43. नतलोकसमुद्धर्ता Nata-loka-samuddhartā

One who completely uplifted those who paid obeisance

A disciple seeks a Guru to solve His problems, either worldly or spiritual. In the case of the disciple filled with dispassion and tormented by saṁsāra, his imploring the Guru to save him would be on the following lines: “O Master! O kinsman of those who pay obeisance! O ocean of compassion! Pray uplift me who has fallen into the ocean of transmigration!”¹¹⁷ The Guru would then accept him with the assurance, as Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Jagadguru, did: “Giving up all dharma (and adharma) seek refuge in Me alone. I shall liberate you from all sins; grieve not.”¹¹⁸

His Holiness is described here as the sam-uddhartā, One who uplifted well, nata-loka, those who paid obeisance. The ‘loka’ or people who sought Him were of varied temperaments and had varied problems. To those who approached Him with spiritual problems, He provided invaluable guidance for them to surmount the impediments and march on. However, what was even more remarkable was that those who approached Him with worldly problems returned not only with their problems solved, but also elevated by Him in the spiritual dimension.

Expatiating on the characteristics of a genuine and competent Guru, His Holiness said in a benedictory address, “A true Guru is an enduring friend, for he never abandons a pupil.” This facet found total consummation in His Holiness. There is His ultimate assurance in His own words, with a tone of finality: “I will never abandon one whom I have accepted.” Whatever the temperament of the person accepted by His Holiness, He uplifted him on the spiritual plane appropriately, through both His guidance and His grace.

❧

After he opted for voluntary retirement, Sri Anantarama Seshan came with his wife Smt. Vaikuntam to Sringeri in 1963 with the intention of settling

124 43. Nata-loka-samuddhartā down there. His Holiness gave them a place to stay in Narasimhavana itself and also took care of their spiritual well-being.

During the cāturmāsya that year, His Holiness expounded, in chaste Sanskrit, the Vedānta-paribhāṣā (an authoritative, technical primer on Advaita-Vedānta) to the couple, several scholars and a saṁnyāsin. After the first day’s class, the lady approached Him in the evening and said, “I am blessed to attend Your Holiness’s class. However, unlike all the others, I am not knowledgeable in Sanskrit and, hence, am unable to understand Your Holiness’s exposition.” Blessing her, He compassionately responded, “You will be able to comprehend the text.”

The lady found, much to her own amazement, that from the next day onwards, she was able to follow His exposition and, that too, without any difficulty. Even the portion of the text that had been covered in the first class became clear to her. Later, His Holiness started expounding the Vedānta-pañcadaśī to the couple. Though He did so in Sanskrit, she was able to clearly follow His teaching. After covering a portion of this text, He told them that they could read the book by themselves and that it would be clear to them. That is what came to pass.

Decades later, the lady even demonstrated that she had understood the texts concerned by explaining correctly, in Tamil, the import of some textual portions that were read out to her.

❧

His Holiness’s spiritual advices were not only unfailingly lucid and effective but also specific to the individuals who sought His guidance.

A sādhaka, practitioner of spiritual disciplines, once came to His Holiness and said, “I experience acute breathlessness during meditation. As I begin concentrating, my breathing rate gradually decreases and soon respiration stops. Good focus of the mind accrues but in a matter of moments, I feel suffocated. What am I to do?”

His Holiness replied, “You are aware that control of breath and regulation of the mind are related. Hence, you make an involuntary effort to still your breath to improve your meditation. Your dhyāna is, however, not deep enough to warrant almost no breathing. To rid yourself of the problem of gasping for air, forcefully take a deep breath. Above all, ensure that you make no voluntary effort to alter the breathing pattern. Just pay attention to fixing the mind on the object of mediation. That is quite sufficient for you and you do not have to resort to any independent steps to lower your respiratory rate.” The person implemented His advice and found that his problem disappeared and his meditation improved.

Another sādhaka asked His Holiness, “As I meditate, the Lord’s form becomes increasingly clear. Saliva secretion appears to wax and I am forced to swallow. Since this occurs every few minutes, it is quite a hindrance. What should I do?” His Holiness said, “In your case, folding the tongue such that its tip is turned towards the gullet and rests lightly on the upper palate will be helpful. Secondly, do not consciously or semiconsciously anticipate the necessity to swallow.” On the first day, the sādhaka found the folding of the tongue somewhat inconvenient but got used to it from the next day. The need to repeatedly swallow started decreasing and, in less than a week, ceased.

❧

A young man approached His Holiness and reported, “I find my head feeling very heavy within a few minutes of my commencing dhyāna. The uneasiness gives way to pain and I end up with an acute headache.” His Holiness’s reply surprised the questioner. He said, “The problem will automatically vanish in one week. Till then ensure that you do not even accidentally direct your gaze to the tip of your nose or to the middle of your eyebrows. Further, do not conjecture the form of your Iṣṭa-devatā (chosen deity) in the heart. Visualise it in front of you. You can resume your normal procedure after one week.” The specified period passed and the difficulty ceased to be.

❧

A couple once went to His Holiness and complained about one of their sons. They told Him, “This son of ours is unruly and disobedient. We are very worried about him.”

His Holiness told the boy to come forward, and holding his hand, queried, “Now, will you behave well? Will you listen to the words of your parents?” From that very day the boy’s disruptive behaviour disappeared. He became obedient and in due course His upanayana too was performed.

❧