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Sree Guru Charitra
Index
Chapter 13
Namadharaka asked Siddha, “Holy Sir, tell me what the Lord did
after arriving on the banks of river Bheema.”
Siddha replied: “The Lord stayed for a long time at Gandharvapura
(Gangapur). The confluence (Sangama) of rivers Bheema and
Amaraja near the place is as holy as that of the Krishna with the
five other sacred rivers. For some time, Sree Guru lived there
incognito, sustaining himself by holy alms (bhiksha) with
the intention of uplifting the devout who offered it to him. As he
was accepting bhiksha from the poor, the well to do of the place
spoke light of him. As the sun continues to shine bright and cause
day-light even when hidden behind the clouds, and as musk
continues to give out its perfume even when it is concealed in a
box, it was impossible for the Lord’s divine attributes to be
hidden from the folk for long.
One day, the Lord went to the threshold of a poor Brahmin for
alms. There he saw a very old barren she-buffalo and asked the
lady of the house for its milk. The housewife said, ‘Sir, we have
been using this buffalo to carry loads. For it’s barren and it
does not yield milk.’ Sree Nrisimha Saraswathi laughed and said,
‘Mother, do not tell me lies!’ Finding no other way, she fetched a
vessel and milked the buffalo, just to show the Master that her
words were true. Lo, milk flowed plentifully from its udders!
Amazed at the strange transformation in the creature, she boiled
the milk and offered it to the Lord. The latter drank of it with
gusto and left for his abode on the banks of the river. The Master
of the house, having heard of the powers of the Lord’s words, at
once proceeded to the Sangama along with his wife, worshipped him
and received his blessings.
The servants in the Brahmin’s house came the next morning and were
amazed to see the old barren buffalo yielding milk. The news
flashed across the land and reached the ruler of that region. The
latter ascertained it from the Brahmin and visited the hermitage
of the Lord, along with his royal retinue. He then approached Sree
Guru and prostrated to his feet. Even at the very sight of the
Holy One’s divine form, the king’s heart was fired with devotion.
As tears of joy and love trickled down his cheeks, he submitted in
a quivering voice, ‘Sir, I am your humble slave. May you bless and
protect me!’ The Lord said, “Oh Prince, I am a sannyasi; I live
and move about in this wilderness and survive by begging food from
others. Why have you, a wealthy and powerful Prince, come to me?
What can I do for you?’ The chief said, ‘Sir, you are the Supreme
Spirit, just sporting in a human form and not really a common
mortal. I request you to grace my city and sanctify it’. Sree Guru
acceded to the request, sat in the royal palanquin and set out.
The chief personally served him, held the royal umbrella over Sree
Guru’s head and fanned him, as the royal procession moved on. The
royal attendants sounded drums and trumpets all along the way. The
chief walked by the side of the palanquin as one among the royal
attendants. Pious Brahmins chanted the Vedas, while the heralds
loudly proclaimed the progress of the Lord of the Spiritual Wisdom
to the town. People hailed the Lord all along the way. Thus the
pageant reached the western gate of the chief township. As the
palanquin passed a little inside the gate, Sree Guru noticed a
cruel Brahma Rakshasa (a wicked and powerful spirit) on the
top of a peepul tree. At the very sight of Sree Guru, the
ferocious spirit was becalmed. At once, he got down from the tree,
rendered homage to Sree Guru and submitted ‘Lord, pray uplift me
from this abominable state of existence!’ The Lord of Divine Mercy
put his right hand on the spirit’s head in blessing. At once the
spirit attained a visible human form. Sree Guru said to him, ‘My
son, if you take a dip at the Sangama, you will attain liberation
at once.’ The spirit prostrated to Sree Guru and took the bath. He
immediately left his physical form and attained liberation. The
chieftain, amazed at the power of the Lord’s blessings, glorified
him and led the palanquin into the town. He immediately raised a
muth (monastery) and lodged Sree Guru in it. Later, the chief
worshipped the Divine Master every day, served him and thereby he
eventually transcended the terrible ocean of misery.
Yielding to the persistent pleadings and devotion of the chief,
the Lord stayed on at the place. Everyday, he used to perform his
daily rituals at the muth, take his bath at the holy Sangama and,
despite the entreaties of the chief to the contrary lived by
begging in the outskirts of the town. At that time, there lived a
learned Brahmin by name Trivikrama Bharati in the neighbouring
village of Kumasi. He learned of the ways of Sree Guru from
hearsay and criticized him as a sannyasi, fallen by transgressing
the ideal standard of life of true renunciation. For, it is
enjoined in the scriptures that a sannyasi should not live under
the protection and patronage of a chief. The omniscient Guru knew
the innermost thoughts of Trivikrama Bharati. One day, he said to
the chief: At Kumasi there lives a sannyasi by name Trivikrama
Bharati. He has been berating me for my ways. I have to go and set
him right’. The chief was pleased at his words and begged his
permission to accompany him. He then summoned all the pomp of
procession for Sree Guru, seated him in the royal palanquin and
proceeded to Kumasi.
Trivikrama Bharati was a learned sannyasi and an ardent devotee of
Lord Nrisimha (the man-lion avatar). On that day, when he sat for
his daily meditation, the Lord did not grant him his mystic
vision, as he usually did. Trivikrama was deeply disappointed and,
with a yearning heart, prayed, ‘Oh Thou ocean of Mercy, the Lord
of Thy devotees, Lord Nrisimha! Why am I not able to enjoy Thy
blessed presence today? Lord, bless me with it!’ After he
meditated for a long while, he heard a voice from within, telling
him that the Lord is on the banks of the holy river. He
immediately proceeded there. Through the yogic power of Sree Guru
who had already arrived and encamped at the place, he saw a large
gathering of sannyasis. At the first he fainted. When he came to
his senses, he again saw the same large congregation of sannyasis.
Then Sree Guru addressed the dazed ascetic: ‘Trivikrama, I am the
sannyasi whom you have been vilifying, in the pride of your
spiritual accomplishments and learning, as a hypocrite and a
fallen one. Just now I have tested you. It is evident that you are
a devotee of Lord Nrisimha and you are well-versed in the
Dharma Sastra (the code of holy life). Yet, if you are
indeed a true renunciate, tell me what you have renounced. How can
one whose soul is perturbed by attachments to fame and pride of
learning and hatred, ever be a sannyasi? I have, indeed, come hear
to learn of the attributes of a hypocrite of a sannyasi by seeing
you. Oh learned one, reflect deeply upon this and you will know
the truth, by the grace of Lord Nrisimha!’ Trivikrama Bharati was
humbled. He said, ‘Oh Lord, overwhelmed by your yogic power, I am
unable to find words for my profound experience. Oh Ocean of
Mercy, Thou self-controlled one, may you protect me! I have
realized that the religious merit of my life-long meditation has
earned me this meeting with your holiness. You are indeed the Lord
on whom I meditate! I seek your refuge. May you pardon my
misdeeds.’
Pleased with the candour, new found humility and repentance of
Trivikrama Bharati, Sree Guru granted him the sight of his real,
divine form. Trivikrama was able to see the king and his retinue
that accompanied him but could not stand the glory of the Lord’s
presence. He saw the king fanning HIM like a humble servant. It
was indeed the cosmic form of the Guru that he saw. Sree Nrisimha
Saraswathi then said, “Trivikrama, I have granted you the blessed
vision of my divine form which cannot be attained even through
prolonged cultivation of mystic vision. For, I am pleased with
your devout practice of dhyana.” The next moment, the
humbled sannyasi once again saw the mortal form of Sree Guru in
front of him. Emerging from the mystic vision, Trivikrama sang in
praise of the Lord, ‘Oh Thou Spirit of the Universe! Indeed, I
haven’t meditated on you with a heart, body or mind that are pure
enough. I even vilified you. Yet you have graced me and I am
blessed indeed. You have granted me the vision of your cosmic form
(Viswarupa) which was vouched to Arjuna of yore. Oh Hari, I
am drifting away in ocean of nescience. Pray, carry me in the bark
of wisdom to the shore of True Being’. The Lord assured him, ‘Stay
here and you shall transcend nescience through wisdom and attain
the ultimate goal’.
Again the Lord returned to his monastery with all the retinue and
there he expounded the path of Karma Yoga to his devotees.
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