A brief biography of a Great Saint – Sri Brahmananda Maharaj-8

A brief biography of a Great Saint – Sri Brahmananda Maharaj - 8

Sri Brahmanand Maharaj, once visited Kurtakoti, a place near Gadag. In Kurtakoti, there was a young man, named Lingana Gowda,  who was well educated. He was well versed in both English and Sanskrit languages. He could subjugate many scholars in arguments. He learnt from some sources that Sri Brahmanand Maharaj was well versed in Vedantha, having studied in Varanasi. So Sri Lingana Gowda invited Sri Brahamanad Maharaj to his house and during conversation, started to ask some questions with the intention of knowing about the scholarship of Sri Brahmananda Maharaj. But Sri Brahmananda Maharaj, smiled, and  told him that from the time when Sri Brahma Chaithanya Maharaj Graced  and initiated him, he has sold his tongue entirely to ‘Sri Rama naam’. He told: “With Sri Maharaj’s divine favour my desires for Shastra and Meemaamsa have vanished. By my Guru’s  Grace my earlier interest for  Shastras have declined  and  I have realized that  one cannot get  real satisfaction and peace from these shastras .Without chanting  Nama (God’s name) this life will be a mere waste”. The young man was very much impressed, and requested Sri Brahmanand Maharaj to initiate him. Sri Brahmanand told him that as Sadguru  Sri Bramachaithanya Maharaj would be visiting Gadag and other places shortly, he could be initiated by Sri Maharaj himself.

 Naragunda is a small village but had many devotees of Shri  Brahmananda Maharaj.  Naragund devotees wanted to arrange a thera koti (13 crores )  Rama-Jap in their place. So, they requested Sri Brahmanand Maharaj to help them. Sri Brahmanand Maharaj wanted to take permission of Shri Maharaj. So, on behalf of the villagers he wrote a letter to Sri Appa Saheb Bhadavankar of Pandarpur asking to intimate the desire of the villagers to Sri Maharaj and take his permission to start the thera-koti Japa at Naragund. Here, we have to note that Sri Brahmanand did not write letters directly to Sri Maharaj., but wrote to a person who is near Shri Maharaj at that time and asked him to intimate Sri Maharaj about his letter.

Sri Maharaj replied in a letter to Sri Brahmananda  expressing his pleasure and approval for starting the Thera Koti Japaanushtaan at Naragunda.. .The villagers were pleased and started the Manthra Jap with Sri Brahmanand Maharaj taking the lead. Many devotees from surrounding villages began to come there and participate in the Japaanushtaan. The food and shelter were arranged for all the outsiders. As the days went on, the number of participants increased and the thirteen crore Japa sankalpa was almost at its end. Sri Brahmanand  sent two of the villagers to Gondavale to invite Sri Maharaj for the closing ceremony. One of them was Sri Shiva Deekshit of Yavagal, which is near Naragund. Sri Maharaj delayed his visit for the reason he only knew. But when he started on his journey after nearly two months, many devotees accompanied him. Meanwhile, at Nargund, expecting the arrival of Sri Maharaj, thousands of devotees gathered.

On the way, they came to Yavagal. In Yavagal,  Sri Shiva Deekshit  had constructed a Mandir on the instruction of Sri Maharaj, and the idols of Sri Dattatreya and Sri Pattaabhi Ram were ready to be installed. Sri Brahmananda Guruji had arranged everything for the installation ceremony. Yavagal devotees received Sri Maharaj with all the enthusiasm and devotion. Sri Maharaj installed the divine  idols in the newly constructed Mandir.

Then the entire retinue  went to Naragund.

In Naragund, Sri Rama Sapthaha was conducted, in the presence of  Sri Maharaj , and the devotees there might have  felt the thrill of the Divine presence.

 However, Naragund locals  found to their dismay, that the water in the tank which was feeding the entire village with drinking water, was dwindling , and they felt it may not be sufficient for the entire programme, with nearly ten thousand people assembled there. Besides, that was the only source of drinking water the villagers had. The  villagers  confided with Sri Brahmananda Maharaj  the cause of their worry. Sri Brahmanand Maharaj told them not worry as the Divine Sri Brahma Chaithanya Maharaj himself was  there, there will not be any shortage.

The homas and rituals were over. All the assembled were fed with Maha Prasad; the clouds began to gather, and by evening a heavy rain began to  pour and with in a short time the tanks and wells began to fill, and the villagers were  very happy and heaved a sigh of relief.