CHAPTER – 4
BIRTH OF SWAMIJI
One year after the birth of Vidyasagar Sarma, Sri Sri Sri Devakinanda Swamy, invited by the villagers came to Chaurellamudi from Billakuduru village to observe Chaturmasya there. He had no knowledge of Telugu but he could speak Hindi. He acquired wonderful powers while he was performing pooja during Navaratthri days, the youth of the village came to him and challenged him “If you have any capacity, shows us the deities”. Inspite his telling them “Deities do come when invoked, but it will be very difficult to satisfy them and keep them peaceful”. They were adamant and started creating nuisance. Left with no alternative, Swamiji invoked the Deities one after another, on to each one present there. In that village there was one dull-headed person Satyanarayana, the son of Vangaveeti Radha Krishnaiah. He was an illiterate vagabond and an object of cheap entertainment for the villagers. Swamiji invoked Dattareya on him. Possessed by Lord Dattatreya, swinging with ecstasy he started exposition of Dattatreya Mantra in Sanskrit as an erudite scholar. All were stunned. The great Swamiji recognizing the virtues and talents of Sri Anjanyelu took him as the principal disciple presented him with silver sandals and initiated him to a Mantra. Nobody knew what it was. But by the fact that Sri Anjanyelu soon after kept a photo of Dattatreya in his prayer room it was conjectured that it might be Dattatreya Mantra.
Siddha Murthy, the guru of Sri Anjanyelu at Gangapur, was born again as Devakinanda Swamy, the devotee of Datta, sought his disciple at Chamallamudi and gave up to Sri Anjanyelu as editor of the paper, Grama plana (village administration) founded by Sri Katrapati Narasimham, the village karnam of Katrapadu, in the New Year’s special numbers of Andhra Patrika, in Bharati monthly since 1928, in the paper “Prarambha Vidya” published by Venkatrama & Co, edited by Sri Mahadevi Venkatraman, we would clearly understand what a great poet he was. The tenderness of the Potanna’s poetry and the glamour of the modern poetry of Sri Anjanyelu drenching the hearts of the poets like the spray of scented waters. Had he lived for a decade more, how many more poetic works he would have had produced! How many laurels he would have won and from the pedestal of guru how much gnana he would have spread.
Thinking that there was much need for people to understand Bruhdara Kopanshid, he wrote commentary on it in Telugu. The famous pandit Sri Nishadam Chrandramouli Sastry, resident of Vallabhapuram remained in the house of Sri Anjanyelu for a month and got his work “Bhagavata Tatwardha Manjari” scrutinized by him. By the time Sri Anjanyelu left the mortal body. “Sri Rama Pattabhisekham (Drama)”, “Varahamihirudu”, “Jyothishya Marma Deepika” and two more small literary work were there in his wooden almairah in an incomplete form. Sri Anjanyelu had a good knowledge of Ayurveda (the Indian Science of medicine). He prepared lehyalu, rasanyulu, aristalu and bhasmalu by himself. He wrote a book “Gruha Vaidaya Deepika” on these drugs. People like Sri Ambatipudi Siva Rama Krishnaiah Satsry Bhagavatar, the veteran Harikatha (one who narrates the stories of the Lord, with gesticulation, dance, songs and verse in public) who was presently working as a doctor in RamMohan Ayuervedic Pharmacy at Vijaywada came to Sri Anjanyelu and learnt several secrets of medical education.
How many unpublished manuscripts we would have had from the wooden shelf in Sri Anjanyelu’s house, had the thieves not plundered them, after his demise! We are not fortunate to read them. Some of the poetic works published in Bharati, annual editions of Andhra Patrika and Prarambha vidya, and some published works Sri Krishna Sankeertanam, Leela Tarangini and manuscripts Yagnavolka satakam, Gopala Kalyanam (Drama) Raghae ganitem and some of the poems he rendered extempore on certain occasions were only available to us at present.
Having experienced how difficult it was to work as a village school teacher, he inspired his brother Suryanarayana to compose poems under the title “Palleturi Badi Panthulu” (village school master). He scrutinized them and got them published in the annual numbers of Andhra Patrika. They were well appreciated by many. He spoke in several congregations and seminars on the ignominies the teachers were subjected to in the villages. On the occasion of the conference of the elementary teachers at Guntur, he sang poems inspiring the teachers. All those poems are not available now.
In a poem he advised the teachers to be bold and put up with all difficulties and render their little bit of service to the nation with their example of good character and without being lured by the devil of private tutions.
The message of Sri Anjanyelu was, is and will be worthy to be emulated. It will become a great voluminous book if we go on narrating the highlights of the achievements of Sri Anjanyelu as a poet, a pandit, a paurenic, a teacher, a scholar, a astrologer, an adept in vaastu, a peer, a stickler in discipline and a reformer, a path setter, a Maharishi and a multi-faceted genius who won the appreciation, approbation and respect from one and all.
Just two years before the birth of Viswmaji, Sri Anjanyelu shifted his family to Guntur. He took him and joined as a teacher in the Central Tutorial College founded by Sri Raja Rao, the co-brother of Sri Jupudi Yagnanarayana. During that period he taught Sanskrit and Astrology to several people including the late famous Sri Ekkirala Krishnamachrya. He resided in the house of Sri Pullela Venkatappiah, near Satyanarayana Swami temple in old Guntur. Later he shifted to the opposite building belonging to Krishnaveramma. His residence became an abode of Goddesss Saraswati and was center for dynamic, pious and auspicious activity with the on going of poets, pundits, friends and disciples.
In 1944, Sri Anjanyelu accompanied the students of the college appearing for matriculation examination to Baneras and remained with them for about one and half months. There he daily bathed in the sacred waters of Ganges and performed Abhisekham to Lord Viswanath. He refrained from taking it. Instead he lived on fruit and milk. Later the milk also had become taboo for him on account of its peculiar smell. He conducted several literary discussions with the pundits there. The famous Madan Mohan Malavya had regard for Sri Anjanyelu and their friendship took deep roots one of the causes being that they both belonged to Yagnavalka Sakha. Often they used to meet and discuss several topics. Catering to the wishes of Malavyaji, Sri Anjanyelu composed several sanskrit verses extempore, which went unrecorded.
While Sri Anjanyelu was deeply engaged in the workship of Goddess Kasi Vishalakshi and Lord Viswanath at Benaras, his wife Smt. Varlakshmma who was pregnant started getting labor pains at Guntur. After Sri Anjanyelu left Benras Smt Seetamma came to Guntur from Chavallamudi and was assisting Varalakshmma in her house hold work and Sri Satyanarayana regularly came to Guntur to look after the welfare of the family and was returning to Chavallamudi by day break. At that time Sri Vidyasagar Sarma who was studying IV form was aged 14 years, Seetaramma 9 years, and Hema Rekha 3 years, all were young kids. Immediately after his sister in-law developed pains, Satyanarayana got her admitted in Convent hospital. Seetamma garu was attending on her.
On 5 th March 1944 at 10:30 pm Smt Varalakshmma gave birth to male child. Exactly at that time Sri Anjaneyulu had a vision of divine effulgence coming out of the Linga of Lord Vishwanath. Sri Anjanyelu, the veteran astrologer felt that Lord Visweswara, the God incarnate was taking birth as his con. The letter received from Guntur after two or three days confirmed his faith, in the vision. The thought that Lord Viswanath in order to grant salvation to him took birth as his son sent raptures and he was overjoyed and elated. Functions like Bharsala etc., were not performed as he was away at Benaras. After his return to Guntur, he narrated his experience to the bewilderment of all the members of the family. Accepting the suggestion of Satyanaryana the child was formally named as Viswanatha Sastry, but people endearingly called him “Viswam”. The same “Viswam” was called after he took to the teaching profession as “Viswam Master” by pen name as “Masterji”, “Viswayogi” and “Viswayogi Viswamji” and as incarnation of Lord Datta, the all powerful supreme guru as “Viswayogi Viswamji Maharaj” and “Swamy”. Given himself up to the objective of establishing universal welfare by uniting all human beings of the universe, He now shines as the legendary Guru “Chintamani” indulging in divine play as the Master of the universe guiding one and all in particular his disciples.
Sri Anjanyelu digestive system was upset for want of proper diet for over a month at Benaras and he fell sick after his return. He said, “Astami Sani in Saturn Maha Dasa will run out by full moon day and Jyseta Masa. Till then I will be sick. There are portents of death on Sudda Chaturdasi of Jyesta Masa. I will live for seventy years, if I could cross over that date”. His bosom friend Parmacharya Sri Divi Rangacharyulu visited him daily. Sri Polisetty Somasundaram with all sincerity consoled and kept the members of the family good spirits. Dr Vallabhajyosyula Sarma was giving medical treatment.
Knowing Sri Anjanyelu was sick his friends, acquitances and disciples visited him when he was bed ridden. His wife Varalakshmma and auntie Seetamma served him till the last.
On chathurdasi day Sri Anjanyelu seemed to be happy and people naturally thought that he was on the road to recovery. But nobody thought that it was the last flicker of the lamp. Just five minutes before his death he called his brother Satyanarayana and blessed him “Long Live earn name and fame” saying thus he breathed and fell into his lap.
The news of the death of Sri Anjanyelu spread like wild fire throughout Guntur within minutes. Waves of people turned up to have the last darshan of the mortal body and pay homage to him.
The mortal body of Sri Anjanyelu was bathed in holy Ganges water brought by himself, smeared with bhasma and garlanded. At that moment, every one felt as if he in Yoga Mudra with the semblance of life-effulgence believed the fact that he was no more.
Big procession accompanied his last journey. The body was laid on the bundle of pieces of sandalwood and tulasi. It was tough time to control Satyanarayana who was weeping and beating his breast recapitulating his past associations with his brother. Exposed to the intense heat of the summer he swooned. Everybody thought that Satyanarayana too was no more. But fortunately he recovered within half an hour, he picked up his spirits, with heavy heart he lit up the funeral pyre with a burning stick immersed in cow’s ghee. Thus Sri Anjanyelu’s mortal body was consigned to flames and he gracefully returned to those enlightened regions from which he had come, after successfully completing his life’s mission here by being an instrument to birth of Lord Datta. Though his body merged in the five constituent elements, he will be remembered forever as the proginator of Lord Datta