Sri Gurubhyo Namaha. Starting first thread on the 34th Ac…

Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswami [1912-1954]. Just hearing His name gives me goosebumps. I consider it my poorva bhagyam to have even heard about Him.He is undoubtedly One of the greatest Saints to ever walk on Earth. The DhwajapaTi of the Sringeri Peetam [imvho].

A Jivanmukta [one who's liberated even when living] is rare. Only sometimes do those souls take birth. To this parampara belongs Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswami. Sri CB's parents had many (11) children none of whom survived.

It was w/ blessings of 33rd Acharya that they had a boy. Hence they named Narasimha Sastry.
Even from childhood he was always engrossed in bhakti and was always inward looking.
He loved Muka Panchasati.

Once his mom asked him get something from market, he started to get it reciting Panchasati and he walked out of Sringeri oblivious to the fact he had crossed into jungle. Someone stopped him and it was then he realized where he was. This was when he a kid!!

On pradosha day he would perform innumerable Shiva Maanasa Pooja at Vidyashankara Temple.

Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nrusimha Bharati had decided to anoint Narasimha Sasty as the next acharya but before he could give Sanyasa he took videha mukti. Meanwhile he had ordered Narasimha to come to Sringeri from B'lore where he was studying.

Sri Narasimha Sastry became the 34th Peetadhipati of Sringeri Peetam with Sanyasa patta as Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati in 1912.

Coincidentally, Kanchi had Chandrasekhara Saraswati as its Peetadipati at same time.

After His initiation, Sri CB did tapas so much that He became Paramahamsa pretty soon.
He was never interested in activites of the math.
Srikantha Sastry was the in-charge of the math during this time as Sri CB was in Antarmukha dasa.

he was worried that the Peetham may lose relevance since the Mahaswami was always engrossed in Antarmukha instead of talking and solving problems that people face and for which they would make the trip to Sringeri.

Sri Mahaswami was an ardent devotee of another Jeevanmukta Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra Swami. Sri Mahaswami was daily worshiper of SRI CHAKRA and a mere repetition of the Divine Mothers name would be enough to send Him to trance.

He would be chanting Lalitha Sahasranamam and when He reached "mithya jagat adhistaana" He would stop. He would go into antarmukha right there and become oblivious to everything. There were instances when His archana would go on without break for hours and hours.

His assistants had to get baskets of flowers but Mahaswami would not stop.

Similarly during Chandramouliswara archana He would go into trance and do abhishekam with many many many buckets of water.

Once His assistant was drying Shiva linga after such abhishekam and in his enthusiasm was practically rubbing the lingam hard with a towel. Sri Mahaswami saw that and asked him to stop with tears in His eyes.

He reprimanded the shishya saying it was not just an idol but it was Shiva Himself that the shishya was drying.

He never saw a moorthi instead He saw Shiva everywhere.

It is a lesson to all of us too not to look at murthis in our worship as mere idols but as embodiment of Shiva / Vishnu / Ammavaru etc. Whoever your mind sets to.

Just changing this thought will fetch peace and discipline to our minds.

Recounting a humourous story as told by Sri Mahaswami.

A rich miser wanted to give alms but only after the person answers a question.
He would ask: Who's Rama's father?
poor guy would say: Dasaratha.
Miser: His father?
Poor: Aja

M: His father?
P: Raghu etc etc
The miser would go on and on until poor pandit couldn't reply and then tell them 'first learn sastras and puranas then come for alms'.
Tenali Ramakrishna wanted to set this right. So he went in guise of pandit to miser and questioning started

Miser: Rama's father?
TRK: Dasaratha
M: His father?
TRK: ekadasaratha
M: His father?
TRK: dvadasaratha
M: His father?
TRK: tridasaratha..
The miser learnt his lesson and stopped doing this.

Thus even in His jIvanmukta state He was having taste for art and speech.

When Mahaswami was in Antarmukha state He would be in His cottage in Narasimhavanam and ordinary devotees couldn't even have His darshan.
His assistants would bathe and change His clothes etc but Mahaswami would be oblivious even to this.

During one such occasion, the King of Nepal wrote to Mahaswami regarding some pressing issue he was facing. But officials at Sringeri math did not know what to do since Mahaswami was in antarmukha state. They left the letter at doorstep to His room.

A month or so latter Mahaswami came out of Antarmukha state and told the officials to write a letter to the King telling him He has taken care of the issue. The officials were shocked since they did not even tell Him about the original letter from the king yet!!

That's how Swamiji took care of His devotees.

Math officials had a request to Swamiji that when He was in Antarmukha state, devotees were returning disappointed since they did not have His darshan.

Swamiji said people were treating Him like a doctor or mantrika. And if someone had come for spiritual upliftment He had already taken care of that devotee!!

He did not want His devotees to while time w/ gossip :-)

[Lesson for some of us, including me]

Another story.
Once there were no rains in Mysore state and the King and his officials were worried about it. The King ordered his officials to have darshan of Mahaswami and request Him to bless Mysore w/ rains.

The officials reached Sringeri and before they cud even open their mouth, Sri Mahaswami said looking at them 'in 2 months' and went to Antarmukha dasa.

10 days prior to this, He had asked Math admin to start everyone to recite 1008 Gayatri everyday.

He asked all students in Sringeri math to do it and to give Him the count everyday. This repetition went on for 2 months when the total came to just above 1 crore Gayatri japa.

After the 2 months were done, there were reports in paper how it's been raining heavily for a week in whole of Mysore state and the chances of famine are almost gone.

Then Math Admin understood what Mahaswami had said in Antarmukha dasa 'pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam, pUrNAt pUrNa mudachyate'.

A small group of us do 1+ lakh Gayatri from Gayatri Japam day thru Mahalaya Amavasya [abt 40-42 days] to commemorate this event.

Kanchi Paramacharya was extremely fond of Mahaswami. He used to say that for the next 200 years becoming sanyasi was very easy. All one had to do is to take sansyasa.

No need to do tapas since Sri Mahaswami had done enough tapas for all sanyasis to come for 200 years!!

Story 3:
A group of 50+ devotees went to take Paramacharya's blessings before starting trip to M'lore, Kukke, Sringeri, Horanadu etc.

Paramacharya on hearing their schedule told them to first go to Sringeri from M'lore have Mahaswami's darshan,

His prasadam and then only embark on rest of journey. He also advised them to reach Sringeri before sunset whatever may happen.
The devotees reached M'lore at night. next morning one person in the team persuaded them to first go to talakaveri insted of Sringeri.

Most agreed to this and they disobeyed Kanchi Paramacharya's direction. They stayed there for day and next day left for Sringeri. They got delayed and even at 8 PM they hadn't reached Sringeri.
On mountainous slope both tires of bus got punctured.

They changed it and were on way but they missed a direction and overshot a right turn by 15 kms when someone told them about it. Time was 11 PM and driver looked at narrow road with valley on both sides and thought he could reverse the bus.

he assured the ppl and started doing it but after turning 90 degrees the bus started going down one valley. Driver got scared and started to shout.. everyone in the bus started praying to Saradamba when suddenly the bus stopped moving downwards.

it felt someone was pushing it. They all felt relieved and reached Sringeri at midnight.
A student was waiting for them at Sringeri and asked them to first clean up and eat food. and that Mahaswami was waiting for them and had asked Math to make food for 54 hungry people.

it was shocking to all of them. he also told them that around 1130 or so Mahaswami, who was reading some Shashtra books, suddenly got up and kept both His hands pressed against a wall and did some japam.

After He stopped He told the assistants the bus from Madras w/ devotees coming to have Saradamba's darshan had a brake failure and was moving on its own.

So He supported the bus by resting His hands on the wall.

And that now everything's fine and a bus with 54 hungry devotees is on its way to Sringeri so go and make fresh food and welcome them.

next day when they had darshan of Mahaswami He laughing told them to follow if a great person gave them directions.
if they change it, then everything has to be changed too!

This is just a sample of His grace. there are way too many examples of His grace.

even to this day He answers. Chanting His name is enough for people like me. His grace made us do Maharudram in 2012, 2016 and 2018.

I will end this thread now. I will tell another story of the great Mahaswami, if you want, tomorrow morning.

this is Him. Sadguru Charanaravindabhyam namaH. Hari OM.

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha.

Starting first thread on the 34th Acharya of Sringeri, Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswami.

More from Khatvaanga

More from All

You May Also Like

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha. Starting first thread on the 34th Acharya of Sringeri, Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswami.

More from Khatvaanga

More from All

You May Also Like

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha.

Starting first thread on the 34th Acharya of Sringeri, Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswami.