The Eighteen Puranas

The Eighteen Puranas

Sri Paramacharya camped in Chennai for several months. From there the Swami shifted to a tile kiln (Brick Factory) premises in Mambalam area on the Poonamalle Road. One evening I went to see the Swami with a Seth from Kolkata. The Seth was a very rich individual and a generous one too. As usual I prostrated at Paramacharya. The Seth too did the same and offered his salutations. We stood there for a while with folded (clasped) hands (as a gesture of respect).

The Swamiji lifted his head and enquired: “Once you’ve mentioned about someone. Is this the person?” Swami’s memory skills and his penetrating talents of insight are extraordinary. I nodded in agreement saying, “I had to bring him here due to lot of pressure.”

Now, I must recount certain facts about the Seth. He was a sincere religious (dharmic) person. He used to attend my daily discourses on Ramayana and Mahabharata. I used to speak and intersperse with Hindi during my commentaries and that attracted a good following. After the initial invocation (sloka reciting), I would tell the audience about (Kanchi) Paramacharya, his tapas-sakti (devotional energy), and his boundless intellect. Tell I used to with specific examples. Only then I would begin my discourse. I’ve been following this activity for many years. 

God blessed the Seth with all types of riches and luxuries. But with such opulence he also suffered from a major ailment. Not able to take food through mouth was the Seth’s terrible misfortune. His esophagus (the tube that connects mouth and stomach) did not work. They had to make a perforation into the stomach and send food through it. What a hell it was? He was patiently eking (dragging) out days like that.   

The Seth tried everything to find a cure. He met all the world famous doctors. Visited many temples and paid penances. Prayers, pujas, yantras, chanting – you name it he did everything. But there was no improvement in his condition. Once he heard me mention Kanchi Swami in one of the discourses. Since then he started pinning hopes on Paramacharya. Perhaps the Swami might provide a relief from the terrible painful condition.

One day the Seth was very insistent to accompany me to Chennai. But how could I take him to Paramacharya without the Swami’s (explicit) approval? Once I mentioned that I would go to Chennai and seek the Swamiji’s approval. Immediately he gave me a plane ticket to Chennai. Upon reaching Chennai I approached Paramacharya and sought permission for bringing the Seth with me. The Swami enquired about my discourses but he did not say anything about my request. When I reminded the Swami, he simply deferred the matter saying “not now.” Not to offend the Seth I simply said I would take him to Paramacharya once my discourses come to an end – thus dodged the issue temporarily.

So, now without Swamiji’s permission I brought the Seth here to Chennai. No doubt it was an infraction on my part but I did it purely out of altruistic motive. Whatever good or bad befalls on us it is all due to the past (previous births’) karma. Every man (person) must experience the fruits (of past karma). Only by experiencing the effects of karma, can we diminish (whittle away) the accumulated (bad) karma. Therefore, if we experience serially painful difficulties that means all our sins are getting eroded slowly. If we simply bear such difficulties with full trust in Eswara then their effect will get moderated. In such matters about good and bad, often Swami’s elucidations are very clear and revealing.

People often ask for the elimination of difficulties in life without realizing their root cause, without true heart felt repentance. Perhaps that was the reason for Paramacharya’s reluctance to meet such aggrieved persons. I stood farther from the Swamiji and tried to remind about (the Seth’s) the matter. Still Paramacharya did not respond. As the night was approaching I wanted to seek Swamiji’s permission for leaving. I planned to return early the next day. Of course Paramacharya understood my thoughts (predicament) and commented thus: “We cannot do anything in his situation. Take him with you. Tell him to abide his full trust in Eswara and continue doing good things (acts). Eventually only God can come to his rescue.”

I ventured and said, “For many years he has been doing lots of good deeds (charitable acts). Is there no solution for his problem? For every thing (sin) there is recompense, a suitable punishment. Don’t our sastras and canonical texts specify punishment for sinners and hapless cursed individuals? In God’s creation there must be a way for rectifying (remedying) erroneous behavior. Please you must kindly show a way for the Seth.” Thus I tried my best to argue on behalf of the ailing Seth. 

After listening to everything Paramacharya observed silence for a while; the Swami beckoned me close and asked, “Will he obey and do whatever I say?”

“Definitely he’ll obey your instructions. I’ll ask him to comply.”

“If he doesn’t implement..”

“If the Seth obeys things will turn for better. Otherwise he must bear the aching burden.”

“It will cost lot of money to implement what I suggest. Can he spend that much?”

“He is a multi-millionaire. Will spend his entire wealth for health.”

“Ok. If that’s the case, let him print all the eighteen Puranas on good stock of paper, in attractive legible print in Sanskrit, and distribute all the books (volumes) to qualified Vedic Pundits freely. Will he do it? Can he do it?”

“He’ll. I will urge him to do it as per your words.” I said.

“Do you know the names of the eighteen Puranas? Tell me”

I narrated all the names. I was happy somehow my arguments worked.

I called the Seth and explained all the details. He got excited and gave his commitment. With tears rolling down he prostrated to Paramacharya. The Swami blessed him and instructed his disciples to distribute prasad to the Seth. 

As soon as he reached his place he started to get the books printed. He set up the operation (office) in one of the floors of his palace. He summoned Vedic Pundits and scholars from many states for advice. After consulting numerous scholars and experts he got the books printed with large font on high quality paper. The books were distributed to eligible pundits. All the books carried the insignia “with love” in lieu of “cost”.     

Would his disease status improve? Would it really retrograde, lessen or not? He did not entertain any doubt and he got fully immersed in the project without the slightest disbelief. As per Swamiji’s instruction the seventeen Puranas came out in print. But his ailment did not see any change, of course. Even in the midst of such a humongous work he continued taking food as before (via stomach hole).

Finally, at last as soon as he started work on ‘Skanda Purana’, suddenly he began eating from mouth like all people. His palate got back the taste sense. A wonder, wonder of wonders – a rare surprise in this life happened against all odds! That excruciating pain he suffered every moment, every day suddenly vanished with the benediction of Paramacharya. 

Upon hearing his progress I met Paramacharya and said, “Swami’s power is the mother of all powers. It is solely due to your grace the Seth got (another) a rebirth. This is purely due to your blessing. You’ve saved him. You are the God.” Thus saying I started getting teary eyed.

But then when I heard Paramacharya’s (the great sakti) words I realized I was witnessing none other than the Eswara. “Our own (country’s) dharmic texts’ power saved him. Isn’t it?”

Neither anyone nor I heard the Swami ascertaining his instrumentality in this benevolent episode. After hearing this miraculous (healing) account many foreigners made a beeline to see the Swami. (From “Paramacharyar” book by Mukkur Srinivasa Varadacharyar Swamigal, Ashtalakshmi Temple, Chennai.)

[Note: It seems the original for this narrative is in a Tamil book. I did the English translation here from an account in Telugu, which I got from a relative. I think these accounts of Sri Paramacharya teach us a lot about Hindu faith, Sanatana Dharma, and the precious value of our canonical texts.] Copyright 2021 by the author 

Something To Ponder Upon (Grace)

    Something To Ponder Upon (Grace)

    There are a few things I would like to share with youngsters. Currently all over the world times are hard and very trying; there is no assurance that the near future will be any better. Though this writer is biased (in a positive sense) towards the Indian subcontinent, he is fully aware of his readership across continents. Now, in this post and some future ones I would like to narrate close encounters with “grace”. This I do with utter humility – not to bloviate. Perhaps some distraught youth may get inspiration from my humble experiences and overcome imminent despair. Like “freedom”, we need the guru in the beginning, at the start. Alas, life does not work like that. Our ignorance (or burden of past ‘karma’) is so great, it overwhelms every instinct to do good acts, follow basic norms of decency (dharma), and be generous to others and us. Grace is accessible to everyone; it is there for all genuine seekers. No one is rich or poor in the eyes of “grace”. We’ll be unnecessarily harming ourselves if we ignore this important aspect in life. There will be times when we lose friends, companions, and close relatives in the long journey of life. Or, when we encounter incurable disease. At such times one has to draw on inner strengths. Our rishis have great inner strengths. Personally I’ve known or seen several such great austere personalities with utter inviolability and authentic inner energy. Nothing would perturb them in the slightest.

 

    These narrations are not in any temporal sequence. I just follow my thoughts and the quick fingers do the rest. It is like catching the falling (spiraling) maple seeds or colorful autumn leaves. You have to gather fast and not let any one beautiful leaf escape your grip.

 

    It was during a severe snowstorm. Normally we try to avoid driving during heavy snowstorms/blizzards. Even with excellent snow ploughs (salt and road cleaning) one may get stuck on the road. The traffic gets jammed and often you see cars skidding, hitting the curb or sliding off the highway into shoulder. I was returning from a short shopping trip and was just barely two miles away from home. A slight mistake and the front tire went over the six-inch high sidewalk (curb). Everything came to a standstill and I got stuck. No amount of maneuvering would work. It was a front wheel drive vehicle and the front wheels were skidding. Of course, eventually I would be rescued or towed to the nearest gas station. But before the AAA rescue vehicle came, a strange intervention happened. Someone came out of nowhere and lifted my van with bare hands and put down the passenger side wheel on road. Instantaneously everything got solved efficiently and before I could express thanks, the Good Samaritan miraculously disappeared without a trace. Now, one could surmise such an event as just fluke, sort of a random event. But this writer would only count it as “pure grace”. (The writer would not like to boast but he has studied deeply logic, sufficient and necessary conditions, delved more profoundly into mathematical topics such as various types of infinities, real and imaginary numbers, transformations, and probability theory – certainly had more exposure to science and mathematics than many in the world.)

 

    With the same vehicle earlier I ran into another dangerous situation on the highway. Once I went to the dealer to find a part to fix the bonnet (hood) prop rod. It is a small plastic clip that is held firmly to the body. Due to age and extreme cold weather the original plastic part got cracked (broken) and I had to improvise with a twist tie. Finally I got the part from the dealer and installed the piece right in the parking lot. But I made a serious (tragic) blunder; I forgot to drop the hood from two feet high and forcibly shut the spring-loaded latch. What was I thinking? Or, just being utterly careless and absent minded? We laugh and blame surgeons for leaving a scissor or scalpel in a patient’s body. But here I made a deadly stupid mistake. I let the hood rest loosely and hurriedly got on to the expressway at full speed (50 - 60 mph). The house is barely five miles from the car dealer. Now you can guess what happened. Bang! The unlatched hanging hood got swung out (like a loose door during strong wind) with a massive force and hit my front windshield – while I was driving at 60 mph. When I opened my eyes, the entire front (windshield) glass got broken into hundreds of one inch pieces, with cracks all over the viewing area, and I was literally shaking in my driver’s seat. Luckily, not a single glass shard came loose. Nothing hit me, truly thanks to some unknown grace. Now, in retrospective how could I’ve saved myself in such a dangerous situation? I could’ve hit a vehicle, a tree, or median. It was beyond my limited human ability, beyond my skills. There was no time even for a prayer. Fortunately I got everything repaired professionally to a flawless perfection. Luckily I escaped the accident unscathed both bodily and fiscally.

 

    A more recent accident happened near an ancient temple. (This writer did not do any special act to deserve any grace or reprieve for any infraction or unkind act in life!) I was trying to wade into the river waters and do an abbreviated “ablution” (మార్జనము) as part of the temple visit. I am always attracted to water, rivers, lakes, ocean, or even swimming pools. Perhaps I’ve developed this aqua-instinct due to living my formative years next to the Godavari canal. I learnt swimming a bit late in life but I never had the fear of water. The steps to the river were covered with green glistening moss and I was fully aware of the danger while entering the waters. Still, without any warning I momentarily slid and fell into the river. When you are young, falling is no big deal. At the most a few bruises, a little bleeding, or perhaps a snap of bone is all that occurs. But it is entirely a different situation when you are a grownup, thousands of miles away from home, and among strangers. On top of that, my doctor expressly advised me to avoid all falls due to valid reasons. Now, here in the shallow waters (near the bank) I got totally wet and I had to change. Changing of clothes and drying water dripping freshly pressed shirt and trousers – that was no problem, no big deal in the larger scheme of things. Again, some thing intervened and I was fully saved. I just landed gently on the smooth sandy layer over the concrete river steps. When I stood up there was not a scratch on the body. It was as though some hand (or something) was protecting me all along. Perhaps, the “grace” wanted to give me a full bath in the sacred river. Why an “abbreviated” act? It was as though some voice was speaking to me thus: “Earlier you bathed in this river and showed me your devotion and innocence. Why are you hesitating today? You brought spare clean clothes, didn’t you? Have a nice ablution facing the divine couple. They are none other than your loving parents. Do not miss this unique opportunity.” The same Lord Narayana watched over us through all the tiring travels and took us around many holy pilgrim places.

 

    Accidental falls can be disastrous for anyone, young or old. They may result in hip fractures, hairline bone fractures, or deadly blood clots in the brain. Simple bone fractures or joint dislocations can heal. But clots in the brain (hematoma) can be fatal if not treated immediately. Complex hip or knee joint fractures may impair ones mobility permanently. (to be continued) Copyright 2020 by the author

Brahmasri Chaganti Koteswararao

Brahmasri Chaganti Koteswararao

With the sun rising across Roosevelt Island, the hurrying East River below, everything seems beguilingly peaceful and quiet from the glass window. Almost three decades back, a devoted Indian scholar started his American adventure from a small apartment in Manhattan. How hard it must have been for him in those days to keep his soul and pious traditions in tact? Even now it is not easy to get vegetarian dishes in many places in North America. A little better, yes, but still it is hard to find a delicious satisfying morsel with only vegetables and grains. How can we imagine the hardships of those pioneering souls? Crossing the oceans on ships, surviving the entire travel only on canned tomatoes, and adhering to daily ablutions and performing prescribed meditative prayers. Thus they came despite all distractions, disappointments, and humiliating trials. That was how, Vivekananda landed in Chicago. Or, Prabhupada. Or, any other philosopher from the land of ancient civilization. Much of the goodwill and courtesy, enjoyed by the present Indian emigrants everywhere, is due to those early path breakers. Irrefutably so. That is because, they are all from, and form an original human thought continuum.

One may ask why? Why did they undertake such difficult voyages? A saint need not go anywhere. Need not give speeches. The great saints are always beyond the normal ethos of civilization. Their presence alone is sufficient to bring auspiciousness all around – like that Rishyasrunga. They may act out of their own volition, may not act, it is all up to them. Like the celestial Narada’s actions, their mistakes too benefit mankind. So, if a youth in jeans asks, “Why did Prabhupada come to New York?” the answer is a bit long one. He strictly followed his guru’s words. He wanted to tell in English the true meaning of Krishna, Gita, Bhagavatam, and other scriptures. He wanted to convey without distortion the original message as he experienced through his insights. Truly a veritable source of infinite (not phony, feigned) compassion resides in the heart of a saint. And it is that bubbling compassion that prompts, pushes such good souls into beneficial action.

Without the works of such swamis (look at the original Sanskrit word), the larger world and India would be poorer. It will be left with grossly mangled twisted interpretations of Upanishads, Hindu (sanatana would be a better word) mythologies, and religious practices. Many (with very few exceptions) westerners lack the language credentials and critical thinking to understand the original (which were enshrined in Sanskrit and other Indian vernaculars) writings. (Certainly some of their sincere efforts are laudable) In addition to their dismal understanding of Sanskrit, they often try to read Indian religious works with the biases of anthropology, Freud, or whatever favor-of-the-month fashion/thought. Now such exercises are good for academic promotions, glib alcohol dripping talk, - but they never address life’s fundamental issues – they slowly sink into the quick sands of hypocrisy. Therefore, such attempts often lead to tragic catastrophes both for its proponents and followers.

The current Indian urban youth and diasporic children are faced with huge cultural problems. It is there for anyone to observe, right in front of eyes. Much of the generation gap (I never heard the word in Telugu, in my school or college days) and discordance with elders is rooted there. Is it due to nuclear families? Earlier, we used to interact and mingle with people across generations – from great grandmother to the newborn crawling nephew. Some will discard the old tradition like an old dress or used car. Others will struggle to explore and try to find the “real meaning” of scriptures, daily practices, etc. Is there any help for such curious youngsters? All explorers are young and innocent at heart. Certainly, there is.

Why do we need the help of elders, priests, or books? Because, every enquiring mind will have questions. And questions are galore, everywhere. But time is of essence. One must question everything – be it religion, science, or art. Certainly a civilization of millennia, with practices handed down by hundred generations and diverse regions will have many interesting, albeit intriguing at times, festivals, functions, and ceremonies. That is the beauty of life. People unfamiliar with such a tapestry of culture ask: Why does the father-in-law wash bridegroom’s feet? Why does the priest (in a Vaishnava temple) put a metal cap ( a youth amusingly called it “topi”) on your head? How come Vishnu is always adorned in flowers and flowing silk? Why Siva gets only ashes and buckets of water?

For answers, one needs patience, persistence, and a bit of self-effort. One can ask the priest (no shame in that), read on line Sanskrit (Telugu, Hindi, etc.) dictionaries, or pick a book from sidewalk vendor or a temple store. A sincere beginning can be made. With luck, soon one learns many things. Quickly the curious young mind will discover valuable meaning in the Indian traditions. We must really pay our gratitude to all our grand parents, parents, uncles, and aunts – for strenuously preserving and passing on these traditions. Many of the older generations succeeded in handing down the rituals despite the persistent onslaught of foreign influences in the guise of rationality and material prosperity. Except a liberated guru, no one, no one (like that catchy phrase from a pop song!) will uplift the other, neither the Sensex nor office boss. This, many elders will honestly attest as a genuine fact in life.

Now, we come to one very illustrious exponent of our scriptures. He is Brahmasri Chaganti Koteswararao*. The world Telugu community is really fortunate, nay blessed to have such a great scholar in current times. Words cannot convey, but we are immensely indebted to him and his teacher. Many of his extempore commentaries on Ramayana, Siva, and other topics are posted on the Internet. It is thrilling to hear a live voice, explaining the meaning behind Kanakadhara Stotra. I do not know much about other languages; but in Telugu we have this practice, rather age-old tradition of commentaries on various Hindu texts and philosophical treatises. In towns and villages across Andhra Pradesh, elderly (retired) people are often seen in the cool evenings to cluster around a learned scholar to listen to the subtle meaning behind a poem, a sloka, or a story from the ancient puranas. Such discourses were always free, open to everyone - young and old, and rich and poor alike. We hope the practice will continue with such gifted teachers well into next generations. Many of us ardently feel that innocent future grand children will not be deprived (robbed) of their rightful inheritance, of traditional Hindu culture and philosophy.

Without an understanding of ancient Hindu scriptures, all classical dance, music (Carnatic), and Indian literature comes to a grinding halt. Without that eternal spring of spirituality, everything else just withers away.

* http://te.srichaganti.net/Pravachanams.aspx

Copyright 2009