Search:
Bhakti List Archives

mani/mantrA/& the garuda-legend-6

From the Bhakti List Archives

M K Sudarshan • March 27, 1997 


srimathe lakshmi-nrsumha parabrahmaNE namaha
sri vedanta desika guravE namaha

Dear "bhAgavatOttamA-s",

We still have to find out what finally happened to the little brahmin boy in
Sri.Mukkur Swami's story. Let's follow it to the end :
                    
                   ********************************

"The boy packed up his things in the forest and returned to his village
after many, many years.

Upon his return the boy immediately ran up the village-street and hastened
first straight to his Master's house.

He perceived the Guru seated as usual with his band of students who kept
repeating the formidable "rk-s" and "ghanam-s" that the boy was enchanted by
many, many years ago.

The Master, who was now very old and had cataract in the eyes, could not
even recognize the boy who had returned to pay his respects to the guru.

"Don't you recognize me, Sir?", the boy asked the Master.
"No, son, I don't. Have we met before ?", inquired the Master in a feeble voice.

"Many years ago, Sire, remember, I had wanted to learn the vedas at your
feet and you had rejected me as unfit ?"

The Master remained silent trying to recollect.

"And then Sir," the boy continued,"you finally initiated me into a special
"mantrA" and asked me to go and meditate on it in the forest ?".

Memory slowly flooded back into the Master's mind and he slowly smiled.

"And the 'mantrA', Sir," continued the boy, "don't you remember ?".

"No my dear boy, I don't remember the "mantrA" I gave you but I do recollect
your failed attempts to get enrolled as my student !!", said the Master with
a chuckle.

"Let me tell you, Sir", the boy said, "the "mantrA" you gave me many decades
ago has truly worked for me. I have now come back to you to prove it. I am
now eligible for vedic studies just as you promised me."

"Oh, is that so ?", remarked the guru incredulously, "And how, my son ?".

"Sir, it's all due to your kind blessings. I clung to the "mantrA" you gave
me with utmost faith and kept chanting and meditating on it with all the
fervour at my command. Just as you had commanded me, Sir. And behold, my
most revered Master, today I am sure the "mantrA" works and I have mastered
it !! Hence I have returned to you to commence our Vedic studies !", said
the boy.

The Master was utterly confounded by all this and said, "What is this
"mantrA" you are prattling about, dear boy ?!! I don't remember giving you
any ! And what do you mean you have mastered it and it works ?? I don't
understand you at    all !!".

The boy then began chanting the "mantrA" in a low tone : "ingEnthu angae !" 

At that very instant, the Master found himself lifted, by a great unseen
force, and bodily hurled against the wall of his house about a dozen feet
away !!

Before the Guru could recover from the shock the boy again quickly uttered
"angEnthu-ingae !".

The Master flew back like a rocket to status-quo ante !! ("yathA-sthAnam" !)

The Master did not know what hit him !!

Picking himself up, dazed and fazed, painfully off the ground, trembling and
dusting himself .... the Master puffed and breathed hard and ... asked the boy:
 
"What happened ? What's the meaning of all this ....Who attacked me ..who's
thrwoing me around in my own house like this ! eh !?".

The boy replied calmly, "I told you, Sir, the great "mantrA" of yours works
indeed ! and I have truly mastered it just as you commanded me to !! When I
utter "ingEnthu angae!" -- the same "mantrA" you taught me many years ago --
I can make objects fly thither ! And when I utter "angEnthu-ingae!" the
objects fly back hither !! The "mantrA" you gave me, Sir, truly works!!".

The Master stared at the boy --- simply stupefied !!

The boy looked at the Master and sensing his incredulity, repeated, "It's
true, my dear Master, believe me, it truly works, your great "mantrA" !!"

And then after a pause the boy mischievously said, "If you don't believe
what I say, Sir, I can always hold another small demonstration for you !!".

At this remark the hapless Master jerked and quickly jolted back to life and
said hastily, "Oh my God, NO! Please No! Oh no, my boy, enough of
demonstrations at my expense. I've had enough of your "mantrA-shakti"
demonstrations ! Don't hasten my departure from this world, dear boy,
earlier than I expect with your "angEnthu-ingae! ingEnthu angae!" "mantrA"!!
..... ".
                 ******************************************

The Master and the boy both laughed heartily .... and then embraced each other.

The Guru, especially, was extremely pleased and stroked and fondled the boy
saying, "My darling, little boy, my dearest pet, how can I ever praise you
enough for your "shraddhA" (faith) !! I had poked fun at you and given you a
nonsense-phrase as "mantrA" to just get rid of you ! You took it all so
seriously and with prodigious faith have turned even nonsense into potent
incantation !! You are truly a fit soul, my dear child, for all vedic
disciplines !! Come now into my school, this moment, and stay with me as
long as you want !! For you are my true "sishyA" and proper heir to all the
knowledge and wisdom I possess.... I shall whole-heartedly impart it all to
you !!"
               **************************************************

Thus ends, dear "bhAgavatOttamA-s", Mukkur Swami's little anecdote.

It is a nice and simple story ..... but, believe me, it has significant
lessons on the "reflexivity principle" which,as I said, has some relevance
to our discussions on the queries raised by Sri.Mani.

We shall continue in my next post.But first have a nice week-end all of you !

srimathE srivan satagopa sri narayana yathindra mahadesikaya namaha

sudarshan