•  
  • Page of 1 Go
  •  
Posted: 13 years ago
If you find/manage to write any quick, authentic, and interesting biographies of great spiritual personalities, or stories that an recount inspiring individual incident from their lives, feel free to share it here!!
Edited by lola610 - 13 years ago
Posted: 13 years ago

Like I told you, I was really interested in learning more about Dhruv and his star 😊 

Here is his story that I found ðŸ˜ƒ
 
Intro

The father of Dhruv was a king called Uttanpad, who was married to Suruchi and Suneeti. The father preferred Suruchi. Dhruv was Suneeti's son. Uttam was Suruchi's son. Once Dhruv saw Uttam sitting on their father's lap. Little Dhruv asked his father to carry him, and give him a seat on his lap too.

This wish infuriated Suruchi who lashed out at the child, saying that he would have the right to sit on his father's lap, only were he to perform penance and be born from her womb. The humiliated little child ran to Suneeti and fighting back tears of anger, recounted what had transpired. Suneeti consoled and instructed little Dhruv.

She told him:

  1. If you have to beg for something, let that be from God!
  2. However much you ask of a human being, it will be little.
  3. Many a times asking brings with it, humiliation.
  4. When God gives, he gives in plenty.
  5. God will make you sit on his lap with love. He is the true father of Mankind.
  6. Before you go, ask for the blessings of Suruchi.
  7. Suruchi has spoken words of truth, even if you want the throne, pray to the Lord!
  8. Go to the forest and perform penance.
  9. I am not sending you alone, my blessings and God are with you.

The little child set out for the forest. He felt confident that no harm would befall him as he had with him, God and his mother's blessings. A person who leaves home with blessings, is bound to meet a godly person who will guide him. Dhruv met Naradji [ A Hindu deity]. Naradji dissuaded Dhruv from undertaking such a difficult task. Naradji told Dhruv: "You are young, you should be spending your time playing…even great sages have not achieved the Almighty..." Dhruv was adamant. Naradji taught Dhruv the technique of prayer and asked him to chant the following mantra: "Om Namo Bhagavate Vaasudevaaya".

Penance of Dhruv

For the first month he subsisted on fruit and meditated for 3 days at a stretch. For the second month, he meditated for 6 days at a stretch. For the third month, Dhruv meditated for 9 days at a stretch and subsisted on only leaves. For the fourth month, he meditated for 12 days at a stretch and subsisted on only water from the Yamuna River. For the fifth month Dhruv meditated for 15 days at a stretch, and renounced water. By the 6th month Dhruv decided that he would stay put in the same position until the Lord appeared. Impressed by Dhruv's perseverance, the Lord came to Dhruv, but Dhruv did not open his eyes as he was already seeing the Almighty within his own heart. The Lord caused this inward vision to disappear, and Dhruv opened his eyes and recognized the physical aspect of the Lord but also all his hidden attributes of the Almighty. He exclaimed: "My desire is that I have the good fortune of listening to the 'Katha' (Devotional narrative) rendered by Your true devotees!" The Lord insisted that Dhruv ask for a boon, Dhruv asked for that which the Lord wished to give him. The Lord's wish was that Dhruv should return to the kingdom. God wanted to establish the fact that God also gives material wealth to his devotees. When Dhruv expressed his fear that he might get ensnared by the grip of the power that material wealth bestows, the Lord promised to protect him always. The Lord knew that Dhruv had started his tapasya, or penance, because he had wanted to sit in his father's lap. Dhruv was transported to the highest point of heaven, where he sits on his Divine father's lap as the Pole Star, also known as the North Star.

Moral

The moral of the story is that at one point or another of our life we all encounter situations that are unfair. Instead of focusing on our misfortunes, we should turn to our Divine Father who will give us what we deserve, and turn us into a bright star which will guide mis-guided spiritual pilgrims to their final divine destination.

Posted: 13 years ago
Great topic!
 
I don't know if Sai Baba is considered a saint because he is God for me, but I'll post his story anyway.
 
Early years

Details of the time and place of Sai Baba's birth are unknown. Various communities have claimed that he belongs to them, but nothing has been substantiated. It is known that he spent considerable periods with fakirs, and his attire resembled that of a Muslim fakir. Baba reportedly arrived at the village of Shirdi in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, India, when he was about 16 years old. Although there is no agreement among biographers on the date of this event, it is generally accepted that Baba stayed in Shirdi for three years, disappeared for a year and returned permanently around 1858, which posits a possible birth year of 1838.

Some claim Baba was born on 29 September 1835, but there is no apparent reason on how the date was arrived at. In any case, the only agreement amongst historians and his devotees is that there is no conclusive evidence of his birthday and place. He led an ascetic life, sitting motionless under a neem tree and meditating while sitting in an asana. The Sai Satcharita recounts the reaction of the villagers:

The people of the village were wonder-struck to see such a young lad practicing hard penance, not minding heat or cold. By day he associated with no one, by night he was afraid of nobody.

His presence attracted the curiosity of the villagers, and the religiously inclined such as Mhalsapati, Appa Jogle and Kashinatha regularly visited him, while others such as the village children considered him mad and threw stones at him. After some time he left the village, and it is unknown where he stayed at that time or what happened to him. However, there are some indications that he met with many saints and fakirs, and worked as a weaver; he claimed to have fought with the army of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

[edit] Shirdi and teaching

In 1858 Sai Baba returned to Shirdi with Chand Patil's wedding procession. After alighting near the Khandoba temple he was greeted with the words "Ya Sai" (Marathi:welcome saint) by the temple priest Mhalsapati. The name Sai stuck to him and some time later he started being known as Sai Baba. It's also widely believed that he was either already known as Sai, or looked like one to the priest as it's improbable for a Hindu priest to address a saint perceived by him to be a Hindu by a Muslim title of Sai. It was around this time that Baba adopted his famous style of dress, consisting of a knee-length one-piece robe (kafni) and a cloth cap. Ramgir Bua, a devotee, testified that Baba was dressed like an athlete and sported 'long hair flowing down to his buttocks' when he arrived in Shirdi, and that he never had his head shaved. It was only after Baba forfeited a wrestling match with one Mohdin Tamboli that he took up the kafni and cloth cap, articles of typical Sufi clothing. This attire contributed to Baba's identification as a Muslim fakir, and was a reason for initial indifference and hostility against him in a predominantly Hindu village. According to B.V. Narasimhaswami, a posthumous follower who was widely praised as Sai Baba's "apostle", this attitude was prevalent even among some of his devotees in Shirdi, even up to 1954.

For four to five years Baba lived under a neem tree, and often wandered for long periods in the jungle in and around Shirdi. His manner was said to be withdrawn and uncommunicative as he undertook long periods of meditation. He was eventually persuaded to take up residence in an old and dilapidated mosque and lived a solitary life there, surviving by begging for alms and receiving itinerant Hindu or Muslim visitors. In the mosque he maintained a sacred fire which is referred to as a dhuni, from which he had the custom of giving sacred ash ('Udhi') to his guests before they left and which was believed to have healing powers and protection from dangerous situations. At first he performed the function of a local hakim and treated the sick by application of Udhi. Baba also delivered spiritual teachings to his visitors, recommending the reading of sacred Hindu texts along with the Qur'an, especially insisting on the indispensability of the unbroken remembrance of God's name (dhikr, japa). He often expressed himself in a cryptic manner with the use of parables, symbols and allegories. He participated in religious festivals and was also in the habit of preparing food for his visitors, which he distributed to them as prasad. Sai Baba's entertainment was dancing and singing religious songs (he enjoyed the songs of Kabir most). His behavior was sometimes uncouth and violent.

After 1910 Sai Baba's fame began to spread in Mumbai. Numerous people started visiting him, because they regarded him as a saint (or even an avatar) with the power of performing miracles, they built his first ever temple at Bhivpuri, Karjat as desired by Sai Baba.

[edit] Teachings and practices

Shirdi Sai Baba, leaning against the wall of his masjid, with devotees

In his personal practice, Sai Baba observed worship procedures belonging to Hinduism and Islam; he shunned any kind of regular rituals but allowed the practice of namaz, chanting of Al-Fatiha and Qur'an readings at Muslim festival times. Occasionally reciting the Al-Fatiha himself, Baba also enjoyed listening to moulu and qawwali accompanied with the tabla and sarangi twice daily. He also wore clothing reminiscent of a Sufi fakir. Sai Baba also opposed all sorts of persecutions on religious or caste background.

Sai Baba was also an opponent of religious orthodoxy - both Hindu and Muslim. Although Sai Baba himself led the life of an ascetic, he advised his followers to lead an ordinary family life.

Sai Baba encouraged his devotees to pray, chant God's name and read holy scriptures - he told Muslims to study the Qur'an, and Hindus, texts like the Ramayana, Vishnu Sahasranam, Bhagavad Gita (and commentaries to it)and , Yoga Vasistha. He advised his devotees and followers to lead a moral life, help others, love every living being without any discrimination, treat them with love and develop two important features of character: faith (Shraddha) and patience (Saburi). He also criticized atheism. In his teachings Sai Baba emphasized the importance of performing one's duties without attachment to earthly matters and being ever content regardless of the situation.

Sai Baba also interpreted the religious texts of both faiths. According to what the people who stayed with him said and wrote he had a profound knowledge of them. He explained the meaning of the Hindu scriptures in the spirit of Advaita Vedanta. This was the character of his philosophy. It also had numerous elements of bhakti. The three main Hindu spiritual paths - Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga - were visible in the teachings of Sai Baba. Another example of the way he combined both faiths is the Hindu name he gave to his mosque, Dwarakamai.

Sai Baba said that God penetrates everything and lives in every being, and as well that God is the essence of each of them. He emphasized the complete oneness of God which was very close to the Islamic tawhid and the Hindu doctrine, e.g. of the Upanishads. Sai Baba said that the world and all that the human may give is transient and only God and his gifts are eternal. Sai Baba also emphasized the importance of devotion to God - bhakti - and surrender to his will. He also talked about the need of faith and devotion to one's spiritual preceptor (guru). He said that everyone was the soul and not the body. He advised his disciples and followers to overcome the negative features of character and develop the good ones. He taught them that all fate was determined by karma.

Sai Baba left no written works. His teachings were oral, typically short, pithy sayings rather than elaborate discourses. Sai would ask his followers for money (dakshina), which he would give away to the poor and other devotees the same day and spend the rest on buying wood to maintain Dhuni. According to his followers he did it in order to rid them of greed and material attachment.

Sai encouraged charity and the importance of sharing with others. He said: "Unless there is some relationship or connection, nobody goes anywhere. If any men or creatures come to you, do not discourteously drive them away, but receive them well and treat them with due respect. Shri Hari (God) will be certainly pleased if you give water to the thirsty, bread to the hungry, clothes to the naked and your verandah to strangers for sitting and resting. If anybody wants any money from you and you are not inclined to give, do not give, but do not bark at him like a dog." Other favorite sayings of his were: "Why do you fear when I am here", "He has no beginning... He has no end." Sai Baba made eleven assurances to his devotees:

Sai Baba of Shirdi (took samadhi in 1918)
  1. Whosoever puts their feet on Shirdi soil, their sufferings will come to an end.
  2. The wretched and miserable will rise to joy and happiness as soon as they climb the steps of Dwarakamai (Mosque).
  3. I shall be ever active and vigorous even after leaving this earthly body.
  4. My tomb shall bless and speak to the needs of my devotees.
  5. I shall be active and vigorous even from my tomb.
  6. My mortal remains will speak from My tomb.
  7. I am ever living to help and guide all who come to Me, who surrender to Me and who seek refuge in Me.
  8. If you look at Me, I look at you.
  9. If you cast your burden on Me, I shall surely bear it.
  10. If you seek My advice and help, it shall be given to you at once.
  11. There shall be no want in the house of My devotee.
Posted: 13 years ago
Oh my so many topics here I want to write in and damn my exams which are coming soon :@
Hopefully, I am able able to add things here soon =)
Posted: 13 years ago
wow very nice thread lola
great !!
Posted: 13 years ago
Interesting thread, Loli! Only noticed it now.😲 Will def add something soon!
Posted: 13 years ago
Woowww great thread Lola...thnks Anisha n Aishi fr these wonderful infos...
I will post the story related to Saint Vishwamita soon...these m reading an abridged version of Ramayan which i found over the internet...i read some facts about his hard penance for becoming a Maharishi equivalent to Maharishi Vashishtha...Edited by Dpka1415 - 13 years ago
Posted: 12 years ago
So glad I found this thread again! I've been meaning to share this link I've found with a lot of information in Ramanujacharya, on of the saints whose life and works I find most inspiring... especially since I had promised Debi di a long time ago that I'd share it here 😆 Here goes, I even underlined my favorite part... hope you guys find it enlightening!

Introduction

Chief exponent of the Vishishtadvaita school of Vedanta and a great social reformer. "If I can bring deliverance to so many, I do not mind being condemned to hell," he said, and spread his spiritual message to even the lowliest of classes of people. He established the Yatiraja Math and the Cheluva narayana swami temple at Melkote in Karnataka, and also renovated many ancient temples. He wrote many philosophical works and preached the oneness of mankind.
Author - 'Raghusuta'

Ramanujacharya

The worshippers of Vishnu are 'Vaishnavas'. They devoutly worship Sri Rama and Sri Krishna, the incarnations of Vishnu. 'Sri' is Lakshmi. The devotees worship Mother Lakshmi and through her they try to propitiate Lord Vishnu. These devotees are the Srivaishnavas and they follow the tenets of Vishishtadvaita.

It was the Alwars, the Vaishnava devotees of Tamilnadu, who widely popularized the Srivaishnava religion. They lived between the sixth and the ninth centuries of the Christian era. They were twelve in number. They did not have any caste distinctions. These Vaishnava devotees were drawn from all castes of the Hindu religion. Today all of them are worshipped by the Srivaishnavas.

The tradition of the Acharyas began after the Alwars. 'Acharya' means a teacher. Among them Yamunacharya was foremost. The next in succession was Ramanujacharya. It was he who provided a good framework to the Bhakti cult. He gave a comprehensive form to the tenets of Vishishtadvaita. He propounded a philosophy, which could command a universal following
Childhood, Marriage

Yamunacharya was also called Alawandar'. Srishailapurna was his disciple. The latter had two sisters, the elder of whom was Bhudevi. She was the wife of Asuri Keshavacharya, also called Keshava Perumal. Bhudevi and Keshavacharya lived in a temple at Sri Perambudur, about thirty miles away from Madras. Ramanuja, their only son, was born in A.D. 1017. Sridevi was Shailapurana's younger sister. She was the wife of Kusumanayana Bhatta. A boy called Govinda was born of this couple exactly at the same time as Ramanuja was born. These two continued to live in amity till the end of their life, and had great mutual affection.

Ramanuja was a bright child. Since he resembled Sri Rama's brother ('anuja') Lakshmana, he was called Ramanuja or Rama's brother.

The boy Ramanuja was very smart. If he read or listened to his lessons even once, he could always remember them. Naturally the teachers came to like him. They were very fond of him. He learnt the Vedas and the Vedangas even as a child.

He had his sacred thread ceremony at the right time. When Ramanuja was about sixteen years old he married a girl called Rakshambal who appears to have been known also as Tanjamma. After a few days, his father Keshavacharya died. This caused bitter sorrow to Ramanuja. With his wife and mother he left for Kanchipuram and settled there. Govinda followed them to Kanchipuram.

Extraordinary Disciple

Ramanuja had not yet received all his lessons in Vedanta. He was on the lookout for the right' guru'. Yadavapraksha was one of the greatest scholars of those days. Ramanuja became his student.

Though he became a student, he did not relish the manner in which the teacher taught him. It would of course be wrong to find fault with one's teacher. But in Ramanuja's judgement, Yadavaprakasha was not explaining the texts properly. Ramanuja was in a dilemma.

One day the teacher was explaining some intricate sentence in the Chandogya Upanishad. The meaning of the passage as given by the teacher was rather crude. Ramanuja gave his own interpretation of the line. The teacher resented that the student had the temerity to debate a point with the teacher. He was even nervous that some day his student might steal a march over him. It happened that on another day, they were discussing a line in Taittiriya Upanishad. The teacher gave a faulty explanation. Ramanuja explained the line in his own way. The teacher should have felt happy with his student who had given such a brilliant exposition. Instead he became angry with him.

"Look here. If you are not satisfied with my way of teaching, you don't have to take any more lessons." The teacher spoke with obvious displeasure. Ramanuja went away without uttering a word. He was too full of respect for his teacher.

Who Saved Him?

His fellow students hated Ramanuja and wanted to get rid of him. The teacher and the students including Govinda and Ramanuja were all going on a pilgrimage to Varanasi. They approached the Vindhya Mountains. They were travelling through an impenetrable jungle when Yadava Prakasha and his other disciples hatched a plot to kill Ramanuja, Govinda somehow sensed it; he warned his brother and advised him to run for his life. Accordingly Ramanuja went away. The teacher and the other students frantically searched for him in the forest. They presumed that he had been killed by some wild animal and they proceeded on their way to Varanasi.

Ramanuja wandered wildly in the forest. He was tormented by hunger and thirst. There was also the fear of the wild animals. He prayed to God and slept under a tree. It was already nightfall when he awoke. He was not feeling hunger and thirst any longer. However it was not easy to find his way out from the wild forest.

Just then a man and a woman appeared on the scene. They were a hunter-couple. They felt sad when they heard the boy's tale of woe. Since they were also heading south, Ramanuja followed them.

It was already dark when they emerged from the jungle. They found a suitable place in the plain and rested for the night. Some time after midnight, the hunter's wife said she was thirsty. Ramanuja got up and went in search of water. He fetched water from a far-off pond. The hunter's wife, after drinking it, asked for some more. When Ramanuja went back to the pond for more water, it was already daybreak. Ramanuja surprised to find himself in the midst of familiar surroundings - temple towers, coconut trees and woods. He had unconsciously come back to Kanchipuram!

He wondered how he had managed to come all the way here from the Vindhyas, and that in a single night. It must be the will of -the Almighty, he thought. He then guessed that the hunter-couple who had accompanied him were none other than Lord Narayana and his consort Lakshmi.

He rushed back to the, place where the hunter-couple had stayed. They were no longer there.

Ramanuja was profoundly grateful to God. From that day onwards he made it a custom to carry water from the pond for the worship of God Varadaraja. Ramanuja took upon himself the responsibility of carrying the holy water every day.

Back To the Old Guru

Yadavaprakasha and his disciples returned to Kanchi from Varanasi. They feared that their evil designs had come to light. They were dismayed to find that Ramanuja had come back safely. But Ramanujaremained unperturbed and explained the divine intercession, which had enabled him to return to Kanchi in one night. The guru told Ramanuja to come back to him for continuing his lessons. Ramanuja's studentship was thus resumed.

The Lamp of the Future 

In those days Yamunacharya was the leader of the Vishishtadvaita School. He had authored many learned works in Sanskrit on that school of philosophy. Mighty contributions yet remained to be made for the development of its tenets, but Yamunacharya was becoming very old. He was wondering who would continue the great tradition. He was then living in Sriranga. He had devoted himself to the worship of Lord Ranganatha. He used to hear now and then about Ramanuja. Once he happened to come to Kanchi. He saw Ramanuja when the latter was going in a crowd, and was much pleased. Ramanuja was tall, handsome and well built. He thought that Ramanuja was the right man for the task of guiding the Vishishtadvaita School. He prayed to God Varadaraja Swami that Ramanuja would be the 
successor. That day was not tar off.

"Get Out!"

Ramanuja's guru continued to nurse his ill feeling towards his disciple. One day the teacher was explaining the Upanishadic line -Sarvam khalvidam brahma (God is everywhere). The explanation did not appeal to Ramanuja. He gave his own explanation. The teacher grew angry and told him unequivocally that he would not teach him any longer. Ramanuja was sad. He thenceforward spent all his time in the service of Lord Varadaraja.

"I Shall Fulfil Your Aspirations"

Yamunacharya came to know that Ramanuja had been estranged from Yadavaprakasha. His own end was drawing near. He told his student Mahapoorna to fetch Ramanuja from Kanchi. However, Yamuna died even before Ramanuja arrived.

Mahapoorna travelled day and night and reached Kanchi. He was fascinated by the magnificent personality of Ramanuja.

He explained to Ramanuja the condition of Yamunacharya. Ramanuja longed to see the great man. They came to Sriranga. They saw a crowd on the banks of the river Cauvery. People had assembled there for the funeral rites of the great Yamuna. Ramanuja was shocked. But he felt comforted that he was fortunate to see at least the dead body of the great man.

A miracle happened then. Ramanuja stood before the corpse and gazed at it. He observed that the three fingers of the right hand had been bent. He was told by disciples of the guru that the latter had left unfinished three important tasks in his life. Ramanuja took an oath that he would accomplish them. He vowed that he would propagate the Srivaishnava philosophy, that he would pay his tribute to Vyasa, Parashara and Nammalwar, and that he would write a commentary on Vyasa's Brahma Sutras. Even as he declared his vows, the three fingers of Yamunacharya got straightened one by one. It was clear that Sri Yamuna had blessed Ramanuja. It was also clear that Ramanuja would be the future torchbearer of the Srivaishnava tradition.

Learned Husband, Ignorant Wife

Ramanuja did not believe in the caste system. He disliked superstitions. The sage Kanchipoorna was a devotee of Lord Varadaraja. He was known to be a great man. He was not a brahmin. But Ramanuja accepted him as his guru and he used to prostrate before him. The guru had forbidden Ramanuja to greet him. But Ramanuja persisted since he always considered himself a disciple of Kanchipoorna.

It happened that once Ramanuja invited sage Kanchipoorna to a dinner at his house. He wanted to feed him and receive his blessings. The sage accepted the invitation and dinner was arranged. The sage knew that Ramanuia's wife was a very orthodox woman. So, he went to their house when Ramanuja was away to fetch the distinguished guest. Kanchipoorna dined at Ramanuja's house aid returned. Ramanuja's wife gave away the remaining food to some others; she cleaned the house, bathed and cooked fresh food for the family.

Ramanuja came back and realized what had happened. He was angry that his wife had denied him the opportunity of receiving the blessings of the guru. Her narrow- mindedness disgusted him. She was incapable of understanding the noble feelings of Ramanuja, the great man who had taken birth for the welfare of mankind.

On another occasion a group of hungry people came to his doors. Ramanuja asked his wife to see if she could find some food in the house for them. She replied that there was no food to offer. Ramanuja became furious when he later came to know that she had told a lie.

Ramanuja Becomes "Yatiraja"

Whenever Ramanuja wanted solutions to any philosophical questions, he would refer them to Kanchipoorna. The latter would often find it difficult to answer the questions, since Ramanuja himself was a profound scholar. On such occasions he stood before the deify and appealed for answers. He conveyed back to Ramanuja the response he received from god. Ramanuja was most happy with the answers. These became the basic tenets of Vishishtadvaita.

Ramanuja left for Sriranga to meet his prospective guru Mahapoorna. At the same time Mahapoorna and his wife were on the way to Kanchi to persuade Ramanuja to take up the task left uncompleted by Yamunacharya. Their paths crossed and they both met on the way. Mahapoorna agreed to Ramanuja's guru. Ramanuja was taken to a place near a bakula tree, and after the preliminary rituals he was taught the philosophical intricacies of Vishishtadvaita. Ramanuja took his guru to Kanchi and kept him with him there.

For nearly six months Ramanuja served his master and learnt from him the inner esoteric meaning of the 'Nalayira' (four thousand) Prabandha compositions. He learnt the essence of Vishishtadvaita contained in those hymns.

Mahapoorna was not a brahmin. One day his wife was drawing water from the well, and inadvertently a few drops were splashed on the pitcher of Ramanuja's wife. The latter became angry that she had been polluted and started a row. Maha- poorna felt deeply hurt by her conduct. He decided to leave the place lest his presence create further estrangement between Ramanuja and his wife, and proceeded to Sriranga. Ramanuja came to know that his guru had left. His anger knew no bounds. How could he continue to live with such a wife? He cleverly dispatched her to her father's house and took to Sannyasa in the presence of Lord Varadaraja. Ramanuja thus became Yatriraja. His worldly bonds had been severed forever.

To Sriranga

The news of Ramanuja's becoming a sannyasi spread everywhere. People came to see him in large numbers. Many were attracted by his brilliant personality and became his disciples. Among them were Ramanuja's nephew Dasarathi and Kooresha. His old guru Yadavaprakasha had by then repented for his past follies. When he came to know that a vast number of people went to call on Ramanuja, he too joined them. He met Ramanuja and he too was happy. Kooresha was able to find answers to many of the philosophical questions which were vexing Yadava- prakasha. He was thus converted into Srivaishnava faith and then onwards assumed the name 'Govinda Jeer'.

Although Ramanuja had no dearth of disciples, he felt the need of his brother Govinda. He was therefore brought to Kanchi from Kalahasti.

The disciples of Yamunacharya at Sriranga continued to think of Ramanuja. They sent their chief Vararanga in order to fetch Ramanuja to Sriranga. They propitiated the God at Sriranga and succeeded in taking Ramanuja to Sriranga.

Though Ramanuja preached hisphilosophy daily he felt that his knowledge was still incomplete. Therefore he once again approached Mahapoorna and learnt quite a few things from him. But ' Mahapoorna said: "There is a man called Goshtipoorna in Goshtipura, he is the only man who can further teach you the significance of Srivaishnava tenets."

"What If I Go To Hell ... ?"

Goshtipoora did not easily accord his benediction to Ramanuja. He was bent on testing the latter's fitness and devotion.

He often evaded Ramanuja saying he was busy and refused to meet him. At last he was convinced that Ramanuja was a deserving student. He told Ramanuja to approach him with his walking stick and Kamandalu. Ramanuja came accompanied by Dasarathi and Kooresha. "I told you to come alone. Why did you bring these two with you?" the guru asked. Ramanuja said: "Dasarathi is my walking stick and Kooresha is the Kamandalu. I just cannot survive without them." Goshtipoorna was deeply touched by Ramanuja's affection for his disciples.

He taught Ramanuja the significance of the 'ashtakshari' hymn: "Since those who recite it will find god realization, you should be discriminating while teaching it," he said.

But Ramanuja did not like such invidious distinctions between man and man. He wanted that every one should profit by such divine knowledge.

Next day he climbed the temple tower and summoned all the residents of the town. He spread broadcast to them all the mystical knowledge he had learnt. He made them repeat the hymn and then explained the meaning. People were elated with joy.

Goshtipoorna was wrathful when he heard all this. He asked Ramanuja if ever he knew what punishment would befall him for the crime he had committed. Ramanuja spoke calmly: I know I may have to go to hell for having defied my Guru. My action has brought happiness and deliverance to so many, and hence it does not matter even if I am condemned to everlasting perdition."

The words brought wisdom to Goshti-poorna. He realized that Ramanuja was a great man who had taken his birth only for the deliverance of the world. He called him 'My Lord and embraced him.


The Perfect Guru

The teachings of Yamunacharya had been distributed among his five disciples, namely Kanchipoorna, Mahapoorna, Goshtipoorna, Maladhara, and Vararanga. Ramanuja had received instruction at the hands of three of them. He was yet tomeet the remaining two' He went to Maladhara to learn the hymns of Nammalwar.

Maladhara was also known as Tirumalai Andan. Ramanuja sat at his feet to learn. The guru explained Nammalwar's 'Tiruvaimoli' in the light of the interpretation he had heard from the lips of Yamuna- charya. But Ramanuja tried to read even richer meaning into those songs. Maladhara was displeased. Goshtipooma also came to know of it, and tried to mollify the feelings of Maladhara. He assured him that Ramanuja was a great genius who had received the grace of his guru Yamuna- charya, and therefore the teacher should continue his lessons unmindful of the incidental irritation. Later Ramanuja received lessons for Vararanga on the Nalayira hymns.

The philosophical tenets of Yamunacharya which had remained fragmented were gathered together from various sources and codified by Ramanuja. Ramanuja thus became Paripooma ('complete') and his probation was over. He was in a position to disseminate the essentials of Srivaishnava religion among his contemporaries. He wrote the three classics called Gadya- traya, Nitya-grantha and Gita-bhashya. He exercised all his faculties in obtaining divine grace and sharing the fruits of his experience with his fellowmen.

Opposition

After Ramanuja came to Sriranga, the stranglehold of the priests was released. But they felt frustrated and were waiting for a chance to avenge them by killing him. One day when Ramanuja was on his usual rounds to collect the day's alms, he was standing before the doorsteps of a house. The lady of the house came out to offer him alms. As soon as she saw the unusually brilliant eyes and graceful saintly face of the sannyasi, she began to shiver with fright. When Ramanuja asked her the reason for her strange conduct, she could not help confessing the truth before the great man. She had been instigated by her husband and his friends to poison the food that was to be offered to the sannyasi. Ramanuja threw the food into the river. 

When the disciples came to know what had happened, they decided to cook the food themselves thereafter. 

There lived a famous scholar called Yajnamurthy. He had defeated many opponents in philosophical disputes. He was a very insolent man, too. He came to Ramanuja in order to challenge him to a dispute. He came to Sriranga withcartloads of ancient tomes and a crowd of disciples. The arguments went on for eighteen days. It was a meeting of two equals. On the nineteenth day Ramanuja presented a line of argument based on Yamunacharya's works. The proud controversialist was humbled, and later he became a favorite disciple of Ramanuja. He became known as Devaraja-muni.

Two Students 

Thus Ramanuja's reputation extended far and wide. He wanted to visit holy places. Accompanied by his students he visited the places where once the 'Alwars' lived and he came to a village called Ashtasahasragrama. There he had two disciples-Yajnesha, a rich man, and Varadarya, a poor man. Ramanuja and his disciples visited the house of Varadarya for collecting alms for the day. They were cordially welcomed by the lady of the house. But there was little that the poor woman could offer to the guests. But Ramanuja admired her devotion. The other disciple was rich but somewhat insolent. He waited in vain for his guru the whole day. He realized his folly and went to his teacher. He fell at his feet and apologised. Ramanuja exhorted him to treat all living creatures with equal humanity.

Then Ramanuja went up the Tirupati Hills to offer worship to Lord Srinivasa. At the foot of the hills he spent nearly a year studying Ramayana under the guidance of Srishailapoorna.

The Great Commentator

It was then that Ramanuja remembered he had not fulfilled one of the promises he had made to his departed guru Yamuna. He was yet to write a commentary on the Brahma Sutras of Vyasa. He needed to consult the learned commentary written by Bodhayana, the immediate disciple of Vedavyasa. But that great work was in Kashmir. Ramanuja and his disciple Kooresha went on foot all the way to Kashmir. The King and his court-scholars were astounded by Ramanuja's profound knowledge. Ramanuja begged them to give him the work of Bodhayana. But the scholars refused. They did not even permit him to make a copy of the text. "At least, please let me glance through the work once," he begged of them. It was a very difficult text, and the scholars thought that there would be no harm if they allowed Ramanuja to merely thumb through the pages of the book. Kooresha read it aloud from cover to cover, and the teacher listened in silence. Kooresha understood his master's predicament. He had a prodigious memory and he was able to make a copy of the whole book by a mere cursory glance at it. The happy guru and his disciple returned to Sriranga. And then began the composition of Sribhashya, the commentary on Bramha Sutras. The guru dictated and the disciple wrote it down. Whenever doubts occurred he would stop and listen. Thus the writing went on.

At one point the disciple grew a little uncertain about the meaning of a passage, and he paused. Seeing that Kooresha had stopped writing down, the teacher became angry; he abruptly got up and went out.

But he soon realized his mistake and apologized to his student. He had clearly made a mistake and if the student had mechanically continued the writing, a serious mistake would have crept into the commentary.

Thus the Sribhashya was concluded and Ramanuja came to be called 'Sribhashyakara.' The students of Ramanuja wanted what their teacher's mission should also include visits to pilgrim centers. The teacher agreed and they went on foot all the way. They toured the Chola and Pandya kingdoms and went to North India. They visited distant holy places like Dwaraka and Badari and reached Kashmir. They'e the Goddess of learning Sri Sharda appeared before him and blessed him by presenting an icon of Hayagreeva. Later he visited Varanasi. At Puri he established the Embar Math. He reorganized the temple service at Jagannath. He toured all over India and returned to Sriranga.

To Karnataka

Karikala was the ruler of the Chola kingdom. He was a worshipper of Shiva, and he was a fanatic. He wanted to force Ramanuja to accept his religion. He issued a proclamation saying 'There is no god greater than Shiva' and someone suggested that the king should get Ramanuja to subscribe to that view. He sent for him. When the king's emissaries arrived at Sriranga, Ramanuja was taking his bath. Sensing the imminent danger to the master, Kooresha disguised himself as Ramanuja. Ramanuja came to know of what had transpired from Dasarathi, and was thus able to escape. He decided to leave Sriranga. He crossed the Cauvery River and arrived in Karnataka.

The disciples of Ramanuja had to bear the brunt of the tyrant's wrath. Kooresha and Mahapoorna were taken to a jungle and their eyes where gouged out. Mahapoorna died in agony. Kooresha settled in a small remote village.

On arriving in Karnataka Ramanujareached Saligrama. The serene atmosphere of the place appealed to him. Vaduhanambi, the priest of the local Narasimha temple, became Ramanuja's disciple. The people of the vicinity, on learning that Ramanuja had arrived at the village, gathered round him. There is pond in that village and it is a kind of memorial to the great man. Even today Sripada Tirtha is considered to be sacred to all Srivaishnavas. The temple is still in charge of the descendants of the family of Vaduhanambi.

Bitti Deva

Ramanuja traveled eastward and came to Tondanur, the second capital of the Hoysala Empire. Bitti Deva (Vittala Devaraya) was the name of the Hoysala ruler. His daughter was suffering from a mental illness. Ramanuja by now had become famous as the man who cured the illness of the Chola princess. When the king sent for Ramanuja, he did not go at first. But when a disciple,Tondanurunambi, assured him that the Hoysala king was not a fanatical tyrant like the Chola king, Ramanuja agreed to go. He cured the illness of the princess, to the delight of the king. He was drawn to Ramanuja's faith and became a Srivaishnava. He then onwards came to be known as Vishnu- vardhana. In memory of this great event, the king built five Vaishnava temples Channiganarayana temple at Belur, Nambinarayana temple at Tondanur, Kirtinarayana temple at Talakad, Veeranarayana temple at Gadag and Chaluvanarayana temple at Melkote. These temples are lasting monuments of Karnataka culture and architecture. Ramanuja built many other temples too in Tondanur. He also got constructed a huge reservoir called 'Tirumalasagara'(now called Moti Talab).

He left Tondanur for Melkote, which was also known as Tirunarayanapura or Yadavagiri. It was a hilly area overgrown with a thick jungle. The original idol of god Tirunarayana was lying hidden in a molehill. Ramanuja got it dug out and installed the idol in a specially built shrine.

There is a beautiful legend about the Utsavamoorti of this temple. (Utsavamoorti is a small idol of the same deity used for taking out in procession.)

Formerly the temple did not have the idol, which is meant for being taken out in procession. It was said that the idol was in the custody of a Muslim king. When Ramanuja went to see the Sultan, the Sultan was impressed by Ramanuja's magnificent personality. He had no objection to parting with the idol if his daughter also agreed. It is said Ramanuja called aloud - "Come, my king Selvapillay' and the idol came dancing to Ramanuja. The Sultan's daughter would not easily part with the idol, since she loved it dearly, and she followed it when it was taken out to Melkote. It is said that when she could not get back the idol, she put an end to her life at the feet of the deity.

The Harijans ware of great help to Ramanuja in building the shrines and in accomplishing other public utility works in Melkote.

Ramanuja called them 'Tirukulattar' ('high-born'). He arranged to have them admitted to the temple on three days in a year, when they could have free darshan of the deity.

Last Days 

Ramanuja lived in Karnataka for twenty years. He established the Yatiraja Math in Melkote, and also several other Maths and temples. He had succeeded in spreading the tenets of Srivaishnava relig ion in Melkote. He wanted to return to Sriranga to complete his task there. He remembered his former disciples, Kooresha, Dhanurdasa and others. Much work remained to be done. The fanatical Chola king was no more and his successor was more tolerant towards other faiths. Time was thus propitious for returning and Ramanuja came to Sriranga, after bidding farewell to associates at Melkote.

Ramanuja's old acquaintances were electrified with new zest when Ramanuja was back among them. He was deeply moved to see the blinded old man Kooresha who passed away some time later.

Ramanuja renovated many old temples, which were in ruins. He was by now a ripe old man of 120 years. His eyes turned Heavenward since he had fulfilled all that he wanted to achieve. He decided to cast of his mortal frame. A life-size statue of his was made. Ramanuja breathed life into it before he passed away. The life like statue was installed in Sri Perambudur.

Ramanuja delivered his final message to his disciples: "Shed your ego. Love the devotees of God. Serve the cause of mankind who is God's children. Nobody is infallible; do not humiliate any one. What is of supreme importance is purity of mind and deed." His message was spread all over the country by his seventy-four disciples and Maths was built in different parts. The end was nearing. Ramanuja lay down keeping his head on the lap of Govinda and his feet on Andhrapoorna's lap. He attained eternal bliss in that posture, on the tenth day of the month of Magha, in the year 1059 of Shalivahana era (A. D. 1137).

Ramanuja particularly laid stress on the merciful nature of God. God possesses numerous attributes like truth, grace and beauty. If we worship God devotedly, he will bless us. We should not make much of personal happiness. Those who love God are the real great men irrespective of their caste or religion. Ramanuja loved all mankind without making any distinction between man and man. He taught his disciples the virtues of humility and equality.

Source: http://www.bharatadesam.com/people/ramanujacharya.php
  1  

Related Topics

No Related topics found

Topic Info

7 Participants 7 Replies 3132Views

Topic started by MagadhSundari

Last replied by MagadhSundari

loader
loader
up-open TOP