[Advaita-l] JAGADGURU SRI CHANDRASEKHARA BHARATI MAHASWAMI – MYSTIC AND SEER - 4

[S Jayanarayanan]

 (Continued from previous post)
 
 
(Book condensation from Tattvaloka, July 1999, Volume XXII No. 2 )
 
http://www.svbf.org/journal/vol5no1-2/mystic.pdf
 
Boyhood Days
 
Narasimha was a gift of God with the
blessings of the guru Sri Narasimha Bharathi
Mahaswami. There is little doubt that Narasimha
was an exceptional luminary who was born to
teach, born to redeem. Little wonder that even
from his boyhood days he was introverted, had
no attraction for the objects of the world.
 
He had his boarding and lodging in the house
of Srikanta Sastri, the Administrator, but he
would never fail to discharge his filial duties.
But moods of God-intoxication would be there
on  him,  often  making  him  forget  his
surroundings.
 
He was very fond of chanting the hymn
Mookapanchasati. Once while on way to the
market, he was so immersed in the composition
that he proceeded far beyond the limits of the
Sringeri township. It was only when the
recitation ended that Narasimha realized he had
come far out.
 
This was not a stray incident. His God-
mindedness manifested itself in several ways.
Each evening, till about seven or seven-thirty,
Narasimha would sit in the Vidya Sankara temple
with no awareness of the external world.
 
This devotional mood would be particularly
intense on pradosha days (pradosha occurs twice
in a lunar month and is considered sacred for
Siva worship). “How did he offer his worship?
With abhisheka performed with the waters of
the pure mind drawn from the river of faith and
with flowers of constant samadhi.”
 
To him worship was a sure means of
communion with God. There was an air of reality
in whatever he did. It was not a matter of make-
believe or imagination. The way he did the
parayanam, reading from the Ramayana, was a
lesson in this direction.
 
 
(Continued in next post)