By : O.K. Varada Rao
Two footwear salesmen were sent to different parts of Africa. A week later, one sent an urgent mail home: “Get me out of this place. Nobody wears shoes here!” The other salesman wrote back: “Wow! No one wears shoes here. Send me a shipload. Here’s a ready market!”
Sri Narasimha Swamiji often narrated the above story to those who asked him why he maintained a punishing travel schedule to take Sai Baba’s message. “Do you really believe the entire world will take to Sai Baba?” they asked.
Sai Baba attained Mahasamadhi in 1918 and Shirdi thereafter generally faded out of public memory. People visiting Shirdi were very few and by 1936, hardly ten people visited on any day. Close devotees of Sai Baba thought that his power was over as in the case of any contemporary saint. Sai Baba’s Samadhi was being worshipped like a Muslim Darga!
Prior to 1940, all over India, hardly anyone knew about Sai Baba or heard of the place ‘Shirdi’. But today we find temples of Sai Baba in nooks and corners of the country. Associations of Sai devotees, Satsangs, Samajs are in plenty. Many have given Baba’s name to their children. Many shops, institutions, industries bear Sai Baba’s name. Shirdi is now on the international map and lakhs of people visit Shirdi to seek Baba’s blessings.
Sai Baba’s invisible but unmistakably perceptible presence in Shirdi pulled Sri Narasimha Swamiji in 1936 to take him all over the globe in the next two decades. Sri Narasimha Swamiji is the heart of Sai movement. He is the embodiment of Sai grace and through his herculean efforts effected a silent revolution by which he made Sai Baba known all over India initially and now the world over. A revolution in which innumerable low and sinful people turned over a new life of piety by taking up worship of Sai Baba. He gave direction and life to Sai movement which had become static by 1936.
Sri Narasimha Swamiji’s pioneering efforts of Sai Prachar from village to village, city to city, and making individual house visits took Sai Baba out of Shirdi in the remote corner of Maharashtra to all over the country and even abroad. For this purpose, every Sai devotee should be ever grateful for the strenuous efforts of Sri Narasimha Swamiji from 1936 till he attained ‘Mahasamadhi’ in 1956. When we offer obeisance to Sai Maharaj, our foremost ‘Pranams’ should be to Sri Narasimha Swamiji.
Who is Sri Narasimha Swamiji? How did he live? How did he realize Sai Baba? What are his efforts to distribute the treasure of ‘Sai Baba’s grace’ to one and all? An attempt is made here in all humility to tell the fascinating story of this messenger of Sai Baba.
Sri Narasimha Swamiji took birth in a beautiful village of Bhavani in Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the confluence of three rivers – Kaveri, Bhavani and Guptagamini, on superscript 21st August 1874. At a tender age he mastered the scriptures and later acquired a degree in Law. He became a prominent lawyer in Salem city and acquitted creditably as the President of Salem Municipality for two decades and as a Member of the State Legislature. He took part in the freedom struggle and was a follower of Annie Beasant’s Home Rule movement. A tragedy in which two of his children were killed made him renounce his home in 1925 to perform severe austerities and realize God. For eleven long years he travelled all over the country, stayed with great saints like Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Chandrasekhara Bharathi Mahaswamigal of Sringeri, Ramana Bhagawan of Tiruvannamalai, Siddharooda Swamiji of Hubli, Narayan Maharaj of Khedgaon, Meher Baba and Upasani Maharaj. In fact, Sri Narasimha Swamiji is responsible for introducing Ramana Bhagawan to the world through his book ‘Self-Realization’ – Biography of Ramana published in 1929. Subsequently through another book ‘Sage of Sakori’ published in 1936, he introduced Shri Upasani Maharaj. When Sri Narasimha Swamiji arrived at Sai Baba’s Samadhi on 29th August 1936, he found his liberating truth. He felt Sai Baba engulfing his body and transforming him into a new personality. A great surge of compassion and devotion flooded his mind and he felt at peace with him. Thus, an ardent devotee of Sai Baba who could spread his message in the length and breadth of the country was thus re-born.
Sai Baba’s ‘Ashtothara’ recited by millions of his devotees has been composed by Sri Narasimha Swamiji in which he has poured out his devotion. He guided the Sansthan authorities to adhere to a set pattern of worship, which is followed even today. With the help of Das Ganu Maharaj, he rationalized the singing of different Arathis. He also composed ‘Sai Sahasranama’ for elaborate worship of Sainath Maharaj. He also introduced chanting of Vishnu Sahasranama in the daily routine of worship.
Sri Narasimha Swamiji learnt Marathi and interviewed the contemporaries of Sai Baba and brought out the book ‘Devotees Experiences’. He undertook a whirlwind trip of Maharashtra during 1936-39 along with Das Ganu and Awasthi Maharaj to carry the message of Sai Baba. Sai Baba prompted Sri Papaiah Chetty of Nellore to gift a sum of Rupees 11,455.00 to Sri Narasimha Swamiji at the Samadhi Mandir in Shirdi which Swamiji refused. But Sai Baba made him accept it for establishing ‘All India Sai Samaj’ at Madras in 1939 which became a nucleus for Sai-Prachar. He brought out booklets, pamphlets and made extensive lecture tours all over the country to carry the message of Sai Baba. In fact, he took ‘Sai Baba out of Maharashtra and placed him all over India. He wrote extensively in newspapers on Sai Baba.
Sri Narasimha Swamiji’s divine personality attracted people of all faiths to join Sai path that rapidly grew to hundreds of thousands. During Sri Narasimha Swamiji’s very lifetime, devotees worshipped him as ‘Sadguru’. During 1936-56, Sri Narasimha Swamiji travelled alone and at times with a few volunteers – from the icy peaks of the Himalayas, through valleys and deep jungles to Kanyakumari, from Gauhati to Lahore, and thus the whole of India. He had covered more than 11,500 villages, sanctified more than 1,50,000 homes, written about 2,00,000 letters, built 450 Satsangs called Upasamajams, and initiated over 50 temples and given countless discourses.
He never worried whether twenty people attended his lectures or two thousand! His Sai-Prachar work always started on time and in a systematic manner. Caring little for his personal comforts, he has comforted thousands by directing them to Sai Baba. All those who are fortunate to come into his divine presence breathe a divine peace and experience a touch of Lord Sainath because of his constant rapport with him.
Sri Narasimha Swamiji took Mahasamadhi on superscript 19th October 1956 and the mantle of carrying Sai movement fell on his worthy successor Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji, who was associated with him since 1943.
In a world dominated by the intellect, humanity needs urgently, tools to elevate consciousness. Sri Narasimha Swamiji offered Sai-worship by which we can transform compulsion into consciousness. No one before or since has been able to surpass this prodigious contribution.
Many saints have only been able to offer simpler expressions of spirituality. Was Sri Narasimha Swamiji the founder of a religion? No. His system was based purely on experience and faith in Sai Baba. Was he then an avatar? You could look at it like this. Whenever the need arises, consciousness will centralise in the form of a person or a group. When Krishna says that he will manifest whenever there is a need, he is referring to a limitless consciousness that will naturally manifest whenever the climate is conducive. Sri Narasimha Swamiji is that ‘Parabrahman’
In times of strife, some will invariably start feeling, “How can we go beyond this mess?” When that thought enters many minds, consciousness will manifest. When it manifests as an individual like Sri Narasimha Swamiji you might call him an avatar. Sai Baba is an iconic figure for our times, an embodiment, to the great revolution started by Sri Narasimha Swamiji already underway, globally. Let us surrender to Sai Baba to attain Self-realization.
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