B.V Narsimha Swami ji :Lectures and Discourses -Chapter 18.

Dear All,
Till now 17 chapters has been published, in continuation to that I am posting the 18th chapter today .In this part we shall read Swami ji efforts in propagating about Shirdi Sai Baba's name by His discourse,lectures and travelling to various parts of country .Readers who have missed earlier parts of biography can read by clicking on the links which are given below at the end of post , chapter by chapter.Jai Sai Ram.

CHAPTER-4
PART-III
LECTURES AND DISCOURSES

Narasimha Swamiji gave a clarion call-

“Journals must be multiplied in a various languages and books must be published gatherings, lectures and kirtans should be held all over the country. Poojas and bhajans must be arranged everywhere everyday. Sai Baba must permeate the country from one end to another.”

This was his goal and he achieved it in toto.

On one side, Narasimha Swamiji was publishing books on Sai Baba in different languages. At the same time he was traveling all over the country addressing people on Sai Baba. Some times alone, and at times accompanied by local people or volunteers.

Narasimha Swamiji covered all the nooks and corners of the country lecturing, organizing, founding new Samajams, inaugurating Sai worship in individual houses, counseling people to steady the wandering minds to concentrate on Sai Baba, to chant the mantra ‘Sai Ram’ and integrating several into one large and common brotherhood bound by their single hearted devotion and loyalty to Sai Baba.

He travelled by third class in railways, by bullock carts, jutkas, buses, motorcars, accepting any place to rest, living on plain fare or choice dishes, whatever came to him. He carried 'udhi’ Sai Baba’s pictures in card size, and Sai Ashtotharam for free distribution.

He never worried whether his audiences were large or small. He addressed students, women and men pursuing various avocations, teachers, traders, artists, and artisans and craftsmen. His spoke his houses, clubs, schools, in parks and public places. His clear and ringing tone reached them all bringing a message of hope and good cheer and opening a new chapter, a bright page in their lives. He is still remembered with affection and gratitude for this.

Between 1940 and 1950 he covered nearly all the principal towns now distributed in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. In 1943, he lectured in Bombay and Bhusaval. He addressed meeting in Delhi, Allahabad, Benaras and Calcutta. He covered the Theosophical Society and the Central Hindu College in Benaras and the Ramakrishna Institute of Culture in Calcutta. He spoke in Ahmedabad and formed a Sai Samaj there.

Between 1940 and 1943, he was invited thrice to Calcutta to vitalize a strong Sai Samaj there. He went to Kharagpur and in Assam he covered Masimpur, Karimganj and Silchar. In Bihar, he covered Patna and Jamshedpur in his lecture tours.

By these lecture tours he built a network of ‘Upasamajams’. By 1946, sixty-five Upasamajams spread all over India and affiliated to the All India Sai Samaj were in operation. Fifteen Sai Mandirs were built in various towns. Narasimha Swamiji planned his tours in advance and published the itinerary in the ‘Sai Sudha’ magazine. After his lecture tours, local devotees and organizers sent reports of his work for publication.

At this stage there occurred interesting happenings that promoted the Sai movement. Those who took to Sai worship reported the miracles, which have made Sai Baba so popular. The early issues of Sai Sudha contained several reports of this nature. At the initial stages of the movement, demand grew steadily for Sai literature and Sai gifts such as rings, lockets, pendants etc., and also the udhi Swamiji had brought from Shirdi. It became necessary to formulate a systematic way of conducting Sai worship. Accordingly, Narasimha Swamiji has given “Sai Pooja Vidhi” and ‘Sai Sahasranama’ in addition to the ashtotharam already in use. This is published in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Pooja was offered to tiny silver padukas, lockets and to Sai Baba’s pictures.

Narasimha swamiji composed in Sanskrit, hymns under the title ‘Sainatha Mananam’, which enables a devotee to have instant contemplation on Sai baba. It has been transliterated into Tamil and English.

One important incident, which occurred on 7th January, 1943 at Coimbatore, gave a boost to the Sai movement. On that day, a king cobra bearing marks of conch and wheel on its hood appeared before Sai Baba’s picture during the bhajans conducted in a shamiana on a vacant plot receiving flowers from the growing congregation. The cobra was photographed and offered milk, Crowds rushed to that area to see this miracle. After staying amidst the devotees for more than twenty-four hours, the cobra crawled into an anthill in the neighborhood. The devotees were thrilled to see Sai Baba giving ‘darshan’ in the form of a king cobra. Sri A.Varadarajaiah bought that vacant plot and with the help of other devotees built a temple for Sai Baba there, which is famous as the ‘Naga Sai Mandir’.

The news of the miracle at Coimbatore spread like a wildfire and thousands joined the Sai movement. Narasimha Swamiji was the torchbearer of the message of Sai Baba and the Sai movement grew in leaps and bounds.

Meeting the Disciple

Sai Baba had to wait for eighteen years for a suitable disciple who could spread his message. But it was a different case with Narasimha Swamiji. He did not have to wait for a long time to secure a worthy disciple who could enthusiastically carry on his Mission. The disciple he selected was a young and dynamic person, Sri K.Radhakrishnan who was at Ooty. He later on evolved himself into Sri Saipadananda Radhakrishna Swamiji and took over the leadership of the Sai movement from Narasimha Swamiji.

The Guru-Sishya meeting itself was in dramatic circumstances in a most unexpected way. It had been announced in Ooty by a citizen’s committee that Narasimha Swamiji, Founder and President of the All India Sai Samaj, would address a meeting on Sai Baba. The meeting was to be held in a school (St.Joseph’s Matriculation School, Ooty) and the organizers, who were Radhakrishnan’s friends, had asked him to remain inside the building while they went out to receive the visitor. Radhakrishnan had not intended to attend the meeting; he had planned to see a film, Daving Livingstone.

In deference to the wishes of his friends, he stayed on and to his great surprise very soon he found a bearded saintly person enter the school hall all alone. He realized the visitor must be Narasimha Swamiji, who had come by an unscheduled route to the meeting place. He told Narasimha Swamiji that the organizers were waiting outside on the main road to receive him. “Oh, never mind”, was Narasimha Swamiji’s response.

“The bus was delayed. So to make up lost time I came by a different road. Now it is already 6.30 p.m. I do not like to delay any further. What! Are you ready?”

Radhakrishnan mechanically said, “Yes”, although he did not know what he was expected to do. Narasimha Swamiji took out a picture of Sai Baba from his bag and placed it on a chair, Radhakrishnan understood he was required to do the pooja. But he felt embarrassed because he was dressed in a suit and told Narasimha Swamij: ‘I am wearing a suit. At least, I should be wearing a dhoti….” He was not allowed to complete the sentence. Narasimha Swamiji laughed and said: “It does not matter at all. Sai Baba never looks at the external details. What he wants is the mind. You do the pooja”. Radhakrishnan found himself in a ticklish situation. He could not do anything without telling his friends, nor could he refuse to carry out the instructions of one who appeared to be a saint. He finally performed the pooja. Afterwards at the end of the meeting, he did the ‘Mangal-Arathi’ also.

Radhakrishnan took Narasimha Swamiji to his house in Fernhill, Ooty, where his eldest brother, Sri V.S. Rajagopala Aiyer and his family were presented to him. Narasimha Swamiji installed a Sai Baba idol in the house and worshipped it. Later, Rajagopala Aiyer was put in charge of the Sai Baba Mandir at Ooty and he became a member of the All India Sai Samaj. Radhakrishnan escorted Narasimha Swamiji to the bus stand on his way back and it was then he put a very crucial question to him. “Swamiji, I have a peculiar feeling. I feel the name a person gets in this world has some deeper meaning behind it. I have been named Radhakrishnan but I do not clearly follow why I got this name”. (According to Radhakrishnan’s family circles, the name was given to him since he was born after his mother had attended a Radha Kalyan discourse).

Chapters Posted:

1. Introduction.
2. Early Life.
3. Childhood in Salem.
4. Public Life.
5. Turning Point.
6. In quest of God.
7. With Ramana Bhagwan.
8. Pandharpur.
9. From 1932-to March 1934.
10. From 1932-to March 1934- part 2.
11. At Sakori .
12. Face to Face With The Master.
13. Early Days Of Sai Prachar.
14. Baba Himself Favours The Movement.
15. Only Aim.
16. Early Days of Mission.
17. Lockets and Calenders.
    

To read in Tamil click Here.

© Shirdi Sai Baba Sai Babas Devotees Experiences Sai Baba Related all Details

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