Meeting with Sri Namananda
When I was traveling to Kurungadu, I noticed on the way a woman with disheveled hair, laughing hoarsely and moving in my direction. She seemed mentally unstable. As she approached, my heart began to beat faster. My hands and legs trembled. Two men were chasing her with sticks in their hands. She ran up to me, fell at my feet, and began asking me to save her from these men. All this put me in a difficult position. How could a weak Brahmin, who did not even have the fare for the journey, protect this woman from strangers in such a strange place? Involuntarily I said, “Mother, do not be afraid. Shripada will certainly protect you from these hooligans. Get up without fear.”
This is the story of a man who was devoted to Dattatreya and always relied on him when Dattatreya protected him with his power.
The strangers, who by then had caught up with us, looked at me in amazement. They wondered how a man who could not match them in physical strength not only considered them hooligans, but also assured the woman with great confidence that he would protect her. They warned, “Brahmin, you are weak; we want to kill this woman of bad character. You will not be able to protect her. We will also have to kill you if you obstruct us. Stay away from us.” I felt that some hidden power had entered me. Words were releasing themselves from my mouth without any effort and putting me in a dangerous position.
I said, “You were born as Brahmins, but last night you killed a cow without a second thought. You ate its meat, drank cheap liquor, and committed terrible acts. It is not difficult for people like you to kill me or this innocent woman. I am ready for anything. I am telling you this out of pity for you. You will get leprosy after killing this woman. Those who suffer from leprosy will have abnormal desires of lust. Snakes will not bite a leper. Leprosy can be cured with a medicine prepared from the venom of snakes, but the procedure for preparing this medicine is not known to everyone. If lustful desire is controlled and the appropriate medicine is taken, the disease will subside. If you wish to suffer from the most loathsome of all diseases, you may kill this woman. I am telling you this out of concern for your welfare.”
These two strangers collapsed upon hearing my words. Wonder of wonders! Since what had been said described their past exactly, they believed that my prediction would also be accurate. They confessed their mistakes. I appeared to them to be a great astrologer, despite my complete ignorance of astrology. We sat down in the shade of a nearby tree. I asked them to tell me about themselves in detail. Then they said, “Sir, you know all three times; you are omniscient; nevertheless, since you have asked, we will answer you. We are both brothers. Although we were born in the Brahmin caste, the nature of Brahmins has completely disappeared in us. We have disgraced ourselves in every respect. We made friends with meat-eaters. We became accustomed to alcoholic drinks. We committed adultery. We were defiled by all kinds of harmful habits. We saw this woman sitting in the lotus posture on a hill. We revealed our lustful desire to her. She refused. Since she refused to satisfy us, we decided to enjoy her by means of physical force. But it was strange that as soon as we grabbed her, she immediately slipped out of our hands. We pursued her. We were able to meet you only because of our past merits.”
Then I declared, “God has given us the ability to distinguish what is good and what is bad. We can obtain good results if we follow the right path. If we go down the wrong path, then we inevitably have to experience bad consequences. This woman, who is like a mother, appears righteous. You thought that she might behave impiously. Moreover, you approached her with an extremely contemptible desire. Now you repent. I do not know whether the Lord will pardon you, but I have good news for you. At present, Lord Datta, who is worshiped in all three worlds and who is the embodiment of the Trinity, walks the earth in human form as Shripada Sri Vallabha.
There is no other way for terrible sinners to rise except by surrendering to His magnificent, prosperous lotus feet. I have heard many of His divine plays. I am going to His present abode in Kurungadde.”
The Story of the Brahmin Woman
I turned to the woman and said, “Mother, tell me about yourself.” Then she began her account: “Sir, you saved me from these sinners. You are like my father. I was born into a renowned Brahmin family. My marriage took place when I was very young. How can I describe my misfortune? My husband was infertile. He humiliated me all the time. I sacrificed all the desires of youth and served my husband, regarding him as God. But he was very cruel. He claimed that I had extramarital relations with other men. If I adorned myself with flowers and garlands, which are the signs of a married woman, he accused me of attracting lovers. If I took off all my ornaments, he asked me why I looked like a widow.
When I caressed other children in the house, he remarked that I was sad because I had no children. When I ate moderately, I was accused of eating like a glutton and wasting money, and when I ate less, I was told that I was behaving that way to convince the neighbors that I was not being fed in my husband’s house. If I began to fast, my husband would usually scold me, saying that I was secretly repeating some mantra to get rid of him, and that I was fasting to please the presiding deity of that mantra. My mother-in-law, father-in-law, or other elders in the house did not utter a single word against my husband, although morally he tormented me extremely. Through this experience I learned what hell on earth is. That time was very miserable for me.”
She continued: “Meanwhile, a specialist in mantra-tantra shastras came to our village. It was said that he was a great scholar of astrology. My father-in-law and mother-in-law invited him to our house. He made some calculations, performed several strange rituals, and declared that misfortune was haunting me, and that my horoscope was filled with many unfavorable features, and that under the influence of my unfortunate fate my husband had become infertile.
He said that all the evil consequences for the family would disappear if I were driven out of the house. He claimed that the mantra-tantras and rituals performed by him would benefit them, that my husband would regain his virility, and that after entering into another marriage he would be blessed with children.”
The helpless woman continued her account: “My husband, his parents, and all the inhabitants of the house were merciless and drove me out. Having no other alternative, I went on foot to my parents’ house. On the way, the deceitful specialist who had been in our house accosted me. He wanted to make me a victim of his vile sexual desire. I was furious like Bhadrakali, picked up a large stone, and hurled it at him with all my strength. The stone struck him hard on the head, and he died on the spot. O God! Although I was a woman, I killed a Brahmin under insurmountable circumstances. I was not in my right mind.
Even in my parents’ house I would now have to face problems. Even if my parents protected me with all their love, there was no guarantee that my brothers and sisters-in-law would treat me the same way. Many people saw me kill the pseudo-magician, but they did not know that he was a fallen liar and deceiver. This news quickly spread in all four directions. Thinking that I should go wherever fate led me, I traveled without any clear direction. Soon I saw a lake. I was very thirsty and quenched my thirst by drinking water from the lake. Near the lake there was an audumbara tree. I had heard that the audumbara tree was very dear to Lord Datta. A stupor took possession of my body. Gradually I sank into a deep sleep at the base of the tree. I got up after some time. I was very hungry. When I opened my eyes, I saw two cobras standing like guards on either side of me. I greeted them, and they crawled away somewhere, as if they had understood my request. I sang: “Datta Digambara! Datta Digambara! Jaya Guru Datta! Datta Digambara.”
I had heard from the elders that simply by remembering His name, Lord Datta would be pleased and protect the devotees. Fortunately, I was in the shade of the audumbara tree. I had the feeling that I was under the shade of the umbrella of compassion of Lord Shri Datta. A traveler who was passing by began to listen attentively to my chanting of Datta’s name. He stood in the shade of the audumbara tree. I became frightened and said, “Who are you? Get away from here immediately. If you do not leave, I will pick up a large stone from here and kill you with it. I recently killed a pseudo-magician.”
Then that man folded his hands and said, “Mother, my name is Ravi Dasu, and I was born into a washerman’s family. I am a devotee of Datta. I live in Kuruvapuram. Sri Guru Datta shines magnificently in the incarnation of Sripada Sri Vallabha in order to sanctify the Earth. He conveys to His devotees, spread across vast distances, the good news of His advent through certain extraordinary miracles. This can be known only through direct experience. I am now returning there. You may accompany me if you wish. Kuruvapuram is a short distance from here.
I visited several houses of relatives and am now returning to Kuruvapuram.” Then I replied, “I cannot believe your words. It does not matter who this Sripada Sri Vallabha is whom you speak of. If Sripada is truly that Datta, He will draw this unfortunate woman to His auspicious feet and protect her. Sripada alone is responsible for proving that He is truly Dattatreya. I will not repeat his name. I will recite only the name of Datta. Let us see what happens next. If you do not leave this place immediately, you will face danger.”
Without saying a word, that man left, chanting, “Datta Digambara! Datta Digambara! Sripada Vallabha Datta Digambara.” Later, when I was sitting cross-legged in the lotus posture on the hill and meditating, I fell victim to those hooligans. You saved me from them.” With this, the woman finished.
I said, “Mother, you were saved only by the grace of Sripada. In this Creation there is no country in which He does not dwell as an inhabitant, and there is no time when He is not known. In this Creation, in different countries and at different times, various events occur due to cause-and-effect connections. Sripada is the great cause of all causes. In different countries and at different times, manifold events take place that contribute to the evolution of living beings. No effect can be found in Creation without a cause. No one knows whether Sripada is without attributes or with attributes, or without form or with form, or whether He transcends all these states. Only He knows about Himself. If we repeat the name of Sripada Sri Vallabha, we will certainly be able to obtain His grace. We will be able to free ourselves from all difficulties and losses.”
After that, we set out for Kurungaddu with those Brahmin brothers and that Brahmin woman named Sushila. All of us continued our journey, repeating the names of Datta and Sripada Sri Vallabha. People thought we were a group of singers performing bhajans. In the middle of our journey, we reached the hut of a great man named Namananda.
Sri Datta in the Form of an Untouchable Blesses Namananda
We understood that Sri Namananda knew all three times—the past, the present, and the future. He warmly invited us in. Namananda said this: “My father’s name is Mayanacharyulu. My name is Sayanacharyulu. We belonged to the line of Bharadwaja. We were Sri Vaishnavas. After taking sannyasa, my name is Namananda. Before entering the monastic order, I visited all the holy places and siddha kshetras in the north with particular detachment. In search of a Sadguru who could uplift me, I came to Pithikapuram. Since we were Sri Vaishnavas, worship of Shiva was unacceptable to us. We strictly observed purity and religious customs. After visiting Kunti Madhava Swami, I encountered an untouchable as I was leaving the temple. The sight of the untouchable was unbearable to me. In addition to this, he came up to me and thundered, ‘Namananda, give me guru-dakshina and leave this place.’ I was stunned. All the people in the town center were watching this strange scene. They thought it was one of the anomalies of the Kali Yuga, when an untouchable loudly demanded guru-dakshina from an orthodox Sri Vaishnava Brahmin.
Some thought that an untouchable who consumed alcohol was intimidating a noble Vaishnava. I said, “I do not know you. But I am a Vaishnava Brahmin, and you are a chandala. Also, my name is not Namananda. It is wrong for you to forcibly demand guru-dakshina from me.” I could say nothing more. His eyes were red like burning coals, and the expression on his face instilled terror in everyone present. He did not heed my pacifying words and sternly declared, “You are lying when you claim that you do not know me. You wander about like a mad dog, asking all sorts of people where to find a Sadguru who can uplift you. Being self-satisfied about your Brahmin birth, you do not see the truth. I am your Sadguru. I initiate you into the sannyasin order and give you the name Namananda. Give all the money you have to me as guru-dakshina, bow down before me in the presence of all the people, and accept me as your Guru. If you do this, everything will be well. If not, I will cut your body into pieces with this knife and pile up your flesh in heaps. I will drink your blood and repeatedly strike you on the head with a hammer, turning it into pulp. I will not let your life leave the body. I will allow life-consciousness to remain in each severed part of the body so that you experience hellish torment. In my opinion, I have explained everything very clearly. Say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Just one word. Even if you pray, not one of the 30 million deities will dare to save you.”
After uttering these words, the untouchable drew a sword from its sheath and prepared to kill me. In these unavoidable circumstances, I prostrated myself before this untouchable. I offered him all the money as guru-dakshina. All descriptions of God seemed to me to be fiction. However, dispelling all my thoughts, a charming, enchanting, auspicious youth appeared before me. This divine being said, “I am Shri Datta. At present I have incarnated as Shripada Shri Vallabha. You belong to Me. I am entirely yours. I am your property. You are My property. That which brought us together is Sat-Chit-Ananda. From this day onward you will be called Namananda, you will teach dharma, and you will attain eternal peace. You will attain Me after departing from this world.”
Shripada Gives Food to Namananda with His Own Hands
Sir, in this way I became an ascetic named Namananda. I wanted to have darshan of Shripada in Pithikapuram. I was very hungry. No one gave me food in any of the houses. People made strange remarks that I had gone mad and that a drunken untouchable had taken guru-dakshina from me. They also decided that the dharma-shastra was opposed to giving alms, since I had become an untouchable by accepting an untouchable as my teacher, even though I was a Brahmin. The Brahmins of Pithikapuram, having decided thus, did not offer me bhiksha. I came to the house of Appalaraja Sharma without any intention. I was so weak that I could not open my mouth even to beg, “Bhavati, Bhiksham Dehi.”
Meanwhile, Shripada opened the door and came out with a plate of food. He made me sit on the veranda of their house and fed me with His nectar-like hands. He washed my mouth and hands with His own hands. He placed His hand, full of infinite power, on my head and assured me, “Everything will be arranged for you. There is no need to worry about anything. Can the Lord, who gives food even to a frog in a rock, fail to feed you? I will be behind you wherever you are. I will move with you, invisible. I will protect you as the eyelid protects the eye.” After these reassuring words, he bid me farewell. From that day on I became an ascetic and wandered freely. His invisible divine hand always protects me.” Thus Namananda concluded.
Four Types of Jivanmuktas
Question: “Sir, I have heard that liberation can be quickly attained if we worship Shri Datta. Is any special procedure of worship needed for this? Should we meditate on some particular type of mantra? Please clarify my doubts and help me.”
To this, Shri Namananda calmly replied, “My child, the destruction of illusion is liberation. There is no rule that Liberation comes only after death. The body may experience the consequences of past actions. Despite this, the jivatma may remain in a liberated state. Such people can be called jivanmuktas.
Salokya-mukti — living in the world of the chosen deity
Samipya-mukti — those who earn greater merit receive the happiness of living in close proximity to their beloved deity
Sarupya-mukti — those who have greater virtue assume the form of the deity they worship
Sayujya-mukti — at a much higher level, the seeker merges with the consciousness of his chosen deity
Devotees of Datta who have attained a certain spiritual level can experience salokya-mukti even while living in this world. The body will be subject to the results of past karmas. However, their mind will be focused on the lotus feet of Sri Datta. With subtle vision, they observe the principles of Creation, the subtleties of dharma, the wondrous processes taking place in Creation, and enjoy inexpressible bliss.
All the divine powers of selfless yogishwaras are used for the welfare of the Universe without their involvement. There are people who attain samipya-mukti while living in this world. Through their inner vision, they comprehend the divine lila of Lord Datta more analytically than the devotees of salokya-mukti.
The happiness they attain is much greater. When a living being is enclosed in a body, it is in a state of enslavement by many qualities, inclinations, and desires. As it evolves, it knows that it is becoming lighter. It is incredible bliss to experience a state of weightlessness.
The divine plays of Sri Datta easily manifest through devotees who are in the state of sayujya. They live in accordance with the will of Sri Datta. Those great yogis who have attained sayujya in Sri Datta will have no will of their own. People who are fortunate enough to meet them will touch them and, after speaking with them, will receive the protection of Sri Datta through these great yogis. Only Sripada can give wealth connected with this earthly world or with other worlds. People worship different forms of deities. All these devas are divine aspects of Sripada. Sripada alone expresses His grace through these deities.”
The Significance of Worshiping Dattatreya
Then I asked him: “Sir, if this is so, do we need to worship the devas in different forms? Or should we worship only Sripada? You say that there is no difference between all the devas and Sripada. Please explain this matter more clearly for my understanding.”
Sri Namananda was pleased with my question and said: “A girl got married and moved to her husband’s house. One day her brother went to visit her. His sister’s mother-in-law said to him: ‘Your sister commits many thefts in our house. She secretly eats a lot of milk, curd, cream, and ghee. If it had happened once, I would not have paid attention. But there have already been so many thefts.’
The mother-in-law complained, lamenting. Then the brother called his sister and advised her: ‘Stop stealing so much from today onward. All the products you take are available as integral components of raw milk. Therefore, take undiluted milk in the necessary quantity. Milk, curd, cream, and ghee are all contained in whole milk. By consuming this single product, you can avoid your mother-in-law’s censure.’
In the same way, if you worship Sri Datta, you will receive everything. Since people have different inclinations, they worship various devas. If Shiva is worshiped, Vishnu will not appear. If Vishnu is worshiped, Shiva will not appear. The results of worship correspond to the fruits of a person’s past actions. When we worship and meditate on certain forms and attributes, the results will also be corresponding. Is it not so? When the mass of sins committed over many births diminishes and the fruits of merit accumulate, devotion to Sri Datta arises in a wondrous way; therefore, nothing is impossible for the devotees of Datta.
None of the devas can change the inscription of the Creator on the forehead. However, Sri Datta, responding to the suffering of a devotee...
It is believed that Ishvara has made an inscription on everyone’s forehead, a record of his karma. This record is written in his causal body, and the causal body is localized in the ajna chakra; therefore, everyone’s destiny is written on the forehead—so it is believed in the tantric Vedic tradition. But Dattatreya can erase this record.
However, Sri Datta, responding to the suffering of a devotee, can command the Creator to erase the records of his destiny and write new ones. Vishnu is the foundation of the physical, mental, and spiritual state of living beings. He is the sthitikarta (the preserver and support). If suddenly the powerful force of yoga manifests in a jiva that has not sufficiently matured, its body, mind, and intellect will not be able to withstand this force, and it will experience the sensation of being burned alive in a raging flame. Therefore Vishnu helps the jiva properly follow the path of life and keeps it in a suitable state in accordance with its karma.
There is no difference between Sri Krishna and Lord Datta. Sri Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill. This is known to all ordinary people. Nevertheless, in past lives the cowherds and gopis were great ascetics. Mountains are yoga-granthis.
When the granthis are untied, a powerful yogic force begins to dance. Then the jivatma will experience ultimate lightness. In this subtle state, great yogic bliss can be experienced. To experience this subtle state, one must pass through many births. Shri Krishna bore the burden of His devotees and freed them so that they would become jivanmuktas, destroying all the granthis—this is a spiritual secret. Those who look at this with physical vision will understand only that He lifted Govardhan Hill and saved His people.
Therefore, if Shri Datta wishes to change the state of his devotees, he can instruct Vishnu to accelerate the process of evolution, which would otherwise move at its usual pace.
In the process of this acceleration, he will make the devotee experience all the troubles that would have arisen throughout all that time in a state of unconsciousness. It happens that Shri Datta takes all these karmas upon himself. What great compassion.
The main purpose of Shripada Shri Vallabha’s incarnation is to prepare more than 125 thousand yogis who will experience the state of sayujya with him. When He wants to destroy the vibrations of karmas, the aspect of Rudra begins to flourish in Shri Datta. He destroys all karmas, whether they belong to countless millions of past births or relate to future times, and grants redemption to the jivas. The aspect of Brahma, Vishnu, or Rudra becomes manifest and properly protects the devotee. All this depends on his intention. We must follow the path of devotion in order to create such an intention in him.
Once in Pithikapuram, when a devotee of Shripada mounted a horse, it threw him off, trampled on him, and injured him. Shripada showed him his blessing hand, and all the injuries disappeared in an instant. To another devotee, who did not believe in Shripada, he gave a vessel containing one hundred varahas. Shri Pinda Venkatappaya Shreshti asked Shripada to explain why he had acted so. He replied: “Today is the day of my devotee’s death, but I have extended his life by another 20 years. I made this decision as a reward for his diligent devotion to me. The man to whom I gave one hundred coins was meant to obtain great wealth today, but since he does not have even an iota of devotion and mocks other devotees, I reduced his immense fortune to only one hundred coins. I am the servant of the servants of my devotees. Those who keep me in their heart are truly dear to me. Even Parameshwara, who is the ruler of the three worlds, will serve such devotees and always cares for them.” Such was Shripada’s explanation.
Instructions on Repentance
When Shri Namananda said this, we were all delighted. The Brahmin brothers asked Namananda to prescribe repentance for their sinful deeds. Then Shri Namananda said: “Observe mandala diksha (spiritual commitments performed over forty days in order to change one’s behavior and habits), eating once a day. Earn money through hard physical labor and spend it on food for virtuous Brahmins. Then your sin will diminish. You will have a vision of Shripada physically or in a dream as a sign of the weakening of sin. You must live righteously even after the mandala diksha. If you again become slaves to your former habits, you will certainly receive a harsher punishment from Shripada.”
