Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamin

Chapter 12 - The Ideal Disciple

For His Holiness, His Guru was everything there was. He was ever prepared to serve His Guru in every possible way. To Him, who had the status of a Jagadguru, functioning as an attendant to His Guru was not undignified; it was a sacred privilege.

Once, standing in for His Guru’s attendant, His Holiness held a large ceremonial umbrella over the senior Jagadguru. He stood with one leg off the ground, so as to not have His foot touch the shadow of His Guru. Even His Guru’s shadow was sacrosanct to Him. His walk was swift compared to that of the senior Jagadguru but not once in the two decades that they were together, did He inadvertently overstep His Guru, as it was impossible and inconceivable for Him to have done so.

Sri D.S. Subbaramaiya, an ardent disciple of the senior Jagadguru and His Holiness, recounted an incident where he saw His Holiness walking backwards till He was out of His Guru’s range of sight as He was unwilling to turn His back towards His Guru. The senior Jagadguru, on the other hand, remarked to Sri D. S. Subbaramaiya, ‘He is not just a respectable Sannyasin. He is God incarnate.’ This vividly illustrates how very respectfully His Holiness conducted Himself towards His Guru as well as how the senior Jagadguru looked upon His Holiness.

Abiding by the teaching that the shishya should not eat before the Guru, His Holiness waited for His Guru to partake bhiksha which was typically late in the afternoon. Out of concern for His disciple’s health, the senior Jagadguru started going for bhiksha earlier.

On occasions where the Jagadguru was disinclined to come to any religious functions in the matha, His Holiness would submit, “If I can be of any assistance to Your Holiness, I am ready.” The senior Jagadguru would ask Him to conduct the function and His Holiness would do the needful. Even if His Holiness saw His Guru at a distance and moving in a direction away from Himself, He promptly stood up and waited till the senior Jagadguru passed out of sight.

The senior Jagadguru encouraged His Holiness to take a free and independent line of thinking in keeping with the need to cater to a changing and less orthodox society. To His Holiness, every word of His Guru’s was significant. He even felt that it may be even years before He could fully appreciate some statements of the senior Jagadguru.

After 1928, the senior Jagadguru entered now and then, for varying durations, a state that has been referred to as antarmukha avastha (inward-turned condition). During these periods, His behavior was unpredictable. The senior Jagadguru’s love for His Holiness was so intense that even during His moods of seclusion, He spoke to His Holiness if His Holiness sought any essential clarification from Him. His Holiness devotedly and impeccably served His Guru not only in normal circumstances but also in extremely trying circumstances where patience, dexterity and tact were sine qua non. There were occasions where the senior Jagadguru would wander to the river bank or to the forest during His state of withdrawal. None dared to approach Him for He would drive them away. It was only His Holiness who could bring Him back to the safe interior of the Sacchidananda Vilas.

The senior Jagadguru disapproved of devotees preferring to have His darshan to that of His Holiness. Quite often, He instructed them to take mantrakshata also from His Holiness. Some matha staff and disciples have reliably reported that the senior Jagadguru remarked that His Holiness was divine and that He often found some reason or the other to stand up when His Holiness came or even to open a door to let His Holiness pass.

When any major development or function took place, His Holiness credited it to the grace of His Guru and God. His Holiness regarded the life of His Guru as truly inspiring and any thought of Him as purifying. To enable others too to think of His Guru and derive inspiration from His life, His Holiness spoke about Him in several of His public discourses.

The senior Jagadguru told His Holiness in private, “I know that you are God Himself and ever perfect. Your engaging in sadhana and apparently attaining enlightenment were only a part of your divine sport.” The Guru even composed eight verses eulogizing His Holiness, and remarked as He gave them to His disciple, “I have only written what I definitely know to be true about you.”

Such was the extraordinary bond between the Guru and His sishya!