The walking Lord of Varanasi – Sri Thrailanga Swamiji

Pranams at the lotus feet of Swamiji!

Years pass by Nrisimhdhar felt the need to perform marriage for Shivaram.   Nrisimhdhar was  too old to take care of family business so he thought if Shivram get married he would show some interest in the family business and come back to normalcy, he discussed this matter with Vidhyavathi and the couple began to search for a bride for Shivram.  Soon, Shivram got to know the news of the search for a bride, he told his father that he is not interested to get married, therefore do not waste his good energies in search for a bride, he decided to remain unmarried in whole life, he does not like to get involved in worldly matters.  Nrisimhdhar was shocked at the response of his elder son, he discussed the matter with Vidhyavathi, and she said she will put all effort to persuade Shivram, within a few days she found that it is impossible to influence Shivram who was too firm in his decision, she told her husband that Shivram is unyielding and therefore it is impossible to do anything without his consent.  She requested her husband not to put pressure on him, and she revealed that she has strong faith in Lord Mahadev, He will do well for him. Nrisimhdhar worriedly responded that someone has to take care of the properties of the family and possession; someone has to carry out the spiritual and religious rites, who will do all these in his absence?  Vidhyavathi said to proceed with the wedding of Sridhar who is younger to Shivram, in the meantime Shivram will come back to worldly living.   Nrisimhdhar asked her why she is not against performing the marriage of stepson, Vidhyavathi said that she is keenly watching Shivram from childhood days, he is too different from others, he sits long hours in meditation with her as if he was copying her, she said once she noticed brilliant rays initiated from the idol of Lord Shiva and merged in the body of Shivram.  After this incident Vidhyavathi was meticulously following Shivram in all his activities, several times she has seen through the window of their house that Shivram sits under the Peepal tree hours and hours  contemplating upon supreme Lord, one day she saw a venomous snake with a sparkling hood behind Shivram who was immersed in meditation.  Narsimhdhar was gone into great astonishment after listening from his wife.

 

The walking Lord of Varanasi – Sri Thrailanga Swamiji

Pranams at the lotus feet of Swamiji!

Nrisimhdhar sternly warned Vidhyavathi that if any arguments or conflicts take place in the family after the second marriage, Vidhyavathi should take complete responsibility for it.   Thus, Nrisimhdhar got married for the second time, Vidhyavathi happily offered all the responsibilities of the family to the new bride, she promised the new bride that she will always be on her side to perform the duties and responsibilities of the house, afterward Vidhyavathi spend her large part of her life in the veneration of supreme Lord Shiva.  After some time there was a miracle happened in the year 1607, on the Shuklapaksha Ekadashi day, Vidhyavathi gave birth to a beautiful child with the birth star Rohini.  There are two occasions men reach the state of ecstasy; one at the time of marriage and another one is the birth of a child.  Nrisimhdhar’s happiness has no bound, that too after several years of marriage he became father, therefore the whole village went into festive mood, sweets were distributed in the whole village, debts of the peasants were written off, the entire village wholeheartedly participated in the happiness of Nrisimhdhar and Vidhyavathi, who attained child after several years of worship of Lord Shiva. They named the child ‘Shivram’ followed by the traditional name ‘Thrailangadhar’.  After some time, Nrisimhdhar’s second wife gave birth to a child; he was named ‘Sridhar’.  These two children were brought up with all the happiness and comforts in the family, even though these two children had entirely different nature, Sridhar was too handful, revealed his presence in the entire house and always immersed in childhood pranks, but Shivram was quite an aloof, he will keep himself distant from childhood mates, he does not like crowd or noises.  His one of the pastime is when his mother Vidhyavathi performs veneration of Lord Shiva, young Shivaram sits close to his mother and immerses in meditation.  Nrisimhdhar was worried about the aloofness of Shivaram who is too young to contemplate upon Lord and spend hours in silence, he wants to see him like any other child of his age, as the elder son of the family Shivram has to undertake the family occupation and wealth, he has to take care of agricultural and farming, he has to collect tax from peasants and to be with them in their happiness and difficulties.  Whenever Nrisimhdhar explains about family business to Shivram, he pays less attention, it often irritates his father, Shivram leaves home silently.  Later, Nrisimhdhar realized that Shivram is not going to take care of his business, he has no interest in worldly matters, hence Nrisimhdhar stopped to discuss any family business with him.

The walking Lord of Varanasi – Sri Thrailanga Swamiji

Pranams at the lotus feet of Swamiji!

The sacred land Varanasi has been the ultimate asylum of Mahayogis, Siddha Purusha, ascetics, and numerous enlightened souls for several decades; they are elevated souls who had attained perfect unison with the Bramham, they are void of passion, worldly desires, worldly bondage and impurities, they required nothing for their existence on the Earth, a complete renounced soul.   They represent supreme bliss, they do not require necessities of life like ordinary people, and they have achieved that supreme state with the several years of tireless meditation, Yoga and contemplation upon the supreme spirit.  Thrailanga Swamiji was born to a pious Bhramin couple Sri Nrisimhdhar and Smt.Vidhyavathi, in the Holiya village, Vishakhapattinam, Andhrapradhesh.  Sri Nrisimhdhar was a Zamindar in the Holiya village, he was well respected in the whole village, people were treated him as the deity, he was a noble-minded, kind, generous, and always look for the welfare of the people of the village, he sincerely followed all the spiritual and religious rites of a Bhramin, he performed various charitable work.  Smt.Vidhyavathi was a chaste woman engages in household duties, worship of God, reading and reciting scriptures, undertake strict austerities.  Nrisimhdhar was anxious about his wife who spends most of the time in the veneration of Lord and observing vows, they had all the comforts, there was nothing missing in their life other than a child after ten years of married life.  Whenever Vidhyavathi see her husband with a gloomy face, she equally felt distressed and continued to undertake numerous vows, she spends more time in the shrines praying to Lord for a child, so that it will remove the stains in their life as a childless couple and she sincerely prayed for the continuation of lineage.  She apologized to her husband saying that she is unfortunate to give him a child, and requested him to marry one more time, so that he can have a child to carry out the religious rites, Nrisimhdhar was shocked at her request, he made her understand that bringing another woman in the family will create unnecessary chaos and arguments, he explained her that he is extremely happy with the peace and serenity at home, even though there is a lack of a child in their life.  He flatly refused to perform another marriage; she tried to persuade him saying that this second marriage might present them with a child, Nrisimhdhar discouraged her saying that it is all her fruitless hopes, and warned her never repeat the request again, if she wants he is willing to adopt a child for her happiness, he sincerely does not want to take away her happiness and rights in the family.  Vidhyavathi did not leave her hope, she put forward her request whenever she finds a suitable time, they have constant arguments regarding this matter, finally, Nrisimhdhar was agreed for second marriage.

Sage of Kanchi -

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya continues, children should not get involved in politics leaving their studies halfway; an uneducated person cannot manage the affairs of the country in any better way.  While studies, his main objective should be acquiring knowledge, he also has to concentrate on devotional life, morality, discipline, learn to handle emotions in an amicable way.  If he has achieved all these, and he really wants to pursue a career in politics that involved the life of millions and millions of people and their emotions, rest is God’s willing.  Education plays important role in children’s lives, without proper education it would be impossible to find a means of livelihood if a person cannot run a family how can he manage the affairs of the state?  In olden days the educational system was completely different, children were sent to Gurukulam/Preceptors home, at the age of eight.   In the Gurukulam there were limited facilities and strict disciplines, as a result, the child will learn adaptation techniques very easily, he will be good enough to live in any circumstances with strict discipline.  Preceptor love the children as his own, children will have little freedom to act, he has to strictly follow the rules of the Gurukulam otherwise severe punishments were imposed, children were taught to handle personal life as well as studies.   Modern day education provides all those comforts and luxuries of home;  children lived in the luxuries of home with a great lot of attention from parents move to a school where he is provided with all those comforts and freedom, these take a large control in their lives, it reflects in their overall life and behavior too.  Discipline cannot be imposed on a child’s life in a day or two, it is a lengthy process, firstly parents who enforce discipline on the children should have a history of good discipline, otherwise, it is impossible to implement on them.  Young minds have a lot of notions that are completely different from elders; they need a proper response for all their qualms, hence elders should patiently handle them with great care and love.  People who practiced self-control, humility, devotion and good discipline will not commit sins easily. Youths are full of life if they have adopted strict disciplines and morality, they will stick to it, moreover, they will create a world of young dynamic people.  We can see the enthusiasm in the youth forming Unions to fight for their needs if they utilize their ability in forming Unions for good causes like charitable purposes they can create a healthy society, medicine cure illnesses, education removes ignorance and helps them to grow noble-minded.  Education with humility is an essential quality.  The whole Universe is a mixture of good and bad, only human has the capabilities to elevate himself from the all-pervading illusion/Maya, he should continuously strive to raise his standards from normal to noble soul with the knowledge self and God-realization.  Supreme spirit has created the abode of deities and abode of demons as well, to strike a balance between good and evil.    We are living in Kali era, the nature of this era itself is predominant of wicked deeds, that does not mean that there will be no good, we all can strive to curtail the evilness.  Acharya concludes his speech amiably with an expectation that the younger generation will work hard for the betterment of society, promote spiritual as well religious rites, perform abundance of charitable work, remain noble soul, follow strict discipline, simplicity, morality, humility, and create a society better place to live in with the grace of Lord.

Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya!

Paramacharya emphasizes the practice of charity among children.  It is the responsibility of the parents to make the children understand the need for the performance of charity, God will not get pleased to see all the money earned used for individual purpose, they should learn the habit of helping poor, sick, physically disabled, serving the meal to needy, etc.. In this way they can earn piousness as well as happiness.  Children can collectively perform the deed of charity, planting trees, cleaning shelter homes, gardens, shrines, etc… this will cultivate devotion, morality, and sense of  responsibility among the children, mere remembrance of Lord would clear all the impurities, it will keep the children safe from bad habits.  Children should practice obeisance and prayer to Lord in the morning, evening and before go to bed, during the troubled times' devotion will work as supporting stick, it keeps us protected from falling prey to dangers.  Acharya highlighted the importance of discipline in adults, an adolescent is a crucial age, during this period their emotions goes beyond the limit, they often get familiarized with the new habits like smoking, usage of addiction-forming drugs, movies, politics, etc.. Parents should handle them with great care and compassion.  If they lose discipline and self-control, it will damage their future; eventually, it will destroy peace in the family.  The practice of devotion in the childhood years would be of great help during these hours, some may find peace in the devotional and spiritual services, they lean towards more spiritual and religious rites, it will keep them mentally strong with a whole new perception. They find immense pleasure in listening to religious speeches, legends of holy men, readings scriptures, and various charitable services.  They know how to strike balance between their studies and personal work.  Unfortunately, children who are not familiarized with any of these practices of devotion may find peace in the above-mentioned addiction forming habits.  It is essential to organize religious and spiritual conventions very often inviting more youths into this gathering, utilizing their physical help as well as allow them to share their thoughts; it will channelize the young minds into more fruitful ways, it will help the youth transform into noble personality. 

Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya continues if devotion is not cultivated in the young minds it is impossible to do it in later years, prayers work as a cleansing agent, like a dip in the holy river Ganga, it removes the impurities in the child, therefore every parent should  introduce  the habit of prayers in their children at a young age.  The habit of daily prayer is as essential as bathing; a child should practice Sun worship in the early years of childhood.  A child should understand the nature of Earth, he should have a love for nature, he should have the knowledge that God has created this Universe and its living beings, he has created Earth that rotates around Sun, it results in the origin of   four seasons known as Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.  Supreme spirit is the essence of compassion and righteousness, children should learn to communicate with the Lord with their simple prayers, as a result, they will learn the habit of sharing all their troubles with the Universal spirit, after several years of practice they will realize the benefit of complete surrender to the supreme spirit which will protect them from committing sins.  During this process, all their impurities will melt like ice; they grow up with clear perception, discipline, and virtues.  Supreme Lord protects the whole Universe and its living beings, Lord Surya is Lord of  the day who nourishes the plants and human life, Lord Varuna is the source of an adequate downpour, Lord Chandra is the Lord of night and coolness of the air, Lord Vayu is the source of vital air, Lord Agni is the source for  all ritual practices and preparation of meals, in this way supreme spirit takes care of each and every needs of its living beings,  He is the source of wealth, minerals, and natural resources likewise,  in a family father is the breadwinner, mother take care of household duties and responsibilities of children and dependents, hence a child should be respectful and grateful to his parents in his whole life, they have made a lot of sacrifices and underwent a lot of troubles in bringing up a child.  The parents are another form of supreme spirit who symbolizes compassion, that is the reason they are protective of their children and always wish for their goodness, it is the responsibility of every child to show respect and gratitude to his parents, when the child grows up into an adult, it is his prime duty to remain a strong support system of his parents.  When the intellect is free from impurities like ego, lust, desire, jealousy, anger and pride, it will be the abode of love and peace, our innate nature is happiness/bliss where the supreme soul resides, where do we get pure intellect? It can be achieved only through the practice of devotion and faith.  Hence, it is essential that children should be introduced to religious and spiritual activities from the early years of childhood.

Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya describes the primary duty of a school going child is to concentrate on his studies, obviously, there will be lots of distractions that can be expected, but he/she must be focused on his/her studies with the constant supervision of parents.  A child should not be introduced to any kind of labor during the tender age, because he is not mentally or physically strong enough to perform heavy tasks.  Humans are innate with impurities like ego, desire, anger, pride and jealous, all the sinful deeds performed in the several births accumulates as huge stack, the purpose of sending a child to school is to get rid of impurities and ignorance, knowledge is the only cure for ignorance.  During the process of learning, a child gets well accustomed to simplicity, humility, kindness, compassion, care, and love, these will wash off all the impurities in him/her.  Knowledge without humility is equivalent to ignorance, a person who is swollen with pride will not get help even from God, therefore intelligence and wisdom followed with humility is essential, it brings happiness and admiration.  Jnana yoga is the superior tool to get away from sins; this will teach a person the difference between pious and wicked deeds.  Introducing personal hygiene in a child is very important, regular bath twice a day will keep the child from skin diseases, cold water bath will revitalize the body and mind, child will get energy to fight against common cold and flu, habit of wearing clean and crisp clothes after bathing, and washing one’s own clothes are good habits.  The purity of mind is essential as bodily hygiene; a child should be introduced to simple religious activities and charitable works, it will keep them away from lies and unknown fears, children should have respect for elders, it is common to commit mistakes but forgiving mistakes and not to repeat the same is the highest of the virtue.  Parents have the right to impose punishments upon a child for their severe mistakes, but they are equally responsible to make the child understand the reasons for implementing such punishments.  Children get easily influenced by jealousy and pride, which can do nothing but harm, during these circumstances parents should make them understand the negative impact of jealousy and redirect their attention to a productive means.  Children should learn to cultivate the habit of friendliness, which could bring great joy in their life, speaking ill of others, mocking others, backbiting and backstabbing these should be avoided thoroughly.   Parents know of their children better than anyone, they should have a constant eye on their disciplines and habits.  It is simple as it is ‘What you sow,  shall you reap’.