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Sree Guru Charitra
Index
Chapter 20
Namadharaka said, “holy sir, you have said that I owe my faith in
the Guru to my ancestor. Who was he and how did he come to serve
the Lord?”
Siddha replied: “One of your ancestors, by name Saayamdeva served
Sree Guru at Gandharvapura and won his grace. At first, Saayamdeva
heard of his glory, visited him bowed and sang in ecstasy:
Oh thou Supreme Spirit, the Light that transcends all, O Sri
Nrisimha Saraswathi, all the holy places reside in this holy feet
(paada). You are the embodiment of the holy Trinity and not a
common mortal. You are Lord Brahma, thy kamandalu full of the holy
water of compassion for all creatures. Thou art Lord Vishnu, come
on earth to restrain the wicked and protect the virtuous, in the
form of a sannyasi. You are the Lord Shiva whose yogic look, fixed
ever on the tip of His nose, is capable of liberating his devotees
from sin, craving and destruction. You, by whose grace a dead man
was revived, a barren buffalo had yielded milk, a withered twig
sprouted again and the fallen are uplifted again, who can
recognize you for what you are?’
Sree Guru said, “My son, I am pleased with your devotion. May all
thy descendants be blessed with faith in me. I am seeing you again
after such a long time! Where are you living? How are your wife
and children?”
Saayamdeva replied, ‘Lord, by your grace, all of us are safe. I am
living at Kanchipura. I have come to serve your holiness.’
Sree Guru said, ‘it is hard to serve me. For I move about from one
place to another. Now I stay in a village, now I live near the
river and again, in the midst of a wild forest, I stay where my
whim takes me.’
Saayamdeva submitted, ‘Lord, I shall serve you wherever you be.’
Sree Guru consented. Later, one day, he went to the Sangama along
with Saayamdeva. In order to test the latter’s devotion, the Lord
caused it to rain untimely. It was a heavy downpour with loud
thunder and lightning. It was very cold in the open. Even though
his teeth were chattering in the biting cold, Saayamdeva covered
his Guru with his own garments and served him. After about five or
six hours, the rain abated. Then Sree Guru said to him, “The cold
air is troubling me much. Go to the nearby village and get some
fire.”
Saayamdeva proceeded in the darkness, amidst the drizzle and the
biting cold. He had to find his way only in the occasional flashes
of lightning. He proceeded to the muth and was returning
with fire. When he stood in one place, looking around for the spot
where the Guru stayed, he found two enormous serpents on either
side! In fright, he chanted the name of his Guru and ran about.
Then, at a distance, he heard the Vedic chant emanate from the
Sangama. Inferring his direction there from, he ran ahead and soon
reached the spot. He found the Guru seated, totally unaffected by
the cold and rain, and was amazed at it. The Guru said to him,
“Don’t fear! I have sent the serpents to guard you on the way!”
even before his eyes, the two venomous creatures approached the
Lord, bowed their hoods to him and vanished. The Guru added, ‘it
is hard even for the gods to come by such service of the Guru.’
Saayamdeva was happy at his words and said, ‘Supreme Lord, expound
to me the way of service to the Guru which is the highest means of
salvation.’
Sree Guru began: ‘Saayamdeva, listen! A true disciple ever follows
the guru like his shadow, never leaving him, and serves him
whole-heartedly. He dedicates everything he has, including his
body, for the service of the Guru. He looks upon his guru as the
embodiment of the Supreme Lord of creation, delights to take only
his prasad as food and the washings of his feet as the
all-sanctifying drink. He loves to listen to the divine acts of
his mission on earth and makes his life, a continuous meditation
on him. When the Guru enjoins a piece of work, the disciple stakes
all to achieve it, however difficult it might seem. Having once
commenced his efforts to that end, the true disciple, at all
costs, sees it through. Even the Lord of Death will be afraid of
laying his hold on such a faithful one. There is an ancient
dialogue between goddess Gowri and her consort Iswara, to
illustrate the point. Now listen to it:
Thwashta Brahma (one of the creators in a cosmic cycle) once
served a Guru. The Guru wanted to test his steadfastness and said,
‘My son! Every year, rainwater leaks into my hermitage. So raise a
beautiful house for me!” The Guru’s wife said, “Fetch me a blouse
which is good and natural, but is marvelous!” The son of the Guru
said, “Get me a pair of sandals which would be comfortable either
in water or ditches, fitting my feet and which can take me
wherever I wish to go!” The Guru’s daughter added, “Get me a pair
of ear rings, a single pillared place of ivory with live-elephants
in it and a cooking vessel which will not gather soot.” Thwashta
proceeded to the forest to procure all these things and he
resolved firmly even to stake his life, if necessary, in the
effort. There, a merciful sadhu approached him. Thwashta
visualized his own Guru in the Sadhu, prostrated to him and
revealed his mission. Then the sadhu said:
“My son, nothing is impossible of achievement when the
All-Merciful Lord Viswanadha is in Kasi. All sins are annihilated
even at the very glance of the Lord. The bliss that abides in his
presence is indescribable. The bestower of the four objects of
human life personally initiates everyone who dies in Kasi with the
taaraka mantra and thereby bestows liberation.” The disciple
humbly asked, “Where is Kasi of which you speak so highly? Where
is that Lord Viswanadha? Is he in Heaven or on earth? Please
enlighten me of these.”
The sadhu replied, “My son, one attains liberation even at the
sight of Lord Viswanadha. I shall be blessed with his darshan by
taking you there”. So saying, the sadhu took Thwashta with him to
Kasi in the wink of an eye, by virtue of his yogic power! He also
showed him the various holy places on the way, explaining to him
in detail the glory of every one of them. Then he showed him Lord
Viswanadha, took him to the shrines of Bhavaneesa Hari,
Vighneswara, Bhairava and Subrahmanya. Finally he took Thwashta to
Ganga and made him take the holy dip and perform ritual worship
and then give away gifts to the poor. The sadhu told the disciple
to install a Shiva Linga there, to win the grace of Iswara. The
next moment, the sadhu vanished.
Thwashta realized that his own Guru had appeared in the form of
the sadhu to test his faith and bless him accordingly. As per his
instruction, Thwashta installed a Shiva Linga and worshipped it
with faith. Lord Viswanadha appeared before him and said, “My son,
you are made pure by your devotion to the Guru. You are indeed
blessed. Now tell me what you wish to have.” Thwashta bowed to the
Lord and submitted, “Lord, grant me all the things which my Guru
and the members of his family have asked me to procure for them.”
The Lord blessed him saying, “May you attain mastery in all arts,
all branches of learning and by your skill, you shall attain fame
in the three worlds too!” so saying, the Lord disappeared. Soon,
Thwashta returned to his Guru and gave what he and the members of
his family asked of him. The Guru was pleased with his
resourcefulness and blessed him saying that he would be elevated
to the divine rank of the Creator, Brahma; that he would be able
to command the nine types of treasure and that he should ever be
untouched by care and suffering. Accordingly, Thwashta attained
fame in the whole world. This story was recounted by Lord Shiva to
Goddess Gowri. So one should serve the Guru and follow his
instructions deli gently.”
Saayamdeva sang in wonder: ‘I have indeed seen all that you have
described, with my own eyes! Where am I, where is Kasi and where
are you? I could see what I have never seen before. You are not a
common mortal, not even one of the gods, but the Supreme Spirit!
You who are the Para Brahman, transcending all action, have, by
your own will to become the many, created Brahma (the creator)
and, through him, you have projected the whole universe. Though
you are above all modes of existence, you have descended on earth
through the modes of existence, which are your own and, as part of
your cosmic play, you destroy the wicked. Oh lord Nrisimha
Saraswathi, I bow to you. Your descent on earth is for the
establishment of righteousness and is a pleasure to the gods. Your
descent, like sunrise, dissolves the immense darkness of
Ignorance. You are the protector of the law. Oh Thou Bliss of all,
you have assumed this form of a sannyasi, which is free from all
impurity and is dedicated to truth, blessed and sanctifying. You
bestow salvation on creatures who are lost in the sea of
phenomenal existence. You have bestowed the power of speech on the
dumb, sight on the blind, progeny on a barren woman, life on a
dead man, and the blessed life of a housewife on a widow! Your
divine power has achieved the impossible. Oh thou, the abode of
the liberated souls, thou art the bestower of liberation and of
all the wishes of thy devotees. You are the dispeller of want, sin
and craving. The Vedas have glorified you as beyond speech. Oh
thou Lord of yogis, you are the refuge all holy places, the very
life of blessed ones, the philosopher’s stone of the devotees, the
treasure-trove of divine powers. I worship thy holy feet, which
are the centers of holiness even for pious souls. Even learned
ones debate concerning the divine mystery of thy feet. Oh Holy
One, you are beyond the Vedas and thy nature is indescribable. You
pervade the whole universe by your eight bodies. Thou art the
original form of the pranava. I bow to thee. This form of yours,
which has graced the banks of river Krishna and Bheema, is fit to
be meditated upon by those who are of tranquil mind. May you bless
me that this, your form, may abide steadily in my heart!”
Sree Guru said: “My son, I am pleased by your hymn of praise. I
have blessed you with pure faith, un spoilt by any other desire.
Indeed, all your descendants shall be blessed with faith in me.
Henceforth you resign the service of the foreign king and stay on
here with your family!” Saayamdeva pleased Sree Guru by acting
upon his command.
Often, Saayamdeva sang the praise of the Guru; “Oh Lord of the
three modes of existence, you are the Omnipresent Spirit, without
a beginning and an end. By virtue of my meritorious acts in the
previous lives, I am blessed with your darshan. Even at the touch
of the dust of thy feet, I am purified of all my sins. I, who am
burnt by the flames of discontent, am made tranquil at the sight
of thy face. Like the piece of iron which is transmitted into gold
at the very touch of the philosopher’s stone, I who was earlier
caught in the miserable plight of phenomenal existence am uplifted
to the state of blessedness.”
Beginning with such a hymn of praise, Saayamdeva wrote the story
of Sree Guru in Kanarese. Sree Guru was pleased at it and saying,
“Saayamdeva, your first son Naganatha is my chosen devotee” placed
his hand in blessing on the boy’s head. Young Naganatha who was
dumb by birth, at once became as wise a teacher as Brihaspati.
Then Sree Guru said to Saayamdeva, “Your wife is virtuous. She
shall be blessed with four sons. As you are wealthy, do not ever
think of serving the foreign king and you shall be blessed.” Sree
Guru continued, “There is a religious vow called Ananta Vrata
which burns out the sins of those who observe it. At the
instruction of Sree Krishna, Dharmaraja observed the vow and
thereby won divine pleasures and bodily passage to heaven. May you
observe it.” Saayamdeva replied, “Oh Lord! You are indeed Lord
Ananta to us. And your service is Ananta Vrata. Who then, is the
Ananta you speak of? May you expound the details of the observance
to us?”
Sree Guru went on, “Once upon a time, the architect for the
demons, Maya had built a unique palace for Dharmaraja in which he
could perform the famous sacrifice of Rajasooya. The palace
was of such uncanny nature that Duryodhana who entered it saw
water where there was none, and hard ground where there was indeed
water, slipped and fell down. When the whole assembly of royal
princes laughed at him, the proud price felt insulted. He took
revenge, on the host by winning for himself, in an unfair game of
chess. Then he commanded all of them to live in the wild forests.
Accordingly, Dharmaraja went to the forests and there lived in
suffering and danger, along with his brothers and wife. After
sometime, when Sree Krishna visited him, Dharmaraja poured out his
tale of misery and said, “Lord, you are hailed as the Protector of
Thy devotees. Do you not know of our sufferings?”
Lord Krishna said, ‘Oh Dharmaraja, the fruition of one’s previous
karma is indeed relentless. However, it cannot torment those who
are devoted to me. So you observe the vow called Ananta Vrata.
Indeed, I am lord Ananta and the vow is dear to me. I am the Lord
of all that is; for I am in all the forms of existence. I am above
karma, motive and the modes of existence. This vow has to be
observed on the 14th day (chaturdasi) of the
dark half of the lunar month of Bhaadrapada. This vow can bestow
infinite blessings on the observer. Listen:
Once there was a sage named Sumanta who belonged to the Vasishta
Gotra. His wife Bhaargavi died immediately after giving
birth to a baby and the sage married again. But his second wife
was an ill-tempered shrew and she troubled him much. At the proper
time, Sumanta gave his virtuous daughter in marriage to one
Kaundinya. Once young Kaundinya visited her father’s house and
stayed there for two months. At last, unable to put up with the
wild temper of his mother in law, he got ready to return home
along with his wife. The shrew of a lady refused to give him the
customary gifts due to a newly wedded son-in-law. She even refused
to allow him the expenses of his journey. Sumanta was helpless. At
last, he gathered up a small quantity of wheat from the heap
outside the hermitage and gifted it to Kaundinya. The latter set
out along with his wife and by noon, reached the banks of a river
where he rested for a while.
There his wife saw a few housewives observing a religious vow and
asked them what it was. They said that they were observing the
Ananta Vrata. At her request, they told her the details of the
observance: “After taking bath, one has to put on red clothes and
prepare a ritual bracelet with fourteen pieces of thread. Then,
keeping darbha-grass over a pot, one has to worship it as the very
form of Lord Vishnu. Fourteen special dishes have to be prepared
and gifted away to pious Brahmins. The new bracelet has to be worn
in place of the old. Married couples have to be fed sumptuously.
This vow has to be observed on that particular day for 13
consecutive years. In the fourteenth year, at the end of the
observance, pious Brahmins and poor people have to be fed. This is
the best of religious vows. You will do well to observe the vow
yourself.” The young lady observed the vow to the best of her
means and gave away half the store of their wheat and returned to
her husband.
Kaundinya and his wife resumed their journey. As they passed
through a village, the wealthy inhabitants of it requested him to
settle down in their village, which he did. In course of time, by
the grace of Lord Ananta, he became rich and was much honoured for
his learning and piety. One day, he had an argument with his wife
and in his pride; he plucked away the ritual bracelet from her
wrist and, despite her warning, threw it in the fire. Shortly
after, his house caught fire and all his wealth was destroyed.
Robbers stole away whatever was left behind. He realized that it
was all a result of the wrath of Lord Ananta at his misdeed. In
bitter despair and repentance, he roamed about the forest, asking
every cow, tree and mountain that he encountered, regarding the
whereabouts of the Lord Ananta. At last, the merciful Lord Ananta
appeared in the form of an old Brahmin, consoled him, led him to a
town, which he created by his divine power and there revealed his
true form. Kaundinya glorified the Lord thus:
‘Oh Supreme Lord Ananta, omnipresent Spirit! Pardon the sacrilege
I have committed in my ignorance.’ The Lord was moved and blessed
him saying, “By my grace, may you be freed from misery. May you
enjoy riches and, at the end of your mortal existence, may you
adorn the sky as the constellation Punarvasu!” Kaundinya
submitted: “Lord, earlier I have perceived some mystic signs. The
first was a mango tree, the fruits of which were not eaten by
anybody. The second was a castrated bull, which could not eat
fodder. The third was a pair of lakes from which no creature ever
slaked their thirst. I have also seen a miserable donkey, elephant
and an old Brahmin. May you explain their significance to me?”
The Lord explained: “The mango tree you saw is a man of learning
who did not impart his wisdom to his disciples. A wealthy man who
gifts away a worthless piece of land is the bull. The pair of
lakes is people who merely exchange things in the name of giving
away religious gifts. The donkey you have seen is a man who is
enslaved by rancor. A man who is wild with lust is the elephant. I
am the old Brahmin you have seen. All those you have seen have
just now been freed from their previous karma.” The sage Kaundinya
glorified Lord Ananta and secured all the wishes of his heart.
Therefore, oh Dharmaraja, you too observe the Ananta Vrata.
You will be benefited,” said Sree Krishna. Dharmaraja did
accordingly, vanquished his enemies, enjoyed the pleasures of
kingship and entered heaven even with his physical body.”
Saayamdeva observed the Ananta Vrata and spent the rest of
his life in the service of the Guru and at last, attained
liberation. Indeed, by the grace of Lord Nrisimha Saraswathi, all
his descendants attained liberation. Oh Namadharaka, you are born
in such a family. Therefore, you shall surely cross this ocean of
misery and reach the Lord of Immortality,” said Siddha.
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