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Sri Gnanananda Thapovanam, Its Inspiration And Role Today [Page 3] Sri Gnanananda Thapovanam draws its inspiration from its founder and Guru and from the spiritual tradition he represents. Guru Gita says that according to its etymological sense, the word 'Guru' means one who dispels the darkness of ignorance of his disciple'. He imparts knowledge to the disciple not out of any worldly motive or even out of any religious, moral, or professional compulsion. He does so out of a divine compassion, which is spontaneous and without any trace of ego. Just as the sun dispels the darkness of the night, the Guru automatically dispels the spiritual darkness of the qualified disciple. We may say that it is the action of the Grace of the Guru and ascribe it to his compassion. But one should beware of falling into the trap of thinking that the disciple has no work to do. He has to qualify himself for receiving the Grace, by making himself open to it. That is Sadhana.
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Swami Abhishiktananda records this observation of Sri Gnanananda: "Do you make a fire with green wood? You must first cut down the branch, then dry it. Only then will it catch alight. The fire is Grace and the preparation of wood, sadhana - the effort made by the person who truly wishes to succeed". Sri Gnanananda instituted padapooja or the worship of the Padukas (sandals) of his Guru and of Sri Sankara to emphasize the importance of devotion to tradition. "Guru padukas signify the unbroken succession of the spiritual masters and their tradition. Paduka is a subtle symbol of the Guru himself in its gross form; it is, as it were, Guru's Grace in a congealed form". Through the Guru Padukas one is linking oneself not only to the particular Master but to the whole tradition to which he belongs. Swamiji has so exemplified the spiritual tradition that He has indeed come to embody it. When we worship the Guru, we worship the whole tradition and when we seek guidance from tradition, we feel it is our Guru who speaks to us through it. The ritualistic worship of the padukas is only symbolic of the disciple's total surrender to the Guru and his Sraddha or faith in his teachings and in the tradition. This tradition leads one beyond itself to transcendence. Devotees belonging to different traditions perform pada pooja. To each of them, the Padukas represent the tradition to which he belongs. Sadguru Gnanananda in transcending all traditions has become the Guru of all. Pada Pooja occupies the pride of place in Thapovanam. Swamiji was keen that even Sannyasins should attend the Pada Pooja. Sri Sankara says in his commentary on Srimad Bhagavad Gita : "Gnananishta or single-minded devotion to Knowledge is indeed unattainable to those who have not been properly initiated into the traditional knowledge by the Gurus (the great ones)" (XVIII, 50).15 Devotees of Thapovanam are well aware that their Master is a Siddha Purusha. Even when he was physically amidst them, his presence was not limited to his body, the place or time. They have had various accounts of his operating in different planes at the same time. All this had helped the devotees to learn not to identify the presence of the Master with his physical body only. Moreover, Swamiji over the years had by his words and discourses taught the devotees the truth of the concept of Guru. Through the hymns and songs sung every day, the GuruTattwa had sunk into their consciousness. They used to offer salutations to Sadguru, chanting Sri Dakshinamurti Stotra of Sankara which gives the quintessence of Advaita, and clearly states that God, Guru and Atman are one. Swamiji had selected 45 verses from the Guru Gita for recital during the Pada Puja, and all of them point to Atman as the Guru. Sri Gnanananda-Guru-Stava-Dasaka praises Gurumurti as God and Atman. In accordance with the Hindu tradition the devotees had developed the conviction that Guru is verily God Himself. Hence, they could worship him and seek his Grace as from God, even when his physical form is no longer visible to their eyes. As Swamiji himself used to point out very often, many of the great temples flourish at the Samadhis of Siddhas. He says: "Like the eggs of the tortoise (in the legend) getting batched at its very thought, those doing sadhana at the Samadhi of Yogis who have attained Self-realisation, become blessed with success when the Master thinks of them". Spiritual and other benefits of worshipping at the Samadhi shrines are well accepted in the living Hindu tradition. The site of Thapovanam is a spot already hallowed by contact with saints and sages of yore and is located within the spiritual aura of Arunachala. It was with deliberate intention that Swamiji chose to shed his body at Thapovanam so that future generations could benefit from his powerful spiritual presence in the Samadhi situated in already hailowed surroundings. Shirdi Sai Baba declared: "My tomb will speak; my clay will give you replies. My shrine will bless my devotees and fulfil their needs"'7. Sri Gnanananda assured his devotees that his Samadhi would be a Jiva Samadhi i.e., he would retain his subtle body without dissolving it and would continue to shower his grace on them. The Samadhi chamber was constructed by him even before his Mahasamadhi and he had given detailed instructions for the internment of his body. A six pillared hexagonal structure in polished granite has been constructed as the Sanctum Sanctorum of the Samadhi shrine as per his directions and a Siva Linga has been installed. Regular Vedic ritualistic worship is offered to Sri Gnanananda Mahalinga in the morning and evening. The six pillars signify the Shanmata - six forms of God for worship, as established by Adi Sankara - Ganapati, Siva, Vishnu, Surya (the Sun God), Sakti and Subramanya. Each of the pillars carries twin images of the respective deity. The significance of this arrangement is that God worshipped in any of the forms and pleased with the devotion of the aspirant over many births, blesses him with Advaita-vasana or inclination towards non-duality. Out of compassion for him, God takes the human form and appears as Sadguru to give him the liberating knowledge. Guru is God himself in human form. Guru Upasana is, therefore, the easiest and highest form of Saguna Upasana i.e., meditative devotion of qualified Brahman. Swamiji has also consecrated a likeness of his in a life size Sila Vigraha or stone image. The Archa form is in a sitting posture, the right palm lifted with Chinmudra which transmits the Upadesa or teaching of the content of the Mahavaka TAT TWAM ASI" - "THAT THOU ART", i.e. identity of the Atman, the subjective Self and Brahman, the unchanging Substratum of the appearance of the phenomenal world. South-facing, it is the embodiment of Sri Dakshinamurti teaching through silence. On his birthday in 1973, Swamiji stood behind the Sila Vigraha for some time and consecrated it by touching the head and investing it with his Jiva Kala or his consciousness as spiritual power, just as Sri Ramanuja is said to have done to his own images at Melkote and Sriperumbudur before his Mahasamadhi. Coming from behind the Sila, Swamiji whispered to devotees around him that from the next birthday they could have his darsan in the Vigraha only. After his Mahasamadhi, daily ritualistic worship is offered to this Murti of Gurudev in the Mani Mandapa shrine. While the idol itself is the symbol of Swamiji as Sri Dakshinamurti or the Teacher, the Siva Linga at the Samadhi shrine "stands between form and non-form, rupa-arupa, between manifestation and what can never be manifested". There is a Deepa Stambha or column of lights called Makara Vilakku which now stands in front of the Sila Vigraha of Swamiji. He has instructed that it should be moved to the point of intersection of the centre lines of the Samadhi shrine and Mani Mandapa shrine, in the hall to be constructed in front of the Samadhi. This column of lights symbolises Atman, the Light of all lights. "By Its light is verily all this is illuminated", says the Upanishad'. Atman or Brahman is the same as God and Guru. Thus Swamiji's shrine will be a shrine of Guru Tattwa itself. "To Him who is differently manifested in the forms
of God, the Teacher, and the Self, whose body is all-pervading like
space; to Sri Dakshinamurti - to the Effulgent Form facing the South,
to Him be this obeisance!" Manasollasa of Sri Sureswarachcuya 1.10 The Jivanmukta has cast off the limitations of the physical body and now his presence in Videha Kaivalya has become all-pervading. An abiding Peace encompasses and permeates the ashram premises and the very air is redolent with his powerful Presence. Indeed it is not confined to Thapovanam. As before, even now wherever devotees may be, they find his unfailing Grace and immediate support in a more potent inner Presence. They now realize the significance of his often repeated assurance, "Swami will always be with you". For him who has become all and every-thing, even as there is no coming, there is no going away. Although the eternally youthful, lustrous, sweet and smiling face of the sage, lotus-like in tinge and form, may not be visible to their gross vision, his continued and uninterrupted presence and constant shower of Grace have been the definite experience of all devotees who surrender to him. Let us here recall the reflections of Swami Abhishiktananda
on the mystery of the Guru after he recognised in Sri Gnanananda his
Guru at the very first meeting with him: "The Guru is one who has himself
first attained the Real and who knows from personal experience the way
that leads there; He is capable of initiating the disciple and of making
well up from within the heart of his disciple, the immediate ineffable
experience which is his own - the utterly transparent knowledge, so
limpid and pure, that quite simply 'he is'…" |
