Sri Raghottama Teertharu Part 4.

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> Sri Raghottama teertharu part 4

>

> Sri Raghottama teertharu part 4

> namaskara to all Haribhaktaas.

>

> The miracle of Roti Venkanna was not the only miracle of the swamiji but

throughout His lifetime and after the entry into the brindavan the swamiji

continues to bless the earnest devotees who throng to Him for the fulfilment of

their

> manobheesthaas. Once, the swamiji was crossing a river and the boatman after

having taking the swamiji to the other end confessed that he was dumb and fell

at the feet of the swamiji to bless Him with the power of speech. The Guru who

has the

> capacity of helping His devotees to cross the samsara itself did not hesitate

to relieve him of his malady. He gave him some sanctified water and lo behold!

the boatman a born dumb person could speak fluently. The sky is the limit for

the people

> who fell at His feet.

> The swami had great regard for His mother and he showed the people how the

mother deserved primary respect (Matru devo Bhava). It is said that when the

mother was witnessing the daily puja of Sri Raghottama teertharu she used to see

the devataas

> coming and daintily carrying away their share of offering by the swamiji. It

is natural that when the digbalaka called Nirutti Himself offered will not the

devatas come to accept it? But the lady on seeing Yamadharmaraja coming to take

the

> offering she was terribly frightened and to pacify His mother the swamiji

asked Yamadharmaraja the digbalaka of the southern direction to remain invisible

and the latter agreed to do so. This reminds of the incident in the Srimad

Bhagavatam where

> Devahuti was hearing about the naraka vedana (torturing scenes in the narak or

hell) by the Lord in the form of Kapila Vasudeva and she shuddered at the

thought of even having a glimpse of the hellish inferno. Devahuti was assured by

the Lord that

> she need not worry about hell and not only that those who heard the story of

Devahuti and Kapila Vasudeva sambaashana will not be tormented in the Hell.

Till this day we find the icon of Sri Raghottama's mother at the top of the

brindavan

> blessing all the devoteees who come to pay the homage to the saint.

> That is why most of the people who go to the brindvan craving for issues are

blessed by Her and get their wish granted.

> Also, it is said that once when Sri Raghottama teertharu was travelling with

the disciples in a forest some robbers wanted to attack the party. But they

found a fire enveloping the swamiji and they ran away in great fear. The

swamiji also

> blessing a small king near Raichur who was continuously defeated and when the

king won the war with His blessings He offered valuable gifts and property to

the mutt. The swamiji had wholeheartedly accepted the offerings and blessed

Him.

> After having strode the dvaita Samrajya like a colossus the swamiji

decided to enter brindavan near the collosal temple of Sri Trivikramaswami on

the banks of Pinakini adjacent to a small Hanumaan temple. Exactly a month

before His entry into

> the brindavan the swamiji summoned all His disciples and voiced His decision

of entering the brindavan on the Pushya shuddha ekadashi day . The whole

audience was taken aback by the sudden decision of the swamiji since He was only

around 39 years

> of age at that time.

> But the Swamiji rendered a heartmoving message to all those assembled saying

that His mission on the earth was drawing to a close and when Sri Harih summons

His servant back then there is no question of transgressing His will. The

swamiji said

> that He wiill perform penance in the brindavan for a period of one thousand

years and bountifully bless all those who came to Him. This was the order of

Sri Ramachandra. He also instructed that His brindavan is to be open and there

should be no

> covering at all in whatever form it may be. It is also said that the swamiji

appeared in a dream of the local zamindaar and asked Him to conduct the

preparations for the entry

> The swamiji named Vedavyaasateertha a fitting and worthy disciple as His

successor and handed over the activities of the mutt and started to prepare

Himself for the entry into the brindavan by increasing the meditation on the

Lord. Finally the

> day of the entry into the brindavan had arrived and the swamiji got up in the

wee hours of the day or the Brahma muhooorthaa and performed His daily ablutions

and puja to the dieties. He also gave paataa to His disciples for the last

time. The

> whole atmosphere was serene and filled with an aura of devotion. The devotees

could not believe that the master was going to disappear from sight in a matter

of few hours. Some could not control their grief and wept inconsolably. Others

held

> back their tears lest it might be a apachaara to this great saint. The

brindavan was constructed in such a manner that the swami could sit inside. The

swam,iji had instructed his disciples that the signal for closing the brindavan

was that the

> saffron upper cloth or shaati of the saint will fly into the sky . The

swamiji got up after the pujaa and benevelently cast graceful glances at all the

devotees who had assembled for this holy occassion and proceeded to the

brindavan and before

> sitting into the meditating posture He paid His reverence to Lord Vamana of

Tirukkoilur, the sun and all other deities and sat in the yogic posture . There

was pindrop silence in the gathering. The disciples were waiting for the saffron

cloth to

> rise heaven wards. Suddenly from no where a gust of wind blew and the saffron

holy cloth of the great swamiji flew inthe air skywards never to fall down.

Immediately the disciples closed the holy brindaavan and placed more than 7000

shaligrams or

> holystones brought from the gandaki nadhi and poured holy sanctified waters on

top of the brindavan.

> The air was rent with the shlogans:

> Jai Jai Shri Digvijayaraamaa

> Jai Jai Shri Raghottama

> Thus one of the most austere saints vanished from the sights of the mortals

forever but continued to bless from inside the brindavan. He had raised the

honour and prestige of the mutt by adding wealth and property that was

inexplicably huge but

> lived the life of a real mendicant. He wanted to reiterate His simple penance

by orderering that His brindavan should never be covered even by flowers or

cloth. Even if done so the flowers get blown away and the cloth gets burnt. But

for the

> satisfaction of His dear devotees the swamiji allowed to be covered bya wet

cloth till it dried on the aradhana day only and flowers were also allowed for a

brief interval. There is a small tamarind tree near the brindavan and even the

branches

> when it grows to cover the brindavan gets burnt. Thus one of the greatest

saints the Uttaradhi Mutt had seen lives to this day as a Kalpataru and Kamadenu

to all those who come to Him and reverentially pray to Him.

> Pranamad Kaamadenumcha Bhajadsurataroopamam/

> Shrrii Bhavabhoda Krit Paada Chintaamanimupaasmaye//

>

> The recitation of the above shloka alone brings unlimited grace and blessings

of the swamiji. The swamiji is also reverentially addressed as Bhaavabhoda

kararu since he had written commentaries (Bhoda) on the Bhava or the inner

meaning of the

> works of Srimadaachaaryaru and Sri Jayateertha Mahaprabhugalu. On this

aradhana day today (7-1-2000) let us all offer ananta koti pranams to the Holy

feet of Shri Bhavabhodakararu and be blessed with jnaana,bhakti and vairagyaa. I

again and again

> humbly offer my salutations and prostrations to the great saint ,a

personification of simplicity , austerity and penance but for His grace by which

this humble and ordinary soul would not have dared to venture to write on His

Holiness.

> Raghuttama gurum vande raghuttama padaarchakam/

> gaambeeryenaarthabaahulya teeka taatparya bhodakam//

> Salutations to the feet of the great Sri Raghottama for having made the terse

works of Sri Teekaacharyaru easily accessable.

>

> (to be continued)

> Shri Raghuttamateerthantargata Shri Seeta Sameta Digvijayaraamapriyataam

Shri Krishnaarpanamasthu.

> Yours in the service of Sri Harih,

> Dr. B. Basker.

>

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