Chapter 4: Vision of Vāsavāmbika in Kuruvapuram
The story of Yavanas[1]
Palaniswami said, “My dear disciples, the nature of Srīvallabha cannot be imagined. One cannot describe His plays[2]. His wish is to coordinate all the dharmas and traditions in the world and merge them in sanātana dharma[3]. He will establish the sanātana dharma in the whole universe at the end of Kali Yuga. Sri Charana told John, ‘Yahova[4]’ means ‘I am’. That is the form of Parabrahman. All the consciousness reflecting in the universe is the consciousness of Jesus Christ who is popular as the son of God. The consciousness purified is the same as sacred flowing grace which gives peace and happiness. All those three forms are Mine. As a result of your pure love you could get My darshan, which is very difficult to get otherwise. Similarly, the Yavana dharma also is an inherent part of the essence of Datta[5]. A mahatma by the name of Maha Mathi[6] was a devotee of formless Makkheswar[7]. He used to call God as Allah. He saw all the seven heavens. He wanted to see Allah, but he saw only his reflection. The Yavana sanyasi[8] you saw was a Brahmin who was born in the lineage of Bharadwaja. He lost his parents during his childhood. He was brought up by a Muslim fakir and learnt Muslim dharmas. He learnt Hindu dharmas by staying with a Hindu mahatma. He learnt kriya yoga from a great yogi in Varanasi[9]. He then met a Datta avadhūta[10] and asked for silver coins. As his tin would not get filled up, the avadhūta put two khajur[11] fruits in it. Then he was satisfied. With that, the chaitanyam of Datta flowed into him. Later, he came to Dhīsila Nagaram[12]. It was a small village in a forest area. When he got to the thick forest, Srīpāda Srīvallabha sat on a stone and meditated. If anyone does meditation sitting on that stone, he would get wonderful results. Srīpāda Srīvallabha did tapas for twelve years in the underground house you saw under the neem tree. During those twelve years, He got the power of tapas equivalent to that of doing tapas for 12,000 years. Srīvallabha’s body got transformed into a 12,000 years old one. The whole cave was occupied by his hair[13]. His eyebrows also became thick. To see his eyes, one would have to lift the eyebrows with difficulty. Srī Charana gave that fruit of tapas to that young sanyasi. When that young monk was about four years old, Srī Charana started tapas in that cave in his hidden form. When that sanyasi became sixteen years old, He completed twelve years of tapas. My dear, these incidents which I am telling you are going to happen in the coming centuries. They are not the present incidents. Srīpāda will manifest with the name of Narasimha Saraswati and will be there for eighty years with that name and form. He will later be in deep meditation[14] incognito in Kadali Vanam for three hundred years. He will later take the name of Swamī Samartha in Prajnapura[15], and will later merge in the Mallikarjuna lingam in Srisailam. But the Yavana[16] sanyasi whom you saw will also be in an old aged form. He (Srīpāda) will put His chaitanyam in the sanyasi and make him equal to Him.
“My dear Shankar, Srīpāda Vallabha did intense penance for twelve years in the middle of those four nanda dīpams[17]. He divided the whole universe into sixteen parts and illustrated the four parts of Brahman as follows. Symbolically, for the four parts of Brahman, He lighted those four nanda dīpams with His yogic fire[18], and he remained in penance. The sides east, west, south and north are the kalās[19] of the first part. People who worship them will get divine glow. The kalās in the second part are earth, space, sky and ocean. Those who worship them will become endless[20] and conquer the worlds. The kalās in the third part of Brahman are fire, sun, moon and electricity. Those who worship them will become lustrous and conquer worlds. The kalās in the fourth part are life, eye, ear and mind. Those who worship them will become established in them. Moreover, one gets knowledge[21] if the north side is conquered. If the south is conquered, he will not have problems from bhūta[22], preta[23] and pisachams[24]. If the east is conquered, one gets wealth, and if the west is conquered, the king becomes favourable. If one conquers all the four sides, he will get digvijayam[25]. Srīpāda Vallabha has the sides as His clothes. He has spread to the endlessness of all the sides. So, He is called Digambara[26]. Srī Datta Digambara is the same as Srīpāda Srīvallabha Digambara. From the gross, subtle and causal bodies of Srī Charana, thousands of rays and kalās will be emanating. Some rays become as amsa[27] avatars. After completing the tasks given to them, they will be merging into the original consciousness[28] of Srīpāda Srīvallabha. He would do creation, protection, annihilation, retrogression and graceful acts simultaneously. The vibrations seen in the creation of worlds are called srishti tatwam[29]. Their preservation and protection is called sthithi tatwam. Their annihilation is called laya tatwam[30]. The returning of those vibrations into their origin is called tirodhana[31]. The vibrations related to compassion and pity on the jīvas[32] are called anugraham[33].
“Men become weaklings with the passage of yugas[34]. Therefore, the Almighty descends to lower states based on the prayers of sages. The incarnation of the Lord in a human body is an indication of His complete grace. This descent of the Lord to lower levels enables humans to obtain excellent results with little effort. Therefore, human beings in Kali Yuga are fortunate. By mere remembrance, the grace of Lord Datta would be available. There are many opportunities for the downfall of man in Kali Yuga, but the number of opportunities for obtaining the grace of Srīpāda is twofold. This is a sacrosanct truth. Remembrance, adoration and other activities establish association with Lord Srīpāda. By these, all the sinful acts, impure sensual influences, and behavioural patterns of the devotees enter into the consciousness of Lord Srīpāda and auspicious vibrations enter into His devotees.
“Srī Charana[35] destroys those heaps of sins and black auras which entered into His consciousness by taking a single dip in a holy river or He will burn them into ashes in the blazing fire of His yoga. He will personally do penance and dedicate the fruits of that penance to His devotees. Thus, He protects the devotees without violating the principle of karma. If necessary, He commands the inert karmic nature and grants liberation for those who take refuge in His auspicious feet. He destroys karma for the welfare of His devotees every second, in a very ferocious form. Therefore, those who surrender to His feet[36] get freedom from the shackles of karma, even without being aware of it.”
When Palaniswami explained facts in the above manner, I was bold to ask him a question regarding a doubt that had cropped up in my mind. “Swamī, I heard that when Saturn afflicts for seven and a half years, even Shankara[37] cannot escape from the trouble. Pray tell me how Srīguru Sārvabhūma[38] wards off afflictions from planets.”
“My dear Shankarā, the planets in the zodiac do not have friendship or enmity towards living beings. When a person is born, the planetary positions form according to his past karma[39]. He derives good and evil effects according to the movement of the planets. When the subtle rays from the planets cause ill effects and mantra, tantra, yantra remedies cannot abate them, one has to resort to japa, tapa, and homa practices. When they also cannot alleviate the suffering, one has to take refuge in the pādukas of Srīguru. Srīpāda is omnipotent. Good and evil forces also exist. The vibrations of those good and evil forces cause good and bad developments respectively. Each planet has a dominance on a particular part of the human anatomy. When planetary afflictions take place, the relevant part of the human body ruled by the adverse planet becomes sick. Undesirable results follow when the subtle vibrations flowing from the universal consciousness are received. Variations take place in the attraction and repulsion caused by the vibrations. A person who is hitherto in good company suddenly will be subjected to ill effects like bad company, friendship with low class people, unreasonable quarrels, loss of relatives, disputes with family members, and reduction in the power of personal attraction. The universal forces create vibrations continuously. They work steadily in a state of sthiti[40] for some time in the concerned persons. After some time, they leave those persons and reach the bodies of persons who are destined to come under their influence. They begin to give results again according to the rotation of the wheel of time. People who are devotees of God and observe spiritual practices like japa and tapa can get some respite to some extent from the planet’s rigour. Sages conduct various kinds of sacrifices for the universal welfare. They dedicate their spiritual power derived through tapas for the wellbeing of humanity. As a result of this practice, harmful influences arising in the universe revert back to their origin instead of harassing men. It means that they return to the centre of their origin. This can be termed as tirodhana[41]. Granting of abundant auspicious results even for small amount of good deeds is called grace[42]. My son, I explained to you the concepts of srushti[43], sthiti, laya, tirodhana and anugraha according to the doctrine of kriya yoga.
“In future, the powers of Srīpāda Srīvallabha will flow in a large measure in the Muslim fakir you saw in your meditation. You saw four nanda lamps in the underground cellar beneath the neem tree. This is an extraordinary matter. Srīpāda Srīvallabha granted you this experience with a great intention in mind. He only knows the inner purpose of it. His divine acts are indeed superb. They have a very deep purpose. Moreover, they may be divine secrets not to be divulged to others. I can only explain to you to the extent He permitted me. The entire Creation works under the guidance of Srīpāda Srīvallabha. He is the authority for Himself. The glorious, yogic powers of the Master of this universe are immeasurable and cannot be comprehended in terms of measurements, limits and quantities.”
My mind immensely rejoiced at the explanation of Srī Palaniswami. From the time I started from the Udipi area[44] till I reached Kuruvapuram, many wonderful and strange things were taking place. I wanted to write a book about them and obtain the permission of the Srīguru Sārvabhūma[45]. I wanted to request Srīpāda in this regard after getting His dārshan.
Srī Palaniswami grasped the feelings in my mind easily and said, “I have understood the ideas in your mind. You want to write His history for the benefit of devotees of the future. Srīpāda Srīvallabha will surely bless your effort.” Then Srī Palaniswami asked Mādhavā to speak about his meditation experiences.
Mādhavā said, “Mahatma, I saw in my meditation[46] a Brahmin sanyasi wearing a loincloth[47]. He used to worship Agni and the Sun. He was talking to a Veda pandit: ‘I want to send this coconut you gave me to the Muslim fakir. That Muslim fakir is in a higher state than me. He is like an elder brother to me. He knows past, present and future[48]. I will take the treatise written on palm leaves named Srīpāda Srīvallabha Charitāmrutam present with you. I will give it to the Muslim fakir, whom I rever as my elder brother. I will take his blessings. Are the things narrated in this true or fictitious? I will decide on how much truth is in there and how much fiction is in there. After deciding about it, I will write a treatise analyzing them.’
“Then the Veda pandit said, ‘Sir, you will not be able to take the coconut I gave you to that Muslim fakir. Your effort will definitely be a waste. The Charitāmrutam had already been written. It happened by the will of Srīvallabha. This treatise named Srīpāda Srīvallabha Charitāmrutam is held in high esteem as a sacred book by all gods, rishis and great people. This treatise was written on the command of Srīpāda. No one has the freedom to change even one letter in this. This is with us for many generations. Srīpāda’s command is that the ruined copy of this must be immersed in the Ganges River. We have been protecting it from many generations. Without Srīpāda’s command we do not reveal, even to a great person, the fact that a treatise like this exists. You seem to wish changing certain parts in this Charitāmrutam. We belong to the family who feel the touch of Srīpāda’s feet when we put our hands on this treatise. If you are greater than Srīpāda, your order is binding on us. You are in the attire of a sanyasi. We are householders. We cannot dare to oppose you. If you can take this coconut to Dhīsila Nagaram, I will give this palmyra leaf copy to you, discard my holy thread[49] and declare myself as an untouchable[50]. You say that the Muslim fakir knew about the nanda dīpams. You also say that it is Dhīsila Nagaram only and that in due course, it acquires the name Shiladī Nagaram. An avadhūta in our family told me recently that he found a partial manifestation of Srī Dattatreya in Aurangabad[51] and that he took him to Dhīsila Nagaram. Even if you go to Pīthikapuram, you cannot install Srīpāda’s pādukas there. Pīthikapuram is an anthill of people like quarrelling poisonous snakes. They spend time in vain arguments and counter-arguments and unnecessary disputes but have no spiritual aspirations. If you install Srīpāda’s pādukas in the house of our ancestors, it will be a happy thing for us. But you should have to get the grace of Srīpāda completely. Without the will of Srīpāda, not even one leaf on a tree will move. Our family does not need the name and fame, titles or honours given by ordinary people. We believe that Srīpāda will be moving as a small boy incognito in our house.’ Swamī, this is what I saw in meditation[52].”
Palaniswami said, “My dear children, that Veda pandit belongs to the descendents of Srīpāda’s maternal uncle. In their families, they feel Srīpāda as an incognito small boy. If anyone belonging to any caste, any race, any religion, any country, in any age[53] feels Srīpāda as a divine child and has vatsalya bhakti[54], Srīvallabha will be living in their house as a boy incognito. This was revealed by Srīpāda Himself in Pīthikapuram. Sri Charana was born in His maternal grandfather’s house in Pīthikapuram. The people in that family migrated to other villages some years after Srīvallabha left Pīthikapuram. His family members also similarly migrated to other places. Srīpāda transferred His power completely into the Muslim fakir of Dhīsila Nagaram[55] in later years. In Bengal, a great person by the name of Gadadhar[56] was born. He would worship Kālikāmba[57]. When he prayed for liberation, Jagad Janani[58] did not agree. She asked him to take birth again for the sake of his followers and to grace them considerin their merits and sins. He did not agree to take birth again. Then Kālikāmba[59] asked the Muslim fakir of Dhīsila Nagaram to come to her with his subtle body. That Muslim fakir remained dead for three days. He told his devotees, ‘I will go to Allah and come back within three days.’ Kālikāmba is none other than Vasavī Kanyaka Parameswari present in Brihat Sila Nagaram. This Muslim fakir was given the task of looking into the sins and merits of the followers of Gadadhar. Jagad Janani deposited part of Herself in him. Srīvallabha also deposited part of Himself in him. After three days when that Muslim fakir came back into his gross body, he became the most powerful one. He served the Masjid, in which he lived, as the mother. It was because of the amsa[60] of the Divine Mother entering into him. So, he showed motherly affection towards his devotees.
“My dear, all these things I am narrating will be happening in the coming centuries.
“The Veda pandit seen in meditation[61] had a Vaishya as his dear friend. That Vaishya prayed to the avadhūta who was wearing a loincloth[62], ‘Swamī, please accept our hospitality; we are Ārya Vaishyas. Jagad Janani Vasavī Kanyakambika was born in our caste. You please take the food materials and cook yourself.’ The Veda pandit also prayed for the yati[63] to accept the great Vaishya’s invitation. But the yati, who was a Brahmin formalist, told him curtly that he would not accept the offered food materials as alms[64]. This incident angered Srīvallabha and Srī Vasavī Mata as well. They wanted to punish avadhūta in order to remove the pride of his Brahmin birth. The avadhūta reached Pīthikapuram. The Brahmin community of Pīthikapuram, who gave importance to customs and practice of external worship, grandly welcomed that avadhūta. Srīpāda Srīvallabha’s maternal grandfather’s house went into the hands of outsiders. After consulting the house owner, it was decided to install the Srī Pādukas in the place where Srīpāda was born in that house. Silver pādukas were installed in accordance with the scriptures[65]. During the midnight hours, a thief entered that house. The house owner was also awake. The thief entered the room where the pādukas were installed. The house owner told the thief, ‘I have no belief at all that Srīpāda Srīvallabha was a great avatar[66]. I do not have any belief in this avadhūta. You can take away these silver pādukas and give me half of the amount you get when you sell them.’ The thief said, ‘Alright’.
“On the next day, the pādukas were not seen. The avadhūta felt sorrow. Silver pādukas were installed a second time. Worship was done grandly. During the midnight hours, the avadhūta stayed in the same room near the pādukas. He was chanting sacred verses[67] on Datta. As he was looking, the pādukas rose into the air, hit hard on the head of the avadhūta and disappeared. The voice of Srī Charana was heard, ‘I can make My body disappear. Can I not make these pādukas disappear? If the coconut had reached Dhīsila Nagaram, My maternal uncle would have to fulfil his hard oath. That is not agreeable to Me. The coconut you sent was eaten away on the way. So, there is no way you can be given the treatise ‘Srīpāda Srīvallabha Charitāmrutam’. Who do you think I am? I don’t care whether you are a yogi or bhogi[68]. I am a madiga[69]. My profession is to remove the skin and make chappals out of it. There is no sin even if I remove your skin and make chappals.’ The voice roared. The avadhūta shivered. On the next day, a great commotion occurred. Those who greatly honoured him blamed him as a cheating sanyasi who stole the silver pādukas for want of money. They demanded him to explain how the silver pādukas disappeared when he himself was in the puja room. With the heaviness of insult, the yati left Pīthikapuram.”
Palaniswami told us that this was going to happen in the future. He said, “My dears, there are many unbelievable līlas in the history of Srīpāda. If anybody doubts or criticizes His history, he will become a Brahma rakshasa[70]. Srīvallabha made the people of Pīthikapura doubt the sincerity of the avadhūta because the avadhūta doubted the authenticity of the Charitāmrutam. This was His līla.”
Mādhavā asked, “Swami, shall I tell about the event of my visit to Pīthikapuram with my subtle body and the incidents that happened there?” Srī Palaniswami agreed. Mādhavā said, “I reached a house in Pīthikapuram with my subtle body. At one place I noticed that all my powers were being attracted by two divine pādukas staying incognito.”
The pādukas at Srīpāda Srīvallabha’s birthplace. The installation of the idols of Srīpāda Srīvallabha, Srī Dattatreya and Srī Narasimha Saraswati
Srī Palaniswami said, “Madhavā, the house which you visited is the house of the maternal grandfather of Srīpāda Srīvallabha and is the birthplace of Srīpāda Srīvallabha. It has attracted all your powers. In the Pātāla[71] below the pādukas[72], there are hermits doing penance from several hundreds of years. Srīpāda Srīvallabha pādukas will be installed only in the birthplace of Srīpāda Srīvallabha. After some years from the installation of the pious pādukas there, the ‘Srīpāda Srīvallabha Charitāmrutam’ comes to light effortlessly. In the place where you meditated, the idols of Srīpāda Srīvallabha, Srī Dattatreya, and His next incarnation, Srī Narasimha Saraswati, will be installed. Afterwards, many divine sportive plays will take place in that place[73].”
After that Srī Palaniswami became silent. He asked the corpse of the youth buried near our cave to be exhumed. He began to chant the pranava (Oum) after the body was taken out. Vyāghreswara Sarma came there with the loud roar of ‘Srīpāda Rājam Saranam Prapadyae.’[74] Srī Palaniswami entered into the body of the young man. Vyāghreswara Sarma who was in the body of a tiger took away the body of Srī Palaniswami which decayed with age to throw it into a nearby river.
Palaniswami, who entered the new body, ordered, “Leave this place immediately. My dear Mādhavā, go to your Vichitrapuram. You saw the pious people of Pīthikapuram in your subtle body. That is enough for you for this life. My dear Shankarā, go to the great place[75] Tirupati. Madhavā, may the grace of Srīpāda Srīvallabha be showered on you.”
Then Mādhavā went towards Vichitrapuram and I went towards Tirupati. Where is the end to the divine sportive plays of Srīpāda Srīvallabha.
|| Srīpāda Rājam Saranam Prapadye ||
Word References
[1] People of Indian origin but outside the Vedic system; they are described as bent on replacing the Vedic system of India with their own belief system
[2] Here: Līlas
[3] Here: Līlas
[4] Yahweh. Editor’s Note: According to the Wisdom Teachings, Yahova is the malefemale god representing the absolute God, Parabrahman. Out of this, the pure consciousness or Christ consciousness comes forth. Therefore, Jesus Christ is known as the Son of God.
[5] Here: Datta tatwam
[6] Muhammad (570 – 632 CE)
[7] The Lord of Mecca
[8] Shirdi Sai Baba ( – 1918 CE)
[9] Shyama Charan Lahiri (Lahiri Mahasaya, 1828 – 1895); a disciple of Mahāvatar
Babaji and Guru of Sri Yukteswar, the Guru of Yogananda
[10] Person liberated from karmic bondages, beyond ego-consciousness and duality
[11] Dates
[12] Today: Shirdi
[13] Here: Jatajutam
[14] Here: Taponishta
[15] City of Akkalkot in Maharashtra
[16] Here: Muslim
[17] Perpetual lights as earthenware lamps filled with oil and a cotton wick
[18] Here: Yogagni
[19] Divine manifestations with time
[20] Here: Ananta
[21] 5 Here: Jnana
[22] The spirit of a man who died a violent death either by accident, suicide, or capital punishment, and has not had a proper funeral ceremony
[23] The spirit of a dead person before his funeral rites are performed; more commonly: the spirit of a deformed or a crippled person or of a child that dies prematurely, due to the omission of ceremonies during the formation of the embryo. A preta is not necessarily wicked or malicious towards people
[24] A demon created by a man’s vices; the ghost of a liar, drunkard, adulterer, criminal, or of one who has died insan
[25] Absolute victory
[26] Wearing no clothes
[27] Partial manifestations, a part of God that has descended and taken to form
[28] Here: root chaitanyam
[29] The wisdom of creation
[30] The wisdom of dissolution after creation and preservation
[31] Retrogression, reabsorption to the primary source
[32] The individual self or the soul
[33] Grace, graceful acts
[34] Aeons
[35] Someone with auspicious feet; name for Srīpāda
[36] Here: Pādukas; designates sandals as well as foot-prints of divine beings
[37] Shiva
[38] The Emperor
[39] The accumulated good and bad karma (papa and punya) from previous births
[40] Rest, latency
[41] Disappearance or retreat
[42] Here: Anugraha
[43] Creation
[44] Here: Kshetra
[45] The Emperor
[46] Here: Dhyana
[47] Here: Kaupinam
[48] Here: Trikāla vedi
[49] Here: Yajnopaveetam, the holy thread worn by Brahmins
[51] City in Northern India
[52] Here: Dhyana
[53] Here: Yuga
[54] A form of devotion perceiving God as a small child, like in the worship of the child Jesus
[55] Today: Shirdi
[56] Given name at birth of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836 – 1886)
[57] Mother Kali
[58] The Divine Mother
[59] Mother Kali (a form of the Divine Mother)
[60] Partial-manifestations, a part of God that has descended and taken to form
[61] Here: Dhyana
[62] Here: Kaupinam
[63] Monk
[64] Here: Bhiksha
[65] Here: Shastras
[66] Here: Avatar Purusha
[67] Here: Stotras
[68] One who is indulging in the senses
[69] Member of a caste mainly spread in South India; it is regarded as outside the four castes system of Hinduism, so clubbed in the ‘untouchable’ category; usually leather workers and cobblers by profession
[70] The spirit of a deceased Brahmin, a scholar who has misused his knowledge or done bad deeds
[71] Nether world
[72] Sandals worshipped as holy
[73] Here: Kshetra
[74] May Lord Srīpāda protect us
[75] Here: Maha kshetra
Video of Part 4 Chapter 4 of Vision of Vāsavāmbika in Kuruvapuram – Sripada Srivallabha Charitramrutam (English)
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