‘Ãshãda Ekãdasi’
Premika Bhavanam, Chennai, India.
01.07.2001 - Sunday - 7.00 p.m.

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Sri Swamigal has been rendering ‘Upanyãsam’ (discourses), in Tamizh. This is being brought to you here.

There may appear to be variations in the ‘tense’ of the language. This is due to the fact that great effort has been taken to maintain the original style of the ‘Upanyãsam’. Therefore, we request you to keep this in mind while reading the translated ‘words’ of Sri Swamigal.

Sri Swamiji,

"HARE RÃMA HARE RÃMA RÃMA RÃMA HARE HARE
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE"

" ‘Ekãdasi vrata’ (fast) is ‘janma vrata’ (one to be adhered to throughout one’s lifetime). There are any number fasts followed by people. Innumerable ladies take up ‘Rata sapthami vratha’. This bestows auspiciousness on one. There are many fasts that are taken up with some material benefit in mind. To get through in an examination, to get married, to secure a good job, etc. But amongst all the ‘vratãs’ Ekãdasi vrata is one that has to be followed by all without fail. It is a janma vrata. One should fast on that day and coming to the real purpose of the fast, it does not matter if one takes milk or fruit but one should incessantly think and sing the glory of the Lord. Upavãsa means being close (upa-near: vaasa-stay) to God - ‘Ekãdasi upavãsa’ means one should be in the thought of God the whole day.

On the 5th July is Vyãsa Poornima or Guru Poornima as it is also called, when one pays his respects to the Guru. Chãturmãsya vrata begins from this day. However, the ascetics (Sanyasis) take up the vow of this ‘vrata’ from today. For four long months the ascetics, who cannot stay in one place for more than three days, stay put in a place so as to perform their spiritual practice without any interruption. This Chaturmãsya vrata should be followed by all and is not meant only for the ascetics. It is meant for the householders as well. In the first month one should avoid taking curd, the second month milk, the third month vegetables and the fourth month pulses.

This Ekãdasi is a special one as it is ‘Ãshãda Ekãdasi’ (‘Ãshãda’ month). It is today that the Ratotsav (festival of the Chariots) in Puri Kshetra (Holy place in the State of Orissa) comes to an end. Today the Chariots come to a stand. When the Chariots move around it seems as if the whole city moves! It is a magnificent sight! Lord Jaganãtha is in this Kshetra. Only two Kshetras are spoken of in the Vedas. One is Tirupathi and the other is Puri. This is a Kshetra that every Mahatma yearns to visit. All Mahatmas have established a branch of their mission here. Adi Sankara has established one Mutt in Puri. Chaitanya Mahapraba spent time in this Kshetra. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa has visited this Jagannatha Kshetra. Three and thirty crores of Devas, Rishi-Munis are ever circumambulating this Kshetra. Three things are spoken of as being Brahma-swaroopa. One is the Ganges that comes from none less than the Lord’s Toe. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa would feel deep uneasiness if he happened to eat anything offered by one who makes his living by financing. He would drink a little of the Ganges water kept close by to remove the sin taken upon by this. Another is the soil of Vrindavan (Vrindavan rajas) and the third is the ‘Prasad’ of Puri Temple. Maha Periyava would never drink even a drop of water before completing Sri Chandramouleeswara Puja. Even after He had given up His Peetãthipathi Stãna, if He were here where the Puja was being done He would take His meals only after the Puja. Until then not a drop of water would go into Him. But when Jagannatha Mishra, who was the union minister, brought Puri Prasad, Maha Periyava who might not have even brushed His teeth snatched it from his hands and took it! One should take this Prasad in this manner without any second thought. Such is the greatness of Puri Prasad. Do you know which act is considered as earning the worst sin? To eat that which has been left over by a cat. One should never eat what a cat might have dropped while eating. This earns the worst sin for one. But it is said that one could eat the left overs of a cat if it be Puri Prasad!

‘Ãshãda Ekãdasi’ is a very special day in Pandaripura (State of Maharashtra). The Town is filled with crores of devotees on this day. The Sants from nearby villages, holding a ‘jhanda’ (flag) begin their journey towards Pandaripura, by foot, a month early. All through the way they sing and dance the Praise of Lord Panduranga. Namdev (the devotee of Lord Panduranga) asked Panduranga, “Panduranga! How will I or many others have Your darshan in such huge crowd?” Panduranga replied, “Don’t worry. I will stand atop the temple tower and give darshan!” Here one will find people come in simple clothing but filled with devotion for Panduranga. They embrace Panduranga with deep love. ‘Mooda bhakti’ (blind devotion/faith without any intellect working of the mind). All of them sing and dance around without any shyness/embarrassment.

The five months starting from Ãdi (Tamizh month) is night time for the Devas. Mãrgazhi month is early morning - ( 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.) - for the Devas. This is why we sing ‘Ãndãl’s’ Pãsuram in the month of Mãrgazhi waking up the Lord and the Devas. The Lord Himself goes to sleep. The Lord is in ‘Yoga nidra’, in a state of Samadhi. In Srirangam only the ‘mukha mandala’ (the face) darshan of the Lord can be had. The rest of the portion is curtained off. That is, the darshan of only the face of Lord Ranganatha can be had, all these months, as He is in Samadhi. The Sanyasis, staying in one place, perform continuous tapas during these months.

In Tirupathi innumerable utsavs are celebrated. Tirupathi Hills extend from Kãlahasti to Ahobila. This whole area is the kingdom of Venkatamudaiyãn (Sri Balaji/Lord Venkateswara). One of the Hills is known as Anjana giri. It is here that Swami Anjaneya was born. It was from here that Anjaneya tried to catch the Sun! In two Kshetras one can hear the incessant (loud) chanting of the Lord’s Name. One is Tirupathi and the other Guruvayur. In Tirupathi one can hear the loud calling out of ‘Elu kondala vãda Govinda! Govinda!’ It is relay chanting. Someone shouts out with the rest joining him. When this person stops you find someone else picking it up. The ‘sãnidhya’ here is only because of the incessant chanting of Govinda! Govinda! by the crowd of devotees visiting the Kshetra. In Guruvayur one can ever hear the devotees calling out loudly, “Hey! Guruvayurappa! Nãrãyana!” One should call out the Lord’s name without ‘lajja’ (shyness/embarrassment). One who calls out Govinda(!) goes to Sri Vaikunta and one who laughs at him to hell.

In Srirangam there is ‘nitya utsav’ (everyday is a festival). Perumal comes out on a round every day. When Perumal comes out on to the street on rounds one should not stay indoors but come out and look at Him. Why does the Lord come out? It is only because there are so many who are unable to come to the Temple and see Him. There are old people/handicapped people who are unable to visit Him. Out of compassion for these the Lord Himself comes out on a round to give them His darshan! While the Lord is in procession we may pass Him by in the car or someone might stand with his cycle smoking. These are verily sinful acts. But the Lord does not bother about it. He is mighty pleased even if we look at Him indifferently. “Ah! He has looked at me!” and bestows His blessings on us. The Vaishnavites love ‘katha kãlakshepam’ (divine discourses). They get together and speak about the Lord. They enjoy the Lord as none else do. They shut the door to any outsider who does not understand this. These Vaishnavites have ‘nicknamed’ Perumal as ‘Kãlakshepa shatru’ (the foe of discourses)! Why? When they are intently listening to a discourse about Him, the Lord comes out to the street in procession. Unable to resist ‘a look at Him’ they leave their ‘much sought after’ discourse and rush out to enjoy His Beauty! How deeply these Vaishnavites enjoy their Perumal! They form groups each supporting a different Ãzhawar. For instance, one supports Vagulãbara Nayaki (a name taken by Nammãzhawãr) and another Parangusa Nayaki (a name taken by Thirumangai Ãzhwãr) and they debate on how their Ãzhwãr is greater than the other and how He has sung the praises of the Lord. There is a lady who has thrown away her high office and settled in Srirangam. She is totally devoted to the Lord. A spinster, she does not speak with anybody but serves the Lord. This is also a way in which the Lord takes a devotee unto Himself. She eats only Perumal Prasad because it will give Jnãna. It is not good to disregard (‘udãseena’) Perumal Prasad for it will result in ‘mana sanchala’ (restlessness of mind).

The very first sign of the Lord’s Grace (‘Bhãgavat krupa’) is your getting into a Satsang. You may be doing parãyana of some Text, Nãrãyaneeyam or Ramayanam or Bhãgavatam or be regularly chanting some sloka. Feeling happy with you Bhagavan bestows you a Satsang. (Satsang means company of a Sadhu-a Mahatma). One may question, ‘Why does a person face crisis in life even after coming to the company of a Mahatma?’ Well! Life is full of trials and tribulations. There is none whose life is free of these. Bhagavan feels that without the company of the Mahatma you will be totally shattered when you face crisis in your life. So, the Lord blesses you with the company of a Guru. Bhagavan feels that you must pass through/face the karma but to protect you from being totally traumatized by it the Lord puts in the security cord of a Guru. With the petting and pampering by the Guru you are able to face these crisis and come out of them unscathed!

The Guru is like the father who has children of varied temperaments. Let’s say that a father has three children. One child is a spendthrift. So the father does not give him his share of wealth. The second child is one who neither spends nor builds up the wealth and the third is one who builds up the amount given. The father does not part with the share of the second child, too, but gives the third one liberally, for in his hand the principal given is multiplied geometrically. This does not mean that the father has forsaken the other two children. He keeps their share with himself and provides them with their needs. Similarly, the Guru does not give upadesa of a Mantra to the disciple/devotee who He knows will use for siddhis. The Guru will also not give upadesa of a Mantra to one who just receives it and will not do anything with it. However, the Guru, will spontaneously give the Mantra upadesa to the one who will receive it with all the honour due to it and increase the tapas multifold. This does not mean that the Guru has forsaken the other two kinds of devotees. In their case the Guru gives His tapas and takes them ashore.

A home is a home (‘griham’) only when Sadhus come and stay in it. Wherever there is a Sadhu, there is ‘nitya utsav’ (daily festival)! He is ever singing the praises of the Lord. There is nothing equal to feeding a Sadhu. The highest of all ‘dãnas’ (charity) is ‘anna dãna’ (feeding the hungry). You can feed anyone. There is no ‘adhikãri bedha’ ( difference in the recipient) for ‘anna dãna’. Offer food to any hungry person who knocks at the door and asks for food. Offering food to animals, birds, flies and worms also carries the same fruit as done to any human being. Now let us say we offer to someone who begs, “Amma! Offer some food!” and find her feeding her child and also eating it herself. How happy we feel then. How happy should it then be to feed a Sadhu? A Bhãgavata? Offer food with affection and humility to the guest. Speak kind words to them. Thirumoolar says, ‘Offer food to someone. If not offer food to some cow, dog, etc. or at least to a worm or insect. If you are unable to do this then offer some ‘arugampul’ (a type of grass) to the cow. Well! if you cannot do even this then at least speak sweet words to others." Thiruvalluvar says, ‘Theeyinal sutta punn ullÃrum ãrade
Nãvinãl sutta vadu’ - The burn caused by a fire is healed but a wound off an abuse is never healed. This is the reason that one should be very careful while uttering words. Never should one speak wounding words.

In his ‘Bhagavan Nãma Rasodayam’, Sri Bodendral writes on ‘Nãma Abachãra’ - Abuse of Sadhus, speaking about the glory of Nãma to the wicked, differentiating between Siva and Vishnu, distrust in the Vedas and other Shãstras, disbelief in Guru’s words, doubt in the glory of Nãma, committing sins on the strength of Nãma, non-performance of one’s routine karmas on the strength of Nãma, equating Nãma Sankeertanam with other dharmas. Bhãgavatãs should not commit these Nãma Abachãras. Only Nãma Kirtan will remove the sin of Nãma aparãda. Incessant Nãma Kirtan is the only way to remove Nãma aparãda.

The name christened by his parents for Badrachala Ramadas was Gopanna. He was born in a wealthy family. Even as a child Gopanna was much attracted and devoted to Lord Rama. His father who was a minister in the court of a Muslim King died even while Gopanna was a small boy. Therefore, he could not secure his father’s post in the King’s court. However, even before his death, his father secured the post for his wife's brother, Appannagãru i.e Gopanna’s maternal uncle. When Gopanna grew up he was married and he had a son by name Raghav.

Being deeply devoted to Lord Rama, every year Gopanna celebrated Rama Navami utsav grandly. Since there was no dearth of wealth he was able to celebrate without any limitation. Vedic scholars, Bhãgavatas were all invited and the whole town took a festive look. The quiet man that he was the only thing that made him lose his temper was the advise to limit his spending on the celebration of Rama Navami! Even though there was vast wealth, Gopanna was slowly reduced to a day-to-day living condition as there was no income to balance the expenditure. When Rama Navami was fast approaching Gopanna was deeply worried and anxious about its celebration. He was not one who would go about collecting funds for this from others. His wife consoled him, “Why do you worry about this? Lord Rama will never forsake us. Some way will open up and we will find enough money to celebrate the utsav. Be cheerful”. A few days later she advised him to approach his maternal uncle who now held the post that had been secured for him by Gopanna’s father. Gopanna went to Hyderabad where his uncle worked for the Nizam. Unable to recognize the nephew of her husband whom she had never seen, the aunt chased him out of the house. However, Gopanna awaited his uncle’s arrival. The uncle immediately recognised his nephew and invited him into the house. He introduced him to his wife who became very hospitable. The uncle enquired after Gopanna’s welfare. Gopanna then said to his uncle, “I intend to celebrate Rama Navami utsav”. Appannagãru said, “Fine! It is really wonderful that you intend to celebrate Rama Navami utsav. I am indeed happy about it.” Gopanna then explained his position. Appannagãru immediately responded well, “Gopanna! Do not worry. This post that I hold now is only due to your father. I have always awaited an opportunity to show my gratitude. I am happy that it has come up and I will give you all that is needed for the celebration of Sri Rama Navami. Go ahead with your arrangements and I will do all that is to be done. But, after the Utsav return here. I will speak to the King and get you a job.”

The happy Gopanna thus celebrated the Rama Navami utsav as usual. His wife herself cooked food for all the guests for she realized what an honour it was to cook for all these Sadhus. Therefore, she did not leave it in the hands of hired cooks but took it upon herself. It was late evening and Nama Kirtan was going on. Gopanna’s wife had prepared dinner for the guests. She put her little son Raghav to sleep and placing a lamp beside him moved to the place where Nama Kirtan was going on. It was her husband who sang which made it all the more interesting for her and they were all his kirtans. She was enjoying the kirtans and after a while, the mother she was, she moved to check her child. But lo! the child was not to be found where she had put him to sleep. After she had left him, the child had woken up. The lamp had been blown out and being dark, the scared child searching out for the mother had reached the place where dinner had been prepared. The ‘kanji’ (starch) from the cooked rice had been filtered nearby on the floor and the child in the dark stepped on to it. He slipped and fell into the boiling hot ‘kanji’ and died. The mother searched for her little son and found the dead child. The wife of a great devotee of Rama she out beat her husband. She suppressed her grief and tears as the thought crossed her, “If I were to cry for my dead child Rama Navami utsav will come to a stop. This cannot be allowed to happen. The guests should be fed.” She wrapped the body of the child in a sack and placed it aside where none could see it. She then went about her work. As soon as the Nama Kirtan was over she served food for all the guests. As they were being served one of the Sadhus asked Gopanna, “Where is your little son Raghav? I have not seen him around?” Gopanna looked questioningly at wife. She quietly took him aside and showed him the dead body of the child. Gopanna was also grief stricken; He was also astounded at his wife’s behaviour in such a situation. Meanwhile the Sadhus had gathered there and learnt about the incident. They, too, grieved over the mishap. Gopanna consoled them, "Rama blessed me with this child and He has now taken him back. The child has gone to a better place - to the Lotus Feet of Lord Rama. We should not cry over this!” However, the Sadhus said, “No, Gopanna! What will the world say? You are a Rama Bhakta. You are celebrating His utsava. The people will scoff at your Rama for bringing this upon you. This incident will bring a bad name to your Rama.” Saying so, all of them together prayed to Lord Rama pleading with him to restore the child to life. Just then a Yogi came in and enquired in a demanding tone, “What is happening here?” He was informed of the child’s death. The Yogi said, “Died? Who says the child is dead? He is not.” And tapping the child the Yogi said, “Get up!” and the child woke up! The Yogi quickly went out of the door. Gopanna who had followed the Yogi quickly saw the form of Kothandapãni Rama before he disappeared from sight. This only intensified his faith that the Lord was taking care of him in every way.

As advised by his uncle, Gopanna visited him after the completion of the Utsav. Appannagãru helped him dress befittingly and took him to the court to meet the King. The court is where the King conducts the various affairs of the Kingdom. Even as the Nizam attended to the numerous affairs concerning the kingdom he kept looking at Gopanna whose face seemed very familiar and was sitting next to his minister Appannagãru. The King questioned Appannagãru, “Who is this seated next to you?” Appannagãru explained that he was Gopannagãru, the son of the Minister in his court whom he had succeeded. “Oh!” exclaimed the King, “No wonder he seems very familiar. He resembles his father and needs no proof to show whose son he is. What is the matter? Why have you brought him here?” Appannagãru explained that it was only to help him get a job and requested the King to be kind enough to offer him a suitable job. But the King said, “Why ask me? You may place him in a suitable post”. So, Appannagãru after going through the papers containing the various posts found that the post of Tahsildar in Bhadrachalam was vacant. Achalam means mountain. Badra means auspicious. There was/is a Rama temple atop this hill. The whole hill reverberates with Rama Nãma. Rama Mantra is a very potent Mantra. It is the highest of all Mantras as it contains all other Mantras in it. Everyone who chants Rama Mantra should visit Bhadrachalam. Gopannagãru came to be known as Ramadas because of his devotion to Lord Rama. There are primarily two kinds of Bhaktas viz. Vishnu Bhaktas and Shiva Bhaktas. The former chant the Mantra ‘Nãrãyana’ while the latter chant the Mantra ‘Nama Sivãya’. Nama Sivãya is like the pendant placed in the center of the Rudram. "

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NOTE: Any discrepancy/lapse in the translated version of the Upanyasam is the sole responsibility of the person/s who translated the work from Tamizh into English.

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