Educational institutions like nursery school, pre-university college, yoga training centre, teachers training centre, typewriting institute, Sanskrit school along with students hostel took shape. there high school in three villages came into being. The volume of service rendered till now would be estimated for fifteen cores of rupees, if estimated by the Government. I have still future plans worth eight cores of rupees. I am very confident of executing these plans in the future. Not only this, but herbs and medicinal plants of about seven to eight thousand categories have been planted in the plantations called Thapovana, Siddhavana, Madhuvana, Sanjeevana Vana, Chandradrona Vana etc. Free Ayurvedic Treatment is given on every Sunday and Monday. Till now more than ten lakhs of patients have been given treatment, with free medicines, free board and lodging facilities. Free Yoga Training is given to the aspirants from 4th October to 24 the October of every year. this thiruka feels very proud of himself to say that he has brought about are union of husband and wife who were separated due to some family bucketing among one hundred seventy well bred families.
It is true, a great service is being rendered here in this ashram. While speaking in the ordinary sensed of the world. I say that I have done this. I have done that and so on. But really I mean to say if anything good is done to society. It is all due to that unseen great power. Our great sages have expressed the same idea in the following manner:-
“Even a cripple would jump across the mountain, a mute would be an orator, only if the Guru blesses”. This is totally true in my case. I would like to quote another incident from the holy quarran-(it appears in the first “sura” of quarran).
On a certain day, Mahammed Pygumber was sitting in a cave on the Heera Hills, medicating deeply. There appeared a form before him and sait-” Thou readiest”. Truly, prophet Mahammed was illiterate. So he replied-“I cannot read”. But, the form again repeated, “Thou read set”. The prophet reiterated his rejoinder. A third time, this was repeated the command from the form and the negative reply from the prophet. At last the form commanded him to read, in the name of the lord who created you with the freezing blood. The form again told” listen, your lord is a great power. Heras taught you what man cannot understand through writing.” This applies even in my case. This is the first “sure” or revelation that the prophet got .Similarly, if I say that it was I who built this ashram, it would be foolishness. it is very essential that everybody should understand this. If man knows the skill of how to live, he can live without anxiety and fear. but he should have a nice will.
I have learnt many a good lesson during this long period of service, still have been learning too. Selfless service is impossible unless one dethatches oneself from one’s own people, ones relations ones nearest and dearest. I have been following this norm true to the letter. once lord Jesus was addressing a gathering. then someone conveyed him information the this mother was waiting for him under the heat o f the scorching sun. Jesus replied I am seeing my mother here alone in this gathering. no creative selfless work is possible unless a constructive minded social worker gets such a balanced sense of equality throughout his blood. it is such a way as not to nullify the glory of our nation, keeping in view that we have a great nation like India to be called ours with pride, and that we have our own high culture.
Dear Brethren, I have been saying again and again that I am a Tiruka, a beggar. But I am not ashamed of myself to beg; because, I do not beg for myself. This mendicancy is for the hungry and the poor. Hence I am proud of this mendicancy. But here is a peculiarity in our country to-day. Once upon a time, the kings, the emperors and the rich were awaiting opportunities to spend their wealth’s, if any useful service was being rendered in the nation. But today, if such works of public utility are being done, the number of persons who want to grab as much as possible is becoming great. What a paradox are we finding in the present-day India; I do not want to comment on the government because this is our own creation; If we spit at the sky, the saliva falls on our own face;
Fourteen years ago, one Sunday I was sitting for bhajan. A certain person came and stood before me; he was very lustrous with his shining white beard. I was playing on the harmonium and prompting bhajan, but I saluted with devotion to him in my mind and signed him to take his seat. After the bhajan was over, the person came to me and asked-“Did you recognize me?” I could remember easily. I said- Are you not Ramachandra sastry?” I was correct. I asked one of my teachers to make every arrangement for his stay and told him- “Shastriji, I will meet you after making due arrangements for the board to the patients”. He was highly pleased with my services-“Alright:, let your service go on. These patients are none other than God himself”- he said and went away with the teacher. after making every arrangement for board and lodging to the patients. I once again met shastriji. he had already finished his evening prayers and light Tiffin. He said, ” Raghavendra Rao, I had heard a lot about you and your services. I wished to see you in person and have a talk to you. Really you are a man with the whole world as your family” I was deeply moved at his words- sastriji, you are a highly cultured soul. I feel damn pleased to see you. Well, I shall meet u again only tomorrow afternoon. please don’t think otherwise-so saying bade goodbye to him for the day.
The next day, being a Monday, I had to attend the patients till one thirty in the afternoon by that time he had finished his bath and daily papers- He was taken around the Ashram and shown the latest developments. When I went to meet him, he was awaiting me eagerly, with a view to dine with me. We glad dined together. he told me-” I am very happy to see everything in your holy Ashram. I am already sufficiently aged- I want to talk to you a few of the very important facts which are related to your early life”- I was very curious. He related to me all about my parents who were Keralties, and all the circumstances under which I was adopted by srimathi putthali bai. He added, ” You are a great soul, you are a pride of this land. But it is only i who know these true facts of your early life. If I do not convey this information, it would be blasphemy, I thought. There are still greater services to be rendered by you, in the days to come”. He stayed there for that day and left the next day.
I make it very clear that I do not pay any significance to the caste or religion; but righteousness and untainted love are highly significant in my estimation. I have erected a temple for goddess banashankri in this ashram. I have also built a mosque for the Muslims of mallhadihalli. while the mosque was under construction, I received a number of anonymous letters. The contents of those letters are here-“It has come to our notice that you are building a Mosque for Muslims in mallahadihalli. You must immediately stop this attempt, else you will be murdered”. It was a severe warning to me. But, those people have no idea-it seems to me that I have obtained already the return ticket of my life journey when I came to this world. The best reaction I showed towards those letters was to throw them away into a heap of dust and just continued and completed the work. I have been erecting a shrine to sir beeradeva, a god adored by the people of halumatha. I have also assisted in building a temple for harijans. But my temple; It is only six feet…the mother india herself is my goddess. Regarding the terms caste or creed the following is my sincere opinion each caste is a part of body of nation personified. There have been a few cases of arson and loot between Hindus and Muslims only ten miles away from this village. Shops and houses have been set on fire in those places. But, this village has been always a wonderful exception. Here, the Hindus and Muslims are living like brothers and sisters. If any procession of Hindu gods starts in the village the Muslim would light incense sticks and stand with sugar as a sign of their devotion. If any special function takes place in the ashram. I use to send sugar to the mosque if any marriage were to occur in them, they would come to the ashram, with fruits and flowers, garland me and go, as a token of respect.
Why does this not happen in other places? It is my firm opinion that here is no cause for any quarrel, if they understand each other well. In this connection, here is a little suggestion from me- There are sixty lakhs of ascetics, Mathadhipathies and saints. Let all of them do what I have done here, in their respective villages, If this is done, can there be any pandemonium, loot and unrest, quarrels are sure to happen.
I have been sincerely following certain principles strictly-I never lend money or give loan to others. The effect of this principle is bitter in the beginning-but in the long run, the effect is good. (But, there is regular system of advancing a month’s salary to the staff of the Ashram, whenever they require. The loan will be repaid with easy installments, without any interest.) My life is too simple-my food is too simple and sattvic. My dress is similar-a shorts, and a half sleeved shirt. There are innumerable people to feed me with various rich, tasty dishes, as I am a man of wandering for alms. So, I have controlled my food-habits myself. This has given me superb health. Thus my hosts need not be placed in unnecessary trouble to prepare my dishes. I never bribe anybody for any work of the Ashram. Hence our files usually have innumerable halts. “Ashram’s file” has been a synonym for a useless thing to be thrown aside for bribing. Bribe will be given, out of this fund and the work will be done, though such things are quite against the norms and rules of the Government. It is my intention to write a separate and independent article on this topic. Hence let me stop it here alone.
I have not done anything for MYSEL. To be frank, not even a single account is found in any bank-in my name. The only account I have maintained is in the holy feet of mother India. I have not set apart even a single pie for my sake. That is why my life is highly contented.
I have achieved temporally-and have I achieved spiritually also-not any less. But I know full well that I too, am a human being. I am not free from sadness, pain, mental disturbance and the like. Even then, I do not allow this physical body which has been reserved for service, to be lazy. It is my longing to detach myself from this body while it is engaged in service to this motherland. I am against the worship to the individual. But, though unwilling, I have to act against my will. Someone says that he would worship my feet and donate. I accept these offers only because they fetch income to my Ashram. If I deny, the financial income to Ashram may be lost. So, I leave everything to the will of Mother Bharathi and suffer these things. But some people-narrow minded as they are-ask. “what is the necessity of worship to this Thiruka? Why should he ascend a throne?” Really I am not at fault. The real fault is of those people who fail to understand my innermost heart. Even a pie, got as income through these means, is not touched by me. This all belongs to the Ashram-in turn all belongs to the Nation:
The education in a stupid, and a stick in the hands of an insane are almost one and the same. With these there is neither personal upliftment, one national development. To-day our Nation and our society need selfless ideal leaders, who can lead the Nation towards the path of development. But unfortunately, our leaders who are like the wolves looking after the sheep, are more in number-They tame the sheep without any wage; The railway engine, which is meant for dragging the compartments, is derailed now, resulting in the fall of all the compartments. Similarly, what is the future of our company, if the leader who should lead the country in a better way, has gone astray? who should tell this boldly? Our country to-day is full of such people a s would break the mirror into pieces, for its fault of showing the black mark on their face. So, should we say “all is due to the power of Time: Let us bow down before Him” (Kalaya Thamsmy Namha). Thus it has been an unsolvable great puzzle:
National Brethren,
I have depicted in this short article as to what is here also, in response to the request of the Editorial Board of the Souvenir “What is where.” While preparing this monograph, no plan was pre conceived. Actually, there was not time also to follow any plan. My pen has taken a course as directed by my mind. Therefore, there is nothing to wonder if some inconsistencies appear here and there, this article. During in these recent years, many of my nearest well-wishers have been persuading me to write down my autobiography. I would say funnily to them that they should write it after my death. But, it is the intention of this Thiruka to put the autobiography in black and white, if time permits. It will be a reliable source of information for those enthusiastic writers who want to write my biography.