Nerur Sadasiva Brahmendra Swami Biography - Miracles and Samadhi - 2

Read  Part-1  http://www.orientalzenz.com/2021/07/nerur-sadasiva-brahmendra-swami.html

Miracles

He is said to have performed many miracles whilst alive, some of the most prominent are provided below. 

1) On the river banks of Cauvery in Mahadhanapuram, he was asked by some children to be taken to Madurai, more than 100 miles away, for an annual Rishabavahana festival in Meenakshi temple. The saint asked them to close their eyes, and a few seconds later they reopened their eyes and found they were in Madurai.

2) While relaxing near a heap of grains, he began meditating. The farmer who owned the land mistook Sadasiva for a thief, and confronted him. The farmer raised his stick to hit the saint, but became a statue. He remained in this state until the morning, when Sadasiva finished meditating and smiled at the farmer. The farmer was restored to his normal state, and asked the saint for forgiveness.

3) At another time, while meditating on the banks of the Cauvery river, he was carried away by a sudden flood. Weeks later, when some villagers were digging near a mound of earth, their shovels struck his body. He woke up and walked away.

4) Maharaja Vijaya Ragunatha Thondaiman, the then ruler (1730-68) hearing about the greatness of the saint , rushed to bring Sri Brahmendra to the palace to be honoured. Brahmendra did not break his silence.The ruler pitched a camp in Tiruvarankulam and served the sage. Brahmendra answered his prayer by writing Sri Dakshinamoorthi Mantra on sand(1738 AD). He also instructed the king to appoint Sri "Mahabashyam" Gopalakrishna Shastri of Bhikshandar Koil as a minister in his palace. Ragunatha Thondaiman gathered the sand in his angavastram and took it to his palace. The place where this happened is called Sivagnanapuram, which still exists near Avudayar Koil in Pudukottai district.This sand was picked up by the king and it is in the worship of the royal family till now in the Dakshinamoorthy temple inside the Pudukottai palace in Pudukottai.This temple is opened to Public only on Thursdays.

Gopalakrishna Sastri was a great scholar in Sanskrit grammar and became the palace guru at Pudukkottai due to Sadasiva‟s wishes. Sastri descendants continued to be the Palace Gurus until 1947.Sastri himself became a recluse in his old age and his Samadhi is in Namanasamudram near Pudukkottai.Sastri is well-known for his work called Sabthika Chinthamani , a commentary on Panini's Ashtadhyai.

5) Long after all these happened when almost people had forgotten the memories of his wandering in their lands, once the naked sannyasi was seen walking right through a Muslim harem of a Nawab. As a brahma-jnani who sees nothing but brahman everywhere, he would not distinguish between the different human figures which cross his path nor would he be distracted by the sights or noises that his environment may present to him. It was in this state of trance that he was walking along. He, the naked sannyasi, walked straight into the harem, entering it at one end and walking out at the other all the while walking through a maze of inmates of the Nawab’s harem. The news reached the nawab, he had his men chase him, they cut off both his hands as he was walking along, the hands fell off and still he was walking along silently as if nothing had happened. The Nawab got scared, picked up the hands that had been severed, ran to the Sage and offered them in total remorse. The sage stopped his walking, the severed hands were restored to their place, the hands became normal and the sage walked away! There was no conversation. This nawab was probably Chanda Saheb.

6) In 1732, While SadaShiva Brahmendra was roaming near Pudukottai forests some soldiers saw him & mistakenly asked him to carry some sticks on his head. SadaShiva Brahmendra carried happily & when he kept that sticks in kitchen ground, it burnt. Then those soldiers understood that he was an great Saint.

7) There was a uneducated & born dumb man who was a devotee of SadaShiva Brahmendra. He served the Guru immensely. One day, SadaShiva Brahmendra kept their hand on his head & prayed to Lord to give him speech and knowledge. By the grace of SadaShiva Brahmendra that dumb man became educated & he started to talk. He started giving speeches & he was famous as “Akasha Purana Ramalinga Shastry”. Up to this 20th century, Ramalinga Shastry’s relatives were staying in Nerur. This incident is also mentioned in the Sri SadaShivendra Sthava ( Verses 22 & 26).

Temples

1) He used to frequently meditate in the Tirugokarnar Shiva temple in Pudukottai near the Goddess Brahadambal shrine. The place he used meditate can be still seen today.  A saintly figure, beardless and wearing a small loin cloth around the hip is seen on one of the pillars of śukravāra maṇḍapa of this temple . He stands in añjali posture. He has long ears without ornaments. He has shaven face and tonsured head with a topknot. One rudraksha mala is seen around his neck.

2) He was responsible for installing the deity Punnainallur Mariamman near Thanjavur. The temple has a stucco image of Sadāśiva Brahmendra on the left side of the gopura. The Maratha king Tuljaji is presented on the right side of the same gopura. Sadāśiva Brahmendra stand with Vibhūti is pasted on his forehead, chest, belly and arms. He has chinmudra and has completely shaven the face and head. The king is standing in the añjali pose.

 
3) He guided the installation at Devadanapatti Kamakshi temple, near Theni, TamilNadu.

The above two incidents are depicted in a Tamil movie by name "Maha Shakti Mariamman"

4)He also installed the Hanuman Murthi in the Prasanna Venkateswara temple at Nalu Kal Mandapam in Thanjavur.

5) He also installed Lord Ganesh and a powerful Ganesh Yantra at the Thirunageshwaram Rahu Stalam temple at Kumbakonam.An inscription in the temple bears testimony to this fact. The shrine can still be seen at the entrance to the temple.

6) He installed the Jana Akarshana Yantra at Tantondrimalai Srinivasa Perumal temple, near Karur. This shrine is visited by all devotees in this area who are not able to a pay a pilgrimage to Tirupathi.

7) He also installed the Sri Chakra in the shrine of  Siruvachoor Madurakali temple near Perambalur. 

8) There are numerous temples were he has installed a deity. It is said Gunaseelam temple is also installed by him.

9) There is a shrine of Sri Sadasivendral in the Nandru Udaiyan Ganapathy temple in Trichy.

10) Parshvanayaki Sametha Sri Agnishwarar Temple at Trichy was also established by Brahmendral who stayed there for few years (Incidentally, the Shiva temple at Nerur is also called as Agniswarar)

Samadhi

Later he left Tiruvisanallur and reached Nerur, the surroundings of which were conducive and ideal for stay and penance with the river flowing southwards. A place where river flows southwards, is considered equal to Kashi ( Banaras).

Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra attained Maha Samaadhi on the Vaisakha Sukla Dasami with Makha star in the year 1755 A.D. Before his Samadhi,he mentioned that a Bilva tree would come over his Samadhi. He also mentioned that after 10 days, someone would bring a Shiva Linga and it has to be installed at a particular distance from his samadhi. Needless to say, it happened the same way.

Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra attained Mahasamadhi at 5 places corresponding each of the 5 elements - Panchabhutas near 5 rivers.

• Nerur(TamilNadu) - On the banks of Kaveri
• Manamadurai about 60 km from Madurai - On the banks of Vaigai
• Karachi, now in pakistan   - On banks of Sindhu
• Kashi - On the banks of Ganga
• Puri or Omkareshwar - There are different versions on this.

His Jiva samadhi site is briefly mentioned in 'Autobiography of a Yogi' by Paramahamsa Yogananda (Chapter-41).Every year in Nerur and Manamadurai, music festivals are conducted in his honor. In Manamadurai, his samadhi is located at the Sri Somanathar temple, which was identified by the Paramacharya of Kanchi. In the year 1912, a sanyasin "Laksharchanai Swamigal" started the Aradhana for Sri Brahmendral at Nerur and it has been continuing since then.

Sivan Sir on Sadasiva Brahmendra 

Sivan Sir or Sri Sadasiva Shastrigal has written a magnum opus on Hindu Dharma by name "Yenipadigalil Manthargal" (Tamil).

He also mentions that Sri Brahmendral blessed two Muslim brothers(Irratai Mastan) with divine knowledge.  Their Samadhi (Dhargah) is located in Gandhiji Road in Thanjavur.

Slokas on Sadasiva Brahmendra

Sri Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nrusimha Bharati, pontiff of the Sringeri Saradha Peetham had visited Nerur and composed two slokas in praise of Sri Sadasiva Bramhendra - Sadasivendra Stava and Sadasivendra Pancharatna. Another Saint, Balasubramanya Yatindra has written Sadasiva Stotra.

It is interesting to note how the Sringeri Acharya came to Nerur. The acharyal was staying in Ranganathapuram in Karur( sometime during 1908-1910). When he commenced his journey from this place, the palanquin bearers had a difficulty in carrying him. When he enquired with them, they told that they were pushed by an invisible force. The acharyal then got down and meditated for sometime.Then he started walking in the direction of the force for around 3 kms. He ended up in the Adhistanam of Sri Brahmendral. 

The acharyal then stayed there for 3 days, did intense penance without food or water. At the end of 3 days, people could hear someone talking to the acharyal but were unable to see the person. Acaryal was having the physical darshan of Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral. He then spontaneously composed the two hymns on Sri Brahmendral - Sadasivendra Stava and Sadasivendra Pancharatna.

Tembe Swami or Sri Vasudevanand Sarasvati of Maharashtra had high regard for Brahmendral. The reference below is taken from his autobiography in Marathi - "In Saka (or Salivahana era) 1829, CE in 1907, Kartik month, Shri Tembe Swami left the village named Bhavani and reached Nerur, a village close to Karur railway station. There is a Jeeva samadhi of the great saint Shri Sadasiva Brahmendra Swami in this village. Sadasiva Brahmendral swami had done upasana of Nagna Dattatreya and he was a great mahatma. He had transcended the sixth stage of 'Parato Vyutham' of a jnani. Shri Brahmendral had written “Brahmasutra Vruthi” and “Yogasudakaram”. His incredible powers and his very high spiritual stage is described in the preface of these books. Every seeker should read these books for spiritual progress. Shri Tembe Swami Maharaj had himself made a handwritten copy of Shri Brahmendral’s “Brahmasutra Vrutti”. Shri Tembe Swami used to tie his handwritten copy, along with the copies of Shri Brahmendral’s stotras and his advice, to his waist during his travel. From this it is clear how much shri Tembe Swami Maharaj revered Shri Brahmendral and his works and spent time reading and contemplating on ‘Brahmasutra Vrutti’. Shri Tembe Swami Maharaj has also written a stotra in praise of Shri Brahmendral."

  
Spiritual Works

He is the author of several works:

• Brahma tatva prakashika - Vritti (Commentary) on the Bramha Sutras

• Yoga Sudhakara -  Commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

       Sri R.M.Umesh has written an English translation of this book with the name "Science of Mind                 Control". This book was published by the Sringeri Mutt. 

• Nava Mani Mala - He composed this work in honor of his Guru Sri Paramsivendra Sarasvati

• Atma Vidhya Vilasa is a poetic work running into 62 verses in simple, lucid language on the core subject of renunciation.

•  Siddhanta Kalpavalli with Kesaravalli   - This explains the Adavita philosophy as described by various saints over a period of time. Appaya Dikshitar wrote Siddhanta -lesa-Sangraha which was a detailed exposition of the advaita doctrine. Brahmendral simplified it and wrote Siddhanta Kalpavalli with 212 verses. Sri Vasudeva Brahmendra, disciple of Upanishad Yogin wrote a commentary on the above.
• Advaita Rasa Manjari
• Shiva Manasa Pooja
• Dakshinamurthy Dhyanam
• Navavarna Ratna Mala -This stotra praises Shri Dakshinamurti as the one and only cause of the entire world. He is shown as saguna but in fact nirguna.
• Mano Niyamana - Composition addressing the Mind to turn inward and focus on God

• Shiva yoga Dipika or Shiva Yoga Pradeepika
• Paramahamsa Charya - This book describes the code of conduct for Paramahamsa Sanyasis
• Advaita Taravali - This advaitic work contains 27 verses like the 27 stars in Hindu Calendar
• Swapnoditam -This contains a description of the Jivan Mukta state
• Svanubhuti Prakashika- In this work shri sadashiva expresses his own Jivan Mukta experience in his own words
• Atma anusandhana  - Shri Paramashivendra Saraswati has written a most excellent Vedanta work called Vedanta Nama Ratna Sahasram in which He has collected from the Upanishad-s a thousand names of the para Brahman. Normally only deities like shiva, Vishnu with name and form have sahasranama-s, but here shri paramashivendra has collected the same for Para brahman Itself. From that, Shri Brahmendra has collected above two hundred names and identified Himself with that Brahman in this work.
• Suta Samhita  Sarasamgraha
• Commentary on Sri Sankara's Maya Pancaka called Tatparya Deepika

Unpublished Works

• Dwadasa Upanishad Vyakhyana Dipika
• Kaivalyopanisad Dipika - A Commentary on Kaivalya Upanishad
• Commentary on Amrita Bindu Upanishad
• Saparya Paryaya Stavah - Sri Brahmendra mentions his state and that he is not able to do regular physical puja.In this composition he talks about God's formless nature.
• Atma-Anatma Viveka Samgraha
• Advaitanusamdhana 
• Sarva Vedanta Sara Samgraha
• Brahmamrutavarshini
• Maha vakyartha sadhana  
• Bodharya Prakarana
• Gita ratnamala - A Commentary on Bhagavat Gita
• Ratna Didhiti
• Karikas on Sankara's Atma Panchaka
• Tattvaprakasika 
• Bhagavata sangraha

Contribution to Carnatic Music 

He also wrote several Carnatic compositions to spread the advaita philosophy among common people. His compositions are quite popular and can be heard frequently in Carnatic concerts. Some of these are

1.Ananda Purna Bodhoham Sachchidananda-Shankarabharanam
2.Ananda Purna Bodhoham Satatam - Madhyamavathi
3.Bhajare Gopalam - Hindolam
4.Bhajare Raghuviram - Kalyani
5.Bhajare Yadunatham - Peelu
6. Brahmaivaham - Nadanamakriya
7.Bruhi Mukundethi -Gowla,Navaroju,Kurinji,Senchurutti
8.Chetah Sreeramam - Dwijavanthi,Surathi
9.Chinta Nasti Kila -Navroj
10.Gayathi Vanamali-Gavathi,Yamuna Kalyani
11.Khelathi Brahmande-Sindhubhairavi
12.Khelathi Mama Hrudaye - Atana
13.Kridathi Vanamali - Sindhubhairavi
14.Krishna Paahi - Madhyamavathi
15.Manasa Sanchara Re - Sama
16.Nahi Re Nahi Re - Gavathi
17.Pibare Rama Rasam- Ahi Bhairavi
18.Poorna Bodhoham- Kalyani
19.Prativaram Varam- Thodi
20.Sarvam Bramha Mayam - Mishra Sivaranjani
21.Smaravaram - Jog
22.Sthiratha Nahi Nahire - Amruthavarshini
23.Tatvat Jeevitham - Kiravani
24.Tunga Tarange Gange - Hamsadwani


References

• Chapter on Sri Brahmendral by Sri Sivan Sir in his book "Yenipadigalil  Manthargal"

• Tamil writer Balakumaran has written a novel Thozhan based on the life of Sri Sadasiva Brahmendrar.

• Nerur Sadasiva Brahmendra Sabha has published a book "Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra: His Life, Extracted Teaching and Reflections"  by Sri T.P. Vinayaka Rao
• Sri M mentions in his Autobiography about his links with Brahmendral from a previous birth

Other Books on Brahmendral

B.V. Kamesvara Aiyar, "The life and teachings of Sadasiva Brahma", 1899

N.K. Iyer, "Sri Sadasiva Brahma", 1955

Adidevananda, "Sri Sadasivendra Sarasvati", 1964

Suddhananda Bharati, "Sri Sadasiva Brahman", 1972

N. Raghunathan, "Sadasiva Brahmendra Sarasvati"

T.R. Rajagopala Iyer, "Kirtanas of Sadasiva Brahmendra", 1981

Vedakavi, "Kirtanas of Sadasiva Brahman", 1981

V.S. Guruswamy Sastrigal, "Sri Sadasivendra Sarasvati"

Prema Nandakumara, Sri Sadasiva Brahmenda , 1993

Prema Nandakumar, "Sadasiva Brahmendra's Bhakti Yoga", 2004

Laghuprakarana: Minor Works of Sadasiva Brahmendra Sarasvati. Edited by K. Kamala and V. Srinivasa Sarma. Hyderabad 2007

P.R.Kannan, "Shri Sadasiva Brahmendra: poet, philosopher, and mystic", 2008

P.R. Kannan, "Sadasiva Brahmendra, the siddha purusa", 2008

P.R. Kannan, "Reflections on Brahmendra's Kitanas', 2008

Birth details of Sri Sadasivendral 

Birth Details of Sadasiva Brahmendra ( From internet sources)

13-04-1670 06:09 IST Madurai. Sivaramakrishnan

Sadarana Chithirai Krishna Ashtami. Sunday. Sravan – 1 pada

Sun – 4 37 12. Moon 280 35 35   Mars – 249  50 13 Merc- 337 26 Jup -79 10 37

Venus – 17 41 33 Sat 314 44 Rahu 2 48 39 Ketu 182 48 39 Lagna 207 46 56

Kakkassery Bhattadri - A Saint from Kerala.

 Kakkasseri Bhattadiri was a great saint who lived in Kerala in the 17th century. At that time, the areas around Kozhikode was ruled by Zamorin kings (Samoothripad). Annually, there used to be a debate on Vedas,Puranas,Theology and Ithihasas headed by the king. It was caled as Pattathaanam which extended for a period of 7 days. It started on the Malayalam month of Thula on the Revathy star and hence it was called Revathy Pattathaanam. Pattathaanams were held regularly till Tipu Sulthan's invasion of Malabar. But the last Pattathaanam was held in 1110 Malayalam year (1934 AD).Most of the time, debates used to be conducted in the Tali Shiva Temple , which even today is managed by trustees from the Zamorin family.

The winners were rewarded in cash and kind, plus the fame of having won the debate in the Zamorin's Court. Namboothris from all over Kerala would assemble at Kozhikode for the intellectual contest.The subjects were divided into 108 topics and debates used to be conducted on each of them. 

Once a Tamil Brahmin by name of Uddhanda Sastri came to take part in this contest from Thondai Nadu (Present day Kanchipuram/Chennai region). Vainglorious, while he entered the court he would recite the following couplet:

Palaayadhwam palaayadhwam, re re dushkavi kunjara|
vedaanta vanasanchaaree, hyayaathyuddanda kesari.||

Run and hide, run and hide, ye elephants of bad poetry|
The roamer of vedanta forest, uddhanda, the Lion is coming.||

He won over the debates with the Namboothris for several years in a row. The king was so pleased with the knowledge of this Scholar, he appointed him as his Chief Courtier. In those days the Scholars were held in high esteem and as a mark of respect, the Zamorin would prostrate before the scholars in the presence of assemblage. This irked the Namboodthris no end and they conspired to defeat Uddhanda Sastri. Unfortunately, none in their group had the knowledge to equal the Sastri and defeat him in a fair contest.

 Birth 

They decided to invoke spiritual blessings to defeat Shastri.They identified a pregnant woman,masterminded a course of austerity and spiritual disciplines, sitting around her and making her the incumbent of the spiritual grace. Selected chants and invocations were made. Havans were performed. The expectant woman took her part in all this by partaking of the Yajna prasada every day. Specifically, they invoked Bala Tripurasundari of Sri Vidhya tradition, who is considered as deity which blesses one with abundant power of speech. They would perform Japa and give the sanctified butter to the woman. Finally a son was born - Kakkassery Bhattathiri

When he was three years old, his father died. As part of the tradition, one of the rituals for the departed involved making rice balls and invoking the departed ancestors. The belief is that the ancestors will take the form of crows and eat it. Normally the crows come down and eat the rice balls completing their part of the ritual. This is done for over a period of days, where the crows are invoked to have the rice balls. It is said that Bhattathiri used to identify each crow from other and could tell, which crow came the previous day and which didn't. Due to his remarkable power of observation, which became evident with identification crows, he was called Kakkasseri. " Kaakka " meaning crow in Malayalam.

He learnt to read and write by 3 years. When he was 5 years, he started to acquire the knowledge of vedas. He grew up revealing exceptional notes of intelligence right from very early age.Legend are that he was trained by none other than the great Uddanda shastri himself. The boy had hardly grown up to be an adult when the same Uddanda Sastri was held by him in a direct debate arranged by the elderly folk.

Debates with Uddana Shastri

During the first debates, Shastri in his colourful and commanding attire saw his opponent, not more than a boy. he declared that as it is only a small boy he will not argue with the boy, but his parrot will. Saying this, he brought out his parrot. Equally smiling Kakkasery brought out a cat he has brought saying that his cat will talk to the parrot. Seeing the cat the parrot got frightened and hid itself in the cage.

In another debate, at the Zamorin's Court, when the boy entered:
"Aakaro hraswa:"
accosted the Sastri, seeing the puny boy, which would mean that you are "short in stature".
"Nahi, nahiaakaro deerkha:", was the instantaneous retort, "Akaro hraswa:"
No, (the letter) 'aa' is long ; 'a' is short.

Sastri was dumbfounded by this quick repartee, even before the start of the debate, because it implied that the acclaimed scholar did not even know the basic alphabets.

Then came another."Tava mata pativrataa ?" (Meaning - Is your mother a devoted wife to your father? ).It was considered impossible to answer this question without impugning the honour of one's mother.But the boy was neither embarrassed nor worried. He boldly contradicted it, thus revealing his profound knowledge of Vedic marriage rites.In all South Indian Marriages, the twentyfifth Vedic ritual is Agni or holy fire ritual. This mantra from the Rg Veda is recited by the groom after doing prostrations to the fire.

“Nahi,Nahi," he said, "Soma was her first , Gandharva, the next, Agni, the third and the one born of man (his father) was the fourth (Rig. Veda Vill, iii, 27.5)

"You (the bride) was taken care by Soma (the moon) in the beginning . The Gandharva had take care of you afterwards from him. Then the Gandharva gave you to Agni. That Agni is now giving you to me along with wealth. After being taken care by all these Gods, I am the first human being to have her. So because Soma, Gandharva and Agni have already given her wealth and capacity to have children, me and this woman will have all the good fortunes in this world." The mantra must not be directly interpreted. The symbolism is that God takes care of our need through these deities right from our birth and we need to be thankful to them. Uddhanda Shastri was thrilled and hugged the young scholar in joy.

The debates ran for 7 days. During the debate, the king tries to save Uddanda by saying the debate was a tie and proposed another debate for the next day with the context - whoever gives the maximum number of explanations of the first stanza of Kalidasa's Raghuvamsamsa would win the debate. Uddanda shastri was an expert in Raghuvamsamsa and the king thought he would suitably win. But when Uddanda shastri gave 4 explanations, Kakkashery gave 8.

On the final day he is acknowledged by one and all including the King himself. There have been several debates later also between Uddanda shastri and Kakkasseri, but Kakkasseri wins all of them. In the meanwhile, Kakkassery also wrote a sankrit play vasumathi-manavikrama about the king and his family.

Later Years and self Realization

During the later days of his life, Kakkassery stopped going to temple( Mookuthala Bhagavathy temple in Mallapuram district) or even perform the nithyakarmas.

"How am I to worship the sandya?" Kakkassery questioned the Namboodris, who asked him for the reason for non performing the Sandya.
"Hridakase chidaditya:
sadabhati niramaayam,
Udayasthamanow nastha
katham sandyam upasmahey?"

"The sun does't rise or set in my heart. When the cosmic consciousness shines in my heart througout, with no rising or setting, how am I to worship sandya?'

It was said that he led a nomadic and spiritual life travelling from place to place. He is used to make the annual visit at the Thali temple for the regular Pattathanam. On one such occasion, he advised the gathered Brahmins and scholars to worship the Bhagavathi (Devi) at the time of distress. Taking his advice, the gathered Brahmins conducted an intense yagnja for 41 days to please the Devi. On the 41st day, Kakkassery visited the temple and asked for drinking water. After having the water, he left, and nobody has ever seen him again. So, there are no records of his later years.

Siva Prakasha Swamigal of Tiruvaiyaru

Sri Siva Prakasha Ananda GiriSwamigal was a saint who lived in Trichy - Thanjavur region in the earlier half of the 20th century. He was born on 13-May-1898, the first day in the Tamil month of Vaikasiat Kumbakonam. 

His Guru was Sri Kewal Ram Swamigal who did intense tapas in the Himalayas. When Sri Kewal Ram Swamigal approached his Guru for mantra diksha, his Guru mentioned that it would come to him at the appropriate time. After a few years, he received a post card from his Guru containing a upadesha. Immediately on seeing the upadesha, he took up a life of renunciation.

 

SivaprakashaSwamigal  took up sanyasa at a very early age. His mother was so concerned and used to constantly ask him that who would perform her last rituals since her only son had taken up a monk's life ( Traditionally, monks in India donot participate in any of their earlier family rituals). He replied that even if he had not taken Sanyasa what was the guarantee that he would be alive to perform her last rites. His words were prophetic and he dropped his mortal coil much before his mother.

 

A lady from a devout Vaishnava family from Srirangam was doing Pratyangara Upasana ( which was a rarity in those days). Due to the power of the Upasana, she would frequently, unconsciously step out of the house. Pratyangara is considered as a guardian deity and she is considered to be roaming the streets to protect her devotees. It was the swamigal who controlled her Upasana and ask her to do lesser count of the Japa and gave few more instructions. Soon, she was normal in all ways.

Sri Sivaprakasha Anandagiri
 Swamigal

He attained Maha Samadhi on 20-Dec-1942 in the month of Margazhi on a Sunday at 6:30 PM. His Mahasamadhi was raised the next day at Tiruvaiyaru. Even today his Samadhi can be seen behind Sri Thyaraja's Samadhi in the north-west direction. Devotees visiting Sri Thyagaraja Samadhi must make a point to offer their prayers to this great Mahan. For more details,read : https://bhagwananandagiri.blogspot.com/

Sri Kewal Ram Swamiji

Mantras and Chants To Stop Rains and Natural Calamities

Natural calamities can be controlled only by the ALMIGHTY. Here are some 

chants/incantations/prayers  from our scriptures

1) History has proved that,when a natural calamity (incessant thunder and rain by Indra) wanted to blow the 
Brijwasis(people of Gokulam), Lord krishna pleased by their prayer and saved them. The following sloka 
relates to that incident. This sloka is from the Narayaneeyam (Govardhana Uddarana)

कृष्ण कृष्ण महाभाग त्व्न्नाथं  गोकुलम प्रभो |
त्रातु मर्हसी देवाण कुपिताद भक्वत्सल ||    

కృష్ణ కృష్ణ మహా భాగ త్వన్నాథం గోకులం ప్రభో |
త్రాతు మర్హసి దేవాణ కుపితాద్ భక్తవత్సల ||

கிருஷ்ண கிருஷ்ண  மஹா பாக த்வன்நாம் கோகுலம் ப்ரபோ |
த்ராதுமர்ஹசி தேவாண குபிதாத் பக்தவத்சல ||

Lord Krishna Saving Brijwasis from rains

                                       Click to Listen the Sloka to Stop Rains

Please pray the above sloka.It will definitely help in reduction of ongoing flood.

This can be prayed whenever there is a problem to living beings from natural calamities like

floods,tsunami,earthquakes, etc.

2) Below is a Tamil poem sung by Shaivaite saint Sri Sundaramoorthy Nayanmar  in Tirupungur temple to stop rains.

Song by Sundarar to stop rains

3) Rishya Shringeshwara temple (Rishya Shringa) at Kigga which is 9 kms from Sringeri in  
Karnataka. As per legends, the great sage Rishya Shringa is said to have performed penance and 
attained Samadhi here. As per the puranas, wherever the sage used to go, that place used to 
experience good rains and there would be no draught.It must be mentioned that the agumbe forest where 
Kigga is located is one of the wettest places in the south.

The Prayer in this temple can be done even to stop the heavy rains as well.

4) Sloka from Durga Saptashati to stop natural calamities

Also please check the below where Sri Sri Bharathi Tirtha MahaSwamiji made a special 
Prayer to reduce the heavy rains in Tamilnadu in December, 2015 to Sage RishyaSringa




Bharathi Tirtha Swamiji Prayer to Stop rains




Sloka from Durga Saptashathi to stop rains

Related Article: Mantras,prayers and chants for rain

Sri Sivan Sir - Life History,Books and articles

Sri Sivan Sar

Sri Sadasiva Shastrigal (who was popularly known as Sivan Sar) was the younger brother of the great Paramacharya of Kanchi Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal.Sivan Sir lived the life of a yogi. He rarely ate and almost drank no water.

His life history is described in a book - "Siva Sagarathil Sila Alaigal". For a PDF version of this book in Tamil, click on the link below.

Sri Sivan Sar Life History - Siva Sagarthil Sila Alaigal by Columbuslost

Sir's magnus opus has been the book titled "Yenipadigalil Manthargal". As the name suggests, he mentions different categories of people and their sins or merits and how to lead a life of wisdom and peace.In this book he talks in detail about the unknown past History of India. He also writes about the real history of several countries - Egypt, Italy,Bulgaria,Greece etc. which has been masked. He describes the various deities worshipped in the past and their relevance.

He also talks about various ancient mystics and kings.He explores the link between Hinduism,Paganism, Wicca and various ancient religions and establishes the common base between all of them. For a person who has never travelled outside India, it is simply beyond imagination on the amount information he provides in this book.  He also mentions some starling facts and predictions on the future of the world.

He covers the life history of several saints/kings/mystics across religions in his book. Some of them are

• King Shabaka of Egypt
• Bausis & PhileMon
• Vestals
• Chengiz Khan
• Lycrugus
• Roman Etruscans
• Abraham
• John and Bogomiles
• Solon & Croesus
• Cyrus
• Herodutus
• Janus
• Socrates
• Diogenes
• Democritus
• Epimenides
• Empidocles
• Nebuchadrezer

and Indian saints like

• Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra
• Pattinathar & Badrakiriyar
• Sri Narayana Teertha
• Sri Teertha Narayanar - He clearly mentions that this saint is different from Sri Narayana Teerthar and his life history is almost lost in this time.
• Sri Chinnaswamy Iyengar (Chinnan Samiyar) - His photograph is below and his Mahasamadhi is located at Sannanallur, Tiruvarur district, Tamilnadu

Sri Chinnan Swamigal Chennai Tamil Nadu

• Manikkavasagar
• Tirumangai Alwar
• Sri Bhagavan Nama Bodendral
• Nandanar
• Tondaradipodi alwar
• Karaikal Ammaiyar
• Kannapa Nayanar
• Thiyagarajar
• Manuneethi Chozan

 This book is a must read for anyone who has a reasonable interest in Spirituality and History. It is available with Narmada publications,Chennai.Phone : 044 24343793 / 24336313

Enipadigalil Manthargal

Rare or probably the only video of Sri Sivan Sar


  

Here is an article on Sivan Sar from Kumudam Jothidam book.

Here is a link to a Tamil lecture by Sri Sundara Kumar on Sadasiva Brahmendra and Sivan Sir.In the first part of the lecture he talks about Sadasiva Brahman and about Sivan Sir in the second part.

Here he mentions a very important point. Sir wished that the Aradhana of Sri Brahmendral be celebrated in all the places where he attained Maha Samadhi. When questioned about Karachi, Sir says, if Brahmendral decides, the two countries would unite. Let us pray to Sri Brahmendral that he helps us to identify his Mahasamadhi at Karachi. We should also offer our prayers so that the hatred between the two countries is removed.

Mantras for common problems - Infallible Vedic Remedies

" Infallible Vedic Remedies" is a book composed by one of the great seers Swami Shantananda Puri.The saint has written about his experiences in his books "Musings of a Himalayan Monk" and "Fragrant Flowers" which are also available for download. 

Swamiji asks us to get it initiated from a qualified Guru before chanting or treat Sri Ramakrishna or Sri Ramana Maharishi as one's Guru and start chanting with all sincerity and faith. He also provides a good introduction and numerous examples from his life on how these mantras worked. He also talks about a very unique mantra called Shasthi Devi Mantra.He covers mantras for various problems and provides the text in English and Sanskrit/Hindi. Like a true seer, he also provides Tamil chants, Sikh chants, Christian prayers without any discrimination.Some essentials for getting the benefit out of these mantras would involve practising Vegetarianism, Refraining from smoking, drinking and other addictive substances/habits, respect towards elders and finally above all - Love for the entire humanity without any discrimination.

• Mantra for ensuring supply of food (Annapoorna Mantra)
• Mantra for all physical and mental diseases (Dhanvantri Mantra)
• Mantra for improving intelligence, self confidence,fearlessness etc.
• Mantra for all heart diseases including hypertension (B.P)
• Mantra for all eye diseases involving cataract,glaucoma, retina etc.
• Mantra for cure from all types of fevers and animal bites including snake bites and insect bites.
• Healing prayer to deal with diseases
• Mantra from Holy Japuji Saheb for healing diseases and invoking the grace of God
• Mantra for better memory power
• Mantra  for best performance in interviews, debates etc.
• Mantra for success in competitive examinations and public examinations.
• Mantra to avert unexpected accidents and dangers to life
• Mantra to combat all sorts of fears – vague or specific, including severe mental depression etc.
• Mantra to protect from all troubles, anxieties,tensions and worries
• Mantra to prevent nightmares and bad dreams
• Mantra for happy marriage 
• Mantra for people who have remained childless for years - to beget a child
• Mantra to remove barrenness in women especially in cases with repeated abortions
• Mantra for easy and normal delivery and to prevent abortions and barrenness
• Mantra to avoid estrangements between husband and wife arising out of incompatibility
• Mantra to increase one’s wealth and prosperity through truthful means
• Mantra for release from heavy indebtedness
• Mantra to recover property / money lost through burglary, dacoity etc. (Kartaveeryarjuna Mantra)
• Mantra for universal mantra for overall well being and prosperity and to prevent dangers and calamities including diseases
• Mantra  for relief from bites from serpents, centipedes and other poisonous reptiles
• Tamil hymns for recovery from various kinds of ailments and problems confronted in life
• Mantra to prevent imprisonment in a jail or from kidnapping
• A universal remedy (panacea) for all ills,problems, diseases, etc. 
• Mantra for removal of all Impediments and Delay in any venture 
• Mantra for controlling rebellious persons like sons,daughters etc.
• Mantra for children who are dumb or unable to speak 

Click below to download the book

Infalliable Vedic Remedies PDF E-Book

Of all the mantras above, one incident needs to be mentioned. There are 3 versions of the Siva Sahasranama Mantra and 2 of them are very popular. The third was brought to public by the efforts of Sri Shantananda Puri Maharaj. 

Swamiji was entrusted with the effort of identifying and publishing the third unknown version of Siva Sahasranama by the great Guru the Paramcharya of Kanchi - Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal. Swamigal tried searching across several libraries in India and finally when he was about to give up, he accidentally met a scholar who had done his doctorate exactly on the book he was searching.After that with lots of such miraculous incidents and efforts, the Siva Sahasranama from Linga Purana was published.

Mp3 chanting of this mantra, pdf in Tamil/Sanskrit/Hindi, Swamiji talk on how he discovered this mantra is all available at
https://mahaperiyavaa.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/linga-purana-siva-sahasranama-by-swami-shantanandha-puri/

What is very important to note here is the message of the Kanchi Shankaracharya - "Chanting of this mantra will bring unity among fighting couples, parents and their children, between religions, communities etc. When this mantra is chanted on a large scale or a mass scale, this mantra has got the capacity to bring unity even between countries"

In this age where discord between people is at an all time high in the name of religion,race,caste,gender,national,color etc. let this mantra bring in the much needed unity and peace.

Sringeri : The Jagadguru and the unbroken Heritage

The holy town of Sringeri is a must visit for any sincere seeker who wants to spend his time in company of nature and in the most traditional environs. This town and its culture will definitely take you back by atleast 200 years. Situated in the midst of Agumbe forests the river Tungabadra flows through this town.Access to this place was very restricted till recently.This is one of the important pilgrimage centers in Karnataka but travellers should spend a few days if they want to explore all the places.

Sri Sharada Temple 

- Originally established by Sri Adi Sankara, the deity was made of Sandalwood. Later on, one of the acharya installed the golden idol. Navarathri is the main festival here. But round the year, some festival or the other happens here or in any of the temples or the mutt.

Sri Vidyashankara Temple

- One of the acharyas (Sri Vidyasankara) wanted to perform austerities inside a cave. He asked his disciples to close the entrance to the cave and never to open it, unless there was an explicit instruction.

But after 12 years, one of his disciples opened it out of curiosity. He was shocked to find a partially formed Shivalinga there.This temple has been built on top of the Siva Linga. It also has the original sandal image of Sri Sharada.

Sri Malayala Brahma Temple - The legend behind this shrine is very interesting. This deity is actually brahma rakshas. It accompanied the acharya, Sri Sri Vidyaranya during his travels. It is said that he had established this shrine.

Other shrines around the Vidya Shankara temple are Sri Jnardhana Swami, Sri Bala Subramanya etc.
The Adishtanams of some of the previous acharyas are also located here.

Sri Malahanikeshwara or Mallikarjuna Temple - It is an ancient Shiva temple located in the middle of the town.

Sri Adi Sankara Temple - It is a very recent one built by the current acharya Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha

Sri Chaturmurtishwara temple is located in Simhagiri near Sringeri (now called as old Sringeri).

Kigga is a town nearby which has the Rishya Sringa temple. Here devotees offer prayers for rain.

Temples of the guardian deities - As a protection to the holy Sringeri town, Adi Sankara had installed four deities on the 4 corners of the village.

• Kala Bhairava Temple in the East : This is the temple where Sri Sri Abhinava Vidya Teertha Mahaswamigal and Sri Sri Chandrasekara Bharathi Mahaswamigal  used to perform their sadhana. 

Sringeri Kala Bhairava Temple

Sringeri Kala Bhairava Temple

• Kere Anjaneya Temple in the West
• Kalikamba Temple in the North
• Durgamba Temple in the South

Sringeri is the base location of the Sringeri Sharada peetam established by Sri Adi Sankara and has an unbroken line of sages heading the monastery.The Adhishtanams of the Shankaracharyas are located inside Narasimha Vana and near the Sharada temple making it an excellent place for meditation and chanting. As the name implies, the Narasimha Vana is almost like a forest. In fact, we can notice boards there cautioning people about snake movement. 

The current acharya performs Chandramouleeswara Shiva puja in the night (around 8-8:30 PM) at a hall in the Narasimha vana  and all devotees can witness it in its full glory.

 The Mutt also performs Homams,Yagnas very frequently all over India in its various branches. Especially in Sringeri, you can find some Yagna or the other happening for general welfare or on specific request from Individuals.There is a dress code to be followed, so please check before visiting this puja place.

It may not be possible to cover this entire place in 1-2 days. A week's stay can help you enjoy the nature, visit the temples and visit some of the nearby temples as well. 

This article is being posted just to know how the Jagadguru Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Maha Swamigal spends his day. How many of us can even get 10% close to his kind of schedule?

Mutt administrator Gowrishankar offered this summary of a typical day in the life of the Pontiff. The Jagadguru has only one meal each the day and nothing else in-between. Occasionally, he may take a glass of milk in the morning after worship. He regularly practices yoga. Even when he is travelling, he does not stop the routine worship, meditations and pujas. It therefore takes three to four days even to reach Bangalore (192 miles) because he does not travel for more than two to three hours in a day, to ensure that this routine is not upset. Even VIP meetings are fixed during his regular meeting time in the evening and not during any other slot which may come in the way of religious duties.


4:30 am: Guruji arises
5:00: First bath
5:15: Morning observances, anusthana, a routine of worship and meditation
7:30: Offers puja worship to the sandals of his guru
8:00: Conducts class for the students of the priest training school. In October, 2000, he was teaching tarka, the science of Vedic reasoning, his favorite subject.
9:00: Personal studies
9.30: Comes out to give darshan, audience with devotees. This may continue until noon, depending on the number of people. If it is a Friday, he goes to the temple during this period to worship Goddess Sharada.
noon: Second bath, midday prayers and meditation.
1:30 pm: Visits the samadhi temples of his gurus, then goes for his lunch
2:30: Short break
3:00: The Jagadguru teaches class for the scholars and pundits. These are brainstorming, intellectual sessions on various subjects.
4:15: He attends personally to the letters he has received in his name
5:00: Swamiji comes out to give audience to devotees.
6:30 Meets with the Mutt's
administrator to discuss the day's business
7:00: Short break
7:30: Bathes and performs his evening worship and meditations.
8.15: Performs puja to Chandramouleswara and other Deities which have been traditionally worshiped by all previous Jagadgurus back to Adi Sankara. Done without fail every day.

10:00 Jagadguru retires to his chambers and continues his personal study
11:30: Rest

Source: Hinduism Today Magazine

Sringeri Jagadguru performing Puja - Karnataka