Siddha Yogi continued the narration as follows:
Narahari talked to his mother on the higher philosophy of life. She had tried to tell him earlier that one should not skip one's responsibilities to the household; one should pass through the prescribed stages of life in sequential order, the AsramaDharmas. After Grihastasrama only, which mellows man, his senses having been appeased, should one take to Vanasprasta or Sanyasa, and not before that. Narhari gave her revelation that he was not a normal mortal being who has to necessarily go through all graduational stages of life. Everyone has his own Adhikara and one has to decide by himself his course of life, using his discrimination properly. Further, he told her as follows:
Life is like a bubble. Death might know at any time and snatch us away. Every moment of human life is precious and is the god-gifted opportunity for man to regenerate himself spiritually and speed up to the blessed state of self-realisation. In the earlier Yuga's man's life was long. The stages of life prescribed by the Sastras were all right for them. But in the Kali Yuga, men have a short life span of life and do not have the longevity of the men of the earlier Yugas. If one goes through life slowly, without taking to the pursuit of higher purposes of life, and if his life is cut short early, isn't this birth futile? One should cultivate Vairagya towards worldly pleasures from early stages of life. One should not fritter away his energies in human foibles. The world is illusory. If one doesn't use discrimination and does not cultivate Vairagya, he would sink into the mire of samsara and will let go the precious life to waste. One should set his mind on the goal of life and strive to achieve it from the early stages of life, because who knows when he will be snatched away by death. Losing this life without realisation of God will be the greatest tragedy for man..."
The mother realised that the spiritual fire raging in her son cannot be smothered and that her motherly love and attachment should not be let to hold him back from his quest for the Infinite. However, she pleaded with him to stay in the home for at least a few years more, till she had another child. Narahari agreed to it and said that she would have four more children, three sons and a daughter.
A year later Amba Bhavani had twins, to sons born to her and then she yielded to let Narahari leave home. While bidding farewell, touched by the tears of the parents, Narahari said, "whenever you think of me and want me to be with you, wherever I may be, you will have my Darshan." He told then again that hey would have one more son and also one daughter. With these consoling words to his parents, young Narahari - who was hardly in his ninth year at that time, left his home and set out on his spiritual quest. The entire village bade a tearful farewell just as it happened to Krishna and Balarama, when they left Brindawan for Mathura.
Narahari came to the hold Varanasi, the spiritual heart-centre of Bharat. Everyday after taking bath in the sacred water of the Ganges, he used to worship Kashi Visweshwara three times a day. At Kashi, he came in contact with Sri Krishna Saraswati, a highly advanced Yogi and a fully realised soul. Narahari requested Sri Krishna Saraswati to initiate him into the Sanyasa ashram. Sri Krishna Saraswati was pleased at the devotion, the austure discipline and earnestness of Narhari and much more so with his intellectual brilliance and scriptural knowledge. Sri Krishna Saraswati recognised in him a future savant of the spiritual culture of the country, and especially one who was going to glorify the supramacy of Sanyasa Asarama again, as earlier done by Sri Adi Sankaracharya of Kaladi. He was immensely happy to have Narahari as his disciple and to initiate him into Sanyasa. Narahari was given by him the new name of Narasimha Saraswati.
Namdharak interrupted Siddhamuni and asked why Narahari, God Incarnate himself, needed a Guru and why he should go through the formality of initiation. Siddhamuni said that Guru is the link between God and the embodied being, even though the latter may have been a divine incarnation. Sri Rama had Vasishtha Rishi as Guru and Sri Krishna had Sandeepani Rishi as his Guru. He gave a glorious account of the Guru Parampara, originating with Lord Shankara Himself.
Sankara-Vishnu-Brahma-Vasistha-Sakti-Parasara-Vyasa-Suka-Gaudapada-Govindacharya-
Shankara Bhagvatapada ...thus flows the glorious Guru Parampara, said Siddhamuni.
For spreading true knowledge, for the enlightment and welfare of all Sri Narasimha Saraswati conducted a number of Jaana Yagnas by discoursing and giving sermons, going from place to place around Banares. Hundreds of people were guided on the spiritual path by him. A number of them became his disciples.
From Banaras, Narasimha Saraswati went to Badrikashram forest with his disciples. Then, he moved from place to place and arrived at Ganga Sagar near Calcutta. Traveling along the bank of the holy river, he reached Prayaga (Triveni), the holy confluence or the sacred rivers, Ganga Yamuna and the subterranean Saraswati. He initiated one Madhava Saraswati onto sanyasan at the holy Prayaga.
Thus ends the Twelfth Chapter of Sri Guru Charitra describing " the glorious GuruParampara that nourished and sustained the perennial flow of spiritual wisdom (Jnana Ganga) in this holy and blessed land of ours, Bharat Desa".
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Narahari taking to Sanyasa
Birth of Sri Narasimha Saraswati
In the earlier chapter, it has been said how Sripada Sri Vallabha blessed the destitute woman Ambika, advising her o observe Sani Pradosh Vrata and worship Maheshwara, when she (Ambika) prayed to him that, at least in her next birth, she would have a son like him. Sripada Sri Vallabha told her that her desire would be fulfilled if she faithfully observed Shani Pradosh Vrata and win the grace of Maheshwara. As per that advice, Ambika strictly observed the Vrata till her death.
In her next birth, Ambika was born in a Brahmin family, in KaranjaNagar (a town near Akola) in the Berar State. She was named by her parents as Amba Bhavani. When she came of age, she was married to a young man named Madhav, who was very pious and deeply devoted to Lord Shiva. Both of them used to observe Sani Pradosh Vrata regularly.
A few years after the marriage, a boy was born to Amba (in 1458 A.D.). During her pregnancy, she was having divine visions and experiences. Her mind was always dwelling on holy ideas and auspicious thoughts. There was a divine lusture spreading over her body and also radiating forth from her face. And on one auspicious day, a son was born to her. Strangely instead of normal crying, Pranava Nada, the chant of Omkar, was emanating from mouth of the infant. The wise men of that village said that astrologically the boy was going to be a Mahapurusha and a great savior of the world and he had all the auspicious insignia of God Himself. On the tenth day, the boy was named Narhari. His eyes bespoke of omniscience and his face seemed to reflect all the wisdom of the worlds. The infant was an attraction for all people of the town.
Narahari's mother did not seem to have sufficient breast-milk to nurse the child. She expressed his to her husband and suggested to him that he should purchase a cow for milk for the child. The child seemed to have heard it, and touched with his tiny hands the breast of the mother. Lo! the breasts were full of milk! The infant was manifesting many divine miracles. Nevertheless, the child seemed to be dumb. Except the Pranava Nada that emanated from his lips at the time of birth, the child never uttered any sound. The parents were afraid and were worried that the child would be dumb for ever! The mother used to weep saying "Are we not destined to enjoy the prattle of the child?" The child used to however make little gestures which seemed to indicate that, after his thread ceremony, he would be quite normal in speech. Yet his parents were not relieved of their anxiety. To assure and comfort them, Narhari once took hold of an iron piece lying in the house, and through his mere touch, changed it into gold.
When Narhari was seven years old, his thread ceremony was performed, and, to the wonder of all, the miracle of miracles happened. All the assembled Brahmins were amazed to see "the dumb Narahari" chanting Vedic Mantras. The joy of the parents knew no bounds and they shed profuse tears of joy.
The mother asked Narahari to beg alms according to the tradition of the thread ceremony. Narahari said, "Mother can I now take it that I have your permission to take to Sanyas which I very much desire? You asked me to beg alms. That implies you have sanctioned my heart's desire to take a ascetic's life". The mother was aghast at these words of Narahari. When she only meant was that he should ask for the Bhiksha of the Vatu from the mother as mere formality as per the tradition of the thread ceremony. She broke down into tears and pleaded as to how he could think of forsaking her and the home and take to ascetic life. He was her only child and the only hope. She pleaded that all should follow Asrama Dharma and should take Sanyasa only after going through the householder's life (Grihasthasrama) and that alone would be the proper way. "one should not skip one's responsibilities, duties and obligations", she said. She was inconsolable. Narhari said. "Mother, understand me and see the truth." Saying thus, he placed his right palm on her head. As soon as he did this, the whole panorama of her previous life flashed in her memory. She remembered the boon Sripada Sri Vallabha gave her. She understood then that it was the divine Sripada Sri Vallabha who was born to her as her son now, as per the prayer she made to him in her former life. She realised it would not be possible to hold back the divine being to the confines of home for long. But nevertheless, she pleaded with him whom she now realised as none else but the illustrious Dattatreya, to stay for at least a few more years.
Thus ends the Eleventh Chapter of Sri Guru Charitra,
describing "Sripada Sri Vallabha's incarnation, and the new incarnation's childhood".