CHAPTER 18 Love for Animals

His Holiness was a lover of animals. In the late 1970s, an Āyurveda-vaidya (physician qualified in Āyurveda) gave His Holiness a rare preparation, the composition of which was his guarded secret. The physician said that his preparation would heal any wound. The quantity supplied was small and so it was precious. One day, His Holiness beheld a dog that whimpered in agony due to a deep knife wound. Moved as He was, He immediately ordered for that rare medication be applied to the dog. Whoever would have thought that such a rare medicine, possibly meant for some future use of His Holiness, would be parted with for healing a dog? The application was continued for a couple of days. The wound healed well and quickly too. The dog returned to its normalcy.

Hurting dogs with stones is a pastime of many sadists. His Holiness vehemently opposed and prevented such unwarranted cruelty. When He was once addressing a group of school students in Bengaluru, the howl of a dog was heard. It prompted Him to promptly remark, “Someone had pelted a dog with a stone. It is improper and indeed sinful.” The spontaneity of His reaction bore testimony to His concern for animals and disapproval of people sadistically causing injury to them.

The following was narrated by Rajam Nagarajan: “Once His Holiness entrusted me with the task of cleaning and repairing some ornaments of the Śāradā Temple. Something interesting transpired around that time.

“There was this dog Kariya (the black one), wandering about in the maṭha premises. He used to howl during ārati at the end of the night pūjā to Lord Candramaulīśvara, adding to the peal of bells and blowing of conches. While some found this a disturbance, His Holiness did not mind it in the least. Some mischievous boys tried leaving the dog far away from the maṭha premises, only to find Kariya navigate his way back soon thereafter. Once Kariya even swam across Tuṅgā in spate to make his way to Narasimhavana. He was so strongly wedded to those precincts that in a lighter vein, His Holiness once even remarked that Kariya must have had some connection with the maṭha in his previous birth!

“One day, as His Holiness was returning after darśana at the samādhi of His Guru, He told Kariya, who was following Him at a distance, ‘Come here.’ The dog immediately obeyed. Pointing towards me, His Holiness said, ‘Look, this Mami is working on some important assignment for the Maṭha. She needs security. Be with her and guard her.’ From then on, Kariya started living by my house, eating whatever I served. He followed me wherever I went. Even others were able to notice the metamorphosis in the dog’s behaviour. Vaikuntam Anantarama Seshan told me, ‘Rajam, Kariya has been with you ever since His Holiness had instructed him to guard you. This dog that roamed about aimlessly in these surroundings is now fully alert and guarding your place. I have not seen such a disciplined dog before.’ His Holiness seemed to have a two-way love and communication with animals.”

In the 1940s, His Holiness began to rear a deer named Hari. Hari was extremely fond of Him; he was domesticated and docile. After the deer’s demise, He had with Him a spotted antelope, which too, He named Hari. Knowing the ways of Hari, His Holiness said, “Sometimes Hari would jump at someone. It is incumbent on the person concerned to remain motionless. Hari’s wont is to just stand up on his rear feet and rest against the person; he then returns to his normal posture.” For his part, Hari was extremely fond of His Holiness and followed Him wherever He went. He used to be present beside Him even when He conducted His classes, resting on a seat specially provided for him and feeding on some green grass.

Hari kept the company of His Holiness whenever He gave darśana. His Holiness told me humorously, “Hari seemed to be a great advaitin; he made no distinction between me and himself. Even as people placed fruits before me, he had no compunction in devouring them then and there.” Being extremely swift, Hari would sprint across the entire Narasimhavana and return in minutes, much to His Holiness’s delight.

His Holiness fed and sported with some peacocks that were in Narasimhavana. Of course, they were not trained by Him and He never regarded them as pets in the true sense of the term. However, He did spend time with them and delighted in watching them spread out their colourful feathers and dance. He once reared two rabbits.

“Hari seemed to be a great advaitin; he made no distinction between me and himself. Even as people placed fruits before me, he had no compunction in devouring them then and there.”

• His Holiness

Jagadguru Śrī Saccidānanda Śivābhinava Nṛsiṁha Bhāratī Mahāsvāmin, the 33^rd pontiff, reared a monkey which He had found during one of His tours. He liked it to the extent that He did not hesitate to cuddle it. His Holiness too appreciated monkeys and was charmed by their pranks. On an occasion, He saw a huge monkey which, to others, appeared fearsome. He did not fear it in the least and held a fruit for it in His out-stretched palm. The simian took it and began to eat it. His Holiness was overwhelmed by love for the monkey and immediately put His arm around its shoulders. The monkey was surprised but seemed to relish the embrace. It stood still, as if posing for a photograph, which indeed was taken, and then continued to enjoy the fruit.

In 1977, His Holiness had been to Brindavan, where Śrī Kṛṣṇa had sported in His childhood. He camped for the night at a building housing a shrine and belonging to the Rajmata of Gwalior. As it was warm and stuffy, He chose to sleep in the open. Some advised Him that it might be a tad dangerous as several monkeys were around there. He, however, felt no trepidation and rested for the night with the starlit sky for His roof. Many monkeys were, in fact, moving about nearby but none monkeyed with Him in the least.

Rama Sastry, His Holiness’s pūrvāśrama father, once chanced upon a forlorn tiger cub in a forest near Sringeri. He fancied rearing it. When His Holiness saw the little one, He fondled it. Rama Sastry took it to his home in Bengaluru, but as his neighbours grew apprehensive, he had to give it away to a zoo.

There was in Narasimhavana a pretty cat of golden hue. His Holiness addressed it as ‘Bekku.’ It would, like a dog, respond to His call. His Holiness played with it, teasingly waving a cloth in front of it as it jumped to catch the cloth. After His Holiness had finished His Candramaulīśvara-pūjā at night, when He went to the samādhi of His Guru, the cat would be waiting for Him. It followed Him when He returned to Sacchidananda Vilas and received milk there. When the news of the cat having disappeared reached Him, He heard it with equanimity. He discerned that it had died and so any attempt to find it would be futile. While His love for animals was great, He was unfettered by attachment towards them.

His Holiness was knowledgeable about birds and could comfortably describe the ways of the birds in and around Sringeri. In 1989, when a person, who had come to Sringeri for darśana with His wife and son, told His Holiness that his son loved birds and wanted to become an ornithologist, He told the boy that near Sringeri there was a pakṣi-dhāma (the Uluve Bird Sanctuary) and asked him to visit it. He then described the migratory birds that came there for nesting. Expressing His sympathy for the plight of the local birds during the rainy season, He once said, “The small birds can hardly fly out during the heavy rains that continue non-stop for days on end. Their store of energy is small and they cannot be without food for long. So they have to put up with the ordeal of coming out of their shelters to feed. They can become fully wet even under their feathers. This makes them more susceptible than otherwise to feeling cold.

He strictly prohibited fishing in the Tuṅgā from Maṭha’s premises. He once humorously remarked, “Human urine is regarded as impure. Fish urine is not spoken about. The fishes in the Tuṅgā, unlike the fishes in the sea, do not drink water. They, however, urinate much to pass out the water entering their body, which has a much greater concentration of salt than the fresh water of the river. Their urine obviously mixes with the surrounding water. Nonetheless, even the most orthodox do bathe in the river in the vicinity of the fish in the Maṭha and do become purified. The flowing water of a river is, according to the scripture, śuci (pure).” To two fishermen who came to Sringeri from coastal Kerala and asked Him to advise them what they could do in Sringeri that would please Him, He said, “You fish there. Feed the fishes here.”

While His love for animals was great, He was unfettered by attachment towards them.

There were two elephants – Shankara and Sharada – in the Maṭha. During His first tour of South India, they were young and small enough to be transported in the Maṭha vehicles. They accompanied Him on that tour. He had a special connect with and affinity for them. He had a spacious gaja-śālā (elephant-shed) built at Sringeri. Every day, after having a meal near the Office of His Private Secretary in Narasimhavana, the elephants halted opposite Sacchidananda Vilas in the road below to receive fruits. Often, His Holiness personally fed the elephants, placing the fruits directly into their mouths. They consumed them with gusto. He even spoke to them lovingly and they seemed to have a way of understanding Him to an extent. After enjoying His caressing, they moved on, led by the mahout. His Holiness also performed the traditional gaja-pūjā on the appropriate occasions.

It was once reported to Him that one of the pachyderms was unwell. When the elephants arrived at the steps opposite Sacchidananda Vilas that afternoon for their routine feed of fruits, He enquired about the symptoms in detail from the mahout and the supervisor. He quickly diagnosed the cause and decided on the requisite medication. He directed His attendant to fetch a handful of a certain herb from the coconut grove behind Sacchidananda Vilas. Before proceeding to fetch it, the attendant gave Him his description of the herb to ascertain that he had the right one in mind. His Holiness corrected his misidentification and ensured that he brought the right one. His Holiness then personally supervised administering that medication.

Often, His Holiness personally fed the elephants, placing the fruits directly into their mouths. They consumed them with gusto. He even spoke to them lovingly and they seemed to have a way of understanding Him to an extent.

Elephant-shed built by His Holiness

Once, around 2 o’clock in the night, one of the elephants had been trumpeting for a while. His Holiness awakened, walked up to the gaja-śālā to investigate for Himself and directed the necessary follow up action.

Cows were part dear to His Holiness. He took good care of many of them. Hot summer, long-drawn wet rains and cold winters witnessed in Sringeri (being in the Malanad region) do not constitute the most conducive climate for cows. Especially during winter and rains, they need special care. For their comfortable stay, He built a spacious gośālā (cowshed) to house over sixty cows in Narasimhavana. He planned and set up specially earmarked grass fields to supply fresh feed for the cattle. During His evening strolls and sometimes even otherwise, He visited them in their shed. He lovingly patted the cows and fed them personally; He also played with the calves. The cows seemed to love Him and on sensing that His attention was on them, they gently nudged Him; that was their way of seeking two rewards – some fruits and a gentle stroke or two of His hands. His performance of the customary ‘go-pūjā (cow-worship)’ with great interest was a delight to watch.

The cows seemed to love Him and on sensing that His attention was on them, they gently nudged Him; that was their way of seeking two rewards – some fruits and a gentle stroke or two of His hands. His performance of the customary ‘go-pūjā (cow-worship)’ with great interest was a delight to watch.

Cowshed complex built by His Holiness

In addition to cows, the gośālā housed an impressive and sweet bull in the early 1980s. This bull won awards in many bovine shows. The earlier one was quite violent. On one occasion, that bull broke loose and threatened to wreak havoc. His Holiness was present on the scene. It was suggested that He move away to safety but He was more concerned with the safety of others; He stayed put and personally directed the operations to bring the bull under control and left only then. When I went for His darśana a little later, He recounted what had transpired near the gośālā, making animated imitations of the facial expressions and the violent movements of the bull, thus adding a humorous touch to the narrative.

“If every man decides to protect his own cows, then cow-slaughter will come to an end. People must bear in mind that cows are sacred animals and they nourish us with their milk. Even cows that do not yield milk are useful for the manure that they produce. Hence, at least a sense of gratitude should cause us to attend to the plight of aged cows, oxen and bulls.”

• His Holiness

Many people vociferously protest against cow slaughter and swear by cow protection. His Holiness believed more in practice than in sloganeering; He took great care of cows. He opined that cow-slaughter cannot be eradicated completely unless every master of a cow resolved to take care of his animal even after it has stopped yielding milk. His Holiness’s message was, “If every man decides to protect his own cows, then cow-slaughter will come to an end. People must bear in mind that cows are sacred animals and they nourish us with their milk. Even cows that do not yield milk are useful for the manure that they produce. Hence, at least a sense of gratitude should cause us to attend to the plight of aged cows, oxen and bulls.”