3. First Years of Incumbency
The young Swamiji’s sorrow knew no bounds when the Guru cast off his mortal coil; the Guru had adopted the young Swamiji while he was still in his boyhood and, for thirteen years, had made him his constant companion and had brought him up with great affection. It was not possible for the young Swamiji to console himself or for others to console him. All the rites and ceremonies connected with the interment of the body of the Guru were performed strictly in the manner prescribed in the scriptures and in accordance with established custom. By the time they were completed, it was midnight. The young Swamiji did not partake of any food and sleep forsook him. He was again and again speaking of his great Guru and his attributes, recollecting his great love and graciousness towards the Guru and lamenting his loss. While the Swamiji was in this condition, he felt exhausted and a bit drowsy. It seemed to him that he was in the presence of the great Guru who asked him, “What is it you are doing? Giving up food and water! I am not gone – I am here.” The Swamiji opened his eyes but saw nothing. He then recollected some words that his Guru had said to him while he was still in the body: “Separation from me will be unendurable to you. I am now conscribed as it were by this body. After giving up this body, I will be all-pervasive. This alone will be the difference; nothing else.” Swamiji recalled these words, derived great consolation from them and overcame his sorrow.
The shedding of the mortal coil of the great Guru was communicated by means of Srimukha (a communiqué from the Math) to his disciples all over the country and, among others, to Gopala Shastri, the representative of the Sringeri Math and the worshipper of the temple at Gokarna. When the Srimukha reached him, he was greatly astonished. The reason for his astonishment lay in this: On the day previous to the demise of the old Mahaswamiji, he had dreamt that he was in the temple at Gokarna, that Sri Narasimha Bharati Mahaswamiji had arrived there in a palanquin, and that while he stood there after performing Namaskara (salutation) to the Mahaswamiji, the latter inquired about his welfare and went close to the image of Mahabaleshwara, worshipped the image and performed nirajana (waving of lit camphor) before the deity. Gopala Shastri himself came to Sringeri and acquainted Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Narasimha Bharati Swamiji with these details. The Swamiji and the others marveled much at the greatness of the Guru who had passed away and came to the conclusion that to fulfill the devout wish of the Mahaswamiji, Ishwara Himself had taken him in spirit to Gokarna and permitted him to behold the deity.
The new Mahaswamiji’s (Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Narasimha Bharati Mahaswamiji) installation ceremony was celebrated in accordance with the wishes of the people of Sringeri on Friday, the eighth of the bright half of Ashada of the year Pramadi (27th June 1879).
For a period of six years from the day on which his Guru shed his mortal coil, not a day passed on which the Mahaswamiji did not worship at his Guru’s Adhishtanam (shrine) with full faith and devotion. He made up his mind that he would not undertake any task in connection with the Math or any observance necessary for his salvation without going to his master’s Adhishtanam and worshipping him and obtaining his assent; and he stuck to his determination. The Mahaswamiji thus passed his days in Sringeri, performing the duties appropriate to his Ashrama (stage of life) worshipping his Guru and Chandramoulishwara, instructing his pupils in Tarka and Vedanta and adding to his own learning by further study. Needless to mention, he held the worship of his Guru to be equivalent to the worship of all the Gods.
It has already been stated that Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Narasimha Bharati Mahaswamiji was, from his boyhood, bent on acquiring proficiency in Yoga. Yoga can be broadly classified under the heads Hathayoga and Rajayoga. In the former, the emphasis is on the control of the body and the breath to gain restraint of the mind, while the latter is characterized by the practice of concentration culminating in the thorough restraint of the mind. Hathayoga leads to Rajayoga. Restraint of the mind, which characterizes Yoga, enables one to engage in Jnanabhyasa (the practice of knowledge) culminating in the realization of oneself as non-different from the Supreme Brahman. Such direct realization of the Truth liberates one from Samsara, the cycle of births and deaths. The Mahaswamiji mastered Yoga-asanas, special bodily postures, prescribed in the Yoga texts and engaged, in the course of his mastery of Hathayoga, in the practice of Pranayama.
Pranayama has three components: Pooraka, inhalation of breath, Kumbhaka, retention of breath after inhalation or remaining without breathing after complete exhalation and Rechaka, complete exhalation of breath. It is said that as one masters the control of breath one would encounter an outburst of profuse perspiration, then the experience of bodily tremors and then elevation. The Agent of the Math, Sri Srikantha Shastri, was fortunate to witness such observable features of Pranayama when the Mahaswamiji was engaged in Pranayama. The aim of Pranayama is the mastery over the mind and perspiration, etc., are just its associated external aspects.
In the texts of Hathayoga, there is a description of the ‘Khechari-Mudra’ and this is eulogized. Through Chedana (the cutting of the base of the tongue little by little), Calana (the shaking of the tongue sideways by holding it with the fingers) and Dohana (stretching the tongue like the udder of a cow when milking the cow), the tongue should be made long. Then the tongue should be thrust upwards through the opening of the back of the throat and should be kept at the level of the eyebrow. This is said to mark the Khechari-Mudra and this Mudra is said to result in the descent of ambrosia from the Sahasrara-Chakra, the yogic centre in the head. The Mahaswamiji wished to practise the Khechari-Mudra. This is also known as Lambika-yoga. Sri Vidya Tirtha, the 10th Jagadguru of Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham is reputed to have thoroughly mastered lambikayoga.
A bairagi from North India named Ganga Das arrived at Sringeri. When the Mahaswamiji ascertained that Ganga Das was proficient in Hathayoga and knowledgeable about the Khechari-Mudra, he arranged for the latter to stay for some time at Sringeri, had discussion about Yoga with him and personally initiated the practice of Khechari-Mudra by observing dietary restrictions like giving up salt and pungent items and resorting to Chedana, Calana and Dohana. He gradually progressed to duly thrusting his tongue upwards through the opening at the back of the throat. However, not being enamoured of the Khechari-Mudra, he finally discarded it and moved on, from Hathayoga, to Rajayoga, which He mastered. The eight limbs of Raja-yoga are: Yama or restraints (non-injury to all beings, truthfulness, abstinence from theft, thorough continence and non-acceptance of any means of enjoyment in excess of what is needed for life), Niyamas or observances (purity, contentment, austerity, study and dedication to God), Asanas (specified bodily postures), Pranayama (the control of breath), Pratyahara (the withdrawal of the senses from their objects), Dharana (the fixation of the mind on a locus), Dhyana (the one-pointed flow of thoughts towards the object of focus), and Samadhi (absorption on the object of focus). The Mahaswamiji mastered Samadhi for Self-realization.
Six years of quiet, secluded life thus went by, a period of studying and teaching, of spiritual communion in his Guru's shrine and yogic practices. By constant study of books and discussion of religious and philosophical questions and lectures to the advanced students who came to him for instruction, his knowledge of the Shastras had become unrivalled; possessed of a mighty intellect, exceptionally combined with child-like simplicity and sweetness of temper, trained and moulded into shape by two master-minds such as his elder brother and the advanced yogi, his own Guru, it is no wonder that in the six years of secluded study, contemplation and literary discussion, he grew into a fascinating specimen of human excellence.
In the year Parthiva (December, 1885 C.E) the Mahaswamiji was informed that Sri Chamarajendra Wodeyar, the youthful Maharaja of Mysore would be pleased to pay a visit to Sringeri and have the Guru’s Darshan. He was the first Maharaja of Mysore to visit Sringeri. The Mahaswamiji made all necessary arrangements through his agents and received His Highness who had arrived along with his Dewan K. Seshadri Iyer, the British Resident Mr. Girdlestone and their retinue; all of them arrived at Sringeri on Monday, the full moon day of Margasirsha in the year Parthiva (7th December 1885) and remained at Sringeri for two days. The Mahaswamiji knew that it was the intention of his Guru, Sri Narasimha Bharati Mahaswamiji to confer some conspicuous honour on the Maharaja of Mysore and felt that the time had come to fulfill his Guru’s wishes.
On this occasion, the Mahaswamiji presented the Maharaja with a crown set with precious stones. Then the Mahaswamiji said, “The crown has been with the Gurus who have come in an unbroken succession from Sri Vidyaranya, the 12th Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham who established the throne of the Maharajas of Mysore in Vijayanagara (Anegondi) which was later transferred to Mysore. It was therefore appropriate that the throne and the crown should both together be in the enjoyment of the rulers who represented the Karnataka empire. My Guru had indeed wished to honour the Maharaja with the crown and now has come the opportunity for giving effect to it; the great yogi’s Sankalpa can never go unfulfilled.” Saying these words, the Mahaswamiji himself placed the crown on the head of the young ruler with his blessings. The crown gifted by the Mahaswamiji is now kept as one of the objects of worship in the palace of Mysore.
Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Narasimha Bharati Mahaswamiji possessed great learning. Self-realization and the courage of it appeared personified in him. About this time, by the inspiration of Sri Sharadamba, it occurred to him that he should set out on a tour for the purpose of fulfilling his duty of spreading righteousness through the land in accordance with the injunctions of his Guru. A well-known and highly respected Jagirdar of Western India by name Annasaheb Vinchookar was then on a visit to the Mahaswamiji at Sringeri. He begged the Mahaswamiji to visit Northern India and offered to accompany him and see that all necessary arrangements were made for the tour. He submitted to the Mahaswamiji that thousands of Mahaswamiji’s disciples were longing to behold him. This request on the part of the Jagirdar helped to strengthen the Mahaswamiji’s desire to travel in Northern India.
In accordance with the usual custom, he prayed for permission to set out on his travel both to his Guru and to Sri Sharadamba and from both he received tokens of assent. The Mahaswamiji was unwilling to interrupt the worship of his own great Guru which he had daily carried on at the Guru’s Adhishthanam (temple) without a break for six years and was still hesitating. Such being the case, on a certain day, when the Mahaswamiji went to the Guru’s Adhishthanam to worship as usual, he saw a small bana-linga placed on the pani-peetham of the linga embedded in the Adhishthanam. Inquiries were made as to how the bana-linga came there but no one knew. When the Mahaswamiji saw the bana-linga, he was greatly pleased. It seemed to him that knowing the reason of his hesitation to set out travelling, his own great Guru had sent the bana-linga as a token to be taken with the Mahaswamiji on his tours and worshipped daily. Until the day of setting out on his travels, the Mahaswamiji kept the bana-linga on the Adhishthanam and worshipped it.
Satisfied with the signs he got from his Guru in favour of the tour, the Mahaswamiji decided to visit Northern India. The golden palanquin presented by Sri Krishnaraja Wodeyar III in the year Ananda was somewhat damaged. It was sent to Mysore and thoroughly refurbished. All preparations for the tour were completed. On Friday, the fifth of the bright half of Margasirsha in the year Parthiva, S.S. 1809 (1886 C.E) the Mahaswamiji left Sringeri with his followers taking with him the idols of Sri Chandramoulishwara and Ratnagarbha Ganapati which have been handed down to the succeeding Acharyas for generations, as well as the newly acquired bana-linga and proceeded to Sacchidanandapura, a village close to Sringeri.
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