1. GURU

Disciple : Is a Guru necessary for one who desires mokṣa (liberation)?

Acharyal : Very much.

D: What is the chief characteristic of a Guru?

A: A Guru should be a jñānin (one who has realised the Truth). Further, he should be interested in the well-being of his disciple.

D: Nowadays, many pose as sages. Such being the case, how is one to identify a real Guru?

A: No specific rules exist regarding this. If we are very sincere, Īśvara Himself will lead us to a Guru. We can see for ourselves whether the person whom we wish to have as a Guru is a jñānin and desires our well-being. Though it is difficult to conclude whether one is a jñānin or not, we can use the description of a jñānin contained in the Bhagavadgītā as a yardstick. However, while doing this, it should be remembered that the description was not given to select jñānin-s.

D: What should be the attitude of the disciple towards his Guru?

A: He should not view the Guru, Īśvara and Ātman as different. It is said:

(M, I.130) (Salutation to Him who is manifest variously as Īśvara, Guru and Ātman.)

The disciple should always follow the instructions of his Guru. Even if others opine otherwise, he should treat his Guru’s commands as final.

D: Can one who has not attained jñāna bestow the knowledge of the Ātman on another?

A: na nareṇāvareṇa prokta eṣa suvijñeyo bahudhā cintyamānaḥ ।

(KU, I.2.8) (One cannot comprehend the Ātman even by deep enquiry if one is taught by a person who has not realised the Ātman. When taught by the teacher who is a jñānin, one attains liberation.)

D: Is it wrong on the part of a spiritual aspirant to listen to others commenting adversely on his Guru or Īśvara?

A: Yes.

D: What should he do in such a situation?

A: If the man who criticises is amenable to reason, he may be asked not to criticise. If not, the disciple should leave his presence.

D: What may a person desirous of going to a Guru and leading a spiritual life do prior to the attainment of a Guru?

A: If upanayana has been performed, he can do gāyatrī-japa to the extent possible. He can also worship Īśvara mentally. There is no restriction in doing this. The method of performing such mental worship has been elucidated in the Mṛtyuñjaya-mānasapūjā-stotra, Śiva-mānasapūjā-stotra, etc. It is good to develop devotion towards Īśvara by dedicating the fruits of all actions to Him. Firm dispassion should be acquired by means of discrimination. Sincere prayer is potent in enabling one to get a proper Guru.

D: At what age should spiritual practices be commenced?

A: The earlier we start, the better. Were not Prahlāda and Dhruva young boys when they began their spiritual practices?

D: Is the Guru’s upadeśa necessary for one interested in material life?

A: Is a doctor necessary for one affected by a disease?

D: Yes.

A: If a man desires pleasure in worldly life, does he get it to the extent that he wants? Not at all. Even to attain worldly happiness, would it not be wise to seek guidance? The blessings of a knower of the Truth are extremely potent. Hence, whatever may be the way of life desired, it is advisable to seek the grace and guidance of a saint.

D: Though some people wish to carry out the instructions of their Guru, they do not always act accordingly. They also have a wrong idea that they can get happiness through some other means. How are such thoughts to be prevented?

A: Will not even a worldly man have an impression regarding a saint to the effect, “He is much more knowledgeable than I am?”

D: Yes.

A: Will not a Guru consider the well-being and the difficulties of his disciple?

D: Yes.

A: The Guru is concerned with our welfare. He knows more than we do. He has understood our difficulties. Since this is so, if he gives us some advice, will it not be for our own good? If the disciple firmly establishes such an idea in his mind, he will act according to his Guru’s instructions. When difficulties arise in following the instructions, he should think, “It is good for me to act as per his instructions.” Then, vacillation will cease.

D: Some people hesitate to disclose their problems to their Guru. So, when it is difficult to carry out his orders, they get the doubt, “My Guru has given this advice for my own good. But there are certain difficulties in following it. I am of limited capacity. How then am I to act as per his instructions?”

A: Is it not sheer foolishness if a man hides facts about his disease when he goes to a doctor? Therefore, we should spell out our difficulties to our Guru without any hesitation. It is our duty. Even if that is not done, as the Guru is a knower of the Truth, his instructions will be only in accordance with the will of Īśvara. This being the case, whatever he says will be appropriate for us. If we do not have the capacity to follow his instructions, even that capacity will be obtained by his grace. An ideal disciple will indeed act as per his Guru’s instructions and not give place to thoughts such as, “Is it possible for me to do as he says? Shall I try something else?” If we follow our Guru’s instructions, it does not mean that we are unintelligent. It only implies that we have surrendered ourselves, for our own good, to a power superior to us.

D: Is it possible for even a heinous sinner to progress in spiritual life if he obtains a great Guru’s grace?

A: If the blessings of Īśvara and the Guru are got, even the worst sinner can progress. However, we should not be careless thinking, “We will progress in life just by the power of grace.”

D: Sometimes, even those who have committed many ill-deeds become the recipients of the blessings of great souls. Certain others are quite moral. Still, they are seen to be deprived of similar blessings. Holy ones are not guilty of favouritism. Why then should such disparity be observed?

A: We should infer the cause from the effect. A certain person is morally inferior to another. Yet, it can be seen that he enjoys divine grace to a greater extent. There should be some reason behind this. What could it be? The cause may be analysed thus: “If the present life of the sinner is looked into, no reason can be found. However, enquiry into this birth alone is insufficient as there has been a birth previous to this. There, he might have done very many good deeds. Therefore, he becomes a recipient of divine grace in this birth. Hence, it can be inferred that even though he may not be leading a morally sound life now, as he is receiving a saint’s blessings, he should have acquired puṇya (merit) in his previous birth itself.” It is wrong to infer that a saint is partial. Nothing remains to be attained by a jīvanmukta (one liberated while alive). “I have a liking towards this person. Therefore, I should shower my blessings on him. The other individual is not a favourite of mine. So, I need not bless him” – such notions are not entertained by him. Whether he chooses to bless others or not, he stands to gain nothing, as he has attained what is to be attained.

D: If it is only due to merit acquired in the previous birth that one gets divine grace, will not grace become an object “bought” by puṇya?

A: The light of a lamp falls on its surroundings. One may study the śāstra-s in that light, while another may pay no attention to it and sleep. The great souls are always showering their grace. Each one can derive benefit depending on one’s own mentality. If one takes a big vessel to a pond, one can bring a large quantity of water. Just because a small vessel can hold little water, it does not mean that the vessel itself is the limit for the capacity of the pond. Similarly, if a man has acquired merit in his previous birth, he might get the good company of a great soul. However, he may not fully utilise the opportunity. Another one, though not having got the same opportunity may, by exploiting the available chance to the greatest extent possible, soon become the recipient of the grace of a sage.

D: If the Guru has blessed his disciple with his pādukā-s, how should the disciple respect them?

A: Whatever reverence he has towards his Guru should be there towards the pādukā-s 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 pādukā-s 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 pādukā-s.

D: If a disciple desires to meditate on the pādukā-s, how should he proceed?

A: He can meditate on the Guru’s feet as adorned by the pādukā-s.

D: How should a disciple conduct himself in the presence of his Guru?

A: He should have a reverential attitude towards him. He should serve him whenever he gets an opportunity. However, he should also get his permission before doing so. If any clarification is required, he can ask him when he is not engaged in any activity. He should be very sincere in his studies, always thinking that it is his great fortune to learn from his Guru. He should constantly keep in mind the instructions of his Guru and lead his life accordingly.

★ ★ ★ ★

❑ Incidents from Acharyal's Life

Acharyal, His Holiness Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal, the 35th Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetam, was a great yogin and a jīvanmukta par excellence. Acharyal’s very life was a living testimony to the scriptural declarations regarding a perfect sage and an ideal Guru.

It was a cold winter night at Sringeri and the whole village was fast asleep. In His abode at Narasimhavanam, on the banks of the gently flowing Tunga, Acharyal was seated motionless, engaged in rigorous penance. His breathing was hardly perceptible. His very silence was radiating peace and He was radiant with tejas, like a yogin of yore. Hours lapsed but the sage was blissfully oblivious of the passage of time, absorbed as He was in the infinite Brahman, a state which scriptures describe as nirvikalpa-samādhi, the acme of yoga. He had been sitting in samādhi for protracted lengths of time on the preceding days too. The intensity of nirvikalpa-samādhi of the preceding days had been such that He was disinclined towards everything concerning the external world. That day, however, He was hardly aware of even partaking of food. He needed assistance to complete His evening bath. By the evening, His mind was so intoxicated by the bliss of Brahman that even His āhnika, which He normally performed with so much punctiliousness and concentration, fared very badly. Before retiring to His room in the night, He skipped His food as He felt too disinclined to eat. There, Acharyal sat down and straightaway went into nirvikalpa-samādhi. The night was almost over and the Sage showed no signs of waking up from His trance.

Acharyal would have continued to be in that state, lost in Brahman and lost to the world, until His body would have fallen off, on its own. Fortunate are we, as the divine design was different. Impelled by a preraṇā, His Guru arrived at the scene before the night ended and chanted the Praṇava to awaken His disciple from samādhi. Slowly, Acharyal’s chest heaved to accept some air and His eyes opened. He became aware of His body and the presence of His Guru.

Paramacharyal spoke to Acharyal the next morning, “I knew that Your mind was becoming more and more absorbed in nirvikalpa-samādhi. Though You have transcended any need for samādhi, I did not interfere. Last night, however, the Lord made it clear to Me that Your samādhi had become so intense that You would not emerge from it on Your own. Unless aroused from samādhi, You would remain in it till physical death.

“As impelled by Him, I came to Your room before the night ended. Telling Your attendant to remain outside, I entered alone. The Math staff have been under the impression that You have been unwell since yesterday. So, the attendant assumed that I had come to check on Your condition. I found You seated motionless, deep in samādhi. With great difficulty, I succeeded in awakening You. Regulate Your samādhi and the introversion of the mind. Else, today itself, Your nirvikalpa-samādhi will become such that You cannot be aroused from it at all by anybody. Do not leave Me by entering irreversible samādhi and discarding Your human form. There is so much to be done by You for Me, for others and for the Math.”

The Yoga-vāsiṣṭha describes the sixth and seventh planes of Knowledge thus: “In the sixth plane, one emerges from nirvikalpa-samādhi only when awakened by the persons nearby. Such a yogin is termed a brahmavidvarīyān (greater knower of Brahman)... The yogin who has reached the seventh plane called turyagā never emerges from nirvikalpa-samādhi either by himself or in response to the efforts of another. Such a yogin is called a brahmavidvariṣṭha (best knower of Brahman).”

Acharyal's state of establishment in the Absolute was of such a high order. He was only a teenager then.

[Excerpted from Yoga Enlightenment and Perfection]

★ ★ ★ ★

❑ Experiences of Devotees

So powerful was Acharyal’s ātmānusandhāna that it had a profound impact on those nearby, provided they suitably attuned themselves. I vividly recall one such instance. I was accompanying Acharyal on His Kundapur camp. I was going in the pilot jeep when I noticed that Acharyal had ordered His car to stop. His Holiness asked me to sit in the front seat of His car and sent His attendant Mahabala to the jeep. No conversation ensued. Acharyal lost Himself in the contemplation of the import of the Upaniṣad-s. The effect on me was extreme, to say the least. [Sri P.S.Venkatasubba Rao]

★ ★ ★ ★

Not only was Acharyal an accomplished yogin and a jīvanmukta, He had the power to confer samādhi and steadfastness in it upon His disciples at will.

After receiving mantropadeśa from Acharyal at Madras in the year 1971, I made my first trip to Sringeri in the next year. At Sringeri, apparently innocently, Acharyal asked me to describe my meditation to Him. He heard me with patience. “At the time of initiation, by the will of Īśvara, śakti-pāta (transfer of spiritual power) has occurred” He said. “You will not have obstacles to your spiritual progress. Till now you have been doing saguṇa-dhyāna (meditation on God with qualities). Now I will teach you nirguṇa-dhyāna (fixation on the Brahman sans attributes). When you sit for meditation, dissociate yourself with the body and the senses. Only the rise and fall of thoughts will be perceived. Segregate yourself from all thoughts. Then realise yourself to be of the nature of perfect bliss. I will show you how to do so.” Saying so, He closed His eyes. His body became motionless and His eyes were half closed. He was quite unaware of His surroundings and radiated peace. Five minutes later, Acharyal opened His eyes and said, “Go and try nirguṇa-dhyāna.” “I intellectually comprehend what Acharyal says”, I said, “but I am at a loss to understand how exactly to proceed.” “Try it”, Acharyal smilingly replied, “everything will become clear to you.”

I prostrated before Acharyal and went to the adhiṣṭhāna housing the samādhi-s of our Paramacharyal and Parameshti Acharyal. I sat down for dhyāna. Almost instantaneously, I lost awareness of the surroundings and the body. Only the rise and fall of thoughts were recognisable. Slowly, the frequency of the thoughts became less and soon the mind was totally tranquil. I felt as though I was merging into pure ākāśa and became unlimited in size. There was an extraordinary experience of bliss. Suddenly, there was a transition and even the conception of ākāśa vanished. All distinctions disappeared without a trace. I am at a total loss for words to describe that state. All I can say is that I was lost in an ocean of unalloyed indescribable bliss. When I began to regain my external consciousness and opened my eyes I could perceive nothing apart from me. Everything seemed to be in me like bubbles on the surface of the ocean. This unique experience lasted a while before gradually fading away.

In May 1974, Acharyal’s grace led me to a major milestone in my spiritual discipline. Roughly ten days prior to my departure from Sringeri, Acharyal called me to accompany Him for a walk up the Kālabhairava hill. The attendant had gone in front and so there was no one with Acharyal at that time except myself. Addressing Acharyal I said, “By Acharyal’s blessings I am repeatedly able to get the meditative state which Acharyal has subsequently identified as nirvikalpa-samādhi. When I come down from that state, as I have told Acharyal earlier, I feel as if there is nothing apart from me. This experience, however, is not steady. It fades away after a while and I would like Acharyal’s benediction for that state to become steady.” Acharyal looked upon me with compassionate eyes and said, “After you complete your engineering studies that state shall become steady.” So unlimited was His mercy that just after a few days after making this statement, He told me of His own accord, “Your surrender to Me has generated satisfaction. I bless that that state become steady from now on.” Can the blessings of the omnipotent One ever be in vain? What He said came to pass and the steadiness of the experience continues to this day. [A disciple]

Acharyal’s extremely striking personality attracted anyone who had His darśana even once. Once a young lawyer happened to visit Sringeri. Coming to Narasimhavanam, he told a disciple of Acharyal, “I came here for sight seeing. I am an atheist but am curious to see what the head of this Math is like. Can I see Him? However, as I have no respect for saṁnyāsin-s, I will neither remove my shirt nor prostrate before Him.” The disciple replied, “Acharyal will be giving darśana in a few minutes. Anybody can go in. You can decide for yourself whether you want to go or not.” The disciple went inside and, in a few minutes, the door was opened for people to enter for darśana. The lawyer followed a group of devotees into a room. He stood right at the back. In a few moments, Acharyal’s eyes fell on him. Acharyal beckoned to him, holding a fruit in His hand. The lawyer stepped forward, abruptly prostrated and remained so. Some time lapsed. But the lawyer did not show any signs of getting up. Finally, Acharyal Himself asked him to rise. He got up with tears in his eyes and, in a choked voice, requested Acharyal to bless him. Acharyal gave him His blessings and also prasāda. Then the man went out. The disciple whom the lawyer had earlier spoken to emerged and closed the door. He found that the lawyer was the sole man in the veranda. The lawyer moved up to the disciple and said, “Are you wondering why I behaved in this fashion?” The disciple said, “No, I have seen such things happen often.” Such is the magnetic personality of our Acharyal. [Sri K.Srinivasan]

★★★★

In the summer of 1967, at the end of my first year classes at the management institute in Calcutta, I went to Delhi to visit my parents. It so happened that His Holiness was at camp in Delhi at that time and my mother was very particular that I should go to seek His blessings. I mentioned to her that I was extremely allergic to meeting and wasting time on such supposed holy men, Swamijis and saṁnyāsin-s. However, after much persuasion by her, I agreed, but I told her that under no circumstances would I go in the traditional mode of visiting Him (which is wearing a dhoti and aṅgavastra) that I would go just as I was, in a shirt and a pair of trousers or that I would not go at all. My mother perforce had little choice and she accepted what I said with a somewhat heavy heart.

After the morning bath, we went off to visit His Holiness. At that time, His Holiness was staying in the house of the then Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha. There, people had congregated to meet His Holiness, but somehow, almost miraculously it seemed that we were called in immediately for a personal audience with Him. His Holiness was seated on a silver āsana in a corner of a fairly large room in the front portion of the house. When we were ushered into the room, He immediately beckoned to us to come to Him. It was at this point that, suddenly, a spontaneous transformation came over me. The innate purity of His nature and the great power of His tapas was such that I suddenly felt unclean and rather out of place in the vestments that I had come in, and therefore I was extremely reluctant to go forward. He was kindness itself and repeated several times that I should come forward and made me sit within a couple of feet from Him. His first response on my sitting down was “Why did you not come to see Me in Calcutta, my son? Your mother had shown Me a photograph of you, and I was watching everyday to see whether you are among the hundreds of people who came by.”

This was but one more surprise, which left me totally dumbfounded. In the first instance, I never really thought we could get in to see Him so quickly. And in the second instance, I certainly did not expect that He would remember me from the photograph that He had seen. Of course, at the time I had no idea of His Holiness’ phenomenal memory capacity and His punctilious attention to even matters of the smallest detail. Ordinary people often imagine limitations in great souls which are really not there, because they judge them by their own limited abilities and attitudes.

As I started to recover my power of speech, spontaneously I felt one should be very honest in the presence of whom I now started feeling was a very unusual person and of one of great spiritual magnitude. I launched into my explanation as to why I had not come to see Him in Calcutta. I explained to Him rather tersely that I had heard that He saw only people of wealth and high social standing and that I had really little use for meeting such personalities, no matter how spiritual or famous or eminent they were considered to be. There was pin-drop silence from all the servitors around. In my estimate never before had any been quite so irreverent and that too in so explicit a manner, in front of His Holiness. I fully expected to be told to leave the room, never see His face again - in other words, some form of the Hindu equivalent of excommunication on the spot.

His Holiness’ response was totally unexpected. He just smiled and said, “I am told you are a student of business administration, is it not?” I said, “Yes.” He then asked me, if it was not true that I had to study some elements of law as part of my course work. I again said, “Yes.” And He said, “Is it not also true that in law, as it is practised in the land, hearsay information is not considered evidence?” I began to see what He was driving at, and said He was correct. He then asked me that as a man endowed with considerable education and a fair degree of discrimination, was it not expected of me, to have come there personally to see whether the allegations were really true or unfounded. He was so logical and reasonable that I had really nothing left to say, and I agreed with Him. What I also found remarkable at the time was that His Holiness used not the arcane letter and word of traditional śāstra-s of which I knew little at the time and for which I had even less regard. He used the very branches of secular learning with which I was fairly conversant and for which I had high regard, to make His point. This was another surprise to me. I had really not expected His Holiness to have such an immense understanding of and familiarity with the various branches of secular knowledge.

At this stage it suddenly seemed as if the flood-gates of a dam had opened, and I then asked Him in very homely language as to what I should do to improve myself in my spiritual practices. His Holiness immediately said that being a Brahmin, I had already been initiated into the Gāyatrī-mantra and it was sufficient for me to repeat this. He then also told me to go to the seashore whenever I had the opportunity, sit on the beach, and observe the waves coming in. I asked Him, “Holiness, then what?” He said, “And observe, and observe, and observe.” “But Holiness, I am not anywhere close to the sea”, I said. He replied “Then go and look at the blue skies when there are no clouds.” “And then, Holiness?” I asked. “And then look, and look, and look and that would be the sādhanā for you”, was the reply from Him. Since I had absolutely no acquaintance then with formal methods at dhyāna, and I had heard the word “samādhi” in only a vague sort of way, the full significance of what His Holiness told me totally escaped me. It has been my experience since that time that His Holiness’ words were never uttered in vain and they always bore fruit sooner or later.

[Sri Nagendra Rao]

★ ★ ★ ★

Strange it may seem, Acharyal’s formal lessons in Vedānta commenced long after He had attained perfect establishment in the Supreme, before He was 20. As a student, in His pūrvāśrama days and as a saṁnyāsin, Acharyal applied Himself with great ardour to the study of the śāstra-s. His razor-sharp intellect, His keen zest for learning and His unmatched humility - all enabled Him evolve as an erudite scholar in almost every branch of śāstra be it Veda-s, Vedānta, or Tarka. He used to preside over the annual vidvat-sadas at Sringeri and moderate the scriptural discussions. On many an occasion, He had to give the final ruling on topics that were debated upon by the participating scholars.

Acharyal visited Calcutta for the first time in 1967. As per Acharyal’s directives, a vidvat-sadas was organised there. People had heard of the scholarliness of Acharyal’s Guru, Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekhara Bharathi Mahaswamigal, and had not yet glimpsed Acharyal’s greatness.

There was, at that time, a great scholar of the Nyāya-śāstra-s, in Calcutta. Though he was a renowned scholar, he was an atheist. Acharyal, however, was particular that he be invited. The scholar told the Math officials who approached him with an invitation to the sadas, “I have two conditions. Firstly, I will not participate in the prayer. Secondly, I will not prostrate before the Swamiji. I will participate in the sadas provided these two conditions are met.” The conditions were agreed to and the scholar did participate in the sadas.

The sadas commenced, and this scholar was the first person to deliver an exposition on a topic. He spoke for an hour and when he finished, looked at His Holiness. Acharyal did not offer any comments. A few other scholars too spoke that day.

Acharyal did not address the Pandits on the second day too. At the end of the day’s session, the haughty scholar remarked to a Math official, “What is this? You have placed a statue in front of me. This Swamiji does not have anything at all to say. The reason must be either that He is not able to understand what I am saying, or that He is unable to think of appropriate arguments to counter mine. Anyway, I will attend this sadas one final time tomorrow.”

On the third day of the sadas, after this scholar had spoken for about 20 minutes, Acharyal asked him, “Have you finished?” When the man answered in the affirmative, Acharyal began His exposition. Acharyal spoke for one and a half hours and addressed every argument that the scholar had brought up.

At the end of it, the scholar got up, took off the turban that he had been wearing and placing it at the lotus feet of Acharyal, prostrated before Him. The thoroughly humbled man remarked, “I have only read in books that great scholars existed in ancient India. I have never heard such an extensive and brilliant exposition of Tarka. Today I have seen Goddess Sarasvatī Herself in front of me!” [Sri A.Ramaswamy]

★ ★ ★ ★

Acharyal had an inimitable method of imparting spiritual advice and His method was unique for each person.

Apart from Acharyal’s gracing me with meditative experiences and peace of mind, I have also had the good fortune of being taught by Him. He was so concerned with imparting knowledge to His disciples that He even put up with a lot of inconvenience. When Acharyal was at Bangalore in the year 1983, He taught me the Māṇḍūkya-upaniṣad with the Kārikā-s of Gauḍapādācārya and Bhagavatpāda’s commentary. This He did in spite of His ill-health. I have also heard portions of the Pañcadaśī, Yoga-vāsiṣṭha, Bhagavadgītā-bhāṣya, Sūtra-bhāṣya, etc., from the holy lips of my Guru. He not only resolved doubts by eventually answering them with lips but also by dispelling them by His mere presence. Quite often, I have noticed that He has clarified points which I have sought to ask Him even prior to my actually asking Him.

His grace has not been confined to my waking state alone. In the later half of 1974, I had a series of dreams in which Acharyal expounded the sixth chapter of the Bhagavadgītā along with Bhagavatpāda’s commentary. He explained some verses one night and, on the next night, continued from where He had left. This went on till the end of the chapter was reached. At that time, I had not come across Bhagavatpāda’s commentary on the Gītā at all. Later, when I procured a copy of the same, I found that it contained what Acharyal had taught.

During May 1975, I submitted to Acharyal that I had, on successive nights, dreams of Acharyal gracing me by teaching Bhagavatpāda’s bhāṣya on the sixth chapter of the Bhagavadgītā. Acharyal asked, “Do you recall the clarifications that you heard?” “By Acharyal’s grace, I remember them fully as also the words of the bhāṣya on the verses dealing with the practice and fruit of meditation”, I replied. Acharyal sent for the Gītābhāṣya. He then asked me to recount the commentary on one of the verses. I obeyed. Acharyal read out a passage from Bhagavatpāda’s introduction to the chapter and asked me to explain it. Without making any comment on my response, He instructed me to resolve, according to what I had heard, an apparent contradiction in a verse. Finally, He asked me in which of the two senses a word had been used in the bhāṣya.

When I finished replying, Acharyal was all smiles. Patting me on my shoulder, He said, “Your answers fully conform to what I would have told you if I were teaching you the bhāṣya now. There is no doubt that God graced you by teaching you through those dreams. Because of your devotion to Me you see Me as having effected them but I am just an ordinary man. I can particularly appreciate your experience because I had a similar experience of Lord Śiva teaching Me yoga in successive dreams when I was young.” [A disciple]

★★★★

I felt an urge to have some traditional lessons from Acharyal. I went to Sringeri and made known my desire. Right away, His Holiness agreed and said that He would begin the lesson at three o’ clock in the afternoon. Some saṁnyāsin-s and Pandits also came for the classes. The text taken for exposition was the Śrī-dakṣiṇāmūrti-stotra of Bhagavatpāda. Having given a lucid exposition of the first verse, Acharyal decided to explain the second verse the next day. Actually He was having a sore throat. Still He chose to teach me saying, “I have a sore throat. But you have come all the way from Bangalore for this. Hence I will teach.”

In the course of the lessons, an aged saṁnyāsin posed some questions to Acharyal which were based on Tarka. Acharyal said, “These lessons are meant for Venkatasubba Rao. Hence, I am giving only those details that will benefit him. Tarka is not important for him. If you seek to understand the text from the standpoint of Tarka then I am willing to explain that one point itself for 14 years giving a different interpretation on each day.”

On the third day, Acharyal said, “This is enough. In fact what I taught you on the first day was itself sufficient for you. I took up the second verse on the subsequent day to ward off any possible feeling you may get that the absence of continuation of the second day is inauspicious’’.

[Sri P.S.Venkatasubba Rao]

★ ★ ★ ★

In the year 1984, Acharyal was scheduled to leave Sringeri for Kaladi via Bangalore. A brahmacārin from Rishikesh came a little after noon for Acharyal’s darśana. Acharyal had already left for His afternoon bath. The brahmacārin told me, “I have seven questions pertaining to Yoga and Vedānta which I wish to pose to His Holiness. They are very important to me. I contacted numerous scholars, practitioners of Yoga and saṁnyāsin-s at Rishikesh, Uttarkashi, Haridwar and Kashi but none was able to satisfy me. A scholar at Kashi directed me to Sringeri, saying, ‘If the Jagadguru of Sringeri cannot satisfactorily answer you then there is none in the world who can.’ That is why I have come most eagerly to Sringeri.”

I told him, “Acharyal will be starting on a tour today. If you wait here, you can have His darśana just prior to His departure. However, there is no time today for you to have a lengthy private session with Him.” He said, “I will gladly wait to behold Him even if it be for just a moment.” He then told me one of the questions that he had in mind and requested me to tell Acharyal about him. I fulfilled his request shortly after Acharyal completed His bhikṣā.

I promptly submitted the information conveyed by the student to Acharyal who replied, “The question that he conveyed to you is good and pertinent. As there is no time to spare today, he could, if he wishes, meet Me at Bangalore and pose his queries to Me there. If I happen to know the answers, I shall tell him. Else, I shall readily admit that I am not in a position to help him.” In about half an hour, Acharyal came out to the front veranda of Sacchidananda Vilas, His abode. Some devotees, inclusive of the brahmacārin, were there.

The brahmacārin prostrated before Acharyal. His Holiness looked at him with compassion, raised His right hand in a gesture of blessing and said, in Hindi, “May you be happy.” He then moved on. I quickly conveyed to him what Acharyal had told me. Almost before I finished, he said, “The answers to all my questions became fully known to me the moment His Holiness blessed me.” In the car, of His own accord, Acharyal informed me, “When I saw that brahmacārin, I was struck with his sincerity. So, I requested Ambal, ‘Please provide him the answers he desires now itself’. The kind of sincerity that this spiritual aspirant has, deserves to be rewarded.” When I submitted to Acharyal what the brahmacārin had said, Acharyal joined His palms and said, “Ambal is so gracious.”

[Excerpted from Edifying Parables]

★ ★ ★ ★

Acharyal was a perfect disciple and was ever intent on serving His Guru. The following episode shows us how ideal was Acharyal as a disciple too.

In 1946, Acharyal once went to behold Paramacharyal, taking me with Him. As He approached the door of Paramacharyal’s room from one side, He noticed that His Guru was reading a book. Not only did Acharyal not enter, He did not even want to stand next to the door on the side where He could be seen. So, He walked round the building and came to the other side of the door. Then, He moved a foot of His slightly forward, leaned, peeped in and, finding that Paramacharyal was still reading, immediately stepped back. Then, He stood motionless and silent. After a few minutes, He again looked inside as before and withdrew. About 15 minutes passed thus before Paramacharyal happened to notice Him on looking up prior to turning a page.

Immediately, Paramacharyal called our Guru in. Acharyal entered and respectfully submitted that I had come for darśana. Paramacharyal rose, walked out of the room and began talking to me. To enable us to converse in private, Acharyal moved out of earshot. Paramacharyal was scheduled to take a Vedānta class for our Guru. So, after some time, our Guru returned to have a word with Paramacharyal. As He approached, Paramacharyal told me, “The Guru is coming. Do namaskāra.” As instructed, I prostrated before Acharyal. Then, Paramacharyal and Acharyal spoke to each other for a few moments. Thereafter, Acharyal walked backwards till He was out of His Guru’s range of sight; He was unwilling to even turn His back towards Paramacharyal. Such was His reverence for His Guru. Paramacharyal, on the other hand, declared to me while Acharyal was leaving, “Do not think He is just a Swamigal. He is God. He is My Guru.”

[Sri D.S.Subbaramaiah]

★ ★ ★ ★

During Acharyal’s first visit to Madras, my elder sister and her husband performed pāda-pūjā at the place where He was camping. Blessed with the pāda-pūjā-prasāda, my sister submitted to Acharyal, “My mother who is now 86 years old has poor vision. In her life, she was fortunate to have had the darśana of Their Holinesses Sri Nrisimha Bharati Mahaswamigal, Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati Mahaswamigal and Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamigal. But for her ill-health she would have come here and had Your darśana too! I seek Your grace on her behalf.” Acharyal was overjoyed and said, “What a blessed soul your mother is! She had the rare opportunity to have the darśana of three great Guru-s! It is not fair that I should expect her to come here and see Me. It is I who should visit her. I should meet the one who has met My pūrvācārya-s!” His Holiness then paid a visit to my sister’s house in T.Nagar. He posed kind enquiries to my mother, spoke to her for some time about the pūrvācārya-s, blessed her and left. I was humbled by Acharyal’s obvious compassion in visiting my mother and His reverence for His pūrvācārya-s! [Smt. Lakshmi Sambamurthy]

★ ★ ★ ★

Various classes of people came to Acharyal for guidance and succour. These included people suffering from physical ailments who would have Him play the role of a divine doctor, persons with various problems for which they would like Acharyal’s guidance and sacred intervention, people desirous of progressing in the spiritual path as also those who have attained realisation. Acharyal would respond to each of them in the most appropriate manner. Indeed, all His disciples uniformly felt that each one of them was the favourite disciple of our revered Guru.

★ ★ ★ ★