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Sree Guru Charitra
Index
Chapter 21
When Namadharaka expressed further interest in listening to the
stories of Sree Nrisimha Saraswathi, Siddha continued: “There was
a disciple of Sree Guru by name Tanthuka. He used to attend to his
worldly duties for three quarters of the day and devote only the
remaining part of it for the service of the Master. Once, all his
kinsfolk invited him to join them on a pilgrimage to holy
Sreesailam in Andhra Pradesh. Tanthuka replied, ‘The muth of Sree
Guru is my Lord Mallikarjuna.’ His kinsfolk considered him a fool
and went away on their pilgrimage. Some days later came the holy
festival of Shivaratri. On seeing him, Sree Guru said, ‘why did
you not join your people on their holy trip?’ Tanthuka replied,
‘there is no holier service than the service of thy feet. Not
knowing this, these people rush about to places of pilgrimage, in
delusion.’ The lord said: ‘my son, it is not so. Even though the
Supreme Lord is all pervading, his presence can more keenly be
realized in the holy places. In those places, which were
sanctified by the austerities of great saints down the ages, the
Lord responds to the devotees’ call more readily. Therefore,
people can achieve the goal of their devotions much more easily in
such places. Having perfected and liberated themselves, the
Mahatmas help others to do so by the power of their austerities.
Indeed, the great sages and their divine powers were created only
for the uplift of all creatures. Even the dust of the places where
they move about is made so holy that it can bless people in their
spiritual endeavors. That is why; people go to such places on
pilgrimage. Now, I shall show you such holy places’. Then Sree
Guru made Tanthuka wear his own sandals and commanded him to close
his eyes for a while and open them again. The latter found that
both of them had reached Sreesailam in a moment, through the yogic
power of the Master. Then the latter told Tanthuka to witness the
holy place and duly perform all the rituals of the pilgrimage,
like shaving, bathing and taking darshan of Lord Mallikarjuna, the
presiding deity of the place. There, his kinsfolk met him and said
in astonishment: ‘when we invited you, you refused to join us. How
then could you be here by the time we reached here?’ Tanthuka told
them that it was rendered possible by the grace of Sree Guru, but
they could not believe it. When he took darshan of Lord
Mallikarjuna in the temple, he saw the form of Sree Guru in the
Shivalinga there! After finishing his ritual worship, he returned
to his Master and said, ‘Sir, even in this holy place, you alone
are present. People do not recognize you for what you are and, in
their ignorance, search for the Lord here and there. You are
indeed all pervading!’
Sree Guru replied: ‘indeed, the Self is all pervading and yet, it
manifests itself differently in different places. This holy place
is capable of bestowing liberation on the devout. I shall recount
a famous anecdote to illustrate the point: in the land of
Kiraataas, there was a king named Vimarshana. He was kind
hearted and devoted to the gods and pious Brahmins. Even though he
learnt the merit of worshipping Lord Shiva in his previous birth,
owing to certain misdeeds of that life, he used to eat and drink
all those things, which were prohibited by Sastras and he
led a profligate life. Once his wife asked him, “Lord, with all
your vices, how could you come to have such deep faith in Lord
Shiva?”
The king replied: “In one of my previous lives, I was a dog in the
city of Pampa. On a holy Shivaratri, I happened to go to the
temple of Shiva. The devotees who assembled there beat me severely
and I died then and there. By the merit of dying in the presence
of Lord Shiva on such a holy day, I am now born in a royal family.
All the beastly traits you see now in me derive from my previous
existence as a dog. Those subtle tendencies in me cannot but
manifest themselves!” then the queen persuaded him to enlighten
her about her own previous life. He said in that that she was a
female pigeon at holy Sreesailam. “As a result of your life long
stay at such a holy place, you have now become my queen.” The she
asked him about the future lives of them both. He said: “In the
next life, I shall be born as the prince of the kingdom of Sindhu
and you shall be born in the royal family of the land of Sanjaya
and we shall be united in marriage. In the life after that, I
shall be the king of Sowrashtra and you, born, as the princess of
Kalinga, shall be my queen. In the third birth hence, I shall be
the king of Gaandhaara and you, as the princess of Magadha, will
be my queen. In the fourth birth, I shall be the king of Avanti
and you, as the princess of Dasaarna, will be my queen. In the
fifth life, I shall be a king named Ananta and you, as the
daughter of king Yayaati, will be my wife. In the sixth life, I
shall be the very handsome king of Paandya and you, as the
virtuous princess of Vidarbha, will marry me. In that life, we
will enjoy kingly pleasures and perform many great religious
sacrifices. In the seventh birth, we will attain liberation by the
grace of Sage Agasthya. In this manner, even animals and birds
will attain to higher states of existence. Indeed, it is human
beings who, through the force of their earlier evil actions, will
be born subsequently as various other creatures in nature. But the
gods will ever take care that they do not fall away from their
heavenly states.”
Then Sree Guru brought back Tanthuka to the Sangama near Gangapur
in as mysterious a way and ordered him to retire to his village. A
few people of the village had also joined him and, on the way,
asked him why he got his head shaved. He told them how Sree Guru
took him mysteriously to Sreesailam and how he got his head shaved
there as per the custom of the place. They could not believe his
words and said, ‘Till a few hours ago, this man was here! He is
weaving fairly tales.’ At night, all of them came to the Sangama,
observed fast and kept a vigil till dawn, chanting the name of
Lord Shiva.
A fortnight later, all the kinsfolk of Tanthuka returned from
Sreesailam. They wondered when they learned that he was back at
Gangapur far ahead of them. They realized that it was all the
grace of Sree Guru. The people at Gangapur also confirmed
Tanthuka’s words. Through incessant service of his Master, he
eventually freed himself from the shackles of his previous
karma and attained the highest bliss that transcends the pairs
of opposites like joy and sorrow. Who can ever know how many are
the souls that were thus liberated through devotion to the Guru?
In the same manner, there were two poets who attained liberation
by celebrating the divine glory of Sree Nrisimha Saraswathi in
verse. Infinite are the divine acts of the Lord and no one can
ever know them in full. The Vedas themselves have betrayed their
inability to comprehend HIS glory.”
Namadharaka longed to know the story of the two poets in full. So
Siddha gladly resumed his account: “A Brahmin by name Nandi Sharma
was afflicted by leprosy. In order to free himself of it, he
practiced severe austerity (tapas) at Thuljapur. One day,
goddess Bhavaani appeared to him in a vision and directed him to
worship goddess Chandaleswari. Accordingly, he went there and
practiced austerities for seven long months. One day, the goddess
appeared in a vision and directed him to serve the sannyasi at
Gangapur to realize his object! The Brahmin was shocked and even
lost his patience and remonstrated her: ‘are you, a goddess, not
ashamed to tell me to serve a common mortal? What happened to your
divine power? If you could not help me yourself, why have you not
told me so even earlier and spared me all my long, strenuous
efforts?’ without a word, the goddess disappeared. The man again
pursued his austerity to win her favor, but it was in vain. At
last, finding no other way, one day he went to Gangapur to see the
sannyasi, as per the direction of the goddess. Strangely enough,
in spite of his repeated enquiries, no one at Gangapur directed
him to the Lord. At last, an old man told him that the Master was
due to arrive there for the holy Shivaratri. Meanwhile, some of
the local devotees of Sree Guru had conveyed to Him the news of
the arrival of Nandi Sharma.
Immediately, Sree Guru summoned Nandi Sharma and said, “why have
you come here to serve a common mortal, leaving aside many
deities? For, no mere mortal can ever free you of your fell
disease.” Nandi Sharma immediately realized the stuff of which the
sannyasi was made, that He was indeed the Supreme Lord Himself. He
prayed, ‘Lord, pardon me my error. I am dull of intellect and a
skeptic, a fallen sinner. You on the other hand, are the ocean of
mercy and filial love for your devotees. I seek your refuge. I
have none else to help me. Soon after my marriage, this foul
disease afflicted me. Even my parents and wife have left me. Even
the gods have refused to respond to my prayers. I find it better
to end my life than to prolong such a tale of misery. Oh thou
Supreme Self, if you too look on me with a cold eye, I shall be
compelled to take my life!’ The merciful Lord was moved at his
plight and said, ‘Do not fear, my son! This disease is a result of
your previous sins, which can be washed off only through patient
endurance. Indeed, you have gained this faith in me now, only
because the results of your evil karma have worked out. Now you
have to take a dip in the holy Sangama.’ Then the Guru turned to
another disciple by name Samantha and said, ‘Take this Nandi
Sharma to the river for a bath, guide him in worshipping the
nearby peepul tree and then bring him back!’
Accordingly, Nandi Sharma finished bath and worship at the
Sangama, returned to the Master and prostrated to his feet. The
Lord lovingly raised him up and said, ‘My son, Nandi Sharma, stand
up and look at your own body!’ Nandi Sharma was amazed to find
that all his body was clean except for a small ugly patch was left
behind. Sree Guru said, ‘You had a trace of doubt in your heart
and hence this patch has remained.’ Nandi Sharma bowed to him and
prayed earnestly, ‘Oh Supreme Lord, is it possible that a man
should drink ambrosia and yet, simply because he mistakes it to be
water, that he should be subject to death? Does the fire cease to
burn, simply because a man touches it in ignorance?’
Sree Nrisimha Saraswathi said: ‘everything happens according to
one’s faith. If a man loses his sight through his own fault, can
he see the sun? At first, you had the doubt that nothing can be
gained through the service of a guru. This patch is a consequence
of it. Still, there is a means of getting rid of it. You sing a
hymn of praise, which, on the basis of the teachings of the Vedas,
express your realization that I am not a mere mortal. Thereby, you
shall realize your object.’ The Brahmin felt helpless and trembled
with apprehension and said, ‘o Lord Supreme, you are the
in-dweller of the hearts of all creatures. What need I to tell
you? How can I compose a hymn when I am totally illiterate? Tell
me something else which is in my power to do.’ Sree Guru said, ‘My
son, just as the tusk which has grown out of an elephant’s mouth
cannot be withdrawn to its root, the words I have uttered cannot
be taken back. You must do as you are told.’
At once, great learning and poetic ability welled up in Nandi
Sharma’s heart. Love and reverence for the Guru had cloyed his
heart. And he commenced singing his hymn in a trembling voice: ‘Oh
Supreme Lord! Thou art That (Reality). You are the Doer,
Sustainer, the Eternal Witness, and the true Self of all! You have
projected all creatures from the three modes of prakriti
(nature) and thereby projected the whole universe of things, both
the moving and unmoving. Among all the sentient creatures, only a
human being is fit for Enlightenment. Even he is deluded by Thy
power of Maya. He is enmeshed in the web of motives and, in
consequence of his sins, wanders about amidst the horrors of hell.
And he cannot free himself even in the course of the vast cosmic
epochs. Even if his soul passes to higher realms of existence by
the force of his virtuous deeds, as soon as their effects are
worked out, he falls back to the realm of the moon. There, he
feeds himself of food and takes the form of sperm. At the time of
conjugal union of his prospective parents, he merges with the oval
secretion of the mother to be and settles down in her womb. There
he stays for a day in the form of a thick fluid and, for the next
five days, he assumes the form of a bubble. After eighteen more
days, he assumes a more solid form. In a month’s time, he grows
more solid. In the course of months, he develops the various parts
of the physical body, such as a head in the first month, neck in
the third, skin, nails and hair in the fourth. From the fifth
month onwards, the orifices like nostrils, ears and mouth appear.
Movement starts in the seventh. In the eight month, his body is
fully formed, and he takes birth.
‘Oh Lord! Owing to the pulsations of the womb, the human being
emanates from it and at once loses his understanding and is
deluded. During his infancy, he has no freedom, nor can he
communicate his agony to others. He loses sight of the very idea
of winning his way of higher states of spiritual existence. During
his boyhood, he forgets himself in play and in youth, he is
totally preoccupied with sexual drives. Blind to all good and bad,
he is engulfed in a hectic pursuit of sensual pleasures, like a
beast. In old age, he will be obsessed with fear of approaching
death. He is overtaken by illness like cough and breathing
troubles. Finally, he dies without gaining and mastery over his
senses.
In this way, a clear half of the whole span of man’s life is spent
away idly in night and sleep. Major portions of what is left are
wasted in play during boyhood, and worldly occupations in middle
age. In old age, he is not free but is away. Human life proves
worthwhile only through devotion to you and through association
with the wise and the devout. Therefore, may you bless me with
faith in you and worthy association all my life!’
Then Nandi Sharma turned to the people who gathered there and
said: ‘Oh my brothers and sister, Sree Guru who is a right in
front of us is the Supreme Lord Himself and not a common mortal,
as he looks. Those of you who wish to gain your welfare would do
well to take refuge in him, either through the practice of yoga,
or through listening to and meditating on his teaching. The Lord
ever abides by those who are thus, devoted to Him. For, he can be
won over only through faith.
The Brahmin again turned to the Guru exclaiming, ‘Oh thou Supreme
Lord, even the Vedas have failed to describe Thy glory. Indeed, no
one can enumerate Thy glories which are infinite and are above the
power of speech and mind to comprehend.’ When he finally bowed
down in reverence, he found that even the little patch of dirty
skin on his body had been cleared! Then, at the instruction of the
Guru, he came away to Gangapur along with his wife, lived there
for long and recorded the divine acts of Sree Guru.
One day Nandi Sharma read out his verses to another poet named
Narakesari, living in a nearby village. The latter was an ardent
devotee of Lord Shiva and he believed that the gods alone are
worthy of adoration and worship. It was his vow to compose a verse
in praise of Lord Kalleshwara (as the Lord Shiva was called in the
local temple) every day. So he appreciated the poetry of Nandi
Sharma’s verses, but objected to the glorification of a common
mortal like Sree Nrisimha Saraswathi. Later in the day, during his
daily worship of Lord Kalleshwara, when he was meditating on the
Linga, Sree Guru appeared in that form, laughed and taunted him
saying, “Where is your Lord Kalleshwara?” so he quickly concluded
his meditation and rushed for darshan of the Lord at Gangapur!
There, as he began to sing the five verses he had composed in his
praise, Sree Guru said to him, ‘Why do you set aside the Supreme
Lord and glorify a common mortal?’ Amazed Narakesari replied:
‘Lord I have indeed mistaken you for a common mortal. May you
shower your mercy on me, dispel my ignorance and grant me true
wisdom. My delusion is now dispelled and the merit of all my
previous acts of austerity has borne fruit in this moment. May you
accept me as your disciple and bless me!”
Sree Guru was pleased with the devotion of the visitor, gave him a
comment and said, ‘you continue to worship Lord Kalleshwara at
your place. For, I myself am there in that form.’ Narakesari
submitted: ‘my lord, I am not to forego your immediate presence.
Bless me with the good fortune of serving you. Without much
difficulty I have gained you who are the divine, wish fulfilling
cow (Kaamadhenu). I am the humblest of your disciples. May
you not be indifferent to my plea.’ The merciful Lord then
accepted him as his disciple and bestowed on him the bliss of
Self-realization. Thus Narakesari also served the Master for long
by singing his glory in his poems.”
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