CHAPTER XIII SOFT AND FIRM

His Holiness never used to contradict, censure or discourage anybody that came to Him. On the other hands He would get hold of any good point in him and encourage him in it. As the result of the few minutes of contact with His Holiness, he would, thanks to His gracious blessings, improve greatly. Numerous have been those who have profited by such contact.

If anybody tells His Holiness that he is daily performing his Sandhya worship properly, His Holiness would immediately say, “Are you doing it? What higher means are necessary to help you to the highest good? The paths known as Karma, Bhakti and Jnana have all been incorporated in the Sandhya worship. There is no Mantra greater than the Gayatri. You have taken firm hold of it. I am very glad to hear it.”

A gentleman was well known for his hospitality though he did not strictly carry out all the religious duties prescribed by the Sastras. His Holiness told him “I am very glad to hear it. In any kind of gift, the receiving person will never think that he has had enough. It is only in the gift of food that the guest will say of his own accord that he has had enough and that is why the Sastras count hospitality as superior to other kinds of gift. Further when you are feeding a hungry man, you are really worshiping God who has manifested himself as Vaisvanara in the shape of gastric fire in him. It gives me great pleasure to know that you have pitched upon such a kind of divine service”.

An old classmate of mine invited His Holiness to his house in his village and, when he was receiving Prasadam from His Holiness after the Puja, he said, “Krishnan and myself read together in the School. He is now a lawyer but I am idly sitting at home” and in saying it his regret was quite perceivable in his tone. His Holiness immediately said “Is it so? I am very glad to learn that you have already got what he has to earn. As you need not trouble yourself to earn any money, you will have more time to spend in spiritual pursuits. It is certainly a very good thing.”

In the course of a discussion in Vyakarana in the presence of His Holiness a student used by oversight the word दधिः in the masculine while it was really neuter. His teacher who was near by got angry at this slip and stared at his pupil. The latter however did not notice it. But His Holiness noticed it and said to the teacher aside in a very low tone “Two words दधि हि” This remark drove away the teacher’s anger and made him smile as he realised immediately that His Holiness out of His infinite grace did not want to discourage the student, particularly in a public gathering.

A disciple had a curious problem which was troubling him.

Disciple: If I read any Vedanta book for a long time, my head begins to ache. What is the remedy for it?

H. H: Does your head ache however long you may be talking to your friends?

D: No.

H. H: Does it ache when you are studying your office papers?

D: No.

H. H: Does it ache when you are reading the newspaper or story books?

D: No.

H. H: It aches only when you take up Vedanta books?

D: It is so.

H. H: It does not matter. You will have to endure it for some time. Then the aching will disappear of its own accord. Don’t worry yourself about it. Don’t stop your studies for this reason.

This disciple met me a little later and asked me whether I got headache when reading Vedanta books. When I replied in the negative, he told me “It is only just now that I realise the full import of what His Holiness told me. Evidently you are reading them as if you were chatting with your friends, perusing routine office papers or newspaper and novels. That is why you do not get headache. His Holiness told me that if the Vedanta was read in all seriousness and earnestness the head must ache”. I did not think it necessary to dispute his commentary on His Holiness’ words. He seemed to firmly believe that those who got no headache lacked in earnestness and that getting headache was itself a necessary step in the ladder of spiritual progress.

It is no doubt true that His Holiness never contradicted anybody but it is equally true that he never gave way or abandoned His own stand. He was soft and at the same time very firm.

When His Holiness was camping in a village for the Chaturmasyam He used to expound the Sutra Bhashyam every morning. A gentleman who was punctually attending it wanted a holiday but did not like to miss the lesson.

G: Will it be possible to stop the exposition tomorrow?

H. H: Why?

G: I am a Bench Magistrate and I have court tomorrow. I have to attend it.

H. H: You may attend it.

G: But if there is a class tomorrow, I shall be losing it.

H. H: Quite so.

G: It will be well if there is a break tomorrow.

H. H: Are you paid for your office?

G: No. It is only honorary. But as I have taken up the duty, I have necessarily to discharge it.

H. H: You are quite right. You may attend to it.

G: But what about the class?

H. H: Why should it be stopped?

G: If not, I shall be a loser.

H. H: What can we do? When there is a necessary duty, we have to attend to it.

G: I make the request only because I did not like to lose the class.

H. H: This certainly proves your earnestness. In the exposition going on here, the only person on whom it is incumbent to be here from the beginning to the end is only myself. Those who come to hear have worldly concerns of their own and therefore may come and go as they please. If the exposition is to go on consulting the convenience of every individual who is attending it, it will have to be stopped on most of the days.

• • • •

Another gentleman had a difficulty of his own.

G: Is there any exposition tomorrow?

H. H: Why?

G: I am coming from a distant village. If there were to be no exposition tomorrow, my coming will be in vain.

H. H: Why vain? You can have Darsana of Sri Chandramouliswara.

G: No doubt but –

H. H: No question of “But”; there is nothing higher than the Darsana.

Saying this His Holiness went away inside. I was standing nearby and the gentleman remarked to me “His Holiness has not answered my question.” I said “He did not answer, evidently because He was afraid of you”. He said “What do you mean? Why should His Holiness be afraid of me?” I replied “If He had said that there would be an exposition tomorrow and if owing to some reason or other it could not be had, you might say that you had come from a great distance only in vain. If He had said that there would be no exposition and it did after all take place at the instance of some earnest disciples, you might say that His Holiness had not kept His word. His Holiness did not therefore like to commit Himself to you either way and therefore did not answer your question.” He said “No, no. I would not have asked any such thing”. “What then is the implication of your question?” was my reply.

• • • •

A pious disciple who wanted initiation from His Holiness was asked to come on a particular day. He did come and was admitted to the presence of His Holiness. When His Holiness asked him to sit down for the initiation, he said “Today seems to be Ashtami.” His Holiness immediately said “Yes, we shall see later on”. The disciple accordingly came out and informed me “His Holiness forgot that today was Ashtami. I reminded Him about it. He has accordingly postponed the initiation.” When he was saying this to me, another disciple was called in for initiation. Seeing this, he said “Just now I informed His Holiness about today being Ashtami. But He is calling in somebody else. How is it?” I told him “It is Ashtami only to you.” “How can that be?” he asked. I explained “You entertained the idea that this day was not auspicious for initiation. If His Holiness had in spite of that given the initiation today and if by chance you got later on any headache or other ailment, you would be inclined to attribute it to the initiation on an inauspicious day. Realising this, His Holiness refrained from giving you the initiation today. To those who have the intense faith that the day on which His Holiness is pleased to give initiation is by itself the most auspicious, it is unnecessary to refer to the almanac for an auspicious day”.

• • • •

When His Holiness was touring in the Chettinad, owing to some serious inconvenience it was not possible for the disciples at Devakota to invite His Holiness just then and so His Holiness moved on without visiting that place. When His Holiness was camping at a distant village, the Devakota people who had by that time somewhat recovered from their inconvenience came to invite His Holiness and, as their representations to the agent were not successful, they found it necessary to make the request to His Holiness Himself.

Chettiar: We have now somehow adjusted our affairs. We are not happy over the fact that Your Holiness had to bye-pass our village. We request Your Holiness will be pleased to come now and bless us.

H. H: When you invite us with such devotion, is it possible to say nay to it? We shall certainly come. As regards the when, you may ascertain from Sri Sastri.

Chettiar: We asked him. It appears Mahodaya or Ardhodaya is coming on shortly. Sri Sastri says it has been arranged to camp on that day at Rameswaram. He is insistent that it is not possible to go to Devakota now and it can be had only on the way back. That is why we approached Your Holiness directly. We shall gladly defray all the expenses of going to Devakottah and returning here. We request Your Holiness to come to our village now itself.

H. H: Your anxiety to have the visit even now proves your deep devotion. We are very glad to note it and, when you are so earnest, it will not be proper for us to ignore your request. But it so chances that arrangements have been made for Abhisheka to Sri Chandramouliswara on the seashore on a particularly sacred day in the interest of the welfare of the world. I am thinking whether it is necessary for the Devakota people to bear the blame of preventing its being done.

Chettiar: As Your Holiness pleases. On the way back at least, Your Holiness must be pleased to visit our village and bless us.

• • • •

A learned scholar used to expound Srimad Bhagavad Gita in a very popular way to large audiences and incidentally get adequate remuneration. He came to His Holiness.

H. H: I hear that you are expounding the Gita very well. I am glad to hear it.

Scholar: With Your Holiness’ blessings, I am giving out what little I know.

H. H. We hear also that you are not attaching any value to a stanza in the 18th chapter.

The scholar immediately grasped the point and hung his head. The stanza is the one which says

“This must not be given out to anybody who has no Tapas, never to one who is not a devotee, nor to one who is not earnest about learning, or to one who dislikes Me.”

His Holiness by this simple remark pointed out that to broadcast the teachings of the Gita to all and sundry without reference to their qualifications to hear them is against the definite injunction of the Lord Himself in the Gita.

• • • •

A pandit had composed some verses about His Holiness and read them out to Him. In one stanza it was mentioned that, though Sri Rama was the very embodiment of Dharma and had incarnated only for the re-establishment of Dharma, there was some slur talked about Him in connection with His killing of Vali and that His Holiness being free from such possible imputations was verily pure Dharma in human form. His Holiness immediately pointed out that such statements were improper and showed His displeasure thus –

“It is unnecessary to consider now whether the conduct of Sri Rama in killing Vali was right or wrong or even whether the imputation of any slur to Him has any basis or not. I am only sorry that you judged me so low as to think that I would be pleased to be told that I was free from any kind of fault which even Sri Rama could not be said to be free from. Imagination and exaggeration may not be irrelevant in poetic compositions but they must never tend to lower the greatness of Sri Rama, Krishna and others.”

• • • •

His Holiness was certainly a great and loving spiritual guide but He was so only to those who sought His guidance earnestly. He did not care to answer abstract questions on Dharma or Vedanta which did not personally concern the questioner. He seems to have felt that in answering them He would be not only not helping the questioner in any way but would be only wasting His own time. A few instances may be cited to illustrate this.

One day a disciple posed a problem in Dharma.

Disciple: A man had two wives. The elder wife had a son and the younger a daughter but no son. That daughter however had a son. Now the second wife died. Who is to perform her funeral rites? Is the stepson to do it in virtue of his status as son to her also? Or is the daughter’s son to do it by reason of his being a direct decendent of the lady? Which of them is the competent person according to the Sastras?

H. H: Are you the stepson or the daughter’s son?

Disciple: I am neither. I referred to a happening in my village.

H. H: Let either of them ask. It will be time enough to answer. When you are neither, what use is it to you to know it?

Disciple: I can give it out to them when I go home.

H. H: Has either of them asked you to ask me about it and has either of them agreed to abide by my answer and conduct himself accordingly?

Disciple: No The question was put of my own accord.

H. H: Then it is quite unnecessary for you.

• • • •

Another disciple interested in “historical research” came to His Holiness.

Disciple: It is well known that Sri Vidya Tirtha was the Guru of Sri Vidyaranya. But in the Panchadasi he has made his obesience to Sri Sankarananda. Can it be that Vidya Tirtha and Sankarananda are really one? If they are different, who is that Sankarananda?

H. H: Is it necessary to know this for understanding the Panchadasi? What does it matter in whichever way it is? How do we benefit by knowing this? And what do we lose by not knowing it?

• • • •

A friend of mine happened to borrow my Srimad Ramayana volume for a few days and returned it to me. When turning it over, I found there a sheet of paper where the procedural details as regards the daily parayana were written. I found that they differed a great deal from the details which I myself was observing. When I met His Holiness next, I felt impelled to mention this matter to Him.

K: Are there several methods of doing the daily parayana of Srimad Ramayana?

H. H: Why do you ask?

K: I happened to see a note kept by a friend of mine. The method found there differed from mine. So I asked.

H. H: Evidentally when you saw that note, you began to doubt the propriety of your own method.

K: No, no.

H. H: You have no doubt then that what you are doing is in accordance with what you were taught at the time of your initiation?

K: I have no such doubt

H. H: If so, what is your object in asking whether there are other methods?

K: I only wanted to know.

H. H: Knowing that, what are you going to do? Is it your intention to give up your method and substitute some other in its stead?

K: Certainly not.

H. H: Then this question is unnecessary.

• • • •

A disciple decided to “draw out” His Holiness for a long talk and felt that he could do so if he offered a congenial subject to His Holiness.

D: I request Your Holiness will be pleased to explain in detail the purpose of a stanza in the Vivekachudamani.

H. H: Which is the sloka? Read it.

The disciple read it.

H. H: Which is the portion which you do not understand in this sloka?

D: I no doubt understand the sloka. I want however your Holiness’ detailed exposition of it.

H. H: The words of our Acharya are superb. It is not proper to mix with them any words of ours. Enjoy them as they are.

• • • •

A gentleman who had made a fairly careful study of Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada’s Bhashyas came to His Holiness.

G: At the beginning of the commentary on the Brahma Sutras, our Acharya in interpreting the word अथ (Then) has mentioned that a person becomes competent to enter upon the study of Vedanta only after he has secured the four qualifications known as Viveka (Discrimination) Vairagya (Detachment), Samadishatka (Six courses of training), and Mumukshutva, (Yearning for liberation). Is it even so?

H. H: You say that it is so mentioned by our Acharya and yet you ask me “Is it even so?” What do you mean by it?

G: Does our Acharya mean that such like myself who are in worldly life are not qualified for the study of Vedanta?

H. H: Is that not the meaning of the Bhashya?

G: Is it then wrong for us to study it?

H. H: How came you to doubt it?

G: We have taken so much pains to study it. Is it all waste?

H. H: Nothing is ever wasted. Every voluntary effort will have its own effect.

G: If there is such an effect, how can we be called incompetent?

H. H: Why? Who told you that an action done by an incompetent person had not any effect?

G: What will be that effect?

H. H: Did not Sambuka engage himself in a penance for which he was not competent and did he not get its fruit at the hands of Sri Rama?

G: Why? He only punished him for it.

H. H: Punishment was the fruit.

G: Does it mean then that if one engages himself in an action beyond his competency he will be punished? This is really no fruit.

H. H: Why not? It is as much an effect.

G: If so, does it not amount to saying that if a person without the four prescribed qualifications takes up the study of the Vedanta it is quite wrong?

H. H: What doubt is there? That is why the Sastras say संन्यस्य श्रवणं कुर्यात् “Study the Vedanta after taking Sannyasa.”

G. Does it not tantamount to expressly prohibiting householders from a study of Vedanta?

H. H: Not necessarily so. The four qualifications are imperatively necessary for those who want to know Brahman. You do not want to know Brahman; you want only to know what the book says. It is only curiosity that impels you to look into it and not any other motive. Your reading will not lead to knowledge of Brahman. It may help you to understand a few of the thoughts; it may familiarise you with such terms as Maya, Atma and so on which are met with frequently in such books. And the impressions so got may be somewhat useful when really you acquire the competency. That is all. For this, one may read it.