BrahmaSri Tadepalli Raghavanarayana Shastry Garu ‐ Jeevitha Charitra Part‐2 By Shreeram Balijepalli, Canada In continuation……….
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handavolu Shastry had in possession by now Ashtamaadhi siddhis (the 8 miraculous powers). However, he never even once used them despite facing many monetary and other calamities. He used to take it in a spiritual way and say that it was all because of 'Praarabdha Karma'. Such was His greatness.
am a Telugu Vaideeki Velanadu
Brahmin; my Gurunatha is Rajagopala Swamy of Nanganallur Sarvamangala Rajarajeshwari Ashramam. I have been intiiated into Srividya Margam and my father and mother are Sri Balijepalli Devendra Shankar Garu (A Dattaupasaka and direct disciple of Swaprakashananda Datta-Athivarna-Avadhutha) and Srimathy Balijepalli Vidhyavathy Garu.I have finished my MBA in USA and currently reside in Toronto. My Upasya Devatha is Rajarajeshwari Parabhattarika Devatha.
His Mantra‐Yogas and stories are actually very strange stories. Only His disciples Noori Satyanarayana Sharma & Noori Bhogeeshwara Sharma alone knew His powers in depth. Let me narrate a few such miraculous incidents here. Now, miracles are a natural order of divinity. There is no such thing as a higher or lower order of miracles and every expression of miracle is the love of Devi manifest. Chandavolu Shastry had studied in a school (Vedapathashaala) and that was filled with ghosts! ('Deyyala Kompa') 310
They never dared to come in the morning when the Vedic vibrations were present, however they frequented the School in the night. So, no one stayed at night in the School due to this fear. Once what happened was when Chandavolu Shastry was sleeping in the School premises, the students by mistake locked the door and went away. That night one naked female spirit (Digambari) with disheveled hair came near the sleeping saint. Chandavolu Shastry Garu seeing her, started reciting Devi's mantra and the Digambari asked him to shut up. But he defied her and started reciting it loudly and she could not even come near him and gave shrieking voices and ran away from the place never to be seen again! Another Miracle:
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n those days, Chandavolu Shastry being an expert in Mantra‐oushadi (Mantric Herbs) had a desire to get 'Mayuri Shiki' a very rare herb. This herb was available only during the time of a complete lunar eclipse atop a hill and that too upon the recital of a mantra. Those who possessed the herb would be able to control and attract anyone. So, Chandavolu Shastry Garu out of curiosity reading in a Shastra wanted to try the efficacy of the herb. Chandavolu Garu went up the hill at the given time and started reciting the mantra and saw the shining miracle‐herb and when he was about to pluck it a three‐headed young boy appeared and the boy prevented him from taking the herb. The boy said, "You have no need for this herb as people when they even see your face will become attracted by you and your power" He tried to convince the boy that He was taking the herb only on experimental basis but the boy did not yield and as they were arguing, the eclipse time elapsed and the herb stopped shining and disappeared. The three headed boy also smiled and disappeared. Chandavolu Shastry reconciled to the fact that it was not in His karma to get the herb and climbed down the hill. Later he came to know that Lord Dattatreya Swami was In charge (Adhipathy) for the herb! So, the three headed boy was none other than Bala‐Datta! (Dattatreya in Child form). He deemed it His good fortune to see Baladatta even without seriously trying! Chandavolu Shastry Garu had the good fortune of meeting his poorvajanma (past birth) friend who was now a great yogi. The yogi (whose name is purposely kept anonymous) appeared before Him and said "Look at everything which happens in this material world with equanimity and I will appear after 50 years”. So saying he disappeared. 50 Years later, Shastryji went to Guntur and was doing Pranayama in his room. Since he was an expert at Pranayama he began to levitate and suddenly he began to fall to the ground head‐down and then exactly at that moment the yogi 311
appeared and saved Chandavolu Shastry Garu and blessed Him. The moment Shastryji prostrated before Him, He vanished. At this stage, let me tell all that this story did not occur in 5th century BC but happened from 1900‐1990!! So, all these miracles you read happened as recently till 1990.This gives us some hope. Ok, now coming back to the pertinent story, Venkatapppayya Shastry Garu had gone to Kailasham (expired) and His 'Shreerama Kathaamrutham' was being printed by Chandavolu Shastry Garu. In the Ayodhyaa‐Kaandam, Shastryji had a writer's block. He could not complete one particular poem which was an explanation to the Gayathri mantra. Each Syllable of the mantra was attempted to be written in poetic form by Him. He struggled with the syllable "Bha" and got stuck there. Shastryji prayed His Upsaya‐devatha (Rajarajeshwari Tripurasundari) and then drifted into sleep. He had a weird dream while he slept. In the dream one Bibi‐Jaganmohini appeared and she was in a sleeping pose and one 30 year old bearded man came fast running to Her and opened her jacket and started drinking milk from her breasts! Shastry Garu was flabbergasted while witnessing this in the dream. The lady looked so Huge and very Divine and He had no clue who She was. She said to Him, "Why are you standing there?" He replied in his dream "Can I also get some Mother's milk from you?" At that instant, he awakened from sleep and started getting the words in free flow as in "Bharma Maya Ramya Harmyamu..." And finished his Novella easily. He used to write from then on is such a frenetic pace that while the proofs of one chapter was being printed, He used to finish by night itself another chapter! Till date no one knew, who the lady was and who the 30 year old bearded man was. The significance of the dream can be cognized as Shastry Garu drinking the milk of wisdom from Paradevatha's divine breasts itself just like the 'Dravida Sisu' of Saundarya Lahiri (Thirugnana Sambandhar‐Child saint Nayanmar) Chandavolu ketharaju Subbarao Garu did not have progeny. He took his wife to Rayaveluru and showed to a Western Doctor there and the doctor declared that she would not be able to conceive. The couple took refuge at the feet of Chandavolu Shastryji. He then gave her for a year Prasad (Theerthabhoothulu' ‐ meaning Theertha Prasadam. 'bhoothulu' has an utterly corrupt meaning these days in Telugu, the word has no connection with that word. This word is an ancient Telugu word though. However, etymologically speaking both, come from the word "Bhutha" as 312
in Panchabhutha.). She became pregnant and went to Rayaveluru Hospital for delivery! The Doctor who said she is a barren woman was flabbergasted and checked her again and again! She gave birth to a girl and the delivery was a hassle free one. One more couple (Peravali Vasis Cheruvu Vishwanatha Sharma couple) also got blessed similarly. Once this came to be known all over many people started flocking to get the 'Theerthabhoothulu'.
To Be Continued …………..
Shri Gajanan Maharaj of Shegaon The state of Maharashtra, has produced a huge number of mystics and saints in India. Let’s see an instance in the life of the legendary Gajanan Maharaj. One day Maharaj went to the Nilakanth temple near the village and desired to stay there. Patil built a palm cottage for him and people started visiting the place. Once a group of Gossains (a type of Sadhu - saint) claiming to be the disciples of one Brahmin Guruji reached the place where Baba was staying. The pretentious Sadhus demanded halwa, puri (a variety of food in India) and ganja (opium) from Patil. They also told him that by doing so he would get more virtue than by serving a mad and naked person like Gajanan Maharaj. After taking his food just in order to prove his superiority over Maharaj the group leader, Brahmagiriji started lecturing on Bhagavad-Gita to draw attention of people. He started explaining "Nainam chhindanti Sastrani, Nainam Dahati Pavakam"- meaning ‘neither weapons can destroy the soul nor can fire burn it’. In spite of his efforts, people were found to be collecting around Gajanan Maharaj who was smoking his Chilum (clay tobacco pipe) sitting on a wooden bed right opposite to Brahmagiriji. His ego was hurt and he became very angry finding absence of proper public appreciation and attention. Strange are the ways of Sadgurus. In this situation a strange thing happened. The bed on which Maharaj was sitting suddenly caught fire. As the fire rose up the disciples of Maharaj requested him to get out of fire and also started arranging for water. Maharaj said that neither water would be used to extinguish fire nor would he get out of the fire bed. Addressing Brahmagiriji who was enjoying the sight, Maharaj said, "since you have been telling people for the last one hour that neither weapon can destroy nor fire can burn the soul, please come and prove it by sitting on this fire." On this Brahmagiriji did not react but tried to avoid the situation. Then Maharaj asked a physically strong disciple to catch hold of Brahmagiriji and bring him before Maharaj. One can well imagine the condition of a pretentious sadhu (saint) in such a situation. His ego was totally shattered and he repented not only for his behavior but also for his pretentiousness. Maharaj pardoned him and advised him on the path to be followed for spiritual upliftment.
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