The ‘initiation ceremony’ is traditionally a confidential process about which no one would talk about. But Umesh is an absolute recluse totally avoiding any public presence. If is left to a few of us to share some experiences about him. Else, no one will eve know that in the midst of hustle and buzzle lives a Jivan Mukta Yogi par excellence. Something tells me that he will disappear into a forest or a mountain cave very soon.
We were just two of us sitting there, and after the customary acamana, Paranayama and sankalpa, he asked me to repeat after him - taking a vow to pursue the jignAsa lifelong and not forget even in the dream. Then it was over. He didn’t give me any mantra for Japa, and a roopa for mental upAsana . He just said that Acharya has advised that I should continue whatever I was doing , ie, meditate on Aum with no specific roopa in mind. He added that unlike other disciples, there would be no restrictions on eating habits, entertainment habits, socializing habits etc for me. This was also as per Acharya’s direction.I was terribly disappointed at this simple ceremony; No magical shaktipatha with whole world disappearing from my eyes? He was there, I was there and so was the whole world as before. Nothing happened.
I Tried to argue this with Umesh and he was very amused. As I kept at it , he would only say that Acharya knows what is best for the individual and I should really be happy that there were no social restrictions. “As it is, you are having trouble in the family in view of Maadhwa heritage and why do you need noticeable changes ?”, he asked in bewilderment.
“Why do you think standing upside down or shutting oneself in a dark room is the only method? Being in the midst of everything is the best isolation for you. You should learn to trust a Guru”, he said a bit sternly. “Of course I do”, I added in a hurry, “but still, how will I get the result without the rigor and discipline?”, I protested.
“Whatever Acharya says is the rigor and discipline for you; the results depend on you following the guru upadesha diligently. Don’t be a Kumarila Bhatta," he rounded off the conversation with his inimitable smile.
We all know the story of Kumarila Bhatta who championed Purva/Karma Mimamsa. This was the dominant theme of the land till Gautama Buddha appeared. Siddharta Gautama had revolted against the brahmin society that was immersed in extreme rituals of karma mimamsa and enunciated his middle way Madhyamāpratipad. His approach caught on like wildfire and Budhism was born which totally eclipsed Vedic way.
Kumarlia wanted to contain buddhism and regain glory for Karma Mimamsa. He infiltrated buddhists in Nalanda to learn the intricacies of their theory for eventually defeating them; his intention was discovered and was hurled down the university tower. He prayed that If Vedas were true he should survive the fall. He did survive, but his eyes were damaged as he harbored an iota of doubt. As an atonement, he was self immolating in a slow burning saw dust. It was then that Adhya Shankara came to seek for a debate on Jaiminiya purva mimamsa. The story goes that he asked Shankara to go and debate with his disciple Manadana Mishra. Some believe Mandana Mishra was the Sureshwaracharya, the first head of Sringeri Peetha.
Very few of us realize that agnosticism & atheism were part of Indian ethos always. Purva mimamsa holds such a view point; a view that Universe was depended on actions and no God was necessary for creation, sustenance or dissolution. In fact they challenge the very notion of creation and ridicule the idea of prajapati as the first born. They hold a firm view the rituals enjoined in Vedas are the only means of salvation and dismissed the concept of liberation or mukti. In their view living being come and go.
Vas were 'Perpertual motion machine' equivalent ; the karma representing the ‘Entropy'
It is important to recognize the continuity and evolution of thought from Karma Mimamsa to Budhism to Advaitha in some sense.
While primacy of any one dimensional view of shad darsana were contested by the three great Acharyas, they nevertheless integrated it in their philosophy . Shri Raghavendra Theertha of Maadhwa sampradya has written a Bhashya on Jaiminiya Karma Mimasa - one of the handful to do so in the history of Indian philosophy. His Bhattasangraha is the most comprehensive, clearly structured, up to the point work, oozing with humility which is hallmark of Rayaru.
Umesh would always demand that one should have implicit faith in Acharya and no validating effort was conducive. He would always tease me by stating ‘unlike paddhu, letter is the spirit for me’. He was perhaps the Kumarila with me as Prabhakara; for him every word is valid by itself while I would seek the spirit by taking the sentence as a whole.
The night rolled on and we moved to witness the Chandra mouleeshwara puja done every night by Acharya himself. As we waited in the hall, an elderly traditional vaidika started singing Shiva aparadha kshampana stotram in a loud voice. His emotional rendering was captivating every one. Even the Acharya stopped his japa for a while and was listening with attention.
It was a strange song , coming from ever bullish Adhya shankara; posturing humility is not given to Shankara. He was an alpha male among the philosophers. For him to plead that he did not do anything right in rituals and devotion to Mahadeva to seek pardon was beyond belief.But there it was and the Vaidika put all his emotion in the rendering.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AQ3O0l-zw8
Veda patashala students chanted Rudram, Camakam, Suktani and Aashirwada. Their synchronized voice reverberated in the hall, taking me to land of Sapta Sindhu . I could hear the Rtviks pleading with Aditi to get the grace of Rudra for all in the Rg Veda hymn
कद रुद्राय परचेतसे मीळ्हुष्टमाय तव्यसे | वोचेम शन्तमं हर्दे ||
यथा नो अदितिः करत पश्वे नर्भ्यो यथा गवे | यथा तोकाय रुद्रियम ||
All these learnings will come to me over four decades after the initiation ceremony. Looking back I realize how momentous that gift has been from Umesh. And to think I was tad disappointed over the simplicity of ceremony and absence of any magical power is deeply embarrassing now. Obviously a shaktipata had taken place , giving me the ability to read volumes of Shahstra and understand without a formal learning from a teacher or with detailed knowledge of Sanskrit.
That I was asked to continue my arUpa meditation with mind fixed on Aum was the best one could get would also dawn on me, after 30 years of staying away from Sringeri and Umesh. I would be schooled into this by an unexpected person - my daughter in law’s grandama! She was a great soul, well learned and related to ParamAnanda Bharatai in his pUrvAshrama. If only she were a man, people would have lined up to learn from her.
It is pretty obvious that I just did not understand the value Umesh’s touch.
Another thing I didn’t recognize at that time was that Acharya was taking me through practical learning of Shad Darsana over the next few years. It will take years to understand that as well.
After the life changing event of initiation, I took leave of the then young successor designate Shri Bharati Theertha. His innocence, erudition, vairagya and discipline was visible even then. He was very happy that I made it to Sringeri and that Umesha was forming a group of disciples committed to jignAsa. He said it reminded him of his teen age days when he formed a ‘vAnara sEna’ of Raam Bhaktas.
After giving his blessings, he advised me to adhere to some discipline voluntarily, even as Acharya had relaxed for me. “Acharya is a compassion sagara and so he always looks from sAdhaka situation. We should look at what is needed from our objective and act accordingly”, he cautioned me.
I got back home in Chennai carrying all the memories and mental images of Sringeri. No one at home suspected anything and my family was keen on knowing what happened in U of Agri in Hebbal. My brothers made fun asking if I successfully talked to the plants. Next to Lord Elmsworth who talked to his pigs, I was perhaps the next in command, just coming after Sir J. C. Bose and Prince of Wales.
Armed with Sringeri blessings I plunged more into dhyana. The debates on Dwaitha Advaitha within the family also grew in frequency and intensity with cousins joining the fight and Uncles banishing me from their family for crossing over to the dark side of Maya Vaada.
My Masters degree needed me to do a project in a company and I got placed in ITI Bangalore as an intern. Umesh discussed this with Acharya who advised I stay in Sringeri Mutt in Shankarapura. Bangalore during the six months. The Mutt manger was instructed accordingly. We checked in and the Adhikari reluctantly gave us a room in top floor corner. He was a vaidika and didn’t like the idea of putting couple of Pants & shirts wearing engineers in a mutt. “ You can’t play radio, cine music nor can you eat nishidda food here. This is Mutt and not a lodge. No one should even notice that you live here. I don’t even know why Acharyaru let non vaidika folks like you in”, he grumbled. We both nodded our heads vigorously like the sacrificial goats.
“By the way there is no hot water facility in the mutt. We start our pUja at 6 AM which means you need to go to the backyard and take bath under the tap by 5 AM” . This was a shocker. Cold water bath in the open at 5 AM in Bangalore for Chennai boys? Those days Bangalore used to get very cold early morning. We nodded more vigorously. “I will be watching you”, he thundered.
He was indeed watching. This elderly vaidika used to wake up at 4 AM and take bath in cold water. We could see him in deep japa as we walked to the tap. His face was so clear and serene due to mantra japa. He was as much kind as he was tough on us. He arranged for Saativik home food to be delivered to us every night from a family nearby. We largely kept our discipline and only once caused a crisis - we locked our room and went to see another Satsangi and came late. The whole mutt was in commotion as the LP record player was in the room and they were to play Sharada Bhujanga Stotram every evening at that time. The adhikari suspected that we violated curfew and went to see a movie in spite of our repeated denials.
As advised by Umesha, I started my monthly trips to Sringeri, alone without Umesh or a Satsangi. I was apprehensive if Acharya would recognize me and talk to me. Reached Sringeri early morning, completed ablutions and ran to Narasimha vana. It was the monsoon season and it was raining non stop. Sringeri was less than 30 km from Agume which receives second highest rainfall, getting some 300 inches of rain every year. Tunga river would flood , washing down mud, rocks and trees as it roars towards Mantralaya. Water level would rise and the bamboo bridge would be closed at times. During those times, we would have to use ‘Harigolu’ circular boats. It would ply only some times as the Tunga would not only be rushing but swirl as well.
My anxiety was totally unfounded. Shri Bharati theertha was very pleased to see me and enquired about my sadhana. When I mentioned I had difficulty doing 108 Gayatri japa as mind was going still he chastised me. “ All our anushtana need to be done with discipline and rigor. If your sankalpa is to do 108 Gayatris every time it should be 108. What is the meaning of Sankalpa if we don’t adhere to it ? Are we so progressed that we go into Samadhi and we can’t do japa any more?”, he asked with a twinkle in the eye. In a matter of few months I would get a taste of that experience.
The devotees filed out once the Chandra Mouleeshwara puja was over. I was stepping out of the puja hall and Acharya was retiring to his Guru Nivasa. He stopped me with a hand gesture, “ did you eat your dinner ?”he enquired. I hadn’t as it was amavasya and I had to perform monthly tharpana for my dead father. I said I skipped as it was amavasya.
“ As a young boy you are juggling so many things balancing loukika and jignAsa. You should not starve. A strong and healthy body is the starting point for any saadhana. I will ask the mutt cook to make uppittu for you”. He wouldn’t accept any of my protests and had a special Uppittu khara bath made for me. I was moved to tears. Why should a Jagat Guru take care of an insignificant creature like me ? How did he even know that I had not eaten?
I gobbled the tasty Upma and rushed to the river banks to cross to temple side where choultry was situated. The bridge was closed and the last Harigolu was about to leave and I jumped in. As the Harigolu tried to cross the river, the rushing waters pushed the boat in an elliptical path and I could see entire Sringeri temple complex circling around me as the rushing waters swirled the boat. It was very scary and the oarsman’s tale of boat capsizing didn’t help. I reached the shore just in time to take the bus to Bangalore.
This experience shook me leaving a permanent impression and would resurface some 35 years later, in far away New Jersey. In a Satsang our friend Mrs Malini Murthy sang a Kanaka Dasa Mundige song in a such a melodious voice, it took me back to Sringeri. There was so much emotion, devotion and sweetness in her voice. It was allegory of human life to Harigolu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGGgf4W3PXAWhat a genius Shripada Rajaru & Vyasa Theertharu have been for starting Daasa koota . Great philosophy was made available in simple songs set to soul stirring tunes! Why this division of Advaitis & dwaitis? What difference does it make when our life is a Harigolu swirling in the rough tides of samsara ? Kanaka can help as much as Shankara ….
ಅಂಬಿಗಾ ನಾ ನಿನ್ನ ನಂಬಿದೇ ಜಗದಂಬರಮಣ ನಿನ್ನ ನಂಬಿದೇ
ತುಂಬಿದ ಹರಿಗೋಲಂಬಿಗ ಅದ ಕೊಂಬತ್ತು ಛಿದ್ರವು ಅಂಬಿಗಾ ಸಂಭ್ರಮದಿಂ ನೊಡಂಬಿಗ ಅದರಿಂಬು ನೊಡೀ ನಡೆಸಂಬಿಗಾ || 1 ||
ಹೊಳೆಯ ಭರವ ನೊಡಂಬಿಗಾ ಅದಕೆ ಸೆಳವು ಘನವೈಯ್ಯ ಅಂಬಿಗಾ ಸುಳಿಯೊಳು ಮುಳುಗಿದೆ ಅಂಬಿಗ ಎನ್ನ ಸೆಳೆದುಕೊಂಡೊಯ್ಯೊ ನೀನಂಬಿಗ || 2 ||
ಆರು ತೆರೆಯ ನೋಡಂಬಿಗ ಅದು ಮೀರಿ ಬರುತಲಿದೆ ಅಂಬಿಗ ಯಾರಿಂದಲಾಗದು ಅಂಬಿಗ ಅದ ನಿವಾರಿಸಿ ದಾಟಿಸೊ ಅಂಬಿಗ || 3 ||
ಸತ್ಯವೆಂಬುದೆ ಹುಟ್ಟಂಬಿಗ ಸದಾ ಭಕ್ತಿಯೆಂಬುದೆ ಪಥವಂಬಿಗಾ ನಿತ್ಯ ಮುರುತಿ ಪುರಂದರ ವಿಟ್ಠಲ ನಮ್ಮಾ ಮುಕ್ತಿಮಂಟಪಕೊಯ್ಯೊ ಅಂಬಿಗ || 4 ||
I continued my meditation regimen and one day I felt ants biting me all over and a lightning struck and the world froze.
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