(There is the foot of the Guru. In his glance, there is limitless compassion. There is something that has been said by him. What else is there that constitutes the summum bonum of life?)

Shankara Bhagavatpada, who authored several Prakarana texts, has composed the above extremely delightful verse.

What do you have? The reply to this question is:

There is limitless mercy in the side-glance of the Guru. He has graced us with his glance.

What about your path?

He has given some upadesham, teaching. That is indeed there constituting my path. If we have faith in the Guru, become the recipients of his grace and, having heard his teaching, act accordingly, then

(These three, namely, human birth, desire for liberation and the refuge of a great soul arise only on account of the Grace of God.)

That My Guru was a great person has been known by experience by those who were his contemporaries and beheld him. How does one become a Mahapurusha or a great soul? When the accumulated good tendencies of numerous previous lives manifest in a person, in a particular life, that person becomes a Mahapurusha.

(Just as swans approach the Ganga in autumn and just as the great medicinal herb regains its own lustre at night...)

So too, what was practiced in the previous birth manifests in the present birth.

Manu has said that no matter how old one is, one must not cease to learn. A person may get the doubt, "I am old. There is no occasion for me to utilize in this life what I have learned. Must I then strive merely to end up straining myself? Is it not much better for me to sleep happily instead?" To this, Manu says:

(Knowledge must be acquired by the wise, with dedication, though they may be old. Though it may not yield any fruit now, it will be easy to acquire in another birth.)

If you have some understanding, then, no matter what your age may be, you must learn. What is the use? While the learning may not be beneficial in this life, in a future life you may again be born as a human. You may then get an opportunity to acquire knowledge. If mental impressions of past learning are there, the mind instantaneously grasps what is taught. Else, what knowledge the teacher imparts wastes away in the preceptor himself as the disciple does not acquire it. Such a situation must not arise. If we grasp quickly what is taught, the teacher proceeds to teach further. Otherwise, he feels frustrated and thinks, "Why should I impart this lesson?". If that happens we will be unable to learn anything.

The Sastras state, as illustrated by the verse of Manu just considered, that efforts made in previous lives to acquire knowledge play a vital role in determining the ease with which we acquire knowledge now. So, if we are able to easily acquire knowledge, it can be inferred that we must have developed suitable mental impressions in a previous birth. Thus, on seeing a sage, we infer, "This man must have essentially perfected himself in his previous life. However, owing to some obstacle in his enjoying the fruit of his effort and getting liberated, he has been reborn and so is now present before us."

My Guru was congenitally inward-turned. No matter how many worldly things he was in the midst of, he never forgot the Self and his mind was focused on his goal. This, I indicated yesterday by means of some examples. Speakers at this function have taken up the fruits that accrued to others because of my Guru. I, on the other hand, am only saying what I saw in him; the sources of My information are what he himself told Me and what I personally observed. The incidents I narrated yesterday about My Guru going to the market with his mind absorbed in the import of the Mooka Panchasati and of his performing mental worship at the Vidya Shankara temple were made known to Me by him.

(Acharyal began this benedictory discourse by explaining, in the light of Bhagavatpada's Svatmaniroopanam verse, that one would attain total fulfillment if one were to obtain a Guru, be the recipient of his grace and act, with faith, according to his teaching. Acharyal then showed how mental tendencies developed in the former lives play a role in making a person the great soul spoken of in the verse. Once it becomes clear that mental impressions of the past lives play a role in the making of even a knower, it goes without saying that meritorious deeds of the past births are involved in a person getting a Guru and becoming a recipient of the sage's grace. This point is so obvious that Acharyal has deemed it unnecessary to explicitly elaborate on it.

Acharyal's specifically taking up the involvement of past impressions in the blossoming of a knower is significant in that He has thereby provided a link with His previous benedictory address. Therein, Acharyal explained the characteristics of a knower of the Truth and went on to show His Guru was a knower, with the concerned characteristics accruing to him mainly by virtue of his previous lives.

Acharyal now takes up the role of faith. A disciple, who has beheld a sage and become the recipient of the great one's grace, can derive the full benefit of His Guru's teachings and thereby attain the fulfillment of the purpose of life, as indicated in Bhagavatpada's verse, only if he has full faith.)

All of us say that faith is essential. What is meant by faith?

(The firm acceptance of the words of the Sastras and the Guru as true.)

There must be the unwavering conviction, "This is true", with regard to what the Sastras and the Guru say. We may think, "We certainly do have faith. If not, would we be studying the Vedanta Shastra?" "We have faith" - these are only our own words; the question is whether our faith finds manifestation in our actions. If not, our words are hollow.

The Sastra says that Sandhya Vandanam must be performed. However, if at the Sandhya time, some matter were to crop up, it is possible that we may drop our Sandhya Vandanam. If such be the case, it cannot be true that we have faith. If we genuinely accept something as true as, for instance, that it is obligatory on us to do Sandhya Vandanam, we must necessarily act accordingly.

My Guru had made it a practice since his youth to do Parayanam (recital) of the Ramayana. The procedure for Ramayana Parayanam comprises the chanting of some verses at the commencement of the recital. One such verse is:

(Salute Hanuman, the destroyer of Rakshasas, who remains with his palms joined above his head and with his eyes brimming with tears of joy wherever there is a recital about Rama.)

What is the nature of Hanuman, the devotee of Rama? He comes and sits down at all places where a discourse on the story of Rama is taking place. What does He do if, on Rama Navami day, discourses simultaneously take place in a hundred different places? He sits in all the hundred places. How is this possible? The Veda discusses a related issue pertaining to oblations made at a Yagna.

What oblations we offer the Devatas during a sacrifice is limited. Is it sufficient to fill the stomachs of the Gods? If not, how will the Devatas be pleased? On an occasion, one may have resolved to perform a Homa with a thousand Modakas (sweetmeats commonly offered to Lord Ganesha) and may have fulfilled one's resolve. If the Lord were to consume such a large number of Modakas, would He not suffer from indigestion? We make different quantities of offerings; as such, we may be giving the Devatas either insufficient food or an amount enough to cause indigestion. Raising such an issue, the Veda says:

((Sayanacharya's interpretation of this Mantra is:) If the Devatas obtain only as much oblation as is offered in the sacrificial fire, how is it that the little quantity of oblation pleases the Devatas? There is no rule that the Devatas obtain only what amount is offered. On the other hand, the offering increases to the extent desired by the Devata. Thus, they can be satisfied.)

If you have to offer oblation to the Devatas, your duty is to offer, with faith, what the Sastra enjoins. It is not necessary for you to consider whether what is offered is adequate to appease the hunger of the Devatas or whether, in the event of your offering an excessive amount, the Devatas will accept only what they need.

Even if you give a little, a Devata has the capacity to make the offering increase to the amount which he desires. What is important is faith. If we have faith, then whatever we offer goes to God.

It is necessary for us to reason in accordance with our scripture-based faith and not in a perverse manner. Else, we may perversely feel, "We have performed for Ganapathy, a Homa with a hundred Modakas. However, on noting the size of His stomach, it is clear that it can accommodate a thousand Modakas. Therefore, what we have offered is inadequate". If we contend thus, then we are fools. Alternatively, having resolved that we will, in a Homa, offer a thousand Modakas, we may wrongly reflect, “How will Ganapathy eat this much? Even if we eat ten Modakas, we find it excessive. So, He will not consume more than a hundred Modakas". Reasoning thus, if we perform the Homa with only a hundred Modakas, then we lack faith in the Vedic teaching:

(The oblation increases to the extent desired by the Devata.)

What is the sign of faith in the Sastras? One's acting as dictated by the Sastras. My Guru had read the verse to the effect that Hanuman comes and sits wherever Rama is glorified. Hanuman, he believed, has the power to sit in all places; He suitably modifies His body and comes. Wherever there is dearth of air, air rushes in. It fills a place regardless of whether it is big or small. The Devatas grace by their presence the place where oblations are duly offered. Likewise, Hanuman comes to the spot where Ramayana Parayanam is performed.

We have read this verse about Hanuman and know its meaning. Still we hardly believe that Hanuman will come and go. My Guru's stance was novel. He reflected: "What is the procedure for seating Hanuman when He comes? Is it appropriate that He should sit on the ground and listen while we sit on a wooden plank and recite? Further, is it appropriate that He should just have to get up and go when we close our books? Is He not to be offered respect and a place to sit?"

Having thought over the matter My Guru decided, "As I myself sit on a wooden plank, a seat must be placed for Him". Placing a wooden plank for Hanuman to use, he did Ramayana Parayanam with the feeling that Hanuman was seated. Once someone came there and asked, "Boy, why have you placed a wooden plank here?" The following conversation ensued.

"It is for Anjaneya."

"He is not there."

"He may not be seen by you but:

He is seated there with His hands over His head."

"What is all this nonsense that you are saying?"

"Can the words of the great be false? Do we not recite this verse about Hanuman's presence everyday?"

The extent of My Guru's faith in the verse being factual now becomes clear to us. What faith he had!

While faith may be essential and while the hallmark of its presence may be its influence on our behavior, one may ask "How does faith confer any fruit?" The following illustrations throw light on this.

Right from his childhood, My Guru was devoted to My Paramaguru (Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nrsimha Bharathi Mahaswamigal). Being poor, he neither had the courage nor the opportunity to freely go to his Guru and submit what he desired. What did he desire? His longing was, "How wonderful it would be if I could somehow have the Guru's Padukas in my house and worship them". An interesting situation arose.

A person living elsewhere came to Sringeri, served My Paramaguru with devotion for many days and became the recipient of his Guru's grace. Finally when it was time for him to leave, he requested, "Oh Mahaswami, if I have your Padukas in my house I will get the highest good. Please grace me with them". The Guru felt compassion for the man and gave the Padukas. The man collected them and came to My Guru's house where he was lodged.

While departing, he gathered his belongings. However, being old, he forgot about the Padukas and left without them. My Guru's joy knew no bounds. The man had left and it was not possible for him to return; in those days the arrival of a vehicle at Sringeri was an infrequent occurrence. What was My Guru to do? He thought, "I was so desirous of the Padukas and they themselves have come to me.

What has happened is on par with the waters of the Ganga drenching and purifying a lame man who was merely seated."

A similar incident took place today at a person's house. Some have the desire to wash My feet. If, however, I were to keep washing My legs in everyone's house, My feet would, I feel, be adversely affected. So I avoid it. Today, one person brought, with great faith, a poornakumbha (a vessel filled with water and with a coconut in its mouth).

Do you know what some people do? They bring a shoonyakumbha. They do not know the meaning of 'poornakumbha' (filled vessel). They fetch a clean vessel with a coconut on it but, on the coconut being lifted, there is nothing below; this is a shoonyakumbha (an empty vessel).

It seems that some elder had duly instructed this person to whose house I went and so he completely filled a vessel with water. As he was bringing it, owing to his joy on seeing Me and the commotion created by the others, the coconut and the water fell. The coconut did not fall on My feet but near them. The water, however, fell on My feet.

The man felt, "Alas! An unfortunate event has occurred". I, however, told him, "You are indeed meritorious. You have the desire to wash My feet. But if you had brought water for that purpose I would have said, 'No'. The water, however, fell on its own on My feet. The implication is that what was in your mind has been fulfilled by God. So do not be upset".

I narrated this to point out that if God is merciful to us and we have faith and devotion, then what we wish automatically gets fulfilled. Likewise, by virtue of his faith, My Guru obtained the Padukas. Thereafter, he kept up the practice of worshipping them. What were the fruits that accrued on account of this devout worship of the Padukas of the Guru? I shall elaborate on this later.