The anecdotes from Swami Karunyananda's experiences with Swami are collected
from several interviews between 1994 and 1997 and are taken from
www.saionline.org
Swami Karunyananda passed away in August 1997, under the auspicious
celebrations of Dassara.
I have the good fortune of being the first person to greet Bhagavan in the
morning. I go upstairs, and open the door of Bhagavan's room and have darshan
and padnamaskar of Bhagavan. There is Sakthi in the feet of Swami. There is
power in the glances of Swami. His body is not like ours, it is a Chinmaya
Sareeram (divine energy form). Ours is a body made up of dust, which dissolves
finally, into the primordial elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether.
He is not limited to one form. He is the form of all deities worshipped by
religions. He is the very embodiment of Chaitanya (energy, force). He is the
embodiment of all Gods. We cannot probe into Him. Have you not seen Him during
the mornings? He has a special effulgence in Him; sometimes this effulgence is
frightening. On the last day of Devi Navaratri (Dasara) when Poorna Ahuti is
performed, His body temperature becomes hot. I have touched His feet at such
times and found that they were very hot.
I saw Bhagavan for the first time in Bhadrachalam in the year 1936. Bhagavan
was ten years old at that time. That means that He started His mission even
earlier to the fourteenth year, although the manifestation of the Bhagavan was
not announced in 1936. People who saw Him felt He was the Son of God.
Bhagavan's sister Venkamma, and uncle brought Bhagavan to Bhadrachalam during
their pilgrimage trip. Women were already worshipping Bhagavan as the Son of
God. I saw Him casually, and they were saying He was the Son of God. I thought,
"Who is not a child of God?"
I was a member of a spiritual organization called Jeevakarunya Sangham in
Rajahmundry. There was a meeting in 1956 when Bhagavan came to Rajahmundry.
My Malayala Swamy and myself then had the darshan of Bhagavan. Bhagavan called
me by the name "Karunyananda," and spoke to me as if he knew me very
intimately. I turned and bowed down to Bhagavan. It was night time, about 8:00
p.m. Bhagavan said, "Will you come to Kakinada? We will go together."
I replied, "As you please, Swami."
I went to Kakinada with Bhagavan and during the car journey Bhagavan recounted
my entire past history. He gave very intimate details of my conduct when I was
young. Bhagavan was born in 1926. He was not even born yet when I was young,
but all the same, He gave all the biographical details correctly.
In 1959 I came with the Jeevakarunya Sangham [a spiritual organization] to
Puttaparthi for Shivaratri celebrations. We had two jeeps, one van, and a car
with a driver with us, and a lot of other paraphernalia. We had an office in
Chittur also. We first went to our Chittur office and then departed for
Puttaparthi to obtain Bhagavan's darshan. Facilities for travel were very
unsatisfactory at that time. I traveled by bus. It was too cold to travel by
bus. The bus came to Horsey Hills area, beyond Madanapalle, and then went out
of order and broke down! It was evening and it was getting very cold. It soon
turned into dark night. The women and children were shivering due to the cold.
I then thought, "These so called Baba's—why do they put us up to this trouble?
Why do they reside in the hills? Why can't they set up residence in a place
accessible to common people? How many people are suffering!"
I was thinking this way but did not mention these inner thoughts to anyone.
The bus was repaired and after many trials it started again and reached
Mudigubba at 2:00 a.m. I had to stop there until morning, took another old
rattling bus to Bukkapatnam, and reached there with great difficulty. At
Bukkapatnam I hired a bullock cart and reached Puttaparthi after even more
difficulty. Puttaparthi had scarcity of water at that time. I kept my bedding
and luggage in the residence of one Sathyamma, bathed somehow, and then went to
the Nilayam. Mr. Kasturi then summoned Bhagavan, and Bhagavan sent word for me
and I went up to His room. One Veerabhadra Sastry [a scholar] and several other
people were present with us. I paid my obeisances to Bhagavan, when He asked
me, "What Karunyananda! What is the news? How many cars do you have?"
I wondered why Bhagavan had interest in the number of cars! I bowed to Him and
I replied, "Swami, why should you talk about cars now?"
Bhagavan insisted, "No, no. How many cars do you have?" Veerabhadra Sastry then
asked me, "When Swami asks you, why do you not reply?"
I thought there was no escape and replied, "Swami, I have two jeeps, one car,
and one van."
Then Bhagavan asked, "When you have four vehicles, why could you not come by
one of them? Why come by that bus, and blame later 'All these Babas reside only
in the Hills!'?" Then I realized that Bhagavan knew what I had thought miles
away as if a telegram had been sent to Him.
We would be sitting with Bhagavan at times, and He would be found as if He was
somewhere else. He would later say, "I have just returned from Madras. Papum
(Alas)! Vijayalakshmi is suffering very much. I went to the hospital. I gave
her prasad and there is no problem with her now. She will be all right."
Thereafter confirmatory telegrams or letters would arrive adding that,
"Bhagavan was here but He went away without taking [food or offering]
anything." Take the incident at Tirupati, which happened around 1989-90. It was
10:00 a.m. in the morning and Bhagavan was very much in Brindavan at Bangalore.
Yet, He was simultaneously seen at Tirupati! He was given a chair; He was
seated. All this happened. Should Bhagavan put on dramas like others? No, it is
all the grace of Bhagavan. [A similar incident has happened in Tirupati again
in 1998]
In 1971, as we had returned from Ooty to Brindavan, Swami asked a schoolboy to
take a photograph of Him, and lo!, He appeared as Lord Dattatreya in the
photograph. Everyone saw this miracle and was astonished. Gangadhar Shetty
wanted the photograph and I gave Him the photo. He then asked me if it would be
all right if he printed it in the Sanatana Sarathi. He wanted everyone to see
this beautiful picture. Swami took the photograph and tore it into pieces as He
did not want publicity.
Gold remains gold wherever it is thrown. One day Swami asked me, "Karunyananda,
from the beginning I have always been simple, have I not?"
Swami was then wearing a torn dhoti that day. I did not like this. So, I asked
Him, "Swami, why do you wear a torn dhoti when you have so many good dhotis?" I
tried to prevail on Swami for removing the torn dhoti. Swami smiled and then
pleaded, "Oh? Will you tear it up? Was it not my leela that day when I sought
for a handful of atukulu (beaten rise) from Kuchela? [A story from Krishna's
life] Are you not seeing me for the last thirty six years like this?"
Once Suri Bhagavantam's wife had paralysis, which Bhagavan took on Himself to
alleviate her distress. We were going in a car after the birthday festival of
Bhagavan. Bhagavan, Bhagavantam, and I were in the first car. Several cars
followed us. We crossed the borders of Andhra Pradesh State and entered
Karnataka State when Bhagavan fell ill in the car. On the advice of Bhagavantam
I got up and Bhagavan was laid upon the car seat. I got into the next car.
Bhagavan got up after sometime. He stopped the car and made me sit again by His
side in His car. He then asked me, "Did you worry about me? There is fifty to
sixty years more time for this body!" Bhagavan will incarnate Himself as Prema
Sai. I will also be there before Him. Bhagavan showed me also the place in
which He will take re-birth.
Bhagavan eats only a few morsels of Ragi balls (a minor cereal eaten by the
poor, prominently in Rayalaseema of Andhra Pradesh). His dining is only a
drama, a mere pretence, as He takes very little food. He however, sees to it
that people seated by Him are fed well. This He does Himself; it is all the
mother's affection. Some people bring and offer sweets and curries to Bhagavan,
but Bhagavan does not even touch these foods.
I keep telling Him to eat more because between dinner and breakfast, there is a
gap of 15 hours. But, Swami always replies that though He eats lesser quantity
than we do, He is more active and does not become tired and weak like we do.
Divinity—that is the secret! It is divine energy. You and I would be worried if
our food were delayed even for a few minutes. But, He is above all this.
Some people bring Him and offer sweets and curries to Bhagavan, but Bhagavan
does not even touch these foods. I said once, "Why should they carry all these
food stuff here? We have two cooks. All the items are offered to you. They have
to be taken back without you tasting iit. Then why should they be brought
upstairs?"
Bhagavan replied, "What is your objection? They bring the food here. Those who
bring it, take it back again and it gives them satisfaction to offer food for
me." He is verily the embodiment of compassion!
Once when I was returning from Kakinada in 1956 Bhagavan said, "Karunyananda,
you are clapping in union seated before me now. A time will come when you can
see me only from a distance." He told me again in 1970, "You are able to sit
and see Bhagavan now. A time will come when you have to see Swami from a hill
only."
On His 60th birthday in 1985, many devotees could only see Him from the
distance of a hill.
Sai Ram
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