22. GANAPATI MUNI
IT was 1903. Bhagavan was seated at Adimudi shrinesurrounded by disciples. A scholar from Andhra came
and interpreted the famous invocatory sloka
"Suklambaradharam Vishnum sasivarnam catur bhujam
prasanna vadanam dhyayeth sarva vighnopasantaye"
as if it applied to Bhagavan in this manner:"He also
wears a white cloth (Kaupina); as he abides in the Self he
is Vishnu (all pervading), he has devoured (destroyed)
Manas, Buddhi, Chitta and Ahamkara. He has a peaceful
countenance, he removes all obstacles in the way of those
who meditate.'
The following year the same scholar visited Arunachala
during Kritikkai and recited the one thousand slokas,
entitled Sivasahasri, extolling the Deity. The listeners were
very pleased with the scholarship and beautiful style of the
composition.
Everyone wondered who that person of simple
appearance but with profound scholarship was. They came
to know that he was from Andhra and belonged to
Kaluvarayi agraharam near Bobbili. His name was Kavya
Kantha Ganapati Sastry. They expressed their appreciation
of the gifted and blessed being of rare talents.
Truly Ganapati was a blessed child. In 1878 his father
Narasimha Sastry was performing japa at Kasi in front of
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Vinayaka's image. He suddenly felt that a small boy was
advancing towards him fromVinayaka. That was also the
time when his baby son was born back home. The father
named the child Ganapati.
Till he reached the age of five all kinds of ailments
including dumbness troubled Ganapati. In his sixth year
he was branded with a hot iron rod upon which all ailments
left him. He was also able to speak thereafter.
He then began his studies. Thereafter his life was
miraculous with unexcelled intellectual skills of great
comprehension, phenomenal memory and amazing intuition.
There was nothing he could not understand, nothing
he could not commit to memory after hearing once, no
sastra that was not grist to his intellectual mill. By the
time he was ten, he had memorized several kavyas. In
Astrology he was capable of drawing up a panchangam.
He also had the capacity to compose Sanskrit verses
extempore. As he studied epics like the Ramayana and
Mahabharata two great ambitions arose in him. One was
to become a great poet like Vyasa and Valmiki - and why
not, he thought, was he not already capable of composing
poetry? The other ambition was this: in the puranas rishis
like Viswamitra, and devotees like Dhruva had by the
power of their japa become capable of creating a fresh
world or obtaining an abiding place in the firmament.
Why not he also become one like them? With such great
ambitions the lad continued his studies.
By the time he was twelve, Ganapati composed a
Sanskrit Kavya, Bhringasandesa in the mandakranta metre
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imitating the poet, Kalidasa. Within a couple of years he
was proficient in Chandas, Vyakarana, Kavyas, and
Puranas [?]. He was an extempore poet, an ashtavadhani and
an orator. In 1900, while he was at Kasi his friends
encouraged him to visit Nawadweepa to participate in
the scholars' meet held there. At that meet of great and
reputed scholars, he demonstrated his unmatched literary
gifts and talents. Thus he earned the title "Kavya Kantha,"
At that time, he was barely twenty two.
For the fulfilment of his second ambition, Ganapati
got initiated in several mantras. Among these, his favourite
was the Siva panchakshari. In order to perform japa in the
prescibed manner, he studied a number of agama sastras.
He mastered all the spiritual literature in Sanskrit.
He got married at the age of eighteen but with the
permission of his father and wife he left on a pilgrimage
to the banks of Ganga, Narmada and Godavari to perform
japa. He visited almost all the holy places of India twelve
times, for performing japa. Though there were occasional
spiritual experiences he did not obtain the darshan of
Siva, which he desired ardently.
At Varanasi, the pleased goddess gave him honey in
a dream. At Nasik the temple priest mistook him for a
thief and the people of the place beat him up. In anger,
he cursed that the people of Nasik should also be hurt
like himself physically. Within one month, an
unprecedented cyclone struck the town and hurt the
people. He had divine powers but they were of no avail
to himself!
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As Ganapati Sastry was studying Vedic literature there
arose before his mental eye the glorious Aryan civilisation
where people lived in harmony and discipline and were
generally happy and peaceful. He compared it with the
conditions obtaining in the country in his own time where
people were rigid and lifeless. The people made themselves
inflexible and bound themselves to various customs and
above all, occupied the first place among the enslaved
nations of the world!
He then resolved that he should reform society and
restore ancient values. For this, he decided to bring
together and lead young men dedicated to eradicating all
the divisive forces in society and to performing mantra japa
as the rishis of ancient times did so that a new Aryan
society could be built. In this endeavour, Ganapati
thought, mantra japa was the key.
Ganapati chanted the Sivapanchakshari a billion
times; so also he wrote down the name of the Deity a
billion times all of which had gone waste. In 1904 Ganapati
was appointed as a Telugu pandit at Vellore. He began
taking practical steps to realise his ideal and gathered a
band of disciples round him. He spent his time in teaching
than in imparting mantra japa to the students. He felt
even that was not fruitful and decided to resume mantra japa
at Arunachala and reached that place in 1907.
Even that was useless in that in spite of all his learning
he could not grasp the implication of mantra japa. He
was sorry that years of japa did not secure for him the
darshan of his ishta devata.
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During the Krittikai festival of November 1907 while
Ganapati was seated in meditation he heard a voice saying
that the Deity was asking for him. He opened his eyes
but could not see anyone in the vicinity. It was as if it was
a disembodied voice. He began walking towards the
Arunachaleswara temple, performing his mantra japa
within. As he came near, the temple car which had not
moved till then began moving. Ganapati prostrated there
but even then the Diety did not grant a darshan. Ganapati's
grief only increased. The following afternoon he sat in a
disciple's house quietly and the name Brahmanaswami
occurred to him suddenly. Then he thought that the Swami
who had direct experience of the Self would know the
secret behind japa and that he would be able to solve his
problem.
He resolved to seek the Brahmanaswami's refuge. He
was not sure whether the Swami would still remember his
interpretation of the sloka Suklambaradharam but thought
he would still seek the Swami's guidance. The Swami was
his only saviour, he concluded. Ganapati Sastry
immediately set out for the hill in the hot midday sun.
By the time the emotion-charged Ganapati reached
Virupaksha cave, the Swami was sitting alone on a rock.
Ganapati prostrated before him and clasped his feet with
both hands and in a choked voice said,
I have studied all that has to be studied. I have learnt
Vedanta sastra completely. I have performed mantra-japa to
my heart's content. But till now I have not been able to
grasp what tapas [?] really means. I have now approached you
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to know what it is. Please enlighten me on the nature of
tapas.
The Swami fixed his gaze on Ganapati for fifteen
minutes. Ganapati was awaiting the reply anxiously. No
one else intruded and disturbed them. The Swami spoke
in Tamil- "If you enquire and observe where this I-thought
arises from, the mind gets absorbed in it. That is tapas [?].
While performing mantra japa if you enquire and observe
where the sound of the mantra arises from, the mind gets
absorbed in it. That is tapas."
The tormented heart of Ganapati had instant solace
and got pacified. He recognised that after the Vedic times
this was the only upadesa of its kind. A new path for
attaining moksha [?] was indicated here. Nobody else had
discovered this path earlier. The Swami, the yogi par
excellence, had spelt out his supreme upadesa to the mortal
Ganapati at the sacred spot of Arunachala in appreciation
of Ganapati's prolonged japa. Subsequently, this upanishad
was taught to disciples and seekers all over the world.
Those who saw the path to moksha [?] were rishis. Ramana
who showed this unique path was also a Maharshi.
Ganapati Sastry stayed for some hours there and after
ascertaining the name of the Brahmama Swami he
composed extempore five slokas in praise of "Ramana".
At that time Sastry was not aware that Lakshmana Ayyar
had referred to the boy Venkataraman as Ramana. Ganapati
was instrumental in reviving the name which had fallen
into disuse. The next day, Ganapati gave the upadesa to
his disciples and told them that it was given by Ramana.
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He also enjoined on them to refer to the Swami as
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. This name became world
famous.
By definition, a person with the following attributes
is traditionally referred to as a rishi [?] — one who is celibate,
one who performs severe penance, one with complete
control over passions, one who is absolutely truthful and
one who has mastered the Vedas and Vedangas.
The syllables "bhaga" in the word Bhagavan meant
prosperity, perfection, dharma, fame, sreyas, jnana [?],
vairagya [?] and the like. Both the words `rishi' and `bhagavan'
were appropriate in the case of Ramana. Ganapati felt
that he got the upadesa due to the grace of Goddess Uma.
As a token of gratitude, he composed Umasahasram (one
thousand slokas in praise of Uma) and dedicated the book
to her-all in three weeks. Inspired by the divine presence
of the Maharshi he dictated the last three hundred slokas
to four amanuenses. The Maharshi who was watching
silently till then asked, "Has everything been noted?"
Kavyakantha submitted that it was all noted. Those slokas
are held to be Maharshi's but merely voiced by Ganapati.
Though he revised several slokas of the work subsequently,
Ganapati found nothing to revise in the last three hundred
slokas.
In the first three months of 1908 the Maharshi,
Ganapati, and other disciples stayed at the Pachaiamman
Kovil at the foothill of Arunachala. Most of the expenses
relating to the stay were borne by Ramaswamy Ayyangar,
a devotee. During that period, Ganapati, took to meditation
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as taught by Bhagavan. One dawn, a brilliant light arose
and touched the forehead of the Maharshi six times,
Ganapati noticed this and also observed that the light got
absorbed in the aura around the Maharshi's head as six star-
like formations.
Though he practised the Maharshi's way Ganapati's
original ideals did not leave him. Towards the end of March
(1908) he wanted to leave Arunachala and asked the
Maharshi whether the enquiry into the source of the `I-
thought' would result in the fulfilment of his ideals or
whether he had to do mantra japa also. The Maharshi
replied that the former was enough. Ganapati also asked
the Maharshi whether his intention was good, to which
the latter replied "Leave everything to God, your burden
will cease and He will take on your burden. He knows
what to do."
Much later Bhagavan said, "While God sustains the
burden of the world, the spurious ego assumes its burden
grimacing like an image on a tower seeming to support it."
Reality in forty verses - Supplement verse 17
— Tr. K. Swaminathan
With the Maharshi's permission Ganapati left
Arunachala in 1908 for Tiruvottiyur near Madras for
performing tapas. He performed tapas [?] in a Ganesa temple
for eighteen days. On the last day he had a problem during
the tapas [?] and felt that it would be fine if the Maharishi
were to give his darshan. He was asleep while being, wide
awake. All of a sudden Ramana arrived there and sat by
Ganapati's side. Surprised at this, Ganapati tried to get up
but the Maharshi pressed him on the head and made him
sit. Ganapati felt as if an electric current had passed
through him. He took it to be initiation by hand (hasta-
diksha).
Ever since 1896 the Maharshi never left Arunachala
but how can anyone account for Ganapati's experience?
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About twenty one years later, on 17 Oct 1929 to be
precise, Ganapati narrated his experience to the Maharshi.
The Maharshi also confirmed it, saying, "Several years
ago I was resting at Virupaksha cave. I was not in samadhi.
Yet I felt as if the body was floating in air. As the upward
floating continued all material objects vanished from my
sight, only white light was all around. Suddenly the body
began descending and objects came into view. I thought
this was what was meant by the disappearance and
reappearance of those with occult powers (siddhas). It
struck me that it was Tiruvottiyur and I walked along a
main road. As I did so I noticed a Ganesa temple at a
distance and I went in. I do not remember what I did or
what I spoke. At that stage I woke up and found myself to
be asleep at the Virupaksha cave. I narrated this experience
at once to Palaniswami."
Ganapati in turn confirmed that the description of
the Ganesa temple as given by the Maharshi was accurate.
Kavya Kantha would visit Arunachala occasionally
to have the darshan of Bhagavan. Between 1922 and 1929
he stayed at Arunachala with his family. Once, while at
the mango tree cave the bones of his skull loosened and
he experienced a softening of the area where the Brahma-
randhra exists.
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Ganapati himself confessed that however much he
tried to follow the jnana marga [?] he had not been able to
achieve abidance in the Self. In the first years possibly the
latent tendencies proved to be insurmountable obstacles.
Also, the activities of the sakti in the body were intense
which it could not bear. On such occasions he would seek
Bhagavan's help and get over that.
Ganapati Sastry used to say that sakti was of two
types- mahas and sahas of which the former was divine
and that only when sahas got transformed as mahas the
bones of the skull loosend. Because of this sakti he could
not bear to touch any metallic object and he always had
to wear sandals made of wood. A number of his disciples
also had experienced that sakti. Any copper coin held in
the palm became golden.
Bhagavan had great love for Ganapati Sastry. His
erudition, exalted ideals, and the power of his tapas [?]
endeared him to Bhagavan. But for Ganapati's
encouragement Bhagavan would not have composed
poetry in Sanskrit and Telugu.
Bhagavan addressed Ganapati as "Nayana" as did the
latter's disciples. Ganapati was a great man with
extraordinary foresight, and power of speech.
One may go to the extent of saying that he was a
Vidyadhara in human form. His glory can be fully
appreciated by going through Kapali Sastry's Vasishta Vaibhavam
. But for his ideals and love of the country
which bound him, Ganapati would have attained Self
reatisation.
He wrote a lot of poetry in praise of Bhagavan, one of
these poems, Sri Ramana Chatvarimsat was recited in Bhagavan's
presence every morning. It is still recited at Bhagavan's shrine.
In order to realise his ambitions Ganapati participated
in politics and social reform activities till 1930. Thereafter
he gave them up and devoted himself to tapas [?]. He left his
mortal body on 25 July 1936 at Nimpura near Kharagpur
in his ashram.
More than the service he did for Bhagavan, Ganapati's
service to the nation in propagating Bhagavan's message is
greater. The answers Bhagavan gave to the questions of the
disciples were incorporated as slokas in Sri Ramana Gita
composed by Ganapati Sastry. This book is an invaluable
guide to all. Simirarly, he translated into Sanskrit Bhagavan's
Ulladu Narpadu under the title Sat-darsanam. As early as
1903 Ganapati Muni, through his foresight, recognised the
greatness of Bhagavan and spread the word. Under his
guidance, his disciples Pranavananda and Kapali Sastry wrote
commentaries on Bhagavan's Upadesasaram and Sat-darsanam
respectively. Kapali Sastry also wrote an excellent commentary
on Bhagavan's Arunachala Pancharatna. Ganapati's disciples
were all Bhagavan's disciples too. They were spread all over
the country and they carried forward Bhagavan's message.
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