How I Came To Sri Maharaja
-G. Venkannaiah,Chintamani
(Founder: Sri Brahamachaithanya Sri Rama Mandir)
At that time, I was at Chikkanayakanahalli. There was a construction of a tank going on at Malligere, a village about 22 miles from that place. It may have been the third week of November of the year 1913 A.D. I was sitting under a tree supervising the construction and repeating the name of Shri Ram with closed eyes. While so sitting, I heard a loud voice shout, “Maha Purusha, Maha Purusha”. At once there appeared into my view the figure of Shri Maharaja. He was wearing a Kapni and Kulavi. On either side of him there was a disciple. As I bowed to him he said in Maharastra language, “Come to Gondavale”. As I had little knowledge of the language he spoke I did not understand what he meant and therefore noted down the words in my note book. I returned to my town at night.
Two or three days afterwards, I dreamt of two Iyengars. One of them was reading Gita. The other person pointed to this first one and said to me, “Go to him. Your work will be done”. The next morning I went in search of him and I was surprised to behold the same man who was reading Gita in my dream, in front of Shri Venkateswara temple. I stared at him in wonder. After I had introduced myself to him, he took me to his house. He was Shriman Rangachar, a retired police Sub-Inspector(Jamadars), who, disgusted with service had resigned his job and opened a hotel. He was also a good sadhaka (Yogabhyasi) on the path of God. After three or four days of acquaintance, I told him of my vision. He asked me to wait in the hall and himself went into a room for meditation. After an hour, he returned and narrated to me that he went into a trance, in which he saw the rail-route upto Koregaon Railway Station on the Bangalore-Poona line. Thereafter, there emerged into his view the road i.e., the Bus-route leading upto Gondavale, he saw the path leading to the Big Rama Mandir wherein, he saw the three images of Shri Rama, Lakshmana and Sitamai. When he stood before the images and bowed before them, the Image of Shri Rama spoke as follows: “I am not the real Rama of the place. They have simply made me stand here. The real Rama of the place is different. The power of speech is given by Maharaja and he has gone out at the moment”. Immediately, thereafter, Shri Maharaja appeared with his devotees and Sri Rangachar had Darshan and he prostrated before him. After this wonderful narration, he told me that the Mahapurusha I had seen was Shri Brahmachaithanya Maharaja of Gondavali and that Shri Maharaja had asked us both to go to Gondavali. The next day we started towards that holy place. After reaching that place we took Darshan of Shri Rama & Shri Maharaja. The disciples of Shri Maharaja told us later that on the morning of the day we reached the place, they were all getting ready to go to some other town. Shri Maharaja had, however, asked them to cancel their programme as he expected two devotees from a far-off place that same day.
An incident occurred the same night. Shriman Rangachar expressed to me, more than once, his doubt as to whether Shri Maharaja was an Avathara Purush or not. After our meals, Shriman Rangachar came to know that he had lost his room-key. We searched and searched without success. When we informed Shri Maharaja about it, he asked his attendants to took into the dinner plates which were just then washed and kept away. To our amazement, the key was found in one of the plates.
The next morning, Shri Maharaja initiated me into “Rama Nama”, along with thirteen other persons including Shriman Rangachar and bade me do 4 things.
1. Do Namasmarana without break.
2. Spread or propagate Rama-Nama.
3. Construct a small Mandir (Of Sri Rama)
4. Carry on Upasana.
Afterwards , we returned to Chikkanayakanahalli. I was then transferred on promotion to Mysore District, immediately.
In the year 1935, I was going to Gondavali for Shri Maharaj’s Punyathithi Festival, with some other devotees. We were waiting for the train and were at the station an hour before the time at which we thought ( we did not know the changed timings) the train was to start. Just then a train whistled and was about to leave the station. We were sitting idly, looking at the train which was about to depart, thinking that it was not our train. Suddenly, Shri Maharaja appeared and cried out in Kannada, “You simpletons, this is the train you have to travel by. Do not be unhappy afterwards”. So saying, he went away. We looked for him but he was no more visible. With mixed feeling of happiness and disappointment, we hurried up and got into the train.
.
-G. Venkannaiah,Chintamani
(Founder: Sri Brahamachaithanya Sri Rama Mandir)
At that time, I was at Chikkanayakanahalli. There was a construction of a tank going on at Malligere, a village about 22 miles from that place. It may have been the third week of November of the year 1913 A.D. I was sitting under a tree supervising the construction and repeating the name of Shri Ram with closed eyes. While so sitting, I heard a loud voice shout, “Maha Purusha, Maha Purusha”. At once there appeared into my view the figure of Shri Maharaja. He was wearing a Kapni and Kulavi. On either side of him there was a disciple. As I bowed to him he said in Maharastra language, “Come to Gondavale”. As I had little knowledge of the language he spoke I did not understand what he meant and therefore noted down the words in my note book. I returned to my town at night.
Two or three days afterwards, I dreamt of two Iyengars. One of them was reading Gita. The other person pointed to this first one and said to me, “Go to him. Your work will be done”. The next morning I went in search of him and I was surprised to behold the same man who was reading Gita in my dream, in front of Shri Venkateswara temple. I stared at him in wonder. After I had introduced myself to him, he took me to his house. He was Shriman Rangachar, a retired police Sub-Inspector(Jamadars), who, disgusted with service had resigned his job and opened a hotel. He was also a good sadhaka (Yogabhyasi) on the path of God. After three or four days of acquaintance, I told him of my vision. He asked me to wait in the hall and himself went into a room for meditation. After an hour, he returned and narrated to me that he went into a trance, in which he saw the rail-route upto Koregaon Railway Station on the Bangalore-Poona line. Thereafter, there emerged into his view the road i.e., the Bus-route leading upto Gondavale, he saw the path leading to the Big Rama Mandir wherein, he saw the three images of Shri Rama, Lakshmana and Sitamai. When he stood before the images and bowed before them, the Image of Shri Rama spoke as follows: “I am not the real Rama of the place. They have simply made me stand here. The real Rama of the place is different. The power of speech is given by Maharaja and he has gone out at the moment”. Immediately, thereafter, Shri Maharaja appeared with his devotees and Sri Rangachar had Darshan and he prostrated before him. After this wonderful narration, he told me that the Mahapurusha I had seen was Shri Brahmachaithanya Maharaja of Gondavali and that Shri Maharaja had asked us both to go to Gondavali. The next day we started towards that holy place. After reaching that place we took Darshan of Shri Rama & Shri Maharaja. The disciples of Shri Maharaja told us later that on the morning of the day we reached the place, they were all getting ready to go to some other town. Shri Maharaja had, however, asked them to cancel their programme as he expected two devotees from a far-off place that same day.
An incident occurred the same night. Shriman Rangachar expressed to me, more than once, his doubt as to whether Shri Maharaja was an Avathara Purush or not. After our meals, Shriman Rangachar came to know that he had lost his room-key. We searched and searched without success. When we informed Shri Maharaja about it, he asked his attendants to took into the dinner plates which were just then washed and kept away. To our amazement, the key was found in one of the plates.
The next morning, Shri Maharaja initiated me into “Rama Nama”, along with thirteen other persons including Shriman Rangachar and bade me do 4 things.
1. Do Namasmarana without break.
2. Spread or propagate Rama-Nama.
3. Construct a small Mandir (Of Sri Rama)
4. Carry on Upasana.
Afterwards , we returned to Chikkanayakanahalli. I was then transferred on promotion to Mysore District, immediately.
In the year 1935, I was going to Gondavali for Shri Maharaj’s Punyathithi Festival, with some other devotees. We were waiting for the train and were at the station an hour before the time at which we thought ( we did not know the changed timings) the train was to start. Just then a train whistled and was about to leave the station. We were sitting idly, looking at the train which was about to depart, thinking that it was not our train. Suddenly, Shri Maharaja appeared and cried out in Kannada, “You simpletons, this is the train you have to travel by. Do not be unhappy afterwards”. So saying, he went away. We looked for him but he was no more visible. With mixed feeling of happiness and disappointment, we hurried up and got into the train.
.
