27. गुरुपादाम्बुजध्यायी Guru-pādāmbuja-dhyāyī

One who meditated on His Guru’s Lotus Feet

From utterances of our ancients such as, “The Guru alone is the entire universe and is the essence of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva; there is none greater than the Guru. Therefore the Guru should be worshipped devoutly,”⁷² that establish the greatness of the Guru, and the discussion under nāma 8 about the Lord’s lotus feet, it can be inferred that the Guru’s lotus feet are also Supreme. In fact, Bhagavatpāda vouchsafes this when He asks rhetorically, as the refrain in each of the verses of the Gurvaṣṭaka, “If the mind is not focussed on the Guru’s lotus feet, then what is the use (of any achievement)?”⁷³ Bhagavatpāda’s poignant verse in the Svātma-nirūpaṇa sums up the glory of the Guru’s feet as follows: “There is the foot of the Guru. In His glance, there is limitless compassion. There is something that has been said by Him. What else is there that constitutes the summum bonum of life?”⁷⁴ Thus, the Guru’s feet are sufficient to dispel the disciple’s ignorance and grant liberation.

His Holiness once clarified, “A man had two servants. One of them was particular about eulogising his employer but not in executing his master’s instructions. The other sincerely carried out the tasks assigned to him; he also held his master in high esteem. The employer obviously preferred the second servant to the first. A devotee who, like the second servant, sincerely performs the duties ordained for him by God and specified in the scriptures and, further, does so in a spirit of dedication, pleases God greatly and receives His grace in abundance.” From this it is clear that a disciple worshipping or meditating on the Guru’s feet would signify true devotion only if he were to act in accordance with the Guru’s explicit and implicit instructions at all times. Therefore, when His Holiness is described here as a dhyāyin, one who meditates, on the pādāmbuja, lotus feet, of the Guru, it implies that He had the greatest reverence and the most intense devotion for His Guru, marked by implicit obedience to Him.

Śrī Vedānta-deśika spells out the qualities of a model disciple in a verse that means, “The ideal disciple has a pure mind, resorts to the holy, has good conduct, is desirous of knowing the Truth, is intent upon serving (his Guru), is free from vanity, greatly values offering prostrations (to his Guru), waits for an opportune moment to pose his doubts (to his Guru), is of controlled mind, is of regulated senses, is free from envy, has surrendered (to the Guru), is possessed of faith in the Śāstras, is successful in tests and is grateful (to His Guru). Such a disciple is fit to be unconditionally taught what is desired.”⁷⁵ These attributes found complete fulfilment in His Holiness.

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As described under nāma 18, after Sri Srinivasa Sastry’s upanayana at Sringeri in May 1930, He, along with His family, had darśana of the Jagadguru, after which His mind was made up to be with the Jagadguru and not go back home. He was then a boy of just thirteen. Arrangements were made for Him to commence His studies along with a small group of boys in Narasimhavana directly under the watch of the Jagadguru.

In the first quarter of 1931, Sri Srinivasa Sastry developed high fever one night and became delirious. He started to speak incoherently. When the matter was reported to the Jagadguru, He neither authorised medical attention nor did He give vibhūti as prasāda as He had done in the case of the other students when they had taken ill. He, however, specifically instructed Sri Vaidyanatha Sastry, the boys’ tutor, to note whatever Sri Srinivasa Sastry uttered while delirious, and inform Him.

Sri Srinivasa Sastry’s words primarily comprised an unusual combination of dedication to the Jagadguru and a declaration of the Truth. He kept saying, “sadguro śaraṇaṁ śivo’haṁ śivo’ham (O Sadguru! You are my refuge. I am Śiva. I am Śiva).” Three days passed without His condition improving. He was awaiting vibhūti-prasāda from the Jagadguru. To assuage Him, Vaidyanatha Sastry told Him a lie to the effect that the Jagadguru would be gracing Him in person. Thereafter, He started to continuously chant, “sadguro pāhi, sadguro pāhi (O Sadguru, protect me. O Sadguru, protect me).”

When the Jagadguru was proceeding the next day, an ekādaśī, to the river for His afternoon bath, He heard Sri Srinivasa Sastry’s chant. After ascertaining that only Vaidyanatha Sastry was around, He abruptly entered the room where Sri Srinivasa Sastry lay. On seeing the Jagadguru, Sri Srinivasa Sastry got up and then prostrated in such a way that His forehead rested on His Guru’s feet. Vaidyanatha Sastry was shocked as it was not customary for anyone to touch the Jagadguru like this. The Jagadguru, however, showed no signs of disapproval. Gently raising His disciple, He placed His hand on Sri Srinivasa Sastry’s head. He innocently asked, “Have you still got fever?” and added, “Do not worry. Go and lie down.” He then left. Sri Srinivasa Sastry’s fever promptly vanished. Following the Jagadguru’s touch, He became relatively introverted and avoided casual conversations.

That night and on the subsequent ones, the Jagadguru audibly prayed during His Candramoulīśvara-pūjā, “sarvajñaṁ śrīnivāsaṁ kuru śiva-dayite satvaraṁ madvinamram (O beloved of Śiva, quickly make Srinivasa, my disciple, omniscient).”

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Days after the above episode, the Jagadguru felt the impulsion of Goddess Śāradā to choose Sri Srinivasa Sastry as His successor. That night, He had a dream in which His Guru (the 33^rd pontiff) fully approved of the choice. The śiṣya-svīkāra ceremonies took place on 22^nd May, 1931.

That evening, the Guru and disciple were to be taken through the streets of Sringeri in golden and silver palanquins respectively. In keeping with the Maṭha’s tradition from the time of the Vijayanagara kings Harihara I and Bukka I, They were attired in royal robes. The senior Jagadguru held out His index finger and His Holiness gently grasped it. He was so fond of His disciple that as He walked, He kept turning back to see His Holiness’s face. The senior Jagadguru led the way till They reached the silver palanquin, with the golden palanquin still ahead of them. Here, He made a surprise move. He withdrew His finger and sat down in the silver palanquin. This was strange, for He was supposed to occupy the golden palanquin and His Holiness, the silver one. He asked His Holiness to move ahead and sit in the golden palanquin. This act of His resulted in confusion in the minds of those present nearby. Sri Srikanta Sastry, the Maṭha’s agent as also some others approached the senior Jagadguru and requested Him to proceed to the golden palanquin as that was the tradition. He replied, “Let this be the tradition now. Have you forgotten the essence of the occurrences of today? If so, try to recall it and keep it fresh in your memories. Henceforth, all the honours pertaining to this pīṭha must be shown to Him and not to me. I desire to withdraw from worldly activities.”

The procession commenced, with His Holiness seated in the golden palanquin and going in the front and with the senior Jagadguru sitting in the silver one and following. The scripture says that a disciple should follow his Guru and not go ahead of him. Further, the seat of the Guru is to be respected and not occupied by the disciple; the golden palanquin was the one that the senior Jagadguru had used for years. The senior Jagadguru’s directive to His Holiness to move ahead and occupy the golden palanquin required His Holiness to break these rules. Further, the large number of people who had gathered in the streets of Sringeri to witness the procession could not be expected to know the reason for His Holiness occupying the golden palanquin and could have censured Him, at least mentally, for this apparent breach of propriety. Notwithstanding such considerations and though He was just thirteen years of age at that time, He experienced no confusion whatsoever. He just did as He was told and occupied the golden palanquin.

In the 1980s, a disciple referred to this incident and asked His Holiness, “What did Your Holiness feel on receiving such a difficult instruction from the senior Jagadguru?” “What was there to feel? My Guru’s command is inviolable. As a disciple, it is my duty to carry it out. That was my only thought then,” He replied.

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In the context of nāma 91 is presented how Śāradāmbā taught His Holiness about the yoga-cakras and the kuṇḍalinī through a thrilling vision, when He was about fourteen years old. More than four decades later, after describing the experience to a disciple, His Holiness added the following.

“As I opened my eyes after my experience ended, I was a bit bewildered whether I had been dreaming or vividly hallucinating or had had a divine experience. Without giving the matter any further thought, I got up and left for my Guru’s presence as it was time for Me to offer My obeisance to Him.

“While I performed my namaskāras to my Guru, He continued with His āhnika. He gave no indication of having noticed my presence. Not wanting to disturb Him, I started to leave quietly. Abruptly, He looked up at me and said, ‘Yes, tell me.’ I submitted, ‘A few minutes ago, I had an unexpected experience that seems to be of the nature of a divine teaching. However, I am not certain that it was not a day-dream or hallucination.’ His gaze was upon me but He said nothing. So, I proceeded to give the details. When I finished, He said, ‘All right,’ and readied Himself to perform daṇḍa-tarpaṇa. Feeling happy that He had graced me with the opportunity of making my submission, I left.”

The above statement of His Holiness gives a glimpse of the kind of reverence and devotion He had towards His Guru.

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The following conversation ensued after His Holiness narrated to a disciple, the last stages of His sādhanā culminating in jīvanmukti (vide nāma 1).

Disciple: Did Your Holiness inform the senior Jagadguru about the consummation of Your Holiness’s sādhanā as foretold by the Lord?

HH: No. Being my Guru and an excellent śrotriya-brahmaniṣṭha, He had the authority and the competence to decide upon not only the initiation and form of my sādhanā but also its progress and culmination.

D: When and how did the senior Jagadguru react to Your Holiness’s establishment in the Absolute?

HH: As I was returning from the hill, I saw Him standing outside Sacchidananda Vilasa and looking in my direction. He beckoned to me and went inside. When I went to His presence, He was alone. Even before I could prostrate before Him, He rushed to me and embraced me. Then, holding me by my shoulders, He said, “I am so very happy.” On His letting go of my shoulders, I prostrated for long, placing My hands and head on His feet. Such was His greatness that He highly appreciated anything positive in another. His instructions, blessings and grace were responsible for my sādhanā and whatever I achieved. Yet, he did not take any credit. He was so thoroughly free from egoism. Where can one now find the likes of Him?

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As presented in the contexts of nāmas 10 and 24, His Holiness’s mind kept reposing in nirvikalpa-samādhi after He was established in Brahman. After rousing Him from the state with great difficulty, the senior Jagadguru said to Him, “Taking care to avoid any further samādhi, finish your bath and āhnika and come to me,” and immediately left. His Holiness obeyed.

When His Holiness was later asked, while He was recounting these happenings, if He had had any difficulty in obeying that particular instruction of the senior Jagadguru, He answered, “No. My Guru’s word was final for me. There was no way that the tendency to repose in samādhi, no matter how powerful, could stand against the tendency to obey Him.”

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The ideal disciple must not stand on formalities nor allow his ego to obstruct his implicit obedience to the Guru. His Holiness, being possessed of inimitable devotion and being free from egoism, never felt even slightly dissatisfied with any decision His Guru took. His Holiness never hesitated to issue any instruction as per the senior Jagadguru’s bidding as also to modify or reverse it one or more times subsequently if that is what His Guru merely felt or obliquely hinted should be done. In all circumstances, He saw to it that credit alone went to His Guru and He shouldered any discredit.

A disciple once asked His Holiness in 1982, “Has Your Holiness ever felt hurt that the senior Jagadguru dismissed any view or feeling of Your Holiness?” to which He replied, “Never.” As He spoke, He grew visibly excited and, with a face flushed with emotion, continued, “I cannot even imagine feeling dissatisfied that my Guru dismissed any view or sentiment of mine. Who indeed was I to even imagine so? He was everything to me and whatever He said or did was perfectly right as far as I was concerned. Had it occurred to me even once that my Guru had insulted me or had not been fair to me, then I would have been the vilest of human beings, fit to be ostracized.” At this juncture, His Holiness’s voice choked with emotion. Such was His high regard for and unquestioning obedience to His Guru.

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He was ever prepared to serve His Guru in every possible way. Once, the senior Jagadguru, who was somewhat unwell, had retired for the night. Two attendants were sleeping just outside the door of His room. One of them, Sri Rama Sastry, awakened because the cold was chilling his bones, and having informing his companion, proceeded to the boiler room to warm himself. However, a short catnap was all that he had there, for the thought of the senior Jagadguru’s illness nagged him. He rose to check from his companion whether the senior Jagadguru had been asleep or had asked for anything. Making his way in the darkness, he barely touched the one lying there, when the response, “What is it?” that he heard caused him to freeze in astonishment. The voice was that of His Holiness. Rama Sastry hastened to apologise but was set at ease by His Holiness, who had taken the other attendant’s place to Himself attend to the senior Jagadguru’s needs, if any. To Him, who had the status of a Jagadguru, functioning as an attendant to His Guru was not undignified; it was a sacred privilege.

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His Holiness devotedly and impeccably served His Guru not only in normal circumstances but also in extremely trying ones, where patience, dexterity and tact were a sine qua non. After 1928, the senior Jagadguru entered now and then, for varying durations, a state that has been referred to in some books on Him as ‘antarmukha-avasthā (inward-turned condition).’ During these periods, His behaviour was unpredictable. Punctilious as He used to be in all His actions and habits, this change to an uncommon state was quite beyond the comprehension of many. There was no regularity in His bath or meals. Time did not count with Him and the ordinary rules of conduct, worldly or spiritual, were no more for Him. It would happen that for days together He remained without bath, food or sleep but the lack of these did not seem to affect Him, for He was ever beaming with spiritual lustre; His body, however, showed signs of emaciation.

His Holiness told a disciple in later years, “He did not take exception to my meeting Him occasionally during His periods of seclusion and even spoke to me. However, His words were few and He did not permit any prolonged conversation.” So intense was the senior Jagadguru’s love for His Holiness. During His state of withdrawal from normalcy, the senior Jagadguru had to be particularly cared for. In general, the Maṭha staff feared to approach Him since His reactions were unpredictable. Sometimes, He used to go away to the river bank and people feared that He might accidentally drown Himself or move away into the forest. None dared to approach Him, for He would drive them away. It was only His Holiness who was able to bring His Guru back to the safe interior of Sacchidananda Vilasa. His Holiness told a disciple how He did so once when His Guru was walking away into the forest.

The senior Jagadguru (observing His Holiness approaching Him): Why have you come?

HH: To request Your Holiness to come back to Sacchidananda Vilasa.

The senior Jagadguru: Why should I come back?

HH: I feel lonely without Your Holiness.

The senior Jagadguru: Why? Others are there.

HH: I feel thoroughly comfortable only with Your Holiness.

The senior Jagadguru: Very well.

Saying so, He accompanied His Holiness back to Sacchidananda Vilasa.

His Holiness concluded His account of this episode to the disciple by saying, “Since He responded to my requests to return, some humorously remarked that I was like a she-elephant that could calm down a tusker in rut.”

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There were even times when the senior Jagadguru’s transition from the normal to the other state took place rather abruptly. One hot day, when He was crossing the temporary wooden bridge across the Tuṅgā to proceed to Goddess Śāradā’s temple, He started casting off His clothes, and walked on, naked and nonchalant. As soon as His Holiness learnt of this, He picked up spare clothes for His Guru and also the senior Jagadguru’s pādukās (wooden sandals) and ran behind Him. By the time He caught up with His Guru, the latter had rapidly traversed much of the main street of Sringeri.

On seeing Him, the senior Jagadguru’s first words were, “Why are you not wearing pādukās?” He was unaware that He was naked but could not brook His Holiness’s bare feet treading the hot path! His Holiness told Him, “How could I wear them when Your Holiness is walking barefoot?” The senior Jagadguru then acceded to His Holiness’s request and donned the clothes that His Holiness gave Him and wore His pādukās. By this time, an attendant came running with His Holiness’s pādukās. Insisting that His Holiness wear them pronto, the senior Jagadguru returned to Sacchidananda Vilasa with His dear disciple. There, He once again became indifferent to His body and His surroundings and remained so for days, but in the confines of a room.

His Holiness firmly opined that as the senior Jagadguru was a jīvanmukta par excellence, neither His normal behaviour nor His abnormal state affected His steady abidance in the Supreme Brahman in any way.

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Shortly after Jagadguru Śrī Candraśekhara Bhāratī Mahāsvāmin had attained Mahāsamādhi in 1954, a lady from North India came to Sringeri and had His Holiness’s darśana. She expressed some of her doubts on religious practices to Him and also said that she had been unable to get satisfactory replies to them. His Holiness gave His clarifications in His inimitable style. The lady joyfully stated that her doubts had been fully resolved.

Prompted by His innate lack of ego and very great regard for His Guru, His Holiness said, “Had you come sometime earlier, you could have had the holy darśana of my Guru. You had to express your doubts to me and hear my replies. But if you had just beheld my Guru, that would have been sufficient for the answers to have become known to you. Such was His greatness.”

[As can be seen under nāma 68, for instance, what His Holiness said about His Guru was perfectly applicable to Him too.]

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The following are verses composed by His Holiness on His Guru.

1 I extol Śrī Candraśekhara Bhāratī who is ever immersed in the contemplation of the Ātman, is withdrawn from sense objects and is well-versed in the Śāstras.⁷⁶

2 My salutation to the ascetic whose mind is absorbed in consciousness and the lustre of whose feet destroys the blinding darkness of avidyā.⁷⁷

3 I pay obeisance to the cloud-like Guru, who abides in the (sky that is) the Supreme Brahman, pours forth the nectar of Vedānta and terminates the sufferings of people.⁷⁸

4 Bowing low with humility, the disciple-bee gently touches, with constant faith, the celebrated Guru’s feet that are lotuses with the nectar of mercy.⁷⁹

5 I daily prostrate with devotion before the pre-eminent Guru’s feet, which are merciful to devotees and an infinitesimal exposure to whose lustre always destroys the entire darkness (of ignorance) of the mind.⁸⁰

6 I salute the glorious, foremost of Gurus, who is highly gracious to those who pay obeisance and a wee bit of the kindness of whose feet is itself the saviour in the forest of saṁsāra.⁸¹

88 28. Gaṇanīya-guṇojjvalaḥ

7 I seek refuge in the lustrous preceptor, whose lotus feet are embellished (glorified) by the Upaniṣads and who eradicates the sorrows of those who pay obeisance to Him.⁸²

8 I place as a crown on my head Your, my preceptor’s, pair of pādukās, the remembrance of which certainly terminates the mental darkness of mankind. ⁸³

9 I prostrate before the pair of lotus-like feet of the glorious king of preceptors by paying obeisance to whom even a dullard becomes akin to the Guru.⁸⁴

10 To those in the darkness of ignorance, He is the sun that is infinite as also within. To the multitude of drooping lilies that are the hearts of scholars, He is the moon. To those trapped in the forest of sense-objects and without a friend in the path to the Supreme, He is the flaming torch that lights the way. Victorious is the luminous Guru who confers joy on all.⁸⁵

11 I prostrate before the greatest Guru, who is a wish-fulfilling tree to those who bow, who is worthy of being saluted by pre-eminent knowers of the Truth, who is the fresh sprout of bliss and who is the ocean of the Śāstras (that is, fully conversant with the Śāstras.)⁸⁶

12 I yearn to behold the Guru who is the divine antidote for the malady of transmigration and on beholding whom, one attains peace.⁸⁷

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The following is His Holiness’s advice regarding the Guru’s pādukās: “Whatever reverence a person has towards his Guru should be there towards the pādukās also. Everyday, after devoutly prostrating before them, he should place sandal paste and flowers on them. It may seem good to perform abhiṣeka to them daily. If, however, they be made of wood and if the disciple desires that they be with him for long, he himself can decide how sensible it would be to offer abhiṣeka daily. If he pays respects to his Guru’s pādukās with sincerity or if he prays to them with true devotion, he shall get the fruits of the very same actions done directly in his Guru’s presence. Hence, he should never be careless as regards the pādukās. If a person wants to meditate on the pādukās, He can meditate on the Guru’s feet as adorned by the pādukās.”

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