Post by Amritha Varshini on Jan 9, 2014 7:45:43 GMT 5.5
BLESSING CHILDREN BY HIS PRASAD
The village Vepathur is situated on the northern bank of Cauvery and is very near Thiruvisaloor. In Vepathur, there were many wealthy persons. One of them came to Thiruvisalur and requested Sadguru Swamigal to perform Vidyabhyasam for his body. Learning numbers and letters is to be considered as important as one’s eyes. Our Swamigal unable to refuse such a request, agreed to come. Next day he went to Veppathur, taking with him a package of curd bath. Swamigal was received with all honours and the householder with his boy prostrated before him. Swamigal initiated Bhagawan Name after blessing them. Then, opening his package, he gave all each a morsel of curd bath brought by him. What a wonder, all of them became proficient in all spiritual love, and began to recite Vedas and Upanishads. What a greatness? How good this instruction is? It is not possible to describe the greatness of our Gurunatha, whose name and fame were already well known.
ADOPTS UNCHAVRITHI WAY OF LIFE
Once a pouranika was discoursing on Ramayana. Sadguru Swamigal after finishing his daily routine came to hear the lecture. Then the scene in which Raghava came to Kausalya for taking leave of her before proceeding to forest was being described in a moving manner. “The righteous Rama, son of Emperor Dasarata and myself – his queen, have not caused injury to any living being even by word. Rama has not known what is sorrow in life, How will such a person live by conducting unchavrithi? Thus Kausalya was lamenting. Hearing this, Sadguru Swamigal uttering “Haa, Haa, My lord has come to such a stage as to live on unchavrithi”, wept bitterly, rolled on the ground and fell down unconscious.
After some time, he regained consciousness, and heard pouranika discoursing how Kausalya, thinking of Rama, was telling to Dasaratha, lying in bed “Alas, My lord, you have driven the eldest son Rama to forest. Let Bharatha rule the kingdom. But, why should my son go to the forest? Can he not live by serving Baratha?” If this is not possible Can he not serve anybody else and eke out his livelihood here itself? Otherwise, let him beg from house to house for his maintenance and live here itself. On hearing this, Swamigal stood up with great devotion and covered with divine emotion cried out thus, in my previous avatar, I have fulfilled my father’s wish. I do not know that my mother Kausalya pleaded with my father to let me live in house by begging for food in this city. Hence, in that avathara, I could not fulfil that desire of my mother and live by taking Unchavritti. Saying this he became unconscious. He regained consciousness after a long time. He felt ashamed that he lost control of himself in the presence of so many people and returned home. From the next day onwards he followed Uncharvrithi dharma. In Srimad Bhagavatha the Lord says, one who is content with whatever comes to his lot by unchavrithi, follows Bhagavatha Dharma without and lives with detachment in grahasthrama and thus attains Shanthi. Following this way of life, Sadguru Swamigal never received anything from others and was living with full of dispassion, Swamigal’s wife was also of such qualities.
DAILY ROUTINE
Swamigal’s life was always rigid, bound by many disciplines. He would rise up from bed early in the morning, utter loudly the hymns of Bhagavathpadaacharya and Sridhara ayyaval, finish his bath, perform the morning religious rites, come to Bhagawath Sannidhi, would awake the deity by singing appropriate songs, would then finish Bhagawan Name Chanting 108000 times sitting till midday, would after uncharvitti do Oupasana, Deva and Athithi pooja and then dine. In the afternoon he would be discoursing on or instructing others in devotional works like Bhagawatham or Ramayanam. After evening Sandhya, he would sing in a melodious voice swamigal, Sri Keerthanas of Sri Narayana Theertha Swamigal, Sri Ramadasa, Chinnaiah Vijaya Gopala Yateendrar, Sri Purandara Dasar and other great men and do Bajan. Then he would go to bed only after performing Dolotsavam to Lord Ramachandra. There are six acts in the way of life adopted by Swamigal for the guidance of Bhagawathaas, they are morning prayers, awaking the lord from sleep, unchavrithi, pooja, Sankeethanam, making the lord take rest during night. These are the six acts forming a Bhagavatha’s daily routine. Yogis should daily chant the pranava manthra. Karma yogis should perform Agnihotra daily. In a similar manner, Sankeerthanam, etc. should form the daily routine of Bhagawathaas. Sadguru Swamigal never transgressed Sastrik discipline in the name of Bhakthi Yoga. He observed Vaideek rituals perfectly. He led thus the life of an ideal householder in a great manner following Bhagawatha Dharma.
PROCEEDS TO AYODHYA
Sadguru Swamigal then felt like going to Ayodhya, with his wife. One day he addressed his devotees thus “For many years, I was treated with respect and without any want, by you all, in this village. Now I desire to go on pilgrimage visiting Chitrakuta, Panchavati and other places where Sri Raghavan, My lord, performed many leelas and live there for some years. Then proceeding to Ayodhya, I want to spend the rest of my .life there itself. No one except Easwara can alter this resolution of mine. Hence, I take leave of you. As my dharma is unchavrithi, I can move about anywhere without any fear, anxiety and with ease. On hearing this people did not know what to do. They were struck with grief and stood with a heavy heart. As Sri Raghavan went to forest leaving Ayodhya discarding all his wealth without any disturbance in his mind, Sadguru Swamigal and his wife set off from his house. He left behind his little ancestral property and the people who were weeping unable to bear his separation. He did not take any money for expenses on the way nor any clothing other than that worn by them. He took with him his thambura, Akshaya Patran, their only wealth, and gave to his wife the Rama idol, their ancestral property. People went and followed them far. Many started saying that they would also come with them. Just as people in Ayodhya unmindful of their livelihood and relying for protection under the shade of Rama’s feet started following Rama, residents of Thiruvisaloor followed Sadguru Swamigal, who on seeing their determination, feared that they might come along with him. Hence, Swamigal left the place with his wife that night itself, unnoticed by anybody.
Thus, Sadguru Swamigal without any attachment left his house behind. Doing Nama Sankeerthana, he traversed by walk several places, forests, rivers and mountains and came to Andhra Pradesh. To whichever place Swamigal went, he would not get acquainted with anybody there, like a mendicant he would go along the streets, singing Bhagawan Nama. On hearing his melodious Keerthana, people talked about him in various ways. “He does not appear to be a poor person or beggar. But, for some unknown reason he takes unchavrithi. Perhaps he does so because he has come to this new place away from his home”. Some said, “He seems to have been born in a royal family. Having lost their kingdom, they are perhaps proceeding to forest”. Some others said, “On seeing their act, we also feel inclined to do bajana like them, leaving our belongings”. Some said “on seeing his splendour it does not become of him to do Unchavrithi like this. He is fit to be an emperor and rule the entire world”. Some thought that he should not suffer like this. They would offer their house, wealth, and other possessions to them to enable them to lead a happy life. Some felt that he was a great soul and would not receive anything from anybody. Some thought that the Lord himself had come down in this form to preach Nama Keerthana in Kaliyuga. Some ladies wept on seeing Janaki, proceeding like this at such a young age, akin to Seetha accompanying Rama to the forest.