CHAPTER 15 All-round Administrator

His Holiness’s taking over, in 1959, the reins of administration of the Maṭha from the hands of the Government bears testimony to His administrative acumen.

His Holiness’s taking over, in 1959, the reins of administration of the Maṭha from the hands of the Government bears testimony to His administrative acumen. How this happened is noteworthy. The administration of the Maṭha did not pass into the hands of the Mysore Government on account of any mismanagement or impropriety in the Maṭha. On the other hand, since Srikanta Sastry, who had been handling the administration of the Maṭha from the time of the 33^rd pontiff, formally retired in 1931 and since Jagadguru Śrī Candraśekhara Bhāratī, the then pontiff, was often in a state of seclusion, the Government of the Maharaja of Mysore was requested on behalf of the pontiff to help in handling the administration. In response to this written request from the Maṭha, the Government, by an order (G.O. No. 397-99/Muz 118-33-8) dated 18^th September, 1934, placed at the disposal of the Maṭha, the services of a senior Amildar and issued instructions that the Revenue Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner, Kadur District, should generally supervise the affairs of the Maṭha from time to time.

Since the 34^th pontiff continued to be in a state of seclusion now and then, the Government of the Maharaja issued an order (No. 1030/Muz 174-35-2, Bangalore) on 30^th January, 1936, that, “the present arrangement of lending an officer of Government to work under the Math will not be satisfactory and some further action has become necessary to exercise closer control over the affairs of the Math. In these circumstances, Government are pleased to direct that Sri Sringeri Math with all its endowments and properties be taken over under their management under Section 25(3) of the Mysore Religious and Charitable Institutions Regulation VII of 1927 for a period of two years in the first instance. ... Mr. Y. Srikantaiya, Assistant Commissioner, will be appointed as officer in charge of the affairs of the Math and will be responsible for the proper administration of the Jahagir under the general control of the Deputy Commissioner, Kadur District. The Muzrai Commissioner is requested to take necessary action immediately and to submit separate proposals for all subsidiary steps that may be found necessary for giving effect to this order. He should make proper arrangements for the regular conduct of the usual religious services in the Math and the Institutions attached thereto.”

His Holiness dealt with the Government with great dexterity so as to effect the restoration of the administration to the Maṭha. His efforts bore fruit in 1959.

The Maharaja of the Princely State of Mysore, Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, signed the instrument of accession to the Indian Union on 9^th August 1947. With India gaining independence on 15^th August, 1947, and becoming a Republic on 26^th January, 1950, the Princely State of Mysore merged with the Republic of India. Thereafter, the control of the Sringeri Math vested not with the Maharaja, a devoted disciple, but with the Indian Government. It is known that if the administration of an institution passes into the Government hands it is almost gone for good. His Holiness, however dealt with the Government with great dexterity so as to effect the restoration of the administration to the Maṭha. His efforts bore fruit in 1959.

In response to a śrīmukha from Him dated 23^rd March 1959, the Government passed the following order (Order No. RD 22 MDI 59 dated 26^th March, 1959): “His Holiness Jagadguru Mahaswamigalavaru of Sringeri Math has expressed a desire to assume personal management of the Math and its properties. As the circumstances in which the Math and its properties were taken under Government management in 1936 have ceased to exist, Government are pleased to direct that the management of the Math and the properties belonging to it, both in and outside the state, with the exception of the villages notified for vesting in the notification read in para 3 of the preamble be handed over to the management of Sri Swamigalavaru with effect from 1^st April, 1959.” In pursuance to this order, ‘the Secretary to the Government, Revenue Department, Bangalore’, wrote to ‘the Deputy Commissioner, Chickmagalur District’, “In enclosing herewith a copy of the Government Order No. RD 22 MDI 59 dated 26^th March, 1959 directing the restoration of the management of the properties of the Math to His Holiness the Mahaswamigalavaru, I am directed to request you to go to Sringeri and handover the management personally to His Holiness the Mahaswamigalavaru or his Private Secretary at the close of 31^st March, 1959 and report the action taken to Government.”

The transfer of power was to be effected on 1^st April, 1959. His Holiness was camping at Karur in Tamil Nadu; He was there from 22^nd March to 14^th April. At Sringeri, Sampangi Ramaiah was the Officer-in-charge appointed by the Government. When the Deputy Commissioner arrived at Sringeri, Sampangi Ramaiah was to hand over charge to Lakshminarayana Sastry, His Holiness’s Private Secretary. His Holiness directed Lakshminarayana Sastry to formally take control on His behalf from Sampangi Ramaiah and asked Sampangi Ramaiah to continue to handle the Maṭha administration as before, with the difference that he report to Him instead of to the Government. Sampangi Ramaiah, who was a retired official who had been appointed specially for administering the Sringeri Math, readily consented. While His Holiness continued His tour, Sampangi Ramaiah functioned as His Administrator at Sringeri. This move of His Holiness was a master stroke because it took some time before people could realise that the change had occurred and by then it was too late for those opposed to it to do anything.

The Government did return the administration of the Maṭha to His Holiness but without the 23 villages that had constituted the Sringeri Math’s Jahagir and 22 other Inam villages that had belonged to the Maṭha. Hence, a body blow was struck to the income of the Maṭha. In the place of the income from many villages and from an area within six miles around Sringeri, the Maṭha had to make do with a limited compensation to be paid annually. His Holiness took the matter in His stride. When the loss of income was mournfully related to Him, He cheerfully replied, “The Maṭha had been functioning well even before the lands were granted. There is no cause for worry.” His stand was thoroughly vindicated, for the patronage of the devotees took over the patronage of the former kings. He firmly held, “Īśvara is there to take care of everything. Whatever He decides is indeed the best.”

His immaculate intuition and His razor-sharp intellect contributed to His unerringly evaluating situations and how they would unfold. While He was easily and willingly swayed by a person’s purity of heart and very accommodative of incompetent but sincere persons, He quickly sensed hypocrisy, insincerity and the buttressing of data to camouflage underperformance. Whenever anyone confidentially disclosed some matter to Him, He never divulged the source when initiating enquiries and taking action and ensured that the confider was not put to any embarrassment or difficulty. However, He was fundamentally unwilling to lend His ears to backbiting or prejudiced nit-picking.

He firmly held, “Īśvara is there to take care of everything. Whatever He decides is indeed the best.”

His Holiness once asked a group of devotees who came to see Him to sit. As one of them started to speak, He unexpectedly closed His eyes and said, “Before you start, I would like to make one thing clear. I cannot do anything that would hurt anyone’s feelings. So please do not put me in that situation.” He then opened His eyes and told them, “Yes, you can proceed.” The devotees had wanted to complain about a person but were effectively denied the opportunity to do so. They spoke about other matters and left. Later, His Holiness solved their problem on His own in a diplomatic way, ensuring that both they and the person they had a problem with were satisfied.

He had the knack of subtly nudging groups that did not see eye to eye to get together for a common cause. A set of devotees showed His Holiness a building plan for a branch Maṭha and sought His opinion about it. He said, “It is good.” They left. Another set of devotees who did not get along with the first group came to His Holiness with a plan of their own and asked His Holiness what He thought of it. His Holiness said, “It is good.” Learning of this, the first set of devotees subsequently asked Him, “How is it that Your Holiness approved of our plan and then theirs?” His Holiness clarified, “Suppose you show me a cow and ask me about it. I may say that it is nice. Someone else may show me a different bovine and I may say that that is nice. If both are shown to me and I am asked which is better, I may specify one. Similarly, if all of you had come to me together with the two plans, I could have chosen one and the construction could have been based on that.”

He had the knack of subtly nudging groups that did not see eye to eye to get together for a common cause.

On another occasion, when some were upset that a person who had taken the lead was being appreciated, He set them at ease saying, “Suppose a big log has to be lifted. Several people need to put in effort together to lift it. On the other hand, this approach will not do if a needle is to be picked up. For this, a single person needs to take the initiative. In the same way, sometimes people may need to work together as equals to accomplish a task and sometimes may need to work with someone taking the initiative and leading. Here, the situation is of the second kind. So why grudge his leadership, especially when it is good and effective?”

A person who was visiting a temple regularly, stopped doing so. When asked by His Holiness about it, he responded, saying, “There is too much politics in the temple and I feel that there is no need for me to get embroiled in all this. I do feel guilty about not going there. But what can I do?” His Holiness asked him, “Have you been to KGF (Kolar Gold Fields)?” “Yes,” replied the devotee. His Holiness asked, “What did you see there?” “Gold extraction and a few other things,” the person replied, hesitantly. “You know how much mud and other unwanted material is extracted and brought to the factory daily. From tons of what is excavated, gold is obtained after a long process. How much gold is obtained? Only a miniscule fraction of the material brought. However, the authorities do not stop the mining because of this. They discard what is unwanted and persist since the reward is worthy. What I am trying to impress is that your attitude should be like that. Do not bother yourself with unpleasant happenings. You offer your worship and leave.”

“Suppose a big log has to be lifted. Several people need to put in effort together to lift it. On the other hand, this approach will not do if a needle is to be picked up. For this, a single person needs to take the initiative. In the same way, sometimes people may need to work together as equals to accomplish a task and sometimes may need to work with someone taking the initiative and leading.”

His Holiness

To the extent feasible, His Holiness resorted to skill-based allocation of jobs and gave officials and supervisors considerable freedom to function in their respective departments. The norm was that He did not bypass any hierarchical order of control that He had established or allowed. For instance, in Narasimhavana and in Narasimhapura, there were mestris (supervisors) under whom many labourers worked. His Holiness frequently made enquiries about the welfare of all the labourers, whether permanent or temporary, and also personally interacted with them. However, when it came to giving orders, He directed them through the person in charge. Likewise, He channelled several of the relief measures through the supervisor. Hence, the prestige and the authority of the supervisor were not undermined though His Holiness visited often. Power in the Maṭha was initially concentrated in the hands of a few persons. This provided scope for bottlenecks. His Holiness effectively implemented decentralisation, thereby reducing the chances of disruption of smooth functioning. He was of the view, “There is no one who is wholly incompetent. It is just that it is difficult to find a person who effectively brings his abilities to the fore.” As for Himself, He could comfortably manage even with staff who, as far as others could discern, were brainless and obdurate too. He gave all the Maṭha staff, regardless of the person’s rank, age or experience, a patient hearing and considerately and promptly took steps to mitigate grievances. He gladly accepted and implemented any good suggestion from anybody.

The following was narrated by S. Srinivasaragahavan of Madurai.

His Holiness frequently made enquiries about the welfare of all the labourers, whether permanent or temporary, and also personally interacted with them. However, when it came to giving orders, He directed them through the person in charge.

“Once, at the Maṭha premises near the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, I said to His Holiness, ‘All the other properties of the Maṭha have been the recipients of Your Holiness’s gracious glances. Since this place is yet to receive the same, it continues to be in this state, with no expansion.’ As if perplexed, His Holiness asked, ‘What makes you to say so? With a road as the northern boundary and the remaining three sides flanked by other buildings, where is the scope for expansion?’ I said, ‘There is still one side left unoccupied,’ pointing towards the ceiling. Laughing aloud, His Holiness said, ‘Oh, you wish to extend the building skywards! Alright, you have my blessings. Go ahead and commence the construction. I will perform the kumbhābhiṣeka of the temples here.’ Several senior devotees petitioned His Holiness to dispose off the old building and construct a new and spacious building for the Maṭha at a different place in the city. His Holiness rejected the idea saying, ‘I consider this sacred, for it was here that Vṛddha Nṛsiṁha Bhāratī Mahāsvāmin (the 32^nd pontiff) invoked Goddess Mīnākṣī in a coconut for the public to worship. I cannot even contemplate disposing off this sacred place. Let the expansion take place here.’”

He could comfortably manage even with staff who, as far as others could discern, were brainless and obdurate too. He gave all the Maṭha staff, regardless of the person’s rank, age or experience, a patient hearing and considerately and promptly took steps to mitigate grievances. He gladly accepted and implemented any good suggestion from anybody.

He was extremely just in His dealings. The following three instances relating to court cases were narrated to me by Giridhara Sastry, who was the Administrator of the Sringeri Math in the early 1980s.

A person had donated a stretch of land to the Maṭha. As years went by, an adjacent portion too came into the possession of the Maṭha. The heir of the donor wanted to retake that ungiven land. The then administrator of the Maṭha declined the claim and the matter went to court. Legal opinion was in favour of the Maṭha winning the case by virtue of adverse possession. At this juncture, the claimant wrote directly to His Holiness seeking His intervention. His Holiness examined the facts and remarked, “Withdraw the case. Give back what was not donated to the Maṭha.” The fact that the Maṭha had already spent thousands on the case and was likely to get a favourable verdict did not deter Him from taking this decision. In the meantime, the person concerned wrote a letter expressing his willingness to pay a sum of Rs.12,000 to effect an out-of-court settlement. It was also learnt that the Maṭha’s lawyer was negotiating the offer. His Holiness instructed that not a single paisa should be collected and that the disputed land should be returned forthwith. His instruction was complied with.

In a certain hearing in Bengaluru, it was the turn of the Maṭha to present evidence. When reporting the case to His Holiness, the administrator voiced the legal opinion obtained that presenting the facts in a certain buttressed fashion would be monetarily beneficial to the Maṭha. “Will we be able to keep up in the future what we plan to indicate in the court now?” queried His Holiness. The administrator’s honest answer was, “No. It will be difficult for us to carry out what all we are going to declare.” “In that case, do not represent the case in that fashion. Just state the facts as they are,” directed His Holiness. He was unwilling to allow any deliberate misinterpretation of the facts.

His Holiness was extremely just in His dealings and was unwilling to allow any deliberate misinterpretation of the facts.

His Holiness’s sense of justice was well-known. A particular saṁnyāsin was asked to take charge of the branch Maṭha at Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh. He regularly rendered accounts to Sringeri. Before he passed away, he requested a person, Nageshwara Rao by name, to attend to the branch Maṭha. With the passage of time, Nageshwara Rao claimed that the property belonged to him. The matter went to court. One day, Nageshwara Rao met His Holiness. His Holiness asked him, “Why should we unnecessarily take such matters to a court of law? Will not an out-of-court settlement be better?” “Yes, indeed,” responded Nageshwara Rao. His Holiness then proposed, “Why not we present the facts to a common arbitrator? You may choose any judge or lawyer. We will submit all our papers. You too submit your documents. Let the arbitrator examine the case. If the decision is in our favour, you may relinquish your claim. Otherwise, we will hand over the property to you.” The proposal was of course fair and in fact, advantageous to Nageshwara Rao since the choice of the arbitrator was to be his. Surprisingly, he replied, “This will not be of any benefit to me. Your Holiness is a Jagadguru and is held in high esteem by the Hindus. As such, any Hindu arbitrator will decide in your favour.” “You may select a Christian or Muslim as the arbitrator. There is no reason why such a person should be biased in my favour,” reasoned His Holiness. Nageshwara Rao was not agreeable to even this. He said, “It will make no difference even if I select a non-Hindu. Your fairness and sense of justice are very well-known. Whomsoever I select will decide in your favour.” The case continued. The court decided in the Maṭha’s favour.

His Holiness held that confrontation and threats seldom generate satisfactory solutions. In the main, He effectively defused tensions and animosity through soft words, impeccable logic, tackling of emotions and bringing to the fore a person’s sense of morality.

A former manager of a branch Maṭha nursed, for some reason, displeasure against His Holiness. He incited the people in the houses neighbouring that branch and submitted a joint petition to Him. To cut a long story short, he sought to raise an agitation against Him. He readily accepted His Holiness’s invitation to see Him at Sringeri. They had conversed for barely a few minutes when the former manager fell prostrate at His feet, begging His pardon. That His Holiness readily forgave and blessed Him needs no saying. The former official even offered his loyal services. Prior to meeting him, His Holiness had remarked to me, in the passing, “An agitation is pitched against me.” Subsequently, in the course of His evening stroll that day, He casually told me (and here, I reproduce His exact words), “Agitation cancelled!”

A somewhat similar incident transpired in connection with a branch Maṭha in Kerala. There, an employee of the Maṭha who was taking care of the place took possession of some of the Maṭha’s lands. The land laws made it difficult for the Maṭha to recover the property that was misappropriated. His Holiness, on His visit to the place, sent for the person concerned and spoke to him at length. The employee, who had reverence for His Holiness, was convinced and voluntarily parted with a part of what he had taken over.

His Holiness had the knack of dexterously handling even complex situations.

His Holiness had the knack of dexterously handling even complex situations. Once, during His first All-India tour, a young boy darted across the road in front of the pilot van. The driver slammed the brakes and the van screeched to a halt directly over the boy, who had slipped and fallen flat. Fortunately, he fell between the wheels and escaped uninjured though the vehicle was stationed atop him. The villagers who beheld the scene presumed the boy dead and rushed in a rage towards the hapless driver, who was already stricken with trepidation. Meanwhile, the boy crawled under the van, emerged from the rear and took to his heels, without the others noticing him. Not finding the boy, the irate crowd began to rain blows on the driver. In moments, he was bleeding. The security guard got out of the vehicle to rescue the driver but that was not to be his day. He grappled with a villager who attempted to snatch his rifle and soon, both went tumbling down the slope. The workhand managed to run away with the rifle, leaving the pitiable security guard not only injured but also very insecure.

In the meantime, His Holiness’s car arrived there. He immediately identified the head of the group and beckoned to him. Tempers ran high and villagers rushed towards His Holiness’s car, gesticulating wildly. The force of their ire was spent the moment His Holiness addressed them with soft words. His Holiness’s magnetic personality and soothing words had a miraculous effect on the furious gathering. Wrath gave way to reverence so much so that soon that the leader and the others stood with folded hands before His Holiness beseeching Him to stay at that place and grace them. At His Holiness’s instance, the leader sent for the man who had snatched the rifle away and returned it to the security guard. The villagers had obtained a Guru and order was restored.

In the course of His tour of Kerala, His Holiness graced a temple in Pattambi on 6^th December, 1979. About that time, some statements of His Holiness had been misrepresented in a section of the press and a hornet’s nest had been stirred. A strong crowd gathered outside the temple demanding that they see His Holiness and talk to Him. They were armed with sticks and were apparently belligerent. The then Personal Assistant to His Holiness, K. M. Balasubramanian, talked to the accompanying security officials. Unfortunately, they were far outnumbered by the crowd, which certainly would have the upper hand in the event of an outbreak of violence. Worried, the Personal Assistant appraised His Holiness about the situation. For His part, His Holiness was thoroughly unperturbed. After a while, He emerged from the temple; the vociferous crowd became all the more boisterous. Unexpectedly, taking a tray full of dry fruits He beckoned to an agitator. The man was taken so much by surprise that he mutely stepped forward. His Holiness handed him the tray and said softly but with force, “Distribute the prasādas to the people.” The man began to do so. Meanwhile, His Holiness beckoned to a second agitator and gave him a lot of fruits, again to be distributed. The distribution was thoroughly unexpected by the crowd which had, as though mesmerised, stopped shouting by then. His Holiness then said, “Repeat after me” and began to chant, “Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare.” Initially, only a few followed Him, but soon it became an impressive chorus. A belligerent crowd was transformed into a bhajan party. Minutes later, His Holiness drove off in His car after He had succeeded in assuaging the persons with comforting words.

At times, His Holiness had to do something on the spur of the moment in order to avert impropriety but without giving rise to any misgiving in those present. He once graced a certain place in response to a pressing invitation. There, the maṅgalārati was performed. It would have been improper if He had, in the customary manner, accepted the ārati. The arcaka approached Him with the ārati in his hands. Had His Holiness refused it, it would have created a bad impression on the assembled ones. It took only a split second for His Holiness to find a solution. He reached for the bowl containing mantrākṣata. Surely, He could not be expected to receive ārati when He was having prasāda in His hands. The arcaka realised that he had to accept prasāda and so had no choice but to place the ārati down and come bare-handed. His Holiness blessed him and the others and soon left.

At times, His Holiness had to do something on the spur of the moment in order to avert impropriety but without giving rise to any misgiving in those present.

His Holiness could handle even embarrassing situations in an impeccable manner and with consummate ease.

His Holiness could handle even embarrassing situations in an impeccable manner and with consummate ease. During His camp at Hyderabad from 20^th April to 23^rd May, 1960, His Holiness was one day visiting the houses of devotees for pādapūjā. Padmanabha Upadhyaya (His Personal Assistant) and Kalasha Shamanna were in the front seat apart from the devotee driving the car. The driver of the pilot vehicle that was in front of His Holiness’s car realized that he was on the wrong road and, intending to make a U-turn, suddenly stopped the vehicle. Noticing the sudden stopping of the pilot vehicle, the driver of His Holiness’s car also stopped. His Holiness, who was discussing some important issues with Upadhyaya and Shamanna, took it for granted that He had reached a devotee’s house and immediately alighted. He walked straight into the house after opening the gates by Himself; the front door of the house was open. Upadhyaya and Shamanna blindly followed.

What His Holiness had entered was the house of a Muslim family. He quickly sensed this and that there was some slip-up. The people in the house were mourning an unfortunate death that had occurred a few days back. His Holiness did not turn back and leave. Instead, addressing a middle-aged woman who was weeping inconsolably, He enquired kindly as to what the matter was. The people in the house stood up and one of them mentioned the cause of their grief. His Holiness spent some time with them, uttering soothing and consoling words. Such was the way in which He freely interacted with them that they spoke with Him as if they had been intimate with Him for long. In a matter of minutes, not only was there no weeping in the house but the inmates appeared cheered up. His Holiness asked for fruits to be brought from the car and gave them to the family members. Having virtually become one of them and assuaged them, He started to leave. The entire family followed Him to the car and saw Him off. After He left, neither did His Holiness chide His staff for the mix up nor did He even show any sign that something had gone amiss; it was as if He had been to a devotee’s house and left as He would normally have done. {The source of this information was Kalasha Shamanna.}

Not being obdurate, egoistic or prestige-conscious, His Holiness did not hesitate to modify or even reverse His instructions when additional facts necessitated this.

At times, He took totally unexpected decisions, the reasons for which were unapparent to the officials of the Maṭha; generally, these were prompted, as per His own admission, by the ‘preraṇā, divine inspiration’ that He received.

Not being obdurate, egoistic or prestige-conscious, His Holiness did not hesitate to modify or even reverse His instructions when additional facts necessitated this. At times, He took totally unexpected decisions, the reasons for which were unapparent to the officials of the Maṭha; generally, these were prompted, as per His own admission, by the ‘preraṇā, divine inspiration’ that He received. For instance, in 1977, during His second all-India tour, He was scheduled to proceed to Delhi from Varanasi. Extensive arrangements were initiated at Delhi on the basis of the prior information available to the organisers there about His tour programme. Suddenly, He changed His stance and revealed His wish to proceed towards Kolkata. None could understand what had prompted Him to say so nor did His Holiness give any explanation. Since commitments had already been made for Him to visit Allahabad, He decided to go there from Varanasi and thereafter proceed towards Kolkata. All agreed later that His Holiness’s decision had been very timely and wise. The then President of India, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, expired about the time His Holiness was scheduled to have arrived at Delhi. It would have been rather odd if His Holiness entered the capital at a time when there was State mourning. Postponement of the visit to Delhi enabled the devotees there to put in extra efforts to hasten and complete the constructions in Shankara Vidya Kendra, the branch in Delhi of the Sringeri Math, prior to His Holiness’s arrival. Hence, when He came to Delhi, He could perform the kumbhābhiṣeka of the temples there. Had He arrived at Delhi as scheduled earlier, this would not have been possible as the works could not have been completed by then.

Being a light sleeper and capable of making do with only four hours of sleep, He used to wake up once or twice at night, call out to see if the watchman was vigilant and, off and on, go round Narasimhavana, checking even whether the cows and elephants were doing well and ensuring that everything was as it should be, such as that just the required lights were turned on and that too at the appropriate places only. After returning, He fell asleep in a trice. He once demonstrated this to me in Sringeri, in 1975. Just after completing giving darśana in the evening to the public, He sent for me. He was seated in His room. He said, “I had told you about falling asleep in a trice at night. Now watch.” Immediately thereafter, He closed His eyes and promptly fell asleep; His head drooped. A few moments later, He awakened and said, with a laugh, “Good sleep.” It was only when he was in His sixties that He fully gave up going out at night to check Narasimhavana.

The following was narrated by K. M. Balasubramanian.

“Once, when His Holiness and His entourage were camping at a certain place, a man was appointed as a watchman to take care of the security and to ring the bell each hour. There was a big hall in which everyone slept. The watchman was also there. One night, His Holiness went around having a look, as He sometimes did. When He inspected the hall, he found the watchman fast asleep. Without waking him up, He took the clock that the watchman required to ring the bell every hour and left. When the watchman woke up from his slumber, he could not find his clock. There were many sleeping in the hall. The watchman woke up some people, including me, asked if any of us knew what had happened to the clock. I reprimanded him saying, ‘If you are not able to safeguard your clock, how are you going to guard the assets of the Maṭha?’ The watchman desperately searched for the clock and, on not finding it, did not know what to do. Later on, His Holiness called me and said, ‘The watchman was sleeping during the night. That is the reason I took the clock and came away. Tell him this.’ He returned the clock; the watchman learnt a lesson.”

It is well-known that favouritism is detrimental to effective administration. His Holiness never gave room to any favouritism. Without exception, all those in the know who have been interviewed have maintained with certitude that His Holiness’s dealings were ever perfectly fair and they had not come across of a single instance of His Holiness having acted biasedly in favour of any pūrvāśrama-relative.

Members of His Holiness’s former family were fully aware of His Holiness’s impartiality. A person once approached Ramanatha Sastry, His Holiness’s younger brother, requesting him to arrange for an allocation from His Holiness. Understanding His Holiness’s nature, Sastry told him, “There is no point in your trying to seek a recommendation from me. It will not strengthen your case. At best, I can accompany you. If you are fortunate, His Holiness will oblige; else He will not.”

Once, Ramanatha Sastry was in financial difficulties. Nageshwara Sastry, His Holiness’s boyhood friend, approached His Holiness and asked Him to extend special help to Ramanatha Sastry. His Holiness dispassionately replied, “What all there is in the Maṭha does not belong to me. It belongs to Śāradāmba. I cannot extend special help to Ramanatha merely because he happened to be my brother. I can be impartial and that is all.”

His Holiness never let down anyone who served the Maṭha sincerely.

His Holiness never let down anyone who served the Maṭha sincerely. A case in instance is that of Padmanabha Upadhyaya. Upadhyaya was, when young, a student of the pāṭhaśālā. He came to the favourable notice of His Holiness. For some reason unapparent to others, His Holiness instructed the cook to supply him some milk every day. The cook grew jealous and started mixing some salt in the milk before giving it to Upadhyaya. Upadhyaya never uttered a word of protest; he did not complain about this to His Holiness either. His Holiness Himself discerned what was happening and, pleased with Upadhyaya, took him into His service. Perhaps, His Holiness had wanted to test Upadhyaya, aware of how the cook would balk at the idea of specially supplying the lad milk. His Holiness personally trained him to handle Maṭha affairs with dexterity and, in particular, to establish rapport and get things done. He became His Holiness’s Personal Assistant, who reported directly to Him and whose job primarily consisted in carrying out whatever task His Holiness gave him. He served His Holiness with great sincerity and was at His Holiness’s side at any time he was required, be it day or night. In 1974, he had to go to Delhi in connection with some Maṭha work. His Holiness intuitively felt that the trip should not be made as planned by Upadhyaya. Pressed to permit the trip, He gave His half-hearted consent. Upadhyaya passed away in an accident during that trip, in 1974. His Holiness had his body flown to Bengaluru and transported to Sringeri by road.

At that time, Upadhyaya’s three sons were young and his two daughters were unmarried. His Holiness continued to provide them accommodation in Narasimhavana itself and took full care of them. In due course, all of them became comfortably settled in life. His Holiness remarked, “Upadhyaya did so much for the Maṭha. It would have been highly unjust if I had not taken care of his family.” His Holiness had, some years before Upadhyaya’s death, given him suggestions that proved to be monetarily beneficial to him. There had been a dispute in his family regarding a division of property. His Holiness had asked him to stake his claim for a particular plot of land in Mangaluru and not to bother much about the rest. Upadhyaya had obeyed. Later on, the city developed in such a way that that land’s value shot up.

His Holiness was particular about doing His personal works Himself. He took His attendant’s assistance only when that was essential or related to His pontifical duties. He maintained His things methodically. He arranged His books so well that He could locate a book placed by Him even years later, without the least difficulty.

Simple living and high thinking have characterised Mahātmans. His Holiness was particular about doing His personal works Himself. He took His attendant’s assistance only when that was essential or related to His pontifical duties. He maintained His things methodically. He arranged His books so well that He could locate a book placed by Him even years later, without the least difficulty. Mahabala Bayari, who served as His personal attendant, recalled, when I interviewed him, that when His Holiness wanted him to fetch a book, rather than telling him the name or the author of the book, both of which would have been unfamiliar to him, His Holiness specified to Him the room where that book was, in which bookshelf in that room, the shelf in that bookshelf, the relative position of the book in that shelf and even its size and colour. Whenever Mahabala searched as per His directions, he invariably located the desired volume.

He had a prodigious and eidetic memory. He once told me, “I used to remember the details of all works that were carried out in my presence. In fact, I could even recall the exact number of nails used for a particular task carried out in my presence and also the number of strokes with which each nail was driven in.” Many people were pleasantly surprised that even after a lapse of several years, His Holiness not only remembered them but also the particulars of their families. He was able to do this in spite of the fact that thousands of people flocked to have His darśana. As He passed into His seventies and His health deteriorated, there was some deterioration in His retention, which, nevertheless, continued to be above par. Regarding this, He humorously commented, “Earlier, my mind was like a camera. When an object came before it, it was registered and the negative was permanently stored. Now, it is like a mirror, which reflects only what is in front of it.”

In 1984, a person, who came to Sringeri for darśana, asked His Holiness, “I would like to do Śiva-pūjā. May I have the liṅga that I submitted to Your Holiness earlier?” His Holiness immediately fetched the liṅga concerned and handed it over to the devotee. As He did so, He remarked, “It is twenty-seven years since you submitted the liṅga to me. At that time, you did not tell me that you would like to have it back some day. Hence, there was every chance that I might have given it away to some devotee in response to his asking me to bless him with a liṅga.”

He had a prodigious and eidetic memory. Many people were pleasantly surprised that even after a lapse of several years, His Holiness not only remembered them but also the particulars of their families. He was able to do this in spite of the fact that thousands of people flocked to have His darśana.

In the eighties, His Holiness started to have difficulty in climbing stairs because of His cardiac condition and to reduce the height to be climbed at a time, a small wooden plank about seven centimetres in height (with its legs) used to be placed on a step. On reaching a step, He would sidestep onto the plank and climb to the next step. In August 1989, I thought of designing a thin, portable, electro-pneumatic device with a flat surface for His Holiness to stand on that would, when placed on a step, lift up His Holiness gently and smoothly to the exact level of the next step. To cater to steps of different heights, I wanted to know the highest single step in Sringeri. Hence, I took measurements at various places in Narasimhavana and in the temple complex. When I reported the matter to His Holiness, He told me, “You need not have taken the trouble of measuring various steps. I would have told you that the highest step is the first one in the Vidyāśānkara Temple, counting from the surface for doing pradakṣiṇa. Its height is twelve and three quarter inches. The top step there is ten and three quarter inches high.” His Holiness then mentioned the step-height at the Samādhi of His Guru and that in the front of Sacchidananda Vilas. When I checked the paper on which I had noted the heights, I found that every single measurement that His Holiness had mentioned was completely accurate. This was mind-boggling. It is noteworthy that His Holiness had never got the steps in the Vidyāśaṅkara Temple measured. He must have spontaneously and accurately judged their heights when swiftly climbing them in the past. Similar was the case with the other steps. Moreover, He had been able to recall effortlessly what He had judged even when, as per His own statements, His memory had deteriorated.

Every day, His Holiness attended to a large number of letters from His various devotees, not only from India but also from abroad. The way He attended to the missives was a treat to watch.

Every day, His Holiness attended to a large number of letters from His various devotees, not only from India but also from abroad. The way He attended to the missives was a treat to watch. I have seen Him reading one letter, writing something and dictating a reply to a second letter read out to Him earlier while not failing to accord by a nod, permission to sit down to some person who had been sent for – all at the same time. His Holiness often grasped the essence of a letter even when only a portion of it was presented to Him. It was well-known in Maṭha circles that when He hesitated to give prasādas in response to a prayer for recovery from illness, there was no hope for recovery. I have come across several such instances.

Jalaja Sakthidasan was a staunch devotee of the Maṭha. She and her husband, Sakthidasan, were writers and had co-authored books about the Maṭha and His Holiness. When her husband was in a serious condition, she wrote to His Holiness praying to Him for His blessings for her husband’s recovery. I took the letter to His Holiness and conveyed the contents, expecting Him to readily give prasādas. His Holiness heard me out but at the end gravely replied, “There is no point in sending prasāda.” A little later, a telegram was received stating that Sakthidasan had passed away.

A lady wrote a pathetic letter to His Holiness stating that she had lost her māṅgala-sūtra with pendant and that she would consider herself blessed if His Holiness graced her with one. When Giridhara Sastry presented the contents of the letter to His Holiness, He readily asked for one to be sent. Giridhara Sastry despatched a māṅgalya and forgot about it. His Holiness, however, enquired whether the needful had been done. A little later, a variety of māṅgalyas of Goddess Śāradāmbā were brought to Him. He pointed at one of them and told Giridhara Sastry, “This type of māṅgalya should have been sent to that lady.” As if in fulfilment of His Holiness’s wish, that very kind of māṅgalya was what had been despatched to her.

His Holiness’s kindness manifested even when punishment had to be meted out to an erring staff.

He was ready to forgive and even help an erring Maṭha staff who was repentant.

His Holiness’s kindness manifested even when punishment had to be meted out to an erring staff. Once, an employee of the Maṭha was extremely careless and this resulted in a substantial loss. Giridhara Sastry, as the Administrator, decided to recover the lost amount in instalments from that person’s salary and fixed the rate of recovery. When he reported the matter to His Holiness, He felt pity for the person and said, “I concede that punishment has to be given but what you have imposed is too much. Care should be taken to ensure that no trouble is caused to his family and to him. You have been recovering some fine until now. That is sufficient. No further recovery need be done.” Giridhara Sastry acted accordingly though the remission meant that hardly ten percent of the lost amount was recovered.

Another staff of the Maṭha had committed a grave offence. Some strongly recommended to His Holiness to dismiss the man. His Holiness, however, did not take the extreme step saying, “It is not difficult to relieve the man of his post and send him home. However, we should bear in mind that he has wife and children who are solely dependent on him. Any punishment inflicted upon him should not be so severe that his family finds itself in dire straits. Hence, it is not proper to make him jobless. On the contrary, it will not be advisable to let him go scot free either, for his misdeed does deserve some chastisement. Hence, he should be transferred and given another post in the Maṭha which is suitable to him.” His Holiness’s instructions were carried out and the person concerned, who was remorseful for what he had done, was given another assignment. Later, at His Holiness’s instance, a devotee got that person a job elsewhere with a much higher salary. Thus, His Holiness gave the man a temporary punishment but never harboured any ill-will and later, even did him a special favour.

On an occasion, a staff poured ghee from the Maṭha’s kitchen into a vessel that he had brought from home. As he had to attend to some work, he kept the vessel at a particular spot. This was observed and the matter brought to His Holiness’s attention. His Holiness could have very easily exposed the concerned person and put him to shame but He did not wish to do so. He asked another worker of the Maṭha to give the ghee to the kitchen and to replace the vessel at the exact spot where it had been left. When the culprit returned, he must have been in for a shock. He would have known that his theft had been discovered but would have been thankful that it was not made public. At any rate, he was in no position to complain, “I had kept some ghee in my vessel. It is missing now.”

A short employee wanted to fetch something that was beyond his reach. Seeing His Holiness’s āsana near him, he used it as a stepping stone, reached up and collected what he wanted. In the light of the scripture, his act was sinful; the Guru’s seat is sacrosanct. When His Holiness came there, He noticed a faint imprint on His āsana formed by the dust on the employee’s foot. From the faint footprint itself, He instantaneously identified the offender. He summoned him and explained to him, in private, the impropriety of what he had done and advised him to abstain from doing so in future.

Without making suitable entries in the accounts, an official of the Maṭha gave money to a person of his own personal choice. The time for the official’s retirement came. He wanted to hush up the affair. However, His Holiness immediately comprehended the situation. He told the official to settle the accounts and verify with the available cash. The man struggled and appeared worried. He was told that he could take rest and come the next day as that would be sufficient. The man went home. His Holiness felt sorry for him, for the worried man was likely to have a sleepless night. He sent word to that person’s residence telling him to be at ease. The guilty official was moved by His Holiness’s kindness. Feeling ashamed, he rushed to His Holiness and confessed what he had done. He said that he had lent money in an unjustifiable manner and the beneficiary was delaying the repayment. His Holiness consoled him and asked him to enter the amount as a loan in the books and to get that person to repay in instalments. Thus, not only did His Holiness set right the problem, but also put the official at ease. He was ready to forgive and even help an erring Maṭha staff who was repentant.

Shortly after His Holiness became the pontiff in 1954, He told Ramanatha Sastry that He wished to meet Chennakeshava, a former employee. For some time prior to and after His Holiness’s saṁnyāsa in 1931, Chennakeshava used to prepare and serve food to Him. He had subsequently retired and settled down in Kota, a small town in Dakshina Kannada district, not far from Sringeri. His Holiness directed Ramanatha Sastry to go and fetch him. Sastry went to Kota and, after making some enquiries locally, managed to locate and reach Chennakeshava’s house. Chennakeshava was in a very pensive mood and recalled that he used to covertly divert much of the milk and curds meant for His Holiness to his family. He continued to do so till he left the Maṭha and settled down in Kota. He told Sastry that a strange disease had then crippled his limbs. He attributed this to his misdeeds. He felt that he could never set foot on Sringeri since His Holiness would be extremely angry with him and would never forgive him. Sastry comforted him by saying that he had come on His Holiness’s instructions for the very purpose of taking him to Sringeri. Chennakeshava’s fears only increased and he flatly refused to come to Sringeri. Helplessly, Sastry returned alone and reported back to His Holiness.

On hearing Sastry’s account, His Holiness sent him again to Kota, this time in a vehicle of the Maṭha and told him to bring Chennakeshava at any cost. He added that if Chennakeshava still refused to come, He would be forced to go to Kota Himself. When Sastry went and informed this to Chennakeshava, the latter became very apprehensive but, left with no option, accompanied Sastry to Sringeri.

As soon as Chennakeshava was ushered into His Holiness’s presence, he broke down and, falling at His feet, confessed that he had wronged Him and sought His pardon. His Holiness quickly assuaged him and told him that he was like a father to Him since he had fed Him during His boyhood days in Sringeri. He added that He wished to reward him for his services and gave him what was a very significant amount in mid 1950s. Taken aback, Chennakeshava again referred to his usurping what was earmarked for His Holiness and said that he was in no way worthy of receiving the money. His Holiness completely comforted him. Chennakeshava then accepted the reward and received His Holiness’s bountiful blessings. He returned to Kota in peace, relieved of his psychological and financial burdens. {This incident was narrated by Ramanatha Sastry.}

It is pertinent that in the 1930s His Holiness did not initiate any remedial measures even though He knew that Chennakeshava was largely taking away what he had been officially instructed to serve Him in view of His frail health at that time. He also did not give anybody any inkling of what was happening. Even when sending Sastry in the mid- 1950s, He did not assign any reason; it was Chennakeshava who confessed what he had done to Sastry. Such was His utter indifference to any wrong done to Him. One can only conjecture that His Holiness had intuitively discerned that Chennakeshava was contrite, burdened with guilt and badly off. Moreover, in His unbounded compassion, He decided to make him psychologically and financially unburdened and therefore sent Sastry to him not once but twice and had been prepared to Himself go to Kota, if required. Many are the cases such as this one where one cannot fathom why His Holiness went very much out of the way to grace even someone who was apparently undeserving and resistive too. What is patent, however, is that His Holiness overlooked a wrong done to Him but was satiated to the extent of telling Chennakeshava, “You are like a father to me,” just because Chennakeshava cooked and served Him food when young.

During His visit to Chennai, His Holiness was scheduled to visit a temple of Lord Vināyaka in K. K. Nagar on 12^th December, 1977. He was received at the start of the street with pūrṇakumbha. A devoted lady with a long association with the Maṭha was waiting there just hoping that His Holiness would visit her house, which was on the same street, but understanding that such an unscheduled visit and that too, on His way to a temple was quite improbable. However, when she managed to express her wish to Him, He walked to her place, entered it and left shortly thereafter. Later, she went to His Holiness’s place of stay and submitted a small silver tumbler filled with sugar. His Holiness, aware of her modest means, sought to know why she was making this offering. She told Him that He had mercifully graced her house but she had submitted nothing to Him at that time. A few months later, when she went to Sringeri in 1978 to have darśana, He remarked to the devotees near Him, “Just because I had been to her place at Madras (now Chennai), she offered a large silver vessel to the Maṭha.” The lady was amazed, for what she had submitted was only a small silver tumbler. After a few months, when she made another trip to Sringeri, He told the devotees there, “Just because I visited her place, she offered the Maṭha a large silver vessel,” and as He said this, He spread His hands wide apart. She realized that such was His magnanimity and kindness that He viewed even a small offering made to Him with devotion as great.

The following was reported by S. Y. Krishnaswamy.

“On one occasion, in response to a small donation from me, for which I was apologetic, He replied, ‘There is no question of it being small. The rain falls only in threads but it makes a flood.’”

Shankara Adiga, a personal attendant (who is now an arcaka at Goddess Śāradāmbā’s shrine), had a few dreams in which he beheld Padmanabha Upadhyaya who had passed away years earlier and with whose son he was close. His Holiness provided Him an opportunity to narrate the dreams to Him and even offered an interpretation that pleased Adiga. During His Holiness’s camp at Bengaluru, Challa Annapoorna Prasad, another attendant, was performing, on his own, pūjā to a small image of Gaṇapati in the predawn hours of the dhanur-māsa. His Holiness happened to pass by that room and, hearing a soft sound of a pūjā-bell, entered. He beheld Challa devoutly commencing the mangalārati. Pleased, His Holiness waited and fully witnessed it. Challa was in for a surprise when he turned and realised that His Holiness had patiently beheld even his simple personal worship. When he had come to the Maṭha as a lad, he had been unable to speak normally. His Holiness had intervened and set right his shortcoming.

His Holiness frequently made enquiries about the welfare of the staff and did whatever was possible for their well-being. For instance, His Holiness once questioned the khiledār, Sitarama Bhatta, regarding his health. Sitarama Bhatta mentioned that he experienced abdominal pain and indigestion. After suitable questioning, His Holiness felt that the likely cause was gastric ulcer and had him examined by a competent doctor. The doctor confirmed that Sitarama Bhatta had gastric ulcer and prescribed medication for it and some dietary restrictions. His Holiness made the necessary arrangements and also ordered that a glass of milk be supplied to Sitarama Bhatta every morning till his ulcer abated. Years later, when I interviewed him, Sitarama Bhatta recalled, with gratitude, that His Holiness’s act of kindness had resulted in his suffering ending and his health being restored.

The second son of a person employed in the Maṭha’s cowshed was greatly handicapped; he could not see, hear, speak or walk and everything for the boy had to be done by someone else. The worker did not know whether upanayana should be performed for his son or not. The paṇḍitas whom he consulted were not able to give a definite answer and so he decided to ask His Holiness. His Holiness patiently heard him out and said, “Upanayana should be performed but because the boy cannot perform his nitya-karma, it will suffice if you do some extra Gāyatrī-japa daily on his behalf.” Not stopping with this, He arranged for the conduct of the function in the Maṭha and at the Maṭha’s expense; the employee merely had to initiate his son.

His Holiness frequently made enquiries about the welfare of the staff and did whatever was possible for their well-being.

His Holiness never stood on prestige and unhesitatingly helped even in ways that could be misconceived as undignified for a greatly venerated Jagadguru Śaṅkarācārya of a celebrated, orthodox Āmnāya-pīṭha (Vedic Seat). One night His attendant, Malnad Venkatesha, had difficulty in sleeping on account of mosquitoes. However, exhaustion got the better of him and he fell asleep. Being an early riser, His Holiness woke up prior to His attendant. Seeing mosquitoes on Venkatesha, His Holiness neared him, fanned him with His handkerchief and kept them at bay. The breeze happened to stir the sleeping one from his slumber. As he awakened, His Holiness silently moved on. It took moments for Venkatesa to realise that His Holiness had Himself fanned him to drive mosquitoes away from him.

The following was narrated by A. Subramonia Iyer who retired as the Principal of Sree Sankara College at Kalady.

“As a student, I was fortunate to be under the tutelage of the great scholar, Sri Neelakanta Sastry of Trivandrum. Sastry and I visited Sringeri during the annual Gaṇapati-vākyārtha-sadas. Once, after the night Candramaulīśvara-pūjā, His Holiness summoned Sastry for a discussion. By the time we both left, it was past 11 p.m. While we were approaching the river, His Holiness’s attendant came running and caught up with us. He had in his hand something wrapped in a towel. To our pleasant surprise, he handed us about twenty ripe fruits and said, ‘As it is already late, the kitchen may not be open. Hence, His Holiness has sent these for you.’ Indeed, by the time we reached the bhojanaśālā (dining hall) on the other shore, it was locked. Subsequently, when we had His Holiness’s darśana, He said, ‘It is better that you have your dinner and then come for the pūjā. People serving dinner have to clean the kitchen after everyone eats and only then leave for the day. If you go late for dinner, it would delay them further. Further, since they should report for duty as usual, early in the morning, their reaching their home late at night would put them to much inconvenience. Leave all the vratas (austerities) to me.’ We were touched by His Holiness’s thoughtfulness and compassion in sending us the fruits at that late hour, lest we go hungry at night. Moreover, it was a lesson in being considerate to all that His Holiness taught us in so gentle a manner.”

During His Holiness’s tour, at times, when some vehicle failed to catch up with the rest of the convoy, His Holiness instructed that His car halted to give time for that vehicle to arrive.

During His Holiness’s tour, at times, when some vehicle failed to catch up with the rest of the convoy, His Holiness instructed that His car halt to give time for that vehicle to arrive. In case of delay, He stepped out of His car, stood on the roadside and got His staff to make enquiries from the drivers of passing vehicles as to whether they had seen the Maṭha’s car. If He found the staff slow or inefficient in doing this, without the least sense of self-importance that is common for personages of His stature, He waved His handkerchief, and on a passing vehicle stopping, Himself asked the driver.

On an occasion, a car of the Maṭha failed to catch up with the convoy even after some time. No information about it could be gleaned from the vehicles passing by. His Holiness ordered that His car turn back in search of the missing vehicle. After a while, the Maṭha vehicle, which had stopped due to some problems, was located. Giridhara Sastry, who was in it, came out and requested His Holiness, “We will repair the car and come. Your Holiness may please proceed.” In a firm tone, His Holiness said that He proposed to wait until that car was set right. After the repair, the convoy proceeded to the next camp. There, He summoned Giridhara Sastry and told him, “How could I have proceeded leaving you all behind? Would I not have had to spend time thinking of your welfare!” His Holiness was willing to even put up with delay or change in His schedule for the sake of those who were serving Him.

The following was narrated by K. S. Natarajan.

“When His Holiness came to Mumbai in 1967, I requested His Holiness to grace my apartment for pādapūjā. He agreed and came home. My house was very close to the sea. When His Holiness saw the waters, He was delighted. One day, my wife received a phone call from the Maṭha stating that a lorry containing an idol sent by His Holiness was on its way to the apartment. She rang me up and, on receiving the message, I rushed home. The lorry delivered a box that was about four feet long, three and a half feet wide and two feet high; it contained a marble statue of Śaṅkara-bhagavatpāda. I learnt that His Holiness had selected my house for keeping the idol till installation because my house had an extra wide door. So acute was His power of observation that He had noticed this even on His short visit.”

Violence and compulsion were objectionable to Him and He consistently maintained that the means as well as the ends should be righteous. When His Holiness camped at Delhi in 1967, the problem of enacting compulsory legislation to prevent cow-slaughter was strongly agitating the country. In response to the demands of various devotees, He gave a message, although personally He was reluctant to involve Himself in any controversy in which the passions of the moment submerged the faculties of reasoning and the ultimate interests of the country were forgotten. The message issued on His behalf was as follows:

“Adhering correctly to the edicts of the Vedas and śāstras would be conducive to welfare and prosperity. No injury should be caused to any living being. Leading a life wedded to ahiṁsā brings happiness. Among animals, the cow is most helpful and useful to mankind and is also an object of supreme reverence. Protection of the cow is, therefore, an act of great merit and killing it is a heinous sin. Protection of the cow is thus an absolute necessity. At present, various efforts at a number of places are being made to get cow-slaughter banned. It is the considered opinion of the Jagadguru that the efforts being made to achieve the objective should be absolutely peaceful and should not cause even the slightest injury or harm to anyone. Injury or harm to others results ultimately in difficulty and loss to the country as a whole. In regard to the enactment of suitable legislation for this purpose, knowledgeable persons should jointly consider, examine and decide in what manner such a legislative measure could be brought about.”

Thus, in His message, He not only expressed His concern about cow-slaughter but also advocated the eschewing of any violent methods to achieve the enactment of legislation to ban cow-slaughter.

The following was reported by P. S. Narasimhan.

Violence and compulsion were objectionable to Him and He consistently maintained that the means as well as the ends should be righteous.

“An incident which lives in my memory happened on Vardhanti day in 1976. His Holiness’s forthcoming tour of North India and His visits to Benaras and Delhi were being discussed. A leading disciple from Delhi was insisting that His Holiness should, during the stay in Delhi, take part in a rally for the protection of cows; this was scheduled as a big public protest and was to be televised. Raising His voice, He told the disciple, “I do not want all this. It is not necessary that I should join a demonstration for cow-protection or appear on television. I am, however, very much interested in the protection of cows and maintain several cows in Sringeri. This, one and all can see.” The next moment the fleeting show of anger had subsided and His Holiness was His usual personification of peace. After all the other disciples had left, my wife and I had stayed back to take leave of His Holiness. I referred to this incident and expressed my humble admiration for the extraordinary way in which His Holiness had been able to summon a show of anger and then to revert to His usual poise in an instant. His Holiness remarked, ‘There are certain occasions when we have to exhibit a show of anger. Anger must be under our control, to be used when necessary and abandoned when the need ceases.’”

“There are certain occasions when we have to exhibit a show of anger. Anger must be under our control, to be used when necessary and abandoned when the need ceases.”

His Holiness

When His Holiness was touring Tamil Nadu in 1964, the convoy of Maṭha vehicles passed through a certain village. The villagers stopped His Holiness’s car and surrounded it. They were suffering due to prolonged lack of rain. The simple and troubled village folk said to His Holiness, “We have heard that you are the ‘Mazhai-Svāmigal (Śvāmin who brings rain).’ Please bless us with rain.” His Holiness called the Maṭha officials and announced His decision to camp for the night in the village. He explained, “These people have a lot of faith in God and to some extent, in me. If I now go away from this village, their faith will be impacted.” The officials had their own concern that all arrangements had been made for the evening programme at the next scheduled stop and that the Maṭha’s trucks had already left for that destination earlier. However, His Holiness was firm in His resolve to stay there and do pūjā. It was around 3:30 p.m. at the time. In a while, the trucks laden with all the requirements for the pūjā returned. With some difficulty, a small house was identified to store the belongings and to set up the pūjā. The pūjā was completed that night. Within an hour, it started pouring heavily, accompanied by thunder and lightning. The rain continued unabated through the night. The next morning, the headman of the village accompanied by some others approached His Holiness and prayed to Him to kindly stop the rain. They expressed their immense gratitude to His Holiness and told Him that they now had sufficient water. The rain stopped soon thereafter.

His Holiness had earned the sobriquet “Mazhai Swamigal (Śvāmin who brings rain)’ in His first tour of Tamil Nadu in the late 1950s. At that time, there was a severe drought in the region, with rains having failed for long. Tanks and wells had become dry or were drying up. However, wherever He was prayed to for rain and invited, it had rained.

During His All-India tour, when He was observing cāturmāsya in Ujjain in 1966, a group of persons approached Him and respectfully asked Him, “Swamiji, why have You not yet blessed us with what we want?” His Holiness asked them what they desired. They said, “Rain.” His Holiness had special prayers offered at a temple of Hanumān. It started raining and they came to Him and expressed their gratitude. The next year, when He reached Gaya on 25^th April 1967, He was escorted by the Chief Minister to a meeting held in a vast ground and attended by tens of thousands. The region was afflicted by drought and His blessings were sought for rain. In His benedictory address, His Holiness referred to the hardship the people were facing and said that He would pray to Śāradā-Candramaulīśvara for rain. Subsequently, He prayed; it rained.

The following was penned and given to me years ago by H. N. Shankar, who served as the Deputy Administrator of the Maṭha in the 1980s.

“His Holiness had set out for His evening walk in Narasimhavana. I had been following Him a couple of paces behind. He was approaching the car park adjoining Sacchidananda Vilas. Strolling along the pathway and looking at the rose and jasmine gardens to His right and left, all of a sudden, He chanted the Kannada nursery rhyme ‘huyyo huyyo male rāya; hūvina toṭake nīrilla (O rain god, pour forth, pour forth. There is no water for the flower garden).’ By the time he had chanted it the third time, it started drizzling. As we approached the shelter of the car shed, the drizzle had picked up into rain. Entering the shed, He turned around, faced the garden and surveyed the scene in front of Him with a sweeping glance. After a brief silence, He remarked, ‘This is strange. We were taught this line when we were kids. Whenever I recall it and chant it, it somehow starts raining. See, it is raining now. Svāmigalu (referring to His successor designate and present pontiff Jagadguru Śrī Bhāratī Tīṛtha Mahāsvāmin) even says, ‘Your Holiness should not recite this rhyme randomly. It will immediately rain.’ On a later date, I mentioned this to Śrī Sannidhānam. ‘Yes, indeed! I have said so. I have seen it rain after even a casual utterance of that line by His Holiness. It may be surprising but I shall testify to it,’ was His reply.”

When His Holiness was touring the Tanjavur District of Tamil Nadu in June 1959, two persons met Him and asked Him in private, “How do you bring rain?” “I do not,” replied His Holiness. “You are said to be the Mazhai Swamigal.” “People are free to call me what they wish,” was His Holiness’s response. He added, “The one who blesses people and bestows rain is God. I merely submit a request on behalf of people. The rest is entirely up to Him. If I were to ever imagine that I am the cause of rain, even my submission to God will be in vain.” His Holiness told me of this conversation in May 1974 when I told Him that I had just heard from the purohita, Ganapati Subrahmanya Avadhani, that He had been referred to as “Mazhai Swamigal” in Tamil Nadu in the 1950s.

“The one who blesses people and bestows rain is God. I merely submit a request on behalf of people. The rest is entirely up to Him. If I were to ever imagine that I am the cause of rain, even my submission to God will be in vain.”

His Holiness

The following was narrated by A. S. Raghavan, an eminent musical exponent of the Tiruppugazh (Saint Aruṇagirināthar’s profound, devotional outpouring in Tamil primarily in praise of Lord Kārtikeya).

“During His Holiness’s visit to Kolkata in 1967, when the organizing committee members were undecided about whom to invite for singing bhajans on a morning, His Holiness told P. Subramaniam, the chief organizer, ‘Invite Raghavan of Delhi to sing Tiruppugazh bhajans.’ My group members and I were pleasantly surprised that none had any difficulty in obtaining a week’s leave. On the scheduled day, I sat on the stage to begin the bhajan. However, I learnt that His Holiness had left the venue earlier to fulfil devotees’ wishes that He grace their houses, witness their pādapūjā (performed to the pādukas of His Holiness’s Guru or to those of Goddess Śāradāmbā) and bless them. I commenced singing with a heavy heart. I sang for over two hours. Just as I finished singing the last verse, His Holiness entered the venue, went straight to His seat and started blessing the devotees with tīrtha-prasāda. I joined the queue, cursing my ill-luck that in spite of being called to Kolkata at the behest of His Holiness, I could not sing anything in His august presence.

“When my turn came to receive tīrtha, His Holiness remarked, ‘You sang very well. I enjoyed listening to the Tiruppugazh.’ Unable to contain my disappointment, I blurted out, ‘Your Holiness was not here when I sang.’ Smiling at me, His Holiness said, ‘Oh, so you think that I did not listen to your bhajan?’ I nodded my head. His Holiness continued, ‘I arrived at the venue when your performance was hardly halfway through. I observed that the audience was engrossed in the bhajan. Had I entered the hall, I would have only disturbed your performance. People would have got up and even queued up to receive tīrtha-prasāda. There would have been commotion and you would have been forced to stop the bhajan. Hence, I sat outside the entrance to the hall. I instructed my staff not to let anyone know of my arrival. I enjoyed hearing your songs. I came in only after you completed your singing.’ I was awestruck by His considerateness and lack of ego.

“Later, when I went to Sringeri, I expressed to His Holiness that I felt bad that I did not know Sanskrit and had not studied Vedānta. His Holiness asked me to recite a set of verses of the Tiruppugazh and expound them. I did so. His Holiness pointed out that the verses reflected the essence of the Upaniṣads and told me, ‘Have no regret. Chant the sacred verses of the Tiruppugazh and sincerely reflect on their meaning. You will attain śreyas (felicity).’”

His Holiness had instructed that the accounts of the Private Secretary’s office be recorded for Him in a book and that that book be submitted to Him every fortnight. He used to go through it carefully. He was particular that the money donated to the Maṭha be spent for the right causes only. He said on different occasions that there was a great responsibility on Him and the authorities in the Maṭha because devotees donated in the belief that their donations would be rightly used for good causes and that it would be a grievous transgression if what they gave was misused. He added that as far as the donors were concerned, regardless of what happened in the Maṭha, they would earn puṇya by virtue of their having performed charity.

His Holiness personally oversaw the running of the Maṭha. When He was on tour, He penned letters to the Administrator to update him, make enquiries and give instructions. For instance, in a letter (in Kannada) dated 12.12.1981 to Giridhara Sastry and sent from Namakkal (in Tamil Nadu) He wrote, “At Rajapalayam, the Śatacaṇḍī-homa was conducted with much faith, devotion and grandeur. In Madurai, Sri Gopalakrishna Iyer and others offered their services and greatly furthered the zeal of the devotees. The Organizing Committee made an offering of Rs. 50,000. In the gathering itself, I passed on to Sri Vaidyasubrahmanya Iyer that amount towards the functioning of the Sanskrit College. … Letters received from the branch Maṭhas must be diligently looked into and replied to in a timely fashion. Else, the managers there will lose interest. …How many quintals of areca nut were harvested this season? I was informed that the she-elephant breached the gaja-śālā (elephant shed) at night and destroyed some coconut saplings. To what extent is this information factual? It must be ascertained time and again that a sentry is in place at the temple of Śrī-Śāradā during the day and at night. Convey my enquiries and benedictions that are preceded by Nārāyaṇa-smaraṇa (the thought of Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme) to the main personnel of Narasimhapura, Narasimhavana and the Maṭha. Ensure that they function with enthusiasm. I have shown your letters to my Śiṣya-svāmin (the present pontiff, Jagadguru Śrī Bhāratī Tīrtha Mahāsvāmin) and conveyed your salutations to him.”

In a letter dated 30.7.1982 and penned in New Delhi, His Holiness wrote, “The tours of Gaṅgotrī and Yamunotrī have been completed comfortably. … The proposal to bring black granite for the Malahānikareśvara Temple and dress those stones must be laid to rest. … It would be prudent to drop the idea of letting out Sharada Niketan to others. We will need it. … It is apt to dispose off the lands of Anantapura now. ... From those funds, a permanent Trust may be established. … Sri Ganeshaiyya of Narasimhavana writes to me frequently. Do keep me posted about your views on the matters concerned. Has any damage been caused to the coconut grove at Narasimhapura because of the delayed rains? Has the water from the pumps been adequate? I accept your suggestion that an officer has to be appointed whose job is to hasten the matters related to land reforms. Make the appointment… What is the muhūrta of your younger sister’s marriage? Do not bother about the funds required for that. I will make them available when required. Inform forthwith. Do not hesitate…Hold the meeting of the Managing Committee of the Sri Sharada Dhanvantari Charitable Hospital at Delhi. Sri Dharmatma {Vaidyasubrahmanya Iyer} is expected to arrive at Delhi by 14^th August. If Sri Natarajan, Sri Parameshwara and the other essential people come at the same time, it will be conducive…Inform the concerned, get their opinions and write to me.”

In a letter dated 10.12.1981 and sent from Rajapalayam (in Tamil Nadu), His Holiness expressed with reference to the works in the Sri Shankar Math in Sultanpete in Bengaluru, “All the works taken up but not yet completed must be completed. There are no two ways about this. …It would be sufficient if the existing structure is properly repaired so as to provide good facilities for the people.” With reference to the Shankar Math in Shankarapuram in Bengaluru, He conveyed, “If we keep adding to the works, that may become a cause for concern for us later. ….It has been our experience that an initial estimate of a lakh of rupees ends up as an actual expenditure of two lakhs.” Referring to the Sharada Dhanwantari Hospital in Sringeri, He wrote, “We must take note of the fact that after the new doctor-couple has joined, the hospital has been functioning well and the public opinion about it is rather favourable.” His Holiness directed Giridhara Sastry to visit an elderly widow who had lived for long in Narasimhavana and was then an inpatient at the hospital and convey to her His blessings. At the close, He enquired about Giridhara Sastry’s mother. {Giridhara Sastry was kind enough to allow me access to all the letters written by His Holiness to him.}

The following was narrated by V. Rajagopal Sharma.

“This happened during His Holiness’s camp at Hyderabad in January 1966. He had allowed me to sleep in His room at night for a few days. The Maharaja of Mysore and Raja Venkata Rao Limbekar had submitted high quality, imported mattresses and blankets for His Holiness’s use. The attendant laid the bed for His Holiness at night before He entered. After the door was closed, He removed His upper cloth, rolled it up and used this as His pillow. He lay on deerskin on the floor; His lower cloth served as His blanket. He chanted ‘Śambho Mahādeva’ thrice and fell asleep. In the morning, as soon as He got up, He slightly rumpled the blankets on the bed. This went on for a few days. One day, I asked Him, ‘Why is Your Holiness doing this?’ He clarified, ‘I am a saṁnyāsin and I do not want comforts. However, those who donate such articles expect me to use them. If they come to know from the attendants that I am not utilising them, they may come to the conclusion that the items offered were not regarded by me as good enough and feel bad about it. As a result, they may trouble themselves further and get me even more valuable objects. Why give room to all this? Because of seeing the blankets rumpled, the attendants will not report to the eminent donors that I did not use them.’”

The following was narrated by Dr. H. C. Visvesvaraiya.

“During one of His Holiness’s visits to Delhi, I was desirous of making a special wooden cot for Him to sleep on, as the weather was extremely chill. Later, I found that His Holiness did not lie on it but on the floor. Anxious, I submitted, ‘I have arranged for the cot exclusively for Your Holiness’s use. It is brand new and no one has used it so far. I will be very happy if Your Holiness uses it.’ His Holiness smiled and said, ‘Yes, I will.’ Later, I was surprised to find that He used it only to keep His articles on that and to occasionally sit on that, but not for sleeping. He continued to sleep on the floor, unmindful of the testing weather.”

Justice Somanatha Iyer (who retired as the Chief Justice of Karnataka and had been the Governor of the State for some time) once asked His Holiness: “Your Holiness can have all the comforts in the Maṭha. Instead of experiencing any comforts, Your Holiness strains Yourself so much every day, from early in the morning to late at night. What does Your Holiness get out of this?” His Holiness smiled at him and said, “Suppose you are offered a choice between plain jaggery and badam halwa (a sweetmeat made of almonds), which one would you choose?” Somanatha Iyer said, “Where is the doubt here? I would choose badam halwa.” “Likewise,” responded His Holiness, “those who have tasted the bliss of the Supreme will not seek mundane comforts.” {This was reported by Justice Somanatha Iyer’s son, S. Shivaswamy.}

The following was reported by S. G. Narasimhaiyya.

“I asked His Holiness, ‘In the photos published in the Maṭha’s almanac and other publications, Your Holiness is just dressed as a saṁnyāsin. Should we not publish, instead, photographs of Your Holiness in all splendour, fully decked with ornaments symbolic of the position of the pontiff of this great pīṭha?’ He said, ‘This is my preferred way of being. Intrinsically, I do not want any of the pomp and grandeur that the pīṭha is associated with, though they may be required on specific occasions as per the age-old tradition of the pīṭha. By my Guru’s grace, I am firmly convinced about this. If I were to have complete liberty, I would go away this very instant and, in solitude, immerse and lose myself in the contemplation of the Supreme.’”

“I am a saṁnyāsin. I am not supposed to own anything and I have not even a trace of a wish to do so. I would be quite happy to live in the manner prescribed for paramahaṁsa- saṁnyāsins. I would love to move on foot from one place to another, bathe in a river or some other open body of water, subsist on what food I may get by begging, sleep under some tree, in some cave or in some temple, and spend my time largely in meditation, focused on the non-dual Truth and oblivious of the world. My Guru has, however, assigned me the duty of heading the Sringeri Math and that is the one and only reason I am shouldering this responsibility.

Venkata Rao Limbekar wanted to gift what is presently the big branch Maṭha at New Nallakunta in Hyderabad to His Holiness Himself. He told Him, “I want this to be the personal property of Your Holiness. Even if, at some time, the Maṭha were to come to a bad turn or things were to become greatly troublesome for Your Holiness there, Your Holiness need not bother. Your Holiness could simply move in here.” His Holiness told him, “I am a saṁnyāsin. I am not supposed to own anything and I have not even a trace of a wish to do so. I would be quite happy to live in the manner prescribed for paramahaṁsa-saṁnyāsins. I would love to move on foot from one place to another, bathe in a river or some other open body of water, subsist on what food I may get by begging, sleep under some tree, in some cave or in some temple, and spend my time largely in meditation, focused on the non-dual Truth and oblivious of the world. My Guru has, however, assigned me the duty of heading the Sringeri Math and that is the one and only reason I am shouldering this responsibility. The scripture teaches that the Supreme Brahman is all; there is not even a jot or a tittle distinct from It. Purely by the grace of my Guru, I know that I am Brahman. So what is there in the three worlds that is not mine? At the same time, nothing whatsoever is mine, for I am not the body-mind complex and am just unattached pure consciousness. King Janaka, according to the Mahābhārata, averred, ‘My wealth is indeed unlimited; I have nothing.’ I too have nothing and yet have everything. As far as your offer is concerned, I fully appreciate your sentiment and your deep devotion to and concern for me. Please give up the idea of gifting it to me. You could give it to the Maṭha instead.” Limbekar told His Holiness, “I am blessed to have heard Your Holiness say all this. I shall donate it to the Maṭha. Having seen how Your Holiness heads the Maṭha, I know that Your Holiness will manage and develop this as if it belonged to Your Holiness.” I learnt of this from His Holiness in 1985.