PROPHETS ALIKE

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PROPHETS ALIKE

—Yogacharya K. B. Sahasrabudhe

—Swami Raghavendra

Let us this month recall to our mind the pious life and philosophy of Swami

Raghavendra of Mantralayam. It is beyond doubt that the Sai devotees would

very much be moved by the inspiring accounts of the divine life of Sri

Raghavendra, for the miracles performed by the Swamiji during his life time

and after his entering Brindavan compare well with those of Sri Sai Baba of

Shirdi.

To begin with, it is interesting to note that both these saints were

recipients of the grace of Lord Venkateshwara of Tirupathi in their early

lives.

As we are aware, Sai Baba's Guru was none other than Ven-kusa or Venkatesa

of Selu who was so known after his devotion to the Lord of Seven Hills.

The pious parents of Swami Raghavendra namely Thimmana-bhat and Gopikamba

had propitiated to Lord Venkateshwara for progeny. They begot a child who

grew into Sri Raghavendraswami. He was quite appropriately christened as

"Venkatnath".

The boy showed keen interest in music. He could play adroitly on veena and

he was later called as Veena Venkannabhat. When he came of age, he was

married to Saraswati Bat. His married life was a tale of woe and suffering.

The grinding poverty he was confronted with reminded one of the proverbial

kuchela. He and his wife wore tattered clothes and remained on empty stomach

for many a day. To add fuel to the fire, one day even the few utensils they

possessed were stolen.

Sri Raghavendra then took to the life of the mutt and came under the

tutelage of Sri Sudheendra Swami. Sri Raghavendra's mastery over shastras,

and vyakarna astounded many a pundit and scholar. During a heated debate, he

once quoted Mahabhasya line by line to the amazement of the listeners and

earned for himself the title of "Mahabhasyacharya".

Sri Sai Baba very often used to say that he was Kabir in his previous birth.

It is believed that Swami Raghavendra was re-: incarnation of Bhaktha

Prahalada. He appeared in the 17th century! to sow the seeds of faith, love

and devotion in the hearts of the I people.

Just as Shirdi, the Mantralayam now ranks foremost among: the holy places of

India. Situated on the banks of river Tunga-bhadra, this sacred village is

seen drawing a never-ending flow of devotees whose silent prayers are

answered by the astral form of Swamiji.

"My tomb shall bless and speak to the needs of my devotees" so declared Sri

Sai Baba. Likewise, the Brindavan today is believed to bless the devotees

and fulfil their needs. The hungry is given food, the blind is given sight,

the needy is given the money and so on.

Like Sai Baba, he conferred temporal benefits on the devotees. But their

objective was to draw the devotees by the lure of earthly benefits and then

turn them over to spiritual fold.

Both Sai Baba and Swami Raghavendra were equally averse to the show of

occult powers. But there was an ulterior motive behind their performance of

miracles. As we are aware, reason is now too much with the modern man

leading him to scientific lunacy, and spiritual bankruptcy. It has been

carried to such an extent that the very existence of God and His Leelas are

denied for the simple reason that the same are not amenable to the

Laboratory-tests. Miracles are performed to inculcate faith in the people.

If Sai Baba could grind cholera into flour, turn water into oil, convert

storm into calm and so on Swami Raghavendra did no less breath-taking

miracles.

Once Swamiji visited Kirtagiri near Gadag (former Karnatak District) where

he was the guest of Venkat Desai . While arrangements for puja etc., were

being made in a hectic manner, the child of Venkat Desai fell into a big pot

of mango juice and lost his life. Every one was grief-stricken at the

mishap. Then Swamiji ordered the boy to be laid before him, sprinkled holy

water over the dead body, recited holy hymns and restored life into the

corpse.

>From Kirtagiri, Swamiji went to Hubli where he saved the son of the Nawab of

Savanur who had died of snake-bite. The Nawab in gratitude gave Krishnagiri

and other villages as gifts.

An incarnation of Bhaktha Prahalada, an ardent admirer of Madhwa, Swamiji

spared no efforts to teach the ideals of faith, love and devotion fulfilling

thus his mission of establishment of Dharma in Society.

 

(Adopted from Sri SaiLeela Special Issue 1973)