[Chaturamnaya] Life and Teachings of His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyateertha Mahaswamigal - 9

[S Jayanarayanan]

 (Continued from previous post)

http://svbf.org/journal/vol4no2/teachings.pdf

Scholarship in Tarka

The following incident testifies to the Paramacharya's great confidence in the Acharya's scholarship.
The Acharya's studies in Tarka were as yet incomplete when a Tarka scholar from North India
happened to come to Sringeri to seek some clarifications from the Paramacharya. The Paramacharya
directed the pundit to our Guru but the scholar was hesitant and sought help from the Paramacharya
himself, but was told, "Let him give the necessary explanation. If your doubts still persist,
I shall clarify."

The scholar reluctantly agreed but was completely taken aback when he heard a torrential flow of
intricate points from the Acharya, which completely cleared his doubts. He realized his folly in
underestimating the Acharya's genius and duly apologized.

During one Vidvat Sadas, when the Acharya advanced an original approach to a complex problem in
Nyaya, the Paramachary's face broke into a delightful smile and soon he was all smiles and his
eyes sparkled with joy. In fact on that day, he was so pleased that he did not allow the Acharya
to leave his presence.

Mutual Concern

The Acharya desired to follow the scriptural injunction that the sishya should not eat before
his Guru does. The Paramacharya took his Bhiksha rather late in the afternoon and so the
Acharya always waited for him to begin. In fact, he did this though for a time a separate kitchen
had been arranged for him, so that it would not be obligatory for the Bhiksha times of the Guru
and sishya to coincide. On hearing of the Acharya's late Bhiksha, the Paramacharya, out of concern
for the Acharya's health, cancelled the extra kitchen and himself started going for Bhiksha earlier
than before.

Our Guru wished to imbibe the good qualities of his master. The Paramacharya's mother used to have
his darsan only once a fortnight because he shunned bondage due to attachment to relatives.
On hearing this, the Acharya wished to emulate the same and told Venkatalakshmi Ammal of the above.
 
The Paramacharya was in the habit of walking slowly unlike the Acharya who was brisk to the extent
that his attendants had virtually to run to keep pace with him. Still, in his master's presence,
he never overstepped his master and reverentially walked and stood behind him.

The fact that the Acharya adored his Guru did not imply that he aped all of Paramacharya's views,
for that would never have met with Paramacharya's approval. If they commented on something from
different points of view it did not imply that the Acharya did not take the Paramacharya's views
seriously.

In fact, it was the Paramacharya who himself encouraged the Acharya to take a free and independent
line of thinking in such matters in keeping with the need to cater to a changing and less orthodox
society.

To the Acharya, his Guru's words always had an import, which would be understood sometime,
or the other. So great was his maturity that even when he was young, he felt that it would be
some years before he would fully appreciate some specific statements of the Paramacharya.

Mastery of Swimming

When the Acharya came to Sringeri he did not know swimming but gradually mastered it. He swam with
the grace of a fish. The more torrential the current, the greater was his affinity to the flow.
And he did not hesitate to take risks.

For instance during his all-India tour when he was ferried to the region where the whitish waters
of the Ganga and the dark Yamuna meet at Prayag, unmindful of the strong undercurrent, he dived in.
He felt the strong force of the undercurrent but held his own and climbed into the boat.

Knowing, however, that it would be a problem for less experienced swimmers, he advised those who had
accompanied him to refrain from trying their hand in those waters. He however never missed any chance
to dive into the various rivers and oceans that he came across on his travels.

Full of life, the Acharya used to wander into the forests and along the banks of the river Tunga.
The Paramacharya had such an intense love for his disciple that he used at times to accompany the
Acharya to a Madapam nearby and wait for his return.

If it became late, the Guru would then become visibly restless and shortly thereafter, would send
a man with a lamp to fetch the Acharya. He never reprimanded the Acharya for coming late, though
he advised him not to stay out well after dark.

The Acharya had told a disciple, "Barring three things, I do not remember having done, even in a
dream, on even one occasion, anything that did not meet my Guru's approval. The three things were
swimming, climbing trees and going freely for a walk in the forests."

(To be continued)
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