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Jaya Guru Datta

 

 

 

Chapter 7

 

 

 

Avadhoota

 

 

 

"Avadhoota" means a "Liberated Soul". He has shaken of all worldly

attachments and has attained the state of consciousness equal to that of God. He

is "God

on Earth". It is a higher state than simple renunciation of worldly

attachments. It is a state which is neither attachment nor detachment but higher

than

the two. He has no need to observe social or religious rules. He does not seek

for anything and does not avoid anything. Having realised his true nature he

lives constantly in that realisation. For a Hindu, Lord Dattatreya is the true

symbol of "Avadhoota". The philosophy of an "Avadhoota" is "Advaita".

 

 

 

Satyanarayana Swamy

 

 

 

Having placed the vessel for collecting the water from the public tap in the

street near his house(1), Krishna Moorthi started a general conversation with

this friend Krishna Swamy. Krishna Moorthi was a number of students. Krishna

Swamy was a first grade officer at the DC office with many servants working

under his supervision. Because of the need for water, both of them had to take

up

the duty of collecting the water from the public taps.

 

 

 

Their conversation soon drifted to the topic of scholars in "Adyatmika Vidya

"(2).

 

 

 

"I know a really true Mahatma" Krishna Swamy mentioned during his

conversation.

 

 

 

"How do you know he is a Mahatma?" Krishna Moorthi questioned.

 

 

 

"Sir, if one can materialise the sacred ash (Vibhuti) from all the parts of

his body, what else can you calls such a person" A true Mahatma?"

 

 

 

"Have you seen it with your own eyes?"

 

"Yes, not only that, much more."

 

"Explain."

 

"When he worships with white ekke flowers, I have seen them changing to

jasmine.".

 

"Lord Ganesha."

 

"Is that so?"

 

"When I took jasmine flowers to him for worship they changed to white ekke

flowers."

 

"Where does he live?"

 

"In this town, in this colony itself."

 

"What? In Kesere?"

 

"Yes, in Kesere."

 

"What is his name?"

 

"Satyanarayana Swamy."

 

 

 

Krishna Moorthi was about 40 years old and was in used to conduct daily pooja

at home. He was very much interested to know more about this Swamy. That

evening he collected the articles for pooja like flowers, cocoanut, bananas,

camphor and agarbathi and went on his bike to see the Swamy.

 

 

 

It was the month of October, which meant that it gets darker soon. The

streetlights were already lit. As he was not familiar with the area he was

riding

slowly. When he approached the St.Philominas church, he met Rama Swamy, a

retired school teacher, family friend and an excellent analyst of human

behaviour.

 

 

 

"What is this Krishna Moorthi, you are going this way?" he enquired.

 

"I believe there is a Ganapathi upasaka living in this colony, I was going to

see him."

 

"Him! I know him very well. His name is Satyanarayana Swamy. He is a great

soul," Rama swamy said happily.

 

"How do you know that?"

 

"Why not? He has actually been to our house few times. Let me come along with

you to see him." This made the job of finding the house easy for Krishna

Moorthi. They walked along and entered into the hall of that house. It was

getting

dark.

 

 

 

It was a congested room in a corner of which was a young lad sitting on a

cane chair. He had a white shirt on him and wore vibhuti mark on his forehead.

His hair was matted and he did not have the features of development of the beard

and moustache. He appeared to be about 20 years old. He had a long face,

which showed serenity in expression. His eyes were exceptionally bright. It was

impossible to look at them directly.

 

 

 

He must be the Swamy, he could make out easily. Also there were 4-5 elders in

the room who were sitting on the floor near his chair. Krishna Moorthi kept

the pooja articles near Swami’s feet, bowed down to him and came back to sit

in

his place. Rama Swamy also offered his salutations to Swamy. Swamy stood up,

took the garland and put it on the photo of Ganapathi on the wall. He offered

"Aarathi"(3) to the photo and came back to his chair. It was very silent

inside the room. Krishna Moorthi started the conversation by asking, "When would

Swami conduct the pooja?"

 

 

 

"By about 8.00 – 8.30 am he completes the pooja and offers tirtham(4).

 

 

 

"I will certainly come in the morning" saying so Moorthi got up and came out.

Swamy nodded his head in approval. Somehow Moorthy was a b it disappointed

and really could not sit any longer in that room. Apart from the sparkle in

Swamy

’s eyes he did not see anything special. "Does not matter. As I said, I will

see you in the morning, let me come once tomorrow" he said to himself. He came

at about 8.00am the next day.

 

"You have come? Swamy asked him.

 

"Sorry, I was late.Does not matter. Is everyone all right at your house?"

 

 

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Explanations:

 

 

It is common due to the shortage of water, in many places in India, the local

council provides public taps for group of residents in the streets and lets

the water through them for a limited number of hours a day. Many people,

especially women folk stand in queue before the appointed time for the start of

the

running of water. They collect the water in big vessels and use it for their

daily needs.

 

 

 

 

Study of "Atman" and "Paramatman".

 

 

 

 

Lighted lamp offered to the deity by moving it in a clockwise direction while

chanting prayers.

 

 

 

 

Sacred water, which is poured into the palm of the right hand of the devotees

after the pooja by the priest. The devotee sips it with reverence.