CHAPTER - 9
“Shanti Prema Dayi” – a book written by Masterji discloses all the secrets of sadhana, whereas another book also written by him entitled “Anuraga Lahiri”. Reflects his self-realization. For any Sadhaka these two books are worth reading.
Let us examine what Viswamjee wrote in the preface to the book entitled, “Anuraga Lahiri”. “The divine power which is inside me danced in front of me. She displayed her intrigues in several ways. She made me laugh. She awakened my latent poetic talents and brought them to the surface. She danced with divine skill in front of me in her sixteen phases and brilliances. She made me swim in an ocean of happiness enjoying it to my heart’s content. She showed unbounded affection on me like a mother. She played hide and seek with me like an innocent and naughty child. She offered me the nectar of knowledge, which I drank with pleasure. To her divine touch there was an equally divine reaction.
Divine reaction led to divine emotion which in turn activated the body and mind as a result of which the spring of poetic talent spontaneously got an upsurge and flowed like a perennial stream “Raagaalaapana” is the outcome of that memorable experience.”
Here we have to note one thing. What was the mantra which was meditated upon by Viswamjee? Who appeared before him? We get the answer when we keenly observe the “Anuraga chakra”, a product of his vision. He not only recited the “Dram” which was the base of the mantra (Beeja aksharam) for Dattatreya, but also repeated Dattatreya, Maha mantram with a lot of discipline and self control. He considered the Beeja Aksharam of that mantra as life given, created the Anuraaga Chakram and presented it to the world. When he invoked Dattatreya Swamy, Devi appeared before him but not mere Dattatreya Swamy. We may be surprised to know about this. That is only due to our ignorance the root cause. According to puranams, Datttatreya was the son of Atri and stands as a symbol for sadhana. The one who does not have the three or who is not the third is Atri.
In human beings, there are tow main aspects, the one concerning the heart and the other relating to the mind, love, kindness, pity, truthfulness and like are related to the heart. Intelligence, cleverness, diplomacy, etc are related to the mind. Only when these two aspects are balanced properly he can be called a human being in the real sense of the term. If a man neglects the heart and takes exclusive care of the mind, he becomes a selfish man, losses his human aspect and becomes devilish. On the other hand, if a person gives importance only the heart at the cost of the mind he cannot perform anything, becomes weak and finally useless.
Even among poets, there are two classes, the poetry of one appeal to reason and intellect, while that of the other has a strong appeal to emotions. A balance between the two is ideal. Even thought Ramayana and Mahabharath are both great epics, the former is considered as a kavya because it is more related to the heart while Mahabharat is treated as a puranam since it is concerned more with intelligence and scholarship.
Sri Viswamjee is a divine humanist.
He divided Anuraga Lahiri into three parts, namely, Hridayeswari, Hridayagitam and Atmarpanam. He might have chosen this cause to represent the three morsels of food given to him by Devi who appeared before him or he might have thought that the readers of “Anuraga Lahiri” should consider as a confluence of the three only rivers. Anyhow we are not certain how he was influenced in naming the parts of the book. All the poems in Hrudayeswari are strictly written according to prosody and they are ‘Seesapadyams’. The second part entitled “Hrudaya Gitalu” is full of songs, again set to rhythm and rhyme. It is move pleasant to sing a song than a poem. It touches the heart also. The third part “Atmarpanam” is all prose. In this the author conveys the message directly. In all these three parts, artistic expression, imagination, and rhythm occupy their befitting place and enrich the beauty of the work.
Sri Viswamjee’s heart overflowed with emotion and his poetic talent danced when the divine power appeared before him as Anuraaga Sakti and Hrudayeswari. He described the Devi that appeared before him as Bhramaramba of Sri Sailam, Kamakshi of Kanchipuram, Minakshi of Madurai and Saradamba of Sringeri. He writes that with the darshan of the Devi the evil thoughts, the obstruction, etc., got extinguished. Body and mind work changes. His thoughts became divine and life heavenly. Unknown divine power caught his hand and helped him walk. That was a new birth. That was a new mind. That was a new power. That was a new life altogether. The power which inspired him was also entirely new.
The power that Sri Viswamjee experienced was not from anywhere outside. It was from within himself. Sadhaka views unity in diversity. There is a power in every human being. It is the Sadhaka alone that can identify it and awaken it. Viswamjee described her in a highly poetic way and gives a vivid picture of the Devi. He viewed her as Lalitha, Bala, Durga, Maya, Sri and his Atma, the embodiment of happiness.