Please click here to read the second part of this story
The temple town of Baasara is although a very famous holy town today,it’s however not a well maintained pilgrimage center like the other popular temple town of Telugu land, the Tirumala Tirupathi..The Baasara devasthanam board,if there’s one,may have several excuses up their sleeves that would try to explain us why it is so but no one can actually tell us why it can’t be so..
And if this is the scenario in Baasara in 2014,you may just imagine how bad it must have been in 2002 when the mystic Brahmin couple of Subbarao and Venkata Lakshmi went there to meditate in the lap of the holy Goddess Gnana Saraswathi Devi..Mind you ..The normal temperatures there in peak Summer season always hover around 45 degrees centigrade..
After going to Baasara,Subbarao through a known person,could manage to get accommodation in a pretty small room in a temple cottage…It’s not necessary here to mention how good that room was,however,the noble couple of Subbarao and Venkata Lakshmi convinced each other with the following statement..
“We have come here on the instructions of Goddess Gayathri..So we should not complain about the life here nor about anything else here..We should,come what may,remain focused on the divine task we have on hand..”
With that understanding
The saintly couple,on one fine morning,commenced their activities in the temple town of Baasara..As per their understanding, Venkata Lakshmi would get up at 3.30 a m everyday and make all the necessary arrangements for Subbarao to commence his meditation of the Gayathri Manthra from 4 a m..
Later,Subbarao would sit unmoved in a particular posture and continuously recite the Gayathri Manthra,believe me,for three and half hours…After that,at about 7.30 a m,Venkata Lakshmi would go to the small canteen located in the cottages and get two cups of coffee for them…
Since there won’t be many devotees staying in those cottages throughout the year,the canteen there doesn’t guarantee any dining facilities to just a few people like Subbarao who come to stay there..
However,the in-charge of those cottages,who very well knows why Subbarao had come to Baasara,had given clear instructions to his canteen staff to take good care of Subbarao and his wife as long as they stay there..
But the problems for Subbarao and his wife didn’t end there but began there..
Although Subbarao and Venkata Lakshmi are a very devoted couple,they are still human beings like you and me and a piping hot filter Coffee early in the morning is a weakness for both of them too..Just to make sure they don’t miss their morning Coffee, Venkata Lakshmi had given some money in advance to the canteen staff to purchase one packet of milk everyday,exclusively for their morning coffee..
Life still wasn’t easy for both of them..With no proper fans,no proper ventilation and no proper beds to sleep in their room,the problems the humble Brahmin couple started facing day after day were endless..Above all,they couldn’t even sleep properly in the nights as the terrible Summer heat wave was roasting alive their sensitive skin..
After about ten days of such terrible time
Both Subbarao and Venkata Lakshmi started feeling jittery and terribly restless with no proper sleep and no proper relief from the unbearable heat..But Subbarao would always convince his wife saying,”we have come here on a divine mission..Problems like lack of food and sleep should not deter our attention..”
Easier said than done but Venkata Lakshmi was still finding life in Baasara extremely difficult to live..However,that didn’t stop Subbarao from spending most of his time on meditating the Gayathri Manthra and Venkata Lakshmi from playing the role of an able support system..What a dedicated couple..??
Everyday,after finishing his morning session of mediation,Subbarao,along with his wife,would go to the Goddess Of Saraswathi Temple located on the banks of holy river Godavari in Baasara..Both the wife and husband would spend most of their time there participating in the daily sevas..
In the afternoon from 3 p m to 6 p m Subbarao would sit in the Sanctum Sanctorum of the Temple and recite ‘Mookaa Pancha Sathi’ in praise of Goddess Gnana Saraswathu Devi..
Before proceeding further..
It is very important here for everyone of you to know what is Muka Pancha Sathi
Muka Sankara is the son of Vidyavathi,a famous astronomer and astrologer in the holy town of Kanchi..Unfortunately Muka Sankara was congenitally deaf and dumb and was a big concern for his parents..Everyday Muka Sankara would go and sit in front of Goddess Kamakshi in Kanchi and just keep staring at Her,offering Her his silent prayers.
In a few days,Muka Sankara became the most beloved child of the Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple..All the Temple priests there would offer him Prasad,every day,after the morning pooja and bless him..
One day,Muka Sankara was sitting right in front of Goddess Kamakshi in the Kanchi Temple..That day too,as he does everyday, he was staring straight into the eyes of Kamakshi Amman and was offering his prayers..That day too,as they do everyday,the Temple priests came to him,served him the sacred Prasad and blessed him, chanting the asirwada mantras and moved away..
But suddenly taking all the priests,all the devotees and all the Kamakshi Temple staff into a complete state of a speechless shock, Muka Sankara,who was a born deaf and a born dumb boy and who was until then just staring constantly and straight into the eyes of Goddess Kamakshi,started reciting amazing Slokas in Sanskrit..
For a few moments,all those around him couldn’t believe what they were watching..Taking them all into a further more state of shock,Muka Sankara,in all,recited five hundred Sanskrit Slokas praising the glory of Goddess Kamakshi..It was a sheer miracle of the holy Goddess Kamakshi,the principal deity of Kanchi Temple,maintained by the most revered Kanchi Kama Kothi Peetham,…
The news immediately reached the then Peethadhipathi of Kanchi Peetham,Sri Vidyaghana Saraswathi..He blessed the boy and called for his parents..Later when they came,the Acharya said,
“..Today,your son is specially blessed by Goddess Kamakshi Amman..Otherwise how can a congenitally deaf and dumb boy could speak and compose five hundred Slokas in Sanskrit..If you permit me I shall grant him Sanyasa and declare him as my successor to this Peetham..”
“He’s blessed by the Amman and is by all means eligible to become the next Acharya of this Kanchi Kama Kothi Peetham..Once he’s offered the Sanyasa life,he should forever stay in this Peetham and you should forever be prepared to lose your rights of parenthood over him.. But let me tell you..Even God is not empowered to grant Sanyasa to a boy without seeking his parents’ permission..”
“..Hence am seeking your permission now .. Are you ready to offer your son forever to this holy Kanchi Peetham..If so then I shall initiate the next sacred process..”
Paying their obeisance to the golden words of the Acharya,the humble parents of Muka Sankara prostrated before the holy feet of His Holiness Sri Vidyaghana Saraswathi and agreed to offer their child forever to the Kanchi Peetham..
Later His Holiness Sri Vidyaghana Saraswathi granted Sanyasa dharmas to Muka Sankara and ordained him as his successor to the holy Kanchi Kama Kothi Peetham.
Thus the congenitally deaf and dumb boy Muka Sankara became His Holiness Muka Sankarendra Saraswathi (398 AD -437 AD ) the twentieth Acharya of Kanchi Kamakothi Peetham..The five hundred Sanskrit slokas He recited that day,in front of Kamakshi Amman,were compiled into a book by His disciples and now are more popularly known to the world as ‘Mooka Pancha Sathi’..
It is believed by many and proved in many cases too that if all the parents who have children suffering from Autism,A D H D and any other knowledge deficiency problems recite or listen to this Muka Pancha Sathi once in a week,they can derive many benefits from these spontaneously originated great Sanskrit Slokas..PERIOD
But why was the mystic Brahmin Subbarao reciting Muka Pancha Sathi..The reply to this question came from none other than the holy Goddess Gayathri Herself but a little later in this story..
Before that..
Let us move into the current version of this story
During their entire forty days of stay in Baasara,Subbarao and Venkata Lakshmi would everyday visit the Gnana Sararaswathi Devi Temple.. And every time during their visit,they would sit,at a particular place on the floor area in the Sanctum Sanctorum right in front of the Garbha Griha of Goddess Gnana Saraswathi Devi..Sitting there,Subbarao would directly stare into the Goddess’s eyes..Every time and on everyday he would find a little smile in the Goddesses’s serene eyes..
Quite surprisingly,even on those days of heavy rush,wherein thousands of devotees would throng the Temple and occupy every inch of space in the Temple area,this particular place where Subbarao sits everyday would always remain unoccupied..Only he would sit there staring straight into the ever dazzling and ever glowing bright eyes of the holy Goddess Gnana Saraswathi Devi..
In course of time,the word spread among the Temple Priests and other administrative staff about the mysticism of Subbarao and the divine purpose behind his visit to the Baasara Temple..They started paying him special attention and involving him and his wife in major daily Sevas performed to Goddess Saraswathi in the Temple.
While the days are noisy and busiest in Baasara,the nights are calm and serene..Thousands of devotees come there from different parts of the country everyday to have the darsan of Goddess Gnana Saraswathi Devi but surprisingly not even ten of them prefer to stay there in the nights..
Subbarao would silently observe all those stream of visitors coming to the Temple and paying their obeisance to the holy Goddess..
One evening..At about 8 p m..
It was so quiet and calm all around in Baasara..Except the night sound of Crickets,there’s hardly any sound heard from any other place there..A mild breeze was blowing from River Godavari making the hot weather gently cold..A mild chanting of the sacred Vedic hymns recited by the Temple priests heard from the distant Temple was making the whole evening atmosphere there,further more serene ..
Subbarao and Venkata Lakshmi came out of their room and started walking towards the Temple to attend the night aarathi and pavalimpu seva to Goddess Saraswathi..A young Brahmin couple,who just came a couple of days ago to spend some time in Baasara,joined Subbarao and Venkata Lakshmi on their way to the Temple..
Leaving Subbarao about ten feet behind,Venkata Lakshmi joined that couple and started walking along with them..Subbarao was walking all alone silently listening to the spiritual conversation the three ahead of him at that time were indulged in..At that moment,there was divinity in the air and serenity all around the place signalling a great happening..
Exactly at that time,a mild thought entered Subbarao’s mind..
“..So many devotees young and old come here..So many offer their prayers to the Goddess in their own way..So many try to convey their feelings but cannot convey..How beautiful it would be if I can write a song in praise of the Goddess and sing it once in the Temple before these thousands of devotees,one day..”
Suddenly and suddenly indeed Subbarao heard that musical; that amazing; and that soothing tone of the invisible divine voice..It said..
“..Dear Subbarao..Why attempt a new song and write a new lyric now..You can think about the new song later but before that remember there’s already one song you often sing praising me..Just alter the lyrics of that song and present it in a way that it suits the Baasara Gnana Saraswathi Devi here..”.The voice disappeared..
Subbarao was aghast..Subbarao was amazed..And Subbarao was extremely joyous..It was a combination of all these mixed feelings in his mind that moment..It was the first time that he heard that divine voice in Baasara after he heard it earlier before leaving for that place..
Subbarao could immediately recollect the song Goddess Gayathri was referring to..It was ‘Lalitha Kalaa Sreemathi..Saraswathee’ a popular Telugu krithi composed in Carnatic raag Shamukha Priya,in praise of Goddess Saraswathi,by a renowned classical music composer called Sri Punnaiah Sastri..
It is important to mention here that Subbarao is a lyricist too and wrote a couple of songs for Telugu films..After instructions from the divine voice,,a fully excited Subbarao sat down the next morning to alter the lyrics to the aforesaid song..After writing a line he was struck up in thoughts..Tried to recollect some good words to complete the stanza..He couldn’t..Looking at the heavens he called the Goodess Gayathri,..”..Mother..Please help me ..Am unable to complete this stanza..”
Reply certainly came from the divine Mother..But not in word..But in deed..
Now..My dear friend..Please bear with me..You will have to wait until 6 p m the next Friday..
“..Janma dukham jaraa dukham..Jaayaa dukham punah punahaa..Samsaara saagaram dukham..Tasmaath jaagrata jaagrata..”– His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Adi Sankaracharya
WARNING : All rights whatsoever concerned with this story belong solely and wholly to Narrenaditya Komaragiri – as it’s writer and creator – and anyone violating the same,by trying to copy a part or full portion of this story for any other website,Facebook page, novel or book,T V Serial, feature film or for some other commercial purposes,is liable to be prosecuted under criminal laws of Indian judiciary..
Please Click Here to read ‘Shocking True Story Of A Mystic Brahmin Who Converses With Goddess Gayathri – Part Four’
Love and regards
Narrenaditya Komaragiri
To know more about the author please click here
