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Sri Bhagavan Nama Bodendra Saraswati Swamigal
In this Kali Yuga, all the
great saints who have
incarnated in this holy
‘Bharata’ Desa have chiefly
shown us one of the easiest
paths to liberation –
singing the Divine Names of
God. The chief among them
was the great saint from
South India by the name
Bhagavan Nama Bodendra
Saraswati Swamigal.
All the Mahans who have
ascended the Kanchi
Kamaktoti Mutt have belonged
to Adi Sankara’s lineage,
Bodendra Swamigal being one
of the most prominent among
them.
More than 300 years ago, in
the ‘Mandana Misra Agraharam’
of Kanchipuram, Suguna Devi,
the wife of Sri Mohana
Pandurangan gave birth to a handsome
baby boy. They named him Purushottaman.
The little boy grew up by
leaps and bounds. Even in
his childhood, he possessed
all the qualities of an
‘Avatara Purusha’. The
parents were very happy
about this.
Sri Mohana Pandurangan
worked in Kanchi Kamakoti
Peetam in the service of the
then Peetadhipati, Sri
Viswadhikendra Saraswati
Swamigal. One day, when the
father was leaving home for his work at the Mutt ,
Purushottaman cried
adamantly that he would
accompany his father. No
sooner had the Peetadhipati
seen Purushottaman’s
radiant face and his
lustrous form than he
enquired as to whose child
it was. Sri Mohana
Pandurangan at once said that the
child belonged to the Mutt! That
was because the child was
born after the couple was
blessed by the Guru.
Pleasantly surprised by the
response, Sri Viswadhikendra
Saraswati Swamigal asked if
he really meant it, or if he
was just joking. The father
said that he was serious and
subsequently, the couple
happily gave away the child
to the Mutt.
The Guru arranged for the
education of Purushottaman
and left for Varanasi. The
child, along with another
mate named Jnanasagaran,
learnt the Vedas, Shastras,
Itihasas, Puranas and all
the scriptures. After having
mastered the scriptures,
both the students desired to
have the darshan of their
Guru, who was then in
Varanasi. The intensity of
their desire made them
undertake a journey to
Varanasi by foot. Thus both
Jnanasagaran and
Purushottaman started out
from Kanchi for Varanasi.
Jnanasagaran was an expert
in ‘jyotisha’ (astrology).From his astrological calculations based on the time of departure, he predicted
that they wouldn’t reach
Varanasi together and that
one would die on the way.
The two young boys were
grief stricken. Then and there they decided and took the vow that the one who survived would, after the performance of last rites of the dead friend, proceed to Varanasi, have darshan of the Guru and then give up his life by falling into the Holy Ganga.
Just as foreseen, Jnanasagaran passed away en
route. Purushottaman reached Varanasi, had darshan of
his Guru and paid his
respects. Narrating the
story about his journey
along with Jnansagaran,
their vow and his friend’s
death, he said that he was
going to jump into the
Ganges and give up his life.
His Master stopped him and
advised him that one had no
right to commit suicide.
This earthly body is a gift
of God and we do not have
any right to destroy it
ourselves. By commiting
suicide, one suffers unsaid
tortures after death.
The Guru explained
to Purushottaman in detail why
he should not end his life.
But Purushottaman insisted in falling into the Holy Ganga and end his life as he had given his word
to his friend. Then his Guru
said, ‘You have been born in
this world to liberate those
millions of souls who are
struggling in the ocean
called Samsara. Take up
Sanyasa. According to
Shastras, taking up Sanyasa
is akin to taking a
new birth. Thus, both your
promise and my wish shall be
fulfilled.
Purushottaman agreed. The
next morning, on the banks
of the Ganges in the holy
city of Varanasi,
Purushottaman was accorded
Sanyasa. He was given the
name, ‘Bhagavan Nama
Bodendra Saraswati’. For a
while, the Guru kept Sri
Bodendra with himself and
gave him mantropadesa.
One day, the guru called Sri
Bodendra Saraswati and asked
him to go out to the world
and spread the greatness of
the Divine Name of God. He
said, ‘the Vidwans are well
learned and would question
the statement that mere Divine Name can
lead to liberation. You are
to properly argue with them
based on Shastras and
establish the greatness of
Bhagavan Nama.”
He instructed his disciple
to go to Puri Kshetra and
meet a Mahan by the name
Lakshmidhara Kavi in order
to obtain the book “Bhagavan
Nama Kaumudi” which dealt
with the greatness of
Bhagavan Nama. The Guru
asked him to write Granthas
based on this Text.
Adhering to his guru’s
words, Bodendra Saraswati
set out to Puri. It was
about midnight when he
reached Lakshmidhara Kavi’s
home. Not willing to disturb
the household at night, the
ascetic rested in the pyol
outside the house.
That night, a strange
incident happened. A Brahmin
accompanied by a woman whose
form and features resembled
one of a lowly caste knocked
the door of Sri Lakshmidhara
Kavi. A young man came out
of the house and enquired
what they wanted. The
visitor said that he had a
doubt that he wanted
clarified from Lakshmidhara
Kavi. The young man said
that he was Lakshmidhara
Kavi ‘s son, Jagannatha Kavi.
He said that his father was
out of town. However he had
taught him all the Shastras
and that he could clarify
the visitor’s doubt. The
Brahmin said, ‘I hail from
South India. I went on a
pilgrimage to the north and
when I returned, could not
find my wife. It is just now
that I found her. However,
she has the form and
features of one from a lowly
caste. I wanted to know if I
could lead a family life
with this lady again.”
Jagannatha Kavi immediately
said, ‘Tomorrow morning,
take her to the pond
adjoining the Jagannath
Temple. Dip her in the pond
chanting the “Rama” Nama
thrice. When she emerges,
she will be purified and you
can lead family life with
her again. His mother, who
peeped from the house,
corrected him saying that,
uttering Rama Nama once
would do!
Sri Bodendra was taken aback
witnessing this incident. He
immediately introduced
himself to them and
requested them for the book
and studied it thoroughly.
The next morning, the whole
city was gathered around the
pond adjoining the temple.
The Brahmin brought the lady
and dipped her in the pond
chanting the Taraka Mantra.
To everyone’s surprise, when
the woman emerged out of
water, she had shed her
current form, and had
exactly the same form and
features when she lived with
the Brahmin earlier, clearly
illustrating the power of
the Rama Nama. To prove that
she had been purified by the
Rama Nama, Sri Bodendra
Swamigal asked her to cook
the meals for the day, and
he himself partook of it.
Later Sri Bodendra Saraswati
Swamigal returned to
Kanchipuram and wrote 8
different Texts that spoke
about the greatness of
Bhagavan Nama. “Bhagavan
Nama Rasodayam” was the most
important among them. He
instated his successor to
the Peetam and set out to
live like a real ascetic,
relinquishing all pomp and
grandeur. Independent in his
own way, he reached out to
every nook and corner of
Tamil Nadu and spread the
glory of Taraka Mantra. He
initiated everyone who came
to him with Rama Nama,
irrespective of caste, creed
or religion and purified
them. It would not be an
exaggeration to say that
there is virtually no place
in Tamil Nadu where he has
not set his foot.
One day, Sri Bodendra
Swamigal was camping in a
village called Perambur in
Needamangalam, a place
adjacent to Raja Mannarkudi
in Tamizh Nadu. A couple
came to have his darshan and
invited him to their home
for lunch. The Swamigal also
agreed to come the next day.
On the following day, Sri
Bodendra Swamigal arrived at
the couple’s residence. He
sat down to eat. A plantain
leaf was laid and food was
served. Just then, he
noticed a little boy in the
house and asked him to sit
down beside him and have his
food too. In spite of his
repeated requests, the
little boy was unresponsive. The parents
slowly explained to the Swamigal that
the boy could neither hear nor
speak. He was deaf and dumb
by birth. Hearing this,
tears rolled down Swamigal’s
eyes. He cried
uncontrollably because, just
a while back, he had made a
proclamation in one of his
works that one would escape
the fear of death if he
sings or hears the Taraka
Nama even once. He had
thought that the Taraka Nama
could spare none as everyone would at
least hear the Divine Name knowingly or unknowingly
during their lifetime. He
felt bad that for this
little boy because the
little one could neither
utter
nor hear the Lord’s Name
during his lifetime and
there was no way out for
him!
The devoted couple consoled the Swamigal, "This is our karma and we have accepted it. Swamigal should not shed tears on this account. Please do accept the 'bhiksha' [food]." At the tearful pleadings of the hosts Sri Bodendra Swamigal had three handful of food and then took leave of them. The couple reverentially accompanied the Swamigal to the entrance to the village.
Hungry that
this boy was, he reached out
to the leaf that Swamigal
had eaten from, and ate from
the remnants. No sooner had
he eaten the ‘Uchchishta’
from Sri Bodendral’s leaf
than he began singing the
Names of the Lord! When the
parents returned to the
house, they could not
believe their eyes seeing
their hitherto deaf and dumb
child jumping in joy crying
out Bhagavan Nama in Bhakti.
Indeed, the Uchchishta of
the great saint had
performed this miracle!
One evening, in the place
called Govindapuram, next to
Tiruvidaimarudur, Sri
Bodendra Saraswati Swamigal
sat on the banks of river
Cauvery after his regular
‘anushtanas’ . He watched
the small kids playing and
joined them. He asked them
to bury him in the sand and
said that he would come out
of another place. Fascinated
by this play, the kids
wanted to do it again and
again. This continued for
some time. At one point,
Swamigal was covered under
the sand and he did not come
out of the other end. The
kids were panicked and
called the elders nearby.
The elders rushed in and
decided to dig the ground in
search of the Swami. Just
then, a voice came from
inside asking them not to do
so and that Swamigal had
gone into Jiva Samadhi there
and wished to be so forever.
Even today, we have Bodendra
Saraswati Swamigal’s Jiva
Samadhi in Govindapuram, a
place between Aduthurai and
Tiruvidaimarudur, next to
Kumbakonam. It is said that
Bodendra Swamigal lives
there chanting the Rama Nama
all 24 hours and round the
year.
Devotees who go there and
chant the Taraka Mantra in
His Samadhi can hear Rama
Nama emanating from the
Samadhi when they spend
their night there. A few can
even see the form of the
Mahan in Danda and Kamandala
circumambulating the Samadhi
chanting the Rama Nama.
Today, anyone going to Sri
Bodendra Saraswati
Swamigal’s Samadhi
Govindapuram with problems
and sufferings in their
heart and pray with Bhakti
are ridden of their ills.
That is the greatness of the
Mahan who lived more than
three hundred years back,
and lives in his Samadhi
even today.
Bhagavan Nama Bodendra
Sadguru Maharaj ki! Jai!
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Swamigal". A great Mahan who had lived and still lives, spreading the fragrance of the Divine Name throughout the world. Can there be a more apt Mahan to reminisce on this happy occasion?
