The man who did not want to become a Peetadhipathi

 This is an excellent but short composition on Sri Krishna by Vasudeva Vittala, a friend of Gopala Dasa and his contemporary.

Vasudeva Vittala was a disciple of Bhuvenendra Theertha and he had taken Sanyasa at the instance of Gopala Dasa. He was to occupy the peetha of  the Sri Raghavendra swamy Matha of Mantralaya but since he was devoted to Haridasa Sampradaya, he decided to give up the idea of becoming a Sanyasi. However, he continued as a Bidi or independent Swamy and came to be known as IG or Aijee Swamy.

He got the name Aijee Swamilgalu as he was born at Aiji as Venkataramancharya. His father, Venkata Narasimhacharya, was a well-known Sudha pandit.

The Brindavana of Aijee Swamigalu is in Venisomapura and this is a small village about 70 kolometres from Mantralaya and it is in Andhra Pradesh. The Brindavana, the temple of Gopala Krishna and another temple were flooded when the Tungabhadra overflowed the banks in 2009. This was the time Mantralaya too was flooded.

Aijee Swamigalu is also known as Vyasa Tatwajna Theertha and he consecrated an idol of  Gopala Krishna in Venisomapura.

Vyasa Tatwajna Theertha has written a number of compositions on Krishna. A disciple of Bhuvenandra Theertha (1785-1799) of Raghavendra Swamy Matha, he decided against taking up position as Peetadhipathi after Bhuvanendra Theertha.

He was a close associate and friend of Goapala Dasa and it was this Haridasa who inspired  Vyasa Vittala Dasa to take Sanyasa. Infact, it was Gopala Dasa who gave him this ankita nama. One of the most prominent disciples of Vyasa Tatwajna Theertha is Madanoor Vishnu Theertha.

He has written several songs on Rayaru. When he first visited Tirumala,, he found the entire hill covered with Saligrama. Unable to bring himself to place his feet on the hill, he climbed the hill on his knees and then had a darshana of Srinivasa.

This is one of his small but beautiful composition on Krishna.

bandakriShNa Chandadinda banda nODe I

gOpavRundadinda nandisuta banda nODe ll

GOvamEvaneeva banda nODe I

dEvatAvAdyagaLinda banda nODe ll

pApapOpagOparUpa banda nODe I

tApalOpalEpalOpa banda nODe ll

BhUsurasuKasUsuta banda nODe I

vAsudEva viTtalatA banda nODe ll

Sanctum Sanctorum of Rayaru in Mantralaya to be rebuilt

The Mantralaya Sri Raghavendra Swamy Matha has come up with a plan to rebuild the sanctum sanctorum of the holy Raghavendra Swamy Matha in Mantralaya.

The plan of the highly venerated religious institution, the Mantralaya Matha, is to “rebuild the sanctum sanctorum of  Shri Rayaru completely to create a covered stone structure with pillars in ancient architectural style”.

The website of the Sri Raghavendra Swamy Matha, Mantralaya, and emails sent out to the subscribers of the matha newsletter states that the massive project is slated to cost about Rs. 10 crores.

The Newsletter and emails of the Matha state that “His Holiness Shri Shri Suyateendra Theertha Shripaadangalavaru has undertaken a commitment to rebuild the sanctum sanctorum”.

It says though the Matha is capable of constructing the stone pavilion, both the Swamiji's (this means the senior and junior pontiff of the Sri Raghavendra Swamy Matha) wish is to present the unique opportunity to all the devotees to make a contribution towards this project and be blessed.
It says Sri Subudhendra Theertha has taken over the leadership of the project.

The value of each stone slab that will be used in the construction of the stone structure is estimated to be Rs.5000. Every stone slab used in the construction of the interior enclosure around the Brindavana may be sponsored by devotees.

Each stone slab donated by the devotee will be offered only after taking their names in the Sankalpa. A devotee may donate any number of stone slabs. Every donor will receive a commemorative memento from the Swamiji along with his blessings.

After constructing and offering the Stone Mandap to Rayaru, the surplus funds thus accrued will be utilised for the new building construction of Shri Gurusarvabhouma Samskruta Vidya Peetha.

Devotees can send their contributions through Cheque / DD / M.O to The Manager,

Sri Raghavendra Swamy Matha
Mantralayam - 518 345 Andhra Pradesh

Cash donations will be accepted only through authorised representatives or at the Donation Counters at Mantralaya.
The matha says online funds may be transferred to the account given below.

Syndicate Bank, Mantralaya
Name: Shilamantapa Account: No. 33982200017846
IFSC : SYNB0003398

This donation is eligible for tax concession under Section 80G of Income Tax act.

For more information, devotees and donors may contact Office of H.H. Sri Swamiji : 08512-279429
The Manager : 08512-279888
Public Relations Officers : 08512 279700 / 279498
Web Page : www.raghavendramutt.org/shiladana
Email : shiladana@raghavendramutt.org

The seer who was a Rudra Amsha

Before he took Deekshe, he was a Shanubhog and he was called  Ananthappa. It was Vibudhendra Theertha who saw him at  Agnihalu village near the confluence of the Krishna and the Bheema.

Vibudhendra Theertha taught Sandhyavandana to Ananthappa.

He gave a Narasimha Saligrama to Ananthappa and advised him to perform Sandhyavandhana and Saligrama pooje regularly.

Ananthappa began his routine in accordance with the instructions of Vibhudhendra Theertha. He performed Sandhyavandhana and then offered Naivedya to the Saligrama.

When the Saligrama did not take the offering, Ananthappa got angry and offered to die if  the Narasimha saligrama did not take the offering.

The Saligrama opened and Ananthappa fed it with the Naivedya. Soon, this became a regular routine. In 1490, Vibhudhendra Theertha again came to the village and he met Ananthappa who by then had transformed into a pious and holy man, immersed in religion and prayer.  

The seer had been granted the village of Angihalu by the Vijayanagar Emperor. He was wonderstruck when he saw the saligrama partaking the Naivedya. He decided to nominate Ananthappa as the successor of the matha that he headed.

He conferred sanyasa on Ananthappa and entrusted the Samsthana of the Sri matha to him. Vibudhendra then proceeded towards Tamrapani, in Tamil Nadu, where he entered Brindavana.

It was after sanyasa that Ananthappa came to be called Jitamitra. He was the 12^th seer to sit on the Sri matha after Madhwacharya.

Jitamitra Theertha taught his students under a gum tree on a mound between the Krishna and the Bheema rivers as he considered this spot to be as sacred as Prayag. Every day, the students and onlookers saw a Jangama attending his classes. The students always wondered who this Jangama was.

Once, when the Krishna was in spate, Jitamitra Theertha was meditating under the gum tree. The Krishna submerged the entire mound and it did not recede for seven days. Later the flood receded and the students were amazed to see Jitamitra Theertha sitting in meditation. The students saw that not a drop of water had touched the seer.

This incident occurred a second time and this time around the seer had disappeared. When his devotees and students began searching for him, they heard the voice of Jitamitra Theertha saying  that he had disappeared and that there was no need for a Brindavana for him. The voice of the seer said the gum tree under which he sat and taught them should be worshipped. Accordingly, the gum tree came to be worshipped. Even today, the gum tree exists and it is being worshipped everyday.

Legend has it that Jitamitra was a Rudramsha. When Susheelendra Theertha of Mantralaya Raghavendra Swamy Matha went there, he saw Jitamitra in the form of a Bairagi at the nearby Sangameshwara temple. The Bairagi disappeared into the sanctum sanctorum which has an idol of  Shiva.

Before disappearing from view, Jitamitra Theertha had visited Bichale and planted a gum tree there. It was on this gum tree that Appanacharya used to hang raw rice kept in a cloth and start teaching his students. When he finished his classes, the rice would have boiled.

Sripadaraja also visited Bichale and he consecrated an idol of Narasimha near the gum tree. He also wrote a beautiful poem in praise of  Jitamitra Theertha.

The poem in Sanskrit and Kannada is as follows:

वंदने माडिरै यतिकुलचंद्रन पाडिरै ॥प॥
बंद दुरितगळ हिंदे आनंद पडुवे विबुधॆंद्र करॊद्भवर ॥अ.प॥

रघुकुलवर पुत्र रामन चरण करुणापात्र।
निगमॊक्तिय सूत्र पाठ पठिसुव सुगुण जितामित्र॥
नगधर श्री पन्नगशयनन गुण ।
पोगळुव अपार अगणित महिमर ॥१॥

वरमहात्मे तिळिसि मोदलिंदीपरियंददि चरिसि।
निरुत मनव निलिसि श्रीहरि करि वरदन ओलिसि ॥
धरे जनरिगे अरियदे मरेयागुत ।
हरुषदि गॊनद तरुवल्लिरुवर ॥२॥

मुददि कृष्णा तटिय मध्यदि सदनद ई परिय ।
सतदामल यतिवर्य तपमौनदलि इद्दु (द्रुत) करिय(कार्य) ॥
ओदगि नदियु सूसुत बरलॆळु दिन-।
कुदयादवर सुपद कमलंगळ ॥३॥

मास मार्गशीर्षाराधनेगशॆषदिन अमावास्य ।
दासरु प्रतिवरुष माळ्परु लॆसेनलु श्रितिगॊष ॥
काशिय क्षॆत्र ई स्थळ मिगिलै
दासरिगे ई भूसरि पदंगळ ॥४॥

मध्व शास्त्र ग्रंथसारद पद्धति तिळिदंथ ।
अद्वैत पंथ मुरिदु मत उद्धरिसिदंथ ॥
रुद्रवंद्य मूरुति रंगविठलन पद ।
पद्माराधक प्रसिद्ध मुनींद्रर ॥५॥

The poem in Kannada is:

ವಂದನೆ ಮಾಡಿರೈ ಯತಿಕುಲಚಂದ್ರನ ಪಾಡಿರೈ ||ಪ||
ಬಂದ ದುರಿತಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ ಆನಂದ ಪಡುವೆ ವಿಬುಧೇಂದ್ರ ಕರೋದ್ಭವರ ||ಅ.ಪ||

ರಘುಕುಲವರ ಪುತ್ರ ರಾಮನ ಚರಣ ಕರುಣಾಪಾತ್ರ|
ನಿಗಮೋಕ್ತಿಯ ಸೂತ್ರ ಪಾಠ ಪಠಿಸುವ ಸುಗುಣ ಜಿತಾಮಿತ್ರ||
ನಗಧರ ಶ್ರೀ ಪನ್ನಗಶಯನನ ಗುಣ |
ಪೊಗಳುವ ಅಪಾರ ಅಗಣಿತ ಮಹಿಮರ ||೧||

ವರಮಹಾತ್ಮೆ ತಿಳಿಸಿ ಮೊದಲಿಂದೀಪರಿಯಂದದಿ ಚರಿಸಿ|
ನಿರುತ ಮನವ ನಿಲಿಸಿ ಶ್ರೀಹರಿ ಕರಿ ವರದನ ಒಲಿಸಿ ||
ಧರೆ ಜನರಿಗೆ ಅರಿಯದೆ ಮರೆಯಾಗುತ |
ಹರುಷದಿ ಗೋನದ ತರುವಲ್ಲಿರುವರ ||೨||

ಮುದದಿ ಕೃಷ್ಣಾ ತಟಿಯ ಮಧ್ಯದಿ ಸದನದ ಈ ಪರಿಯ |
ಸತದಾಮಲ ಯತಿವರ್ಯ ತಪಮೌನದಲಿ ಇದ್ದು (ದ್ರುತ) ಕರಿಯ(ಕಾರ್ಯ) ||
ಒದಗಿ ನದಿಯು ಸೂಸುತ ಬರಲೇಳು ದಿನ-|
ಕುದಯಾದವರ ಸುಪದ ಕಮಲಂಗಳ ||೩||

ಮಾಸ ಮಾರ್ಗಶೀರ್ಷಾರಾಧನೆಗಶೇಷದಿನ ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯ |
ದಾಸರು ಪ್ರತಿವರುಷ ಮಾಳ್ಪರು ಲೇಸೆನಲು ಶ್ರಿತಿಗೋಷ ||
ಕಾಶಿಯ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ ಈ ಸ್ಥಳ ಮಿಗಿಲೈ
ದಾಸರಿಗೆ ಈ ಭೂಸರಿ ಪದಂಗಳ ||೪||

ಮಧ್ವ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ ಗ್ರಂಥಸಾರದ ಪದ್ಧತಿ ತಿಳಿದಂಥ |
ಅದ್ವೈತ ಪಂಥ ಮುರಿದು ಮತ ಉದ್ಧರಿಸಿದಂಥ ||
ರುದ್ರವಂದ್ಯ ಮೂರುತಿ ರಂಗವಿಠಲನ ಪದ |
ಪದ್ಮಾರಾಧಕ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧ ಮುನೀಂದ್ರರ ||೫||

The aradhane of this great saint of Mantralaya Raghavendra Swamy Matha is being celebrated for three days from December 31 at Jitamitra Gadde, Shivpur, in Yadgir. The senior and jujior pontiff of the Mantralaya Matha will grace the occasion.

The Haridasa with a difference

Haridasas are generally Vaishnavas and almost all of the Haridasas right from the time of Narahari Theertha have composed hymns and songs on Sri Hari and sung his glory.

The Haridasas have accepted Hari as the supreme god and Madhwacharya as their guru. All the Haridasas have scrupulously followed the tenets laid down by Madhwacharya.

Indeed, the origin of Haridasa Sahitya and Sangeetha goes back to the Dwadesha Stotra composed by Madhwacharya. Several Madhwa saints and composers who followed him  accepted the Vaishnava faith and propagated it in their compositions.

Thus, all the Haridasas were either Vaishnavas or converted to Vaishnava faith. If not, they wrote and sang about Hari even if they belonged to a different stream of philosophy. One of the best examples of such a Haridasa is Belur Vaikunta Dasa. A Srivaishnava, he had no hesitation in becoming a disciple of  Vyasa Raja, a Madhwa or Vaishnava saint, and writing several compositions on Hari.

Another fine example was that of Kanaka Dasa. Though not a Brahmin, he wrote about Hari and the other avatars of  Vishnu. However, in recent years, another Haridasa has shot into prominence. It is not merely because he belongs to another religion. It is also so because he sings with great devotion and faith.

This person is none other than Kanakagiri Hussein Sab or Hussein Sab Kanakagiri.

Kanakagiri Hussein Sab is a true Muslim but he also sings the glory of Hari as he finds no distinction between the two. A front runner of the Haridasa Sahitya movement today, he is at ease singing Haridasa compositions and reciting the Koran.

This Haridasa has given several concerts on Haridasa Sangeeta in Raghavendra Swamy mathas such as in Jogeshwari in Mumbai and other places including Bangalore.

A Hindustani musician himself, Hussein Sab also sings compositions of many Haridasas and even gives concerts on them.  He was born to Yamanur Sab and Honnur Bi of Kanakagiri on May 5, 1954. A devout Muslim by birth, he also grew up learning the philosophy of Haridasa. He learnt music from Devappayya Kakhandaki, a master of Hindustani music, in Bijapur.

He did his BSc in Agriculture and joined a agrochemical company. He is married to Raja Bi and he has three sons and all of them are engineers- Sabjan Sab, Habib Sab and Kasim Sab. Incidentally, Habib Sab is also a musician and he sung devotional and film songs.

What sets out Hussein Sab from others is that he has a vast repertoire of Haridasa compositions and he speaks in chaste Kannada. He also has a deep and abiding knowledge of Haridasa Sahitya, Sangeetha and of course Dwaitha philosophy. ‘

He has been awarded several times for his excellence in singing. The Mantralaya Matha of Raghavendra Swamy has conferred on him Gayana Gandharva. Some of his other awards include Sri Vijayeendra Puraskara, Vishwarupa National Celebration Award, Sri Narayana, Sri Krishnanugraha, Rajayogi, Pratibha Shree, Hari keertanashresta, Daasashree,  and Swara Surabhi.

He also been conferred the Rajyotsava award by the Karnataka Government in 1999.

He is the Chairman of Haridasa Seva Samiti and the district representative of Karnataka Gamaka Kala Parishat , founder member of Vijayaraaya Seva Samiti, Raichur.

By the way, he has also constructed a community hall at Chikallaparavi or Chippageri named as Sri Vijayaraaya Kalyana Mantapa.

He has several music albums to his credit including, Dasare Gati, Haridasaru kanda Gururajaru, Haridas Vani, Kori Karevevu Guru Raghavendrane, Kaayo Kaveri Ranga, Sri Vyasaraya Gana Chandrika. 

The Vijayaraya Kavacha

The aradhane of one of the greatest saints composers of the Haridasa movement. Vijaya Dasa ((1682-1755), is just a day away. Vijaya Dasa along with   Purandara and Kanaka is called the trinity of Haridasa movement.

Vijaya Dasa was believed to be an incarnation of  Madhwapathi Dasa, the youngest son of Purandara Dasa. He was born so that he could fulfill his father’s wishes of writing five lakh devara namas.

Purandara Dasa could compose only 4,75,000 songs and he asked Madhwapathi Dasa to complete the rest 25,000. Since Madhwapati could not complete the numbers in his lifetime, he was reborn as Vijaya Dasa.

Vijaya Dasa was a contemporary of several other Haridasas such as  Gopala Dasa, Helevankatte Giriamma, Jagannatha Dasa and Prasanna Venkata Dasa.

Vijaya Dasa was born in a poor Brahmin family in Cheekalaparvi or Chippagiri to Srinivasappa and Kusamma. It was Purandara Dasa himself who came in a dream and initiated him into the Dasa Koota and gave him the nomenclature Vijaya Vittala.

Vijaya Dasa was among the fist of the dasas to compose  extensively on Raghavendra Swamy of Mantralaya. He is known as Suladi Dasa as he composed innumerable suladis.  

Vijaya Dasa accepted Kallur Subbanachar (1720-1815) as a Haridasa and gave him the Ankita nama Vyasa Vittala. A grateful Subbanachar realised that Vijaya Dasa was not an ordinary person and he  composed this stothra in praise of his Guru and called it as “Vijaya Raya Kavacha.

The Vijaya Raya Kavacha is one of the finest songs of its genre by Kallur Subbanachar on Vijaya Dasa.

This composition is popular even today and it is recited regularly by women folk who believed that if you want any wish to be fulfilled, you have to chant the Vijaya Kavacha everyday.

The English translation goes as follows:

  

“Smarisi badukiro divya charaNakeragiro
durita toredu poreva vijaya gurugalembarA

dAsarAyana dayava sUsi paDedanA
dOSharahitanA santOShabharitanA ||1||

jAnAvantana balu nidhAni shAntana
mAnyavantana bahuvadAnyadAtana ||2||

hariya bhajisuva narahariya yajisuva
durita tyajisuva janake haruSha surisuva ||3||

mOdabharitana paMchabhEdavaritana
sAdhucharitana manOviShAda maretana ||4||

ivara nambida janakE bhavavidembudu
havanavAgadO nammavara matavidu ||5||

pApakOTiya rAshi lEpavAgadu
tApa kalEvanu balu dayApayOnidhi ||6||

pavanarUpadi hariya stavana mADida
bhuvana bEDida mAdhavana nODida ||7||

ragganEndana bhavavu higgitEndana
maggalAggana antaraggavaritana ||8||

kAshinagaradallidda vyAsadEvana
dayava sUsi paDEdana ullAsatanadali ||9||

chintEbEDirO nishchintarAgirO
shAntagurugala pAdondu nambirO ||10||

khEdavAgadO nimage modavAhudo
Adidevana suprasAdavAhudO ||11||

tApa taDevanu banda pApa kaDivanu
shrIpatIya padasamIpaviDuvanu ||12||

veda Odalu baride vAda mADalu
hAdi doreyadu budhara pAda nanbade ||13||

gagge mindare malavu hiMgitallade
raMganoliyanu bhaktara saMga dorakade ||14||

lekkavilladA deshatukki bandarU
duHkhavallade lesha bhakti dorekadu ||15||

dAna mADalu divyagAna pADalu
jAna doreyado ivaradhInavAgade ||16||

niShThe yAtake kaMDa kaShThavyAtake
diTTa gurugala pAda muTTI bhajisiro ||17||

pUje mADalu kaNDa goju bIlalu
bIja mAtina phla sahaja dorakadu ||18||

suraru ellaru ivara karava piDivaro
taralaraMdadi hinde tirugutipparo ||19||

grahagalellavU ivarge sahAya mADuta
ahorAtrili sukhava koDuvavu ||20||

vyAdhi bArado dEhabAdhe taTTado
Adidevana suprasAdavAhudo ||21||

patitapAmara mandamatiyu nA balu
tutisalApane ivara atishayaMgala ||22||

karuNadindaliymma porevanallade
duritakoTiya bega tariva dayadali ||23||

mandamatigalu ivara chandavariyade
nindisuvaro bhavada bhanda tappado ||24||

indirApati ivara munde kuNivano
anda vachanava nijake tandu torpanu ||25||

udayakAladi I padava paThisalu
madaDanAdaru jAna udayavAhudo ||26||

saTeyidellavo vYAsaviThala ballano
paThisabahididu keli kuTilarahitaru” ||27||

Rayaru gave darshana to this Prof

This post is in response to queries by people to one of  the replies that I had written in the blog Samyuktha Harshita in an article called “The Speaking Brindavana”. In that post, I had mentioned the name of Prof M S Anantha.

Many readers wanted to know who this Professor is and what is the story behind the Rayaru Mahime.

Well, here goes the story and I can personally vouch for its authenticity.

The professor and his wife stay on Bangalore along with their son, daughter-in-law and grandson. This episode happened three years ago.

The family of the Professor decided to visit Mantralaya. The Professor had been particularly desirous of seeing Rayaru at Mantralaya for a particular reason.

Every year, on a particular day, when the Professor went to sleep, he would wake up sweating. Sometimes, he would be talking in his sleep and this would wake up his wife. He would then lapse back into deep slumber.

The next morning, when the Professor woke up, he would feel very tired and the head would feel very heavy. (Tale Bhara in Kannada). After he got up from bed, he would find Mantrakshathe either in his palms or beneath his pillow. This Mantrakshathe is not red in colour but yellow.

The Professor told me that he saw Rayaru in his dream. Rayaru would beckon to him, bless him and then hand over the Mantrakshathe to him personally. Rayaru then asked the Professor to keep the Mantrakshathe safe and in the pooja room and worship it.

This has been happening for several years now and the Mantrakshethe is collected and kept in a small box in the pooja room alongside idols. A similar incident of Mantrakshathe had triggered the wish of the Professor to make a trip to Mantralaya.

The Professor and his family left in their car and reached Mantralaya.

On the second day of their visit, the Professor and his family were sitting along with hundreds of people in the Rajangala of the Matha and watching the Raghavendra Swamy Matha seer performing the pooje.

All the people were absorbed in watching the pooje and so was the Professor and his family. Suddenly, the Professor felt and even sensed someone putting a hand in the pocket of his Jubba (long coat). He informed about it to his son who laughed it away. He said how could anyone come near when so many people were gathered at one place.

Moreover, neither the Professor’s wife nor his son and daughter-in-law had seen anything. The Professor, however, was adamant that he had sensed something. He put his hand in the pocket and when it came out, it had a fistful of Mankrakshathe.

Remember, the pooje was still on and the venerable Mantralaya seer had not yet distributed Phala Mantrakshathe to the devotees.

A little later, when the Professor was walking around the Brindavana complex, he was accosted by a aged bearded man wearing holy robes. This holy man walked him around the Brindavana and spoke to him. The Professor, told me that he felt he was in a trance and, therefore, could not speak to the old man. When he completed the Pradakshine and stood before the Brindavana, the old man had vanished. It was only much later that the Professor came to know that he had been escorted around by Rayaru himself.

Two years later, the Professor had a scary encounter with death. One day, he felt he was moving out of his body. He experienced great pain and discomfort when he came out of the mortal frame. His wife and daughter-in-law rushed him to a nearby hospital where his condition was stated to be serious.

All the while the Professor’s wife was loudly asking her husband to come back. Vaapas Banni-come back, she was repeatedly saying. To the astonishment of the doctors, para medical staff and the emergency team of  the ICU, the Professor revived without any medicine.

The Professor told me he floated back into the body. Subsequent tests by the doctors indicated nothing amiss and the Professor in pink of health. Even today, the doctor on duty and doctor at the ICU in the star hospital scratch their head, not knowing how to explain this phenomenon.

They say a person being brought into the hospital in an ambulance with almost no breath and no heart beat. Though, they had told the professor’s wife to expect the worst and had asked her to call her dear and near ones, the expected never happened and  the Professor got up and walked away to perfect health.

This, the Professor later noted, as due to Rayaru, his anugraha and the Mankrakshathe.                                 

I want my mother-in-law dead, the woman prayed

It was sometime in 1952 and Lalitha, one of the six daughters of  Gangabai and Krishnamurthy of Sivarampet in Mysore, had decided to go to Mantralaya to perform a seve to Raghavendra Swamy.

Travelling in those days was not easy and there were a limited number of buses. Besides, the trains too were not frequent and travelling by car or any other four or sic wheeler (tempoes) was considered a luxury that many could ill afford.

Lalitha had been married for eight years but her husband had left her to stay on in her parent’s house, while he was employed in Hyderabad.

Lalitha had no peace of mind as her neighbours and relatives kept pestering her about why she had not joined her husband though she had two children.  She decided to seek divine intervention and went with her father to Mantralaya.

While in Mantralaya, she met a young girl who had come from a remote village on the border of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The young girl and Lalitha quickly became friends and both decided to perform seve to the Mantrakaya Prabhu.

One night, Lalitha dreamt of being asked to go to the Prana Devaru temple at Santebidanoor near Mantralaya in Andhra Pradesh.Not knowing what to do, Lalitha and her father approached a priest who was adept at interpreting such dreams.

The priest said Rayaru had himself asked Lalitha to perform seve before the Pranadevary idol as only he could solve her woes. As Lalitha was getting ready to leave, she found that her friend too had come to the priest for interpreting her dream.

She told the priest that she had seen a brightly burning lamp in her dreams. The Hanathe (brass holder) was full of oil and the wick was burning bright. As she could not understand the significance of the dream she had approached the priest.

The priest asked her what she had prayed for. The young woman innocently replied that she had performed seve to Rayaru asking for her mother-in-law to be taken away by Yama. “I want her dead as he is troubling me a lot”, she said.

The young girl again repeated her wish in Kannada, “Nanage  Nannna Athae Saya Beku.” The priest interpreted the dream saying that her wish would not be fulfilled as her mother-in-law’s life span was as bright as the oil lamp which she had seen in her dream.

The young woman went back disappointed. As far as Lalitha was concerned, she went with her father to Santebidanoor, stayed there for a few days and completed her seve before Anjeneya. Subsequently, she joined her husband in Hyderabad . The couple lived a happy life for several decades till Lalitha’s husband passed away a few years ago. Lalitha, today, is a healthy youngster of 88 staying in Bangalore.

Her belief in Rayaru is unbroken and though age has diminished  her physical activity, her faith remains firm in Rayaru and also Anjeneya.      

The well by a Rayaru devotee

We all know the story of how Raghavendra Swamy helped an unlettered person, Venkanna, to became a Dewan of the Nawab of Adoni (Adwani), Siddi Masud Khan.

Adoni was the capital of Nawab Siddi Masud Khan a nobleman of the Adil Shahi kingdom. Adoni then was part of the Adil Shahi Kingdom and the then Emperor of Bijapur, Muhammad Adil Shah,   had appointed Siddi as the Jagirdar of Adoni.

After Aurangzeb ravaged Bijapur in 1686 and took the last Adil Shahi Emperor, Sikander Adil Shah prisoner, Siddi Masud Khan declared his independence and began ruling Adoni and surrounding areas as an independent ruler.

He had still retained Venkanna as his diwan and Venkanna, with the grace of  Raghavendra Swamy, had undertaken several developmental works for the people of Adoni and surrounding areas.

Adoni is a holy city and its history goes back to the times of the Ramayana. The Ramjala lake in Adoni was formed when Lord Rama shot an arrow into the earth when Sita wanted to drink water. This lake is fed by the Tungabhadra river.

The Ranmandala hill is a famous tourist and pilgrim spot. The famous Hanuman Temple is situated here. It is here that Hanuman killed some of the demons who were disturbing Rama.  

Adoni has a number of temples dedicated to Ganesha. A local legends says that if the water levels reaches the belly of a Ganesha idol in Adoni, the city will be completely submerged underwater. Interestingly, Adoni has an elevation of just 430 metres and it is prone to frequent flooding.

However, one interesting place of interest is the Venkanna Bhavi. Yes, as the name suggest this was the well constructed by Raghavendra Bhakta and Diwan Venkanna.

One of the biggest wells in the area, it is more than 350 years old,
Venkanna had followed the teachings of Rayaru or Raghavendra Swamy to always think of helping others. He had decided to construct the well for providing a permanent solution to the water crisis that Adoni always faced.

Venkanna took the help of water diviners to find out the best spot for the well. Unfortunately, no water appeared even after several days of digging. One night he had a dream in which he was asked to give a sacrifice or “bali” of a pregnant woman if he wanted water to spring out.

Venkanna decide to sacrifice the life of  his daughter-in-law. The moment the sacrifice was done, water began springing out. However, the water was salty as he had sacrificed the life of a pregnant woman. Even today, the water of the well is not used.

Unfortunately, the well became the suicide point of  Adoni. The civic and police authorities have, therefore, restricted access to the well.

Adoni, before Independence, was known as second Bombay because of the manufacture of cotton and textiles. The Kaman Bavi was built by Masud Khan for providing drinking water to his subjects. The Jumma Masjid is another structure worth visiting. It was built by Madu Quadri, a nobleman of the Bijapur court in 1680. It is located within the Adoni fort, which is in ruins now. By the way, Venkanna was one of among the hundreds of  anguished devotees when Raghavendra Swamy entered Brindavana in Mantralaya in 1671. Siddhi Masud Khan and Venkanna met Raghavendra Swamy many times to discuss the construction of the Brindavana. It was Raghavendra Swamy himself  who showed Venkanna the place from where he wanted the stones for the Brindavana to be brought. That place still exists and it is known as Madhavaram.    Mantralaya, the abode of Raghavendra Swamy, is just 42 kms from Adoni. Bangalore is 339 kms from Adoni.

The speaking Brindavana

It is very well known that Raghavendra Swamy or Rayaru spoke to Sir Thomas Munroe from the Brindavana. This episode is written in the Madras Gazeteer and also in other accounts.

But what is not known is that Rayaru spoke to several other persons, including some of the great Haridasas.

The Haridasa movement had waned after the demise of the Vijayanagar empire in 1565. Purandara Dasa had died an year before, ie 1564 in Hampi. When the Vijayanagar Empire was defeated in the battle of Talikoti, Hampi was completely destroyed and burnt. Almost every person, soldier, poet, nobleman, and even the Haridasas scattered.

Even the sons of Purandara Dasa left Hampi for safer places. This mass desertion was more than justified as the Muslim hordes fell on Hampi with such ferociousness that nothing remained of the once magnificent city.

Decades later, the Haridasa Sahitya once again took a new form and this time it was Mantralaya and surrounding areas that became the centre of Haridasa Sahitya. Our beloved Rayaru had entered brindavana in 1671 and scores of Haridasas sought the blessings of Rayaru.

Many Haridasas composed their works in Mantralaya or sang their compositions before the brindavana of Rayaru.

One of the first Haridasas who was inspired by Rayaru was Vijaya Dasa (1682-1755). Believed to be an incarnation of Purandara Dasa’s son Madhwapathi Dasa, this poet-saint composed 25,000 songs.

Vijaya dasa was a contemporary of Vadeendra Theertha, the great grandson of Rayaru.

Vijaya Dasa visited Mantralaya several times and each time he devoted a Devera nama in Rayaru’s name. So intense was this Haridasa’s devotion, that he personally saw Rayaru sitting in the Brindavana and conversed with him.

He was a contemporary of Sri Vadeendra Teertha and visited Mantralaya several times. He is supposed to have seen and conversed with Rayaru personally several times.

During one of his visits, he burst into the beautiful song, “Nodidhe Guragala Nodidhe, Nodidhe Gurugala Nodidhe, Guru Raghavendrara Madhidheni Bhaktialli Vandane” when he saw Rayaru sitting in Padmasana, in the Brindavana.

This song also ecstatically speaks of  Dasaru seeing Lord Narasimha, Lord Rama, Vedavyasa and Krishna on the four sides of the Brindavana.

The composition further says Dadaru ios nlessed at seeing all the great Acharys from Madhwacharya to Raghavendra Swamy.  He also sees Lord Lakshminarayana in the guise of a discuss (chakra) readily granting the wishes of the devotees.

Another Haridasa who shared a close bond with Rayaru was Gopala Dasa.

Gopala Dasa (1722-1762) was a disciple of Vijaya Dasa. He gifted 40 years of his life to Jagannatha Dasa.

Gopala Dasa also saw Rayaru in the Brindavana and he also spoke to him several times. In many of the songs, Gopala Dasa has thrown light on earlier incarnations of Rayaru. Some of his  compositions on Rayaru are Kotta Bidaradalli Yestu Dina Jeevisalli, Vairagya Marga Kelu, Hyange Maadalavyya Hogutidhe Ayushya, Mooru Namava Darisida.

Jagannatha Dasa the author of Harikathamrutasara, has composed the highest number of songs by Haridasas on Rayaru.

He spoke to Rayaru so frequently and so regularly that other devotees became envious of it.

Rayaru stopped taking to him from the Brindavana. A deeply sorrowful Dasa sang “Yakke  Mukanadheyo Guruve”. That night Raghavendra Swamy came in his dreams and told him that they could continue their conversation uninterrupted in dreams.

When he placed Harikathamrutasara before the Brindavana of  Rayaru, the Mantralaya seer himself walked out of the Brindavana and blessed him. The Dasa immediately went into a trance and sang Yeddu Barutaro Noode.

Rayaru shared a special bond with Jagannatha Dasa. When Rayaryu was Prahalada, Jagannatha Dasa was his brother called Sahalada.        

Prasana Venkata Dasa of Kakhindiki in Bijapur district went to Tirupathi with the Anugraha of Rayaru. He too is believed to have felt and seen Rayaru. He also conversed with Rayaru in his Brindavana and then left for Bagalkot.

When he saw Rayaru in the Brindavana, he could not contain himself and he sang “Yelu Sri Gururaya Bellagaitu.”

Mahipath Dasa (1611-1681) is another dasa who wrote innumerable compositions. His most famous is Kolu Kolanna Kole. He has also seen Rayaru in the Brindavana and composed songs on him.
Rayaru cured Praneesha Dasaru of leukoderma. However, he left a small spot as it is on the body of Pranesha Dasaru. When asked why, Rayaru said Praneesha dasaru was an incarnation of King Pandu. This King had  leukoderma and Rayaru had left the spot as a reminder of  Dasaru's great lineage.  

Apart from these Haridasas, there are others who have either seen or heard Rayaru. Blessed are those who have interacted either in person or in their dreams with Rayaru.