37. दाक्षिण्यनिलयस्वान्तः Dākṣiṇya-nilaya-svāntaḥ

One whose heart was the abode of kindness

The aspect of compassion that is termed kṛpā means ‘the effort put in for others’ happiness’ as explained under nāma 22, is the characteristic of dākṣiṇya or kindness talked of in this nāma. It is the characteristic of a person who acts in a manner that is favourable to others, even if that entails trouble for himself. Clearly, the traits described in nāma 22 are subsumed in this nāma, for a person who is willing to put up with suffering for the sake of others’ welfare, would certainly possess empathy and gentleness.

As in nāma 22, svāntaṁ, mind, is used here to indicate that kindness was innate to His Holiness’s mind and that not only His mind but also His speech and bodily acts were uniformly suffused with kindness. This nāma uses the description ‘dākṣiṇya-nilaya (abode of kindness)’ for His Holiness’s mind, implying that kindness was permanently stationed in its entirety in His mind and never ebbed. Thus, whatever the circumstances, His kindness was unfailing. He would never hesitate to put up with even great personal hardship in order to do what is favourable to the other person. Bhartṛhari lauds such a person with a special sobriquet: “These ones are called satpuruṣas (noble ones), who strive for the well-being of others, even sacrificing their own personal ends in the process.”¹⁰⁰ His Holiness dealt with people in such a way that whatever He did was favourable to everyone concerned. He spontaneously, naturally and consistently showed kindness towards all. To Him, others’ well-being always came first.

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Once, Sri Srinivasa Sastry’s friend did not fare well in the examinations. Determined to severely punish him, the boy’s strict father ordered him to bend and placed a heavy stone on his back. Unable to bear the load, the boy soon began wailing. Sri Srinivasa Sastry heard the piteous cries and rushed to the spot. Addressing the father, He said, “You are older than me and wiser too. Your son is in great pain. Please let him rest, at least for a while. You may place the stone on my back instead and I shall support it for him.” The father was moved by Sri Srinivasa Sastry’s heartfelt concern and relieved his son of the burden imposed. Thus, Sri Srinivasa Sastry was willing to even put up with suffering to relieve others of their distress.

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The following episode took place on 19^th September, 1989. His Holiness shed His body on 21^st September.

His Holiness was unwell that day. Some orange juice was what was to be His intake that afternoon. The attendant on duty was, however, unfamiliar with the use of the juice extractor. He ended up preparing juice mixed with significant solid residues. Though His Holiness noted this, He raised no objections. A disciple present there, however, suggested that the juice be filtered out. His Holiness guided the attendant and soon pure orange juice was ready, with not a drop spilt or left behind.

Unexpectedly, His Holiness told the disciple to taste it and see how he found it. As His Holiness never concerned Himself with the tastiness or otherwise of what He consumed, this was unusual. The disciple poured a little juice into his palm, swallowed it and reported, “It is nice.” “As it is tasty, have some more,” said His Holiness and directed His attendant to fetch a clean tumbler. Half the juice readied was poured into the tumbler. The disciple drank it. Not stopping with having given away half of what was to be His meagre intake, His Holiness happily instructed the disciple to consume the balance too. With no choice, the disciple obeyed. What served that afternoon as the substitute for His Holiness’s liquid diet was His joy in fully giving away to a disciple what the disciple found nice.

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When His Holiness was camping at Hyderabad, a devotee who hailed from an area that was approximately 50 kilometres away, came to have darśana of His Holiness. The devotee submitted to His Holiness that the kumbhābhiṣeka of a temple that had been built in his locality was going to take place, and requested His Holiness to grace the occasion. His Holiness’s schedule was, however, already tightly packed. Further, many devotees were of the opinion that a trip to the place, taking part in the functions and returning would be physically demanding as also time-consuming. However, His Holiness did not desire to refuse the invitation of the devotee and cause him unhappiness. So He set aside time for the event and not in the least minding great personal strain, went to the place on the appointed day and graced all the devotees there before returning.

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104 38. Dāntyādi-pariśobhitaḥ

His Holiness graced a devotee’s house in Delhi. The devotee’s aged father who stayed with him, had very poor eyesight, and so he could not see His Holiness. When the devotee mentioned this misfortune to His Holiness, He asked him to shift his father to an open space in front of the house. His Holiness then stood at a spot where the sunlight fell directly on His form and asked the devotee’s father if he could see Him. His Holiness kept adjusting His position so as to ensure that the aged man could have a fairly clear sight of His form. His Holiness stood for long doing this, unmindful of the scorching heat, until such time when the elderly man expressed his complete satisfaction with the darśana.

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During His Holiness’s visit to Bengaluru in 1989, Dr. Lakshmipathy saw Him one day seated in a room giving darśana to a politician. The doctor was watching from the veranda and could not make out what the politician was telling His Holiness, but was sure it was bothering Him. When the politician left, the doctor went in and started a conversation with His Holiness.

Doctor: Your Holiness was disturbed by this man. Isn’t this so?

HH: Yes. This man does things in a reckless manner and wants me to find a solution for him. How is it possible?

Doctor: I personally feel that Your Holiness should not allow these people to come close to Your Holiness.

HH: What you say is not correct. See, this man has a guilty conscience and he comes to me hoping that I will find a solution for him. If I also chase him away to whom will he go? Don’t you think I should at least try sincerely to make him curb his evil deeds and put him on the correct path?

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