Spiritual Blossoms: December 2021

Swami attained Mahasamadhi in the year 1974 (January). While Swami’s idol at Manimandapam is itself the symbol of the Swami as Dakshinamurti, the Mahalinga consecrated on top of Swami’s Samadhi per his instructions (to devotees well before his Samadhi) is the symbol of God’s coming into His creation and equally the symbol of the creatures passing, his departure into God. The Shivalinga stands between form and non-form, rupa and arupa, between manifestation and what can never be manifested.” The Swami had expressed a desire that the deepastamba — a column of lights’— which stood in front of the idol should be moved ahead a little further to a point from which one can pay obeisance to both the idol at Manimandapam and the Mahalinga at the samadhi.

The column of lights is the symbol of the Knowable, the self-luminous Brahman which is the inmost Self of everything, the Light even of lights, eulogised in the Gita as ‘Jyotisharriapi Tajjyotih’, By Its light, Its radiance, everything is lighted, illumined .

The Swami is wholly present in these signs “which are utterly ‘beyond’; yet at the same time and for that very reason most intimately within, the absolute of both transcendence and immanence”. His transcendence is the very source of immanence; “transcendence and immanence being no more than two of man’s words by which he tries to indicate simultaneously the beyondness and the withinness of the supreme mystery, both the rupa and the arupa of Being.

Guruji was born in the sacred month of Margkazi under the auspicious star of Utharattathi. He was born in the sacred land of Arunachala Sheitram. Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi says that for one who want to go into sainthood, one has to go through several stages.

But one who is born in this sacred Sheistram is a born saint. He needs no other qualifications to enter sainthood. He was named Hari, true to his spreading the Hari- Namasankirthan cult.

His father, Sri Nott Annaji Rao, was an ardent Bhagavatha and a devotee of Swami Gnanananda Giri. His mother was very pious soul. They belonged to a royal heritage but the princely life with wealth and pleasure had no charm for Guruji his younger days. He too, like so may great saints, lived an ordinary life of a human being in this mundane world but his urge was taking him away from all these pleasures and pain-ridden life. Even while he was youth he was attracted to Namasankirthanam, the inspiration emanating from his father. Every Bhajan held in any part of the town he happened to live in, found him with eager eyes and throbbing enthusiasm. He gradually experienced in his own self a desire overflowing in his heart to take up this as his walk of life. Thus, the seed for a change in him was sown early in his teens.

In 1954, One day when Guruji was sitting on top of a hill enjoying the nature around him, Guruji saw a small fire about 200 yards away, he asked some of his workers at the tea plantation, where Guruji was working at that time to check it out. The workers went down the hill to check and told Guruji that they could not see any fire around that area. For one week Guruji saw that fire. Then one night Guruji heard a knocking at his door, as Guruji opened the door, Guruji again saw the fire there and suddenly it disappeared and His Master appeared before him. The Master told Guruji that his place is not here and that Guruji is for the world.

The next day Guruji told his boss about the fire and the appearance of His Master. His boss said that it is only an illusion and gave him 15 days leave. Guruji went back to Madras see his father Sri Natt Annaji Rao, who took him to see a saint in a temple outside the city. When Guruji saw him again, Guruji burst out crying. He was the Master that appeared from the fire. The Master told Guruji's father that Guruji is the reincarnation of love and affection and he wanted to adopt him as his son.

Guruji was then sent to a cave in the Himalayas to do penance. For three years and half

years he mediated without water and food. Then the vision of His Master appeared asking Guruji to come back to his Master. In six months, Guruji walked from the before him Himalayas to Madras Guruji entire personality became aware at once that his innate urge could thus be fulfilled at the lotus feet of his Master, the light of Thapovanam, Sri Gnanananda Giri the moment Guruji touched Tapovanam. Spontaneous was the surrender too. The dawn of a Guru-Shisya Bhave life thus started.

Swami Gnanananda decided the very moment that Guruji must be to the world people. Swami Gnanananda also decided that the Knowledge and Happiness should be spread around the world and the only disciple who can spread this knowledge is Guruji.

After many trials and tests on this selected Chela, Swami Gnanananda Giri anointed Swami Haridhos girl (Guruji) and told him to spread and sing in the praise of the Lord - known as

Nama Sankirthanam, as the only pathway to salvation. Swami Gnanananda Gin gave Guruji His Paduka, blessed him with the hidden treasures of our great scriptures and commanded him to undertake a life of renunciation and the mission of spreading the great cult of Namasankirthanam with a musical discourses on saints and sages who had tread this soil in a similar manner.

Guruji together with Namaji formed the Gnanananda Namasankirthana Mandali, Madras in 1959. At the beginning they had only six members, Swami Gnanananda inaugurated the function.

Guruji preaches the truth, Guruji preaches happiness, Guruji preaches spiritualism through mediation, penance, yoga, praying and singing."But to attain the happiness, the wish you

desire, you must have a staunch belief in me, and what you are doing. Without belief, nothing will work" said Guruji.

Guruji then toured the world over to spread the Gospel of Swami Gnanananda Giri. Guruji wanted the cult of Namasankirthanam as a world movement, and it needs its own visual means of recognition and also when fraternity meets to bring about a sense of friendship, mutual trust and special greetings to be exchanged.

The Namasankirthanam movement piloted by Swami Haridhos Giri adopted the sign of two fingers "V". The two fingers represent symbolically "Radhe Krishna .Guruji also emphasized the need for a permanent establishment to propagate Namasankirthanam. It was the command of His Master, Guruji chose Dakshina Halasyam (Thennagur Village) as the abode for spreading the knowledge of Sanathana Dharina through the medium of Namasankirthanam.

To say a few words of our experiences with Guruji is only to say superficially what we know about him. His mind and thought, day and night is his LORD. A shining example of his is devotion to the Lord is perceivable when we sit before our Guruji to hear his Bhajans. It stupendous; it flows from the heart of the Lord to the mind of the people.

Differences of caste and creed, race and religion, means nothing to him. He sees no distinction between rich and poor, friend and foe. He is with everyone but away from the one whose heart is not with him. In short, he is a man for the ordinary and divine for the devoted. So the divinity in him is experienced by the devotees. It is too difficult for anyone to picture the divine grace, expect to experience- any amount of writing would be an unfinished one.

One who has heard about Guruji would expect to see Him in beards and with matted locks; his body smeared with sandal paste and Thulasi Mala around his neck, and clothed in Ochre - coloured robes. But no, as he is fond of saying, he is just an ordinary devotee irrevocably

yoked to his Master and dedicated to service of his fellowmen. His endeavor is to see that humanity raises its level for the betterment of mankind. When atheism is rearing its head, Guruji is spreading the belief is God, a lofty spiritual knowledge combines with a child's heart in his communion with those who seek him and those he seeks out. Often he quotes that his mission is to see that every soul in this earth sings the praise of the "Lord" and the Great Souls with devotion, thus getting out of the egoistic lives.

With undaunted courage and a free heart, he pours forth from various platform the greatest necessity for today's men - to cast away their thirst and greed for enjoyment and self-satisfaction in this pain ridden mundane life and to join the select few great men of the past in realizing the goal through the easiest means the Namasankirthanam. Thousands remain

pinned to their seats to hear his mellifluous music accompanied by his brilliant eloquence on spiritual lives of yore. In order to propagate this ideal, under command of his Master, He parts of the world, like in Canada, Japan, U.S.A., Zambia, Sri Lanka, Australia and Singapore to serve the masses in variation spiritual and material avenues thus establishing a common ground for them to elevate themselves to higher realms of life.

With a great inspiration springing fourth by the constant communication with his Master, he has embarked on the great path of spiritual renaissance envisaged by his Guru. May all his devotees and yearning souls pray and get Guruji's blessing.