Sreepada Sreevallabha Charitaamrutam - 11

Chapter –11 

 The episode of Subbayya Sreshti, Chintamani and Bilwa Mangala Worship of Datta results in adoration of all deities. Birth of Sreepada

– An extraordinary lustrous phenomenon 

 

Next day Sri Subbayya Sreshti narrated like this, “Lord Sree Datta is an embodiment of all deities. By worshipping Datta one can obtain the results of worshipping all deities. Sree Datta is inside all deities.Mother Sumati used to worship Parama Shiva in the essential nature of Anasuya during the time of Sani-pradosha. Therefore, the intrinsic aspects of Shiva in Lord Datta reflected in the real nature of Anasuya. They took birth as Sreepada in the womb of mother Sumati who was on an equal plane as mother Anasuya. It was a wonderful yogic exercise.

Sreepada was not born out of the physical union of parents. Yogic lights emerged from the eyes of Appalaraja Sarma and mother Sumati who were in deep meditation. These lights combined and stayed in the womb of mother Sumati.

After completion of nine months a brilliant form of light was delivered by mother Sumati. By nature Sreepada was a personification of light. He was exhibiting some strange powers from His third year. After Sreepada three sisters Sri Vidyadhari, Radha and Surekha were born. On the day Sri Vidyadhari was born a great scholar Mallaadi Ramakrishna Avadhaani who was a distant relative of Sri Baapanaarya came to their house. He had a son by name Chandrasekhar. Mahalakshmi was born in the house-hold of Gandikota family. All the relations unanimously opined that it would be better if she becomes the daughter-in-law of Malladi family. Sreepada also said that it would be better if His sister Sri Vidyadhari was given in marriage to Chandrasekhar. Intentions of Sri Sreepada are accomplished automatically. His resolve is as firm and strong as a hard diamond. In consonance with His words, the marriage of Sri Vidyadhari and Chandra Sekhara Avadhani was celebrated on a grand scale in Pithikapuram afterwards. Another sister Radha was given in marriage to Sri Viswanadha Muralikrishna Avadhani of Vijayawada and the third sister Surekha was married to Sri Tadepalli Dattatreya Avadhani of Mangalagiri. My dear Shankar Bhatt! The sportive actions of Sri Sreepada are unimaginable. There is a village called Tatankapur (Tanuku) in Godavari region. There is a very pious family in that village which performed many great sacrifices like Vajapeya and Poundarika sacrifices. The name of that family is Vajapeyajula. There are close connections between Malladi family of Pithikapuram and the Vajapeyajula family of Tanuku. However, the family of Vajapeyajula has faith in the theory of ‘Idam Brahmyam, Idam Kshatram’ (both brahmanic culture and valour of Kshatriyas). They belong to the lineage of Parasara comprising of three sages Vasistha, Sakthi and Parasara. They follow rig veda. Mallaadi family follows yajur veda. In the state of Karnataka there were no suitable teachers to teach rig veda to youngsters studying it. In that connection when invited Sri Vajapeyajula Maayanaacharyulu from Tanuku migrated to Hoyasaala in Karnataka Desa. From then they were called Hoyasaala Brahmins. They adopted the professions of brahmins and kshatriyas with equal ease. They underwent many difficulties to save sanaatana dharma. Maayanaacharyulu had two sons. One was Maadhavaacharya and the other was Saayanaachaarya. Both of them were scholars of very high calibre! Sri Saayanaachaarya wrote commentaries on vedas. Sri Maadhavaacharya undertook intense penance for the grace of Sree Lakshmi. When Sree Mahalakshmi appeared he requested for the grant of extraordinary grace of Sree Lakshmi. Then Sree Devi told him, “My dear child! It is not possible for you in this present birth.” He immediately announced, “Mother! I am taking to renunciation. Then it is a second birth for me. Is it not!” Sree Devi bestowed him with abundant grace. With his touch any baser metal used to turn into gold. He is Sri Vidyaranya Maharshi. Sreepada blessed him. He is the one who will be born in the third generation of the lineage of ascetics as Sri Krishna Saraswati. When Sreepada incarnates as Nrusimha Saraswati in future, Sri Krishna Saraswati will be His Guru for initiating Him into the ascetic order. As his desire for enjoyment did not abate he would be born in the future centuries in the family of Saayanaachaarya with the name of Govinda Dikshitulu. He would become the Chief Minister to the rulers of Tanjore and will be praised by all people as Raajarshi (a saint king). All this was a forecast about the future. This is the course of destiny decided personally by Sreepada. His resolve will always become true. Therefore, this forecast about the future will certainly take place. When many deities are worshipped the life force of Lord Datta would reflect in those deities. It will transform into a new consciousness and fulfill the desires of spiritual seekers. If Lord Datta is worshipped, He decides to what extent a particular task is to be performed by the potency of any particular deity and protects the devotee. The devotee is protected as an eye-lid that protects the eye. Dhruva undertook a rigorous penance. Sree Maha Vishnu granted him His boundless and infinite paternal affection. Lord Sree Datta is a supreme phenomenon. He is the base and beyond both of form and formless natures. That is the ultimate real nature. That is the primordial nature and that is an essential nature which has no beginning or end. The true nature of Datta can be realized only through experience but, it is utterly futile to contemplate about it with logical intellect. The secret of the incarnation of Sreepada Sreevallabha is it’s all round competence to get a thing done, or not done or

done in a different way.

The essential nature of Sreepada 

 

Sri Sreepada who announced that He was Him-self Dattatreya was worshipping Kaalagnishamana Datta in His house. Baapanaarya, who was worried about this matter,once asked Sri Sreepada “My boy! Sreepadaa! Are you Datta! Or a worshipper of Datta?” Then He replied, “I am becoming Datta when I say I am Datta. When I say I am a worshipper of Datta I am becoming a worshipper of Datta. When I aver I am Sreepada Sreevallabha I am becoming Sreepada Sreevallabha. Whatever I wish it will happen. I am becoming that one in the way I am thinking. This is My nature.” 

All this was very confusing to the grandfather. Then Sreepada said, “Grandfather!Both of us are one! In the ensuing birth I am going to incarnate with a body which closely resembles you. You have a very strong desire to enter the ascetic order. It is not My resolve that you should be a monk in this life or in the next life. I want to incarnate with a body

exactly resembling you in all respects and destroy all you ‘Karmic’ shackles and influences.

Saying so, He touched the centre point of eye brows of grand-father gently. That is the place of focal consciousness. He saw for some seconds Babajee who was in a state of undisturbed trance of penance in Himalayas. After sometime he saw him taking bath in the confluence of Triveni in the great pilgrimage centre Prayaaga. He saw the form of Sreepada afterwards. That image merged with the Self-existent Datta in the Kukkuteswara temple. An Avadhoota came out of it. He saw that his daughter ‘Akhanda Lakshmi Sowbhagyavati’Sumati Maharani was giving alms to that

Avadhoota. He again saw that the Avadhoota took the shape of Sreepada Sreevallabha and was lying in the lap of Sumati Maharani. Again he witnessed that the new youth came out of her lap and changed into a youth of 16 years. That new youth saw him with profound looks and took a form exactly resembling him. However, that person was appearing like an ascetic. He was walking majestically with His disciples after taking bath in the confluence of two sacred rivers. That ascetic glanced towards him and spoke, “Oh! You appear to be discussing yourself as to who I am? I am called Nrusimha Saraswati. This is Gandharvapura. Within minutes after speaking these words He threw His upper garment into the river. He sat on it and reached SreeSaila. Great people, great yogis in Kadalivana prostrated before Him. All of them prayed, “Maha Prabhoo! We are all doing penance for so many hundreds of years for your advent. Kindly make us blessed.” After undertaking penance for many years He appeared as an aged person with only loin cloth. Sending His extremely sharp looks towards Sri Baapanaarya He said that He is called Swamy Samartha. After sometime He relinquished the body. He transferred His life-force to a banyan tree and merged His divine soul in the Mallikarjuna Shiva Linga at Sreeshaila. From that highly powerful Shiva Linga a profound thundering voice was thus heard, “Baapanaaryaa! You are indeed fortunate! I am unobtainable,imperceptible to speech and mind, infinite, total embodiment of wisdom and without beginning or end. By your power of kriya yoga you have brought Me from the solar region through shaktipaata and attracted into this Jyotir Linga. Eighteen thousand Celestials always worship Me in the form of this Jyotir Linga. Those holy Celestials assist the people who adore this Jyotir Linga in their material and spiritual progress. A personification of the Trinity I am blessing you with My forms of Sreepada Sreevallabha, Narasimha Saraswati

and   Swamy Samartha.” 

My child! Shankar Bhatt! The sportive plays of Sree Guru are unimaginable. After sometime Sri Baapanaarya became his normal self. He saw facing him Sreepada, a boy aged three years with an innocent face smiling sweetly. This strange experience gave him heavenly sweetness. He hugged Sreepada to his breast. For sometime he was in a state of divine ecstasy. He returned to a normal state from that supernatural experience and started the fire ritual. The way in which he performed the fire ritual looked amazing. Generally fire is generated by using sticks of an audumbara tree and Jammi tree but, Sri Baapanaarya chants vedic mantras after placing the holy samidhas(twigs used during sacrifices) in the fire altar. Immediately fire was generated and flames shot up. Sri Appalaraja Sarma also did like that. Worship of fire was there in their family. They got down into the burning altar of fire and offered oblations. They used to do this on special sacred days. There was no harm for their body or clothes in this kind of fire worship. This is a wonder of wonders. 

 

Sri Sreepada’s capacity to make things happen or not happen.

 

On that day during the fire ordeal, fire did not generate in spite of Sri Baapanaarya chanting vedic mantras many times. Seeing the difficult condition of His grandfather Sreepada was smiling sportively. Grandfather was sweating profusely. Then Sreepada turned towards the fire oven and said, “You!Agnidevaa! I am commanding you. Don’t create obstruction to the divine work of grandfather.” Immediately fire ignited and flame were rising. Sri Sreepada took some water from the water pot of His grandfather and poured it into the fire. Instead of getting extinguished the fire began to burn very brightly. Seeing this, grandfather was much more wonder struck. Sreepada averred like this,“Grandfather! For this incarnation of Mine yourself, Pynda Venkatappayya Sreshti, and Narasimha Varma are responsible. Therefore, when you or My father receive any monetary or non-monetary assistance from Pynda Venkatappayya Sreshti, or Narasimha Varma, it cannot be counted as a donation. Non-acceptance of such an offer also amounts to an offence against God. Such an assistance has to be regarded as grace of the Almighty. My mother Sumati Maharani who gave Me birth has to be considered as a female child not only of Malladi family, but also of Sri Pynda Venkatappayya Sreshti and Sri Vatsavaayi families.This is My edict.” 

When Sri Sreepada was declaring like this Appalaraja Sarma and Sumati Maharani were there only. By chance Pynda Venkatappayya Sreshti and Narasimha Varma were also there. Sreepada said, “Without My Will even a great hermit like Sri Baapanaarya cannot generate fire. Fire God will show His power when My father also gets into the fire place. If there were to be a change in My intention, Pynda Venkatappayya Sreshti turns into a very poor person. Narasimha Varma who is the owner of many acres of land becomes shelterless.

All of you remain in your positions following My intention only. I can make a beggar as a king and I can change a king into a beggar also. I will grant whatever a devotee dependant on Me requests. However, I will examine before granting, whether that devotee can retain so much superior power and whether he will use his capacity and power for the welfare of the world or not. Whenever I find it necessary, I will turn soil into sky and sky into soil also.

In kruta yuga when Baapanaarya was living as Labhada Maharshi, he had a disciple named Mangala Maharshi. When Mangala Maharshi was cutting sacred grass his hand was wounded. Blood flowed. That blood coagulated and turned into fragrant holy ash. He was proud in his mind that he achieved such a great accomplishment. Then Parama Shiva appeared and moved His hand playfully. Great quantity of holy ash showered as if mountain boulders from Himalayas were falling apart. Param Shiva said, “In tretaa yuga Bharadwaja will perform ‘Saavitru Kathaka Chayana’ in Pithikapuram. I showed you a fraction of the holy ash that accumulates in that great sacrifice.” Then the pride of Mangala maharshi was removed. All the listeners were dumb founded and were hearing all that Sreepada was saying. Sreepada said,“As a result of the punya earned in many births, one steps into this ‘Pithikapuram agraharam’.It is of unspeakable significance that you are with Me during the period of My incarnation. To experience My power, First–you must become a rigorous spiritual seeker. Then only you will experience My power, compassion, affection, protection and redemption from sin.

My Paadukas will be installed in the house of Sri Baapanaarya which is My birth place. I will drink milk in the morning in Pithikapuram in the lap of My mother Sumati. In the afternoon mother Sumati will feed me with little lumps of food. During night time I eat halwa (sweet  preparation with wheat flour) from the lap of Mother Sumati. I will remain in Gandharvapura in the form of Nrusimha Saraswati just as I am in Pithikapuram. I will seek Bhiksha in Gandharvapura exactly during midday. These will be clearly  seen by those who have the sight of internal eye.

Great personages, great yogis and people of all countries come to My darbaar to have My darshan, like rows of ants. They dance in ecstasy, chanting“Datta Digambaraa! Sreepada Vallabha Digambaraa! Nrusimha Saraswati Datta Digambaraa!”The moment I give permission all due tasks will be done at once. A great ‘Samsthan’ will be formed in My name. As My influence enhance, it will become difficult to purchase even a small patch of land as small as the foot of a cow. If necessary, I throw the people whom I consider as My own, in Pithikapuram by dragging them with their hair. Without My Will one cannot come to My Samsthan in Pithikapuram, however rich he might be or however great yogi he might be. This is confirmed and true. Be happy by realising My real nature. This time will not come again. All powers of deities that are in the knowledge of man, are within Me. If anyone gives dakshina to Me, I will multiply it hundred-fold and grant him when the time comes. Money has to be earned without violating dharma. Desires can be satisfied without violating dharma. By doing righteous acts moha is destroyed. After moha is destroyed liberation is achieved.”

“My boy! Shankar Bhatt! Do you hear the nectar like words of Sreepada? After this sacred teaching Narasimha Varma took Sri Sreepada in his horse carriage the next day to see his fields. He had many acres of agricultural lands. Many varieties of crops were grown in those fields but, cucumber plants were rarely flowering. After flowering the tender vegetable was drying up. Even if the tender vegetables became big they were bitter and not fit for cooking. Narasimha Varma submitted this matter to Sri Sreepada. Sri Sreepada

became placid faced and said, “All the members of our house hold like cucumber curry made with dal. As the people in My house like it, I too like it! Nevertheless an aspirant of Datta undertook penance in this land in old times. This holy earth is yearning for the touch of My feet as I am verily Datta Himself. It is expressing its eagerness to you in its language in this manner. When this earth receives My touch there will be change in the nature of this mother-earth. Then this mother will give us very tasty cucumbers. Grandfather! You send the cucumbers grown here to our house without any fear. I will eat that preparation of curry along with the members of that household.” My child! Shankar Bhatt! Wonder of wonders! From that day onwards there was an abundant crop of cucumbers in that field. They also had a very good taste. Sri Sreepada got down from the horse carriage along with Narasimha Varma and roamed in the fields for sometime. In the meanwhile some tribal young men and women came there. All of them prostrated before Sreepada. At that time a divine illuminating halo formed around the divine countenance of Sreepada. Sreepada said, “Grandfather! All these tribals belong to My incarnation of Narasimha. These people regard Mahalakshmi as their sister and worship Her. You are a devotee of Narasimha swamy. If you take their help you may obtain the darshan of Lord Narasimha.” 

Narasimha Varma thought that Sri Sreepada spoke like that playfully to tease him. He said like that, “You chenchu people (forest tribals)! Have you seen Nrusimha Deva? Can you tell about His whereabouts?” For that they replied, “What is so great about it! A mad person with a lion’s head and human body is roaming in these forests. He is in fatuated with our sister Chenchulakshmi. Our girl also likes Him. We married them both. If you want we will bring Chenchulakshmi and Nrusimha also and place them before you.” 

After speaking like this those chenchu youths ran away quickly. Narasimha Varma was seeing all this with wonder. Then he observed that a young man and a young woman were coming across their fields. Fortunately I was also going that way. Sri Sreepada beckoned me to come near Him. When I approached Him, Sreepada told me, “Subbayya Sreshtee! Whom do you think are those people coming from a distance? They are Bilwamangala and Chintamani. Collect some tree twigs. We will make fire with them. We can see the farce.” 

Myself and Narasimha started perspiring profusely. Those visitors were Bilwamangala and Chintamani. There was no doubt. They visited Sree Krishna in the pilgrim centre Guruvayur. Fortunately they visited afterwards a great Yogini Kurooramma. She blessed them involuntarily that they get the darshan of Sreepada Sreevallabha. Under the influence of her blessing the seeds of devotion and detachment sprouted in them. They visited Sree Nrusimha in Mangalagiri and from there they were coming to Pithikapuram to have the darshan of Sri Sreepada. On account of the efficacy of the blessing of that centenarian great lady who was a great yogini  they obtained the darshan of Sri Sreepada here itself! This was a wonderful matter. Both of them prayed in Mangalagiri thus, “If the blessing of great Yogini Kurooramma were to fructify and we receive the darshan of Sri Sreepada who is not different from Datta, we request for your physical darshan as Sree Nrusimha Deva.” 

When the fire of broken twigs was raging Bilwamangala and Chintamani felt immense agony as if their bodies were put on funeral pyre. After some time some black shapes closely resembling them came out of their bodies and fell into the flames bitterly crying. They were completely burnt. When the two black images were burnt down Bilwamangala and Chintamani regained their consciousness. By that time the forest tribals came there with their sister Chenchulakshmi. They tied tightly the hands of Nrusimha Deva and produced Him before Sreepada.

Such wonderful and strange things did not take place in any yuga. In the programme of Sreepada’s incarnation miracles and sportive plays were countless and unimaginable. Sreepada questioned like this, “Are you Nrusimha of bygone aeons? Is this Chenchulakshmi your wife? Are you the one who killed Hiranyakasipu and protected Prahlada? For that Sree Nrusimha Deva replied in the affirmative twice. Chenchulakshmi and Nrusimha Deva merged in the body of Sri Sreepada in the form of brilliant light. Chintamani transformed as a great yogini. Chenchus disappeared. Bilwamangala became a great devotee and came to be known as Bilwamangala Maharshi.

Sreepada announced that in the lands of Sri Narasimha Varma where all these strange and weird incidents happened, a village by name ‘Chitrawada’ would come about. Sreepada is

satya samkalpa and siddha  samkalpa. 

 

Victory Victory unto Sri Sreepada Sreevallabha!