Siddha Muni continues the narrative.
As the news of Gurunath's miracle of making the decrepit and dry buffalo yield plenty of milk and making it wet again and thus relieving the poverty of the Brahmin, people started flocking to the Brahmin's house to see the buffalo, especially when it was being milked. Hitherto Sri Narasimha Saraswati was remaining almost incognito as Amaraja Sangam, not revealing himself to many. How long can the fire hide itself under the bushel? The news about the divine sage spread all around. The king also came to the Sangam to pay his respects and obeisance to Sri Narasimha Saraswati. Seeing Guru Nath, the king realised that this was none else but supreme divinity come down, the Supreme Being which the Vedas tried their utmost to discover but could not succeed at all, and for Whose vision (Darshan) all the Gods, angels and sages do the severest penances and austerities, the Omniscient, the Omnipotent and the Omnipresent Being, Who is the Creator, the Sustainer and Destroyer of the Universe, and the abode of all wisdom, auspiciousness and all the divine virtues. He realised how blessed he, his kingdom and his people were that the intangible, infinite and the Supreme Being has chosen to appear to them in a visible, embodied form. The king fell at his feet and prayed that he should continue to stay in his kingdom only and should not leave the place and forsake them. He begged him to step into his palace and sanctify it also.
Sri Narasimha Saraswati felt that the time had come for him to come out of his secluded life and reveal himself freely to all, and to carry out his divine mission in wider and fuller measure; he was also touched by the devotion of the King and felt that Gangapur, with the Holy Sangam in it's vicinity, is a merited place for his stay and for carrying out his mission. He gave his consent to the king telling him that he would accede to his prayer and would stay at Gangapur. The king was overwhelmed with joy at this and realised how blessed he and his people were.
Sri Narasimha Saraswati accompanied the king from Sangam to Gangapur. He was received in the palace in all grandeur. All the people came out to welcome him, throwing and offering flowers at his feet and waving lights and doing Aarti. There was one big house in the palace, which was vacant and unoccupied and besides, there was also the Aswatha Tree by the side of the house. It would be a spacious and convenient place for Sri Narasimha Saraswati to reside, but it was believed to be a haunted house, a place haunted by a brahmarakshasa. But Sri Narasimha Saraswati said that the place would suit him. As soon as he entered the house, the Brahma Rakshasa came out in a fury with the object of assailing the intruder. But seeing Sri Narasimha Saraswati, the Brahma rakshasa realised that it was no intruder but the redeemer come to bless all and him too. He fell prostate at Guru Nath's Feet, begging to be forgiven for all his sins and to be saved by his grace. Sri Narasimha Saraswati, in great compassion, told the brahma rakshasa that he has already blessed him and that he should do to the Bhima-Amaraja Sangam and bathe in the holy waters of the confluence there, and all his sins would be expiated once for all and he would be released from rebirth also for ever.
The king built a Math at Gangapur, at the place, for the divine guest to stay. Early morning GuruNath used to leave the Math for the Sangam, which is a couple of miles away from the Math. He used to have his bath there and perform all religious rites and then return to the Math by midday. The king used to come everyday by noon for the Sage's Darshan and for offering him his worship.
The name and fame of
Sri Narasimha Saraswati spread by now far & wide, and thousands of devotees used to pour in for Guru Nath's darshan, for redress of afflictions of their body, mind and spirit.
Thus ends the Twenty Third chapter of Sri Guru Charitra describing "Brahma-Rakshasa Muktakaram".
No comments:
Post a Comment