69. महाप्रज्ञासमायुक्तः Mahā-prajñā-samāyuktaḥ

One who was eminently endowed with great intelligence

The word prajñā is defined by the following: “Smṛti (memory) pertains to the past, mati (wisdom) to the future and buddhi (intellect) to the present. Prajñā (intelligence) is considered as pertaining to all three spans of time.”¹⁹⁴

Thus prajñā means intelligence, connoting memory, understanding, intellectual ability, hindsight, insight and foresight, aided by abilities such as presence of mind, intuition, pragmatism and imagination. One who is āyuktaḥ, endowed with, mahā-prajñā, great intelligence, is clearly one who possesses these characteristics to a very high degree.

His Holiness has been described here as One who is sam-āyuktaḥ, eminently endowed with, such great intelligence. As such, what is meant is that His Holiness’s prajñā or intelligence was not at a level that can even be scaled up to by anyone, but was sheer inimitable genius.

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It is one thing to grasp or derive inferences from what is presented, but quite another to intuitively glean something from what is not directly apprehended.

A brahmacārin who was given to meditation stayed for some days at Sringeri. His Holiness freely granted him interviews and provided him suitable facilities to carry out his meditative practices. After he went back from Sringeri, His Holiness told a disciple that the brahmacārin had meditated well and praised him.

His Holiness then took the disciple to the place where the brahmacārin had meditated, pointed out the spot where he had sat, and mentioned the direction he had faced. His Holiness then demonstrated the posture that he had adopted. The brahmacārin had not given any of these details to Him; on the contrary, towards the close of his stay, he had asserted to the disciple that His Holiness must be unaware of where and how he had practised meditation in Sringeri.

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His Holiness not only had an intuitive insight into the abilities of individuals as shown above, but also had the understanding and vision to foresee the future course of events in general.

Sri R. Pandurangan was desirous of pursuing the M.B.B.S. course and becoming a doctor. When, in the early 1960s, he sought His Holiness’s blessings, His Holiness told him that by the grace of the Divine Mother, his wish would be fulfilled. Pandurangan, however, failed to get through the interview. His Holiness again told him that he would obtain the M.B.B.S. degree. Pandurangan failed to secure admission the second time too. His Holiness yet again told him that he would obtain the M.B.B.S. degree. Finally, in the year 1963, Pandurangan joined the College of Integrated Medicine at Kilpauk, Chennai, for the G.C.I.M. course, which was not on par with M.B.B.S. but involved the study of Āyurveda, etc.

When this information was conveyed to His Holiness, He reasserted His response. The infallibility of His blessing became clear only when it so happened that, in response to representations, the Government decided to give the first and second year G.C.I.M. students the option of joining the M.B.B.S. course, with their earlier studies being given due credit. Pandurangan was accommodated in the M.B.B.S. course at Stanley Medical College and graduated four years later; what His Holiness had repeatedly assured him, came to pass.

Pandurangan then worked as Medical Officer at Vallanadu, near Tirunelveli. Later, he completed a D.O. course at the Egmore Eye Hospital and was posted as Assistant Eye Surgeon, Nagercoil. In this manner, though

186 70. Mātsaryādi-vivarjitaḥ seemingly impossible earlier, he was able to graduate with an M.B.B.S degree as blessed by His Holiness and thereafter, obtain a diploma in ophthalmology too.

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