Swaprakashananda Guruvugaaru

November 5, 2005

Dear Dattajanas,

Avadhoota Chintana! Guruparampara Prerana!

Posting in Smarthrugaami Dattavibhavam .

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I started this group Smarthrugaami-Dattavibhavam because of Guruvugaaru(Please see the homepage of the group). He was the Avadhutha who had given me this human birth through his singular parikriya (a Tantric act) on a Mahameru-Shaligrama.

Fondly known to his disciples as Gurugarau, Swami Srilasri Swaprakasananda theertha avadhootha was born in 1915 in a small village, Vidurbarthi in Andhra Pradesh. Hailing from the Dattatreya lineage, Sri Swaprakasananda had not received any formal education, yet with the Mother's Blessings, has vast knowledge of the Vedas and Sastras and is well versed in Sanskrit.

Sri Gurugaru came in contact with some of India's finest spiritual gurus during his twentieth year. He received Dhiksha from Sri Poornananda Yogi, a disciple of the tibetian guru, Maru Maharishi. He was introduced to SriVidya upasana by Sri Kesari Kameswara Rao of the Madhvacharya sampradaya. In his 32nd year, Sri Gurugaru received Dhiksha in the mahavidyas of Sri Rajarajeswari, Vanadurga and Saptasathi Chandi. He attained Poorna dhiksha from Sri Gnanananda Saraswathi of Anakapalli.

He travelled the length and breadth of India to enhance his spiritual knowledge. By the time he was 40 years old, he had mastered the 64 tantras, from Orissa and Rajamandri. At 43, he had learnt 70 million mantras from the teachings of 18 peetams and many gurus. He spent a few years in Kasi contemplating and analysing the source of the mantras he had learnt. He was greatly aided by Sri Dakshinamurthi Paramahamsa of Lalithanagar, Vishakapatnam.

In addition to the siddhis he had already received, he became a vedic scholar at the age of 58 with the grace of Chintamani Mahavidyeswari.

By 1980, in his 65th year, Sri Gurugaru felt the urge to renounce the material world and take up sanyas. To this end, he travelled to the Sri Bhadrakali Mahapeetam at Haridhwar's Saptarishi sarovar. Sanyasa dhiksha was showered on him by Srilasri Kalyanananda Bharathi theertha Maharaj. Years later, with his Guru's blessings, Sri Gurugaru took up the Avadhootha Ashrama.

Gurugaaru attained his samadhi(leaving the moratl coils to join with Parabrahmam) breathed his last at around 6pm on Tuesday, July 23,2002(Gurupournami!!) Very sad to note that only one or two disciples have come to pay their respects to his samadhi.Many used to bug Him with favours from transfer/promotion in a job to marital problems!Very few really came for spirituality. This Gurupournami I was shocked to note that His samadhi was visited by just one person(Somashekharamgaaru our group co-moderator) despite his tempestuous personal life. Though Guruvugaaru is not my Srividya Guru He nevertheless is like my father,grandfather,guru and everything rolled into one! Blessed is the land of Bharathavarsha to have given birth to such a Datta-gaint!

He used to say to me always "Nuvvu DeviTanayudu vayya!"(You are the son of Devi).And I used to play with his matted locks as a toddler. I nostaIgically remember that as a toddler I used to go and look in one picture of Rajarajeshwari Amba he had and say to Him with all sincerity and innocence befitting that age-- "Nenu choodadaniki Ammavaarulaaga kanipisthunannaa? Ledhe!"(Do I look like Amba Rajarajeshwari? I do not think so!") He used to laugh out aloud and say " Champesavayya! Nuvvu naa maata nammu , nuvvu nijangaa Deviputruduve'!"(Translating literally:"You have killed me!(Iam damned!) You should believe me! You are truly Divine mother Rajarajeshwari's son!")

My father was among his first disciples and knew him for more than 60 years!When my father lost a son at a young age,Guruvugaaru comforted him and my mother(who lost all belief in God) that he saw Devi handing Him a baby boy(me apparently) and that he will be born soon and asked my father and mother(who had by then crossed menopause stage!) to ingest 'navaneeta'(mantrically energised butter made to sit on the shaligrama-mahameru bindusthana for 15 days ) every Pournami.

(He used to keep the Shaligrama-Mahameru in His lap and meditate with the 'Navaneetha' on it for my father's sake for days.In this picture He is seen meditating on a Datta-vigraha)

My mother who was a bit rational minded was stunned at this miracle! It looked like something straight out of Gurucharitra! and wondered how many more such Avadhutas exist in India who can go against the tide of scientific thinking and work from the heart of God such miracles!

(Sri Mahameru shaped Temple built by Amritaji in Devipiuram. Amritaji is a disciple of Guruvugaaru)

(Amritanandaji with His Ardhangini)

Iam cut-paste-copying what I found in one site (Amrita-Prahalad Shastry ji's site) about Him.I have added some images to make it more interesting.

My Shashtaang Dhandawath at his golden Lotus feet!

Guruparampara Pranathosmi Nityam!

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Sri Gurubhyo Namah

Guru Garu’s Darshan

By Kathy Turiyamba

I had the great blessing of receiving Guru Garu’s darshan twice. Both times were in Vizag in his third floor room of his daughter’s house. I remember clearly the room; the pictures of Dattatreya hung high near the ceiling in every direction, the orange wooden platform bed where he seemed to never move from, the little buzzer on the wall bedside him which he would ring for his cup of coffee. Guru Garu sat on his orange bed, serene yet energetic, out-of-body, glowing a radiant amber glow with a smile on his face, intensely staring at me. I had the feeling that by looking at me he knew my past, present and future.

I was staying with Guruji and Amma in Devipuram. This was my first trip to Devipuram in October 1999. I remember asking Guruji and Amma what to bring Guru Garu as an offering. I thought someone told me that he likes nuts. Guruji Amma laughed and said that Guru Garu has no teeth so he would not eat nuts. Guruji told me that he really likes electronic gadgets, so I decided to give him my walkman. The only tapes I had with me were chanting tapes. Guruji asked if I had any Hindi film song tapes to give him which unfortunately I did not. So I decided to give him Aiya’s chanting on the Mantra IV tape which I was listening to every day. When I gave Guru Garu the walkman and told him that the tape was Haran Aiya chanting, Guru Garu seemed very happy and spoke very affectionately about Haran Aiya.

I also remember both Guruji and Guruji-Amma each telling me separately before I visited Guru Garu not to ask him for anything. I did not know the reason for their saying this, but I followed the Guru’s words.

When we entered Guru Garu’s room, we sat before him and meditated. He asked where I was from and I told him that I had come from the Rochester peetham in America. We sat silently and he intensely starred at us. I looked back into his eyes and tried to empty my mind and remain open to receiving the energy of the moment. I had no clue what he was doing/thinking. He did some quick movements with his hands, perhaps mudras that I did not recognize. He knew we did not want to leave, so he said something like, "you can stay a little longer and meditate, but this body you are looking at is nothing".

(Guruvugaaru in His senior days)

He told a story of the picture hanging on his wall that a man took of the mountains, not knowing that Dattatreya was standing before him until the photograph was developed and Dattatreya’s image was visible. Eventually he motioned for us to leave and we head back down the narrow steps, through the small alley to the rickshaw and back to Devipuram. While I do not fully understand what happened that day, I have faith that this seemingly simple darhsan of Guru Garu, my Parameshta Guru, is a tremendous blessing.

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Rajarajeshwaree Paradevata Sees all and Blesses all.

Pashyanthee...

Yours yogically,

Shreeram Balijepalli

Purity, Powers, Parabrahmam...

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