured in, as if a terrible Rakshasa demon who was sitting on my shoulders and pressing my neck all these janmas jumped down and ran away.
“ Welcome my son” he said smiling, “I am very glad that you finally made it to Sringeri”.
(To be continued)







As I stood before Shri Abhinava Vidhyatheertha Mahaswaminah, I did not know what to say. I have never seen a face shining due to intense Taps ; nor have I seen any yet, ever after. I simply stood speechless and could see Umesh smiling from the corner of my eyes. It looked as though both of them were exchanging opinions without speaking a word. 

“ I heard a lot about you, your thinking, background and conflicts coming from a Maadhwa family. Rest assured that I am not going to ask you to abandon anything of your heritage. Actually I am happy to help you master and excel in your heritage. This is not the time to worry  if you will be different from Vishnu or merge with Vishnu when you get to Moksha . Let us work on getting there first and leave it to Vishnu to decide" he continued with a benign smile. His entire approach appeared to reassure me, put me at ease and help me.

“ My guru Shri Chandrashekara Bharati used to say that we call ourselves Jagat Guru not because we arrogate ourselves to be Guru of the world. Rather, we are available for any one in the world who seek our guidance. In doing so, we will try to make a Christian a better christian, a muslim a better muslim and so on. You see that gentleman sitting there ?” , he asked pointing to an Shrivaishnava Iyengar who was keenly watching our conversation. He was typical Iyengar with Urdhwa Pundra on his forehead. “He is Dr Ramesh, professor from IIT Bombay. Like him I have very many people following different view points coming to meet me. I will only teach and encourage people in Advaitha only if they are keen and I feel they are ready for it. Not every one will grasp it as their predisposition will come in the way of accepting Advaitik concepts”. 

“ I have no reluctance on accepting Advaitha”, I tried to mumble. In fact I was not committed to any ideology as I was at the quest stage. 

“Umesha will guide you on my behalf .He is constantly in touch with me and he will do the mantropadesha and dhyana method to you”. With this he gave me the Prasada akshate and his benign smile. “So, Lord Narasimha did not stop you from reaching Sringeri”, he said with a chuckle. “Rest is up to you”.  I understood what he meant; after all I was still carrying Akshobhya Theertha in my head. 

Umesha asked me to meet him again that evening in front of Chandrashekara Bharati Adhistana and went along with Acharya. The Satsang friend and I came out and visited the famous Sharada Temple. The temple was reverberating with young vidyartis of Veda Patashala singing Ganesha Pancaratna song in a melodious sing song voice but in a fast rhythm. We see a very slow paced delivery by many nowadays; when you hear the young Brahmacharis sing the very same song in a rapid pace, you feel Shankara. He was a bold thinker, strong player breaking through resistance form nyaya, vaiseshika, Sankhya, kApalika, Budhist, Jainist. No Moon walking for his songs.

 It was fascinating to see the beauty of Mathe Sharada; to think it was established more than 1000 years back by Adhya Shankara was stunning. That young wandering monk Shankara was a renegade, a daring philosopher  who challenged several norms of his day; he was extremely bold to declare that even Vedas, Yagnas , God forms and even Guru can be a hurdle to progress. 

न मे द्वेष रागौ न मे लोभ मोहौ मदो नैव मे नैव मात्सर्य भाव:
न धर्मो न चार्थो न कामो ना मोक्ष: चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥
न पुण्यं न पापं न सौख्यं न दु:खम् न मन्त्रो न तीर्थं न वेदा: न यज्ञा:
अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्यं न भोक्ता चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥
न मृत्युर् न शंका न मे जातिभेद: पिता नैव मे नैव माता न जन्म
न बन्धुर् न मित्रं गुरुर्नैव शिष्य: चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥

Shrimad Ananda Theertha who came some 400 years later was a direct contrast - humble, total conformist, extremely devoted, inclusive and compassionate. There is no abandoning scriptures or God forms for him. Unalloyed Bhakti described in the scriptures will fetch us Vishnu’s compassion that will result in Moksha as His Prasada.

“न च केवल तकेर्नाक्सजेन केनिचत्| केवल आगम िवज्ञेयोभिक्तरेवन च अन्यत
परमो िवष्णुरेवैकतज्ञानं मोक्ष साधनंशास्त्राणांिनन्यर्स्त्वेषतदान्य मोहन्याह ही”
How on earth was I going to balance the teachings of these two great Gurus who are poles apart ? I was in no mood go divest Shri Ananda Theertha’s Tatvavaada nor was I keen on turning my back on Advaitha. While it was comforting to recall Sringeri Acharya’s assurance he was only going to help me evolve in my heritage, I knew well enough that ideas are immortal ;once they get into your mind, they never leave and find a way to alter your belief system.  How can both Advaitha and Dwaitha coexist in the same mind? I was very apprehensive about this, but the sheer impact of the holy land I was standing on somehow stabilized my mind. Great Gurus have walked that very same ground for 1200 years and all their voices were still there for me to find. Sound decays to zero intensity only after infinite time said physics to me.

So, I stood there in front of Chandrashekara Bharati’s samadhi waiting to be initiated by Umesh. There he was, walking briskly towards us, coming straight from the Guru Nivas. He was beaming with smiles as he seated me and himself in front of the Samadhi.
(to be continued)