Thursday, October 24, 2019

Tale of two disciples - His Holiness Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati of Sringeri

The following is an article titled "The Tale of Two Disciples" written by A V Ramanathan in Sringeri Souvenir of February 1963.


In 1939, His Holiness Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati was staying in Bangalore for more than eight months. Hundreds of people had Darshan of the Guru and received his blessings. After this long stay, His Holiness set out for Kalady, the birth place of Sri Sankaracharya. On the morning of his departure a disciple was sobbing when he went out to receive the 'Phala-mantrakshita'. The Guru asked him why he sobbed.

The disciple said "For eight months I had darshan of the Guru, was greatly blessed and elevated. Hereafter I shall miss his darshan. I do not know if I will live to see the Guru again."

Guru: "Who is that Guru who has given you such blessings and elevation?"

Disciple: "Why? It is yourself."

Guru: "In that case, I am a failure as a Guru, if this all that I have taught in eight months. It is better you miss me."

Disciple: "Why?"

Guru: "My body is not your Guru. The Guru is with you always in spirit. If you consider that my body is your Guru I have been a failure."

In 1948, a disciple mentioned to His Holiness Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati at Sringeri that he had come in contact with six realized souls (Jivanmuktas), that one of them was a Mohammedan, another a Kuruba, another a Christian, another a Sri Vaishnava and the others from different occupations and that all of them spoke the same language as Advaita though their surroundings bore traces of their past associations, and enquired if this could be possible.

Sri Guru instantly remarked "Why not? How could there be difference in the realized soul? Who told you that Advaita is the monopoly of Sri Sankaracharya's disciples or Sringeri? It is the eternal and universal truth. It existed before Sri Sankaracharya and it can be realized anywhere, at any time, by anyone."

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