Gita Satsangh: Chapter 8 Verses 5 to 7

August 5, 2002

Namaste

These three verses of chapter 8 are always very fresh in my memory

because I have a monumental example of my father Shri R. Visvanatha

Sastri who did exactly as stated in these verses. He lived such a

life and his last moments were so remarkable that I cannot but relate

to you the exact sequence of events on that last morning of his

life. Since many of the posts in this thread are conjecturing about

what could, would or might happen at the moment of death, I want to

share what-I-consider-to-be-unique experience of mine, as one who

watched a noble soul leave the body fully resonating with these

slokas of the Gita. Pardon me, members of the list, if I seem to be

imposing myself on you all.

It was January 7, 1956. My father, a retired Pensioner from the

erstwhile British Government of India, was 74. I was 28. He was

living in Madurai (South India) with me, my wife and three children

of ours. Generally he was in perfect health, doing his daily

religious routines which start with a bath in the early morning,

sometimes in the river, but mostly as his age advanced, in the home.

He went through a routine of pUjA for possibly one or two hours. Then

throughout the day he would keep himself busy with reading and

writing. As you know he is the author of several sanskrit manuscripts

of advaita character. I have heard several of his religious

expositions. Naturally as every Hindu expositor would do, if the

context demanded, he would refer to these slokas of the gita in these

expositions. And when he expounds on the name and glory of Narayana,

he used to say that one should cry out ‘Narayana’ so loud, that it is

heard even in distant VaikunTha, the abode of Vishnu. Whenever as a

teenager I heard these statements from him, I used to treat them as

just rhetoric, but I did not realise he was really serious about it,

until he showed me how one must die.

One month before his demise, he fell ill for a few days, even lost

consciousness, but recovered very soon. Thereafter he even exhibited

signs of double vigour. He resumed his river bath, and visits to the

temple for darshan and so on. One day he called the pundits, (it was

an eclipse on that day, perhaps solar), performed some rituals (which

later I understood was a prAyaScitta ritual), performed a godAn (gift

of a cow), and so on. Since he was generally religious and of a most

saintly type, we took these things for granted and did not realise

that he was gradually preparing for his final exit from this world.

December-January corresponds to the Tamil month of Margazhi (Recall:

mAsAnAm mArgasIrsho’ham – 10th chapter) which corresponds in the

divine reckoning, to their early morning time: 4 to 6. During this

month throughout the Hindu world, morning pujas will be performed

certainly in all temples, but also in most families of the

traditional kind. My father used to do this early morning puja (which

would be in addition to the daily puja which came later in the

morning at the usual time of 8 or 9 ). His routine for the early

mornings during December-January was to get up at four, heat water

for his bath and have his bath. The previous night itself my wife

would have kept ready the firewood and the pot of water that was

necessary. He would himself light the firewood and heat the water.

After bath he would sit for the puja. Simultaneously, he would also

light the small charcoal oven ( known as kumutti in Tamil) and put

on it a small vessel containing water and moong dhal and rice with a

few spices, for making Pongal, for the naivedya to the Lord after

Puja. The necessary materials would all have been kept ready for him

the previous night itself. He would finish the dhanur-masa-puja about

5-45 or so, and just before the Arti time the rest of the family

(myself, my wife and children) would wake up and have darshan of the

Arti.

This routine was going on every day. But on the 7th January, early

morning, around 4-15 or so, he called me aloud and woke me up. I got

up and noted that something was strange that morning. He said that he

had just taken his bath, and was about to begin the puja, but he

felt not quite well. ‘Go brush your teeth and come quickly’ he said.

My wife also got up and both of us were ready for him in a few

minutes. He asked me to bring a shawl and cover him up. I saw he was

shivering. He sat opposite the puja altar where all the puja

materials had already been arranged as usual the previous night

itself. He asked me to open the vessel containing Ganges water

(which had earlier been opened on the day of the eclipse a few days

earlier) and give a few drops to him. He took up the rudraksha mAla

from the puja materials and wore it. Also he wore the vibhuti as well

as the usual Urdhva-pundram on his forehead. He picked up a triad of

tulsi petals kept among the puja materials and offered it silently at

the feet of the Lord. He spoke only a few words to get the things

done as he wanted. He made me sit near him and asked me to go get the

book and read ‘ambhasya pAre’. This refers to the first chapter of

the mahAnArAyaNopanishad which follows the three chapters of the

taittirIyopanishad in the taittirIya brAhmana of the yajurveda. It is

a long paragraph going over to four pages. I have heard him say on

many occasions that this particular anuvAka (paragraph) contains all

the great Vedantic mantras. I picked up the book from his bookshelf

and started reading it. By that time I realised the gravity of the

situation because when I noted that he was not starting his puja, but

just asked me to sit and read this portion from the veda, I knew he

was preparing himself. Naturally I faltered in my reading, both

because of the excitement and also because I had not been keeping

myself in touch with the reading of these passages because of my

worldly activities and obligations. When I faltered, he told me,

‘See, you have not been reciting it regularly and now you are

faltering’. And then he started shouting out ‘Narayana’, ‘Narayana’.

His crying out the name of ‘Narayana’ repeatedly became so loud in

the next few minutes, that later in the day my friends who lived a

furlong away from me were going to report to me that they heard the

shouts of ‘Narayana’ in the early morning several times. He must have

cried aloud the name ‘Narayana, probably more than a hundred times

that morning. I became fully aware of what was going on, from his

point of view; so, I did not disturb him. But he signalled to me and

put his head on my right lap while all the time crying out

‘Narayana’. The recitation of the Narayana name did not stop at all.

His breathing became very heavy but as every inhaling and exhaling

took place there was also the cry of 'narayana'. My wife in her

anxiety called a neighbor, who called another neighbor who was a

doctor. The doctor came, examined, gave a coromin injection and went

away. But all the while my father, though fully conscious, did not

respond to any of the mundane conversation that either the doctor or

my wife generated. The children (ages 8, 5 and 3) came and watched

the drama that the grandfather seemed to be enacting. He just

signalled them to sit. My wife offered some black coffee (there was

no milk in the house at that time) which he did not refuse. He

allowed it to go through his throat. He was lying on my lap and the

nArAyana mantra was going on still aloud. It was clear that he had

already bidden good-bye to this body and its mundane associations.

I had now finished reading 'ambhasya pAre', and not knowing what to

do further and not getting any further instruction from him,

(because he was now not allowing himself to be distracted even a

little from his loud nArAyaNa recitation) I started reciting the

purusha sUkta which I happened to know by heart. As soon as I started

it, he signalled to me that that was OK. The decibel level of the

narAyana recitation was going down now. My wife got panicky and went

out to call the same doctor once again. She returned in just a few

minutes with the doctor. By this time he had stopped reciting

Narayana and appeared to be sleeping, still on my lap. The time was

5-40 AM. The doctor came and pronounced him dead.

Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, if I had been too personal and

sentimental in this narration. But this is an experience which I can

never forget, nor would I want to forget.

Thanks for allowing me to share it with you.

praNAms to all advaitins

Yours, profvk

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

Health - Feel better, live better

http://health.

August 5, 2002

Dear ProfK,

This story brought spontaneous tears in my eyes as I was reading it.

Personal or not, everyone can benefit from such events in life. Thank you

for writing about it.

-- Vis

------------------------

-

"V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk

"advaitinlist" <advaitin>

Monday, August 05, 2002 5:25 PM

Re: Gita Satsangh: Chapter 8 Verses 5 to 7

> Namaste

> These three verses of chapter 8 are always very fresh in my memory

> because I have a monumental example of my father Shri R. Visvanatha

> Sastri who did exactly as stated in these verses. He lived such a

> life and his last moments were so remarkable that I cannot but relate

> to you the exact sequence of events on that last morning of his

> life. Since many of the posts in this thread are conjecturing about

> what could, would or might happen at the moment of death, I want to

> share what-I-consider-to-be-unique experience of mine, as one who

> watched a noble soul leave the body fully resonating with these

> slokas of the Gita. Pardon me, members of the list, if I seem to be

> imposing myself on you all.

> It was January 7, 1956. My father, a retired Pensioner from the

> erstwhile British Government of India, was 74. I was 28. He was

> living in Madurai (South India) with me, my wife and three children

> of ours. Generally he was in perfect health, doing his daily

> religious routines which start with a bath in the early morning,

> sometimes in the river, but mostly as his age advanced, in the home.

> He went through a routine of pUjA for possibly one or two hours. Then

> throughout the day he would keep himself busy with reading and

> writing. As you know he is the author of several sanskrit manuscripts

> of advaita character. I have heard several of his religious

> expositions. Naturally as every Hindu expositor would do, if the

> context demanded, he would refer to these slokas of the gita in these

> expositions. And when he expounds on the name and glory of Narayana,

> he used to say that one should cry out 'Narayana' so loud, that it is

> heard even in distant VaikunTha, the abode of Vishnu. Whenever as a

> teenager I heard these statements from him, I used to treat them as

> just rhetoric, but I did not realise he was really serious about it,

> until he showed me how one must die.

>

> One month before his demise, he fell ill for a few days, even lost

> consciousness, but recovered very soon. Thereafter he even exhibited

> signs of double vigour. He resumed his river bath, and visits to the

> temple for darshan and so on. One day he called the pundits, (it was

> an eclipse on that day, perhaps solar), performed some rituals (which

> later I understood was a prAyaScitta ritual), performed a godAn (gift

> of a cow), and so on. Since he was generally religious and of a most

> saintly type, we took these things for granted and did not realise

> that he was gradually preparing for his final exit from this world.

> December-January corresponds to the Tamil month of Margazhi (Recall:

> mAsAnAm mArgasIrsho'ham - 10th chapter) which corresponds in the

> divine reckoning, to their early morning time: 4 to 6. During this

> month throughout the Hindu world, morning pujas will be performed

> certainly in all temples, but also in most families of the

> traditional kind. My father used to do this early morning puja (which

> would be in addition to the daily puja which came later in the

> morning at the usual time of 8 or 9 ). His routine for the early

> mornings during December-January was to get up at four, heat water

> for his bath and have his bath. The previous night itself my wife

> would have kept ready the firewood and the pot of water that was

> necessary. He would himself light the firewood and heat the water.

> After bath he would sit for the puja. Simultaneously, he would also

> light the small charcoal oven ( known as kumutti in Tamil) and put

> on it a small vessel containing water and moong dhal and rice with a

> few spices, for making Pongal, for the naivedya to the Lord after

> Puja. The necessary materials would all have been kept ready for him

> the previous night itself. He would finish the dhanur-masa-puja about

> 5-45 or so, and just before the Arti time the rest of the family

> (myself, my wife and children) would wake up and have darshan of the

> Arti.

> This routine was going on every day. But on the 7th January, early

> morning, around 4-15 or so, he called me aloud and woke me up. I got

> up and noted that something was strange that morning. He said that he

> had just taken his bath, and was about to begin the puja, but he

> felt not quite well. 'Go brush your teeth and come quickly' he said.

> My wife also got up and both of us were ready for him in a few

> minutes. He asked me to bring a shawl and cover him up. I saw he was

> shivering. He sat opposite the puja altar where all the puja

> materials had already been arranged as usual the previous night

> itself. He asked me to open the vessel containing Ganges water

> (which had earlier been opened on the day of the eclipse a few days

> earlier) and give a few drops to him. He took up the rudraksha mAla

> from the puja materials and wore it. Also he wore the vibhuti as well

> as the usual Urdhva-pundram on his forehead. He picked up a triad of

> tulsi petals kept among the puja materials and offered it silently at

> the feet of the Lord. He spoke only a few words to get the things

> done as he wanted. He made me sit near him and asked me to go get the

> book and read 'ambhasya pAre'. This refers to the first chapter of

> the mahAnArAyaNopanishad which follows the three chapters of the

> taittirIyopanishad in the taittirIya brAhmana of the yajurveda. It is

> a long paragraph going over to four pages. I have heard him say on

> many occasions that this particular anuvAka (paragraph) contains all

> the great Vedantic mantras. I picked up the book from his bookshelf

> and started reading it. By that time I realised the gravity of the

> situation because when I noted that he was not starting his puja, but

> just asked me to sit and read this portion from the veda, I knew he

> was preparing himself. Naturally I faltered in my reading, both

> because of the excitement and also because I had not been keeping

> myself in touch with the reading of these passages because of my

> worldly activities and obligations. When I faltered, he told me,

> 'See, you have not been reciting it regularly and now you are

> faltering'. And then he started shouting out 'Narayana', 'Narayana'.

> His crying out the name of 'Narayana' repeatedly became so loud in

> the next few minutes, that later in the day my friends who lived a

> furlong away from me were going to report to me that they heard the

> shouts of 'Narayana' in the early morning several times. He must have

> cried aloud the name 'Narayana, probably more than a hundred times

> that morning. I became fully aware of what was going on, from his

> point of view; so, I did not disturb him. But he signalled to me and

> put his head on my right lap while all the time crying out

> 'Narayana'. The recitation of the Narayana name did not stop at all.

> His breathing became very heavy but as every inhaling and exhaling

> took place there was also the cry of 'narayana'. My wife in her

> anxiety called a neighbor, who called another neighbor who was a

> doctor. The doctor came, examined, gave a coromin injection and went

> away. But all the while my father, though fully conscious, did not

> respond to any of the mundane conversation that either the doctor or

> my wife generated. The children (ages 8, 5 and 3) came and watched

> the drama that the grandfather seemed to be enacting. He just

> signalled them to sit. My wife offered some black coffee (there was

> no milk in the house at that time) which he did not refuse. He

> allowed it to go through his throat. He was lying on my lap and the

> nArAyana mantra was going on still aloud. It was clear that he had

> already bidden good-bye to this body and its mundane associations.

> I had now finished reading 'ambhasya pAre', and not knowing what to

> do further and not getting any further instruction from him,

> (because he was now not allowing himself to be distracted even a

> little from his loud nArAyaNa recitation) I started reciting the

> purusha sUkta which I happened to know by heart. As soon as I started

> it, he signalled to me that that was OK. The decibel level of the

> narAyana recitation was going down now. My wife got panicky and went

> out to call the same doctor once again. She returned in just a few

> minutes with the doctor. By this time he had stopped reciting

> Narayana and appeared to be sleeping, still on my lap. The time was

> 5-40 AM. The doctor came and pronounced him dead.

>

> Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, if I had been too personal and

> sentimental in this narration. But this is an experience which I can

> never forget, nor would I want to forget.

>

> Thanks for allowing me to share it with you.

> praNAms to all advaitins

> Yours, profvk

>

> =====

> Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

> My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

> You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

>

> Health - Feel better, live better

> http://health.

>

> Discussion of Shankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy of nonseparablity of

Atman and Brahman.

> Advaitin List Archives available at:

http://www.eScribe.com/culture/advaitin/

> To Post a message send an email to : advaitin

> Messages Archived at: advaitin/messages

>

> Your use of is subject to

>

August 6, 2002

Thank you Professor Krishnamurthy for sharing that beautiful, deeply

moving, and inspirational story of how your father left his mortal

body.

I am filled with gratitude for your abundant generousity.

Lord Krishna has said that to be born in the house of a Yogi is rare

(as it probably requires much punya). That you had a father of such

awesome learning, wisdom, and dedication to Bhagavan -- who passed it

on to you -- speaks volumes of your good merits of past and present

and future.

The Adavitin list and all of us individually are very fortunate to be

in your presence and to have your pure and beautiful association and

vibrations.

Thank you for your ever flowing gifts.

Love,

Harsha

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk> wrote:

> Namaste

> These three verses of chapter 8 are always very fresh in my memory

> because I have a monumental example of my father Shri R. Visvanatha

> Sastri who did exactly as stated in these verses. He lived such a

> life and his last moments were so remarkable that I cannot but

relate

> to you the exact sequence of events on that last morning of his

> life. Since many of the posts in this thread are conjecturing about

> what could, would or might happen at the moment of death, I want to

> share what-I-consider-to-be-unique experience of mine, as one who

> watched a noble soul leave the body fully resonating with these

> slokas of the Gita. Pardon me, members of the list, if I seem to be

> imposing myself on you all.

> It was January 7, 1956. My father, a retired Pensioner from the

> erstwhile British Government of India, was 74. I was 28. He was

> living in Madurai (South India) with me, my wife and three children

> of ours. Generally he was in perfect health, doing his daily

> religious routines which start with a bath in the early morning,

> sometimes in the river, but mostly as his age advanced, in the home.

> He went through a routine of pUjA for possibly one or two hours.

Then

> throughout the day he would keep himself busy with reading and

> writing. As you know he is the author of several sanskrit

manuscripts

> of advaita character. I have heard several of his religious

> expositions. Naturally as every Hindu expositor would do, if the

> context demanded, he would refer to these slokas of the gita in

these

> expositions. And when he expounds on the name and glory of

Narayana,

> he used to say that one should cry out `Narayana' so loud, that it

is

> heard even in distant VaikunTha, the abode of Vishnu. Whenever as a

> teenager I heard these statements from him, I used to treat them as

> just rhetoric, but I did not realise he was really serious about it,

> until he showed me how one must die.

>

> One month before his demise, he fell ill for a few days, even lost

> consciousness, but recovered very soon. Thereafter he even exhibited

> signs of double vigour. He resumed his river bath, and visits to

the

> temple for darshan and so on. One day he called the pundits, (it was

> an eclipse on that day, perhaps solar), performed some rituals

(which

> later I understood was a prAyaScitta ritual), performed a godAn

(gift

> of a cow), and so on. Since he was generally religious and of a

most

> saintly type, we took these things for granted and did not realise

> that he was gradually preparing for his final exit from this

world.

> December-January corresponds to the Tamil month of Margazhi

(Recall:

> mAsAnAm mArgasIrsho'ham – 10th chapter) which corresponds in the

> divine reckoning, to their early morning time: 4 to 6. During this

> month throughout the Hindu world, morning pujas will be performed

> certainly in all temples, but also in most families of the

> traditional kind. My father used to do this early morning puja