CHAPTER 3 Young Ascetic

The scripture points out that dispassion towards worldly and heavenly pleasures is vital for securing enlightenment and liberation. For instance, the Mahānārāyaṇa-upaniṣad teaches, “Not by work (rites), progeny or wealth did they attain immortality. It is by renunciation that some have attained immortality.” The Jagadguru emphasised detachment to Sri Srinivasa Sastry. One evening, after Vaidyanatha Sastry had informed the Jagadguru that he had noted down some verses uttered by Him when He had been in an inward-turned state, the Jagadguru directed him to recite one of them. He was, at that time, proceeding to the Kālabhairava Temple with the students. Sastry recited a verse, the meaning of which is, “A mortal should never have the sense of ‘mine’ with regard to even his body. The packs of jackals in the crematorium deem it to belong to them when the body lies there.” The Jagadguru then proceeded to explain the worthlessness of attachment to the body. He concluded His instruction by quoting a verse of the Prabodha-sudhākara, attributed to Bhagavatpāda. This verse conveys, “People felt joy on seeing a person (their king) seated on the royal throne. However, they shut their eyes upon seeing that very person when he is pulled by Death.”

The following day, He directed Vaidyanatha Sastry to come to Him with just Sri Srinivasa Sastry. When His directive was complied with, He said, “Today, we shall discuss the comparative merits of being a householder and a saṁnyāsin. You first explain the advantages of family life.” In obedience to His command, Sri Srinivasa Sastry and Vaidyanatha Sastry spoke of the plus points of one being a householder. The Jagadguru then detailed the disadvantages of that stage of life. He gave many examples and also chanted two verses, the combined meaning of which is, “Who indeed knows which day shall be his last? Even when young, one should practise righteousness; life is decidedly transient. During childhood, one is shorn of discriminative insight. While a youth, one is engrossed in the experience of sensual pleasures. Later, what success can an infirm old man achieve after the dawn of discrimination?” At the end, He asked, “Now, tell me. Is it better to become a householder or a saṁnyāsin?” Bereft of any hesitation, Sri Srinivasa Sastry averred that taking up saṁnyāsa was, indeed, superior.

Subsequently, Sri Srinivasa Sastry posed some queries to Vaidyanatha Sastry. These were:

(i) I have heard that the eldest son in the family must compulsorily get married. Is it so?

(ii) Our Guru embraced monasticism after becoming highly erudite. Is it obligatory that one acquire a deep knowledge of the scriptures prior to renouncing the world?

(iii) I have heard that when one is born, immediately a set of debts accrue to one. Some of these are repaid by serving one’s parents, some by worshipping the devas and yet others by begetting progeny. Is this indeed the state of affairs?

(iv) Is one permitted to enter another āśrama only after dwelling for long as a brahmacārin in the hermitage of the Guru?

(v) Can a young boy like me take up saṁnyāsa if he desires to? Parents may not grant permission. Can saṁnyāsa be taken up without their consent?

Vaidyanatha Sastry was not in a position to reply satisfactorily to Him. That evening, the Jagadguru went on His evening walk to the Kālabhairava Temple accompanied by both of them. On the way, He recited a verse from the Prabodha-sudhākara, the literal meaning of which is, “The Veda says that ‘loka’ is not there for one bereft of a son. What is that ‘loka’? Is it liberation or transmigration or another world? It cannot be the first one.” He then directed Vaidyanatha Sastry to recite the next two verses of the Prabodha-sudhākara and give their meaning. Sastry gave the overall meaning as follows:

“It cannot be said that begetting a son confers liberation. This is because not all people who have sons have attained the exalted state. Further, if mere procreation were to yield emancipation, then the cycle of transmigratory existence itself would cease since numerous people do have children. A son cannot necessarily be the cause of happiness in this world and the next. The reason is that to attain a higher world, the Veda prescribes the performance of special rites, such as the jyotiṣṭhoma. It does not explicitly declare begetting of progeny as constituting the means. The Veda clearly proclaims that wealth, progeny and the like cannot serve to confer liberation. Only the realisation of the Ātman, by hearing the Truth, cogitating upon It and focusing one’s mind on It, yields immortality.

“Utterances of the śruti to the effect that a son is essential should be understood as merely eulogising the performance of sacrifices, such as the putreṣṭi. The putreṣṭi-yāga serves to obtain a son. To induce people who have a desire for children to perform it, its importance is stressed. The Veda, which is like a mother, certainly does not intend to compel one without desires to perform such sacrifices.”

“Marriage is compulsory only for a person who wants to enjoy sensual pleasures. It is not obligatory on one who has strong dispassion and is disinclined to lead a householder’s life. Further, there is no Vedic injunction that a dispassionate one should get married.”

The Jagadguru

After this, the Jagadguru proceeded to give a detailed exposition. He said that marriage is compulsory only for a person who wants to enjoy sensual pleasures. It is not obligatory on one who has strong dispassion and is disinclined to lead a householder’s life. Further, there is no Vedic injunction that a dispassionate one should get married. The Vedas indicate remedies for the removal of desires and never exhort the gratification of longings or procreation. Just as fond parents would only try to save their child from falling into fire and would not induce it to tumble into it, so too do the Vedas indicate the means for people to abstain from bad ways and to proceed in the holy path. In fact, the moment one becomes extremely dispassionate, one can renounce and become an ascetic. Thus, a man can become an ascetic regardless of whether he is a celibate or a householder or a forest-dweller.

He went on to explain the futility of begetting a child. He strengthened His explanations by various citations and firmly drove home His points. For instance, He said that only rarely does one beget a son who is endowed with all good qualities. Even on such a son being born, if the lad were to be short-lived or diseased or were to later have no children, the parents would have to put up with mental suffering. If a young child were to suffer on account of diseases or planetary influences, the grief of the parents would know no end. If the child were to grow up a little but were to be stupid, then too the parents would be far from happy. Further, if after upanayana, the boy were to fail to become learned or, having become learned, were to refuse to get married, then also the parents would be unhappy.

The Jagadguru explained that śrāddha (a rite performed for the deceased) is an obligatory duty that purifies the performer. He emphasised that the manes do not sustain themselves exclusively on the piṇḍa (ball of cooked rice) that is offered during the śrāddha ceremony. He went on to add that the stories found in texts like the Mahābhārata about the necessity of offspring are not meant for advanced spiritual aspirants who have strong dispassion. All the queries raised earlier by Sri Srinivasa Sastry to Vaidyanatha Sastry were thus categorically answered by the Jagadguru; in fact, neither of them had mentioned any of the questions to the Jagadguru.

At times, circumstances seemed to aid the Jagadguru’s imparting of instructions about detachment. For instance, on one occasion, when He was proceeding to the Kālabhairava Temple together with His students, a funeral procession was visible. He spontaneously identified the deceased one as a wealthy man and gave out his name. He went on to say that that man was young and had been living in comfort. However, the Lord of Death, Yama, had not chosen to spare him.

At this juncture, Vaidyanatha Sastry cited a verse that the Jagadguru had composed when in a state of seclusion. Its meaning is, “Though having much wealth, grains or objects of enjoyment, who says at the end of his life that he has been contented for long? On seeing in front of him the teeth of Yama bared in wrath, what can even a king do?” On hearing this, the Jagadguru said, “There is a verse in the Prabodha-sudhākara that is fitting on this occasion and worthy of being cited.” All but Sri Srinivasa Sastry remained silent. He chanted the verse that conveys, “The body that slept on a bed adorned with flowers is now taken, tied by ropes to logs, and consigned to fire.”

The Jagadguru explained the significance of the verse. He pointed out that the dead man had, even on the previous night, been in the midst of all comforts. His heart had suddenly collapsed while he was asleep and so he now lay tied by ropes to bamboos. He was about to be consigned to fire. This would be the fate of all without any exception. He quoted half a verse from the Nārada-purāṇa and then half a verse from the Hitopadeśa. The combined meaning of these is, “Death is ever at hand. Hence, one should accumulate dharma. One should practise dharma (without delay) as if one’s tuft were in the grip of Death.”

“Though having much wealth, grains or objects of enjoyment, who says at the end of his life that he has been contented for long? On seeing in front of him the teeth of Yama bared in wrath, what can even a king do?”

-The Jagadguru

“We should perform our dharma and purify the mind so that we can obtain the realisation of the Ātman and become liberated from all misery. Only then will the goal of our lives be reached.”

The Jagadguru

He proceeded to say, “We should perform our dharma and purify the mind so that we can obtain the realisation of the Ātman and become liberated from all misery. Only then will the goal of our lives be reached.” As He spoke, the Jagadguru’s gaze was constantly on Sri Srinivasa Sastry’s face. At that juncture, a woman’s wail was heard. Seeing the pitiful face of the dead rich man, his mother had given the cry of anguish. “Even the son that I gained after the observance of many a fast and vow has not lasted. Had he not even been born, I would not have had to suffer my present deep anguish. Having got married, he has now left his young wife a destitute. Is this the only benefit of begetting progeny?” wailed the disconsolate mother. Sri Srinivasa Sastry noted all this. “Is this the worth of ephemeral existence? I do not want this at all,” He muttered. These words were heard by Vaidyanatha Sastry. From His facial expression, the Jagadguru could readily comprehend His disciple’s state of mind. He looked glad that His teachings were having the desired effect.

On several occasions, the Jagadguru spoke to Sri Srinivasa Sastry in private about detachment and brahmacarya. What follows is a brief account of the advices given in some of the private sessions; they were described to me in detail by His Holiness, partly in 1977 and partly in 1984.

(i) No amount of learning, wealth or enjoyment can confer total freedom from sorrow and everlasting bliss. Only the realisation of the Truth can do so. Kingship, divine weapons, heavenly damsels and the power to even create a new universe did not, for instance, free Viśvāmitra from all unhappiness. In the Chāndogya-upaniṣad, it is narrated that though versed in the Vedas and various śāstras, Nārada continued to experience sorrow; he transcended all sorrows only when he received enlightenment from Sanatkumāra. Bhagavatpāda has said, “So what if learning respected by the sovereign himself has been acquired? So what if unsurpassed affluence has been obtained? So what if a belle has been enjoyed? What is there for him who has not realised his own Ātman?”

Enlightenment dawns only in a very pure mind. Desires are impurities that sully the mind. To render the mind pure and fit for enlightenment, they must be assiduously eradicated.

“No amount of learning, wealth or enjoyment can confer total freedom from sorrow and everlasting bliss. Only the realisation of the Truth can do so. Kingship, divine weapons, heavenly damsels and the power to even create a new universe did not, for instance, free Viśvāmitra from all unhappiness.”

The Jagadguru

“Sense-objects are not the source of happiness. It is a mistake to think that they are. Were an object intrinsically a source of joy to a person, he ought not to ever find it to be a pain.”

The Jagadguru

(ii) Sense objects are not the source of happiness. It is a mistake to think that they are. Were an object intrinsically a source of joy to a person, he ought not to ever find it to be a pain. However, it is well known that objects are sometimes liked and sometimes disliked. For instance, to a person who develops severe nausea during a meal, the very dishes he found delectable appear to be unappealing and a burden to consume. How can an object intrinsically be a source of happiness to a person when, though remaining just the same, it is at times a bane to the very same person?

When a desire for an object arises in the mind, the mind loses peace and the period of longing is not one of joy. When the desired object is obtained, the desire that agitated the mind becomes temporarily quieted. With the calming of the mind, there is joy. Thus, calmness gives happiness and not desire or a sensory object. In deep sleep, when no sensory object whatsoever is apprehended and the mind is in a state of latency, there is very great happiness. The sage whose mind is very calm and focused on the Supreme has unsurpassed happiness.

Stable mental calmness can never be had by the gratification of longings. Though briefly quieting a desire, gratification only leads to the growth of the desire; the desire manifests again later, with increased strength. Desiring and striving for sense objects constitute, therefore, the wrong approach to obtain happiness, which is what all want. By discerning that sense objects are never the cause of happiness, one should develop detachment towards them. The dispassionate one is calm and happy.

(iii) There is great benefit in observing perfect brahmacarya. For this, complete control over the mind is important. To achieve such mastery, one should avoid thinking of sense objects. The reason is that as one thinks of sense objects, one gradually develops a degree of attachment to them. When attachment is allowed to grow, it becomes an intense desire. When a powerful longing is permitted to manifest, checking and uprooting it becomes difficult. When a man strongly desires some object or honour and a person or situation thwarts the consummation of his longing, he becomes irritated.

When a man gives way to anger, he loses his power of proper discrimination between right and wrong. It is well known that an irritated man may be disrespectful even to his Guru. From delusion, the recollection of what one has been taught regarding righteous conduct is lost. This destruction of memory disrupts the functioning of the intellect and the man in this state is as good as destroyed. The seed of all this evil is thus thinking about sensory objects. So if you wish to control your mind, you must not allow your mind to cogitate upon the objects of the organs.

“There is great benefit in observing perfect brahmacarya. For this, complete control over the mind is important. To achieve such mastery, one should avoid thinking of sense objects.”

The Jagadguru

(iv) Married life is a big source of bondage. A householder has to cater not only to his own requirements but also to those of his family. Hence, he cannot devote himself entirely to meditation and such spiritual practices. Many are the people who get married and think that that course of life is good for them. Actually, for a discriminating person, family life is so full of misery that it is better to stand on burning coal rather than to get married.

The body is made up of skin, blood, flesh, bones and so on. It contains within it urine and faeces. The body of even the female whom the undiscriminating consider to be extremely beautiful is only of this kind. Bhagavatpāda has taught, “Seeing the breasts and the navel region of a woman, do not fall a prey to delusion. The female form is but a modification of flesh, fat, etc. Reflect well thus in your mind, again and again.’ Such recourse to discrimination enables one to combat lust and be established in Brahmacarya.”

{His Holiness has told me, “My Guru was so kind that even when I was too young to be afflicted by passion, He emphasised the worthlessness of sensory pleasures and stressed the importance of dispassion and thereby precluded any scope for even the seed of passion finding a place in my mind. He rendered me fit for saṁnyāsa.”}

“Married life is a big source of bondage. A householder has to cater not only to his own requirements but also to those of his family. Hence, he cannot devote himself entirely to meditation and such spiritual practices.”

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 (sacred ash) as prasāda as He had done in the case of the other students when they had taken ill. He, however, specifically instructed Vaidyanatha Sastry 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).”

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’haṁ (O Sadguru! You are my refuge. I am Śiva. I am Śiva).”

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 mad-vinamram (O beloved of Śiva, quickly make Srinivasa, my disciple, omniscient).” Interestingly, decades earlier, when the Jagadguru was a brahmacārin, His Guru (Jagadguru Śrī Saccidānanda Śivābhinava Nṛsiṁha Bhāratī, the 33^rd pontiff) had prayed, during pūjā, “O beloved of Śiva, quickly make Narasiṁha, my disciple, omniscient.”

Days later, He 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 next day, He communicated His resolve to Srikanta Sastry, the Agent of the Maṭha. The latter expressed his concern that Sri Srinivasa Sastry’s health was fragile. Without any hesitation, the Jagadguru declared, “Śāradāmbā will take care of everything.”

A letter in this regard was sent to Rama Sastry, who was at Bengaluru. The contents of that letter put him in a quandary. Sensing his discomfiture, Venkatalakshmamma sought to know the reason.

Venkatalakshmamma: Why are you so silent after reading the missive?

Rama Sastry: Nothing is the matter. The letter has come from Sringeri.

Venkatalakshmamma: Is our child doing well?

Rama Sastry: Yes, he is.

Venkatalakshmamma: Then why are you lost in thought?

Rama Sastry: There is some information in that letter. I need to ask you about it.

Venkatalakshmamma: What is it?

Rama Sastry: The Jagadguru desires to give saṁnyāsa to Srinivasa and make him the successor designate. For that, his mother’s permission is desired. I have been asked to consult you and send a reply. I was wondering how I could pose the matter to you.

Venkatalakshmamma: I am very glad. Please reply that I have given my approval. Our family shall attain good. One must be extremely fortunate to take saṁnyāsa like this.

He then conveyed her consent to the Maṭha. {These details were provided by Rama Sastry to Subbarattinam Iyer, the author of the Tamil book Śrīmad-Abhinava-Vidyātīrtha-Vijayam.} The Jagadguru decided that as Sri Srinivasa Sastry would be soon entering the saṁnyāsa-aśrama, He should go to Bengaluru and see His parents before that. Sitarama Holla was told to escort Him. Sri Srinivasa Sastry was to be first taken to Mysuru and then to Bengaluru. The Jagadguru had informed the Maharaja of Mysore (Mysuru), Krishnaraja Wodeyar, about His intention to make Sri Srinivasa Sastry His successor designate and the king had readily given his full consent. While the Jagadguru had the right to select His successor, He duly informed the monarch in keeping with the tradition in the Maṭha. Sri Srinivasa Sastry and Holla left Sringeri for Tarikere by bus. That night they proceeded from Tarikere to Mysuru by train. At Mysuru, Holla took Him to the residence of Krishna Sastry, Srikanta Sastry’s brother. Srikanta Sastry was already there. He had arranged for a medical check-up for Sri Srinivasa Sastry. The doctor gave Him a clean bill of health. After the scheduled visit to the palace, He left for Bengaluru that night, accompanied by Holla. Srikanta Sastry too travelled by the same train. At Bengaluru, He was taken to His former home and brought back to the station at the scheduled time by Rama Sastry. From Bengaluru, Srikanta Sastry and Sri Srinivasa Sastry, accompanied by Holla, left by train for Tarikere. The Maṭha’s car came there to pick up Srikanta Sastry.

The public announcement about the initiation ceremony was through a śrīmukha (benedictory epistle) of the Jagadguru. The content of that śrīmukha in English is: “It is known to the people of our country, from the Setu (the place of Lord Rāma’s bridge in the South) to the Himalayas (in the North), that the ancient Sringeri Math, endowed with pristine purity and renowned as the Dakṣiṇāmnāya-pīṭha (the southern, Vedic seat) is one of the four Āmnāya-pīṭhas (Vedic seats) established by Śaṅkara-bhagavatpādā to propagate noble religion and virtuous conduct. Following the path showed by our Paramaguru (Jagadguru Śrī Nṛsiṁha Bhāratī, the 32^nd pontiff), a personage endowed with powers, a foreseer realising the obstacles propped up by Kali (the personification of the present, ‘iron age’) to the institution of dharma and personages propagating dharma and aware of the differences in opinions arising amongst people every moment, we came to know that from now onwards it is necessary that a Guru and śiṣya should be present together in the Maṭha to implement to the extent possible the directives of our revered Guru (Jagadguru Śrī Saccidānanda Śivābhinava Narasiṁha Bhāratī, the 33^rd pontiff). Hence, with our mind impelled by the will of the glorious World-mother Śāradāmbā and our revered Guru, we have resolved to bestow saṁnyāsa and accept as disciple on Friday, the fifth day (pañcamī) of the bright fortnight (śukla-pakṣa) of the month of Jyeṣṭha of the cyclical year Prajāpati (that is, on 22^nd May, 1931), Sri Srinivasa Sastry, a young celibate born in a noble family, endowed with the meritorious deeds of past births, possessed of qualities such as humility, and the son of Rama Sastry, residing in Bengaluru. We bless that you, who, through a line of forefathers who were disciples (of the Maṭha), are a disciple and have great reverence, come to Sringeri on the occasion, participate to the extent possible and, having aided in the completion of the proposed function, become the recipient of the grace of Śāradāmbā and our Guru and fulfil your objectives.”

The said śiṣya-svīkāra (‘acceptance-of-disciple’) ceremony was scheduled to be held on 22^nd May 1931. Rama Sastry and his family arrived from Bengaluru a few days before that. As they waited for the Jagadguru at the samādhi of the 33rd pontiff, one of the members of the family underscored to Sri Srinivasa Sastry, who came there, that He would be very soon becoming an eminent Guru. Sri Srinivasa Sastry’s poignant response was, “A seed is sown. The hope is that it will gradually grow into a big tree yielding fruit that may be eaten. If someone were to want the fruit on the very next day, it would be most surprising.” He indicated that it would be erroneous to presume that He would suddenly become spiritually great on being initiated into saṁnyāsa and made a successor-designate.

That night, the relatives got an opportunity to converse privately with Sri Srinivasa Sastry and were enthusiastically doing so. A short while later, Srikanta Sastry came there. He firmly said, “All the people who are here may leave. He has important work to do tomorrow. For that, He needs to awaken early.” After saying so, he softened and added, “Very close relatives may, however, stay on for another five to ten minutes if they so desire.” Accordingly, five or six relatives remained and the others left. An elderly person among them told Sri Srinivasa Sastry that even after His becoming a Jagadguru, He should have special affection for the close relatives who were present there. Upon hearing these words, He responded, “It is improper for elderly people like you to speak thus” and made known that He would be the same towards all and would not have any favouritism towards relatives.

On the day prior to saṁnyāsa, Srikanta Sastry told Sri Srinivasa Sastry, “Tomorrow, you are going to take up saṁnyāsa. Thereafter, it will not be possible for you to prostrate before your father. Hence, you may do so now itself.” {In keeping with teachings, such as, “A saṁnyāsin is decidedly fit to be saluted by his father,” a saṁnyasin is not supposed to prostrate before his father and, it is the father, a householder, who should prostrate before him.} Sri Srinivasa Sastry promptly prostrated before Rama Sastry and Venkatalakshmamma and obtained their blessings.

On a night before the ceremonies, He dreamt that He had gone to the temple to have the darśana of Śāradāmbā and was standing amidst a large crowd of persons. His Guru beckoned to Him and asked Him to enter the sanctum sanctorum. On His entering, the door was closed. Śāradāmbā took Him on Her lap and said, “Your good times are ahead. Even kings will pay obeisance unto you. Do not become proud. Continue to worship Me and be with your Guru. Wear this crystal necklace to remind you of Me.” So saying, She put the necklace on His neck and permitted Him to leave. Thereafter, the dīpārādhanā took place; at the same time, the necklace disappeared. The dream ended there. One may conjecture that the Divine Mother had felt that as He had firmly lodged Her in His heart, there was no need for any external cue to remind Him of Her and so had caused the necklace to vanish in that dream.

The ceremonies began on 21^st May, 1931, the day prior to the initiation into saṁnyāsa. After His morning bath in the river, He did sandhyā-vandana. He then paid His respects to His Guru and received His blessings and consent for all functions of that day and the next. In keeping with the norm that Lord Gaṇapati should be invoked at the commencement of religious activities, a Gaṇapati-homa was performed. After its completion, He prostrated at the samādhi of the 33^rd pontiff and crossed over to the northern side of the river from Narasimhavana. There, He paid obeisance at the samādhis of the previous pontiffs, such as that of the 32^nd pontiff, Jagadguru Śrī Nṛsiṁha Bhāratī, and at the temples, including those of Bhagavatpāda and Goddess Śāradāmbā. On His return to Narasimhavana, He had a bath. After this, He performed the aṣṭa-śrāddhas. One of these eight rites was the ātma-śrāddha. Herein, He made offerings even to Himself as done to the manes. With this, He completed once and for all His ritualistic obligations to His progenitors and became decoupled, as it were, from His life so far. His head was then tonsured; just a few strands of hair were left unshaven in His tuft. Having bathed in the river, He performed some purifying rituals, such as brahma-vandana, and then did daṇḍābhiṣeka, involving ritualistic pouring of water on the staff that He would bear after saṁnyāsa. He fasted that day. At night, He performed ‘brahma-anvādhāna’, involving the setting up of a fire in a homa-kuṇḍa in accordance with the scriptural prescriptions and then making a single offering into it. He sat in its vicinity, keeping vigil the whole of the night, with His mind on God; He mentally repeated the Gāyatrī-mantra.

“By this oblation, may sound, touch, colour, taste and smell become purified. Freed from all obstructing sins and passions, may I become the Light. Svāhā! By this oblation, may I not have any suppressed feelings of egoism. Freed from all obstructing sins and passions, may I become the Light. Svāhā!”

The next morning, after bathing in the river and completing His sandhyā-vandana, He performed the Puruṣa-sūkta-homa and Virajā-homa. In doing so, He chanted the pertinent mantras and poured an oblation of a sacrificial faggot (samit), caru (comprising rice, barley and pulse boiled for presentation to the devas) and ghee at the end of each mantra into the fire that He had tended. The mantras of the former, potent homa are those of the well-known Vedic hymn, Puruṣa-sūkta, which commences with the words “sahasra-śīrṣā puruṣaḥ (God as the Cosmic Person has a thousand heads, that is, the very many heads of all the beings).” The Virajā-homa is specially meant to completely purify one and the mantras pertaining to it are found in the Mahānārāyaṇa-upaniṣad. Three significant mantras there convey, “By this oblation, may earth, water, fire, air and space (the five elements constituting my body) become purified. Freed from all obstructing sins and passions (the sins’ causes), may I become the Light (the Supreme Brahman of the nature of consciousness). Svāhā! By this oblation, may sound, touch, colour, taste and smell (the qualities of the five elements) become purified. Freed from all obstructing sins and passions (the sins’ causes), may I become the Light (the Supreme Brahman of the nature of consciousness). Svāhā! By this oblation, may I not have any suppressed feelings of egoism. Freed from all obstructing sins and passions (the sins’ causes), may I become the Light (the Supreme Brahman of the nature of consciousness). Svāhā!”

Sandhya-mandapa

After completing the Virajā-homa, He proceeded to Sandhya-mandapa situated at the riverside in Narasimhavana. There, He entered the river and stood in waist-deep water. He then performed “sāvitrī-tyāga (giving up of Sāvitrī, that is, giving up of the Gāyatrī-mantra).” {Paramahaṁsa-saṁnyāsins (the highest of the four types of saṁnyāsins, the other three being the kuṭīcaka, bahūdaka and haṁsa saṁnyāsins) do not wear the sacred thread and have no tuft and, hence, are not supposed to chant the Gāyatrī-mantra. For them, ‘om’ substitutes for the Gāyatrī-mantra.} In the course of the ‘sāvitrī-tyāga’, He chanted the Gāyatrī-mantra once, for the final time, and discarded into the flowing water His yajñopavīta (sacred thread) and tuft (by plucking out the few strands of hair that were left there after tonsuring on the previous day). By discarding His yajñopavīta and tuft, He renounced His entitlement to perform scriptural rites and to chant the Gāyatrī-mantra. He discarded His upper garment, lower garment and even His loincloth and stood stark naked. The paramahaṁsa-saṁnyāsin should discard not only any longing for this world but also that for the next higher world and even heaven. Accordingly, as prescribed, He repeated thrice “oṁ bhūh saṁnyastaṁ mayā; oṁ bhuvaḥ saṁnyastaṁ mayā; oṁ suvaḥ saṁnyastaṁ mayā; oṁ bhur-bhuvaḥ-suvaḥ saṁnyastaṁ mayā (I renounce this world. I renounce the higher intermediate world. I renounce heaven. I renounce, this world, the intermediate world and heaven).” This is termed ‘praiṣoccāraṇa (the declaration of renunciation)’. He then recited the words that mark the vow of ahiṁsā of a monk: “abhayaṁ sarva-bhūtebhyo mattaḥ svāhā (I grant freedom from fear to all beings. Svāhā).” This is termed ‘abhaya-pradāna (the granting of freedom from fear)’. With His ‘praiṣoccāraṇa’ and ‘abhaya-pradāna’, He became a saṁnyāsin. He then moved towards the north in the river. {According to texts on saṁnyāsa, the new saṁnyāsin may go away and, thereafter, live, without any possessions, as a wandering monk, centred on the Supreme Brahman. Alternatively, He could, in response to his Guru’s call, turn back and approach His Guru. Thereafter, He should serve and learn from His Guru, strive to realize the Truth taught and, after attaining full enlightenment, may go away with the consent of His Guru.}

The Jagadguru had been silently watching the scene. When His disciple had taken a few steps, He called out, “bho āyuṣman, ita ehi (O long-lived one, come here).” {Ganapati Subrahmanya Avadhani told me, in 1977, that some astrologers had predicted that Sri Srinivasa Sastry would be short-lived and that, as the words of the sages cannot be in vain, the Jagadguru set to naught this possibility by addressing His disciple that day as “O long-lived one.” It was in 1979 that His Holiness told me about how His Guru had called out to Him but He did not mention any reason for this.} On His Guru calling Him, His Holiness approached the senior Jagadguru with all humility. The senior Jagadguru gave Him an ochre kaupīna (loincloth), kaṭisūtra (thread tied around the waist to hold up the loincloth), lower garment and upper garment. His Holiness donned the ochre clothing. He applied a little vibhūti, sacred ash, on the crown of His head and three stripes of vibhūti on His forehead, neck, chest, stomach and arms.

A saṁnyāsin of the paramahaṁsa order holds a single daṇḍa, staff, in his hand. This sacred daṇḍa is made of bamboo and must not have any hole passing through it. The length of the bamboo stick is regulated. When placed upon the big toe, it should either reach up to the tip of the nose or the level of the eyebrows or the head. In its upper part is tied the ‘paraśu-mudrā’, which resembles a small flag, and little below it is wound a thread with special set of knots. The senior Jagadguru gave His Holiness, who was clad in ochre, the daṇḍa and then a ‘kamaṇḍalu (water-pot)’.

Then the senior Jagadguru, followed by His Holiness, proceeded to the samādhi of the 33^rd pontiff. There, in the room adjoining the sanctum sanctorum, the senior Jagadguru sat facing east and told His Holiness to sit near Him, facing north. He then chanted some mantras and placed His right palm on His disciple’s head. This step by a saṁnyāsin-guru is said to characterise the new, spiritual birth of the saṁnyāsin-disciple and is the basis of the saṁnyāsin-disciple being deemed to one who is ‘kara-kamala-sañjāta (born of the lotus-like hand)’ of the saṁnyāsin-guru. The senior Jagadguru then initiated His Holiness into the mantra ‘om’ and into the mahāvākyas. The mahāvākyas are profound sentences that occur in the scripture and make known the identity of the individual soul with the Supreme. Four of them, one belonging to each of the four Vedas, are particularly esteemed. The Aitareya-upaniṣad of the Ṛg-veda contains the mahāvākya, “prajñānaṁ brahma (Consciousness is Brahman).” The mahāvākya of the Yajur-veda occurring in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad is, “ahaṁ brahmāsmi (I am Brahman).” The Chāndogya-upaniṣad of the Sāma-veda has the mahāvākya, “tat-tvam-asi (You are That).” The mahāvākya of the Atharva-veda occurring in the Māṇḍūkya-upaniṣad is, “ayam-ātmā brahma (This Ātman is Brahman).” As the senior Jagadguru and His Holiness belonged to the Yajur-veda, He first initiated His disciple into the celebrated mahāvākya of that Veda. He also softly uttered in His Holiness’s right ear the ‘yoga-paṭṭa’, post-saṁnyāsa name, chosen by Him for His disciple.

Years ago, His Holiness specified (in a communication sent from the Maṭha) the following criteria bearing on the selection of a successor to the Dakshinamnaya Sringeri Sharada Peetham:

He should belong to the Yajurveda.

With the exception of Sureśvarācārya, all the ācāryas who have adorned this pīṭha have been celibates. Hence, the person chosen should be a celibate and not a householder.

He should come from a good family.

The senior Jagadguru named His successor-designate “Abhinava-Vidyātīrtha.” It is apparent that He chose this name, which literally means ‘The new Vidyātīrtha’, in memory of Śrī Vidyātīrtha, the 10^th pontiff of the Sringeri Sri Sharada Peetham.

So important was Śrī Vidyātīrtha in the Maṭha’s Guru-paraṁpara (line of Gurus) that one of the honorifics of all the pontiffs of the Sringeri Math after Him is, “Worshipper of the lotus-feet of Vidyāśaṅkara (=Śrī Vidyātīrtha)” and the seal of the Maṭha bears, to this day, just his name. Śrī Bhāratī-tīrtha, the renowned author of several influential works on Vedānta was amongst His disciples and so was Śrī Vidyāraṇya, who was instrumental in the establishment of the Vijayanagar Empire and was a prolific and authoritative writer, as also Śrī Sāyaṇa, the author of the esteemed and traditionally-studied commentaries on all the four Vedas. So deeply revered was Śrī Vidyātīrtha that obeisance has been paid to Him in the following manner: “Having saluted the Supreme Ātman present in the form of Śrī Vidyātīrtha…”; “May Vidyātīrtha, the great God, who is immutable, who knows the true import of the Vedas, Smṛtis and the Itihāsas, be pleased…”; “I salute the great God, Vidyātīrtha, whose breath is the Veda…”; “He who delights in lambikā-yoga and is none other than Lord Śiva…”; “He whose compassion for anyone He has accepted never wanes…” and, “Vidyātīrtha, the greatest of saṁnyāsins, excels the sun (that dispels the darkness outside during daytime) as He dispels the darkness (of ignorance) that is within people (in the mind) and outside them (as projected in the form of objects) and by day and by night.” He was a consummate vedāntin and yogin.

Śrī Vidyātīrtha

This great sage spent His last years in lambikā-yoga, freed from hunger and thirst. He entered an underground chamber prepared for this purpose, having ordered that the entrance be sealed after His entry. He had had a stone sculpture made prior to His entering and this is seen even today in a small shrine in Simhagiri (near Sringeri) and is known as Caturmūrti-vidyeśvara. Three of its four faces contain images of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara. In the front portion is an image of Śrī Vidyātīrtha in a sitting posture. The top portion of the sculpture contains a liṅga. This sculpture signifies that the Guru is Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara and indeed, the Supreme. Śrī Vidyātīrtha indicated that after twelve years in the underground chamber, His body would become akin to that idol. He, however, warned that under no circumstances should the cave be opened before twelve years. Three years passed. When the next pontiff, Śrī Bhāratī-tīrtha, was on tour, curiosity got the better of some of the Maṭha’s staff. They opened the cave to see how Śrī Vidyātīrtha was sustaining Himself within. To their chagrin, they found that the sage’s body had completely disappeared. They saw there only a liṅga corresponding to that on the upper portion of the model in Siṁhagiri. Subsequently, Śrī Bhāratī-tīrtha had a dream in which Śrī Vidyātīrtha said that on account of the indiscretion, His body would no more assume the shape specified earlier and instructed that the cave be again closed and the liṅga be installed above it. The Vidyāśankara Temple, an architectural wonder seen in Sringeri, is built above the place where He disappeared and its sanctum sanctorum houses that liṅga.

Vidyāśankara Temple

Being greatly percipient, the senior Jagadguru perhaps felt that His Holiness would go on to equal or excel Śrī Vidyātīrtha and so chose the name ‘Abhinava Vidyātīrtha’ or ‘the new Vidyātīrtha’. Be that as it may. After the senior Jagadguru had initiated His Holiness into the praṇava and the mahāvākyas and mentioned the yoga-paṭṭa in His disciple’s ear, they moved to the northern side of the river.

His Holiness crossed the river in a boat. Such crossing of a river by a new saṁnyāsin is symbolic of the crossing of the ocean of transmigratory existence. On the riverbank on the other side, He performed ‘paryaṅka-śauca’, a formalised cleansing of the body involving balls of mud and water. The senior Jagadguru and His Holiness then went to Goddess Śāradāmbā’s temple.

The texts on saṁnyāsa prescribe that the Guru should worship the disciple on the day of initiation, seeing the Divine in the latter and that thereafter, the disciple should worship the Guru. In the elevated southern corridor of the temple of Goddess Śāradā was kept, facing north, a venerated seat termed ‘Vyākhyāna-siṁhāsana’. The word ‘vyākhyāna-siṁhāsana’ literally means, ‘The throne of exposition’; it has been translated in the Maṭha as ‘The throne of transcendental wisdom’. Only the head of the Śāradā-pīṭha or his chosen successor-designate is permitted to occupy it. Going to it, the Jagadguru seated His Holiness on it and placed on His head a śālagrāma (a special stone that is regarded as symbolic of Lord Viṣṇu and as ever-sanctified by His presence). He then sat near His Holiness’s feet, facing east, and commenced His worship. He proceeded to perform abhiṣeka to the śālagrama by pouring water on it with a conch. After performing ārati, the senior Jagadguru lay prostrate before His Holiness. His Holiness sat still and silent throughout this worship. After the senior Jagadguru finished the worship and removed the śālagrāma from His Holiness’s head, He occupied the vyākyāna-siṁhāsana. His Holiness sat near His Guru’s feet, worshipped them and prostrated before them. After this worship was complete, the senior Jagadguru made public His Holiness’s yoga-paṭṭa. With the conclusion of the functions at the vyākhyāna-siṁhāsana, the initiation of His Holiness into saṁnyāsa was formally complete.

Thereafter, on behalf of the Maharaja of Mysore, Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, his representative, Rama Rao, submitted, as a mark of respect, ‘khillats (in the form of special clothes)’ to the senior Jagadguru and His Holiness and received blessings. Following this, other distinguished devotees paid their respects, one by one, by presenting their ‘khillats’. The Mysore Government was represented at the ceremony by the Revenue Commissioner. Srikanta Sastry had, since a few years, been expressing his wish to take retirement. The senior Jagadguru granted his wish that day and announced that he deserved rest after the strenuous work that he had put in for the Maṭha for decades. Sastry was presented with a diamond and gold necklace as a mark of appreciation. The senior Jagadguru nominated Rao Bahadur Nanjundaiah as the next Agent. The initiation ceremony attracted over 5000 disciples to Sringeri; elaborate arrangements had been made for the boarding and lodging.

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 tradition based on Harihara I and Bukka I, the first rulers of the Vijayanagar Empire, reverentially submitting royal insignia to their preceptor, Śrī Vidyāraṇya, 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. He 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 palanquin. 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. Srikanta Sastry, Nanjundaiah 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 and a half years of age at that time, He experienced no confusion whatsoever. He just did as He was told to do and occupied the golden palanquin. In 1983, I referred to this incident and asked Him, “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.

In a benedictory address delivered, in Kannada, in Bengaluru on 5^th September, 1987, His Holiness described as follows what had transpired earlier that day: “At that time, He (the senior Jagadguru) told Srikanta Sastry, ‘Hereafter, I will not sit in a palanquin and will not come for functions.’ Sastry wondered, ‘What is all this? What is to be done now?’ My Guru’s point was, ‘I have chosen a disciple. Why should I come for any function?’ Sastry said, ‘This decision of Yours is unacceptable to śiṣṭas (decorous people). I know of Your extreme dispassion. However, in accordance with the worldly custom followed in the Maṭha, you must come in a palanquin, donning royal robes, along with Your disciple.’ My Guru then said, ‘Oh! So in accordance with the worldly custom, I have to come. All right.’ I learned this directly from my Guru. Srikanta Sastry also told me this. Such was His dispassion. He found pontifical functions such a burden that though at that time He had only given me saṁnyāsa and not yet trained me, He readily maintained, ‘I have prepared one to handle the Maṭha’s activities.’”

The following was narrated to me by Narasimhayya in 1984. The senior Jagadguru and His Holiness were proceeding that evening to the inner chamber in Goddess Śāradā’s temple. The senior Jagadguru stopped at the threshold and said, “We are going to the Mother’s chamber. She is no ordinary mother; She is transcendent and grants all wishes. Whatever you wish for, She will confer. Enter with full faith and tranquillity.”

The day after saṁnyāsa, when His Holiness was walking in Narasimhavana, a cobra partially crossed His path, a little further down. It then moved towards Him and stopped just in front of Him. It raised its hood. Its upraised hood was directly above His feet. He stood still, admiring the snake and not in the least fearful of it. The snake, for its part, remained motionless. After some time, it lowered its hood and went away. Maharṣi Patañjali has aphorised in the Yoga-sūtras, “In the presence of one who is established in ahiṁsā, even inimical creatures abandon their hostility.” Recalling this incident in 1974, His Holiness told me, “It was not as though the snake did not fear me because I believed in ahiṁsā. All I can say is that I derived great joy because I regarded it as a good sign.”

So firm was His commitment to saṁnyāsa that He successfully observed its norms even in His dreams. In May 1975, in response to a question of mine, His Holiness told me, “Two days before taking saṁnyāsa, I had thought, ‘Dreams are not under my control. Mistakes committed in them do not result in sin. Nevertheless, my renunciation should be so sincere and firm that after being initiated into saṁnyāsa, I should not see myself in any dream as clad in white as I am now. I love chanting the Gāyatrī-mantra. Yet, as Gāyatrī-japa is disallowed for paramahaṁsa-saṁnyāsins, I should not engage in it even in my dreams from the day after tomorrow.’ By God’s grace, till today, this has come to pass.”