Sai Apostle - Sri Ekkirala Bharadwaja

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Shri C.Rajagoplachariar in introduction to Bhaja Govindam says wisdom matures

and flows in action into bhakthi. The life of Late Sri E. Bharadwaj is an

illustration to this great statement. Like Shri B.V.Narasimhaswamiji who first

went to Ramana Maharshi, wrote his biography and later spent all his services

in Shirdi Sai Seva, Sri Bharadwaj spent his time with very great souls and

served finally Shirdi Sai.

Bharadwaja's father Ananthachari garu, was renowned Veda scholar and an

authority in Ayurveda medicine. He practiced at Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Later he moved to Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh and was hailed as a renowned

authority on both our ancient lore and Ayurveda. Bharadwaja was the youngest

son. The eldest of all the three brothers is Sri Veda Vyas shone as senior IAS

officer in the state Government of Andhra Pradesh. He embellished any job he

held as a fearless and very independent officer. He is equally proficient in

Vedas and ancient lore. He has innumerable followers and published books

explaining the great ancient Veda and puranic wisdom. His second brother was

late Krishnamachari garu. He got his doctorate in Telugu when he was very young

and worked for few months in Hindu College Guntur and later settled down in

Visakhapatnam Andhra pradesh. He started his own group by name of Vishwa Hindu

parishad and taught Indian Philosophy to his

devotees and spread the power of mantras and power of pujas etc. He laid down a

brilliant line of puja method and all his devotees today also. He had numerous

devotees in Europe and used to visit Netherlands-Denmark Sweden, France and

other places. All his devotees were taught to do free service to society by

treating patients with Homeopathic drugs. He not only taught his devotees to

worship God by pujas, repetition of mantras, but also made them homeopathic

doctors who were directed to treat all patients free. Bhardwaja was selected

for I.A.S, the highest govt. position, but did not join any position saying

that his destiny was for finding out truth and explaining the spiritual

enlightenment to others. He obtained Masters degree in English and worked in

Bapatla College first and then in Nellore dist. He finally settled down in

Ongole, where he built a Shirdi Sai temple and brought various devotees into

path of surrender to Shirdi Sai maharaj I first met him when he was about

twenty five to thirty years in Jillellamudi Amma's place. He was immensely

immersed in spiritual seeking and was very close to Jillellamudi Amma who was

considered a very highly evolved soul. Whenever he would talk to e or any

other, he would only talk of attaining full realization of god. He became our

tenant in our house in Bapatla when he joined college at Bapatla as English

lecturer. He joined the college only to be near Jillellamudi Amma and spend all

his spare time with her only. He mentions the triggering point for his perpetual

search for self-realization in his book Shri Sai leelamrutam. He says that in

1955,his eldest brother's son who was very close to him died. This death of the

young nephew made him to search in his heart and find answers for the meaning of

birth and death and the reality and connection between jeevatrma and paramatma.

This search went on till 1961 when his soul reconciled the contradictions and

his searches for truth. In those days he was constantly in

search of sadhus saints and all types of sincere sadhakas. He used to visit and

stay with these sincere spiritual seekers who attained d very high stage of

spiritual bliss. He thus met Shri Ranganna babu, Shri Pakalapati guru, Shri

Rakhadi Baba, Sri Satya Sai Baba, Mummadivaram Balayogi, Periaswamy Kanchi

Kamakoti. Further he met Anandamayi Shri Akhandananda Saraswati avadhutas at

Chirala, Cuddapah, Chivatam Amma, Shri Anasuya maata -Jillellamudi amma-Shri

Pundi Swamy and Shri Gulab Baba and many others. All blessed him in his search.

 

When he was a tenant in our house, he came over to Madras for a short stay. I

was fortunate to have him as my guest. He came there to meet Shri Pandrimalai

Swamy who did tapas in Dindigul hills and attained great siddhis. Bhardwaja and

myself went to Pandrimalai Swamy. He left all other devotees and came directly

to Bharadwaj and embraced for over ten minutes, each looking into their

respective eyes in absolutely ennobling spiritual heights. Pandrimalai also

blessed me because of my going with Bharadwaj. I cannot in words explain the

spiritual ecstasy that prevailed then and imprinted deeply in my memory. In

1963 Bhardwaj visited Shirdi with his second brother and from then on Bharadwaj

was embraced by Baba into his fold and guided his spiritual seva. Till then he

was not married. Baba directed him to marry and then late in life he got

married. Earlier he was not inclined to marry. From then on at Vidyanagar and

later at Ongole he served Baba till his

samadhi.

(Contribution by Sai devotee MRK, Phoenix, AZ, USA)

source:saibaba.org

Arun Reddy Nukala

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