My Celestial Journey to Kaja, Birth place of Sadguru Narayana Teerta.

      

I invoke the blessings of  kadungAl pillaiyAr(s), my parents and Sadguru Narayana Teertar to write this Article.

 

It was our fortune to have embarked into a journey to Kaja, the birth place of Sadguru Narayana Teerta, master creator of an opera called Krishna Leela Tarangini (KLT),  a Sanskrit opera  depicting the  life story of Lord Krishna starting with his birth, childhood pranks and ending with his marriage to Rukmini, which is also found  in the 10^th Chapter of Srimadh Bhagavatham.

In Hindu Dharma, Guru has got a special place and without whom, the search to find the "Eternal" never fulfills. It is  also a proven fact that if you have the anugraha of sadguru, God will be waiting to serve you. 

In our journey we could meet many Gurus, again the grace of  Varagoor Perumal.......

Tarangams created so much of impact in my life, may be because of varagoor perumAl, our “Family deity” or my father’s soulful rendering of Tarangams. My interest in music must have also added to sing or listen more on Tarangams.

Reproducing the essence of Tarangams in the words of Swami Vivekananda,  who was a great admirer of Sukha and his BhAgavatam, Jayadeva’s Gita Govindam and KLT, while answering the inquiring Followers that ‘if your mind is conditioned to dispense rAsaleela as the dissipation of spiritual energy, it is better that you make attempts to understand your limitations before going near such great works of philosophy’

Saint Thyagaraja in His song “AnuragamulE” in raga “Saraswathi” says.

பக்தியில்லாத (மாந்தரின்_மனத்தில் நல்லறிவு பிறக்காது. மகான் களாகிய தத்துவ ஞானிகள் இதை நன்கு அறிவர்.நிதானமாக உண்ண புகுபவர்களுக்குத திருப்தி ஏற்படுவதைப்போல் (பகவானின் கல்யாண குணங்களை தியானித்து ) சகுண செய்பவர்களுக்கே சுகம் கிடைக்கும்.

Divine wisdom will not blossom in the minds of those devoid of devotion. Enlightened souls are well aware of this. (Translation)

With this background, when there came an opportunity to visit Sri.Narayana Teertha’s birth place, Kaja, I immediately grabbed it, despite the pressure in my office.

I was accompanied by Sri.Shanker, Sri. Kurla Sri. Ramakrishnan, Sri.S.Kunjithapatham, my brother K.Vijayakumar.

Tamil Nadu Express reached 4 AM on 19^th July 2013.   Ashada Ekadasi was the auspicious day and it was one of the 3 Ekadashis which is said to be very important day for Mahavishnu. This is the day where Mahavishnu goes into yoga nidra (deep meditation)

My younger brother, Sri.K.Manikantan, (who could not come) arranged a morning break at  Uttaradhi mutt, a well known mutt founded by Sri.Madhvarcharya and had many branches in Andhrapradesh and all over India..  All the mutts have got the idol named, Moola Rama and Moola Sita (Moola means Original or First).  Madhvarcharya preserved these idols and consecrated at various branches of this Math.  We were really fortunate to have started our journey in Andhra with the blessings of  “Madhvacharya”- Guru

We were given a cordial reception and laid down for couple of hours.  We could not stay there and had to shift to Akshya Hotel before our memorable journey.

It was 338^th Jayanti Celebration at Kaja, a small hamlet, near Magalagiri in Guntur District, situated at 15 kilometers from Vijayawada in Vijayawada-Guntur National Highway.  When we were entering the place, we had a glimpse of a procession of some people carrying a portrait of Sadguru, indirectly welcoming us to his abode.

We were informed on this day Guru pooja, morning worship, sahasranama chanting, vedic renditions and Tarangam singing with the saint’s portrait were conducted. 

We were accorded a warm welcome by Sri.Sampath kumar  He is devoted to the propagation of Tarangams in several places all over INDIA since 1984. Receipient of various awards in AP and TN, he is a well known expert in  in Jati (another way of singing Tarangams in “dancing” style).  He has been to varahoor many times.

We were asked to prostrate before a beautiful portrait of NT and the podium was also decorated by a superlative painting where Lord Krishna looks down NT’s sitting posture.

Sri Kurla Ramakrishnan (KR) was sitting on a chair to enable playing Harmonium.  (Another anugraha, where KR forgot to bring Harmonium and was wondering how to play, he got one in the hall)

We were singing following Tarangams.

Jaya jaya ramAnatha- nattai

Jaya jaya SrinivAsa- kalyani

Brindavana maduna- Brindavani

Prama karunayA- sourashtram

Ehi mudam dEhi-Ananda bairavi
Couple of more kritis.

In between, one rasikA got up and confessed that KR looked like Ramana maharishi.  Each and every song was well received by the audience and at the end of each kriti,  the audience applauded. 

Life teaches so many things. I was taught on that day that Sanskrit kritis were not meant only for Brahmins.  The interest with which rasikas were listening and applauded, we were simply in awe to digest.  We were also informed that those Non-brahmins know singing Tarangams, we were bereft of words to speak. 

On that day, we were also very fortunate  to have blessed by His Holiness Bhagwan Sri Sri Sri Viswayogi Viswamjee Maharaj of Guntur  with flowers and shawl.  We were doubly ecstatic when He listened to our bhajans. 

"Small note on Swamiji"

Swamiji is considered as Lord Dattatreya's Ninth Avathara, Viswambhara who descended, into this world, and into this Universe. The great liberated evolved Soul, Kanchi Paramacharya, Sri Chandrasekhara Saraswathy Swami beheld Sri Viswayogi Viswamjee with awe, wonder, mystifying excitement and looked at the lustrous splendour around Sri Viswayogi Viswamjee. The Swamiji got a big sized Rudraksh rosary and bedecked the neck of Sri Viswamjee with the sacred rudraksh garland with adoration, admiration, affection and with affable love. He called and named Viswamjee as "Mahayogi", the greatest of Yogis. 

While we were singing and enjoying the serene atmosphere, annalakshmi blessed us and were provided a very good food by Veda patashala at Guntur maintained by Sri.Sarada parameshwari Devasthanam of Sri.Sharadha Peetam of Sringeri.  Thanks to Sri.Sampath kumar.

“kamadha kAminamEsham mumuksUnanda mokshatham

Srunvatham gAyathAm bhaktya krishna leela tarangini”

“Which means those who hear or sing Tarangini will be blessed to have health, wealth  and happiness and so on in their life”

Sri.Shanker, in our Group arranged everything and with the language problem, that pilgrimage did not have any issues. Sri.Kurla Ramakrishnan Sir (I had given a separate article about him previously) is another "nadamAdum Sadguru" (walking saint). 

On that day, by singing at his birth place,  we were blessed and the each and every rasikas at khaja  looked like “yatheendras” to us.  I  pray to Sri.Narayana Teertha to shower the blessings to all bhakthas and conclude with the word “Kshemam kuru Gopala santhatham mama”