I noticed with amusement that Dr.Subbaramaiya could not go beyond the first stanza of Dakshinamurthy stotra even after several weeks. In fact ,we Umesha’s sishyas, made a joke in lighter vein that the vicara group was in analysis paralysis. The bitter sweet irony that turned out was that I could not personally move beyond the first couplet even after 40 years !
What does the lines “विश्वं दर्पणदृश्यमाननगरीतुल्यं निजान्तर्गतं |पश्यन्नात्मनि मायया बहिरिवोद्भूतं यथा निद्रया” really mean ?
The universe is but a clear reflection
we see inside with mind as mirror
Like the wonderful dream that Maya projects
of external world to our internal self
These two lines of Shankara summarizes the Vedas, Upanishads, Brahma Sutras, and all the Bhashyas written by all scholars till now and those yet to be written. It is cognitive psychology, metaphysics and Vedanta philosophy all rolled into one. That Dr.Subbaramaiya managed to tell it all in brief 1400 pages demonstrates his erudition.
Brahama Sutra’s (2.3.50) terse statement -आभास एव च (“And it is only a reflection”) started the game. If the individual souls are but reflections of Ishwara , what about the universe? Is the universe an independent entity or a product of individual soul’s imagination? What is the Universe that Shankara talks about in the verse विश्वं दर्पणदृश्यमाननगरीतुल्यं निजान्तर्गतं.. ?
While Shankara left it at general level that everything is a reflection and projection of Maya, Shrimad Anantha Theertha took it to completely another level. To counter the Mithyavaada ( Philosophy of Euphemism) of Shankara he developed Tatva Vaada ( philosophy of Realism) in which everything was graded reflection of Shri Hari in an organized hierarchy.
But what is astounding is that with a single line command that I should attend Shri Subbaramaiya’s satsanga, jyeshta Mahasanniddhan triggered a chain of events. It resulted in my getting to learn nyAya shahstra by observing others practice it and contemplating deep on it.
Jyeshta Mahasannidhanam’s nyAya skills were demonstrated to me in a totally bewildering episode. He was pure Rational, Logical and Inquisitive guru at that moment. Once I was closeted with him and couple of scholars discussing some knotty issues. Acharya always made me sit through whenever I went.I would sit timidly, tongue tied and totally silent. During that sitting, the scholars appeared troubled by logical arguments put forth by Tatvavaada Dwaitha scholars on nature of Vishnu.
Many Maadhwas believe that Vishnu has a form, in as much as he can’t be limited by it; he is full of infinite kalyana guna; He lives in a physical place vaikunta , resting on Adisesha snake, floating on ocean of milk; he is always served by his divine consort Shree. When jivas get liberated they go to Moksha and reside with Vishnu for ever enjoying bliss as per their yogyate.
On the contrary, Shankara had postulated an abstract Brahman that has no shape , no attribute; and all jivas lose individual identity on liberation only to merge with Brahman. Then there is no place called Vaikunta. Zilch.
The scholars were naturally troubled by the contrast and were perhaps unable to defend their position to their own students, let alone Tatva Vaadins. They were seeking guidance and clarity from jyeshta mahasannidhanam. He tried initially to explain the standard way by quoting profusely from Shankara, but it was only met with more doubts and questions. He then delivered the shocker.
“ If you want to restrict Vishnu with a rUpa , try to answer this : Is there Vishnu between the four arms ? If he does not exist between arms , he is not omnipresent. On the contrary, if he is present in the gaps between arms, where does his form start and end ? What is the purpose of positing a form when presence transcends it?”. The scholars went silent.
“Let us look at the Vaikunta defintion”, he continued. He got a bit naughty and asked, “Vishnu must find it very uncomfortable to rest on a snake , shouldn’t he? If he was really floating on milk don’t you think ants will be biting him?”. He gave a ringing laughter. “ As for Tatva Vaada position on this please read Shrimad Ananda Theertha’s works carefully”. He gave me a side glance.It was a clear demonstration of Gotama Akshapada’s Nyaya darshana-a sixteen pointed weapon to unravel truth using the power of sheer logic.
“प्रमाण प्रमेय संशय प्रयोजन दृष्टान्त सिद्धान्त अवयव तर्क निर्णय वाद जल्प हेतु आभास वितण्डा छल जाति निग्रह स्थानानाम् तत्त्व ज्ञानानात निःश्रेयस अधिगमः |दुःख जन्मान प्रवृत्ति दोष मिथ्या ज्ञानानां उत्तर उत्तर आपये तत्-अनन्तर -अपायात् अपवर्गः”
While these statements of Acharya remained theoretical and directional for decades, they came to life and meaning as I was researching Shrimad Ananda Theertha’s works. In his Maha Bharata Tatparya Nirnaya Madhwaacharya writes - “असत्यः स्वगतो भेदो विष्णो न अन्यदसत्यकं….” - there is no truth in any difference between attributes, limbs of Vishnu..”
को हि तो वेदितुं शक्तो यो न स्यात् तद्विधोपरः …तद्विधश्र्चापरो नास्ति तस्मात् तं वेद स्वयं
Who else can know Narayana than himself ; none equal to him and so only he can know himself
Contrary to the popular notion of Vaikunta, Shrimad Ananda Theertha creates a hierarchy of Moksha anubhava with liberated jIvas having a non material body and only those with highest gnAna reaching Ksheerasaagara . He writes in his Brahma Sutra Bhashya, ‘in moksha liberated jiVa enjoy the bliss in a body made of intelligence & bliss; only those with highest jnAna reach the milky ocean’.
‘यता संकल्पभोगस्चा छिदानन्द सरीरणः’
‘केचित्सत्ये महाज्ञाना गच्छान्ति क्षीरसागरम्’
As I continued to think about this for years, it struck me that Naryana reclines on Adi Sesha. Doesn’t it mean the ‘original residue’? What is this ‘original residue’?
Vishnu is Purushottama, while Shree Lakshmi is the prakruti Maya swarupa. While explaining the origin of universe, Madwacharya writes in MBTN : ‘unmanifest Narayana took the form of Purusha to kickstart the creation and triggered by him Lakshmi also took the second form Maya : …तस्या ज्ञयैव नियताथ रमापि रूपं बभ्रे द्वितीयमपि यत् प्रवदन्ति मायाम्
So, if Vishnu , the Purusha & Laksmi the Maya prakruti are negated what remains is unmanifest Narayana. Figuratively speaking we have Vishnu & Lakshmi resting on Adi sesha snake. Ksheera sagara is the all encompassing universe. Makes perfect sense. So even in Shrimad Ananda Theertha’s schema Moksha is not a physical place after all.
Coming back to Sringeri days, I had a more impactful taste of nyAya shahstra that evening. The situation was tense. It was the Tarka Shastra class jyeshta Mahasannidhanam was conducting for sanyasis. All of a sudden there erupted an open confrontation between him and his successor designate Bharati Theertha.
I quietly tiptoed into the class room. Jyeshta Mahasannidhanam was sitting in a corner with books laid down on the Shanbogara desk.The sanyasi students sitting respectfully aside - Shri Bharati Theertha was there as a student and not as successor designate. As directed by Acharya I was sitting there too. They were all conversing in pure Sanskrit and so I could hardly understand what was going on. Acharya’s personal attendant had informed me that some nyAya class was scheduled. Though I can’t recall the topic exactly, it was perhaps on Advaitha Siddhi. This treatise by Shri Madhusudana Saraswathi was a line by line rebuttal of Shri Vyasa Raja Theertha’s nyAmruta.
Shri Bharati Theertha is known to be formidable in Tarka Shastra with nyAya, vyAkarana, nirukta, as his forte.He was perhaps a tArkeeka right from the young age. He kept on interrupting Acharya all the time and suddenly jyeshta Mahasannidhanam flared up in Kannada. He point back asked Bharati Theertha if he wanted to learn or argue; if his focus was only on argument he was coming in the way of other sanyasis from learning. Acharya had no problems doing tarka endlessly but after the class was over. He was responsible for all the sanyasis , he pointed out.
Every one burst into laughter and Bharathi Theertha apologetically quietened down. It was an apt demonstration of definition of Vada by Gotama Rishi
विमृश्य पक्षप्रति-पक्षाभ्यां, अर्थ-अवधारणं, निर्णयः,
प्रमाण-तर्क साधन-उपलम्भः, सिद्दान्त-अविरुद्दः पञ्च अवयव उपपन्नः
पक्ष-प्रति -पक्ष परिग्रहो “वादः"
Settlement means cautious confirmation of the objective after - investigating both sides; the dialectics, deciding, criticism, discussions of means of validation-with these five subdivisions of analysis, but without losing focus on doctrine .
Shri Bharathi Theertha stands today the tallest and most qualified tArkeeka. Shri SatyAtama Theertharu of UttarAdhi Muttt is emerging as the foremost tArkEka among the Tatva Vaadins . It is a treat to hear these nyAya giants lead Vakyartha Ghosti with scholars from both sides duking it out. We are indeed the lucky generation to be able to drink the nectar from them.
Shri Bharati Theertha examining students:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8-_dyeU4WY&t=157s.
Shri Satyatma Theertahru leading vakyartha :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVgjBuLWfa0
While this immersion into nyAya Shastra was going on, yet another darshana was engulfing me without my even being aware of. KaNada Rishi’s Vaishehsika theory was luring in the background.
I was always fascinated by Quantum theory and Cosmology from a young age. I spent disproportionate amount of time in Matscience institute ,bothering doyens like Alladi Ramakrishnan , George Sudarshan and others. Interestingly, it was Quantum theory that brought me and Umesha together. Umesha had attended one of my lectures on matter wave theory of Louis de Broglie and challenged me if he was a DC generator !
QM also brought me into contact with another brilliant junior in the engineering college , Sundar Sundararajan. He was like a cannon ball, high energy, blazing bright, shattering all opposition in debates. He also became a member of Umesha’s satsang and quickly rose in ranks. Umesha was so impressed with him. My situation was not very good - caught between blazing brilliant senior Umesha and Cannon Ball junior Sundar. It was very hard keeping pace with rapid-fire debates when these two were present. I just absorbed whatever I could.
Dr Subbaramaiya’s Satsang gave me an opportunity to mingle with professors from IISc and IITs. They were a bunch of PhDs and they talked science and Shastra simultaneously. It was so fascinating to hear them talk. They kept mentioning the name kaNada (कणाद) and I had no clue who he was. When I asked Umesha about it, he stunned me by saying he was perhaps the original discoverer of atomism theory and he even postulated how the atoms and forces interact leading to complex matter.
Umesha’s statement gave me a nudge and I started a very long inquiry of Vaisheshika. I kept reading and discussed with experts. When I stumbled upon kaNAda’s vaiseshika sutra book , I was excited.
His definition of dharma itself was so universal
यतो अभ्युदय निश्रेयस् सिद्दि: स धर्मः ( that which elevates and delivers supreme bliss is dharma).
When he said “matter, characteristics and interactions produce the supreme bliss” , I was intrigued.धर्म विशेष प्रसूताद द्रव्य गुण कर्म सामान्य विशेषमवायानाम् पदार्थानां साधर्म्य वैधर्माभ्यां तत्व ज्ञानान निश्रेयसं.
As he kept explaining his model further, I went ecstatic
द्रव्य गुण कर्मणां द्रव्यं कारणं सामान्यं : Matter is the common cause for matter, characteristics and forces.
तथा गुणः So does Characteristics
संयोग विभागवेगानां कर्म समानं : Impulsive combination and split up of matter generates forces.
Connecting the dots I could see that he was laying foundations for the Feynman diagrams.
The way he was extrapolating the material science analysis and taking it to ultimate bliss, without unduly connecting with theology was mind blowing.
How does material science lead us to Moksha path ? With a strong interest in Quantum Theory, I could digest the possibility of matter behaving like a non-matter, wave. However, taking this further to concepts like jIva, Samsara, liberation, moksha? It was a Himalayan stretch. This was my impression till I started the conversation with Umesh. He introduced me to the concept of Ontology which are the building blocks through which we relate to external universe.
Not stopping with that, Umesha told me of an incident when jyeshta Mahasanndianam demonstrated how the scientific laws are under the control of Ishwara, rather than define his actions. Once Umesha was explaining Faraday’s laws of induction-
how the direction of the current induced dependent of magnetic flux direction. Umesha had jigged up a device with coils, a magnet and a galvanometer to demonstrate the law. As he moved the magnet to and fro, the needle would deflect in opposite directions.
Looking at this jyeshata Mahasannidanam smiled and asked him to do it again . Much to Umesha’s amazement, the needle were now deflecting exactly in opposite directions, violating the left handed thumb rule.Quoting this experience, Umesha said we should recognize that the division of knowledge as material science and non-material science is an arbitrary one.
I didn’t take this story very seriously for quite some time, until a day my brain caught fire; after every meditation session I started getting a severe burning sensation in the head. It was unbearable and disorienting.
In sheer panic I called Umesha and sought his help. He calmed me down and suggested I go to Sringeri and talk to Acharya about this. Ran I did that weekend, totally confused, anxious and in terror. Was I losing my head ? Was Lord Narasimha striking back for ignoring the Oracle’s commands and going to Sringeri ? Was Rayaru getting upset that I was abandoning Tatva Vaada to embrace Advaitha?
With a burning head and a burning heart I rushed to Sringeri and surrendered to Acharyas. They listened carefully and asked a few searching questions about my dhyana techniques. Jyeshta Mahasannidhanam finally gave a verdict, “Your body is unable to keep pace with the progress in meditation. Kunadlini shakti is very powerful and you need to take care of your health. I know that Maadhwas are very strict in the eating regimen but remember your saadhana is not exactly maadhwa type. So, relax a bit, eat well regularly and on time. This burning sensation will go now and will never return to bother you”.
At that very instant the burning sensation in the brain vanished completely, as if it never even existed.There was not even a tiredness one feels after an ordinary head ache goes. My head was restored to a “status quo ante” health in a moment. Mind over mind and matter was demonstrated.
Shri Bharati Theertha made a remark that we are all connected in the universe and compartmentalizing was just a matter of convenience and not of absolute reality.
This experience made me recall an old incident when Umesha would start his car and shut it down; then another person would try but car won’t start; Umesha would try and it would start; but it wouldn’t for other person again.
Amazing, but true.
With all these guiding thoughts, I looked at Vaisheshika sutra in a different perspective. The way it was positioning Matter, characteristics and actions as building blocks for perceiving the universe was interesting.
धर्मविशेशप्रसूताद द्रव्य गुण कर्म सामान्य विशेष समवायनां पदार्थानां साधर्म्य वैधर्म्याभ्यां
तत्त्व ज्ञानांनी श्रेयसः ||
पृथ्वि आप तेजो वायु आकाशं कालो दिगात्मा मन इति द्रव्याणि
रूप रस गंध स्पर्शाः संख्यां परिमाणानि पृथक्त्वं संयोग विभागौ परतत्वा परत्वे बुध्दयः सूख दुखे इचछा द्वेषौ प्रयत्न गुणाः ||
उत्क्षेपणं वक्षेपणं अकुञ्जनं प्रसारणं गमनं इति कर्मणि ||
What is more noteworthy is listing Atma & Manas as dravyas; and intellect as a guNa.
One can understand that manas being categorized as a material in Ontology, but how and why Atma is treated as a dravya material ?
Mind is the closest we have to our cognition and if it is treated as a matter, the implications are serious-it means that the universe any one ‘feels’ is just what the mind projects , far away from the real universe that is out there. Echoes of Dakshnimurty stotram here.
Atma is a dravya ? Does this not lead to an argument that we are not the atma as it has been reduced an object here, even if atma here is jiVatma. This categorization perhaps leads to another advaitha concept that we are the Brahman really speaking, as even jiVa is a definition.
More serious is the slotting of Intellect as a guNa, attribute. If the proposition is that intellect is an attribute guNa, it means that anything the real “us” sense is deeply colored by the intellect. More importantly what the intellect tells us is only a portion what the entity is-as attributes are not the entity. Echoes of Tanmatra ‘post processors’ of the Sankhya system.
So, the vaiseshika material system is more than just a material system. It actuals turns our understanding on its head by making ‘us’ as a part of a larger existence and at deeper core. It is to be noted even Shrimad Ananda Theertha has also adopted this structure, bringing Sentients as part of his Ontology.
Years later I got a stunning expansion of this concept from a short book, “Bhoogola Varnanam”, written by Shri Vaadiraja Muni. He was one of the greatest Yatis of the Maadhwa samparadaya.He was a great Yogi, prolific writer and such accomplished person, he is considered as the second coming of Shrimad Ananda Theertha. He would assume Vayu status in future.
This book is not discussed much even in Maadhwa circles let alone others. It gives out a structure of universe that is so different from the modern cosmology. It wouldn’t make sense unless we understand what I call as ‘Experiential cosmology”.
As I was grappling with understanding Vaisehika system , Umesha was enthralling me with all the great experiences we can have in intense dhyana. We can see the entire universe in us he would say. In fact what he explained can now be called ‘multiverse’ experience in today’s parlance.
With his encouragement and guidance I intensified my dhyana schedule and occasionally could feel myself expanding all around. I would feel I was everywhere and ‘every where’ was so far away from me. It was a curious feeling of being ‘there’ as well as ‘here’ at the same time ; of being infinitely big and infinitesimally small at the same time. Witnessing all kind of tantalizing scenes of akasha , the colors, sparks, billows of gases of intense brightness was amazing. The sheer power of some huge gravity force pulling me away from me was exhilarating experience.
I was seeing them without actually seeing.
When I went back to Umesha and discussed the details, he said that biggest mistake we do as human beings is ignore or forget that everything is connected in the universe, and that all of us have come down from a single entity.
“All of us vigorously nod when a scholar says we are not the body, without realizing the meaning behind the words; nor does the scholar get what he is preaching. Meaning of the very same words seek us, when uttered by a Guru who is a jnAni and accomplished yogi. We not only understand the words, but also realize the experience behind the words”
“The words need not be plentiful; a couple of words are enough to help us realize”, he continued. “ Just like Kaula Upansihad”, he concluded with his enigmatic smile.
Umesha’s statements carried life , not just meanings. It made perfect sense.With his mentorship I was fortunate to come into the penumbra of jyeshta Mahasannidhanam’s grace. My interactions with jyeshta Mahasannidhanam were always brief in words .
But what was that Kaula Upanishad Umesha was mentioning ? It was very typical of him to say lots of things and throw a directional word suddenly. It was as if he was always ensuring we are alert and know how to seize a fine point , like a Garuda eagle, be able to spot the good thing while scanning large area.
It was but natural for me to study Kaula Upanishad.The Upanishad itself is small , barely a couple pages. It was short on words but deep on substance. Three words caught my attention in the very first stanza.
ज्ञानम् बुद्दिश्च | ज्ञानं मोक्षक कारणं | मोक्ष सर्वात्मता सिद्दिः |
पञ्च विषयाः प्रपञ्चः |
तेषां ज्ञान स्वरुपाः |योगो मोक्षः ||
“Panca VishayAh prapanca : the five senses constitute the Universe”, was a stunning line. The significance of this innocuous statement is far reaching. This implies that outside of what the five senses convey, the physical universe, albeit real, has no objective relevance. This is an endorsement of Mithya Vaada of Shankara. I thought this was perhaps a sectarian view of Advaithins for a very long time till I stumbled upon the book “Bhoogola Varnana” of Tatva Vaada Yati ,Shri Vaadiraja Bhikshu of Sonda .
In that book Shri Vaadiraja Bhiskhu gives a graphic description of the universe. The way he describes the superstructure is beyond belief, way ahead of his times. How did he get all this in the 16th century, living in the dense forests of Malnad area ?
One of the idols in the mutt shows him in a siddhasana , with his palm touching his heart with a snake in the side. This indicates his deep Yogic powers and intense dhyana expertise. He must have seen the entire multiverse images during the meditation. The most intriguing factor was that the structure included vayu , Akasha, ahamkara, mahat, and Three Gunas. This effectively covered the inner tatvas of Sankhya model.
He writes of the Universe structure as follows.
The Brahmanda (the golden shellcovering the universe) is a Billion yojanas thick .It is surrounded by the watery envelope which has a thickness of billion yojanas .Around it is the envelope of the fire element with a thickness of 100 billion.
Similarly, there are other seven envelopes, each ten times thicker than its inner complement.They are: Air element, Trillion Yojanas ; Sky element, 10 Trillion Yojanas; Ahamkara, 100 Trillion Yojanas, Quadrillion Yojanas;Tamoguna, 10 Quadrillion Yojanas; Rajoguna ,100 Quadrillion Yojanas; and Satvaguna, Qunitillion Yojanas. Our universe within the Brahmanda is only 500 million yojanas.
The point is not about exact dimensions but is more about recognizing that our universe is bigger than earth, the interstellar space is vast and our inner faculties spread to the farthest point of the multiverse. The last point almost echoes Kaula Upanishad. Inspired by it, I am writing a book, “Experiential Cosmology of Vaadiraja Bhikshu”. I travelled to Sonda and obtained the blessings of Shri Vishwa Vallabha Thirtha, a young Tejasvi Yati who heads the Mutt.
While all these were going on, a word came from jyeshta maha sannidhanam that a famous Mimamsaka was about to conduct a great rotual Homa at Dr Subbaramaiyah’s place and I should participate in that. When asked for details I was told that he was a Professor of Metallurgy in IIT Madras. His name was Dr Srikanta Kumara swamy
“ A professor from IIT ?”, I asked incredulously, as I spoke with Umesh. “Yes, he is teaching at IIT Madras, and is specialized in Karma Mimamasa. They believe that Vedic Karmas are the only way to achieve Chitta Suddhi that leads to liberation. You should read about them”, he said with a smile.
Dr R.K. Srikanta Kumaraswamy , RKSK, as he is known, made many innovations in iron and steel-making furnaces.He was always passionate about the Vedas and learnt from reputed Ghanpatis at Bangalore, Varanasi, Shimoga and Madras. He has taught over 300 student in Madras, irrespective of caste, creed or sex.
So, he came down to Bangalore to conduct an elaborate homa. We all assembled in a small temple near Dr Subbaramaiyah’s house. Umesha had given us a gist of Karma Meemasa and what to expect. The Karma mimamsa followers believe :
The world is neither created nor will it be destroyed. It is ever present.
The language, particularly Vedic language, has no beginning or the end.
The sacrificial activity also no beginning .
‘Prapanca sambandha’ is ‘bandha or samsara’; ‘prapanca sambandha vilaya’ is moksa. The body, senses and the objects constitute prapanca.
The state of Moksa is ‘svastha’ state i.e. remaining unto oneself. In this state, pleasure, pain, desire, initiative, religious merit etc are all eliminated
They reject enjoying the bliss as Moksha, as it will be same as svarga needing a faculty and hence temporary.
The recommend withdrawal from the kamya sacrificial activity and prohibited activities; Nitya and Naimittika Karmas have to be performed .
Ishvara is not required for any of these purposes, including Moksha attainment. Individuals are totally responsible.
Strictly speaking Mlmansa is not interested in liberation. Performing karmas faithfully is a way & goal of life. Mimamsa has a powerful Vakya saastra and Darsana sections that have contributed immensely in understanding words, sentences, meanings, theory of cognition, etc. All philosophical systems have integrated several of these concepts into their structure.
Porf Pandurangi has published a compendium “Critical essays on pUrva mimamsa” in english. It is very succinct and provides a top level exposure. For a detailed reading, the best source is his three volumes English commentary on Bhatta Sangraha, written by our Rayaru. Rayaru’s writing has a structure, clarity, simplicity that are unmatched and is the most comprehensive commentary on Mimasa Sutra of Jaimini.
True to his belief, Dr RKSK continued to do these Vedic Karma till the end, asked that no rituals be done after his death and his body donated to an hospital.
Dr RKSK performed the homa with such a meticulous rigor, it was almost tiring for novices like me. But,it was indeed thrilling to watch the homa flames leap and hear the unison with which the team recited the Vedic mantras. He took time to explain the roles of team , Hotr, Adhwaryu, Utgatr and Brahma . He invoked Rg Veda and explained that it was Agni who was being represented by them
तवाग्ने होत्रं तव पोत्रं रत्वियं तव नेष्ट्रं तवमग्निद रतायतः |
तव परशास्त्रं तवमध्वरीयसि बरह्मा चासि गर्हपतिश्च नो दमे
What captured my heart, soul and mind however, was the talk he gave on Vedic learning , methodology , structured learning that ensured the Vedas were transmitted word to mouth for thousands of years, without any deviation.
Taitiritya Upanishad Sikshavalli defines how this structured learning ought to be done.
औं सीक्षां व्याख्यास्यामः | वर्ण स्वरः |मात्रा बलम् | साम सन्तानः |इत्युक्तः सीक्षाध्ययः
Seeksha deals with Varna, Swara, Maatra, Strength, Saama and Santaanah. A fool-proof method to commit Vedas to memory is to chant each mantra in various patterns and combinations known as
Vaakya, Pada, Krama, Jata, Ghana, etc.
1)Vaakya Paatha or Samhita Paatha is to recite the mantras in a sentence straight, some of the words therein have to be conjoined in chanting.
2)Reciting mantras, word by word is Pada Paatha. This is done after Samhita paatha. This gives the student of the Vedas the knowledge of each word in a sentence.
3)In Krama Paatha,In the Krama type of recitation the order of words is 1-2 ; 2-3 ; 3-4 ; 4-5 and so on. This helps the student understand not only the individual words but also how two words can be combined in recitation and what modification occurs in swara in such a combination.
4)In Jata Paatha, the order will be 1-2-2-1-1-2, 2-3-3-2-2-3, 3-4-4-3-3-4, 4-5-5-4-4-5 and so on. Just as two words are repeated forwards and backwards in the Jata Paatha, the Sikha Paatha three words to be so linked.
5) In Ghana Paatha the combination will be:
1-2, 2-1, 1-2-3, 3-2-1, 1-2-3 । 2-3, 3-2, 2-3-4, 4-3-2, 2-3-4।
3-4, 4-3, 3-4-5, 5-4-3, 3-4-5। 4-5, 5-4, 4-5-6, 6-5-4, 4-5-6।
Chanted in Ghanam style as above, Rig Veda may take over 450 hours to chant!
Dr RKSK demonstrated this by having the Vedic scholars actually do pada, krama, Jata and Gana rendering . Listening to Vedas being recited in pada, Jatha, Krama, Gahana was a transporting experience.
The Youtube links below provide an idea of what I experienced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW63xXTTTwU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shaVQ_c70Qk&t=116s
When I mentioned this to jyeshta Mahasannidhanam in my next visit, he asked me to stay for another day and witness another epoch making event-a Vaidik disciple was getting initiated into Agnihotra homa. He said only those who get initiated and maintain this nitya karma strictly are called Agnihotri .
I wondered what was the significance of this homa- after all there are so many homa being performed. As if he was reading my mind, he said that homa fire will be started without any matchstick or any fuels and that fire will never should be allowed to die.
Rather , it will be used to light the pyre of the Agnihotri when he dies.
I got curious when jyeshta Mahasannidhanam almost insisted that I stay and witness the Agnihotra initiation. Such Agni karya were new to me - As Maadhwas we are so focused on Bhakti and moved away from such Shrauta Karmas. Bhakti movement with stirring devotional songs in Kannada from ‘Daasa Koota’ almost overshadowed ‘Vysa Koota’. Vyasa koota was on to Shruti, Shrauta karma, Vedanta , Vaakyartha etc.
Purandara Dasa, Vijaya Dasa, Gopala Dasa, Jagannta Dasa and Kanaka Dasa were more popular in a typical Maadhwa Household than Jayatheertha, Vysas Theertha , Vijayaeendra theertha who were genius scholars whom even Advaithis respected.
Even Raghavendra Theertha - the only one in the world to write a comprehensive commentary on Jaimini Karma Mimamsa-was more known for his devotion , compassion and miracles than his erudition . He has written simplified versions of ALL key works of Tatava Vaada Munitrayam , Shri Ananda Theertha Muni, Jayatheetha Yati and vyAsa ‘Raja’ Theertha . And yet very few maadhwas focus on that aspect. Likewise Vaadhiraja Bhikku is more known for his devotional piece Lakshni Shobhane than his philosophical treatise Yukti Mallika or mystic work Bhoogola varnana.
No wonder way back then I knew nothing of this Agni karyas. Why did jyeshta mahasannidhanam insist on my witnessing it ? As I frequently mention, he was pushing me into decades of learning with such simple instructions. Though I continue to be novice and with zero anubhava in Shruta karmas, my understanding on the Samskaraas has grown. What I got to learn made me sad that we lost our touch with such a glorious tradition all because we wanted things only in ‘modern scientific format’ and turned blind eye to logic.
On that day, every one was assembled in the small house like structure, just off the Adhistana Mantapa in Narasimha vana . The Vadik was all looking prim and proper in traditional attire. Many were jostling to have a ringside view of the event. What struck me was that they were all calm, pleasant, happy and bright with Tejas.
Why did we trade that for material wealth, tension, grumpy and angry face ? Bad Karma or Entropy ?
Everything quietened down and things swung into action as jyeshta Maha sannidhanm arrived with Shri Bharathi Theertha. The gruhasta was sitting all in attention along with his wife. The priests brought in the ‘tools’ to start the fire - a solid block of wood and a wooden drill with small ropes around the threaded surface.
The wooden drill was mounted on the block and was given several twirls with such a force generating immense heat. A piece of ‘wooden wool’ was used to light up with that heat and this small fire was transferred to the Agnihotra pond. The Agnihotra has to be performed every morning and evening, exactly at local sunrise and sun set time. Agnihotra is the act of offering oblations to Agni - Thirty to thirty -five grains per oblation- two pinches of raw, unbroken rice grains, smeared with ghee made of cow’s milk. The oblations were offered while chanting two Vedic mantras that are very simple.
In the morning : सूर्याय स्वाहा सूर्याय इदं न मम
प्रजापतये स्वाहा प्रजापतये इदं न मम
In the evening : अग्नये स्वाहा सूर्याय इदं न मम
प्रजापतये स्वाहा प्रजापतये इदं न मम
A couple of more yagas were performed; so was a stunning pravargya done-fire leaping several feet high as pure cow’s milk was poured on super heated vessel. This simulates chromosphere of the Sun.
What was the obsession with Agni ? Why give oblations ? Why used ghee made of cow’s milk ? I had no clue as I witnessed the exhilarating Agnikarya. On return to Bangalore, I discussed this with Dr Subbaramaiyya, Umesha and quite a few others. I continued to research and study on this , egged by a one line command of jyeshta Mahasannidhanam.
Karma Mimamsa lists 52 Samskara or Milestone events in a Dwija’s life and there are rituals for them ( see one of the attached jpg). When we get into the weeds , we recognize they are more than rituals. Beyond faith, they inculcate focus, dedication, discipline, sincerity, honesty, integrity, contentment, compassion and keep us away from indulgence. Any one can see how Karma Mimamsa can help our progress in happiness in this life. As we saw earlier, pUrva mimAsa is very agnostic and neutral towards moksha and Ishwara. In this aspect it was similar to carvaka lokayatavaada
“ Borrow if you must, but eat ghee and make merry is the credo of our ancient nAstikyas”, Umesha had once told me with his mischievous smile.
He explained Brihaspati’s Lokayata Vaada in a few brief lines, “It was down right materialistic, atheistic and pleasure principle based sweet talk. Hence it is called Carvaka system”.
I looked up and their arguments and it appeared they were a humorous lot. Strangely, their conclusions on Svarga & Moksha were already present in a way in karma mimAmsa , albeit with total faith in Agni Karya. SayaNA mAdhawacharya Vidyaranaya has covered Carvaka in his concise Sarva darshana sangraha.
Carvakis argue:
यावज्जीव सुखं जीवेन नास्ति म्रुत्योर्गोचर:
भस्मीभूतस्य देहस्य पुनरागमनं कुतः ?
There is no way the body that is burnt is coming back after death; so enjoy as long as life lasts
अग्निहोत्रं त्रयोवेदा त्रिदण्डं भस्म गुण्ठनम्
बुद्दि पौरुष हिनानां जीविकेति बृहस्पतिः
Agnihotra, three vedas, thridandi sanyasa, smearing with ashes are all means of making a living by those who are lazy and dull.
पशुश्चोन्निहितह् स्वर्ग ज्योतिष्टोमे गमिष्यति
स्वपिता यजमानेन तत्र कस्मान्न हिंस्यते
If animals sacrificed go to heaven, should you not offer your own father and send him to heaven?
… and so on and so forth
Their arguments were very atheistic ; so were mimamsakas and yet here we are with Sringeri Acharya personally leading Agnihotra. Why was he lending his support for mimamaska ritual ? I also recalled Shri Chandrashekara Bharati’s strong message that he respects Naasthikyas who searched for Ishwara, Moksha and gave up more than the so called blind believers who do no jignAsa.
So I did my jignAsa on karma mimAmsa for a couple of decades. I evaluated karma mImAmsa using nyAya and vaisheshika as tools. I looked at its various claims through the lens of modern science.
What came out was a surprising conclusion that we modernites are so poorly short sighted and don’t know how to look beyond our noses. Much worse, we start with an assumption that our forefathers were foolhardy, faint hearted lot who fell at the feet of natural elements in deep scare. We tend respect Richard Dwakins more than out Rishis, while understanding neither.
It was the theory of Combustion that gave me a whole new understanding of Agni Karyas.
When great gnAnis like jyeshta Mahasannidhanam makes a statement, we need to be very watchful. It will take a Janma at a minimum to get to understand and several to implement in our lives. I took some 40 years to understand his direction to witness Agni Karya.
I wondered for years as to why so many Agni Karya were given, why burn things in fire and pollute the environment; laughed at the belief that burning valuable food like grains, herbs , ghee and milk is good for people . Why waste them instead of giving to the needy?
After 40 years of thinking I understood that food was actually being delivered to living beings through Homa! When the forefathers said Agni will take the food to all the world, it was based on facts. How they discovered that method without modern science is very impressive.
The simple mantra of Agnihotra was the key that opened up the treasure trove of knowledge. To restate -
In the morning : सूर्याय स्वाहा सूर्याय इदं न मम | प्रजापतये स्वाहा प्रजापतये इदं न मम ||
In the evening : अग्नये स्वाहा अग्नये इदं न मम | प्रजापतये स्वाहा प्रजापतये इदं न मम||
Loosely translated it means : “I offer to Surya- all these belong to him and not me . Offer to Prajapati , all belong to him and not to me”.
The same thing in the evening, except that we offer to Agni instead of Surya, the sun.
Who are the Surya , Agni & Prajapati to whom offerings are made and why? Why do we say all these are not mine and yet offer oblations?
Why is it stipulated that once started Agnihotra fire should not be allowed to die out ? Why start it with wooden friction tools without any fuel? Why use cow dung cakes in the homa pot? Why offer ghee and unhusked brown rice as oblations ?
We all know that without Sun entire Universe will disappear.
Agni is representation of heat. If the heat gets to Absolute zero ( Zero kelvin) several strange things happen.Matter are no longer discrete and get into “Fifth” state known as Bose Einstein Condensate. All atoms behave like waves, get entangled ( Quantum entanglement) and act as if they are single entity. This almost borders of the advaitha theory of Brahman as the only single valid entity as substrate.
Who is Prajapathi? Various Brahmanas describe him as the only self created , first born. He felt alone, found only vast sheet of water, and created all other beings.
आपो वा इदमग्रे सलिलमसीत् .. (TB)
एकह वाव देवता स्वयंभूः प्रजापतिरिव
प्रजापतिरिव वेदं अग्रासीत् | सो कामयत बहु संप्रजयेय | बहुनाम् गच्छेयं इति (JUB)
So, it makes perfect sense in recognizing and offering to Sun, Agni & Prajapati - the origin of physical universe, raison d’etre Agni and first born Prajapati. Agni is the carrier who we request our offerings to entire universe-which is fueled by Sun and owned by Prajapati ,the first born.
What is striking is that we add इदं न मम, ie, ‘all these are not mine’.
It is a three words summary of ultimate knowledge-that we are not body or its faculties and do not possess anything in this world.That is why very strict agnihotris do not earn a livelihood nor do they seek any alms.
How does the Agni take our offerings to every one in the universe ? This is where modern combustion theory helps understand.In combustion one can heat a material to vaporizing or fumigation point or to a higher ‘smoking point’ temperatures. When you heat it to vaporizing temperature the constituents of the material vaporize, ‘as they are’, without reacting with oxygen and burning into dangerous compounds like free radicals.
Hence, if we take nutrients rich materials and heat them to vaporizing/fumigation temperature, all nutrients vaporize and spread in the region around through air. If we use ‘fuels’ that have low calorific value the heat released will be moderate and hence we can maintain temperatures that are less than smoking points.
This is precisely the design concepts behind Homas /Yagnas like Agnihotra.
1) The Cowdung cakes as fuel has lowest calorific value
2) The Samidha sticks are herbs that vaporize
3) Raw unpolished brown rice rich in nutrients vaporize
4) Ghee has rich nutrients and has a high smoking point
The combination causes vaporization of rich nutrients that are spread around the region, benefiting every one who inhale the air. Scientific studies have been done on effect of Homa and published in international journals. Agnihotra has gained global popularity.
http://agnihotrasupplies.com/
If we look at the 52 Samskara that are enjoined deeply, we would notice that they are not only karmAs but also attitudinal & behavioral demands on ourselves. Doing the karma as a ritual will not help . The panca maha yagnas (Brahma, Deva, Pitru, mAnisha, bhUta) ensure we develop a universal brotherhood and compassion. The Ashta Gunas, Daya ( compassion) , kshanti (Patience), anasuya (non-jealous) , sauca (purity), anAyasA (effortless) , mangala ( auspicious), akarpanya (non-misery) , aspriha (non-covetous) completely transform us and prepares us in chitta shuddi for the ultimate knowledge to dawn.
The Dasa Koota crystallized karma mImAmsa and Vedantha into a seemingly devotional Bhakti song. Routinely singing it is as bad as ritually performing karma or simply chanting Aham Brahmasmi. No one should sing a Dasa Pada without understanding the language and the import of them.
Kanaka Dasa’s “DasanAgu visEshanAgu” is a great example. After imploring we should avoid bad attitudes, behaviors and ritualistic karma anushtana, he suggests we should focus of Hari Dhayana that will help us see the Brahmanda itself in ourselves !
ಸಂದೇಹವ ಮಾಡಿದರು ಅರಿಯು ಎಂಭ ದೀಪವಿಟ್ಟು,
ಇಂದು ಕಂಡ್ಯ ದೇಹದಲ್ಲಿ ಪೀoಡಾoಡ ಹಾಗೆ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಾಂಡ !!
ಇಂದು ಹರಿಯ ಧ್ಯಾನವನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿ ವಿವೇಕದಿ,
ಮುಕುಂಧನೀಂದ ಮುಕ್ತಿ ಬೇಡುಕಂಡ್ಯ ನೀ ನೋಡುಕಂಡ್ಯ !!
A beautiful rendering of the song by Puttur Narasimha Nayak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll349Ojh-f4
As if jyesshta mahasannidhanm wanted me to drown in the Agni , he sent word that I should visit Sringeri again to witness another set of homas - maha rudra homa and Shatachandi homa in connection with Shri Bharati Theertha’s vardhanthi. Umesh told me it will be a great opportunity to witness Bharathi theertharu performing abhisheka to a linga that appeared to Sage Vibhandaka drawn by his penance.
“Vibhandaka who ?”, I asked , being ignorant.“Father of Rishya Shrunga muni”, replied Umesh.
ಎಸು ಕಾಯಂಗಳ ಕಳೆದು ಎಂಭತ್ನಾಲ್ಕು ಲಕ್ಷ ಜೀವ ರಾಶಿಯನ್ನು ದಾಟಿ ಬಂದ ಈ ಶರೀರ !!
ತಾನಲ್ಲ ತನ್ನದಲ್ಲ ಆಸೆ ತರವಲ್ಲ , ಮುಂದೆ ಬಾಹೋದಲ್ಲ ದಾಸನಾಗು ವಿಶೇಷನಾಗು !!
ಆಶ ಕ್ಲೇಶ್ ದೊಷೆವೆoಭ ಅರ್ಥಿಯೋಳು ಮುಳುಗಿ
ಯಮನ ಪಾಶಕ್ಕೊಳಗಾಗದೆ ನಿರ್ದೊಶಿಯಾಗು ಸಂತೂಷಿಯಾಗು!!
ಕಾಶಿ ವಾರಾಣಸಿ ಕಂಚಿ ಕಾಳಹಸ್ತಿ ರಮೇಶ್ವರ್,
ಎಸು ದೇಶ ತಿರುಗಿದರು ಬಾಹೂದೇನೂ ಅಲ್ಲಿಗ್ ಹೋದೆನು !!
ದೂಷನಾಶ್ ಕೃಷ್ಣವೇಣಿ ಗಂಗೆ ಗೋದಾವರಿ ಭವ
ನಾಶಿ ತುಂಗಭದ್ರೆ ಯಮುನೆ ವಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಉಪವಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ !!
ಮೀಸಲಾಗಿ ಮಿಂದು ಜಪ ತಪ ಹೋಮ ನೆಮಗಳ
ಎಸು ಬಾರಿ ಮಾಡಿದರ ಫಲವೇನು ಈ ಛಲವೇನು !!
ಅಂದಿಗೂ ಇಂದಿಗೂ ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಸಿರಿ ಕಮಲೇಅಶನ್ನನು
ಒಂದು ಬಾರಿ ಹಿಂದ ಯಾರು ಹಿಂಗ ನೆನಯಲಿಲ್ಲ ಮನ ದನಿಯಲಿಲ್ಲ !!
ಬಂದು ಬಂದು ಭ್ರಹಮೆಗೊಂಡು ಮಾಯಾ ಮೋಹಕ್ಕೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿ
ನೊಂದು ಬೆಂದು ಒಂದರಿಂದ ಉಳಿಯಲಿಲ್ಲ ದ್ವಂದ್ವ ಕಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ !!
ಸಂದೇಹವ ಮಾಡಿದರು ಅರಿಯು ಎಂಭ ದೀಪವಿಟ್ಟು
ಇಂದು ಕಂಡ್ಯ ದೇಹದಲ್ಲಿ ಪೀoಡಾoಡ ಹಾಗೆ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಾಂಡ !!
ಇಂದು ಹರಿಯ ಧ್ಯಾನವನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿ ವಿವೇಕದಿ
ಮುಕುಂಧನೀಂದ ಮುಕ್ತಿ ಬೇಡುಕಂಡ್ಯ ನೀ ನೋಡುಕಂಡ್ಯ !!
ಮೂರುಬಾರಿ ಶರಣು ಮಾಡಿ ನೇರ ಮುಳುಗಲ್ಲ್ಯಾಕೆ
ಪರನರಿಯರ ನೋಟಕ್ಕೆ ಗುರಿಯ ಮಾಡಿದಿ ಮನ ಸೆಳೆಯ ಮಾಡಿದಿ !!
ಸುರೆಯೋಳು ಸುರೆ ತುಂಬಿ ಮೇಲೆ ಹಾವಿನ ಹಾರ
ಗೀರು ಗಂಧ ಅಕ್ಷತೆಯ ಧರಿಸಿದಂತೆ ನೀ ಮರೆಸಿದಂತೆ!!
ಗಾರುಡಿಯ ಮಾತ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ನಾದ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮನ ಪಿಡಿದು
ಸಾರಿ ಸುರಿ ಮುಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಶಮನದಂತೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ಸಮನದಿಂದ !!
ನಾರಾಯಣ ಅಚುತ್ಯ ಅನಂತಾದಿ ಕೇಶವನ
ಸಾರಮ್ರಥವನ್ನು ಉಂಡು ಸುಖಿಸೋ ಲಂಡ ಜೀವವೇ ಎಲೋ ಭಂಡ ಜೀವವೇ !!
Umesha’s terse reply to my question, “Vibhandaka, who ?”, was part response and part rebuke.He was perhaps critical on my lack of intellectual curiosity. Every sacred town in India has a Sthala Purana . It is both a branding exercise as well as establishing the principle that Ishwara is everywhere.
“Rishyashringa Muni was the remarkable son of Rishi Vibhandaka”, Umesha explained for my benefit. “ Vibhandaka was great tapasvi who once got tempted by beautiful Urvashi and begot Rishyashringa as child. Urvashi left him with the child and disappeared to swarga. Vibhndaka was very upset and started to hate women”.
“He resolved that he will bring up Rishyashringa in a deep forest where no woman would venture. Rishyashringa lived in Sringeri in later years, it was called Rishyashringa Giri which later shortened into Sringeri. The temple Mala Haani Kareshwara temple is where both father and son worshipped. There is even a temple in honor of Rishyasringa muni in Kigga , a few miles away from Sringeri”
With this intro from Umesha, I set out to Sringeri. As the bus wound through the western ghats, my mind was preoccupied by that story. I felt quite upset at Vibhnadka on two counts - why should he blame women for his weakness of getting tempted? This seemed misplaced, he should have hated himself. On the top of it, his decision to bring up his child alone, in a deep forest, so that he no woman would tempt him appeared quite repressive. Why did the people celebrate the ‘weak minded, vengeful father’ and ‘repressed child Rishyasringa’ ? Why temples in their honor?
I reached Sringeri and hurried to Tunga for ablutions. The crystal clear waters, the serene atmosphere with bramhacaris performing their sandhya, melodious veda chantings from the patashala stilled my mind. Ganga Snana , Tunga Paana was the local saying.
I rushed to Narsinhavana to have darshan of Acharya. It was a treat to see both of them sitting together to bless the disciples. Jyeshta maha sannidhanam was very pleased to see me and said witnessing a Sringeri Acharya perforn abhisheka to Mala Haanikareshwara was a rare sight and Rudra will bless me.
It was blazing hot in summer with temperature reaching 38 deg C. It was indeed great experience watching Bharat theertharu performing abhisheka to a large linga that had marks on it like a horn. Shri Rudram and Camakam chanting rang out like a bolt. Then there was Shatchandi homa in honor of his Bharat Theertharu.In his anugraja bhashane , Bharati Theertharu talked about Ramayana.I returned to Bangalore, and all the questions that were agitating my mind came back with a vengeance.
“There has to be an inner meaning to the story. What is the spirit behind the letter?”, I asked indignantly to Umesha. “ For me Letter is the spirit and if you think they are different, you need to find out”, responded Umesh with his bewitching smile. As a slow learner that I took several years to get to understand the import of the story. Valmiki gave me the answer in his Ramayana
Once there was a severe draught in Anga Kingdom due to violation of dharma by the King. Hi ministers advised that the only way to get rains was to bring a Rishi whose mind had not wavered even once with lust. The King wondered if there would be any one at all in the world.The ministers told him Rishyashringa was once such young tapasvi.
But then there was a catch-his father Vibhandaka would curse them if he came to know of their plans to take his son to the capital city. So, the Anga King decides to tricks Rishyasringa into coming. He sends a bunch of beautiful courtesans, who create an asharam like structure on their boat. They meet Rishyashringa ,invite him to their ‘Ashram’. Rishyashringa is amazed to look at them and thinks they are also men like him of different shape.
The courtesans embrace him and try to kindle the dormant sexual instincts. While Rishyashringa is aroused , he does not indulge in any sexual acts as the very idea of treating women as objects of pleasure does not exist in his mind. Nor does he suffer any bindu naasah like his father Vibhandaka. Vibhandaka’s brahmacarya was perhaps based on repression; while his son Rishya Sringa’s brahmacarya was based on sublimation and treating a man-woman physical relationship respectfully as expressions of love and not as objects of pleasure for each other.
Valimiki writes in Balakanda of Ramayana when Sumantra narrates the legend of Rishyasringa to Dasaratha:
“न अन्यम् जानाति विप्रेन्द्रो नित्यम् पित्र अनुवर्तनात् |
द्वैविध्यम् ब्रह्मचर्यस्य भविष्यति महात्मनः”
“He is the best among the Vipra, follows his father ever, and does not know any one else and adhering to second category of Brahmacarya”. It was one of right understanding and not mere abstinence.
Ramayana tells us that Rishyasringa was enticed into the boat ashrama which surreptitiously sailed to Anga Desa. As soon as he stepped into the country , it started pouring. The King was pleased and gave his daughter Shantha in marriage to Rishyasringa. This Shantha was none other than Dasaratha’s daughter. Sumantara reminds Dasaratha of this and asks him to get Rishyasringa to lead the putra kameshti Yaga.
The legend continues that Vibhandaka was deeply annoyed at the deceit of Anga King but felt happy the way his Son was treated there. He moves to Sringeri and spends rest of his life in deep meditation. Rudra is so pleased he appears as svayambhu linga, cleansing all the dirt off the soul of Vibhandaka . Hence the Linga is called Mala Haani Kareshwara - dispeller of stains . Rishyasringa too comes to Sringeri fo vanaprasta days. The temple at Kigga, a few miles off Sringeri commemorates his stay.
The idea that extremely good people transform a society, that learns to live in balance with nature, was known to ancients in India. Sangam poets of Tamil Kingdoms Auvayyar and Thiruvalluvar have written that “ A single pure person among the impure can cause rains to pour” while Thiruvalluvar gets sharper by saying at the command of chaste women rains will pour.
நெல்லுக் கிறைத்தநீர் வாய்க்கால் வழியோடிப்
புல்லுக்கும் ஆங்கே பொசியுமாம் – தொல் உலகில்
நல்லார் ஒருவர் உளரேல் அவர்பொருட்டு
எல்லார்க்கும் பெய்யும் மழை. (Moodurai -Avvaiyar)
தெய்வம் தொழாஅள் கொழுநன் தொழுதெழுவாள்
பெய்யெனப் பெய்யும் மழை (Thirukkural)
As I kept wondering how jyeshta maha sannidhanam was triggering life long learning through simple commands, Umesha sent word to get ready for a maga historic event.
“For the first time in history, all the four Shankaracharyas of Chatur Amnaya peethas will be assembling in Sringeri. It is Acharya’s initiative, and we will constitute his core volunteer group. I will drive down from Chennai with a few members, pick you up at Bangalore and we can all go together to Sringeri”
The very thought of spending days immersed in conversations with him was very sweet.
Little did I know that we will go through some mysterious troubles on the way and I will get to learn some startling about Umesha.
“Where should I meet you in Bangalore”, I asked Umesh. For all his brilliant achievements in academics, yoga, dhyana, Shastra , Umesha was always great fun. He made Vdeanta discussions such an enjoyable thing.“ You come down to my uncle’s home in Sadashiva nagara. My uncle Mr.Natarajan and his family are great devotee of Ramana Maharishi”, he added. Mr.Natarajan was the founder of
Ramana center in Bengaluru (https://ramanacentre.com/)
The word Ramana sent a lightning bolt in my spine. I had read Paul Brunton’s book, “A search in secret India” long back. There was a photo of Ramana Maharishi in my maternal grand father’s house. They were related to the family that lived close by, in a house where Shri Raghavednra Theertha had spent his teen age days in his pUrvashrama. The house had a large pUja room with large antique idols and scores of large shalagrama stones. Everything is Rayaru in that household.
Raghavendra swamy was no ordinary teenager Venkatanatha, nor was his brother in law. Venkatanatha’s brother in law was such a scholar, Goddess Saraswathi walked around every day, knowledge ruled supreme and ocean of wisdom prevailed.
अराति विद्वा विजय अर्थ वृद्विम सरस्वती नित्य निवास मन्दिरं
अभूदभूत उपम बुद्दि सागरः सुतोस्य लक्ष्मीनृसिंह नामभाक् ( SRV 4:4)
Venkatanatha learnt shahstra from his brother in law, and was practicing Yama niyamadi Ashtanga yoga too. Shri Hari occupied all his heart and thoughts ;so much that even Manmatha had to wait out unable to pierce his chest into his heart.
अनन्तकल्याण गुणैक मन्दिरं हरिं जगत्ध्यप्तानुं हृदन्तरे |
निधातु कामस्य भुजान्तरं क्रमादमुष्य विस्तारं अपारं अभ्यगात || (SRV 4:31)
No wonder there was so much of Maadhwa orthodoxy and Rayaru in every statement in that household. How did Ramana Maharishi’s photo manage to get there at all? My grandfather’s elder brother was a devotee of Ramana Maharishi. After his passing, no one bothered about it. I noticed it and it lay dormant in mind.
Umesha liked the Thriuvannamalai caves that Ramana Maharishi habituated; he would go there often to meditate and do intense tapas for hours. Once while he was in samadhi in a cave, some lady doing Giri pradakshina touched his feet. She was thrown off with such a force she screamed and Umesha opened his eyes. Since this incident, he was careful to go to secluded caves. Many Siddha purushas have been living in Thiruvannamalai hills.
I reached Mr.Natarajan’s house as scheduled and found a festive atmosphere there, with Umesha, Satsangis and Mr.Natarjan’s big family . The family showered their affection along with sumptuous lunch on us. Soon we started for Sringeri, with Umesh driving and me sitting as navigator for him. Without GPS and proper sign posts, one had to keep enquiring for the way and I was the only Kannada person in the car.
It was all fun and jokes flowing all the time. Umesh would teach us portions of Viveka Choodamani ; or look very withdrawn and explain nirvana shatkam. Some times he would challenge me on finer concepts of Dwaitha. He would tell how Ashta maha siddhis are achievable through rigorous practice of Ashtanga Yoga.
As the evening sun was about to set, we stopped near a stream near chickmagalur and did sandhya vandane .It felt so wonderful and we all kept wondering why we ,as a society, moved away from such a life. We all resolved, wherever life takes us, we will not give up our anushatana. Umesh was in a cheeky mood and added, “ it is only anushtana for us, but for poor Maadhwa paddu it is Acara & Anushatana” and the whole gang broke into peels of laughter. Umesha always admired the strict Acara maintained by Maadhwa community.
The night started to fall and all of a sudden there was loud noise - one of the car tires blew out. We got out and replaced the tire with spare tire and continued our journey. After some time another tire blew out and we did not have any spare. It was pitch dark by then. Umesh & I decided to hitchhike on a Lorry and get to the nearest town with two broken tires.
We spotted a Lorry passing by and got into the front seat. Very soon I saw Umesh getting tired - he had been driving all the way from Chennai and now to Sringeri . I felt very bad for him - here is a tall , handsome, extrem
ely bright young man, coming from a well placed and well off family, and what does he do? He gives up all that and chooses to be naishtika brahmachary ,willing to live in the caves of Thriuvannamali ! I looked at him and was his usual serene self , no frowning or losing temper. I compelled him to rest his head on my shoulders to catch some rest. It would take an hour or more on the Ghat roads to reach Aldur.
It was very late in the night and almost all the shops were closed , except just one tire repair shop -run by a muslim. He was also in a rush to get home and have his food before dawn- as was customary in Ramzan time.I requested him in Kannada and he Kindly stayed on to fix both the broken tires. It was another Lorry ride back where the car was stranded, All the satsangis were lying down on the side of the road and sleeping, unmindful of risks of getting run over by passing trucks and buses,
We all started again to Sringeri and in another half an hour , another tire burst and we replaced it. We were holding out breath and hoping that there won’t be another problem, but there was one more tire burst. We got it replaced by the only spare we had and continued. We kept going without a spare tire and it finally seemed we are going to be OK.
But now, we faced another problem-the car radiator started steaming up. We looked around for a jungle stream to fetch water to fill up the radiator. We kept seeing mirages in midnight to be disappointed many times, until we found a real one. Umesh burst into laughter and quoted a verse about Trshna (thirst). What starts as Mrig Trishna ends up quenched if what we desire is dhaarmic.
जिह्मं नुनुद्रे.अवतं तया दिशासिञ्चन्नुत्सं गोतमाय तृष्णजे |
आ गछन्तीमवसा चित्रभानवः कामं विप्रस्यतर्पयन्त धामभिः (RV 1.85.11)
“They ( Marut) drive the clouds towards him and poured the rain for thirsting Gotama”
We continued out journey, hoping there wouldn’t be any more troubles. There were none, and very soon the majestic Sringeri temple started showing up in morning dawn.
We checked into choultry while Umesh rushed to Narasimhavana where he always stays with jyeshta maha sanniddhanam. He later told us that Achrayas were all peels of laughter on hearing our tribulations. “Mathe Sharade has tested all your satsangi’s will and commitmen before bringing you here. The task at hand is no easy either. Ask them to get ready quickly and meet Sannidhanam. Your troupe will be the ADCs ( Aide-De- Camp) for the Shankaracharyas who are coming to town”
I was assigned to be the ADC for the Shankaracharya Shri Swaroopanada Saraswathi
There were two more days to the Chatur Amnaya Sammelana,with the whole Narasimhavana and town wore a festive look. It was a historic event and it importance was not felt by us at that time . After Shri Adi Shankara Bahagavat Pada’s time, the four Shankaracharyas of the four Amanya peetah were meeting for the first time. It was happening after some 1200 years, we were to be at the fore front as ADCs , and what were we doing?
Umesha and all of us were having a great time in the Tunga river, behind the hillock, on the other side of Narasimhavana . Very few get there as the river gets rocky behind the bend. Umesha plunged into the river ,some of us did not know to swim, but we still plunged nevertheless. Umesha swam beautifully and demonstrated the Padmasana Back float - he would do a padmasana ,while floating on his back. Many of us tried that and drowned into the waters like a rock! We knew neither padmasana nor back float.
It was then and there decided that we will learn Yoga , but who will teach us? There weren’t many yoga schools then with wild stories being circulated about yoga and yogis. Umesha had a ready solution for that . He had brought a young disciple of his -‘Papa Ramasubramanian’ from Chennai. He was an expert among us and he was commanded by Umesha to teach us Yoga.He would stay on in Bangalore on our way and teach us.
Jala kreeda was not a good practice for brahmacharis; so we quickly applied ash on forehead , finished sandhya vandane and sat on the rocks for prolonged meditation. It was a wonderful sight, a bunch of young brahmacharis sitting on the rocks in meditation, with water flowing all around us.
Then we wandered in the lush greens and reached a small Kala Bhairva temple. Umesha narrated an incident about the temple- how Jyeshta Mahasannidhanam’s siddhasana posture was personally corrected by Kalabhairava in that very same temple and his meditation experiences there. Umesha was so carried away by the emotions he cried “Bhairva” with such a force it reverberated. We all closed our eyes in an instant.
There were a couple of very young boys -Vishwa and Kutti Shankar. Umesha lifted them and threw them at us , as if they were soccer balls; we caught them and threw them back. This went on for some time.It was all so much fun and Umesha was so good in making Vedantha a lovable treat.
There was suddenly a commotion and someone shouted that Acharya was coming that side. We all ran to the banks and saw him climb up to the shores . He gave us a big smile and asked us to get ready for the big event. “I am going to proudly tell other Shankaracharyas that my disciples are all Masters in Engineering and PhDs, not just dukrugarane people. All of you get ready to meet them”, he remarked as he hurried to his nivasa.
The whole place was buzzing with activities. Young vidyarthis of Veda patashala were moving around in a line, disciplined , even as they alighted steps. The younger ones would mill around , giggling and chasing each other. The Veda ghosha would fill the space with rythm. Agni karya were being carried out here nd there. There was even Bairagi Sadus come in for the event.
The fish would dance around in the crystal clear waters of Tunga river and the visitors from cities amazed that water can even be that pure .There was no traffic or even a ‘touring talkies’ to blare ugly noise of a movies.
In short ,it was pure heaven.
We slowly made our way to the Adhistana Mantapa and sat on the steps. Lakshmeesha was chanting Rudram, sitting in front of Chandrashekara Bharati Adhistana. He was the eldest son of the pious couple Shri Narasimhaiyya and Smt Manikarnikamma , both of were ardent devotees of Acharya and part of Dr.Subbaramaiyya’s satsang. Their younger son Shankara was living there in gurunivasa several months a year serving jyeshta mahasannidhanam;their daughters Lokamatha and Lalitha were actively involved in the satsang.
As Lakshmeesha’s voice went up and down with the swara of the Rudram, my mind slid into peace. I always had the difficulty of keeping the mind awake as listened to Vedic chants - it would take me inward, almost disconnecting me from the world around me. I hardly could keep right count of Japa as well - slowly I slip away from the surroundings into total stillness. Bharati Theertharu, the ever stickler to rigor, would chastise me many times. We should have a control on when the mind thinks and what it thinks, he would say. Sankalpa has no meaning if we don’t keep it, he would urge.
Umesha continued to narrate some of his conversations with jyeshta mahasannidhanam’s early days of Sanyasa. Acharya had shared the details of how Rudra appeared in his dreams consecutively for 7 days, teaching him all the Yogasanas described in Hatha Yoga Pradeepika of Svatvaraman. When Umesh explained how Rudra personally corrected Acharya’s siddhasana, a chill went through our spine. Svatvaraman starts Hatha Yoga Pradipika with an assurance that Rudra Pahupathinath developed the staircase that leads aspirant to highest level of Raja Yoga
“श्री आदिनाथय नमोस्तु तस्मै येनोपदिष्टा हठ योगविध्या
विभ्राजते परोन्नतरजयोगं आरोदुमिच्छोरधिरोहिनिव”
He also assures that, “When the sleeping Kundalinî awakens by favour of a guru, then all the lotuses and all the knots are pierced through”.
गुरुप्रसादेन यदा जागर्ति कुण्डली
तदा सर्वाणि पद्मानि भिध्यन्ते ग्रन्थयोपि च
To be taught directly by the very same Yoga Raja Pashupathinath ?
The narrative was so powerful and left an impression on me, I spent decades reading Tantrasara sangraha and practcing a few asanas.What good deeds our forefathers must have done for us to receive the grace of such Acharya! We all knew our limitations and were very sure some sukruta of our forefathers was responsible that we could be class mates of Umesha. But for his benevolence, we never would have met jyeshta mahasannidanam. How lucky we are to have had Umesha as our friend, philosopher and guide.
With these thoughts, we went in to have darshan of jyeshta Mahasannidhanam and receive his blessings. “I heard about all the trouble you faced during your car travel to Sringeri. You are indeed very fortunate that Umesha personally drove you down to the feet of Sharade and the grace of my guru Chandrashekara Bharathi. But, don’t ever treat Umesha just as a friend. He is an accomplished Yogi who has spending his last Janma here. If he merely touches you, you will get liberated and attain moksha. If he walks into your house,it will become swarga”.
We were all stunned to hear this and looked at each other ; and the we looked at Umesha. He was his usual serene self, a smile adorning his Tejasvi face. This cautionary statement from jyeshta mahasannidhanam would change the way we related to Umesha for ever. It made us very happy and anxious at the same time ; we were happy that we were close to him and anxious if we would make the best use of the opportunity life threw at us in this janma.
The mood was sombre as we came out after the darshan and walked slowly towards the Admin office. Umesha sensed the change and set out to bring us back to normal cheer. “ Acharya is very kind on me and says wonderful things. I am now just what I was, before what he said. Let us focus on the duty on hand. We need to assign responsibility of ADCs amongst ourselves”, he said. We all tried our best to look at him normally. He continued, “We need to assign Jyotir mutt to someone who knows Hindi. Shri Swarupanada Saraswathi is known to be a rebel sadhu, having participated in Quit India movement, and so many ecology protection agitations.He has moved the court many times. More than him, his disciples who accompany him can be very demanding”.
Every one fell silent.
After some hesitation I ventured, “ I know a smattering of Hindi” to which every one looked relived. “How did you learn Hindi”, asked Umesh. The Tamil Nadu DMK government had virtually banned Hindi being taught in schools. “ We did not have much money at home and so I borrowed Pracara Sabha books at Praatmik & Madhyama level from a friend, and taught the language mysefl”, I responded. Umesha was surprised at this , “What was the motivation to learn Hindi”, he asked.
“ Because, I wanted to see the Hindi movie Aradhana. It ran for a year and I did not want to see it unless I could understand”, I replied. Every one burst into laughter.
Brahama Sutra’s (2.3.50) terse statement -आभास एव च (“And it is only a reflection”) started the game. If the individual souls are but reflections of Ishwara , what about the universe? Is the universe an independent entity or a product of individual soul’s imagination? What is the Universe that Shankara talks about in the verse विश्वं दर्पणदृश्यमाननगरीतुल्यं निजान्तर्गतं.. ? 
The scholars were naturally troubled by the contrast and were perhaps unable to defend their position to their own students, let alone Tatva Vaadins. They were seeking guidance and clarity from jyeshta mahasannidhanam. He tried initially to explain the standard way by quoting profusely from Shankara, but it was only met with more doubts and questions. He then delivered the shocker.
While this immersion into nyAya Shastra was going on, yet another darshana was engulfing me without my even being aware of. KaNada Rishi’s Vaishehsika theory was luring in the background. 
QM also brought me into contact with another brilliant junior in the engineering college , Sundar Sundararajan. He was like a cannon ball, high energy, blazing bright, shattering all opposition in debates. He also became a member of Umesha’s satsang and quickly rose in ranks. Umesha was so impressed with him. My situation was not very good - caught between blazing brilliant senior Umesha and Cannon Ball junior Sundar. It was very hard keeping pace with rapid-fire debates when these two were present. I just absorbed whatever I could.
तथा गुणः So does Characteristics
