Nayanan swami

Marutwamala, a hill near kanyakumari fomous for herbals

Nayanan swami, avadoodha in kanyakumari

This is a short description of an avadoodha, who lived in kanyakumari in 1980’s.Since no clear information available of the avadoodha ( self realized yogi pretends to be mad or childish) Nayanan swami, this is part adapted from Swami paramatmananda’s ( sri matha amrithanandamayi’s senior discipline, incharge of amma’s American asram centre ) autobiography.part2.Amma meets with Nayanan swami on her way with disciplines to kanyakumari. On the way to kanyakumari they stayed near Marutwamala, a hill place famous for herbals. It was heard that there is a yogi named Nayanan swami, amma decided to visit him.After some enquiries they found the yogis place.In swami paramatmanandas words-After reaching the yogis place, amma and us entered his room, There was mere light in that room.We saw an old man sitting on the floor by spitting on the wall!!.Someone there said to us that the yogi had his bath before ten years!!By seeing him in such an uncleaned manner, for us It is easy to believe.

Amma sat next to him, it was unexpected, that the yogi hit on ammas face, we all felt shocked and got anger, but amma told us to stay cool. The yogi scolded me in a language only known to him!!.We all were eager to get out of there, but our amma stayed there for about 20minutes, After leaving him in his room amma told us that he was in the super most blissful state.At first We were not able to believe ammas words super most state!! May be he is mad!!. Amma said that a person in that state can only be identified by another one, who also in the same state.We all thought that, if that was the supreme state, we don’t need that.

After meeting another yogini mayi amma in kanyakumari, we started our way back to asram, On the way we reached nayanan swami’s place, suddenly we saw the yogi standing on the road as he was waiting for us!. Amma said to stop the vehicle, The thought of going back to him made us uncomfortable.Again we entered his room, yogi was sitting in the same place. Amma sat near to him, we all prepared to see another shock!.Amma started to touching his feet and she herself started moving.The yogi was calm this time and was watching amma silently.Tears were flowing from ammas eyes, we watched all this in curiosity.

All of a sudden amma entered in kalis form, started dancing showing mudra, we all amazed by watching this all.We had no idea what was happening.After sometime Amma came back from that state, she was in eternal bliss. Nayanan swami said YOUR SON!! YOUR SON!!, by looking at the boy with us ( it was true that the boy, shakthiprasad was born to his parents in blessings of amma!! ).From this we came to know that he was not mad as he seems to be. He knew everything.After leaving the yogi, we continued our journey.On the way amma explained what was happened.In ammas words, Nayanan swami knew who am I, and was willing to see me in kali bhava, so it was for him amma entered in kali’s state.Amma said that he was a self realized yogi and not a mad man. Avadoodha is named to a yogi in supermost blissful state and always pretends to be mad or childish. Amma says they are not mad people and their activities will have an internal meaning known only by a self realized yogi.

Another story related to nayanan swami, once swami gave a coin to one of his disciplines and asked to keep it life time, the man who got blessed with the coin became rich!

beg your pardon,if my English makes you irritating

Nisargadatta maharaj

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj was born in March 1897, on the day the birthday of Lord Hanuman. In honor of Lord Hanuman, he was given the name 'Maruti'. Nisargadatta's father, Shivrampant, worked as a domestic servant in Mumbai and later as a petty farmer in Kandalgaon, a small village in the back-woods of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. Mariti's family followed the traditional Hindu culture. At the tender age of 18, in the year 1915, Maruti's father passed away. After the death of his father, Maruti followed his oldest brother to Bombay.

Mariti started working as a small-time clerk in an office near Bombay, but soon opened a small goods store selling bidis (leaf-rolled cigarettes). He became successful in this venture. In 1924 he married Sumatibai. They had three daughters and a son.

Maruti had a wise friend named Yashwantrao Bagkar. They often would have spiritual discussions. One day Yashwantrao brought Maruti to meet Shri Siddharameshwar Maharaj, his future guru. Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj, was then the head of the Inchegeri branch of the Navnath Sampradaya. Maruti was given a Mantra, which is totally in keeping with the Navnath tradition, and instructions on how to meditate. His guru told him to concentrate on the feeling "I Am" and to remain in that state. Maruti did not follow any particular course of breathing, or meditation, or study of scriptures. He mearly followed his gurus instruction of concentrating on the feeling "I am", and within three years, the realization dawned on him and he got Self-awareness.

Sri Siddharameshwar died in 1936 and evoked in Maruti a strong feeling of renunciation which he acted upon. He abandoned his family and bidi businesses and took off for the Himalayas. Srikant Gogte and P.T. Phadol, in the introduction of Sri Nisargadatta's book "I am That" say of this, "On his way to the Himalayas, where he was planning to spend the rest of his life, he met a brother-disciple, who convinced him about the shortcomings of a totally unworldly life and the greater spiritual fruitfulness of dispassion in action." When he returned he found that out of six shops only one remained, but that was enough for the sustenance of his family, Maruti adopted the name of Nisargadatta and inherited membership into the Navnath Sampradaya sect. He devoting all his free time to meditation on his guru’s instruction.

Sri Nisargadatta continued to live the life of an ordinary Indian working-man but his teaching, which he set out in his master-work "I Am That" and which are rooted in the ancient Upanishadic tradition, made a significant philosophical break from contemporary thought. Devotees traveled from all over the world to hear Nisargadatta's unique message until his death. Maharaj left his mortal frame in 1981, suffering with throat cancer.

An example of one who was moved by his works is Aziz Kristof, billed as a non-traditional Advaita Zen master, who, upon reading Nisargadatta's book I Am That, writes most eloquently:

"At that moment, I knew that I found my master. He spoke to my essence, his spirit deeply touched my heart. From him I realised the necessity of stabilising the State Presence to which I was already awakened. He called this the I Am-ness. For the first time, I received clarity regarding the Path and recognised the necessity of the right effort. Maintaining the State of Presence became a new task; it was a new challenge. I went for long walks, attempting not to lose the State, not for a single moment."

Teachings

He explained that the purpose of advanced spirituality is to simply know who you are. Through his many talks given in his humble flat in the slums of Bombay, he showed a direct way in which one could become aware of one's original nature. Many of these talks were recorded, and these recordings form the basis of I Am That and his other books. His words are free from cultural and religious trappings, and the knowledge he expounds is stripped bare of all that is unnecessary.

In the words of Advaita scholar Dr. Robert Powell:"Like the Zen masters of old, Nisargadatta's style is abrupt, provocative, and immensely profound -- cutting to the core and wasting little effort on inessentials. His terse but potent sayings are known for their ability to trigger shifts in consciousness, just by hearing, or even reading them."

When asked about his biographical details, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj used to say "I was never born", for he does not identify himself with his body. He identified himself only with the eternal and pure beingness. However, here is a shory biogrpahy of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, the person

Want to watch movie 'Tatvamasi' based on Nisardadatta's life Click here

marathi language movie "Nirgunache Bheti.." Click here

Yogi ram surat kumar

Yogi Ramsuratkumar was born in a village near Kashi on December 1, 1918. In his childhood, he loved very much to meet the yogis and monks. He was befriended by a number of holy men who built their huts on the Ganges shore or simply wandered nearby.

He grew up as a Grihasta but eventually, the tugs of spirituality in his heart took over. In search of his "guru", he visited and spent time in the ashrams of both Sri Aurobindo and Ramana Maharishi. He later moved to Kerala at the ashram of Swami Ramdas. In his own assessment, Sri Aurobindo gave him Jnana, Sri Ramana Maharshi blessed him with tapas and Swami Ramadas gave him the nectar of Bhakti. Swami Ramadas initiated him into the holy mantra : " Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram ", by pronouncing it thrice in his ears. Yogi Ramsuratkumar often refers to this instance as his "death", since from this moment on, his ego no longer existed, and he had a profound spiritual experience.

Yogiji travelled across the country from 1952 to 1959. Not much is known about the exact whereabouts of the yogi in this period. He finally reached Tiruvannamalai (a small town in Tamil Nadu which is famous for attracting spiritual seekers worldwide and has had a continuous lineage of enlightened souls) in the Southern India in 1959. He was a "hidden" saint during this early period, with not too many individuals realizing that this "beggar" was someone whoc would bring riches to the lives of countless many. He was seen near the Temple chariot, at the corners of the Road, under the trees of the Temple. As more and more people started acknoleding the divine presence in him, Swamiji then began living in a small house in Sannadhi Street beneath the Temple. He continued to bless the devotees who thronged at thousands to His house at the Sannadhi Street. At a point, his devotees became too many to be handled in a small house and the Devotees wished Him to have an Ashram which He gently accepted after much persuasion for the sake of his devotees. The Yogi Ramsurat kumar Ashram is constructed at Agrahara collai with a total area of 3.5 Acres.

He left his body (Mahasamadhi) on 20th Feb 2001 at Tiruvannamalai in the Ashram premises.

Teachings

Yogi Ramsuratkumar was a true saint and he has affected the lives of thousands of people towards incorporating the divine presence in their lives. To his followers, he assures that the mere thought of him amd meditation with the repetition of the following mantra would address any difficulties that they have in dealing with their day to day problems.

Yogi Ramsuratkumar Yogi Ramsuratkumar
Yogi Ramsuratkumarara Jaya Guru Raya

The following excerpts are taken from one of his addresses to his followers. He often times referred to himself as a "beggar" as a message for followers to not take their egos seriously.

"This beggar learnt at the feet of Swami Ramdas the divine name of Rama, and beg, beg all of you not to forget the divine name Rama. Whatever you do, wherever you are, be like Anjaneya Maruthi thinking of Rama and doing your actions in this world. Live in the world and the problems will be there. If we are remembering the Divine name, we are psychologically sound. May be, we may feel a little some of the problems. Even then the intensity with which we feel if we don't have faith in God is much more than a man of faith - a man who remembers the name of Rama. So this beggar is always begging, begging for food, begging for clothes, begging that you should compose songs on this beggar, build a house for me - a cottage for me - this thing - that thing - so many things. But this beggar will beg of you this also, and you are always giving what this beggar has begged. So this beggar begs please don't forget the name of God. This Divine name has been always of great help to all in the world. You read Kabir, Tulsi, Sur, Appar Swamy, Manickavasaga Swamy - how they emphasized Namasivaya. Don't forget it- this is your heart- this is your soul. Whether it be Om Namasivaya or Om Namo Narayana whether Rama, Siva or Krishna whatever name you choose, whatever form you choose doesn't matter.

But remember the lord with any name, with any form of your choice. Just as when there is heavy rainfall, we take an umbrella, and go on doing our work in the factory, in the field, wherever we go for marketing and catching hold of the umbrella we go though the rain is falling there. But still we work-still we work-do our work. Similarly we have got so many problems all around. This divine name is just like an umbrella in the heavy rainfall. Catch hold of the divine name and go on doing your work in the world. This beggar begs of you and this beggar has received all he has begged of you. So I think none of you will shrink away, when this beggar begs of you, don't forget the divine name. This beggar prays to his father to bless you all who have come here. My Lord Rama blesses you- My Father blesses you. Arunachalaswara blesses you. It doesn't matter to me what name it is. All the blessings of my father for all of you! Well, that is the end. That is all."

Mothers miracle

Amma Shows sign of her divinity



A video adapted from youtube-Sri matha amrithanandamayi devi shows her divinity in front of thousands by performing miracle
jai matha ki

Upamanyu

Maharshi Upamanya
The life of great Shiva bhakta Upamanyu was narrated by Vaayudeva in Shiva Maha Purana.
Upamanyu was a devotee of Lord Shiva who with his great penance obtained the blessings of Ksheera ramalingeswara in his childhood only.
The beauty of his life and devotion is that he prayed for Ksheeraramalingeswara with a childish desire that he wanted milk(ksheera).

Upamanyu is the son of Ugradanta who used to live in forests and was poor. They could not feed their child with milk and his mother used to give the child , powder mixed in water. Once Upamanya was taken to his uncle's house who was the brother of his mother. There as his uncle was rich enough Upamanya was given cows milk which was so tasty that Upamanya disagreed to take the powder milk after returning home.
His mother said that they were not blessed by Lord Shiva and this was the cause of their poverty(unable to give cows milk).
Upamanyu's desire for milk provoked him to ask his mother that who could give him milk. His mother in turn replied that it was a boon to be blessed with holy things in this world and one can get them only by sacrifice and penance. She also said that,
Any thing with which we are blessed in this life is only a product of which we have sacrificed to Lord Shiva in our previous life(purva janma).
She also said that Lord Shiva was reason for everthing and very existence of this world. She described the greatness of Shiva Panchakshari that it was the base of all mantras and all of them were born from that Panchakshari mantra.
The words of his mother touched his heart and the child promised his mother to do penance for the blessings of Lord Shiva who was the only person who could give him milk. His mother was happy for the childs decision and blessed her child and taught him the great Shiva panchakshari(Five lettered mantra of Lord Shiva = Na Ma: Shi Va Ya).From that moment the child started chanting of panchakshari. He went to himalayas and built a small temple with eight bricks and worshipped Lord Shiva in the form of Paardhiva linga(Shiva linga made of mud). As the child was doing penance without food he became weak and demons who were cursed by Marichi tried to disturb the child. But the child did not stop chanting Panchakshari and the demons left him.
The child was so devoted to Lord Shiva that his penance enlighted all the world and the deities requested Lord Vishnu to make the child stop his penance as they could not bear the energy of the childs penance. Lord Vishnu accepted their prayer and went to Lord Shiva to ask about the child. Lord Shiva heard the prayer of Lord Vishnu and ensured them that he would bless the child and asked them to return to their home.
Lord Shiva wanted to test the devotion of his child Upamanyu. Lord Shiva with Maa Paarvathi took the disguise of Lord Indra and Maa Paarvathi as Maa Sachi and all the Shiva ganas as deities and Nandi as Iravatha(vahana of Indra). They appeared before the child and admired him of his penance and started to speak disgraceful words about Lord Shiva and also said that Lord Shiva was Nirguna swarupa and he was not one of them. They also said that worshipping Lord Shiva cannot fulfill his desires and asked him to be with them and worship them. Upamanyu who was in deep devotion to his Lord Shiva was hurted to hear disgraceful words about Lord Shiva and forget all his desires. He said that it was his previous sins that made him to hear Shivaninda(disgraceful words about Lord Shiva). Then he chanted Aghora mantra threw some bhasma on the face of Lord Indra and decided to burn himself in Yogagni(fire generated by the power of penance).
At that moment Lord Shiva showed himself as Ksheeraramalingeswara and showed the child ksheerasamudra(ocean of milk),Ghrutasamudra(ocean of ghee),Amruta sagara(Sea of immortality), and lots and lots of tasty food.
Upamanyu was out raged in happiness seeing his Lord Shiva and Maa Paarvathi on Nandivaahana and worshipped them with joy and happiness.This was also a joyous moment for all the dieties and they showered the boy and Lord with flowers and sweet music.
Upamanya was delighted and knelt before Lord and prayed. Lord Ksheeraramalingeswara lifted the child with love and affection and kissed him and told Maa paarvathi that the child would be their son from that moment and assigned the boy with the leadership to all ganas(ganadhipathi).Maa Parvathi blessed him with a boon of being young throughout his life and offered the child Ksheerasamudra in the form of a ball.
Lord Ksheeraramalingewara blessed Upamanyu with all the boons like the Ksheera samudraSambhavi vrata and Paasupata vrata. Lord was not satisfied with all the boons he gave to the child and asked for any other boon he wanted.
Upamanyu innocently replied that inspite of all the boons he was given he would not be free from this worldly relations without complete and permanent devotion towards his Lord Shiva and asked Lord to stay with him and protect him throughout his life.

Lord Shiva was happy and fulfilled the request of his child. From that moment He stayed there as Ksheeraramalingeswara with Maa Paarvathi and this place is called Ksheerapuri and now as Palakollu.
and all the tasty food that was with him.He also blessed the child with immortality and capacity to do

Yamunacharya

YAmunAchArya is the grand -Acharya (PrAchAryA ) of Ramanujacharya (1017 AD to 1137 AD). He established the principles of VisishtAdhvaita as an expansion of the doctrines housed in his grandfather's treatises and elaborated on those doctrines with authoritative scriptures such as Sruthis, Bhagavadh Gita , AzhwAr's pAsurams and Selected SAtvikaPurAnAs.

He is the one who composed the earliest Stotras of Srivaishnava Sampradayam:
He wrote the following works great in content and yet lucid.

(1) chathuslOki
(2) StOtra Ratnam
(3) Siddhitrayam consisting of (i) AtmaSiddhi. (ii) Samvitsiddhi and (iii)Iswara Siddhi
(4) Agama Pramanya
(5) Maha Purusha Nirnayam
(6) Gitartha Sangraha
(7) Nityam
(8) Maayaa Vaadha Khandanam

Swamy Desikan says in YathirAja Sapthathi:

Vighaahe Yaamunam Theertham Saadhu Brindaavane Stitham |
NirasthaJih Magha Sparse Yatra Krishnah Kritaa Dharah ||

(meaning)

Alavandar who learned Vedantha Arthas at the feet of MaNakkaal Nambi was not only the one residing on the banks of Yamuna (Yamunai Thuraivan) by name but was also like the clear flowing waters of the river Yamuna. Lord Krishna got rid of the cruel Kaalinga from the river and made its water pure and clear for all to drink. He was most delighted when he played with the Gopis of Brindavanam in the Yamuna waters. Likewise, Alavandar vanquished those who misinterpreted the Vedas and established Vedanta Siddhanta. Just as one can derive supreme pleasure by bathing in the holy waters of Yamuna, one can enjoy supreme Bhagavad Gunanubhava by immersing in the lucid granthas of Yaamuna Once an arrogant vidwAn by name Akkiyalvan was challenging and humiliating learned men. Yamuna (as a 16 year old boy) accepted the challenge and went to the court to argue with him. The queen was so impressed with the boy that she told the king and pursuaded him to give away half the kingdom if he won in the debate and offered herself to be thrown to wild dogs, if the boy failed. Akkiyalvan asked the boy to state three propositions positive or negative which he offered to counter. And, if he could not, the boy would be declared the winner. Yamuna asked (or stated) three statements. He asked Akkialwan to counter. ( i ) Your mother is not a barren woman- Naturally he could not counter saying that his mother is a barren woman (he is very much standing in front of Yamunacharya). ( ii ) The king is a righteous and powerful ruler - Obviusoly he can not afford to conuter this.

and
( iii ) The queen is a model of chastity. - oh no! Never can he counter this.

Akkialvan accepted defeat and the King now asked Yamuna to disprove his own statements.

Yamuna clarified by observing the following:-

( i ) The sacred laws say that an only son is no son at all. So,
Akkiyalvan's mother was as good as barren in the eyes of the law.

( ii ) The king cannot be called righteous when he entertained such an arrogant person to be his chaplain and his not dismissing the chaplain showed that the king was indeed powerless. ( iii ) According to the Sruti texts, every woman is wedded first to Soma, then Gandharva and then Agni before marrying her earthly partner. The queen was no exception and therefore cannot be deemed a model of chastity. (This is only to drive home a point that logic can not be the solution fully. One needs to fall back on Saasthras and Sruthi/Smrthis for praMANams.)

The King sent Akkiyalvan out of his kingdom and gave Yamuna half his kingdom. The queen hailed the boy as "Alavandhaar"- One who came to save me.

Thus, Alavandar has become the king and could not attend to spiritual pursuits further.

Meanwhile, Rama Misra (maNakkaal nambhi) was trying to catch Yamunacharya's attention to fulfil his promise to his Guru to install Alavandar as the spiritual successor to Nathamuni.. But, he could not meet Alavandar, being a king now to discuss the matter. He came out with an idea. He came to know that the king relishes thoodhu vaLai keerai (kind of spinach). He supplied
that spinach to the royal kitchen daily. After few months, he stopped. The king asked the cook as to why the spinach is not being served. They replied saying "one brahmin used to supply. He does not come nowadys." Alavandhar told them that he would like to meet him, if he comes next. Next day, they met each other.

Rama misrar told Alavandhar that his grandfather Sri Nathamuni had passed on the family wealth (kula dhanam) that needs to be handed over to Sri Alavandhar. Alavandhar said, "in that case, give me that."

"No. It is not here. Come with me.". He took him all the way to Srirangam Koil. (ArAdha aruLamudham podhintha kOil). He showed Alavandhar, the Divya mangaLa vigraham of Sri Ranganathan. Looking at the Lord, in such divine splendour, the divine beauty- and looking (with tears rolling down his cheeks) at those "kariyavaagi, pudai parandhu, miLirndha, sevvariyOdiya, neeNda, ap periya vaaya kaNgaL.." (those dark, well spread, shining, ruddy lined, long, large eyes)-

He bursts out:

I have nothing to give you. None at all.I have no quailifications. I am not religious. What a Great person my Grand Father was! What am I! I haveno one but You(the embodiment of mercy! Compassion!- dayA) as my refuge. He performed Saranagathy at the Lotus Feet of Lord Ranganathan.

na dharma nishtOsmi na chaatma vEdi
na bhaktimaan tvaccharaNAravindE
akinchanOananyagatih saraNya!
tvat paadamoolam saranam prapadye. (Sthothra Rathnam- 22nd sloka)

Oh you worthy of being sought as refuge! I am not one established in Dharma, nor am i a knower of the self. I have no fervent devotion to your lotus-feet. Utterly destitute as I am, and having none else for resort, I take refuge under your feet. (Translation by Swamy Adidevananda)

Rama Misra explained the purpose of his mission and requested Alavandar to take over the reins of spiritual leadership bequeathed to him by his illustrious grandfather, Nathamuni. Alavandar took to Sannyas and was then known as YAMUNA MUNI.

Sri Alavandhar's naichyAnusanthAnam (feeling lowly nature of oneself- the jIvAthma as compared to the Lord's Greatness, KalyANa guNAs) is very beautifully reflected in SthOthra Rathnam (total 65 slokas in this work-reported to be an elaborate refelction of Dwayam). They are more appropriate and applicable to us (and not Sri Alavandhar). He has composed for us only.

Aparaaadha-sahasra-bhaajanam
patitam bhiima-bhavaarnav'odare;
agatim saran'aagatam hare!
krpayaa kevalam aatmasaat kuru.

Oh SrI Hari! pray, make me your own out of sheer grace - me, who has fallen into the depths of the terrible ocean of worldly existence, and who, being resortless, have sought refuge at your feet.

amaryAdha: Kshudra: chalamadhi: asUyAprasavabhU:
kruthagnO dhurmAni smara paravasO vanchanapara:
nrusamsa: pApishta: kathamahamithO dukkajaladhE :
apArAth uttheerNa: tava paricharEyam charanayO :

What a soul stirring sloka! One can not but cry reciting this, (imagining himself as the hero:-( of the sloka)

AlavandhAr describes himself as:

amaryAdha: - one who has crossed the bounds of established rules
Kshudra: - engaging in trivial /worldly /material/sensual pursuits
chalamadhi:- never steady; (chanchalam), fickle mind
asUyA prasava bhU : Place where jealousy is born
kruthagana: Ungrateful one
dhurmAnee:- ill feelings towards fellow human beings;
smara paravasa : Fallen into the gamut of desires and sensual impluses
vanchanapara: skillfully deceiving others (at cheating others )
nrusamsa: - engaging in violent acts
paapishta: ( Incorrigible sinner - mahA paapi

Swamy Desikan says- ahamasmi aparAdha chakravartthi. (also meant for us).
Swamy desikan also writes in Subashithanivi:

I bow with mind, speech and body to that great Lord, who is the best among all persons, who approaches others of His own accord without waiting for them to take the initiative because of His innate goodness and agreeable nature, as also to myself who is chief among the wicked and who harms others without reason, there being one thing in common to us both, viz.,that the good or evil done to us once has the effect of wiping off all the good and or evil done before. If what God, in His wisdom, thinks is good,
though not really good, has been done to Him even once by a person, all the wrongs committed by him earlier is forgiven by Him. Therefore, I bow to Him. In my case, if once what I consider wrong, which may not really be so,is done to me by someone, all the good done by him to me till then is completely forgotten by me. Fie upon me! Ingratitude-being the basest of vices, it has been mentioned at the very beginning.

(Translation by Sri L Srinivasan, New Delhi)

What a naicchiyAnusanthAnam!

Swamy Alavandhaar's works are the ones which give us crystal clear jnAnam about our unparalleled unambiguous VisishtAdvaita Srivaishnava philosophy, the presence of which can never take us to the wrong roads.

After taking so many countless births, We, (dAsars (servants) of Sri
Alavandhar), who have been blessed to be born (due to the limitless, unconditional grace of the Lord Sriya: Pathi Sriman Narayanan) as Srivaishnava in this birth, and have realized and taken up the prapatti maargam (due to the nirhEthuka krupA of the Lord), who are bequeathed with such Great Acharyan ? YamunAchAryan, the learning of whose SrI sukthis enable us to know the tatvatrayam crystal clear and upAyam and upEyam
(means and goal) perfectly, and keep us reminded of the same always, will never ever read (hereafter) works of those who belong to other religions. ?
Says Swamy Desikan in Adhikaara sangraham.

neeLa vandhu inRu vidhivagaiyaal ninaivonRiya naam/
meeLavandhu innum vinai udambu onRil vizhundhu uzhalaa(dhu)
ALavandhaar ena venRu aruL thandhu viLangiya seer/
Alavandhaar adiyOm padiyOm ini alvazhakkE.

Alavandhaar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
AzhwAr Emperumaanaar Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Narayana Narayana
aDiyEn Narayana dAsan madhavakkannan

Dr.Hedgewar

Dr.Kesava Baliram Hedgewar
Dr Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS was born on Ugadi day [New Year's Day] in 1889 at Nagpur. He was a born patriot. Even when he was studying in primary school, he refused to eat sweets distributed on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Victoria on June 22, 1897. When he was studying in Neel City High School, Nagpur, he was rusticated for singing "Vande Mataram" in violation of the circular issued by the then British government. As a result he had to persue his high school studies at Yeotmal. He participated in the freedom struggle under the leadership of the Indian National Congress and participated in the Non-cooperation Movement of 1921 and was jailed. He was released on July 12, 1922. After making an in-depth study of our history, he came to the conclusion that lack of patriotism and disunity among the Hindus was the reason for our defeat at the hands of foreign invaders and enslavement under foreign rule. He, therefore, felt that unless a sense of patriotism, selflessness, sterling character, national consciousness and sense of unity, selfless service, self-realisation and discipline were inculcated in a substantial number of individuals, it would be impossible to uplift the nation and secure political freedom.

After making an in-depth study of our history, he came to the conclusion that lack of patriotism and disunity among the Hindus was the reason for our defeat at the hands of foreign invaders and India's enslavement under foreign rule.

He, therefore, decided to start a unique organisation to solve the problems. He took a vow to remain a bachelor and devote his entire life and energy to the aforesaid noble cause. For this purpose, he founded the "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh" on Vijayadashami day September 27, 1925. He evolved a unique technic which was unprecedented, simple and inexpensive. He selected a group of young boys who would assemble in an open field every day for one hour. During that time, in addition to playing national games, he began to inculcate in them a sense of patriotism, unity, discipline, love for the country and selflessness, by singing of patriotic songs and narration of stories of patriots. He appealed to the youth to spare one hour a day for the Nation by attending the Shakha (the meeting). He visualised that the one hour programme in the Shakha would ultimately transform the youth to devote greater time and energy in the service of the nation. He, therefore, undertook the Himalayan task of organising the Hindus, who despite having a common cultural bond and fundamental unity had come to be divided into various castes, religions, regions and language groups.

Bharat Mata as common deity

Dr Hedgewar felt that it was necessary to have a common deity to be worshipped by all and a common ideal which all should strive to achieve and a common prayer (mantra) for all. He declared that irrespective of castes, religions and languages, etc, we are all children of Bharatmata who shall be the common deity to be worshipped by all of us and the common ideal of all shall be to strive for all-round progress and development of the nation and for taking the nation to the pinnacle of glory. These two ideals were incorporated in the common prayer to be sung by all the members at the Shakha every day. The first line of the prarthana says "Namaste Sada Vatsale Matrubhume"Oh my beloved motherland salutation to theeand the last line of the prayer says "Oh God, please give us strength and bless us to enable us to take our nation to the pinnacle of glory" (param vaibhavamnetu metat swarasthram) and concludes with the all unifying slogan "Bharat Mata ki jai" (Victory to Bharat Mata). Having decided about the common deity to be worshipped, common ideals to be achieved, a common prayer to be made and the common slogan, Dr. Hedgewar started contemplating on who should be placed in the position of Guru.

Bhagwadwaj as Guru

It is well known that in our culture the highest place is given to the Guru and he is regarded as equal to God. It is the Guru who with the instrument of his intellect and wisdom opens the eyes of his disciples and enables them to proceed from darkness to light. Therefore, every year the people worship their Guru on Guru Poornima day. Dr Hedgewar wanted to choose a Guru befitting the divine task of national reconstruction.

What Dr Hedgewar did is comparable only to what Guru Govind Singhji did in respect of Sikhism, who put an end to a human person being a Guru and substituted the Guru Granth Sahib in place of a living Guru.

After founding the RSS, he announced that the members have to perform guru pooja on the specified day and offer gurudakshina which alone shall be the financial resource of the Sangha. The Swayamsevaks began to think as to who could be installed in the position of Guru other than Dr. Hedgewar himself. But on Guru Poornima day there was a surprise. Dr Hedgewar declared that Bhagwadwaj under whose auspicious presence Shakhas were being held every day shall be the Guru. He stated that Bhagwadwaj represents our glorious history and cultural heritage. It reminds us of Sri Rama, Sri Krishna and Gitopadesha and also reminds us of great empires like the Maurya, Gupta, Vijayanagara, etc. It also represents the gurus of all religions and religious sects born in the country. It reminds us of Mahavira, Buddha, Shankara, Basava, Tiruvaluvur, Ramanuja, Madhwa-charya, Guru Nanak, Guru Ramdas and Vidyaranya under whose guidance the great Vijayanagara empire was established. It also represents those who fought valiantly to protect the freedom and honour of motherland such as Maharana Pratap, Chatrapati Shivaji, Guru Govind Singh and Rani of Jhansi. Further it also represents our cultural heritage, all good values of life of great heroes and saints. More than all the saffron colour of Bhagwadwaj has been the symbol of sacrifice.

He said he was not in favour of placing any human being in the place of Guru, as it is quite possible that on account of some pitfall or shortcomings in him, which is natural in human beings the followers might get disappointed or frustrated at some point of time. He also indicated that he was placing Bhagwadwaj, which represents the noble ideals of the RSS in the place of Guru as he desired that there should be "tatvanishta" (loyalty to ideals) and not "vyaktinishta" (loyalty to any individual).

What Dr Hedgewar did is comparable only to what Guru Govind Singhji did in respect of Sikhism, who put an end to a human person being a Guru and substituted the Guru Granth Sahib in place of a living Guru. Thus Guru Govind Singh transformed an inanimate object into a powerful Guru who is guiding the entire Sikh community. Similarly, Dr Hedgewar transformed Bhagwadwaj an inanimate object into guru. He said it is only after a Bhagwadwaj is presented to a shakha after it is well established that it becomes a recognised shakha and that only after hoisting the Bhagwadwaj in a Shakha, activities of national learning commence and all functions of RSS commence.

Metamorphosis through shakha

In order to transform an ordinary individual into an extraordinary patriot ready to sacrifice everything in the service of the motherland and in order to completely erase selfishness, ego and divisive factors such as high and low castes, rich and poor, he invented a simple inexpensive technique called Shakha, a method of get-together for one hour at a specified place and time every day. His appeal was simple in that he asked the youth to spare one hour out of 24 hours for the Nation. Accordingly, he attracted a handful of youths for attending Shakha which was comparable to ancient Gurukulas. Shakha programmes were such as would bring about an all-round development of an individuals i.e. physical, mental, moral and intellectual. Physical fitness through physical activities solely comprising of national games and physical exercises, character building, inculcating patriotism through stories of heroes, saints social reformers, etc, as also through patriotic songs and intellectual development through periodic Bhaudhiks. The whole process was called Samskara. Important aspect of programmes of Shakha has been to treat Bharatmata as the common deity, Bhagwadwaj as the common Guru and Sangha prarthana as the common mantra for all the swayamsevaks. Through this methodology Doctorji sought to demolish all fissiparous tendencies afflicting the nation. The prarthana contains an oath by every swayamsevak that he will lay down his life in the service of the nation. There is also a prayer to God to confer invincible physical strength and excellent character and finally blessings of almighty is sought to enable them to take the motherland to pinnacle of glory.

Doctorji also said that one hour Shaka was to initiate Swayamsevaks to inspire them to dedicate themselves to the noble and onerous task of nation building. But moulding of character of swayamsevaks was a whole time job after shakha hours to be performed by the Karyakartas of the RSS. He advised and encouraged swayamsevaks to undertake higher education and for that purpose to go to different places in the country. He said higher educational attainment by Karyakartas would confer better suitability and capacities to spread the work of the RSS and going to different places was necessary to spread the work of RSS throughout the country.


Gandhiji and Dr.ji
In 1934 at Wardha, Gandhiji had the following conversation with Dr. K. B. Hedgewar, the founder of the R.S.S.:
Gandhiji: Doctor Saheb, what made you start an independent organisation like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh? You were in Congress and surely you could have built up such a voluntary body in the Congress itself. By the way, did you feel dearth of funds in the Congress?
Hedgewar: Oh, no, not at all. Fact is, that creation of the kind of Swayamsevaks I had in mind, was simply not possible through the Congress.
Gandhiji: Why so?
Hedgewar: Because, the Congress, after all, is a political party and its volunteers are just boys of errands, arranging chairs and tables, saluting and cheering the leaders, looking to their arrangements and such other sundry jobs, whereas my concept of a Swayamsevak is altogether different.
Gandhiji: What is your concept, Doctor Saheb?
Hedgewar: One who offers himself, voluntarily in the cause of national upliftment in a spirit of total selflessness - such a person alone is a Swayamsevak. I also believe that, it is only on the strength of such Swayamsevaks, that our nation can ultimately rise to its full glory.